Hard Knocks: Questions, thoughts after episode three

Episode three of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Los Angeles Rams is officially in the books. This week I decided to change things up a little from the first two episodes. Instead of going through five things we learned from this week’s episode, we will be going with an entertaining recap.

This article is being written while watching the show live, and any thought that crosses my mind while I watch is going to find its way into this recap. So expect to see some offbeat and subtle things referenced that you may have missed! This is sure to be fun!

And without any further ado, here we go! It’s showtime!

We open the show with defender Ethan Westbrooks talking about a tattoo on his face. It is serving as a reminder to him that he never wants to go back to working those nine to five days at Toys R Us. But he may very well be headed back to the toy store if his play continues the way it is, as we see him getting chewed out in a meeting before the opening credits roll.

Flashback time to August 1st. Paul McRoberts is headed into a meeting with coach Jeff Fisher, and this cannot be good. McRoberts found out about the death of his step-brother on Facebook of all places. And this meeting, which I thought was going to be him getting cut at first, is simply Fisher showing support for his rookie. It is an emotional scene where the coaches come in and support their player, and McRoberts heads out to deal with the tragic event.

Three weeks later and we see McRoberts back on the field. Given the wide receiver situation on the team, maybe he can emerge. The team’s top receiver, Tavon Austin, knows how to make some annoying dolphin sound. He sure seems like a handful when he gets to talking.

Jeff Fisher starts off a team meeting with some positive words for his team. How long before he gets to the negatives? Now on to Gregg Williams, he can curse right up their with Rex Ryan. He is trying to scare his defense by telling them they will get fired like any other job if they do not perform.

There is Eric Kush wearing one of his famous tank tops again! And wow Todd Gurley can curl a lot. Now we see some dinosaur toys, and that has to mean it is time for William Hayes. His teammates continue to rib him in the locker room about some things.

And now we get to see Hayes and his family along with teammate Akeem Ayers and family in Disney Land. Those mickey hats just look funny on top of the heads’ of NFL players. They decided to take the hats off for the big coaster. Smart move gentlemen, as they would have been lost during the big loop. I wonder how much the people on line hated it while they set up some cameras to film these two on the coaster.

We have a special guest appearance from MJD, Maurice Jones Drew! He is shown talking to Brandon Fisher, a defensive coach for the Rams, and also son of head coach Jeff Fisher. Father Fisher proceeds to tell a story of his son, and we get a few clips of both men,

Nice one handed grab by number 34! And then Kenny Britt with a Gronk like spike. Nelson Spruce, the hero of the first preseason game is sporting a knee brace. This injury prompts the conversation of  how much Gurley will be playing in game two. It is clear Gurley is the most important player on the team, as Fisher makes it clear Gurley cannot be taken down in practice. This just goes to show he is just as important as the quarterback on this team.

Eugene Sims is gonna be pulling in some interceptions if he is ever given the chance with those hands. Wow, that is impressive for a big man on the defensive side of the ball.

Now we have more special guests, CC Sabathia, and I am pretty sure I saw Joe Girardi of the New York Yankees. Sabathia is looking nice and slim compared to his old days. And he makes fun of Kush and his tanks with some of the Rams!

With that, more Kush and his tanks! Man, I love these segments. This dude would buy every tank in the world if he could. He just has a fun personality and is perfect for this show.

Some old clips of Jeff Fisher returning a punt during his playing days. Sure seems weird seeing this side of

No one wants to mess with Jon Singletary. Except for Tavon Austin, who just does not know when to shut up. Benny Cunningham also did a pretty entertaining impression, but it was not while Singletary was around to hear. He may not have been a very good head coach, but it is clear he has the respect of his players as a coach  with a specialty.

Alec Ogletree is going to be great if he listens to Singletary. He has the talent to be a monster, and now he has the mentor. This could be a relationship that pays off big time this season.

Chris Weinke is on screen, and that means it is time for the quarterbacks. All Jared Godd wants to talk about is chips and peanut butter. This is not the type of conversation I want to see from my quarterbacks room. Meanwhile we see Case Keenum trying to memorize play calls with his while they make breakfast. Now this is the type of dedication I do want from a quarterback. Keenum needs to start the season as the starter, as Goff is not going to be ready. Give it a year and then give Goff more of a look.

But it is clear Fisher wants to work Goff slowly into that starter’s role, as he is giving him some starters reps. Goff has the physical talents for sure, but mentally I do not see him as being ready.

Yet another special guest with Eric Dickerson makes a short appearance. Now we get another look at Ian Seau, who has some serious potential. But last week he let a sack slip away which led to a big touchdown in last week’s pre-season game. Mike Waufle did not look to happy with that. Surprisingly he did not rip into Seau too bad.

Brandon Chubb is in the bowling alley, and he is enjoying some chicken fingers and fries. And damn he is a seriously good bowler. I would also like to mention I like his NASA shirt that says he needs his space. Get it?

Back to Ogletree, who is set to be a star on defense. I feel like whenever he is off the field, he is sporting a Georgia University shirt. He needs to end his Facetime with his wife and newborn because he needs to watch some film.

While we see Austin Hill on the field I would like to point out a sign in the background that says “keep off the fields”. Problem is it is not pointed towards the fans, but towards the players on the actual field. Also the pictures of Keenum and Goff behind the endzone make me laugh every time I see them for some reason. Hill then gets some quality time with his daughter on the field. She is not happy when he has to leave. Like at all.

Yes back to the tanks! Kush is getting boxes of tanks delivered to the locker room for his teammates. Greg Robinson does not want anything to do with the tanks, unlike everyone else who gladly take a freebie. Kush even got some for his sons, as we see his wife Stephaine dressing them. One of his kids is clearly a fan of Pokemon Go.

As the team walks into the stadium for their game against the Chiefs, I spy Kush without a tank! What is this? Gurley is rocking out to some music as he rides a stationary bike. One of the linemen dances his way through. A little girl thinks its too loud as she covers her ears and cries in the stands. And Austin is trying to fire people up.

Now its game time! Ogletree is getting a bit frustrated as his guys are not doing as well as he wants, leading to Waufle letting out an F bomb. Robert Quinn is not pleased either and finds this performance unacceptable. Williams is making it clear Ogletree is in charge on the field.

Keenum has some friendly conversation with the referee. His wife really seems to enjoy football, and she knows her stuff. Must be all those play calls while having breakfast. Gurley gets the touchdown on the opening drive, just like he will do a lot this season. And with that, he is out. But Keenum will get another drive. And I must say, he looks pretty darn good. Cooper gets the touchdown, which means he is out there with the first team. So Cooper may have a leg up on a starting role.

Now it is Goff time. And our first clip we see him lose a fumble. Down at the half, and Brandon Chubb is assigned with the Ogletree role of leading the defense. Now back to Westbrook, also known as the guy who does not want to go back to Toys R Us, who is down with a serious lookingj knee injury on a cheap shot. Waufle is letting number 75 on the Chiefs have it, and Fisher looks pretty pissed as well. Westbrook does end up walking off on his own power.

Now we get a look at Kush on the field. His wife and kids are cheering him on while Hill’s daughter cheers him on. She may not know the difference between the numbers six and nine, but she sure loves to root for her dad.

Williams is not happy is Chubb at all. Chubb ignored him, and Williams is not the type of man you should do that too. He is not going to be given that leadership role much longer if he continues to make his coach mad like this.

Goff finally begins to show some potential, and is helped out by number 39 making a one-handed grab as he turned around for a touchdown. Now that was honestly a pretty bad throw, as 39 needed to spin his whole body around to make the grab, which was not an easy one. So while the drive was a good one for Goff, it still shows he needs time.

I do not know how Hill’s daughter makes it while he is not around. She just wants to be with him every time she is on screen, and whenever he needs to leave she gets upset. We end the show with a discussion of who is the ugliest on the team. And the final result is the team has a ton of ugly guys. One more quick clip of Fisher making his team laugh by showing a clip of Britt crashing the dune buggy at a team meeting. Kenny Britt still thinks it’s funny and continues to show his lack of maturity.

And that concludes this weeks episode of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Los Angeles Rams! What did you think of this weeks episode? Tell us in the comments!