LA Rams alter course before Super Bowl

The Los Angeles Rams aim to become the second consecutive team to claim the Lombardi Trophy in their home stadium in Super Bowl LVI, but first there was the matter of a road trip.

With wind gusts forecast in the 30-mile-an-hour range at the team's headquarters at Cal Lutheran University, the Rams trekked 52 miles to conduct Thursday's practice at the Rose Bowl.

Rams coach Sean McVay sought calmer elements to facilitate significant work on the passing game during the most intense and longest practice of the week.

Mission accomplished: The winds were barely noticeable, measuring at five miles per hour in the 84-degree heat.

"No wind," McVay said. "This is what SoFi (Stadium) will feel like, really. It was great to come out here. Guys had a really good bounce in their step."

And Matthew Stafford was on fire. The Rams quarterback was extremely sharp throughout the two-hour practice, completing a variety of passes - including deep bullets downfield, intermediate laser throws to the corners, soft touch passes to the flats - with aplomb.

"That's what we wanted," McVay said. "What kind of game it ends up being will dictate exactly what plays that we will run. But he did a great job, found a lot of completions, got a lot of guys involved. That's what we wanted to do."

McVay also wanted a session that was typical for a Thursday. The Rams donned shoulder pads and either shorts or sweatpants as the players engaged in minimal contact with no tackling.

"This represented the last full-speed practice, with a lot of reps in all types of situations," McVay said. "Wanted to really see a great, complete practice. Hit a lot of different things. Good urgency."

It was a spirited session and not just because of the rap music (including an