THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Owner Stan Kroenke and the Rams appear on track to set up shop at Oxnard for OTAs and mini camp in April.

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By Bob Buttitta of the Ventura County Star

The Los Angeles Rams have chosen Oxnard as the training site for their upcoming Organized Team Activities and mini camp.

Oxnard Assistant City Manager Scott Whitney said Thursday the city is negotiating with the Rams and both sides hope to strike a deal soon for the team to train at the River Ridge fields starting this spring. The Rams would use the River Ridge fields and the locker room facilities located adjacent to the playing fields. Those are the same fields the Dallas Cowboys use when they train in Oxnard.

Any deal must be approved by the Oxnard City Council.

In addition to negotiating with the city for the use of the fields and locker room, the Rams must also reach an agreement with the Marriott Residence Inn, which is located next to the fields and would provide housing and meeting space for Rams personnel.

Artis Twyman, the senior director of communications for the Rams, said he's not sure when the team would arrive in California, but added the team's offseason program begins April 18.

"As far as the offseason training program goes, it involves our coaches and players, but most of the organization will be probably be moved at that time," Twyman said. "There are several phases to the offseason program, some of it will be just players and some of it will involve players and coaches."

A National Football League team's offseason organized team activities, called OTAs, are separate from training camp. They are practice sessions that concentrate on technique, basic personnel packages and repetition. A typical session starts with players meeting with position coaches or coordinators to watch tape and talk about areas to focus on when they are on the field.

Once out on the field, the session generally starts with a special teams workout. No pads are allowed except for a helmet. Most of the time is spent on technique, foot placement, use of hands and so on. It's a teaching period more than anything, as playing special teams without pads is a challenge.

That is followed by an individual period where each group spends time doing drills specific to the players' positions. From there they move on to a seven-on-seven drill where quarterbacks, running backs and receivers compete against linebackers and defensive backs.

Finally, there's a period where both the offense and defense come together for team sessions. Work is done at half-speed, with the emphasis on learning plays and understanding individual responsibilities.

Then there is post-practice, where players head to the weight room for a lifting session, work on conditioning on the field or study tape in the film room. The entire practice is under two hours.

Under normal circumstances, players commute from their homes to the team facility for these practices. Because the Rams are moving from St. Louis and most players don't have homes here yet, the Marriott would provide housing and meeting space.

It would likely be very similar to the structure used by the Dallas Cowboys when they hold training camp in Oxnard. The Cowboys use the River Ridge fields, the locker room and hotel facilities. The Cowboys bring several large trailers to the site to hold equipment and put up tents for weight room facilities and the media.