When the Los Angeles Rams announced their move from Thousand Oaks to Woodland Hills, many fans questioned why they would pick a location in the San Fernando Valley for their practice facility. The heat in Woodland Hills can be excruciating at times throughout the year and the Rams are feeling that right now as they prepare for Sunday night’s game against the Detroit Lions.
Temperatures during Wednesday’s practice reached 105 degrees. That’s not even the hottest in the forecast. Thursday and Friday call for temps of 110 degrees. Fortunately, humidity is low but Sean McVay can’t deny the heat is “very real” and he would not prefer it to the wind the Rams dealt with in Thousand Oaks.
“As of right now, no,” he said when asked if he prefers this to windy conditions. “Here’s what I would say, though. It is part of what you can control, right? This is where we’re at so we’re going to do the best we can to minimize any of the distractions. Now, you can’t deny that this heat is very real.”
The Rams have only been in Woodland Hills for a week and a half, so they’re still finding ways to combat the extreme heat they’re feeling on the field. They’re emphasizing the importance of staying hydrated and adjusting their schedule to make it easier on players.
There’s no denying they’re feeling the heat, though.
“You put the pads on, I think Reggie (Scott), his group – really, our sports performance (team) – has done an excellent job of understanding, alright, what are the things that we can do to counter it?” McVay continued. “With the hydration, the importance of just moving some things around schedule-wise and then still be able to go attack our preparation the right way. My understanding is that it’ll cool down at some point. We do want it to be as minimal of a distraction as possible but you can’t ignore that this heat is real and the guys feel it. I think we have a good plan in place so that it won’t be any reason for us not to be ready to roll Sunday night.”
A lot of players have practiced in this sort of heat before, whether with other teams in the NFL or during their time in college. That doesn’t mean they enjoy it, though.
“When you see three digits with the weather, you don’t look at that and smile,” Steve Avila told Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.
Fortunately, temperatures do cool down as the year goes on, but it’s brutally hot for players and coaches right now and will stay that way for some time.