By Jim Gehman, Player Engagement Insider
The Rams have been there, done that and are doing it again.
Four years after meeting the New England Patriots in London’s Wembley Stadium as part of the NFL’s International Series, the team is traveling to Detroit for Sunday’s game against the Lions, and then will immediately be heading to England to begin preparing for their game on October 23rd against the New York Giants.
Veteran tight end Lance Kendricks, now in his sixth NFL season, co-led the then-St. Louis Rams in receptions when they played the Patriots and will be on the field vs. the Giants. What’s his advice to teammates who will be playing abroad for the first time?
“I think the biggest thing is the time adjustment,” Kendricks said. “It’s having to get up and start your day at like two o’clock in the morning back home. As a team, we’ve been traveling and playing everywhere else but home pretty much, so I think we’re pretty comfortable with playing on the road and playing in different places.”
Certainly London is a much different place than Los Angeles and the other NFL cities. Checking out Big Ben, the Windsor Castle and keeping an eye open for royalty could be distracting and something that the players may need to limit.
“You’re in a foreign place and so you’re going to want to venture out and try new things and see things,” Kendricks said. “I think that’s going to be really the tough part, focusing on football and not so much sightseeing and doing things you truly wanted to do once you’re in London. So I think it’s really just making sure you’re putting your priorities in order and focusing on the game plan first.”
Kendricks traveled to London in July to help promote the game as the Rams’ ambassador for NFLUK. He was impressed by how the British fans have taken to American football.
“They actually know a decent amount about football, surprisingly, compared to the last time I went. But I think the real changeup is being in an entirely new environment.”
Granted he’s a tight end and not a psychic, but does Kendricks see the NFL being more visible in London and becoming a prominent part of its environment?
“I think it’s possible. I think the big thing, honestly, is just the time difference, being able to adjust and fly that far and being able to just play a football game,” Kendricks said. “It’s taxing on your body. That jet lag is pretty serious, so just being able to be mentally tough and just go over there and focus on the task at hand and not so much getting caught up in being in the city. Although it is a great place to be.
“We’re doing the same thing (we did in 2012 and will be in London for) six or seven days. It’s really hard to adjust to a time that’s ahead of you. By game time, everybody’s kind of got to be in that mode, but we’ll be all right. We’ll adjust. That’s kind of the hurdle we’ve faced all season, going from (training camps in) Oxnard to Irvine and [after the game in Detroit, we’ll have played four of our first six games on the road]. So for us, it’s just that we’re going to another place. As long that they have a football field I think we’ll be all right.”