Updates on TE Tyler Higbee, RB Cam Akers readiness, more as 2022 Super Bowl week opener – The Athletic

The Los Angeles Rams opened their last full week of practices and press conferences before the Super Bowl on Monday, “the new normal” way: on Zoom.

Dressed in sleek new sports jackets with the Super Bowl crest stitched on one shoulder, head coach Sean McVay and a handful of players – including a few team captains in quarterback Matthew Stafford, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and wide receiver Cooper Kupp – held the interviews that traditionally mark the start of Super Bowl week.

“Can you hear me?” McVay muttered as he stared into the one-sided screen just before his 45-minute media session opened. Due to COVID-19 protocols, player and coach interviews will remain virtual and take place simultaneously in a variety of “Zoom rooms” for most of the week. On Friday, in-person press conferences will be held at the teams’ training sites.

It feels like decades have passed since the Rams’ last Super Bowl “Media Day,” a previously turbulent affair that has changed drastically since the pandemic began. Back then (and, in fact, it was just four years ago), McVay and the players sat on cordoned-off podiums and answered questions as cameras flashed and hordes of media from around the world thronged against the barricades trying to squeeze in their questions. .

But some things remain the same.