Rams shut off practices to media

ST. LOUIS -- It's time to go behind closed doors for the St. Louis Rams.

Coach Mike Martz is locking out the media the first three weeks of the season, which began on Wednesday. The team stretched and did individual work outdoors on sleds and other apparatus before moving to their indoor facility for team preparation in secrecy.

Away from prying eyes, Martz can throw new wrinkles into his game plan.

"I'm still waiting to see what he's going to pull out, if he's going to pull something out of his hat that he doesn't want anybody to see," quarterback Kurt Warner said before practice. "I don't know why he's doing it, but I'm sure there's a reason."

Martz didn't have much to say about the first closed workout.

"You didn't miss anything," he said. "Just a routine practice."

He also downplayed the motion that has been a hallmark of the offense.

"It's a lot of fluff to what we do," Martz said. "We move guys around and it's fun for them and they enjoy it, it keeps the energy up. But when you have good players, I don't know if it makes any difference what you do."

Paranoid about new hotel

One reason for the move indoors is the Rams are unhappy about sight lines from a four-story hotel that opened just across the street from the practice facility. They're giving their new FieldTurf indoor surface, installed this summer, a major workout.

Martz also doesn't want the league to gain insights to the health of his team. The Rams' injury report was brief this week, listing only six players: wide receiver Troy Edwards (knee) and running back James Hodgins (broken foot) are out; guard Frank Garcia (ankle) and defensive end Leonard Little (thigh) are questionable; and backup quarterback Jamie Martin (shoulder) and guard Adam Timmerman (knee) are probable.