sport world

THOUSAND OAKS >> When Rams safety T.J. McDonald looks across the Coliseum this weekend, he’ll see some familiar faces. There will be fellow USC alums such as former Heisman wier Reggie Bush — who left the school a few years before he arrived — and coerback Kevon Seymour, who played the bulk of his Trojan career after McDonald left. There will be former teammates Robert Woods and Nickell Robey-Coleman, who also entered the 2013 NFL draft. And of course, there will be his father Tim, the former six-time Pro Bowler who is now in his second season as the Bills’ defensive backs coach. The Rams (3-1) are set to host Buffalo (2-2) at the Coliseum on Sunday (1:25 p.m., CBS), which means that for the...

DENVER >> Jared Goff’s awkward samba toward the Rams’ starting quarterback job, a dance that might not end soon, had a couple deft steps Saturday, along with some two-left-feet stumbles. The Rams’ 17-9 preseason loss to Denver, at Sports Authority Field, seemingly didn’t add much clarity to the team’s quarterback derby, and with time ruing short, that’s good news for starter Case Keenum. Asked, after the game, if he felt the need to make any changes to the quarterback depth chart, Coach Jeff Fisher said, “No. We said it’s going to be a process and take time for Jared. He’s going to benefit from the fact that we’re taking time. He will get a chance to play again next week.” Otherwise, there w...

DENVER — Bad news: A Rams starting offensive lineman got hurt. Good news: It created an opportunity for Cody Wichma to prove himself. Bad news: Wichma has to do it, daily, against Aaron Donald. So what is it like to line up and practice against Donald, one of the NFL’s premier defensive tackles? “He’s a great player,” Wichma said this week. “I’m thankful, not only that he’s on our team because of his skill set, but I’m thankful that I get to practice against him every day. It’s going to make me and my fellow offensive linemen much better football players.” Offensive linemen, by nature, don’t attract much attention, but the Rams’ unit has been a surprising highlight heading into Saturday’s pr...

LA QUINTA >> The oldest living Ram is Jim Hardy. He’s been too busy living to notice. Every week Hardy drives two hours to watch USC practice. He quarterbacked two Rose Bowl victories for the Trojans, in 1944 and 1945. He and his wife Henrietta, whom he calls Hank, don’t miss USC home games either. He is 93. He drives, without glasses. He takes not one single pill. “My blood pressure is real low,” he said. He can sit in his handsome house at the La Quinta Golf Estates, and pull up obscure names from more than 60 years ago, as he did Wednesday. As the former general manager of the Coliseum Commission, he’s glad the Rams are back there. And he seems determined to stick around until USC wins an...