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THOUSAND OAKS Justin Layne Jersey , Calif. (AP) — Eric Weddle is one of the most durable safeties of his generation, and he never sat out an entire preseason in the first 12 years of his NFL career.When he joined the Los Angeles Rams, Weddle realized coach Sean McVay does things a little bit differently.Weddle and nearly every Rams starter didn’t participate at all in the just-completed preseason, and they won’t get their first real game action together until Sunday in their regular-season opener at Carolina.The veteran safety appears to be meshing splendidly with his new teammates, but Weddle truly won’t know how they all fit together until they finally get on the field for the first time.“I know for me personally, there are some benefits of playing (in the preseason), but the benefits don’t outweigh the negative enough to chance it,” Weddle said. “With the way we practice, the way we compete, it’s as game-like as it can be with the low risk of injury. You’d hate to lose a guy playing in one preseason game. You’ll get your timing down in a quarter or two, and you’ll be right back in the rhythm. We’ve had great work, though. We’ve pushed each other to the limit.”McVay kept his entire offense out of the 2018 preseason, preferring to preserve his players’ health at the expense of potentially beneficial experience. His extreme measures were met with a few raised eyebrows, but then the ostensibly rusty Rams starters went 8-0 and steamrolled the NFC West before reaching the franchise’s first Super Bowl in 17 years with one of the healthiest teams in the league.Much of the NFL edged toward adopting McVay’s philosophy last month, with many teams playing their key starters far less than in previous preseasons.The Rams started game preparations Monday with almost every significant expected contributor in good health. That was the goal when McVay decided to avoid the preseason again, preferring to keep his players fresh for the grind of defending an NFC championship.“There’s a difference in the preparation and the way that we’re approaching things right now,” McVay said Monday. “We’re focused on this year. I think our guys have done a great job of having that singular focus on just producing in the present.”The Rams’ only big injury in the preseason happened to linebacker Micah Kiser, a backup last season projected to be a starter this fall before he injured his pectoral muscle and required season-ending surgery. Because he was trying to cement his new role on the defense, Kiser was one of the few key players who suited up in the preseason.Los Angeles’ starters didn’t go without competition in August. They held joint practices with the Oakland Raiders and the crosstown Chargers, and McVay staged a handful of practice scrimmages for his team with officials and game-like conditions.But the revamped defensive lineup has yet to be in a real game, and the offensive line still hasn’t tested its two new starters. Center Brian Allen and left guard Joe Noteboom will make their first NFL starts Sunday.“I think people are going to say we haven’t played, or stuff like that,” Allen said. “It’s not going to be an excuse. We’re going to be ready for Sunday, and we’ve been going live against our defense all camp. The Chargers, the Raiders Benny Snell Jr. Jersey , we’ve got action against other teams at a live pace. It’s not like we haven’t been playing football.”Noteboom said the offensive linemen have an advantage in practice preparation: They have to face Aaron Donald, the back-to-back AP Defensive Player of the Year.“When you go into a game, you know it’s going to be easy because you’re not going to see anyone better than him,” Noteboom said.NOTES: The Rams put backup LB Justin Lawler on injured reserve Monday after initially keeping him on the 53-man roster. The procedural move means Lawler can return from foot surgery after the first eight weeks of the season. … Los Angeles signed C Coleman Shelton to the active roster in Lawler’s place. Shelton, the ninth offensive lineman on the 53-man roster, was cut by the Arizona Cardinals last weekend. He is a Pasadena native who played at Loyola High School near downtown Los Angeles. Shelton said he was pleasantly surprised to hear from the Rams: “You never know who has been watching you on (video).” Shelton is the fifth University of Washington product on the roster, joining his former teammates Marcus Peters, Cory Littleton and rookies Taylor Rapp and Greg Gaines. FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Quinnen Williams passed on paying for a big-name, high-priced personal trainer during his first NFL offseason.The New York Jets rookie defensive lineman simply pressed play on his laptop at home.“I just worked out on my own — I can YouTube everything,” Williams said with a big, braces-filled smile Friday. “I don’t really have to go pay a superstar super-performance dude. I can use YouTube and just do it. On the field, you can’t take a performance coach with you, so I used YouTube a lot and did a lot of stuff that we do here over and over.”Apparently, the video binging worked.The No. 3 overall draft pick arrived in terrific shape at the team’s facility Friday morning to sign his rookie contract, officially ending his one-practice holdout.“It was a huge relief, man, just to be back with my brothers,” Williams said. “Be back with the team, be back in New York and New Jersey. It’s just amazing.”Then, he went out and “crushed” his conditioning test, coach Adam Gase raved.“I’m just ready to perform,” Williams said. “I feel way better than I was in college; I feel way stronger, way faster and way more flexible.”The former Alabama star worked out at his alma mater and Georgia Tech during the offseason, spending 18 hours a day between the gym Zach Gentry Jersey , saunas, hot tubs, cold tubs and massage tables to get himself in perhaps the best shape of his life.With the help of the internet, of course.He dropped his playing weight of 305 pounds from last year with the Crimson Tide to about 295. Williams’ body fat is also down from 20% to 15% after tweaking his diet — with assistance from the Jets’ nutritionist — by eating more vegan plant-based proteins.“I did a lot of conditioning and ran track a lot,” Williams said. “I saw (Eagles wide receiver) DeSean Jackson running track all the time, so I got me some track cleats to start running track. It got me in great shape.”Now, Williams is eager to get on the field and start practicing.That will happen Saturday, the team’s first session in pads, after Gase and the Jets decided to not rush Williams into the mix after a hectic 24-hour stretch for the youngster. Williams agreed to terms Thursday on his four-year, $32.5 million deal that includes a $21.7 million signing bonus, flew to New Jersey later that night and put his pen to paper early Friday morning.“We just thought it was the right move, just pulling him out of practice and not put him in a bad situation,” Gase said.Surprisingly, there was only a bit of razzing by Williams’ teammates when he showed up at practice, unlike the welcome Sam Darnold received as he was slow-clapped onto the field last summer after he ended his three-practice holdout.“I just heard, ‘Big Money,’ a lot,” Williams said with a laugh. “All the guys here know I’m not a real big spender. They know I’m a kid, almost. I’m really a goofy, laid-back, cool person, so there really hasn’t been a lot said about it.”But once the whistle blew, Williams did all he could to control himself from running out on the field during the two-hour session.“I was just fidgeting on the sideline, like, ‘Man Nick Bosa Jersey , I know this play. I know what to do on D-line,'” he said, smiling. “I was just really taking mental reps on the sideline.”That’s aspect of Williams’ game that has really impressed Gase and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. The defensive lineman’s ability to quickly pick up the playbook and apply it to the practice field has him in position already to be a major contributor.“His football intelligence is off the charts,” Gase said.In the Jets’ defense, Williams will be moved all around the line — at nose tackle, defensive tackle and defensive end.“It helps him get an extra step outside of his athletic ability,” Gase said of Williams’ football I.Q. “You look at the guys that have a lot of success like Aaron Donald, he is smart and he’s a freak athletically. So, when you put those two things together, they make it tough to stop.”All that despite the 6-foot-6 Williams still developing after not being a starter in college until last season. He quickly became a force for the Crimson Tide as a nearly unblockable D-lineman with an intriguing combination of quickness, power and strong hands. He won the Outland Trophy as college football’s best interior lineman after getting eight sacks last season with 19½ tackles for loss.“He’s in the backfield a lot,” Gase said. “I mean, he’s a good player.”And, now, Williams wants to make his mark, someday in a starring role in his own highlight video.“I just can’t wait to compete,” the big rookie said, “and ball out this year with my brothers and win games.”NOTES: CB Brian Poole, activated from the non-football injury list Thursday, caused two turnovers in his first practice of camp. … RG Brian Winters returned after he missed Thursday’s practice to be with his wife, who gave birth to a boy.