Rams offensive lineman Kevin Dotson made the trip last spring. So did running back Kyren Williams, receiver Xavier Smith and defensive lineman Tyler Davis.
The four players traveled from Los Angeles to Australia as goodwill ambassadors.
But also as test cases.
First Dotson and Williams, and later Smith and Davis, endured the 16-hour flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne and the 14-hour flight home.
The players’ physical and mental experiences in flight, on the ground after arrival and during their stay, and after they returned was anecdotal data the Rams used when planning their trip for their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“They kind of used us as guinea pigs,” Dotson said, laughing, during training camp.
On Tuesday night, the Rams will board a plane bound for Melbourne, landing in Australia Thursday morning. After a night’s sleep, they will play the 49ers at 10:35 a.m. local time. (5:35 p.m. PDT).
The 49ers arrived in Australia last week.
Though the approaches are different, the Rams are no strangers to short turnarounds for games abroad.
Last season, after playing the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore, the Rams stayed on the East Coast. The day before the game, they traveled to London. Players slept at a hotel, got up the next day and routed the Jacksonville Jaguars, 35-7.
“I think we saw that it worked,” Smith said, “and it’s like mimicking the same blueprint all over again.”
Coach Sean McVay has said that the decision to travel late to Australia was made after consultation with Reggie Scott, the Rams’ senior vice president of sports medicine and performance. And that all decisions are made with the best interests of players in mind.
“There are different approaches and theories,” McVay said, “but I do have a lot of trust in our group and we’ll see. Hopefully it works out.”
Weeks before McVay discussed specific travel plans and timetables, the players said they would trust the process, and that they did not anticipate an adverse effect on their performance.
“We’ll be fine,” Dotson said. “It’s going to be exhausting regardless, but the amount of rest we’ll get in between will be fine.”
Like the Rams will do Tuesday, the four players departed on late-night flights. All said they watched several movies before falling asleep in long-haul, lie-flat seats.
“You feel like you’re at home going to sleep,” Davis said.
Said Smith: “I had slept eight to 10 hours, so once we landed, I was able to rock and roll.”
After arriving in the morning, the players stayed awake until evening.
“I really felt like if I went back to sleep it would mess me up,” Williams said.
For the last few weeks, the Rams have practiced in the late afternoon, which aligns body clock-wise with their impending morning kickoff in Melbourne.
Williams is confident in the Rams’ plan.
“It’s a business trip, and we gotta do what we gotta do,” Williams said. “So they’re going to find the best way to get us there in the best feeling, so all we got to do is trust them and go play.”
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