LOS ANGELES _ The Los Angeles Rams are in familiar territory.
With training camp set to open Saturday, team personnel have taken up residence at UC Irvine. Rookies are scheduled to arrive Wednesday, veterans by Friday.
Last year, save for another losing season, was all new for Rams players.
Their Orange County training camp was part of an odyssey that began with the team's move from St. Louis. It included an extended stay in Oxnard and six weeks at Irvine before they landed at the team's training facility in Thousand Oaks.
The Rams finished 4-12, their 10th consecutive season below .500.
The franchise is going through another major transition _ coach Sean McVay was hired to replace the fired Jeff Fisher _ but the toll of the Rams' peripatetic 2016 can no longer be used as an excuse by players, coaches and team executives.
This year's stay at Irvine has been shortened to about three weeks.
It includes 15 practices that are open to the public, including one with the Chargers, who are training a few miles away in Costa Mesa. (The Rams also are scheduled to practice once with the Chargers at the StubHub Center.)
The Rams start the preseason against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 12 at the Coliseum. They also will play the Oakland Raiders, Chargers and Green Bay Packers before the Sept. 10 regular-season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.
Here are five things to watch during training camp:
