LONDON -- The St. Louis Rams' preparations for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots gathered pace Thursday, as the team took to the field once again at the training ground of Arsenal Football Club.
One notable Ram returned to the practice field. For the second consecutive day, wide receiver Danny Amendola got some work, returning from a separated shoulder he suffered during the Rams' 17-3 Week 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
"Danny Amendola practiced better today," Rams coach Jeff Fisher noted. "He's a competitor who loves to play football."
Amendola said he's feeling better.
"I'm getting more and more work in each day and getting better each day," he said. "I feel like I'm almost there, but I guess in the game of football you are never 100 percent healthy."
Team sources have told NFL.com and NFL Network's Albert Breer that Amendola is unlikely to suit up Sunday, although his practice bodes well for a return after the Rams' bye week.
The Rams got a taste of real British winter weather, with a cold wind, gray skies and the obligatory London drizzle. The players raced off the practice field toward the team bus to avoid the cold. The weather didn't stop Fisher from maintaining one of his oldest traditions, though.
"I wear shorts all the way through to Dec. 1, no matter what," Fisher said.
Regardless of the weather, Fisher was impressed by the effort his players gave on the field, as they look to acclimatize to the London temperature and time zone.
"They looked better than yesterday," Fisher said. "The players are rested after their travel now, and we had a good morning of work."
The Patriots won't arrive in England until Friday morning, preferring to maintain their work schedule at their own facility rather than borrowing one from a London-based soccer club. Whether or not his strategy for traveling to London later in the week is the right one, New England coach Bill Belichick will have a plan to stop St. Louis' offense, Rams running back Steven Jackson says.
"Coach Belichick does a great job of game planning," Jackson said. "He always looks to take a weapon away from a team, so you know he's going to look at our offense and try to eliminate one of our strengths."
One strength the Rams have given up for this game is home-field advantage, and while their matchup at Wembley Stadium nominally is a home game for St. Louis, it's expected that New England -- the UK's best-supported team -- will have the bulk of the backers Sunday.
That didn't appear to faze Fisher, though.
"We had a lot of Green Bay Packers fans in our stadium last weekend, and that didn't bother us a bit," he said, despite the fact the Ramslost that game, 30-20. "It didn't have an impact on the outcome of the game."
Follow Henry Hodgson on Twitter @nflukhank.
