One of the reasons HBO's Game of Thrones is among the more popular shows on television is it's ability to shock and wow us as no character is safe from uncertain peril or death.
Strangely, the loss of some of our favorite characters in television can have an adverse effect on us as viewers: we keep watching to see how the show—and the fictional world in which they live—will survive without them.
On Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the L.A. Rams, the same rules apply, only this isn't fiction, it's real life. On the first few episodes of the show, we watched as players like Nick Foles and Deon Long were released from the team.
On Tuesday, 14 members of the Rams and characters of the popular reality show were cut by the team as the NFL mandates that all rosters be shaved down to 75 men.
Thankfully for fans of the show and the team itself, there wasn't a lot of surprises in the roster moves, but certainly there will be on Saturday after the fourth and final preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings when the team will have until 1:00PM to reduce their roster from 75 to 53 players.
Here is the official list of players that were released by the team on Tuesday:
Kicker – Taylor Bertolet (Texas A&M)
Tight End – Benson Browne (NC State)
Defensive Back – Michael Caputo (Wisconsin)
Defensive Tackle – Zach Colvin (Bowling Green)
Offensive Lineman – Brian Folkerts (Washburn)
Linebacker – Darreon Herring (Vanderbilt)
Fullback – Zach Laskey (Georgia Tech)
Safety – Jordan Lomax (Iowa)
Wide Receiver – Marquez North (Tennessee)
Long Snapper – Jeff Overbaugh (SD State)
Wide Receiver – David Richards (Arizona)
Tight End – Jake Stoneburner (Ohio State)
Offensive Lineman – Jordan Swindle (Kentucky)
Quarterback – Dylan Thompson (South Carolina)
The team also announced that tackle Rob Havenstein was taken off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and that Defensive Lineman Quinton Coples contract was terminated.
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Coples is the most prolific of the cuts as he was a four-year veteran with 16.5 career sacks. In the team's second preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Coples made signifcant strides as he forced two fumbles and recorded a sack.
However, Coples struggled the following Saturday in Denver as he was unable to even register a tackle against the reigning Super Bowl Champion Broncos.
"Out of fairness to a player like 'Q,' I didn't see him making the team and that's exactly what I told him," Head Coach Jeff Fisher told reporters after Training Camp on Monday. "I wanted to give him a chance and give him an opportunit to get out there early to see if he could find work. If not, we're going to keep the door open for him."
Fisher's honesty means that the Rams would consider signing Coples to the practice squad if he remains a free agent before the NFL season begins on September 8.
