THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Give Kevin Hart this much: He tried.
The star comedian attended Los Angeles Rams practice Thursday, while filming an upcoming TV series that has yet to be revealed. He wore a No. 1 jersey — a very small No. 1 jersey — and put on an oversized helmet, navigating through drill work while the Rams prepared for Saturday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Hart, barely taller than 5 feet, tried to push the sled, but wound up standing on it while defensive linemen rotated through.
He tried to catch a punt but dropped it, prompting a loud sigh from the 90 or so players who watched from the sidelines.
He tried to race KD Cannon, an undrafted rookie wide receiver, but never stood a chance.
“It was funny,” Rams running back Todd Gurley said. “If I ever see him on Twitter talking stuff about a football player he couldn’t catch a punt, so he definitely can’t say anything else about a football player.”
“He didn’t do too well on our drills,” Rams nose tackle Michael Brockers added, “but I guess the speed stuff he did pretty well.”
Rams coach Sean McVay said he would have to “go back and watch the tape” to truly evaluate Hart’s football abilities, a nod to his typical answer when asked to evaluate actual football players. He claimed that Ted Rath, the Rams’ strength-and-conditioning coach, clocked Hart at times running 20 mph on his GPS tracker, which is good. And McVay gave Hart the benefit of the doubt on the punt returns.
“The Jugs machines were shooting out some knuckleballs,” McVay said. “They were tough to track.”
Hart has attained worldwide notoriety for his stand-up comedy routines and hit movies such as “Think Like A Man” and “Ride Along.” On Thursday, Hart met with McVay, then addressed the team for about five minutes. He sat in on a meeting with Rams defensive backs, then dressed with the players, stretched with the players, and tried his best to act like one of the players.
“He’s a regular guy, and he’s so short, too,” said Brockers, listed at 6-foot-5 and 302 pounds. “I didn’t realize that he was shorter than our head coach, who’s [really short]. So, that was impressive.”
When his day was finished, Hart huddled the Rams together. He told them that he “came in today as a fan of football” and that he’s “leaving as a fan of the organization.”
McVay said Hart brought “good energy” to what would’ve otherwise been a routine practice.
“I think the players enjoyed it, and we were still able to get some good work done,” McVay said. “It ended up being a positive thing for us.”