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IRVINE, Calif. -- Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines knows it could be a lot worse.Such as last year when he injured his foot during the first week of training camp, had surgery and missed the season.Or during offseason workouts, when he stood impatiently on the sideline in uniform but still not cleared to practice.So this is definite progress with the Rams opening their 2016 camp at UC Irvine and Gaines finally cleared to play.I was just cleared last week, Gaines said. Im pretty much 100 percent. The coaching staff is taking it slow with me, but for the most part Ive pretty much been out here for all the snaps.Not all the snaps he would normally take. The Rams are being careful to ease him back, continuing to build his foot and leg strength as he regains any timing lost to an offseason on the sideline.Weve been increasing his reps, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. We just have to see how he tolerates that.At Wednesdays practice, the Rams suspected he was feeling the effects of early training camp and shut him down for the last part of the afternoon. They are being careful with his return.The Rams need him to stay healthy.Gaines, 23, started 15 games as a rookie in 2014 when Trumaine Johnson was injured. He went into camp last season in a competition with Johnson to start. Johnson won when Gaines was injured. The Rams used their franchise tag on Johnson ($13.9 million) to secure him.Meanwhile, the other starting corner, Janoris Jenkins, signed as a free agent with the New Giants for five years and $62 million ($29 million guaranteed).The Rams need another starting corner. If Gaines is the logical replacement, he still has to prove himself fully healed and ready to go.Thats no problem, Gaines said. Ive always played with a chip on my shoulder. I think this is just another year I get a chance to go out there and showcase my talent.The 5-foot-10 Gaines came to camp listed behind Lamarcus Joyner and Coty Sensabaugh at right corner, but defensive backs are being rotated throughout practice. Sensabaugh got most of the snaps with the starters on Wednesday.Coach keeps saying there really are no starters and backups right now, Gaines said. Everybody is pretty much rotating to keep it competitive. I think thats the best for everybody.The first preseason game is Aug. 13. The Rams opener isnt until Sept. 12 in San Francisco. Gaines figures thats plenty of time to prove hes healthy and earn playing time.Hes coming on and making progress, Fisher said. Hes worked hard, came back and hasnt missed a snap. Were not giving him the snaps for a week or so that he would normally get, but he gives us the opportunity to have him be in a position to win that job back and compete there.Sensabaugh is a fifth-year pro signed in the offseason as a free agent. He started 15 games last season for the Tennessee Titans. The 5-foot-8 Joyner is in his third year with the Rams. He started six games last season.Now the Rams look to see exactly where Gaines is in his comeback.Im pretty much in good shape and ready to go, he said. They gave me a long time to rehab and get my strength back in my legs. It hasnt been an issue for me to this point.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Esa Tikkanen Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Grant Fuhr Jersey . 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LOS ANGELES -- LeBron James won five trophies, including best male athlete and best NBA player, at the ESPY Awards on Wednesday night when frivolity gave way to a James-led call to end gun violence and racial profiling.The show honoring the years best athletes and sports moments opened on a somber note, with James and fellow NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade standing four abreast on stage addressing the recent shootings of blacks by white police officers.The urgency to create change is at an all-time high, Anthony said.Paul, the nephew of a police officer, recited the names of several men who have been killed. Wade urged a stop to racial profiling, a shoot-to-kill mentality and not seeing the value of black and brown bodies.Enough is enough, he said.James echoed Wade, noting, We all feel helpless and frustrated by the violence.James urged his fellow pros to educate themselves and renounce violence while using their resources and time to help strengthen and rebuild their communities.We all to have do better, he said.Golden State star Stephen Curry thanked the quartet for their message while accepting the nights first award for record-breaking performance. He hit 402 3-pointers during the regular season.James won male athlete and championship performance for the third time in his career and his fifth trophy as top NBA player. He shared the team and best moment awards with his Cavaliers teammates, who upset Golden State to deliver the first championship for Cleveland in 52 years.In accepting best moment, James brought teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on stage, where he saluted Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown for his early social activism in the hardscrabble city.Breanna Stewart won best female athlete on her third try, beating WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne and two Olympians, swimmer Katie Ledecky and gymnast Simone Biles. Stewart helped UConn win a fourth straight NCAA basketball championship before going to the WNBA.In her speech, Stewart called for equality for female athletes.Female athletes dont receive half the fame. I know everyone in this room loves and supports women and girls in sports and wants to be a part of that change, right? she said. Equuality for all takes each of us making an effort.dddddddddddd. Together lets be better.WWE star John Cena hosted the show from Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.In one of the nights most emotional moments, Zaevion Dobson, a 15-year-old high school football player from Knoxville, Tennessee, was honored posthumously with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award for giving his life to shield two young women from gunfire last year. His mother, Zenobia Dobson, and two brothers accepted the trophy from Curry, with last years honoree Caitlyn Jenner joining the standing ovation.Dobson told the audience four months after her sons death his 12-year-old cousin was killed in a drive-by shooting on his way home from a basketball game where Zaevion was honored.Im here to fight back, Dobson said. We as a country need to take a stand to consider the effects of gun violence on the families throughout America.Tears welled in the eyes of several athletes who applauded her comments.We need to rewrite laws to make it harder for people to get guns, Dobson said. All the athletes in this room, you have a lot of power. People look up to you, I know Zaevion did. I urge you to think tonight about why he died and what you can do tomorrow to prevent the next innocent man or woman from being lost.In video comments, President Barack Obama said, Its up to all of us to build a country thats worthy of Zaevions promise. Thats what we owe him. Thats what we owe all our kids.Vice President Joe Biden presented TNT sideline reporter Craig Sager with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance for his strength and determination while fighting leukemia for 1 1/2 years. During the commercial break, Shaquille ONeal, Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller joined Sager and Biden on stage for a photo.The Pat Tillman Award for Service was presented to Paralympic swimmer Sgt. Elizabeth Marks for her strength through adversity and continued service to her country.Singer Justin Timberlake gave the Icon Award to Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning and Abby Wambach, all of whom retired from their respective sports this year. ' ' '