ASSOCIATED PRESS St. Louis receiver Reche Caldwell, left, grabbed onto Tennessee defender Cortland Finnegan, center, before slamming him to the ground in a fight during a joint practice yesterday.

Skirmishes aplenty for Rams, Titans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. » Coaches and seasons can change. Tension whenever the Tennessee Titans and St. Louis Rams get together doesn't.

These teams had some feisty joint practices back in 2000, months after the Rams beat the Titans in the Super Bowl, and it didn't take long yesterday morning for tempers to flare up as they gathered in training camp.

Rams receiver Reche Caldwell grabbed Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan in a bear hug and took him to the ground.

St. Louis coach Scott Linehan was watching his defense with rookie end Chris Long going against the Tennessee offense and Vince Young when he heard some of the grumblings two fields over between his offense and the Titans defense.

"We've got to limit that," Linehan said. "We can't get to where we lose our cool out here. It's that time of year. Guys aren't in very good moods out here. We've just got to make sure we continue to get better. It's good to see us compete and those things. We'll get rid of the extracurricular stuff. It wasn't anything big, a couple of little ones."

That included Pro Bowl defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch skirmishing with Rams left tackle Adam Goldberg. After being blocked to the ground on his rush, Vanden Bosch took a big swing at Goldberg.

The head coaches tried to calm things down. But on the next play, Titans end Sean Conover tangled with St. Louis tackle Mark LeVoir, with Vanden Bosch rushing in to help.

"We were anticipating it, and we need that as a football team," Rams receiver Torry Holt said. "After a while it kind of got excessive as far as the banging. ... We needed that. That's something we're trying to build on, our toughness, and at the same time build on our mental toughness."

Sopoaga to play defensive end

"Isaac's The Beast," 49ers nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin said. "Just look at that big strong guy we have out there. He's 330-plus pounds and he can move like he's 300 pounds."

Sopoaga, who shared time with Franklin last year at nose tackle while rotating along the line in San Francisco's 3-4 defensive scheme, has been moved outside this season to left end. He's now starting at a position occupied last year by Bryant Young, who retired during the offseason.

It's some big shoes to fill, but the 6-foot-2, 330-pound Sopoaga, who is known for his prodigious strength, already has some of the team's biggest.

Sopoaga, a natural nose tackle, has settled comfortably into his new position this summer and has become an anchor along San Francisco's defensive line. It's what the 49ers need Sopoaga to do after giving the potential free agent a five-year deal worth $20 million during the offseason.

After missing his rookie year with a back injury and developing slowly during his first three NFL seasons, Sopoaga came on strong last season as he gained consistency both in the system and with his technique. He started five games and with 58 tackles more than doubled his combined total from the previous two seasons.

"Look at me," Sopoaga said yesterday. "I'm happy, smiling, comfortable and excited. Every morning when I wake up I still can't believe that I have been given this big opportunity. I'm working hard every day to do my job exactly right. I'm going to be smart, attack the line and I will destroy."