Ram Digest

Rams DB Connects With Dodgers Manager in Japan

Two weeks after Davante Adams visited Japan, several Los Angeles pro athletes have followed -- including Quentin Lake.

Zak Gilbert

Oct 6, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake (37) tackles Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake (37) tackles Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
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Davante Adams agreed to terms on a free-agent contract with the Rams while visiting Japan earlier this month. The wide receiver joined an envoy of Los Angeles athletes in Japan that continued with the Dodgers and also included Adams’ new teammate, cornerback Quentin Lake.

Lake, who started 16 games for the Rams last season, was in Tokyo this week to watch the Dodgers kick off the Major League Baseball season against the Cubs. And as a batting-practice guest, Lake bumped into an old friend of his father.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Lake’s dad, Carnell Lake, were friends and brief classmates at UCLA in the late 1980s. Air Force had recruited Roberts to play quarterback in its option offense but he chose to focus on baseball at UCLA and finished his college career as the school’s all-time leader in stolen bases.

Before the Dodgers’ win over the Cubs on Wednesday, Roberts told Quentin Lake he looked just like his father, someone the Dodgers manager grew up watching while competing in three sports at Rancho Buena Vista High School. Roberts also pledged to come watch Lake and the Rams at SoFi Stadium this fall.

An undersized linebacker for the Bruins, Carnell Lake played with Troy Aikman in college. Their 1988 UCLA team beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl and finished No. 6 in the final polls. Aikman went to the Cowboys first overall in the 1989 draft. Lake followed in the second round (34th overall), joining the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A safety in the NFL, Lake played 12 years and earned five Pro Bowl selections. He also had 25 career sacks, averaging 2.3 per season. His son, meanwhile, had two sacks last season for the Rams.

Lake followed in his dad’s footsteps and also starred at UCLA. Los Angeles selected him in the sixth round (211th overall) of the 2022 draft. He played a key role on a young but solid Rams defense in 2024, serving as the team’s nickelback.

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Zak Gilbert
ZAK GILBERT

Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak Gilbert has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office.