A moment with ... Bryce Fisher, Rams defensive end

[RamDez]

A moment with ... Bryce Fisher, Rams defensive end

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF

Bryce Fisher has taken an unorthodox path to becoming a starter in the NFL. Some players aren't recruited out of high school, as was the case with Fisher at Seattle Prep. Some players have to wait their turn until another player leaves the team, as was the case with Fisher while playing behind Grant Wistrom the past two seasons. But few players put their NFL career on hold for two years after coming out of college, as Fisher did after being a seventh-round draft choice by the Buffalo Bills in 1999 so he could fulfill his military commitment after graduating from the Air Force Academy. The Renton-born Fisher took a few minutes this week to discuss his unusual path and past, as well as tomorrow's "homecoming" game against the Seahawks at Qwest Field.

Q: You've come at this in a different way, has it worked out?

A: "Yeah, it's worked out well. I started two years active duty out of the Academy. Now I've got my fourth year in the league. I can't complain one bit."

Q: What was your initial reaction when you heard Wistrom had signed with the Seahawks in March?

A: "I was happy for Grant, getting to move on. Plus, he gets to live in God's country now. You can't beat it, as far as I'm concerned. So I was happy for him. The guy works his butt off, and you guys are seeing the kind of player he is. Even though the last couple of years he hasn't been the 12- or 13-sack guy, he's good for 80-plus tackles, he's going to play hard, he's going to be a good leader. He deserves everything he got."

Q: Is there still anything special about playing at home, even though you've been here the past two seasons?

A: "It was cool the first couple times, getting to come home. But it's just like any other road game. I've just got to go out there and play hard and do all the things we need to do so we can win this week. It will be a good chance for me to see my family on Saturday night and get to hang out with them. Since I graduated from high school, I haven't had a whole lot of opportunity to be home in Seattle. My mom, my dad, both my brothers will be at the game. Everybody in my family is there."

Q: The players' day off in the NFL is Tuesday, how do you spend yours?

A: "I'm in the reserves. So Tuesdays during the season I go in and do my duty, because normally you're required to do one weekend a month. Instead, I do four Tuesday afternoons to make up for the weekend that I miss. It's a pretty good opportunity for me to get to play on Sunday and then get do a little service on Tuesday."

-- Clare Farnsworth