Tweet
Tuesday Takes on Bradford, McCoy, Rams
By Bernie Miklasz
Share this Print this Digg Yahoo! Del.icio.us Facebook Reddit Drudge Google Fark Stumble It!
Greetings.
I had the chance to talk to Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops about his two top NFL prospects, quarterback Sam Bradford and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. Bradford and McCoy — along with Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh and Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen — are being closely inspected by the Rams, who have the No. 1 overall pick in the April 22 NFL draft. Stoops, a guest on our 101 ESPN radio show, covered a number of areas on both players. Naturally, Stoops is very positive about his players. We wouldn’t expect otherwise. But I still wanted to present Stoops’ insights:
* Stoops on Bradford’s right shoulder, which he’s rehabbing after surgery: “He feels ahead of schedule. He feels great. He hasn’t had a bit of problem with it. No pain. They’ve been cautious in how they’ve built it up. He feels great about it. He’s gained about 11, 12 pounds. This guy is not even close to being done developing. And he’s going to be awfully special. And from what I understand the injury, though it required surgery, isnt like repairing a rotator cuff. That’s a lot more extensive by a long shot than what Sam had done. He will be just fine.”
* Stoops on Bradford’s personality: “The quarterback has to be poised. He has to keep his head together. He is all the leader you want. He is one of the hardest workers we’ve ever had here. Players see his toughness throwing the ball and taking a shot. Players respond to him. Players in the locker room love the guy. In the end, you don’t have to be jumping around like a wild man to be a leader. Sometimes that can go the other way. He is anything but quiet in the locker room and in the huddle directing his team. He does all the right things on the field.”
* Stoops on Bradford’s personal character and ability to handle NFL fortune and fame: “Nobody would handle it better. This guy has all of the character in the world. The guy has had one ‘B’ in class since he’s been here. He’s a straight A student. The guy could play on our basketball team. He’s just talented. He can do it all. His character is just impeccable. He’s a leader in every sense of the word and he does everything right off the field. He’s mature beyond his years and always has been since he’s been here. But very driven in everything that he does. And just a talented person. He’s a guy can do about anything. Baseball, hockey, basketball. The guy is a concert cellist. You probably didn’t know that. He’s an accomplished cellist on top of it all. There’s no end to just how bright and sharp this guy is, and again — he’s just going to develop as he gets older and matures. And somebody is going to have an awfully special player.”
* Stoops on the perception that Bradford must develop as an under-center QB to succeed in the NFL: “We run (passing plays) from under center more than half the time. He’s very comfortable under center, and has been in our system since he’s been in it. We’re under center more than we’re not. Play action passing is probably one of the best things he does. If someone is saying that about him, they haven’t watched him much because that isn’t an issue for him”
Bottom line? If the Rams are looking for a franchise quarterback, Stoops believes Bradford fits the need.
“I sure do,” Stoops said. “I’d be surprised if they didn’t (draft him). He’s a pretty special player.”
As for McCoy, Stoops couldn’t say enough about the player’s personal vitues.
“He’s like Sam Bradford in that he cannot wait to come to work,” Stoops said. “To work out, to practice. He’s going to show up in that locker room every day with a positive and fun attitude. He brings just all kinds of energy on top of being a very talented guy. His quickness and strength are huge positives for him. And just like Sam, he’s an amazing person. Gerald graduated in 3 and a half years, and that tells you what kind of drive a young man has. Like Sam, a spiritual and strong-character guy. Gerald is special is well. And those personal qualities, combined with talent, that make for a special player.”
Can McCoy get to the QB in the NFL? It’s hard to find defensive tackles that provide a consistent inside pass rush.
“He was a great pass rusher for us,” Stoops said. “A great penetrator. And as he matures and gets older he’s going to gain a little weight, and add size and be an even better player as he matures.”
Thanks to Coach Stoops…
Moving on …
* The Rams and Daniel Fells: The Rams didn’t make a free-agent tender offer to their young tight end, and it’s a certainly a head-scratcher. No one is saying Fells is a great player or a potential Pro Bowl TE. But he has game and potential. And he’s a character guy. It’s not as if the Rams are loaded at the position. And now the New England Patriots are pursuing Fells; the Pats have reportedly offered Fells a deal. Question: what’s wrong with this picture? A 1-15 team decides that Fells is expendable. But Fells is coveted by an organization that’s gone 107-37 and won three Super Bowls since 2001. Wow.
* Where’s the pass rush, the depth? Rams free agents Leonard Little and James Hall are being recruited by other teams including New Orleans. They’re aging and have had a hard time staying in the lineup. But they are also useful. Little led the Rams with 29 combined QB hurries/knockdowns last season and was among the league leaders in that category for much of the season (he faded late). Hall can play defensive end or defensive tackle and is a solid player; he had 12 QB hurries/knockdowns last season, third on the team behind Little and Chris Long. The idea of letting Little and Hall go isn’t outrageous because of their age and wear-and-tear. At this stage of their careers they’re probably more valuable to good teams seeking effective role players. But there’s no depth on the Rams defensive line. If Little and Hall leave, that leaves two more voids to fill. This rebuilding process is excruciating. The Rams fill a hole or two and three more holes pop up.
* The folks who are dissing the signing of DT Fred Robbins because of durability issues: Huh? Over the last four seasons, Robbins has started 57 of a possible 64 games. He has played in 62 of those 64 games.
*
Thanks…
By Bernie Miklasz
Share this Print this Digg Yahoo! Del.icio.us Facebook Reddit Drudge Google Fark Stumble It!
Greetings.
I had the chance to talk to Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops about his two top NFL prospects, quarterback Sam Bradford and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. Bradford and McCoy — along with Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh and Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen — are being closely inspected by the Rams, who have the No. 1 overall pick in the April 22 NFL draft. Stoops, a guest on our 101 ESPN radio show, covered a number of areas on both players. Naturally, Stoops is very positive about his players. We wouldn’t expect otherwise. But I still wanted to present Stoops’ insights:
* Stoops on Bradford’s right shoulder, which he’s rehabbing after surgery: “He feels ahead of schedule. He feels great. He hasn’t had a bit of problem with it. No pain. They’ve been cautious in how they’ve built it up. He feels great about it. He’s gained about 11, 12 pounds. This guy is not even close to being done developing. And he’s going to be awfully special. And from what I understand the injury, though it required surgery, isnt like repairing a rotator cuff. That’s a lot more extensive by a long shot than what Sam had done. He will be just fine.”
* Stoops on Bradford’s personality: “The quarterback has to be poised. He has to keep his head together. He is all the leader you want. He is one of the hardest workers we’ve ever had here. Players see his toughness throwing the ball and taking a shot. Players respond to him. Players in the locker room love the guy. In the end, you don’t have to be jumping around like a wild man to be a leader. Sometimes that can go the other way. He is anything but quiet in the locker room and in the huddle directing his team. He does all the right things on the field.”
* Stoops on Bradford’s personal character and ability to handle NFL fortune and fame: “Nobody would handle it better. This guy has all of the character in the world. The guy has had one ‘B’ in class since he’s been here. He’s a straight A student. The guy could play on our basketball team. He’s just talented. He can do it all. His character is just impeccable. He’s a leader in every sense of the word and he does everything right off the field. He’s mature beyond his years and always has been since he’s been here. But very driven in everything that he does. And just a talented person. He’s a guy can do about anything. Baseball, hockey, basketball. The guy is a concert cellist. You probably didn’t know that. He’s an accomplished cellist on top of it all. There’s no end to just how bright and sharp this guy is, and again — he’s just going to develop as he gets older and matures. And somebody is going to have an awfully special player.”
* Stoops on the perception that Bradford must develop as an under-center QB to succeed in the NFL: “We run (passing plays) from under center more than half the time. He’s very comfortable under center, and has been in our system since he’s been in it. We’re under center more than we’re not. Play action passing is probably one of the best things he does. If someone is saying that about him, they haven’t watched him much because that isn’t an issue for him”
Bottom line? If the Rams are looking for a franchise quarterback, Stoops believes Bradford fits the need.
“I sure do,” Stoops said. “I’d be surprised if they didn’t (draft him). He’s a pretty special player.”
As for McCoy, Stoops couldn’t say enough about the player’s personal vitues.
“He’s like Sam Bradford in that he cannot wait to come to work,” Stoops said. “To work out, to practice. He’s going to show up in that locker room every day with a positive and fun attitude. He brings just all kinds of energy on top of being a very talented guy. His quickness and strength are huge positives for him. And just like Sam, he’s an amazing person. Gerald graduated in 3 and a half years, and that tells you what kind of drive a young man has. Like Sam, a spiritual and strong-character guy. Gerald is special is well. And those personal qualities, combined with talent, that make for a special player.”
Can McCoy get to the QB in the NFL? It’s hard to find defensive tackles that provide a consistent inside pass rush.
“He was a great pass rusher for us,” Stoops said. “A great penetrator. And as he matures and gets older he’s going to gain a little weight, and add size and be an even better player as he matures.”
Thanks to Coach Stoops…
Moving on …
* The Rams and Daniel Fells: The Rams didn’t make a free-agent tender offer to their young tight end, and it’s a certainly a head-scratcher. No one is saying Fells is a great player or a potential Pro Bowl TE. But he has game and potential. And he’s a character guy. It’s not as if the Rams are loaded at the position. And now the New England Patriots are pursuing Fells; the Pats have reportedly offered Fells a deal. Question: what’s wrong with this picture? A 1-15 team decides that Fells is expendable. But Fells is coveted by an organization that’s gone 107-37 and won three Super Bowls since 2001. Wow.
* Where’s the pass rush, the depth? Rams free agents Leonard Little and James Hall are being recruited by other teams including New Orleans. They’re aging and have had a hard time staying in the lineup. But they are also useful. Little led the Rams with 29 combined QB hurries/knockdowns last season and was among the league leaders in that category for much of the season (he faded late). Hall can play defensive end or defensive tackle and is a solid player; he had 12 QB hurries/knockdowns last season, third on the team behind Little and Chris Long. The idea of letting Little and Hall go isn’t outrageous because of their age and wear-and-tear. At this stage of their careers they’re probably more valuable to good teams seeking effective role players. But there’s no depth on the Rams defensive line. If Little and Hall leave, that leaves two more voids to fill. This rebuilding process is excruciating. The Rams fill a hole or two and three more holes pop up.
* The folks who are dissing the signing of DT Fred Robbins because of durability issues: Huh? Over the last four seasons, Robbins has started 57 of a possible 64 games. He has played in 62 of those 64 games.
*
Thanks…
i think ill take his word over anyones...
Comment