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Rams new QB Sam Bradford pays a visit to St. Louis
BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Saturday, Apr. 24 2010
Sam Bradford wore No. 14 in college, but he's switching to No. 8.
Yeah, the same jersey number worn by Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.
Yeah, the same Aikman that Bradford was compared to favorably by veteran NFL
scout Dave Razzano.
"I think he's a little better than Aikman coming out because he's bigger,"
Razzano said. "He's a little more mobile. He's got just as good if not a better
arm. He's as accurate as I've seen. I mean, they don't come around like him."
Bradford wasn't the biggest Dallas fan even though he grew up deep in the heart
of Cowboys country in Oklahoma City. The Steelers were his team. But Bradford
was an Aikman admirer.
"Obviously, he won a lot of games at Dallas," Bradford said. "I think that's
the one stat that a quarterback wants to have. Wins. That's your goal. That's
the objective of the team every time you step on the field. He was very good at
that.
"He's from Oklahoma, too. He went to (the University of) Oklahoma for a year
even though he didn't stay. So yeah, I just relate to him a little bit."
If he even comes close to the career Aikman enjoyed, Rams fans will relate to
Bradford in a big way.
After a dinner with friends and family Thursday night in New York, Bradford
said he got a good night's sleep. He flew to St. Louis on Friday morning,
accompanied by his parents, Martha and Kurt Bradford. Before his pre-draft
visit last week, Bradford said he had been to St. Louis only a couple of times
previously as a child.
"It's actually been quite a while since I've been here," Bradford said during
his introductory news conference at Rams Park. "Me and my Dad came up and
watched the Cardinals play when Mark McGwire was having that season (1998)."
Bradford also played in a youth hockey tournament in the Gateway City. Hard to
imagine Oklahoma City as a hockey hotbed, but Bradford had a bout of puck fever
as a kid.
"I'm not really sure how that happened," Bradford said. "I think I just saw
hockey on Sports Center and thought, 'You know, that looks pretty cool.' I
started skating, and then skating turned into hockey. Pretty soon, I just
absolutely fell in love with the game. We were playing hockey almost every
weekend in the winter."
A center iceman, Bradford doesn't remember much about the pee wee tourney in
St. Louis.
"I know that we went in the Arch," he said.
To the top?
"Yeah, it was pretty cool," Bradford said.
Basketball was another of Bradford's favorite sports, and although former
Sooners teammate defensive tackle Gerald McCoy disputes it, Bradford once
dunked on McCoy.
"I feel bad throwing it out there, but it did happen," Bradford said, smiling.
And one last thing from the Bradford sports highlight reel: Last Friday,
following his private workout with the Rams in Norman, Okla., Bradford shot a
round of 71 in golf.
So yes, Bradford thinks his athletic ability is underrated, particularly when
it comes to throwing on the move in football.
"I feel like that's one of the things that I can really excel at out on the
field is throwing on the run," Bradford said. "I feel like I can escape the
pocket, move the pocket. Create plays with my feet, just extend the play, and
it's something I do very well."
Hopefully, Bradford won't be running for his life on the football field in St.
Louis. Perhaps trying to ensure that doesn't happen too often, the Rams made
Indiana University offensive tackle Rodger Saffold their first pick in Round 2
of the draft on Friday.
Shoulder surgery notwithstanding, Bradford isn't worried about taking his first
hit in a Rams uniform.
"I think that's probably more of a hurdle for everyone else than it is for me,"
he said. "I think if you play football and you're concerned about taking a hit,
you're probably not going to play your best. I'm not concerned with it."
Bradford already has been exposed to some of the Rams' playbook, both from his
pre-draft visit here and a private workout in Norman. But he can't wait to
immerse himself in the offensive system this spring in minicamps and organized
team activities.
"I think the sky's the limit as far as the amount of stuff I can learn during
that time," Bradford said. "I was actually just talking to Coach (Steve
Spagnuolo) and I think he said that before we start training camp, I will have
gone through 24 practices, which, I mean, that's more than a full spring at
Oklahoma. That's almost double a full spring at Oklahoma. So I think I can
learn a lot. ... I look forward to getting around some of the veterans, picking
their brains and just getting to work."
Long before he took the podium at Rams Park, Bradford had heard from a few of
his new Rams teammates. He spoke to running back Steven Jackson on the phone
Thursday night and linebacker James Laurinaitis as well. He even got a text
message from backup quarterback A.J. Feeley on Thursday night.
Did Feeley tell Bradford to take his time learning the offense, so Feeley could
begin the season as the starter?
"No," Bradford said, laughing. "He just welcomed me to the Rams. He told me to
enjoy the moment, get ready to have some fun and go to work."
With rookie minicamp one week away, that time is almost at hand.
BY JIM THOMAS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Saturday, Apr. 24 2010
Sam Bradford wore No. 14 in college, but he's switching to No. 8.
Yeah, the same jersey number worn by Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.
Yeah, the same Aikman that Bradford was compared to favorably by veteran NFL
scout Dave Razzano.
"I think he's a little better than Aikman coming out because he's bigger,"
Razzano said. "He's a little more mobile. He's got just as good if not a better
arm. He's as accurate as I've seen. I mean, they don't come around like him."
Bradford wasn't the biggest Dallas fan even though he grew up deep in the heart
of Cowboys country in Oklahoma City. The Steelers were his team. But Bradford
was an Aikman admirer.
"Obviously, he won a lot of games at Dallas," Bradford said. "I think that's
the one stat that a quarterback wants to have. Wins. That's your goal. That's
the objective of the team every time you step on the field. He was very good at
that.
"He's from Oklahoma, too. He went to (the University of) Oklahoma for a year
even though he didn't stay. So yeah, I just relate to him a little bit."
If he even comes close to the career Aikman enjoyed, Rams fans will relate to
Bradford in a big way.
After a dinner with friends and family Thursday night in New York, Bradford
said he got a good night's sleep. He flew to St. Louis on Friday morning,
accompanied by his parents, Martha and Kurt Bradford. Before his pre-draft
visit last week, Bradford said he had been to St. Louis only a couple of times
previously as a child.
"It's actually been quite a while since I've been here," Bradford said during
his introductory news conference at Rams Park. "Me and my Dad came up and
watched the Cardinals play when Mark McGwire was having that season (1998)."
Bradford also played in a youth hockey tournament in the Gateway City. Hard to
imagine Oklahoma City as a hockey hotbed, but Bradford had a bout of puck fever
as a kid.
"I'm not really sure how that happened," Bradford said. "I think I just saw
hockey on Sports Center and thought, 'You know, that looks pretty cool.' I
started skating, and then skating turned into hockey. Pretty soon, I just
absolutely fell in love with the game. We were playing hockey almost every
weekend in the winter."
A center iceman, Bradford doesn't remember much about the pee wee tourney in
St. Louis.
"I know that we went in the Arch," he said.
To the top?
"Yeah, it was pretty cool," Bradford said.
Basketball was another of Bradford's favorite sports, and although former
Sooners teammate defensive tackle Gerald McCoy disputes it, Bradford once
dunked on McCoy.
"I feel bad throwing it out there, but it did happen," Bradford said, smiling.
And one last thing from the Bradford sports highlight reel: Last Friday,
following his private workout with the Rams in Norman, Okla., Bradford shot a
round of 71 in golf.
So yes, Bradford thinks his athletic ability is underrated, particularly when
it comes to throwing on the move in football.
"I feel like that's one of the things that I can really excel at out on the
field is throwing on the run," Bradford said. "I feel like I can escape the
pocket, move the pocket. Create plays with my feet, just extend the play, and
it's something I do very well."
Hopefully, Bradford won't be running for his life on the football field in St.
Louis. Perhaps trying to ensure that doesn't happen too often, the Rams made
Indiana University offensive tackle Rodger Saffold their first pick in Round 2
of the draft on Friday.
Shoulder surgery notwithstanding, Bradford isn't worried about taking his first
hit in a Rams uniform.
"I think that's probably more of a hurdle for everyone else than it is for me,"
he said. "I think if you play football and you're concerned about taking a hit,
you're probably not going to play your best. I'm not concerned with it."
Bradford already has been exposed to some of the Rams' playbook, both from his
pre-draft visit here and a private workout in Norman. But he can't wait to
immerse himself in the offensive system this spring in minicamps and organized
team activities.
"I think the sky's the limit as far as the amount of stuff I can learn during
that time," Bradford said. "I was actually just talking to Coach (Steve
Spagnuolo) and I think he said that before we start training camp, I will have
gone through 24 practices, which, I mean, that's more than a full spring at
Oklahoma. That's almost double a full spring at Oklahoma. So I think I can
learn a lot. ... I look forward to getting around some of the veterans, picking
their brains and just getting to work."
Long before he took the podium at Rams Park, Bradford had heard from a few of
his new Rams teammates. He spoke to running back Steven Jackson on the phone
Thursday night and linebacker James Laurinaitis as well. He even got a text
message from backup quarterback A.J. Feeley on Thursday night.
Did Feeley tell Bradford to take his time learning the offense, so Feeley could
begin the season as the starter?
"No," Bradford said, laughing. "He just welcomed me to the Rams. He told me to
enjoy the moment, get ready to have some fun and go to work."
With rookie minicamp one week away, that time is almost at hand.
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