St. Louis Sam talks about being a Ram
Can’t get enough of Sam Bradford?
Here’s the transcript from the introductory press conference that the Oklahoma City native and Oklahoma Sooner quarterback had Friday in St. Louis. He was joined by Rams general manager Billy Devaney, who pulled the trigger on making Bradford the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
Opening statement from Rams General Manager Billy Devaney: “I just want to say on behalf of the whole St. Louis Rams organization and all of our fans, I want to first welcome and introduce Sam Bradford. Before I do that, I just want to recognize Sam’s parents also and welcome them. Martha and Kent Bradford, welcome to St. Louis. All of us here at the Ram family certainly welcome Sam to St. Louis.”
Opening statement from Sam Bradford: “First off I’d just like to thank the Rosenbloom family, Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez, Stan Kroenke, Billy Devaney, Coach Spags (and) everyone who was involved in the decision to make me a St. Louis Ram. I’m extremely excited. I can’t wait to get here and get going. I’m just excited to be in St. Louis and grateful for the opportunity that’s been given to me.”
On the reality setting in when he saw his name on the Rams jersey today: “That was pretty cool. They showed it to me upstairs and I actually signed some autographs with eight on it today and it was the first time in however many years that I haven’t wrote 14. It was a little bit different, but I think it’s still going to take some time to sink in.”
On why he chose number eight: “I just liked it. I don’t really know. There’s not really a story. I just picked it.”
On if he wore eight in high school or little league: “No. Not high school, not little league. I’ve had a different number every stage of my career. I felt like this was a new chapter so I needed a new number.”
On Troy Aikman wearing number eight being a factor in his decision: “A little bit. I grew up in Oklahoma City not too far from Dallas. I watched Aikman play quite a bit when I was younger so I definitely knew that he wore that.”
On if it sunk into him that he was a Ram when he arrived at the Russell Training Center: “Yeah, when we landed and were in St. Louis I think it hit me a little bit more compared to last night in New York when we were so far away from here. It’s pretty cool to land and actually be here knowing that this is where I’m going to live and where I’m going to play football for hopefully a long time to come.”
On being fairly close to his home geographically: “It’s great. I think St. Louis is a great place to live. I love the Midwest. I think it’s very similar to Oklahoma City. I’m not sure what the exact drive time is but it’s going to be close for my friends and family to get up here. I think that’s going to be great.”
On how he sees his role on the team: “I’m just excited about the opportunity. I realize that I have a lot of work in front of me. I realize that there are some good quarterbacks here that I can hopefully learn from. I’m just excited for my opportunity. I’m going to get to work as soon as possible. Then it’s up to the coaches. I know that they’re going to make the right decision, what’s best for the team and the organization. I want to do whatever is best for the team.”
On learning a little of the playbook already: “When I was up here last week, we just went through a couple base things. I think everyone (who visited) did that last week, but hopefully tonight I’ll get a playbook in front of me, at least some formations to start going over, just getting familiar with the things that I’m going to see next week at the minicamp.”
On the similarities between what he did at the Rams’ workout last week and what he did in college: “Just some of the concepts and some of the reads that we worked. I don’t know if you want me to go into the exact routes and stuff, but they were very similar. They were actually the same things we did at Oklahoma. The only things that are different are the depths that the routes are run at, so I felt very comfortable going through those drills, going through those reads. It eases my mind a little bit knowing that everything’s not going to be completely different and there are going to be things that I’ve done before.”
On Gerald McCoy’s statement that he can’t wait to hit Bradford: “He’s got to catch me before he can hit me. But that’s a long way down the road. Who knows what’s going to happen when that date gets here, but I definitely heard his comment and I know that’s he got a lot of anger built up because he has never been able to hit me at practice for the past four years.”
On if it was tough to sleep last night: “No, last night was great. Obviously, to know that I was going to be in St. Louis and that I was going to be a Ram – extremely proud of that. Really it was just a huge relief. Going through this process, there was a lot of uncertainty, especially coming off my shoulder injury and not really knowing how my arm was going to come back after the surgery. Going through the whole process, being poked and prodded by more doctors than I’d ever seen in my life, and to finally have the process over with and know where I’m going to be, it was great to just spend time with my friends and family and enjoy the moment.”
On what was the most fascinating thing that happened to him during the process: “I think just the rehab process, that’s something that I’ve never had to go through. I’ve never come off an injury. It’s something that I was really working hard at. It was just different. You throw a football, that’s what I love to do. I play football and when you go four months without throwing a football, the first time that you get to come back and do it, it’s pretty exciting. And then after you get to throw it 10 yards on the first day then you’re pretty pumped to throw it 15 yards on the next day and then 20 yards and just going through that program and getting back to where I am now, that was pretty exciting.”
On if it is important for him to be under contract before training camp: “I think that’s very important. I think it’s important to be out there with my teammates, start building the chemistry. That’s really not what I’m concerned about. As far as the contract, I’m going to let my agent handle that. I trust him. I realize that he’s very good at what he does and I think he knows it is important to get me into camp on time as well.”
On how much he thinks he can learn through mini-camps and OTAs: “A lot. I think the sky’s limit as far as the amount of stuff I can learn during that time. I was actually just talking to Coach (Spagnuolo) up there 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 it. I look forward to getting around some of the veterans, picking their brains and just getting to work.”
On if he has heard from any of the veterans: “Yes, I actually talked to Steven Jackson last night on the phone. James Laurinaitis, I don’t know if he’s in here…yeah, he’s back there if anyone wants to…shout out back there. A.J. Feeley sent me a text last night, so yeah, I’ve definitely talked to some of the guys who are here.”
On if Feeley told him to take his time learning the offense: “No, he just welcomed me to the Rams. He told me to enjoy the moment, get ready to have some fun and go to work basically.”
On what Jackson said: “Pretty much the same thing. They were all just really nice guys wanted me to feel comfortable coming to St. Louis. (They) welcomed me to the organization.”
On how Terry Shea helped him and if he changed any of his mechanics: “Mechanically we didn’t really change a whole lot. That’s something that I was really happy with. Coming off the surgery, I wasn’t sure how my motion was going to be, but I felt like it came back just the way it was before the injury. I think he helped me more mentally than anything else. We spent time in the film room, talking a little bit about the NFL game, just getting me prepared for what I’m going to see.”
On how long he worked with Shea: “About eight weeks.”
On if he worked with Shea in Florida: “Yes.”
On if he knew anything about the Rams organization before they picked him: “I knew a little bit. I’m not going of lie, I didn’t know a whole lot. I’m sure I’m going to find out a lot more in the next days, next few weeks. It’s something that I really look forward to. I’m excited to be here.”
On if he had been to St. Louis before his pre-draft visit: “Yeah, it’s actually been quite a while since I’ve been here. Me and my Dad came up and watched the Cardinals play when (Mark) McGuire was having that season, a couple years ago. And actually I played a hockey tournament here when I was younger. So I’ve been here a couple times, but none recently.”
On how he will handle the pressure of being ‘one of the guys’: “Obviously, I do, I understand that there are certain responsibilities that come with that, but I’m a team guy. I love being one of the guys, just love hanging out. I’m going to do everything I can to pull my fair share of the load around here. I can’t wait to get to work and whatever I can do help this team win that’s what I’m going to do.”
On staying humble despite his position: “I think I still realize that I haven’t done anything in St. Louis. I realize that there’s a lot of expectations. The expectations are high. My expectations for myself are very high. I realize that until I get on the field and prove to people that I deserve to be the number one pick, there’s going to be questions. I look forward to the challenge. I can’t wait to get to work, and I’m expecting a lot out of myself.”
On if the first hit he’s going to take is still a hurdle for him: “I think that’s probably more of a hurdle for everyone else than it is for me. 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. I’ve got confidence in Dr. (James) Andrews and his work. He’s told me that my shoulder is going to be stronger than it was before the injury, and I feel like it is stronger than it was before the injury. I really don’t think taking a hit is really a concern.”
On his leadership style: “I think it varies. I think my leadership style encompasses a lot of different things. I really believe that you lead by actions, not words, but I believe there are times where you have to be vocal. You have to grab a guy and pull him to the side and just let him know how you feel about a certain thing. I think every situation is different and I feel like I can adapt to the different situations.”
On his routine of reading the story of David and Goliath from the Bible before every game: “That started before I played my first game at Oklahoma against North Texas. It’s just something that gives me confidence and reassures me going into a game. It lets me know that God’s with me when I’m out there, that I’m not out there alone. It’s a great feeling knowing that you’ve got someone who is on the field with you.”
On which character in the story he relates more closely to: “Well David won, so I’d like to think of myself as David.”
No crying in football? Ha!
Big day in OKC only gets bigger
My column today about this being a day unlike any other in Oklahoma City’s sports history prompted an email from reader Dean Schirf.
I’ll let him explain why:
What a cool coincidence, huh?
Having a couple local guys at the top of the NFL Draft and an NBA team making its home playoff debut is a pretty good way to celebrate Oklahoma City’s birthday. This is a day like no other with a party the likes of which Oklahoma City has never seen.
NFL Draft: Big night for Sooners’ future
Will Staples Center bite Thunder?
A snake pit, the Staples Center isn’t.
Still, playing the Lakers on their home court will present a different challenge for the Thunder. When Oklahoma City’s playoff series against Los Angeles opens Sunday, this youthful bunch will discover a level of distraction that is unlike anything else in sports.
Lakers games are where Hollywood types come to see and be seen, so the Thunder has seen the circus during its previous trips. The movie stars. The music moguls. The famous faces.
But what they’ve seen during the regular season is nothing compared to what the Staples Center is like during the playoffs.
“When they go to L.A., they’re going to see more celebrities than they’ve seen in their previous trips,” Yahoo! Sports NBA writer Marc Spears said.
Maybe the players will be able to block that out, but it’d be difficult to believe that they won’t be wowed a bit by the whole scene. Jack Nicholson sitting just down the row from the visitors’ bench. Justin Timberlake over there. Halle Berry over here. We’re wowed by celebrity; impossible to believe that it’d be much different for Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Co.
“It’s interesting who’s there and how big of a distraction that can be,” Spears said.
That doesn’t even take into account the distraction that comes with being in Los Angeles. There are trendy restaurants. There are popular clubs. There are places to go and things to do that you won’t find anywhere else.
And there are people who will want a piece of the players. Being in the playoffs in Los Angeles, family and friends are bound to flock to SoCal. They’ll want to get tickets. They’ll want to go to dinner. With Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Kevin Ollie being from the L.A. area, that will add a whole other level of distraction to the equation.
So will the business types who want to get some time with some of these guys. Durant seems a likely target. Hollywood movers and shakers will be asking to meet with him.
Does Kevin want to talk about this movie deal?
Is he interested in discussing this shoe deal?
Again, it’s possible that the Thunder will be immune to the hubbub. Perhaps they’ll stay in their bubble. Maybe they’ll maintain a steely focus. But the challenge will be significant in L.A.
It’s not Boston. It’s not Utah. It’s not Portland. Those arenas are rowdy and intense and a challenge for every visiting team. The Staples Center is none of those things.
“The Laker thing is a different type of distraction,” Spears said.
Just because the Staples Center isn’t a snake pit doesn’t mean visitors are immune from being bitten.
Phil Jackson wants to complain about calls?
Udoh put in the work, will reap the NBA rewards
Qs and As about Thunder-Lakers series
Wanted to give you a sneak peek at something that we’re working on as we’re gearing up for the Thunder’s playoff series against the Lakers.
Everyone that’s a part of our NBA coverage team is answering these questions. You’ll see all the answers later today on NewsOK.com and tomorrow in The Oklahoman. But because I know everyone is talking about this series, I wanted to share my answers.
And hey, feel free to post your questions! I’ll try to get to them as soon as possible.
***
Matchup that most favors the Lakers: Anything involving Kobe Bryant. I know Thabo Sefolosha held him in check when the Lakers came to town last month, but this is the playoffs. And Kobe is, well, Kobe in the playoffs. No matter who matches up on him, it will be advantage Lakers.
Matchup that most favors the Thunder: Anything involving Kevin Durant. This might be K.D.’s first playoff experience, but the guy is growing up right before our eyes. He seems to figure out a new way to score every week. He’ll be a handful for whomever guards him.
Biggest cause for concern from the last two games: The lack of energy and defense late in the game. Everyone knows that the fourth quarter is where games are won and lost in the NBA. Yet against the Warriors and the Blazers, the Thunder couldn’t stop anybody from getting to the rim. Too many easy baskets in crunch time is troublesome.
Possible silver lining from the last two games: Motivation. This team has been pretty darn good about bouncing back from bad performances. They have a pride about them that shines after poor stretches. Perhaps they bow up and fight back. Do that in the series opener in L.A., and the Thunder could score a rare playoff road victory.
Why are opposing point guards torching the Thunder?: No doubt opposing point guards are sticking it to this team in April. Deron Williams. Chauncey Billups. Andre Miller. Monta Ellis. All have had big nights. But Williams and Billups are understandable. They’re two of the better point guards in the league. And considering the Thunder followed up games against those two by holding Steve Nash to 11 points, it didn’t seem like opposing point guards were a problem at that point. The last two — Ellis and Miller — are more troubling. They illustrate again that struggling defense. Guys are able to get to the rim with ease, able to get great looks at the basket. When that happens, even the Monta Ellises and the Andre Millers of the NBA will score. The defense simply has to be better.
If Marcus Camby can get 30 and 13 on OKC, what will Gasol do?: I suspect he’ll have some big numbers against the Thunder, but then, I thought that before Monday’s game against Camby and Portland. Pau Gasol is one of the top centers in the league, and in the playoffs, I expect him to be a force. The Thunder will have to use a variety of guys on him, switching from Nenad Krstic to Serge Ibaka to Nick Collison. Give him different looks. Keep a fresh guy on him. It won’t stop him, but it might slow him down a bit.
Should the starters play or sit against Memphis?: Play. Because the Thunder is likely to open its series with the Lakers on Sunday — television will want L.A. then — players will have an extra day of rest. If the Thunder was opening Saturday, resting against Memphis would be more important. But with that extra day, and after a couple of poor performances, the starters need to be out there. Get a win. Get back on track. Get ready for the Lakers.
What’s the more worrisome trend, the Thunder’s late-game defense or inability to get good shots late in games?: Defense, defense, defense. If you’re always taking the ball out of the basket, you can’t get any fastbreak points, any transition opportunities. Those are good shots, and they are shots that the Thunder isn’t getting because its defense has become non-existent late in games.
Which is more easily remedied and how?: It’s easier to get good shots if you’re not always taking the ball out of the other team’s basket and setting up your halfcourt offense. These guys know how to play better defense. They just need to do it. If they do, the easier shots will follow.
Series prediction: Lakers in five.
Big fellow does state proud
Shocked by Tulsa’s move
On the eve of its first WNBA Draft, the Tulsa Shock traded away its first-round pick for a couple of young up-and-comers.
The move by the Shock is, well, shocking.
Nothing against the two players coming in from the Connecticut Sun. Amber Holt and Chante Black are two promising youngsters. Holt was a member of the all-rookie team a couple years ago, and Black is a good, young talent who didn’t manage to get much playing time with the Sun. Both could really help the Shock as it prepares to start its first season in Tulsa.
But you know what else would help the Shock? Players with local ties.
Tulsa native Iciss Tillis is on the roster, but she is the lone player with local ties currently with the Shock. While she has links to the area, having played her high school ball at Cascia Hall, she went away for college. She went to Duke. She spread her wings. She left the nest.
Not that there’s anything bad about that, but it weakened her connection to potential fans. Fans who are more attune to women’s basketball at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Fans who might be lured to a game by the promise of seeing a former Sooner or Cowgirl.
The Shock had a chance to add one of those players today. With the No. 7 overall pick, the franchise likely could’ve drafted Andrea Riley or Amanda Thompson. Both the former Cowgirl point guard and the former Sooner forward are expected to be taken in the first round, but both will probably be on the board when the seventh selection rolls around.
Adding Riley or Thompson would’ve been a chance not only to draw fans but also to improve the team. Both are going to be solid professional players, Riley with her offensive skills and grittiness, Thompson with her rebounding prowess and will. But the Shock chose against either of those players when it made the trade with the Sun.
The Shock wants to build a fan base. In this economy, that could be tough. The trick is giving people a reason to come to games. You either have to have something that connects with fans and draws them in, or you have to win.
In passing up the chance to draft Riley or Thompson, the Shock must be banking on doing the latter.
