Aries
12/31/2014, 08:57 AM
He may have talked Sam Bradford out of retiring.
Nothing really concrete in this article re: Bradford's future with the Rams, but just some hints into people's mindsets.... at best.
Rams starting job not assured for Bradford in 2015
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-starting-job-not-assured-for-bradford-in/article_6b980f13-277a-5475-b3a7-b68007b2ccc0.html
There will be competition next year for the Rams’ starting quarterback job. Coach Jeff Fisher made that official Tuesday. And Sam Bradford is OK with that.
“I would accept it,” Bradford said, in his first comments to reporters since shortly after his season-ending knee injury in late August. “I feel like every time I step on the field, it’s a competition. Over the past couple of years, regardless of whether it’s been Kellen (Clemens) or Shaun (Hill), I’ve always thought of it as a competition. No matter who’s in that (meeting) room next year, I still feel that it’ll be a competition.”
Even if it might, for example, involve a quarterback taken with a high draft pick?
“It’s their decision,” Bradford said. “Obviously, if they feel like that’s in the best interest of this team, then I would support it and I would embrace the competition.”
Bradford spoke Tuesday just before Fisher took the podium at Rams Park for his season-ending media session. Fisher made it crystal clear that the job wouldn’t be handed to Bradford in 2015.
“There’s going to be competition at the quarterback position, there’s no doubt,” Fisher said. “With somebody that’s not in the building right now. We’re hopeful for that.
“What that looks like, I can’t tell you right now — from a draft standpoint or from free agency. But he’ll be competing. We have some work to do obviously, from a contractual standpoint, but I’m confident we’ll sort some things out.”
Bradford is due $13 million in base salary in 2015, the final year of his original contract out of college as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010. Given Bradford’s injury history and the uncertainty of whether he can stay healthy for a full 16 games, the Rams would like to reduce that number.
There have been preliminary talks on the topic between the Rams and Bradford’s agent, Tom Condon, but there will be much more conversation along those lines over the coming weeks.
Since there is no deadline involved, and no roster bonus due, there is no rush to get something done. But obviously, the Rams would be best served to have a resolution in place before the start of the NFL free agency and trading period March 10.
What if the sides are unable to reach an agreement on a restructured contract for 2015? Is it possible the Rams would keep Bradford for the $13 million?
“I’m not going to go into specifics, because we have not had the time to sit down and discuss it,” Fisher said. “I appreciate the question, but I’m not gonna answer that. But I think it would make sense that both sides get together and work something out.”
Earlier, Bradford was vague when quizzed on that topic.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of things that can happen,” Bradford said. “I’m not really involved in that process. That’s why I’ve got an agent. Until things continue, I really can’t say that much on that.”
Overall, Bradford seems to have a realistic view of what might lie ahead career-wise in 2015, at one point saying “if I’m here” as part of a response to a question. It’s always possible that the Rams could end up attempting to trade him if an agreement can’t be reach on a restructured contract.
But if he had a choice, Bradford feels like St. Louis is the best place for him to continue his career.
“I do,” he said. “This is the first place I’ve ever been away from home. I feel like I’ve really grown up here. I love this city. The people have been great.
“I can’t tell you how much support I’ve gotten, whether it’s going out to the gas station and seeing people. Or going out to eat and meeting different fans. The people have been really encouraging and supportive.”
Bradford said his rehab is going well at this point and hasn’t involved as much pain as the knee rehab after his injury Oct. 20, 2013, at Carolina. The latest injury took place two months earlier in the 2014 calendar year, Aug. 23 in a preseason game at Cleveland.
“I’ve been running for the past couple weeks,” Bradford said. “Really seem to have kind of turned the corner in the past three or four weeks as far as what I’m doing in rehab now. ... There haven’t been any setbacks.”
Bradford was even seen throwing the football on the side in practice last week, although he wasn’t taking seven-step drops or anything. A year ago at this time, Bradford was only about six weeks removed from surgery.
“It just seems like this one was a lot less painful from the last time,” Bradford said. “I’m not really sure why that is. But it seemed like I got my range of motion back a lot quicker.
“It seems like I’ve stayed a little looser. It seemed like last time everything in my lower body just tightened up because I imagine there was some compensation going on.”
While less physically painful this time around, Bradford said the second tear to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) left him mentally and emotionally scarred — to the point he wondered if he wanted to continue playing in the immediate aftermath of the August injury.
“Yeah. I’d be lying to you if I told you that there wasn’t (that feeling),” Bradford said. “It was really tough that first week after the injury. There was part of me for a couple days where I was done with football. I didn’t want to come back. I didn’t want to play. I was tired of rehabbing. I was just tired of the process.
“Then when you step back and you’re away from the game for a while, and you come back and you’re in the building, and you’re around your teammates ... I quickly realized that I wasn’t done, and that I wanted to come back. And that I feel like I’ve still got a lot to prove.”
In particular, Bradford said a conversation with his former quarterback coach at Oklahoma, current Sooners offensive coordinator Josh Heupel, helped set him straight and restore his hunger for the game.
“He kinda talked some sense into me a couple days after the injury,” Bradford said. “That’s a phone call that I’ll probably never forget.”
Nothing really concrete in this article re: Bradford's future with the Rams, but just some hints into people's mindsets.... at best.
Rams starting job not assured for Bradford in 2015
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-starting-job-not-assured-for-bradford-in/article_6b980f13-277a-5475-b3a7-b68007b2ccc0.html
There will be competition next year for the Rams’ starting quarterback job. Coach Jeff Fisher made that official Tuesday. And Sam Bradford is OK with that.
“I would accept it,” Bradford said, in his first comments to reporters since shortly after his season-ending knee injury in late August. “I feel like every time I step on the field, it’s a competition. Over the past couple of years, regardless of whether it’s been Kellen (Clemens) or Shaun (Hill), I’ve always thought of it as a competition. No matter who’s in that (meeting) room next year, I still feel that it’ll be a competition.”
Even if it might, for example, involve a quarterback taken with a high draft pick?
“It’s their decision,” Bradford said. “Obviously, if they feel like that’s in the best interest of this team, then I would support it and I would embrace the competition.”
Bradford spoke Tuesday just before Fisher took the podium at Rams Park for his season-ending media session. Fisher made it crystal clear that the job wouldn’t be handed to Bradford in 2015.
“There’s going to be competition at the quarterback position, there’s no doubt,” Fisher said. “With somebody that’s not in the building right now. We’re hopeful for that.
“What that looks like, I can’t tell you right now — from a draft standpoint or from free agency. But he’ll be competing. We have some work to do obviously, from a contractual standpoint, but I’m confident we’ll sort some things out.”
Bradford is due $13 million in base salary in 2015, the final year of his original contract out of college as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010. Given Bradford’s injury history and the uncertainty of whether he can stay healthy for a full 16 games, the Rams would like to reduce that number.
There have been preliminary talks on the topic between the Rams and Bradford’s agent, Tom Condon, but there will be much more conversation along those lines over the coming weeks.
Since there is no deadline involved, and no roster bonus due, there is no rush to get something done. But obviously, the Rams would be best served to have a resolution in place before the start of the NFL free agency and trading period March 10.
What if the sides are unable to reach an agreement on a restructured contract for 2015? Is it possible the Rams would keep Bradford for the $13 million?
“I’m not going to go into specifics, because we have not had the time to sit down and discuss it,” Fisher said. “I appreciate the question, but I’m not gonna answer that. But I think it would make sense that both sides get together and work something out.”
Earlier, Bradford was vague when quizzed on that topic.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of things that can happen,” Bradford said. “I’m not really involved in that process. That’s why I’ve got an agent. Until things continue, I really can’t say that much on that.”
Overall, Bradford seems to have a realistic view of what might lie ahead career-wise in 2015, at one point saying “if I’m here” as part of a response to a question. It’s always possible that the Rams could end up attempting to trade him if an agreement can’t be reach on a restructured contract.
But if he had a choice, Bradford feels like St. Louis is the best place for him to continue his career.
“I do,” he said. “This is the first place I’ve ever been away from home. I feel like I’ve really grown up here. I love this city. The people have been great.
“I can’t tell you how much support I’ve gotten, whether it’s going out to the gas station and seeing people. Or going out to eat and meeting different fans. The people have been really encouraging and supportive.”
Bradford said his rehab is going well at this point and hasn’t involved as much pain as the knee rehab after his injury Oct. 20, 2013, at Carolina. The latest injury took place two months earlier in the 2014 calendar year, Aug. 23 in a preseason game at Cleveland.
“I’ve been running for the past couple weeks,” Bradford said. “Really seem to have kind of turned the corner in the past three or four weeks as far as what I’m doing in rehab now. ... There haven’t been any setbacks.”
Bradford was even seen throwing the football on the side in practice last week, although he wasn’t taking seven-step drops or anything. A year ago at this time, Bradford was only about six weeks removed from surgery.
“It just seems like this one was a lot less painful from the last time,” Bradford said. “I’m not really sure why that is. But it seemed like I got my range of motion back a lot quicker.
“It seems like I’ve stayed a little looser. It seemed like last time everything in my lower body just tightened up because I imagine there was some compensation going on.”
While less physically painful this time around, Bradford said the second tear to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) left him mentally and emotionally scarred — to the point he wondered if he wanted to continue playing in the immediate aftermath of the August injury.
“Yeah. I’d be lying to you if I told you that there wasn’t (that feeling),” Bradford said. “It was really tough that first week after the injury. There was part of me for a couple days where I was done with football. I didn’t want to come back. I didn’t want to play. I was tired of rehabbing. I was just tired of the process.
“Then when you step back and you’re away from the game for a while, and you come back and you’re in the building, and you’re around your teammates ... I quickly realized that I wasn’t done, and that I wanted to come back. And that I feel like I’ve still got a lot to prove.”
In particular, Bradford said a conversation with his former quarterback coach at Oklahoma, current Sooners offensive coordinator Josh Heupel, helped set him straight and restore his hunger for the game.
“He kinda talked some sense into me a couple days after the injury,” Bradford said. “That’s a phone call that I’ll probably never forget.”