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Better late than never for Ifedi
• By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_afb9c5cd-f08e-5405-aad0-e95c4b994acc.html
The seventh round of the NFL draft was winding down when the Rams selected Memphis defensive end Martin Ifedi with their ninth, and final, choice.
“I thought I might go higher, but it wasn’t up to me. The fact that I got drafted, I’m thankful,’’ the 23-year-old said over the weekend following a rookie workout at Rams Park. “I’m excited to be here, to work with coach (Mike) Waufle and to get a chance to work with the guys on the defensive line. I consider it an honor to have a chance to learn from the best.’’
The Rams coaching staff is high on Ifedi, a 6-foot-3, 275-pounder who finished as Memphis’ career sack leader (22½).
Ifedi’s draft status was impacted by a senior season limited by injury. He sprained a knee ligament in the Tigers’ first game and sat out the next four contests. Ifedi finished the season with 29 tackles, 9½ tackles for loss and 2½ sacks.
“The fact that I missed some games definitely hurt my production,’’ said Ifedi, who followed a solid sophomore season (11 tackles for loss, seven sacks) with a breakout junior campaign that included career highs in tackles (52), tackles for loss (14½) and sacks (11½). “As the season went on and my knee got healthier, I felt my play improved.’’
Ifedi was born and raised in Houston, but his parents are from Nigeria. His younger brother, Germain, is a 6-5, 325-pound redshirt junior offensive tackle at Texas A&M who could be the next in a long line of strong offensive line prospects developed by Aggies.
Martin Ifedi said his strength is his ability to make adjustments during games and thinks the speed of the NFL game will be his biggest early challenge.
“At every level, there’s learning to be done,’’ he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s football, the same game we’ve been playing for years. I just have to listen and learn and keep working hard.’’
During the 2013 season, in a 24-17 loss at Louisville, Ifedi recalls beating new teammate and third-round draft pick Jamon Brown for a sack.
“I remember me spinning outside on a double-team between him and the left guard and getting to the quarterback,’’ Ifedi said. “I don’t know, maybe he doesn’t remember because they won the game.’’
Brown replied good naturedly: “You know, I can’t really remember giving up a sack against Memphis at all. But if that’s the way to stir up competition, then I’ll like it.”
Quick learner
Born and raised in Jamaica, tackle Darrell Williams wasn’t introduced to football until the 10th grade.
“I played a couple of years of soccer back home, but I was slower than everyone else, so I switched to basketball,’’ said the 6-foot-5, 301-pound undrafted free agent from the University of South Florida. “My high school football coach (at Evans High in Orlando, Fla.) saw me on the basketball court and told me he thought football would be a good fit. Best decision I ever made.’’
Williams, 21, made 29 starts at left tackle for the Bulls and, after graduating in December with a degree in communications, played in the NFLPA Bowl, which is where he first made contact with the Rams.
“They stayed in contact and when it came time to sign after the draft, I just felt like St. Louis was the best fit,’’ he said. “They’re throwing a lot at us right now, using some terms I’ve never heard before, but the five of us (offensive linemen), we get together and we help each other figure things out.’’
Williams, who moved to Orlando as a ninth grader, described himself as “coachable.’’
“I’m a guy who’ll work hard and who’ll be accountable,’’ he said. “In my position, as a free agent, I know I can’t afford to make the same mistake twice. At this level, I expect the game to be more physical, so I really have to focus on technique and on learning from the coaches and older guys.
“I’m just grateful for the opportunity to compete.’’
Charity softball Game set
at t.R. Hughes
The fourth annual Coach Fisher and Friends celebrity softball game will be held June 7, a Sunday, at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon, Mo.
The event will feature a home-run derby, the game and postgame fireworks and benefits five charities: BackStoppers, the Jack and J.T. Snow Scientific Research Foundation, Mercy Ministries, the Wounded Warrior Project and Catch-A-Dream Foundation.
“Each year, our players really look forward to this fun and unique evening for charity,’’ Rams coach Jeff Fisher said via a news release. “It’s a great family-friendly event that allows our fans to get an up-close look at our players and their personalities away from the football field. For some of our players, their athleticism on the football field transfers to the softball field, but for others it can be a comedy of errors, which makes the game all the more entertaining and memorable.’’
After a very successful three-year run at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, home of the Gateway Grizzlies, this year’s game shifts to T.R. Hughes, home of the area’s other Frontier League baseball squad, the River City Rascals.
“We really enjoyed the tremendous hospitality and partnership with the Gateway Grizzlies and their staff over the past three years,” Fisher said. “In planning for this year’s game, we heard from many of our fans who wanted us to bring the game to Missouri, so we’re glad that we were able to get that done for our fans and we look forward to selling out T.R. Hughes.”
The home-run derby will begin at 5:45 p.m., with the game to follow at 7 p.m. Fireworks will begin about 9 p.m.
General admission tickets are $10, with reserved seating priced at $25. Tickets are available at the Rascals’ box office and at http://www.rivercityrascals.com/tickets/fisher/.
• By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_afb9c5cd-f08e-5405-aad0-e95c4b994acc.html
The seventh round of the NFL draft was winding down when the Rams selected Memphis defensive end Martin Ifedi with their ninth, and final, choice.
“I thought I might go higher, but it wasn’t up to me. The fact that I got drafted, I’m thankful,’’ the 23-year-old said over the weekend following a rookie workout at Rams Park. “I’m excited to be here, to work with coach (Mike) Waufle and to get a chance to work with the guys on the defensive line. I consider it an honor to have a chance to learn from the best.’’
The Rams coaching staff is high on Ifedi, a 6-foot-3, 275-pounder who finished as Memphis’ career sack leader (22½).
Ifedi’s draft status was impacted by a senior season limited by injury. He sprained a knee ligament in the Tigers’ first game and sat out the next four contests. Ifedi finished the season with 29 tackles, 9½ tackles for loss and 2½ sacks.
“The fact that I missed some games definitely hurt my production,’’ said Ifedi, who followed a solid sophomore season (11 tackles for loss, seven sacks) with a breakout junior campaign that included career highs in tackles (52), tackles for loss (14½) and sacks (11½). “As the season went on and my knee got healthier, I felt my play improved.’’
Ifedi was born and raised in Houston, but his parents are from Nigeria. His younger brother, Germain, is a 6-5, 325-pound redshirt junior offensive tackle at Texas A&M who could be the next in a long line of strong offensive line prospects developed by Aggies.
Martin Ifedi said his strength is his ability to make adjustments during games and thinks the speed of the NFL game will be his biggest early challenge.
“At every level, there’s learning to be done,’’ he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s football, the same game we’ve been playing for years. I just have to listen and learn and keep working hard.’’
During the 2013 season, in a 24-17 loss at Louisville, Ifedi recalls beating new teammate and third-round draft pick Jamon Brown for a sack.
“I remember me spinning outside on a double-team between him and the left guard and getting to the quarterback,’’ Ifedi said. “I don’t know, maybe he doesn’t remember because they won the game.’’
Brown replied good naturedly: “You know, I can’t really remember giving up a sack against Memphis at all. But if that’s the way to stir up competition, then I’ll like it.”
Quick learner
Born and raised in Jamaica, tackle Darrell Williams wasn’t introduced to football until the 10th grade.
“I played a couple of years of soccer back home, but I was slower than everyone else, so I switched to basketball,’’ said the 6-foot-5, 301-pound undrafted free agent from the University of South Florida. “My high school football coach (at Evans High in Orlando, Fla.) saw me on the basketball court and told me he thought football would be a good fit. Best decision I ever made.’’
Williams, 21, made 29 starts at left tackle for the Bulls and, after graduating in December with a degree in communications, played in the NFLPA Bowl, which is where he first made contact with the Rams.
“They stayed in contact and when it came time to sign after the draft, I just felt like St. Louis was the best fit,’’ he said. “They’re throwing a lot at us right now, using some terms I’ve never heard before, but the five of us (offensive linemen), we get together and we help each other figure things out.’’
Williams, who moved to Orlando as a ninth grader, described himself as “coachable.’’
“I’m a guy who’ll work hard and who’ll be accountable,’’ he said. “In my position, as a free agent, I know I can’t afford to make the same mistake twice. At this level, I expect the game to be more physical, so I really have to focus on technique and on learning from the coaches and older guys.
“I’m just grateful for the opportunity to compete.’’
Charity softball Game set
at t.R. Hughes
The fourth annual Coach Fisher and Friends celebrity softball game will be held June 7, a Sunday, at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon, Mo.
The event will feature a home-run derby, the game and postgame fireworks and benefits five charities: BackStoppers, the Jack and J.T. Snow Scientific Research Foundation, Mercy Ministries, the Wounded Warrior Project and Catch-A-Dream Foundation.
“Each year, our players really look forward to this fun and unique evening for charity,’’ Rams coach Jeff Fisher said via a news release. “It’s a great family-friendly event that allows our fans to get an up-close look at our players and their personalities away from the football field. For some of our players, their athleticism on the football field transfers to the softball field, but for others it can be a comedy of errors, which makes the game all the more entertaining and memorable.’’
After a very successful three-year run at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, home of the Gateway Grizzlies, this year’s game shifts to T.R. Hughes, home of the area’s other Frontier League baseball squad, the River City Rascals.
“We really enjoyed the tremendous hospitality and partnership with the Gateway Grizzlies and their staff over the past three years,” Fisher said. “In planning for this year’s game, we heard from many of our fans who wanted us to bring the game to Missouri, so we’re glad that we were able to get that done for our fans and we look forward to selling out T.R. Hughes.”
The home-run derby will begin at 5:45 p.m., with the game to follow at 7 p.m. Fireworks will begin about 9 p.m.
General admission tickets are $10, with reserved seating priced at $25. Tickets are available at the Rascals’ box office and at http://www.rivercityrascals.com/tickets/fisher/.
