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By Nick Wagoner/Senior Writer
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Bradford-Holding-Out-Hope/817a4c65-6fea-46af-8dc1-72997bb61b33" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-eve ... 997bb61b33</a>
With just one game left to play, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford is holding out hope that he’ll be able to return from his ankle injury in time to play against the 49ers.
Although the game has no implications for the postseason for the Rams, Bradford doesn’t want to hear that it’s meaningless.
“It’s important to me to play in every game,” Bradford said. “Obviously this is my last opportunity to play with this team this year, so it’s very important for me to get out there this Sunday and just finish the season strong with my guys.”
It’s been a rough second season for Bradford on the heels of a very productive and solid rookie year. On Oct. 16, Bradford suffered a high left ankle sprain that has kept him from being the same since.
In the time since the injury, Bradford has had ups and downs that have kept him from getting back to full strength. The aborted stops and starts have been particularly trying.
“It’s been very frustrating,” Bradford said. “Especially the fact that I was able to come back and play three or four games and it was getting better. It was starting to feel better. It was starting to feel like it was, obviously not normal, but getting closer to normal. Then after the second time that I reinjured it, it’s just really never overcome that.”
For the first time in the past two-plus weeks, Bradford attempted to do some exertion exercises on the ankle earlier this week. But Bradford’s ankle didn’t respond well to that work and he’s uncertain about his status for this week.
“This week was really the first time that we had done much and to be honest it didn’t feel great in the little that we did do, so as far as that, until it gets better, until we do some more I really can’t tell you,” Bradford said.
Bradford did not practice Wednesday or Thursday but is holding out hope that he’ll be able to do something before Sunday and get out on the field.
The opportunity to finish the season on a high note is particularly appealing to Bradford, who by how own admission hasn’t been able to play up to the high standard he’s set for himself entering the season.
The quarterback on the other sideline, San Francisco’s Alex Smith, knows a thing or two about expectations and is sympathetic to Bradford’s plight as a signal caller who went through myriad changes and is just not getting his career on track in year seven.
"Yeah, it's tough,” Smith said. “No one understands that at the quarterback position you rely on so many people just to have a chance to do your job. Just from an outside perspective looking in, obviously he had a really big rookie year. I think he did a lot of good things and then the expectations just continue to rise and a new system, the lockout, all of the injuries the Rams have had this year especially on the offensive side of the ball at the receiver position and offensive line, things like that, those are things that I think aren't excuses, they're facts, but no one really looks to that. No one wants to talk about that or hear that. A lot of times so many people just look at your stats and all of that stuff can be deceiving.
“So for him I still think just continue to work to get better every day. You’re going to get through this. The NFL is so much what have you done for me lately and just looking forward to the next game and putting that stuff behind you. I think for him, he's such a young player in this league, he's got such a long road ahead of him that if he just continues to work on becoming a better player he'll be just fine.”
LLOYD’S VALUE: The Rams dealt for receiver Brandon Lloyd prior to the Oct. 23 contest against Dallas with the hope that he’d be able to give them a consistent, veteran performer outside.
Lloyd has done that, leading the team in receiving with 45 catches for 583 yards and four touchdowns.
“I just knew we were getting a good football player,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “(Offensive Coordinator) Josh (McDaniels) knew him. To me that was very valuable to have the insight that a guy had worked with him and Brandon had blossomed with Josh there. I think he’s been a tremendous addition for us what he’s done this year. It hasn’t been easy on him. He’s been through three quarterbacks…so to get the timing, we’ve been talking about this a lot; it’s been hard for him. And he’s a competitor and a prideful guy and we love that about him, so I’m sure it hasn’t been easy and yet you don’t see it in him we you look out there watching practice.”
Lloyd’s impact has been enough that his performance has turned the compensation going back to Denver for him from a sixth-round pick to a fifth-round pick. That won’t matter much if Lloyd re-signs with the Rams, a move Spagnuolo said he’d certainly be in favor of.
“Oh absolutely, yeah,” Spagnuolo said. “And I hope he feels the same way. We’ll attack all that after this game.”
STAYING IN THE PRESENT: If Bradford is unable to play against the Niners; the job would again fall to veteran Kellen Clemens.
Clemens has started each of the past two weeks and has enjoyed his short time with the team.
“Any opportunity to play is an opportunity to play,” Clemens said. “Since we were 5 and 6 years old you don’t really come out here to practice, you come out to play. That’s what we love to do, so that’s what I’ve enjoyed over the last couple weeks is having an opportunity to play and be a part of this organization. I’m not really thinking about myself going into the offseason. I’m just excited for another opportunity to go out and play and have some fun.”
Some observers view Clemens as a potential veteran backup solution for Bradford heading into 2012 and believe that a good performance to finish the season could bolster that position.
For his part, though, Clemens isn’t focused on what a strong finale could do for his future, only what it could do for the team’s immediate present.
“I’ve been blessed with just the opportunity to be here,” Clemens said. “I’m very grateful for that. Again, I don’t think past San Francisco right now. Everything else plays itself out over the offseason which gives you weeks and months to think about it. Myself as an individual, us as an offense, us as a team collectively, we are all thinking about beating the San Francisco 49ers and then we will deal with what comes after that.”
INJURY REPORT: The Rams didn’t have much in the way of changes to the injury report Thursday.
Bradford (ankle), quarterback A.J. Feeley (thumb) and running back Jerious Norwood (ankle) did not participate.
Linebacker Brady Poppinga (illness) returned to practice after missing on Wednesday.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Bradford-Holding-Out-Hope/817a4c65-6fea-46af-8dc1-72997bb61b33" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-eve ... 997bb61b33</a>
With just one game left to play, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford is holding out hope that he’ll be able to return from his ankle injury in time to play against the 49ers.
Although the game has no implications for the postseason for the Rams, Bradford doesn’t want to hear that it’s meaningless.
“It’s important to me to play in every game,” Bradford said. “Obviously this is my last opportunity to play with this team this year, so it’s very important for me to get out there this Sunday and just finish the season strong with my guys.”
It’s been a rough second season for Bradford on the heels of a very productive and solid rookie year. On Oct. 16, Bradford suffered a high left ankle sprain that has kept him from being the same since.
In the time since the injury, Bradford has had ups and downs that have kept him from getting back to full strength. The aborted stops and starts have been particularly trying.
“It’s been very frustrating,” Bradford said. “Especially the fact that I was able to come back and play three or four games and it was getting better. It was starting to feel better. It was starting to feel like it was, obviously not normal, but getting closer to normal. Then after the second time that I reinjured it, it’s just really never overcome that.”
For the first time in the past two-plus weeks, Bradford attempted to do some exertion exercises on the ankle earlier this week. But Bradford’s ankle didn’t respond well to that work and he’s uncertain about his status for this week.
“This week was really the first time that we had done much and to be honest it didn’t feel great in the little that we did do, so as far as that, until it gets better, until we do some more I really can’t tell you,” Bradford said.
Bradford did not practice Wednesday or Thursday but is holding out hope that he’ll be able to do something before Sunday and get out on the field.
The opportunity to finish the season on a high note is particularly appealing to Bradford, who by how own admission hasn’t been able to play up to the high standard he’s set for himself entering the season.
The quarterback on the other sideline, San Francisco’s Alex Smith, knows a thing or two about expectations and is sympathetic to Bradford’s plight as a signal caller who went through myriad changes and is just not getting his career on track in year seven.
"Yeah, it's tough,” Smith said. “No one understands that at the quarterback position you rely on so many people just to have a chance to do your job. Just from an outside perspective looking in, obviously he had a really big rookie year. I think he did a lot of good things and then the expectations just continue to rise and a new system, the lockout, all of the injuries the Rams have had this year especially on the offensive side of the ball at the receiver position and offensive line, things like that, those are things that I think aren't excuses, they're facts, but no one really looks to that. No one wants to talk about that or hear that. A lot of times so many people just look at your stats and all of that stuff can be deceiving.
“So for him I still think just continue to work to get better every day. You’re going to get through this. The NFL is so much what have you done for me lately and just looking forward to the next game and putting that stuff behind you. I think for him, he's such a young player in this league, he's got such a long road ahead of him that if he just continues to work on becoming a better player he'll be just fine.”
LLOYD’S VALUE: The Rams dealt for receiver Brandon Lloyd prior to the Oct. 23 contest against Dallas with the hope that he’d be able to give them a consistent, veteran performer outside.
Lloyd has done that, leading the team in receiving with 45 catches for 583 yards and four touchdowns.
“I just knew we were getting a good football player,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “(Offensive Coordinator) Josh (McDaniels) knew him. To me that was very valuable to have the insight that a guy had worked with him and Brandon had blossomed with Josh there. I think he’s been a tremendous addition for us what he’s done this year. It hasn’t been easy on him. He’s been through three quarterbacks…so to get the timing, we’ve been talking about this a lot; it’s been hard for him. And he’s a competitor and a prideful guy and we love that about him, so I’m sure it hasn’t been easy and yet you don’t see it in him we you look out there watching practice.”
Lloyd’s impact has been enough that his performance has turned the compensation going back to Denver for him from a sixth-round pick to a fifth-round pick. That won’t matter much if Lloyd re-signs with the Rams, a move Spagnuolo said he’d certainly be in favor of.
“Oh absolutely, yeah,” Spagnuolo said. “And I hope he feels the same way. We’ll attack all that after this game.”
STAYING IN THE PRESENT: If Bradford is unable to play against the Niners; the job would again fall to veteran Kellen Clemens.
Clemens has started each of the past two weeks and has enjoyed his short time with the team.
“Any opportunity to play is an opportunity to play,” Clemens said. “Since we were 5 and 6 years old you don’t really come out here to practice, you come out to play. That’s what we love to do, so that’s what I’ve enjoyed over the last couple weeks is having an opportunity to play and be a part of this organization. I’m not really thinking about myself going into the offseason. I’m just excited for another opportunity to go out and play and have some fun.”
Some observers view Clemens as a potential veteran backup solution for Bradford heading into 2012 and believe that a good performance to finish the season could bolster that position.
For his part, though, Clemens isn’t focused on what a strong finale could do for his future, only what it could do for the team’s immediate present.
“I’ve been blessed with just the opportunity to be here,” Clemens said. “I’m very grateful for that. Again, I don’t think past San Francisco right now. Everything else plays itself out over the offseason which gives you weeks and months to think about it. Myself as an individual, us as an offense, us as a team collectively, we are all thinking about beating the San Francisco 49ers and then we will deal with what comes after that.”
INJURY REPORT: The Rams didn’t have much in the way of changes to the injury report Thursday.
Bradford (ankle), quarterback A.J. Feeley (thumb) and running back Jerious Norwood (ankle) did not participate.
Linebacker Brady Poppinga (illness) returned to practice after missing on Wednesday.