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Brockers feeling "refreshed" heading into eighth pro season
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Myles Simmons RAMS INSIDER
If you think about it, the age 28 is still considered quite young by most standards.
Now that doesn’t mean 28-year-old veteran defensive lineman Michael Brockers is old in football years. But he has reached the point where he’s the second-longest tenured Ram — behind only long snapper Jake McQuaide.
But speaking to the D-lineman entering his eighth pro season after Tuesday’s OTA practice, Brockers said he’s feeling great during this 2019 offseason program.
“I don’t know if I’m lying or not, but I feel refreshed,” Brockers told therams.com. “I feel — coming from the Super Bowl loss, that fire kind of drives you some more. So just ready to get back out there.”
Falling to the Patriots in February, Brockers continued, “created that fire in us just to get back. We know that was a great team that we lost to, but we know we could’ve done better ourselves.
So just coming out here, making the adjustments, getting better each and every day — I think that’s the most important thing — we’ll be back.”
He sort of noted it there, but Brockers added specifically that he feels the entire team has appeared to come back with a sense of refreshment for another run at a Lombardi Trophy.
“I think everybody feels the same way. Everybody — we’re glad how the season went, we were happy about it. But as far as how it ended, we know we could’ve finished better, and we want to finish better,” Brockers said.
“So I think that’s what drives us each and every day coming in here, the whole team showing up for OTAs and voluntary OTAs and stuff like that — it just shows that we want to get back to that championship.”
Part of that also comes from the steady leadership of head coach Sean McVay, who has set the tone and the standard since he arrived in L.A. back in 2017.
“He’s been cool, calm, and collected. He’s all about getting better,” Brockers said of his head coach. “He said it himself — nobody’s above coaching, including himself. So he’s doing nothing but trying to get back to that championship.
But it’s not like a super burning, burning desire. It’s like, let’s do what we’ve always done — let’s be us.”
As the Rams continue in that process, they also have to integrate players like veteran newcomers safety Eric Weddle and linebacker Clay Matthews — players whose objectives goals align with those of the Rams as they get to the later stages of their respective careers.
“They bring that veteran leadership that veteran leadership that you need in the backend, to talk to some of the young guys,” Brockers said.
“Some of that experience that they have, they’ve been in the situations, they’ve been in Super Bowls and stuff like that — playoff games. So they understand what’s at stake, too.
And they’re getting a little older, so they feel it even more where it’s like, ‘Hey, it’s do or die, we’ve got to do it now.’ So they’re pushing to get to a championship as well.”
But Brockers is a veteran presence, too, and he appreciates that younger players look up to him as he enters his eighth season.
“It’s kind of happened organically. You know, all of a sudden, I’m one of the oldest guys in the room and people are starting to look up to me, and the coaches are counting on me to be that leader.
It happened, like I said, organically and I’ve accepted the role.”
Feeling refreshed after the shortest offseason he’s ever had, Brockers will be a key piece of the defensive unit for a Rams team looking to continue recent success.
https://www.therams.com/news/brockers-feeling-refreshed
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Myles Simmons RAMS INSIDER
If you think about it, the age 28 is still considered quite young by most standards.
Now that doesn’t mean 28-year-old veteran defensive lineman Michael Brockers is old in football years. But he has reached the point where he’s the second-longest tenured Ram — behind only long snapper Jake McQuaide.
But speaking to the D-lineman entering his eighth pro season after Tuesday’s OTA practice, Brockers said he’s feeling great during this 2019 offseason program.
“I don’t know if I’m lying or not, but I feel refreshed,” Brockers told therams.com. “I feel — coming from the Super Bowl loss, that fire kind of drives you some more. So just ready to get back out there.”
Falling to the Patriots in February, Brockers continued, “created that fire in us just to get back. We know that was a great team that we lost to, but we know we could’ve done better ourselves.
So just coming out here, making the adjustments, getting better each and every day — I think that’s the most important thing — we’ll be back.”
He sort of noted it there, but Brockers added specifically that he feels the entire team has appeared to come back with a sense of refreshment for another run at a Lombardi Trophy.
“I think everybody feels the same way. Everybody — we’re glad how the season went, we were happy about it. But as far as how it ended, we know we could’ve finished better, and we want to finish better,” Brockers said.
“So I think that’s what drives us each and every day coming in here, the whole team showing up for OTAs and voluntary OTAs and stuff like that — it just shows that we want to get back to that championship.”
Part of that also comes from the steady leadership of head coach Sean McVay, who has set the tone and the standard since he arrived in L.A. back in 2017.
“He’s been cool, calm, and collected. He’s all about getting better,” Brockers said of his head coach. “He said it himself — nobody’s above coaching, including himself. So he’s doing nothing but trying to get back to that championship.
But it’s not like a super burning, burning desire. It’s like, let’s do what we’ve always done — let’s be us.”
As the Rams continue in that process, they also have to integrate players like veteran newcomers safety Eric Weddle and linebacker Clay Matthews — players whose objectives goals align with those of the Rams as they get to the later stages of their respective careers.
“They bring that veteran leadership that veteran leadership that you need in the backend, to talk to some of the young guys,” Brockers said.
“Some of that experience that they have, they’ve been in the situations, they’ve been in Super Bowls and stuff like that — playoff games. So they understand what’s at stake, too.
And they’re getting a little older, so they feel it even more where it’s like, ‘Hey, it’s do or die, we’ve got to do it now.’ So they’re pushing to get to a championship as well.”
But Brockers is a veteran presence, too, and he appreciates that younger players look up to him as he enters his eighth season.
“It’s kind of happened organically. You know, all of a sudden, I’m one of the oldest guys in the room and people are starting to look up to me, and the coaches are counting on me to be that leader.
It happened, like I said, organically and I’ve accepted the role.”
Feeling refreshed after the shortest offseason he’s ever had, Brockers will be a key piece of the defensive unit for a Rams team looking to continue recent success.
https://www.therams.com/news/brockers-feeling-refreshed
