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Rams happy with Todd Gurley but impressed by Jameis Winston
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...h-todd-gurley-but-impressed-by-jameis-winston
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Make no mistake, the St. Louis Rams are extremely happy with running back Todd Gurley, the player they selected with the No. 10 overall pick in this year's NFL draft.
And, to be even clearer, the Rams never really had a chance to select quarterback Jameis Winston, who went No. 1 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But as the Rams and Bucs prepare for Thursday night's game at the Edward Jones Dome, both Winston and Rams coach Jeff Fisher took a few moments to reminisce about their interest in each other in the build up to the draft.
Jameis Winston
The Rams know they have their work cut out for them in containing Jameis Winston on Thursday night.
“Well, we know him well," Fisher said. "We worked him out. We spent a lot of time with him and knew he was going to be a very good player. Thus far, he’s done a great job with that offense. Defensively, we’re going to have to just kind of challenge him a little bit and give him an ever-changing look and try to make some plays.”
In need of help at quarterback, a need that still exists despite the complete makeover at the position the Rams had last offseason, the Rams did their diligence on Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota before the draft. Fisher & Co. worked out both quarterbacks at their respective campuses, though neither Winston nor Mariota paid a pre-draft visit to St. Louis.
As a Florida State product, Winston had a previous relationship with Rams quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke. Both quarterbacks won Heisman Trophies for the Seminoles.
“I was just excited for the whole draft process," Winston said. "When they hired Chris Weinke as the quarterback coach, I thought there was going to be a good chance that I might go there, but it didn’t turn out that way.”
For as much as the Rams might have liked to land a franchise signal-caller the caliber of Winston or Mariota, they also knew that the only way to acquire either would be to offer a heavy freight in a trade to move up to land them. As it turned out, neither Tampa nor Tennessee was all that interested in forfeiting the chance to draft Winston or Mariota.
So the Bucs stood pat and selected Winston while the Rams stayed where they were and drafted Gurley. It's turned out quite well for both teams as Gurley and Winston are probably the top two contenders for the NFL's offensive rookie of the year award.
Winston said he and Gurley forged a friendship before the draft and he's happy to see Gurley's success, even if they're theoretically competing for the postseason honors.
“I don’t think about it at all," Winston said. "We’re great friends. I’m just so happy for his success. To do what he has done in limited games. He hasn’t played the number of games I’ve played, so I really admire his ability to run the football, just like with Doug [Martin]. I love running backs that just continue to take that pounding and beating and keep just trying to get yards.”
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...h-todd-gurley-but-impressed-by-jameis-winston
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Make no mistake, the St. Louis Rams are extremely happy with running back Todd Gurley, the player they selected with the No. 10 overall pick in this year's NFL draft.
And, to be even clearer, the Rams never really had a chance to select quarterback Jameis Winston, who went No. 1 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But as the Rams and Bucs prepare for Thursday night's game at the Edward Jones Dome, both Winston and Rams coach Jeff Fisher took a few moments to reminisce about their interest in each other in the build up to the draft.
Jameis Winston
The Rams know they have their work cut out for them in containing Jameis Winston on Thursday night.
“Well, we know him well," Fisher said. "We worked him out. We spent a lot of time with him and knew he was going to be a very good player. Thus far, he’s done a great job with that offense. Defensively, we’re going to have to just kind of challenge him a little bit and give him an ever-changing look and try to make some plays.”
In need of help at quarterback, a need that still exists despite the complete makeover at the position the Rams had last offseason, the Rams did their diligence on Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota before the draft. Fisher & Co. worked out both quarterbacks at their respective campuses, though neither Winston nor Mariota paid a pre-draft visit to St. Louis.
As a Florida State product, Winston had a previous relationship with Rams quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke. Both quarterbacks won Heisman Trophies for the Seminoles.
“I was just excited for the whole draft process," Winston said. "When they hired Chris Weinke as the quarterback coach, I thought there was going to be a good chance that I might go there, but it didn’t turn out that way.”
For as much as the Rams might have liked to land a franchise signal-caller the caliber of Winston or Mariota, they also knew that the only way to acquire either would be to offer a heavy freight in a trade to move up to land them. As it turned out, neither Tampa nor Tennessee was all that interested in forfeiting the chance to draft Winston or Mariota.
So the Bucs stood pat and selected Winston while the Rams stayed where they were and drafted Gurley. It's turned out quite well for both teams as Gurley and Winston are probably the top two contenders for the NFL's offensive rookie of the year award.
Winston said he and Gurley forged a friendship before the draft and he's happy to see Gurley's success, even if they're theoretically competing for the postseason honors.
“I don’t think about it at all," Winston said. "We’re great friends. I’m just so happy for his success. To do what he has done in limited games. He hasn’t played the number of games I’ve played, so I really admire his ability to run the football, just like with Doug [Martin]. I love running backs that just continue to take that pounding and beating and keep just trying to get yards.”