- Joined
- Nov 24, 2012
- Messages
- 2,624
- Name
- News Bot
Joe Lyons
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/with-jackson-gone-bradford-vows-to-fill-void/article_60187d54-1146-511e-aa6f-36b675bc9b44.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football ... c9b44.html</a>
With Steven Jackson off to the Atlanta Falcons, the Rams clearly have a new look these days.
“It’s a lot different, not only in the huddle, but in the locker room and in the meeting room, too,’’ quarterback Sam Bradford said Thursday after Organized Team Activities on the field wrapped up at Rams Park in Earth City. “Obviously he was an extremely important part of this offense and this organization for a long time, not only for what he did on the field, but for his leadership skills off the field and in the locker room.
“There’s a void right now. I think it’s part of my duty going into my fourth year to step up and help fill that void.’’
The No. 1 overall choice in the 2010 NFL draft, Bradford was the league’s offensive rookie of the year before suffering through an injury-limited 2011 season. He bounced back to a degree last year, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes for 3,702 yards and 21 touchdowns as the Rams finished 7-8-1.
But he is anything but satisfied.
“To win the Super Bowl,’’ he responded when asked about expectations for 2013. “You never go into a year thinking, ‘Man, if we could go 8-8, that would be awesome’ because if you do, you might as well not even play the game. We came in with the mindset that we are putting in the work each day to build the pieces to win the Super Bowl. That’s what our goal is ... that’s the goal every year.’’
This season, for the first time in his professional career, Bradford will be working with the same offense in back-to-back seasons. That, he said, is a huge advantage.
“It just feels so much better knowing the details of this offense and actually having the ability to go over and coach our young guys,’’ he said. “When you’re trying to learn an offense for the first time, it’s really hard to go over and coach some of the young guys because you’re still trying to figure everything out, too. ... You watch it on film from how someone else runs it, so you think you have an idea, but until you actually get out there and rep it multiple times, you really don’t have that feel.’’
Head coach Jeff Fisher added: “Last year at this time, the entire team was hearing things for the first time. This year, at the same time, only the rookies are hearing it for the first time. For everyone else, it’s the second go-around, which is good.’’
The Rams had a busy offseason that provided Bradford and the offense a number of new weapons. In free agency, they landed four-time Pro Bowler Jake Long, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, to play left tackle and also signed 6-foot-5, 248-pound Jared Cook, a tight end with the speed and talent to create match-up problems down the middle of the field.
In late April, the Rams traded up to No. 8 overall to land speedster Tavon Austin of West Virginia, the most exciting offensive playmaker in the 2013 draft. The draft also yielded a number of other offensive players, including Stedman Bailey, another super-productive Mountaineer receiver, versatile offensive lineman Barrett Jones, a three-time national champion from Alabama, and Zac Stacy, a promising power back out of Vanderbilt.
The offensive line battled through injuries in 2012, but hopefully the experience gained will result in a better and deeper unit this time around. Tight end Lance Kendricks returns as do second-year players Chris Givens and Daryl Richardson, the team’s top returning receiver and rusher, respectively.
In addition, Fisher is counting on second-year players such as running back Isaiah Pead and wideout Brian Quick to step up and contribute much more this fall.
After just a handful of full-team workouts, Bradford likes what he’s seen of the new-look attack.
“We’re much faster now,’’ Bradford said. “There’s a lot more speed on the field. I think we’re all hoping that’s going to lead to more explosive plays. I think if you look at our offense in the past, we’ve really had to grind out touchdown drives because we haven’t been able to create those explosive plays. You take some of guys that we have on the field now and they can turn a 5-yard hitch route into an 80-yard touchdown.’’
Just a few days into OTAs, the Rams are a long way from being ready for the Sept. 8 opener against the visiting Arizona Cardinals. Bradford realizes that and the fact that there is still plenty of work to do.
“I think that’s extremely exciting,’’ he said of the offensive upgrades. “It’s going to allow us to open up the playbook probably a little more, just with their speed we can get more creative. The big thing we have to do now, through OTAs and through training camp later this summer, is try to figure out how to best use everyone’s abilities.’’
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/with-jackson-gone-bradford-vows-to-fill-void/article_60187d54-1146-511e-aa6f-36b675bc9b44.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football ... c9b44.html</a>
With Steven Jackson off to the Atlanta Falcons, the Rams clearly have a new look these days.
“It’s a lot different, not only in the huddle, but in the locker room and in the meeting room, too,’’ quarterback Sam Bradford said Thursday after Organized Team Activities on the field wrapped up at Rams Park in Earth City. “Obviously he was an extremely important part of this offense and this organization for a long time, not only for what he did on the field, but for his leadership skills off the field and in the locker room.
“There’s a void right now. I think it’s part of my duty going into my fourth year to step up and help fill that void.’’
The No. 1 overall choice in the 2010 NFL draft, Bradford was the league’s offensive rookie of the year before suffering through an injury-limited 2011 season. He bounced back to a degree last year, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes for 3,702 yards and 21 touchdowns as the Rams finished 7-8-1.
But he is anything but satisfied.
“To win the Super Bowl,’’ he responded when asked about expectations for 2013. “You never go into a year thinking, ‘Man, if we could go 8-8, that would be awesome’ because if you do, you might as well not even play the game. We came in with the mindset that we are putting in the work each day to build the pieces to win the Super Bowl. That’s what our goal is ... that’s the goal every year.’’
This season, for the first time in his professional career, Bradford will be working with the same offense in back-to-back seasons. That, he said, is a huge advantage.
“It just feels so much better knowing the details of this offense and actually having the ability to go over and coach our young guys,’’ he said. “When you’re trying to learn an offense for the first time, it’s really hard to go over and coach some of the young guys because you’re still trying to figure everything out, too. ... You watch it on film from how someone else runs it, so you think you have an idea, but until you actually get out there and rep it multiple times, you really don’t have that feel.’’
Head coach Jeff Fisher added: “Last year at this time, the entire team was hearing things for the first time. This year, at the same time, only the rookies are hearing it for the first time. For everyone else, it’s the second go-around, which is good.’’
The Rams had a busy offseason that provided Bradford and the offense a number of new weapons. In free agency, they landed four-time Pro Bowler Jake Long, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, to play left tackle and also signed 6-foot-5, 248-pound Jared Cook, a tight end with the speed and talent to create match-up problems down the middle of the field.
In late April, the Rams traded up to No. 8 overall to land speedster Tavon Austin of West Virginia, the most exciting offensive playmaker in the 2013 draft. The draft also yielded a number of other offensive players, including Stedman Bailey, another super-productive Mountaineer receiver, versatile offensive lineman Barrett Jones, a three-time national champion from Alabama, and Zac Stacy, a promising power back out of Vanderbilt.
The offensive line battled through injuries in 2012, but hopefully the experience gained will result in a better and deeper unit this time around. Tight end Lance Kendricks returns as do second-year players Chris Givens and Daryl Richardson, the team’s top returning receiver and rusher, respectively.
In addition, Fisher is counting on second-year players such as running back Isaiah Pead and wideout Brian Quick to step up and contribute much more this fall.
After just a handful of full-team workouts, Bradford likes what he’s seen of the new-look attack.
“We’re much faster now,’’ Bradford said. “There’s a lot more speed on the field. I think we’re all hoping that’s going to lead to more explosive plays. I think if you look at our offense in the past, we’ve really had to grind out touchdown drives because we haven’t been able to create those explosive plays. You take some of guys that we have on the field now and they can turn a 5-yard hitch route into an 80-yard touchdown.’’
Just a few days into OTAs, the Rams are a long way from being ready for the Sept. 8 opener against the visiting Arizona Cardinals. Bradford realizes that and the fact that there is still plenty of work to do.
“I think that’s extremely exciting,’’ he said of the offensive upgrades. “It’s going to allow us to open up the playbook probably a little more, just with their speed we can get more creative. The big thing we have to do now, through OTAs and through training camp later this summer, is try to figure out how to best use everyone’s abilities.’’