Michael Sam knows he needs to step up his game
Posted by Mike Florio on June 7, 2014
AP
Less than four weeks after he became a member of the Rams, defensive end
Michael Sam knows that much work remains to be done if he’s going to make the team in September.
“I’ve got to
step my game up to compete with this defensive line,” Sam said Friday, via David Morrison of
USA Today. “I thought our defensive line at Mizzou was pretty tough. This is a whole new level. I’ve got to up my game.”
Making Sam’s challenge a little less complicated is that his status as the first openly gay NFL player has been a non-issue for his teammates.
“They respect me as a human being,” Sam said, via the
Associated Press. “And as a football player.”
Teammate
Chris Long confirmed it’s not an issue.
“
Only the media cares,” Long said, via the
Associated Press. “The players don’t care, we just care about what kind of football player you are. We got a steal in whatever round we took him in.”
To truly be a steal, Sam has to win one of those coveted 53 spots on the roster. He’s got less than three months to do it.
Rams' Michael Sam: 'I've got to step my game up'
David Morrison, special to USA TODAY Sports
EARTH CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long stood in a semi-circle of reporters after the team's organized team activity Friday, answering a question about LeBron James' Thursday night leg cramps in the NBA Finals.
Michael Sam's voice cut into Long's answer, ringing out over the practice fields from 30 yards away.
"Hey, Chris!" Sam shouted.
"Michael, how are you?" Long responded, then turned back to the group of reporters.
"Rookies, man."
Sam, who became the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL when the Rams took him in the seventh round May 10, is trying to prove himself to his new coaches and teammates, hoping to be one of the 53 players that makes the final roster at the end of preseason.
Sam's Feb. 9 announcement, when he came out to the world via an appearance on ESPN and a story in the
New York Times, is behind him.
The drama surrounding whether he would be drafted, along with the controversial kiss he shared with his boyfriend on national television when the Rams picked him, is as well.
The proposed Oprah Winfrey Network documentary following his quest to make the Rams — not disclosed to teams before the draft but announced by the network May 14, then indefinitely postponed two days later — has fallen by the wayside.
Now he's just another rookie. Sam said it's a welcome development.
"It's been a long time coming," Sam said. "Last year, during this time, I was already playing football past spring practice. But you know what? It felt good to put my helmet on and get out there. Grind."
The 6-2, 261-pound Sam, a unanimous All-American during his senior season at Missouri last fall, worked behind Long at left defensive end while regular second-teamer William Hayes sat out with an injury.
Sam is trying to carve out a niche on a line that was already stacked before his arrival, one that helped the Rams finish third in the NFL with 53 sacks last year. Long and reigning NFC sack leader Robert Quinn are two of the most productive edge rushers in the league.
"I've got to step my game up to compete with this defensive line," Sam said. "I thought our defensive line at Mizzou was pretty tough. This is a whole new level. I've got to up my game."
Sam showed some growing pains during Friday's session, getting pinned inside on a couple of outside run plays and getting off balance trying to outflank second-year tackle Travis Bond during a red-zone pass rush.
Bond gave him a shove as he ran by. Sam slid to the turf.
"It's good playing with a vet that knows what they're doing," Sam said of playing with the team's established defensive linemen. "As a rookie, he's expecting you to know what you're doing. You don't want to mess up for that vet, because he's probably going to get on you."
He did show glimpses of the quickness and tenacity that helped him lead the Southeastern Conference in sacks last fall.
During an 11-on-11 drill, Sam brushed off a chip block from a tight end and closed in on the quarterback, forcing an incompletion and drawing a "Good job, Mike," from one of his teammates.
Sam also worked some with the punt protection and punt block special-teams units. He played special teams early in his Missouri career.
"He's learning his role here. We've got such a deep D-line, he's going to fight for his position," Quinn said. "He gives it 110% while he's out here. He wants to learn his playbook, wants to help his team win.
"He's a football player here. That's all that really matters."
Sam said playing with the Rams "almost feels like home."
Three former Missouri teammates — center Tim Barnes, cornerback E.J. Gaines and wideout T.J. Moe — are on the roster. Sam said St. Louis defensive coordinator Gregg Williams reminds him of Tigers counterpart Dave Steckel — both are "crazy" — while defensive line coach Mike Waufle reminds him of Missouri defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski.
The Rams also brought Wade Davis, a former NFL player and executive director of the You Can Play Project advocacy group for gay and lesbian athletes, in shortly after the draft to talk with Rams players about having a gay teammate.
Sam said he appreciated the gesture, though he didn't think it was necessary.
"They respect me as a human being and as a football player," he said of his St. Louis teammates.
That's about all he had to say on the issue of his sexuality Friday.
Just like the rest of the team's rookies, Sam will fill his nights with studying the playbook and his days with translating what he's learned onto the field. After all, he'sgot a roster to make.
"When he got drafted, we drafted him because he was a football player. The other stuff is whatever," Quinn said. "We've got to throw that out the window. You can't judge a man off things in his personal life.
"He proved himself while he was in college. As long as he does that here, what's there really to complain about?"
Michael Sam: No issues fitting in with Rams
By
R.B. FALLSTROM
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Michael Sam is confident he'll be judged on performance.
The first openly gay player drafted in the NFL said Friday there have been no issues fitting in with his St. Louis Rams teammates, no awkward moments in the locker room and that he was accepted right away.
"They respect me as a human being," he said. "And as a football player."
Being a bit of a cut-up helps cut the ice, too. Sam skipped all of the media days last season at Missouri while saving his announcement for February, but teammates will tell you he has quite a sense of humor and is not the least bit sensitive about off-color jokes that can fly behind closed doors.
"If anybody had any reservations about who he was to begin with, he wins them over pretty quick," said wide receiver T.J. Moe, who played with Sam at Missouri. "They're laughing so hard, they can't breathe."
Defensive tackle Michael Brockers said Sam was asked to stand up and tell a joke on Friday. The verdict: "Totally funny."
"We don't really focus on the outside stuff," Brockers added. "He's our brother, he's on our D-line and that's where it sits."
Working out with the full squad this week, Sam realizes he must step up his game to carve out a spot on a loaded defensive line. He said he's spending a lot of time poring over the playbook, too.
No doubt the Rams will give Sam every chance to succeed. But like any seventh-round pick, it's an uphill battle.
"It's faster, you've got to learn a lot more plays, you've got to know what you're doing," Sam said after a two-hour session. "You're supposed to perform at a high level and I'm doing pretty good."
Sam got a lot of snaps at left end with the second team defense, moving up on the depth chart because veteran William Hayes is rehabbing from an injury. He's been getting a lot of work on special teams, where the Rams might break him in.
The Rams had one of the top pass rushes in the NFL last year with ends Robert Quinn, second in the NFL in sacks, and Chris Long both former first-round picks. So are tackles Brockers and rookie Aaron Donald, plus Kendall Langford was a major free agent pickup a year ago.
"I'm telling you, they get after it," Sam said. "I thought our D-line at Mizzou was pretty tough. This is a whole new level."
Everyone, Sam said, has been willing to help. Nobody, Long said, gives a hoot about the fact he's gay.
"Only the media cares," Long said. "The players don't care, we just care about what kind of football player you are.
"We got a steal in whatever round we took him in."
Players picked way ahead of him don't seem to mind that Sam's getting more attention.
"He's a cool guy," Donald said. "We get along well and we're trying to get ready for the season together."
The 260-pound Sam was the SEC co-defensive player of the year last season. After the Rams took him with the 249th overall pick late in the seventh round, general manager Les Snead called him a designated pass rusher.
Sam said he's probably going to have to shed some weight to be effective on special teams.
Among the early goals for the Rams (7-9) is getting Greg Robinson, the second overall pick, accustomed to a new position. Robinson was a tackle at Auburn and the Rams have him at guard.
"I can get my hands on them faster, so it's something I think I can grow into," Robinson said. "But I'm a little rusty. It's been a while since I played guard."
Veterans were challenged, too, by new wrinkles in the playbook.
"Just knocking the rust off, I think, is the biggest thing," Brockers said. "Like coach Fisher said, we're not going to win the division in these next few OTAs."