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Warner on Bradford: Time to take the next step
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_a510f114-3601-527c-8c36-903503db92a8.html
As an unheralded, undrafted player fresh out of the Arena Football League in 1998, Kurt Warner faced a different kind of pressure than current Rams quarterback Sam Bradford.
"I knew I got one shot and that was it," Warner said during his visit to Rams camp over the weekend. "So there was pressure with that.
"But I think being the No. 1 overall pick, when a team invests that much in you, and says you're that guy, it's hard not to feel that pressure to live up to that billing."
Part of that pressure, and the next step for Bradford, is the ability to carry the Rams' team, according to Warner.
"I'm the first one to tell you that I understand playing that position has so much to do with the people around you," said Warner, who in the past has criticized Bradford for not taking enough chances down field. "But there's also part of that position where you have to step up and separate yourself and be able to carry a team.
"Those are the expectations that are on Sam right now. They haven't always had the pieces around him to allow him to maybe play to his potential. But being where he's at now, they've got some young talent here.
"It becomes that next step for him. To take that next leadership role. To take more upon himself. It's not easy. It's not easy coming back from an injury, having only played half the season last year. But those are the expectations that come with that position being a franchise quarterback."
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_a510f114-3601-527c-8c36-903503db92a8.html
As an unheralded, undrafted player fresh out of the Arena Football League in 1998, Kurt Warner faced a different kind of pressure than current Rams quarterback Sam Bradford.
"I knew I got one shot and that was it," Warner said during his visit to Rams camp over the weekend. "So there was pressure with that.
"But I think being the No. 1 overall pick, when a team invests that much in you, and says you're that guy, it's hard not to feel that pressure to live up to that billing."
Part of that pressure, and the next step for Bradford, is the ability to carry the Rams' team, according to Warner.
"I'm the first one to tell you that I understand playing that position has so much to do with the people around you," said Warner, who in the past has criticized Bradford for not taking enough chances down field. "But there's also part of that position where you have to step up and separate yourself and be able to carry a team.
"Those are the expectations that are on Sam right now. They haven't always had the pieces around him to allow him to maybe play to his potential. But being where he's at now, they've got some young talent here.
"It becomes that next step for him. To take that next leadership role. To take more upon himself. It's not easy. It's not easy coming back from an injury, having only played half the season last year. But those are the expectations that come with that position being a franchise quarterback."
