This NFL Draft installment (thanks to the Inn at Irving Place, part of the Small Luxury Hotels of The World brand) comes from New York, Radio City Music Hall - Former Oklahoma Sooners Quarterback Sam Bradford is now a St. Louis Rams player and the first one taken in the 1st round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Personally, Sam Bradford's one of the nicest rookies this blogger has ever met in the six years he's covered the NFL Draft in New York City.
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| Sam Bradford |
Before the calling of his name, Sam Bradford told me he was nervous (with big eyes) during the NFL Red Carpet. He was relaxed; that's what ending the selection process and knowing you've got $50 million coming to you will do. As Joe Montana said "make sure you get the check."
Here's Sam Bradford:
SAM BRADFORD: I feel great. Obviously it's a dream come true, you grow up, you dream of playing in the NFL and you dream of hearing your name called on Draft day, but to actually have it happen, it's a feeling that's really unexplainable.
Q. What did they say to you on the phone?
SAM BRADFORD: You know, just asked me if I was ready to be a St. Louis Ram, and I told him, absolutely.
Q. Don't you wish that you had the right to negotiate with all teams? There's a lot of pageantry here tonight but don't you wish you could negotiate with all 30 teams?
SAM BRADFORD: You know, I've never thought of that. That's not the system we have and that's not how it works. This is what we have and this is what we have to do and I thought tonight was pretty exciting and I wouldn't change tonight.
Q. What did it mean to share with your mom and dad and grandmother and family?
SAM BRADFORD: Yeah, that was great and something I'll probably remember for the rest of my life. They have been so instrumental getting me to this point, without them there's no way I would be sitting here right now, they have supported me in everything I've done since I was four years old. They took me to practice at 5:00 in the morning and I remember they were in the stands ready to go. I can't thank them enough for all they have done.
Q. When did you find out for sure?
SAM BRADFORD: The phone call was definitely when I knew for sure, but I had a pretty good feeling coming into tonight that I was going to get that phone call.
Q. Last September when you got hurt in the BYU game, did you think this moment was possible?
SAM BRADFORD: No, I didn't.
Q. Are you looking forward to getting together with your receivers soon?
SAM BRADFORD: Oh, definitely. I'm just looking forward to playing football and getting back out there and doing what I love to do. Obviously this year didn't end up the way I wanted it to be. I wasn't able to play a game and part of two games. To get back out there especially with my new receivers and start getting some chemistry, I can't wait.
Q. You've been named "The Big Easy," is your heart still racing?
SAM BRADFORD: It's calmed down.
Q. Is it like a 4‑foot putt to win a tournament?
SAM BRADFORD: No, but it picked up ‑‑ on the fourth pick, when I heard Trent's name, I was pretty stoked.
It's amazing, because I came in with those guys, absolutely love them, Gerald and Trent and Trent protecting me, G.K., we have known each other since elementary school and to have this happen, I couldn't be happier for those guys.
Q. Talk about the kind of guy he is ‑‑
SAM BRADFORD: Yeah, he told us, he said when I hear my name, I'm going to try tonight and we knew it was coming. That's just who he is. He's one of the best personalities that I've ever come across. He's one of my favorite guys and I can't wait to watch him play in the NFL.
Q. When you look at what happened with Roethlisberger and now you're the face of the franchise, can you talk about the pressure ‑‑ obviously you conduct yourself in a certain way off the field and stuff like that.
SAM BRADFORD: Obviously there's things out there, people out there are going to try to bring you down. I think as long as you surround yourself with good people and place yourself in good situations, you can eliminate a lot of the possibilities of bad things happening.
Q. What does this say about the Big 12, the first four picks and potentially the fifth.
SAM BRADFORD: That's pretty cool because I know that the Big 12 caught a lot of slack lately. People for some reason didn't think we played much football in the Big 12 and they for sure didn't think we played much defense and now we have two defensive tackles going in the Top 3. I think it's a credit to the Big 12 and the football that's played in that conference.
Q. Looking forward to St. Louis?
SAM BRADFORD: Oh, yeah, I can't wait. I was there on a visit last week and got to see the facility and thought the facility was very nice. I loved the coaching staff. I thought they had a great group of guys in the locker room. I can't wait to get there.
Q. So was Coach on the phone can you?
SAM BRADFORD: Yeah, it was Stags, Billy Devaney, Chris Rodriguez.
Q. Are you looking forward to playing with Steven Jackson?
SAM BRADFORD: He's a great player and any time a quarterback has a running back like that, I know it's going to make my job easier. I look forward to meeting him and getting to work with him.
Q. Any special words from your family as far as mom? What did mom say, because we know mom's in the back.
SAM BRADFORD: I think Mom was speechless, you can probably ask her. She's not big on words. She didn't say much.
No, my parents told me they loved me and they are proud of me, so it was great sharing that moment with them.
Good luck to Sam Bradford! He deserves it.
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