In Dallas for the Super Bowl and to pick up his AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, St. Louis Rams QB Sam Bradford told the press that nothing was going to stop him from practicing during the offseason, not even a lockout. Bradford made it clear that he and his receivers would head find a back yard or some other unofficial place to work. "This offseason, it is too important for us not to get together and work out," explained the eager young man.
Scrappy, not to mention dedicated. It was a clear reminder of why Rams fans throughout the country are already naming pets, children and sundry items after the quarterback. Unfortunately, legal technicalities are making those unsanctioned Wragler ads much better in theory than in practice.
Eric Winston raised a good point to Pro Football Talk today. The Texans lineman noted that a player injured in any backyard practice can be placed on the non-football injury list whenever the league and union finally hammer out a new CBA. If that happens, the injured player would lose his 2011 salary, every dime of it.
As injury prone as the Rams receivers have been, it's something to think about before a slant route ends suddenly on a backyard mole hill. It's also another reminder of just how costly a prolonged lockout could be for the Rams.