2015 NFL Combine: Rams GM Les Snead Press Conference Transcript

We touched on the presser yesterday, but with the transcript available now I thought it'd be useful to drop it here.

--another good WR class, coupled w/last year's stellar WR class; is that an anomaly--

Last year's class was probably really, really good. They'll probably do a 30-for-30 on those guys. But to your point, the way high school football is going, college football's going, there's a lot more passing of the football. So I think the development of wide receivers _ I think coaches put some of their best athletes, at a young age, running routes and catching balls. So that's probably the evolution that you're seeing.

--with spread offense, how many specific routes are these guys running in college--

They're probably not running the entire NFL route tree. So they'll be some muscle-memory adjustment they'll have to go through. And I think you'll find that a lot of times early with wide receivers. They're going to be faking instead of just going, which makes them maybe a little less dynamic than they were in college.

--is continuity the best way to go for your offense (hiring Cignetti, going w/Bradford) given the offense's struggles?--

I think in the NFL continuity's extremely underrated. I call it the 606 Principal. And that's a guy named Paul Ehrlich, I think on the 606th, he came up wired a medication that cured syphilis at the time. I don't think anybody's gonna give us in the NFL 605 chances. The moral of that story is that you can evolve sometimes with continuity. It doesn't mean you're gonna stay the same. It's just some of the people that have done the building have lived some of throw the growing pains, and know exactly the strengths, weaknesses, and what we need to correct. Sometimes that's what continuity can do. You can learn from the past to make the future better.

--another question on continuity and why the Rams haven't broken through yet under Fisher and Snead--

In the 606 model, I never predicted that Sam would have a second ACL surgery. I think when you went through that you probably would have termed it extreme bad luck. Twenty-five (straight) games without a starting quarterback probably leaves whoever's coaching he offense and calling the plays to know adjust. Because you're still going to try to win a game, but maybe your strengths got a little bit diluted. And your weaknesses (maybe more exposed), so you're gonna try to mask those. So I think it just takes adjustments.

-- Bradford's injury's a red flag--

It's flying high. It's definitely a red flag. So let's don't delete him. I don't think that's the answer. I think the answer is providing insurance in case we do go through more bad luck. Let's rehab (Bradford). Let's see if he can reach his potential. But let's do insure the position.

--not a lot of great options at QB this year--

Let's be real. The pool of quarterbacks for anybody, that's usually the slimmest of pools of any of the players. That's just a hard position to play. So that point comes into play. But I think in our process here, let's take it in these phases. Let's get Sam healthy. And then when he's healthy, let's let him go compete. And I think the guy's got a chance to be a heck of a starting quarterback. Let's insure the position. And that just gives us options in case we do have bad luck. But I'll say this, Shaun Hill last year outdueled Peyton Manning. Austin Davis beat the Seattle Seahawks. So you may have some options on your team as well. And you keep letting those guys evolve and then you bring in some more.

--says you need to stack up QBs on roster like a starting pitching rotation--

--on when Bradford will be back physically from 2nd knee surgery--

We really don't have a timeline, and because his injury was a lot earlier, you knew you had time on your side. But with that time on our side, we said, let's take a look at history. How can we change things. Where things might have gone wrong. All of that. And let's do that. The night he got hurt. That was tough. That was tough on everybody. Not just the Rams lose their starting quarterback. We're talking about a human being. That's just tough news two years in a row. We basically told the kid, why don't you get away. Come back when you're ready. Didn't know how long that would be. Because there's not really much you can say. But he was probably back in our building within 14 days, and he's spent a lot of time in that building. And he probably there this morning. He's getting better, not only the knee but the entire body and the mind.

--where's Bradford's rehab now, what's he capable of doing at this point--

I can't tell you what he's totally capable of. I do know that our trainer will tell you he graduates to different phases. He's at a phase now where he can do a lot of things throwing some balls and move around. But again, can't tell you where he's at.

--only 5 picks this year--after having bonanza of RGIII trade picks in previous 3 drafts--

I feel like we're drafting on a diet. So I don't know how that's going to go. But I think we've evolved to the point where the glaring needs are probably less and less. We're always the kid in the candy story _ you're gonna want a lot. The 'wants' are always gonna be there. But we're getting to the point where we've gotta use each pick strategically in trying to build our football team.

--assess Mark Barron trade--

I don't know that we've given him a report card, but he was a kid that was available. But he was a kid that was available. We liked him in college. But because of the defense and the scheme we were under, we had some creative ideas in how we thought we would use him. And that's really from Coach Fish(er), and Coach (Gregg) Williams, and the staff saying hey, this is how we would use him in a hybrid role. Because we had two starting safeties, so we never wanted to put those two on the bench. We wanted to take Mark Barron and utilize him in ways that will make us a better defense. I think we did that. And I think over the second half of the season _ not saying it's all Mark Barron _ but I think the last eight games our defense really started playing. I think as we go into the offseason, there's even a better thought process on how we're gonna use him.

--what tells fans who are frustrated w/losing seasons and prospect of team leaving--

What's interesting on that is that whole prospect seems (far away). That's 2016. Most fans, most of you guys in the media, most of us are all focused on 2015. There's not many people saying, you know what, so-and-so's gonna be really good in '16. You're really focused on next year. The frustration part is, from our owner, all the way down to whomever in the building. To most importantly our players. Being close, or almost over the top. Nobody's satisfied with that. So all we can do now is go through the next phase. Combine, free agency, top 30 (visits), pro days, OTAs. All those things to get ready for '15. And at the end of the day, you've got to let your actions do the talking.

--question on Kroenke not engaging the fans--

I give him unbelievable thumbs up. Competitive. . . .The guy wants to win. Even in St. Louis, you're a lower revenue team. Never once has there been a problem with not being able to stay in and compete. And hey, the guy knows sports. He's got a lot of sports teams. There's a rational patience to him, where you can tell him your process, and he'll let you evolve and see if it works.

--do you think the potential of the team leaving St. Louis after '15 affect team in free agency--

I actually don't. I think it's an era, it's probably always been an era of most money wins. And if it's close, who's the coach. After that, that's really it.

--says most players have a "home base" where they go after the season anywhere--

--Tre Mason's progress and can he be a feature--

I think he did everything in those starts (last year), I think he should that he can be an explosive, dynamic weapon for us. And he can get the tough yards, and even make some catches. But I think in the NFL you probably want multiple backs because 16 games is a tough, tough load.

--on when you, internally, start judging players that you draft--

Usually after three years you'll have a good feel for what role he's gonna fill. Who that player is. How far away he is from that role. And he may be too far beyond the 8-ball and he's not gonna be here.

--report that Bradford has been given to seek a trade--

I did say deleting him is not our answer. I don't know that that solves our riddle. That's breaking news is what that is _ you know what I mean? Do you want to trade for Sam? Do you have a deal? He's a good player. If some team was interested I certainly don't blame them. But I'll stick to what I said earlier _ deleting him is not the answer.