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On Wednesday, July 4, St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Kathleen Nelson published a piece on St. Louis Rams left tackle Rodger Saffold that should surprise some fans. The Rodger Saffold that she describes isn’t the struggling, injured player that we saw throughout 2011. Instead, it’s someone who has matured throughout the past year.
As noted by Nelson, Saffold recently took part in a panel that was looking at the best practices for preventing death through overexertion on the field. I remember reading about this a couple weeks ago and thinking that he was totally unqualified to talk about the issue. I was wrong. Saffold told the story of how a trainer possibly saved his life. His testimony stressed the importance of educating coaches and trainers on recognizing the signs overexertion in players. It also showed something that many fans haven’t seen in him recently: his growing maturity.
Saffold faced tremendous scrutiny when he struggled to protect Sam Bradford during the Rams’ incredibly difficult 2011 schedule. Many fans questioned his maturity and mental state while arguing that he should be benched. In the end, Saffold tore his pectoral muscle, which forced him out of the lineup, but that hasn’t stopped the fans from wondering if he can make it as the Rams’ left tackle or not.
I’ve always believed that Saffold’s problem was his maturity. He didn’t seem prepared to deal with the pressure of being the team’s left tackle in 2011. He appeared to lose his confidence as opposing clubs consistently beat him with the pass rush. Yet after learning how Saffold has worked through his injuries and taken part in this panel, I believe that we’re going to see a different player on the field in 2012.
The truth is that Saffold took both his recovery and that panel seriously. At first glance, they seem unimportant in relation to his on-field performance, but I think that his recent actions are important indicators of his growth as a person. The fact that Saffold has stayed in St. Louis this summer so that the Rams can monitor his progress shows how important the game is to him. When you add in Saffold’s decision to take part in a panel that could help save people’s lives down the road, I think we’re seeing a level of maturity out of him that we haven’t seen before.
Hopefully, the more mature Saffold lives up to his potential in 2012 and becomes the reliable left tackle that I thought he’d be when the team drafted him. If he does, then I expect quarterback Sam Bradford and the Rams’ offense to surprise some people this season.
Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson’s 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter@dciapala.
(Originally published on Yahoo! Sports)
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On Wednesday, July 4, St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Kathleen Nelson published a piece on St. Louis Rams left tackle Rodger Saffold that should surprise some fans. The Rodger Saffold that she describes isn’t the struggling, injured player that we saw throughout 2011. Instead, it’s someone who has matured throughout the past year.
As noted by Nelson, Saffold recently took part in a panel that was looking at the best practices for preventing death through overexertion on the field. I remember reading about this a couple weeks ago and thinking that he was totally unqualified to talk about the issue. I was wrong. Saffold told the story of how a trainer possibly saved his life. His testimony stressed the importance of educating coaches and trainers on recognizing the signs overexertion in players. It also showed something that many fans haven’t seen in him recently: his growing maturity.
Saffold faced tremendous scrutiny when he struggled to protect Sam Bradford during the Rams’ incredibly difficult 2011 schedule. Many fans questioned his maturity and mental state while arguing that he should be benched. In the end, Saffold tore his pectoral muscle, which forced him out of the lineup, but that hasn’t stopped the fans from wondering if he can make it as the Rams’ left tackle or not.
I’ve always believed that Saffold’s problem was his maturity. He didn’t seem prepared to deal with the pressure of being the team’s left tackle in 2011. He appeared to lose his confidence as opposing clubs consistently beat him with the pass rush. Yet after learning how Saffold has worked through his injuries and taken part in this panel, I believe that we’re going to see a different player on the field in 2012.
The truth is that Saffold took both his recovery and that panel seriously. At first glance, they seem unimportant in relation to his on-field performance, but I think that his recent actions are important indicators of his growth as a person. The fact that Saffold has stayed in St. Louis this summer so that the Rams can monitor his progress shows how important the game is to him. When you add in Saffold’s decision to take part in a panel that could help save people’s lives down the road, I think we’re seeing a level of maturity out of him that we haven’t seen before.
Hopefully, the more mature Saffold lives up to his potential in 2012 and becomes the reliable left tackle that I thought he’d be when the team drafted him. If he does, then I expect quarterback Sam Bradford and the Rams’ offense to surprise some people this season.
Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson’s 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter@dciapala.
(Originally published on Yahoo! Sports)
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