Randy Covitz McClatchy Newspapers St. Louis Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford chose to wear No. 8 in honor of Troy Aikman. Now, Bradford will try to follow the career path of Aikman, a fellow Oklahoman and former first overall pick in the NFL Draft. Aikman went on to lead the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl championships and was...
Randy Covitz
McClatchy Newspapers
St. Louis Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford chose to wear No. 8 in honor of Troy Aikman.
Now, Bradford will try to follow the career path of Aikman, a fellow Oklahoman and former first overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Aikman went on to lead the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl championships and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But it didn't start out so well for Aikman. He was 0-11 as a starter for the Cowboys, who went 1-15 in his rookie season in 1989.
That's usually the case for quarterbacks who were the first overall picks by teams often in dire straits.
Last year, Matthew Stafford went 2-8 -- when healthy -- with the Detroit Lions. John Elway was benched after five starts in 1983 for the Denver Broncos (who acquired his rights in a trade). That's why some first overall picks, like Cincinnati's Carson Palmer, did not step on the field as a rookie in 2003, and others, like Oakland's JaMarcus Russell, were never ready to play.
In Bradford's case, however, he has to play, and he'll start Sunday's season opener at home against Arizona. The Rams are coming off a 1-15 season and need a face of the franchise to sell tickets in a city that has grown apathetic about pro football.
Aikman likes what he's seen in Bradford, the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner who missed all but three games last season at Oklahoma because of a shoulder injury.
"I think he's a heck of a talent," Aikman, now an NFL analyst for Fox, said during a conference call. "I really do. I like his demeanor, I like his athleticism, everything about him from what I have seen."
Aikman also knows what's in store for Bradford.
"Sam is going to get hit," Aikman said. "The Rams haven't been very good. You don't want to see him get banged up. But if he goes through this experience with a team that isn't very good, he's learning and not holding back a team that has high expectations."
In four exhibition games, Bradford, taking advantage of an injury to expected starter A.J. Feely, completed 33 of 55 passes for 338 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 95.9. In his two starts, he was 21 of 28 for 257 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 138.5 rating.
But that was in preseason facing teams that were not playing their starters. Compounding that, the Rams lost No. 1 receiver Donnie Avery for the season with a knee injury, so Bradford, with a young offensive line and some inexperienced receivers, will likely encounter some rough patches.
"The hard part for a young quarterback is not to lose confidence," Aikman said. "For me, fortunately, [coach] Jimmy [Johnson] and the rest of the personnel people were able to put some good players around me in short period of time so the struggles didn't last that long.
"I always considered that rookie season a blessing, it made me realize that winning in the NFL is hard. Even when we were winning Super Bowls, every week I knew that winning was hard."
Aikman, who finished his college career at UCLA after two seasons at Oklahoma, was surprised and flattered that Bradford chose No. 8 over the No. 14 he wore in college.
"I had no idea that he even knew what I had accomplished as a player," Aikman said. "It's a big deal. Here you have a guy who's had great success. He's won the Heisman, he's been the No. 1 pick in the draft and for him not to take his college number and take a number and say it was because of him looking up to me, it means a lot.
"They've got to get some players around him," Aikman said. "If they do that, I think this guy's going to be a real superstar."