APThe team that drafted Michael Sam had to be ready either to cut him if he’s not one of the best 53 players on the roster or to carry him on the roster if the team isn’t prepared for the scrutiny that would come from cutting him.
In remarks to reporters after the Rams drafted Sam, coach Jeff Fisher made it clear that the Rams will do whatever the team must do, consistent with the usual process of drafting, signing, and cutting players.
“[W]e picked him within the process and we’re going to reduce this roster within the process,” Fisher said of Sam. “So I don’t see that being an issue.”
It could be an issue for those in the media who don’t understand how the process works. Seventh-round picks routinely are cut by the teams that drafted them. For Sam, the challenge of making the team becomes even more difficult because of the quality and depth of the team’s pass rush.
“[I]t’s going to be very competitive for him, as it will be for some of the other guys, the later picks, because of the depth and the talent level at the position,” Fisher said. “He’s going to have to come in, and like the rest of his new teammates, these rookies, they’re not in shape. Not in the condition our veterans are in. He’s going to have to work to get in great shape and we’ll blend him in the offseason program and we’ll go.”
If Sam ultimately goes from the team, Fisher surely will face questions regarding whether the locker room refused to accept Sam or whether some other issue relating to Sam’s sexuality prompted the move. But if won’t be the first or the last uniformed question Fisher faces. He’ll undoubtedly answer it and move on.
should Sam cut cut, Fisher no doubt will have to answer to Obama
Urgh, everyone please leave him & everyone else alone and let them play football!
It’ll be an issue once the media make it one.
Lawsuit. $40 million wrongful termination. Settled out of court for $9 million. Nice pick Rams.
What sucks about this is that if the Rams do cut him, the ignorant shock reporters will point to his being the SEC co-DPOY as signs of him being a great football player and that the Rams were discriminating in his release.
And if he does get cut by the Rams, then there will be a media frenzy claiming that the rams only cut Michael Sam cause he’s gay.
It’s the damn media that created this circus!!!! Jock sniffing fluffers …. If Sam isn’t any good he will be shown the door… No need to create controversy
Sam has his chance just like the other players do. Now that Fish has explained the process, good luck to Sam and all the others given a chance to make a NFL roster.
Enough.
They should ask Fisher questions like… With 141 career losses, can you believe your still a head coach?
There will be a line of teams to pick up Sam, if he is cut.
Barack won’t like it if they cut him. He will publicly chastise them.
If he gets cut we know PFT won’t scrutinize it haha
You mean they will cut him? Like a regular football player?
Outrageous and bigoted.
Obama should worry about fixing Obamacare instead of worrying about Sam..
The Rams were a bad match for Sam, their line is pretty good and already has good depth. It will be awfully tough for Sam to make that team. The practice squad is more likely, and he probably won’t even make that. It’s not that he has no chance to make any team at all; it’s just that the Rams would have done him a bigger favor by not drafting him, because then he could have chosen a team he’d be much more likely to make.
britishraven says:
May 11, 2014 6:47 PM
Urgh, everyone please leave him & everyone else alone and let them play football!
————–
As soon as the media stops the attention and treating him different from other players, then maybe ‘everyone’ will leave him alone. There have been many openly gay players in the NFL. The difference is that none of them called a press conference to announce it.
wait, you mean the 90 percent of the last show NFL N spent on Sam and his pass rushing skills was a potential waste of time because he was basically a compensatory 7th rounder?
yeah. that is shocking
All I got to say is they showed waaaay too much on tv
why do I have the feeling pft will be leading the questions if the rams do play this like any other draft choice not good enough to make the team. somehow I think you will be giving free legal advice to sam on suing for discrimination if it happens.
No doubt the NFL probably offered a carrot stick for some team to draft Sam I Am near the end of the draft for NFL PR, or fear of a discrimination lawsuit. Fisher is on the “(NON) Football Competition Committee” that is trying to ruin football as we know it anyway, so I am not surprised by the selection. Had Sam I Am just entered the draft, then said he was gay and not make this a drama queen circus for the majority of the American public, who cares. Cut and gone, or play and stay. Sam is now a gay American hero, and the liberal media and our President is on a roll with this media circus again.
Can just see it now: Fisher cuts Sam and Obama says that “Fisher acted stupidly.”
Because we all know Obama know as much about football as he does about economics, health care and creating jobs.
The rams will re-assign sam as towel boy after the ticket base shrinks.
This is exactly as it should work. He’s been asking to be treated fairly and equally, no more no less. If he gets cut for football reasons, then there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. I wouldn’t be stunned if he did, and then ended up on a practice squad—mainly because it happens all the time with 7th rounders, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
It seems to me Michael Sam may have been better off not being drafted and going to a team with more favorable odds of making a roster.
and thats the way it should be. earn a roster spot by your play not because of your sexual orientation.
OMG ! HORRIBLE!
That means another two weeks of Samania by the media!
My question is, where are the Kluwe quotes?
The Rams are an equal opportunity employer.
Thing is, if we didn’t have such a narrow view of what is normal as a society and ostracize anyone that doesn’t fit that view, people like Michael Sam would be a non-story. He’d be another 7th-rounder trying to make a football team.
The one’s complaining the loudest are the reason this is a story to begin with.
Not if the Rams has any plan to move back to L.A. (Rams’ owner recently bought a big parcel next to Hollywood park). The liberal Democrat big shots/ Hollywood movers & shakers will crucify you.
I wonder whether the Rams can afford to cut him if he’s not good enough?
Now, I’m pretty sure the LBG groups will put pressure on Rams to make sure Sam makes the cut
What’s the point of this article? If Sam doesn’t make the team the Rams will cut him?? Of course, I would hope they wouldn’t keep him on the team because he is gay… I like that he has been given a chance in the NFL, but why write an article stating the obvious??
Good grief. A story about a long-shot 7th rounder that may get cut.
Please stop.
Ummm – what else could Fisher have said? He would be rightfully crucified if he said anything else.
Why did this deserve its own piece?
if he’s cut then the media will scrutinize why he was a 7th rounder to beep gin with. All the other teams besides the Rams will be accused of discrimination for not drafting him because he was gay.
raiders4lyfe17 says:
May 11, 2014 7:29 PM
All I got to say is they showed waaaay too much on tv.
Could not agree more. Don’t care who it is, man or woman. Keep it private if you respect your relationship. That being said, let the kid play and see what he has. ESPN blew this thing and probably this kid’s chances.
PLEASE!!!!! IM STILL WAITING TO KNOW WHAT COLOR SHOES HE I WEARING TOMORROW????
Maybe Obama can get his Bears to pick him up when, not if, he is cut…
still waiting for the cancelled ticket numbers.
Don’t kid yourself Jeff… it will be an issue. Book it
This is minor, Fish cut Walter Paytons son …Guy has to outplay 2 Probowl pass rushers, he better work hard.
There really is no reason why an SEC Defensive Player of the Year should’ve lasted til the 7th round, even if college success sometimes doesn’t translate well to the pros.
Other gay players have been cut from NFL teams. Michael Sam said he wants to be treated like any other player, and he will.
the rams franchise has become a laughingstock.
In this case I actually don’t think there will be much compliant if he gets cut. The Rams are just stacked at end with productive veteran players. Any legit football observer will know this.
Ha ha, have fun with that Coach!
Thing is, even if St. Louis thinks they can afford to cut him, they know they can’t until the final trim down to 53. That means some other player will get cut simply due to PR.
“clashpoint says:
May 11, 2014 10:24 PM
In this case I actually don’t think there will be much compliant if he gets cut. The Rams are just stacked at end with productive veteran players. Any legit football observer will know this.”
and what someone did 8 years ago that never actually harmed anyone shouldn’t get run out of the company they helped build in a field where their invention is used by everyone (i.e Eich).
Goodell will ban you for life if you cut Michael Sam. The precedent has been set.
Like him or not fisher will be able To handle the circus and anything that comes with the cut if it happens. He seems good at managing the media.
He’ll make it to the last cuts and than be put on the practice squad.
No team wants the distraction and I can’t blame them.
It’s not just about a gay player, It’s about a guy who used his sexual preference to become a person of interest.
This guy will bring fear to any locker room he goes to just for someone to express their opinion.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS GONE IN THIS COUNTRY!!
Who cares, best 53, that’s the business folks. Go Hawks!
Sam was a good pick by Rams. He plays with passion. If he can’t get a spot on the roster because of the depth of the D on this team, he will likely be traded for 7th round pick or an area of need. No way this guy does not play in the NFL.
For better or (usually) worse Fisher has proven that he doesn’t much care what the rest of the world thinks about him. It’s one of the few things I respect about Diet Ron Swanson
How dare you cut him! You’ll be hearing from the Gay Union of Mother Earth if you dare cut him!
I bet goodell told the Rams to draft this guy or else…
if he does get cut, he’s good enough to be signed to another team. nbd
Truth is Sam hurt himself at the combine. If he doesn’t step up in camp, he’s gone. The Rams have a lot of talent on their D line, so it won’t be a surprise when he’s back on the market.
The Chargers need almost everything on defense!
“While Jones’ comments were inappropriate and merit scorn from the general public, it’s tricky to punish a player for views expressed on his own time via his own Twitter page while away from the workplace regarding someone who isn’t even on his team.”
I thought the same thing. On the other hand, this will remain an issue as long as the media keep writing/posting stories on him. Let him go to work outs and training camp and we’ll see if he’s a good enough player to make the team! Just about every football player has a dream of making it to the NFL!
Good luck to him!
Chris Long
Robert Quinn
William Hayes
Ethan Westbrooks (received $20K signing bonus & $30,000 in guarantees).
Where does Sam fit? Looks like PS at best.
Well DUH!! And that is how it should be. Either he earns a spot or he doesn’t.
sam won’t last a week, bet it.
17 benches and 4.91 40, yeah that sounds like a good nothing.
The media truly has created this circus and people like you & I are fanning the flame for this garbage. I refuse to read another article about “you know who” and if he get’s cut, I refuse to read about the court proceedings and Obama’s executive order that “you know who” be placed with the Green Bay Packers, where he belongrd in the first place…..
The only valid question is: Can Sam get to the quarterback?
Michael Sam is a football player and a very good one. I would bet that he makes the Rams and has a long and productive career. When you put on the uniform, the only thing coaches care about is production and this kid will produce. Bet on it.
when will westboro be picketing the dome in st louis?
When he is cut, good luck to take the Heat from that organization that I have said in my previous post.
Michael Sam is not a great football player, sexuality aside. In college, against other future NFLers and in pressure situations he was a non factor. At the combine his numbers were pedestrian. Among DE’s he rated near the bottom in every single event he participated in. He was one of the slowest, weakest, and shortest DEs.
Sam’s light build, poor strength, (in comparison to other DE’s) make it very likely that he will get shoved off the line of scrimmage very easily and tossed around like a rag doll by the taller, stronger O- linemen.
Bottom line: Sam is not a bright prospect.
He should be treated the same as any other player drafted, either make the grade or be cut. If he’s good enough there shouldn’t be a problem, except possibly from the liberal media.
Good Luck Sam!
The Dolphins have now fined and suspended Jeff Fisher.
This comment board is funny. You really think he’s not making the team? Fisher saying everything he has too, but no way he gets cut unless injured. Watch. Everyone overreacting to draft gurus and combine measurables. Those don’t mean jack. If they did Aaron curry would be an allpro, and Russell Wilson would be a backup. Too funny how everyone takes kiper and 3 cone drills as gospel. Sec def. Player of the year. He gets to the qb that’s all that matters. Cmon man!
Maybe he might make the practice squad if nothing else.