Drafts are no fun unless there is something or someone you are watching, waiting, praying gets drafted. Even then, it takes a pretty important person to get you to sit through 7 hours of tedious draft coverage. But Michael Sam IS important and for 7 hours Saturday afternoon into Saturday evening, millions of people watched a portion of the NFL Draft that they never do with great intensity and vigilance. Why? Because Michael Sam is important. They watched as each new pick passed keeping in mind some key teams that were labeled as possible destinations for this NFL hopeful.
They watched with intensity as each representative from teams like the Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Cardinals and eventually the Rams made their picks. But each time, the name Michael Sam was not called and the questions began to float around. How could this young man, a SEC Defensive Player of the Year, fall to the 7th round without being drafted? Was the reason homophobia or was it a judgment of Michael Sam's skill as a football player? Analysts trounced the calls of homophobia and yet he still remained undrafted. But then Rams coach Jeff Fischer went to the podium soliciting rumbling cheers and a sense that finally the wait was over.
And then he made his announcement that with the 249th pick in the 2014 NFL draft, the St Louis Rams would select Michael Sam. The wait was over. Football had drafted a gay man. Michael Sam had arrived.
His first action as the perfect blend of activist and prospect: being himself.
Before Sam could say anything, before his agents could talk to media, before the Rams coaches could make any statements, ESPN showed Sam lovingly kissing his boyfriend on live TV as he was delivered the news of his being drafted. Those few seconds of genuine love between two men showcases via one of the biggest cultural platforms in the world right now that no matter who it involves, love is love. Within seconds of his being drafted, the football world had been forced to make the decisions to either shun Michael Sam for who he is or accept that. They chose acceptance. Michael Sam had arrived.
Before Sam could say anything, before his agents could talk to media, before the Rams coaches could make any statements, ESPN showed Sam lovingly kissing his boyfriend on live TV as he was delivered the news of his being drafted. Those few seconds of genuine love between two men showcases via one of the biggest cultural platforms in the world right now that no matter who it involves, love is love. Within seconds of his being drafted, the football world had been forced to make the decisions to either shun Michael Sam for who he is or accept that. They chose acceptance. Michael Sam had arrived.
But as we talk about the magnitude of this moment, as we look back on the 3 months that have passed since Michael Sam publicly came out to ESPN you cannot bypass a quote made by Sam above any other.
During February's NFL combine, Michael Sam conducted himself very well in the face of reporters who were pressing him for deeply personal information. He said, "I wish you guys would see me as Michael Sam the football player rather than Michael Sam the gay football player."
So that is what we shall do. Michael Sam has arrived, but he is here to play football.
Over the next few months, Michael Sam will go to the Rams training camp and will get all the support he needs. All in all, St Louis really is a great destination for him not only because it is close to his home for the past 4 years in Mizzo but because it is a forward thinking team staff where people will respect him for what he is and what he wants to be. But that also means they will not cut him any breaks. During training camp, Michael Sam will be given the same chance to make the team or get cut as any other player.
However do not let his 7th round draft status fool you. Michael Sam is the kind of player who could have and maybe should have been snagged in the 4th round or higher and fell because of other team's beliefs that they were incapable of dealing with the media attention because of bringing him in. In St Louis though, he fits their mold and unless something catastrophic happens to dismantle Jeff Fischer's mantra of breeding clubhouse camaraderie and success, Michael Sam could be the kind of guy who soon becomes a staple on the team one way or another.
As of now, probably the best fit on the roster for Sam would be as a 4th down pass rusher you can rely on to snag a sack when necessary. Or he could serve as a special teams linebacker charged with the job of getting to a kicker or punter before he got the ball down field. Also, Michael Sam has the benefit of playing a kind of game the Rams coach Jeff Fischer absolutely loves.
Michael is a big man with a vital balance of brute force and strategy that he uses to get through an offence line. His reach stretches a whopping 42 inches from shoulder to fingertip and he uses every bit of that to haul down fleeing quarterbacks. His tackling form is impeccable and though he gives up at least 10 pounds and a few inches to most other DL's in this year's draft class, he employs nearly scientific swings of momentum and muscular power to slam his targets into the turf with brutal ferocity.
Unlike most other linebackers his size, Michael Sam is a purely pass rushing player who, unfortunately did not see his skills properly assessed at the speed oriented NFL Combine. That's why his 5.22 grade must be taken like a grain of salt.
The Rams were smart enough to understand that and showed right off the bat that they liked Sam quite a bit. Do not get me wrong, this was a calculated move by the Rams made knowing what they would have to do and say as a result of Michael's sexuality but at the same time, they genuinely understand that the premier tackling skills of Michael Sam can help them win.
In the wake of the pick, Jeff Fischer put all of those thoughts into words assuring that there would be no problems in the clubhouse and that Michael would be treated like any other player on the team.
"We were very fortunate to have the supplemental choices. We felt you use those for players that you want to give an opportunity to that you want to draft. I haven't said a whole lot to anybody over the last week or so but after doing the studies, he's a good football player. And we got a good football player right after him. I'm excited about our draft, excited about the production and excited about possibly adding him to our defensive front.
I don't have any concern whatsoever. I think you've known me long enough. We drafted a good football player. I'm excited to get him on the practice field and get him going. Yeah, there's going to be a little extra attention for a couple days but Michael is the co-SEC defensive player of the year, so that's important to us. We're looking forward to this opportunity. We have a young, we have a very mature team and we're certainly not going to let any distraction affect this football team."
As that long statement is analyzed, the last sentence stands out especially when you put it into the broader context of the entire Michael Sam story. Long before he told the world he was gay, Michael Sam told his teammates, the large majority of whom were still teenagers, those same words and they dealt with it with professionalism and maturity. When he trusted them, those kids at Mizzo kept his secret and refrained from the kind of hazing or general bulling that can demolish even the strongest of teams. If they could do it, surely millionaires who are much older than them can do the same.
They better because Michael Sam is important. They better because Michael Sam is testing them, their league and their integrity as compassionate beings. The world is changing and even if the few bigoted men who are a part of the NFL experience right now do not agree with those changes, Michael Sam will now stand alongside them in that experience. No longer is there room for these people to run. Michael Sam has arrived.
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