Getting so close, yet still failing can push individuals in one of two ways: you can continue to kick yourself while you’re down, or you can accept it and learn from it. For the Los Angeles Rams, they are learning from their Super Bowl LIII loss to the New England Patriots.
As the Rams are a fairly young team, they require veteran leadership. Defensive tackle Michael Brockers has emerged as one of the team’s leaders this offseason.
Having been with the team since 2012 and playing over 100 games, Brockers is a natural choice for a leader. According to Myles Simmons of therams.com, Brockers is feeling good and ready for another long season:
“I don’t know if I’m lying or not, but I feel refreshed,” Brockers told therams.com. “I feel — coming from the Super Bowl loss, that fire kind of drives you some more. So just ready to get back out there.”
Brockers was the 14th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. He spent two years at LSU where he put up 54 tackles and one interception in his final year.
Since then he has been with the Rams, making the move from St. Louis to Los Angeles. The Rams Super Bowl appearance this year was only Brockers fourth career postseason game.
Now with the 2019-20 ready to begin, Brockers believes that the Rams as a whole are ready to get back to and win the Super Bowl:
Falling to the Patriots in February, Brockers continued, “created that fire in us just to get back. We know that was a great team that we lost to, but we know we could’ve done better ourselves. So just coming out here, making the adjustments, getting better each and every day — I think that’s the most important thing — we’ll be back.”
Brockers noted that although the team was happy with how their season went, they all want to continue to improve. Improvements will most likely be focused on the defensive side of the ball considering the Rams had the second-best offense in the league.
The Rams defense will be bolstered by Brockers of course, but the team also added Clay Matthews and Eric Weddle this offseason.
Matthews will not only bring the defensive tenacity that earned him an All-Pro nod in 2010 but also championship experience. Brockers noted that players, like Matthews, who have joined the team towards the end of their careers will most likely bring a tenacity to win. The window could be closing for some players and everyone on the team is hungry for a Super Bowl win.
