The Golden Horns

Bobby Carpenter Conference Call May 12, 2010

http://www.stlouisrams.com/mobile/article/79223

(On what he’s most looking forward to about being a Ram)
“I think it’s going to be a great opportunity to come here. They’ve got some great defensive minds and really a young team, so I think it’s going to be very enthusiastic, a lot of energy and I think we’re looking to hopefully accomplish some big things this year.”

(On how he’ll fit into the Rams’ defense)
“I sat down with a lot of the guys, defensive staff, today and just kind of ran through the carwash with them looking at what we’re doing and just kind of the overall, general schematic standpoint. Not necessarily looking at roles, who’s going to be doing what, and I think I’ll probably obviously be playing somewhere on the outside. Whether that’s strong or weak probably remains to be determined. It kind of depends how I fit within the scheme, and the more they see me, they’ll see what I can do and where I can play and how I can really help this team.”

(On his time in Dallas)
“In Dallas, I was given an opportunity there last year to come in and play in some of the sub packages. They’ve had a good team for a lot of years. It’s been tough to get on the field. Some coaching changes and whatever kind of contributed to that, but I’m excited to come up here. I did a tremendous amount of work on third down and second down last year, doing some pass coverage and some blitzing. I’m excited to be able to do that. I think that’s something that we’ll be able to work in. The scheme is extremely aggressive from what I’ve seen with Coach (Spagnuolo) when he was not only here but also in New York just from playing against him on the other side of the ball. I’m excited to be able to hopefully put some pressure on them and be active in coverage as well.”

(On if he views this as a fresh start to his career)
“Yeah, I think it’s going to be a fresh start coming to a new organization, new franchise, and it’s a really young group of guys. It’s a youthful, energetic group. The coaches are very passionate, and just being in the building today, there’s a ton of energy here. It’s something that I don’t know that you necessarily take for granted, but everybody in Dallas had been there for a while. They’ve got more of a seasoned group of players down there, but now coming up here, it’s a totally different feel and outlook. Everybody’s very optimistic and positive. It’s going to be a pleasure working up here.”

(On going from a playoff team in Dallas to a St. Louis team trying to rebuild)
“I would have been concerned had I not seen…the last couple of games at the end of the season, we had some common opponents (with the Rams) I believe, and just watching how hard that the defense played when they were 1-13 and they’d been on the field a lot. Those guys were still out there battling, playing hard with a great amount of effort. Then just coming in here today and watching how energetic everyone was…in the workouts everyone is bouncing around, a lot of energy. It’s something that I’m trying to stress here because it’s something that I was not necessarily taken back by, but it was refreshing to see that.”

(On being one of four Ohio State linebackers on the Rams’ roster)
“That’s definitely, I’d say, kind of an anomaly there in the NFL to have four guys in a position group all from the same school. I didn’t really play with Na’il (Diggs) at all. He left a few years before I got in there, but I was able to spend some time with James (Laurinaitis) and Larry (Grant) when I was in school and then also back in the offseason, in the winter when I’d be back in Columbus. It’ll be great to come in there and play with those guys and just being in the same room. I know James has done some great things here and Larry has come on as well. We have a talented group of linebackers, so it’s going to be exciting.”

(On taking the high road in Dallas the last couple of years)
“I don’t know if throwing mud at anybody does any good. I know I had the respect of a lot of my teammates down there in Dallas and respect in the locker room, that’s all that matters. What was said outside of the organization really wasn’t important to me. This year I was able to come in and play and contribute to the team and make some big plays down the stretch of the season that really had an impact on some games. So I was confident in what I was able to do and the ability that I had. Hopefully I’ll be able to bring that to the Rams here and really start to do something and help this team move forward.”

(On how he’d describe his style of play)
“Hopefully a fast, rangy, aggressive guy. I think I have a lot of athletic ability I can bring to the team and that’s something Coach Spags loves. A linebacker should be able to run, be able to play downhill and at the same time be versatile and be able to do some things. I think I kind of fit that mold.”

(On his ability to cover opposing tight ends)
“That’s something that I did a lot last year in Dallas and I think with a pretty good amount of success. We played a lot of teams with some tremendous tight ends and we were able to do a lot against them and I was able to cover them pretty well. Then in practice being able to work with Jason Witten every day the last four years has really helped my coverage skills grow. Hopefully I’ll be able to continue to do that here. If that’s something that I can do and the coaches see I can do it, I think they’ll try to utilize that. The way they made it sound today, whatever players can do, they’re going to try to fully utilize that within their scheme.”