TRANSCRIPT: Rams RB Cam Akers – Media Availability – August 11, 2020

TRANSCRIPT: Rams RB Cam Akers – Media Availability – August 11, 2020
(On his workout regimes getting prepared for training camp)
“I will say just staying active. Back at home I was doing a lot of working out at the D1 Training Facility. Just making sure that I stay on top of my game, as far as conditioning, running back drills, running back blocking things. So, just making sure I stay sharp on everything.”

(On what he has learned from RB Malcolm Brown)
“I learned a lot from him, whether that’s from the pass game or the run game. Just showing me how to slow it down a little bit and take my time. Also helping me understand that the game is faster and that it is sped up. So, you have to be able to think on the fly and move on the fly.”

(On Head Coach Sean McVay saying there was a position battle for emergency QB between him and WR Cooper Kupp)
“I think it speaks for itself. I’m able to, if he ever wants to use me for it, I’m ready.”

(On being compared to RB Todd Gurley II and what similarities and differences he sees between his game and Gurley’s)
“Just being a dog. I had a few conversations with (Falcons R Todd (Gurley II). Just knowing how he thinks mentally when he is running the ball and how he prepares. I just would like to take a lot from that, I don’t think I’m at the level he’s at yet, but I’m trying to get there. I want to be there and I’m working to get there. So, whether that’s talking to him, asking him things that he did while he was here. Just trying to take in and soak in as much information as I can.”

(On if Gurley gave him any advice)
“Work hard. Work hard and pass protect.”

(On similarities in his pass-catching ability and ability to cap off drives)
“I feel like we both are complete backs, if that’s the way you want to put it. I feel like we both are complete backs, from the blocking game, catching game and running game. I think we can do it all.”

(On his favorite memory from high school)
“I think my favorite memory from high school would be winning the championship, going out on top my senior year winning the (2016 Mississippi State) 6A Championship. I still talk to my coaches — from high school, my friends and everybody. There’re still with me today in some way, form or fashion. It’s not like I just left and left everybody, you know? Still keeping those relationships. Everybody is still supporting me from college until now, it’s a blessing.”

(On the takeaways of being a complete and versatile football player)
“Like you said, just the ability to do everything allowed me to see the game from different views from the quarterback point of view, from defensive back point of the view. I was blessed with athletic ability. Early on, to be able to see those things and now it’s helping me at my permanent position at running back. Like quarterback, for instance, just being able to see the field, breaking down secondaries and defenses. That helped me a lot from transitioning from quarterback in high school to running back in college. It helped things slow down, still helping me to this day.”

(On whether playing quarterback helped transition to the running back position)
“Definitely. Definitely you can say that. Playing quarterback, you have to slow the game down. I think this transition to running back slowed down the game for me.”

(On Running Backs Coach Thomas Brown)
“He recruited me when he was at Georgia. (Patriots R Sony (Michel) and (Browns R Nick Chubb were there, he was trying to recruit me then. We had a good relationship then. He was recruiting and I was thinking about considering Georgia. Now, it’s just rolled over and we’re building on that. (Running Backs) Coach (Thomas Brown) is helping me out a lot and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

(On if he considered playing QB in college)
“No (laughs).”

(On if he just see’s himself as a R
“I do and I always felt like I was too short to play quarterback. I never wanted to play quarterback at the next level, after high school, I never wanted to play quarterback. But I did get recruited by like three schools.”

(On who recruited him as Q
“My biggest one was Auburn.”

(On which RB’s he looks up to)
“I would say (Cowboys R Zeke (Elliott), (Vikings R Dalvin (Cook), and (Saints R Alvin Kamara. All of those guys, I just feel like they all have the full package. Of course, also Todd Gurley, who we all just mentioned. I just like to watch full package guys. Guys who can do it all and guys who aren’t one dimensional. Guys who can block, catch and run. So, you know, that’s the type of game I want to have.”

(On what skills he thinks he has that are unique)
“I don’t know. We will see.”

(On what he thought about the Rams when he was in college)
“Honestly, in college I wasn’t really focused on the next level. I was obviously, because that’s always in the back of your head, but I was present in where I was. You know, I had my feet and all ten toes where I was and that was in Tallahassee at Florida State. I was trying to get our program back to where we wanted to be. So, I can’t really speak on much about what was going on in the past. I know a little bit of history about the Rams, but as far as that, I was focused on trying to help my team win at that time.”

(On his impressions of Coach McVay and being one of the few new guys to the Rams offense)
“Coach McVay is very much a perfectionist, I think and you can see that every day. He wants us to come out and try to perfect everything, try to get it right, as he should. Coming into a three-year offense, everybody should be clicking and gelling. I am one of the newer guys, but I don’t consider myself one of the newer guys. I don’t approach each day like a newer guy. I approach each day to try to get that feel of a vet, to try to learn and establish myself in the offense. So, that’s my approach every day, try to learn and get better. Hopefully, by the time September 13th rolls around, I’ll have everything rolling.”

(On his personal goals for this season)
“No personal goals. Just winning over my teammates, winning the respect of my teammates first, and then just go play ball. No personal goals.”

(On his favorite Rams running back from the past)
“Probably, (Hall of Fame RBs) Marshall Faulk and Eric Dickerson. Both of those guys.”

(On his relationship with RB Darrell Henderson Jr. before joining the Rams)
“I knew (R Darrell (Henderson Jr.), but it was more so on the competitive, we always played against each other, so it was always more so after the game, we would pay our respects to each other, but he stayed a couple of hours away from me, so we weren’t really that close. When I got here, we started to bond, we started to mesh with both of us being from Mississippi. We do have a lot in common and that’s my teammate now, so our relationship is only going to get stronger.”

(On being comfortable with a running back by committee)
“Definitely. Definitely. I just want to do whatever I can to help the team. Whatever (Head) Coach (Sean) McVay thinks is the best option for the team, that’s what we are going to roll with and we are going to do to it 100 miles per hour.”

(On if he noticed other teams in high school scheming specifically to contain him)
“I did. I did. I did catch wind of that, but it didn’t work. We won the Championship. (laughs)”
--RAMS--