ST. LOUIS -- Sam Bradford can't wait to hop off the exercise bicycle and back on the practice field. Not only has he logged way too many miles, he received unsolicited advice from a reporter about raising the seat a notch or two.
"As you told me, my form wasn't very good, too," Bradford said. "That just added to the displeasure I have of riding the bike."
The St. Louis Rams quarterback could miss his fifth start with a high left ankle sprain this week at Pittsburgh, and there's just two weeks left in a losing season, but he made it clear Tuesday that he doesn't want to go on injured reserve.
"Absolutely. I've said that now for the past two weeks," Bradford said. "I told coach (Steve Spagnuolo) I'm trying to get my ankle healthy as quick as possible. I want to be out there as soon as it's good to go."
Asked why it was so important to play again given the Rams are 2-12, Bradford had an emotional response.
"It's my job. That's why I'm here," he said. "I'm here to play football, I'm not here to ride the bike, I'm not here to sit on the sideline. And no matter what happens, I mean, why wouldn't I want to play?
If Bradford can't go Saturday at Pittsburgh, newcomer Kellen Clemens would receive the call for the second consecutive week.
Clemens passed for 229 yards and a 25-yard touchdown that cut the Rams' deficit to one score with 1:08 to go Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. On the down side, the Rams were just 2 of 13 on third-down conversions and lost, 20-13.
A.J. Feeley, who has a fractured thumb on his throwing hand and still has trouble gripping the ball, also rode a bike Tuesday.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
