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It was the type of quote that will certainly open eyes when said by a rookie and the type of comment that will certainly be latched onto when said in the slow season for the NFL.
“My message to Broncos fans is, I want to be one of the best running backs to come out of Denver,” Rookie running back Devontae Booker said at the NFL rookie premiere. “I’m not there to carry pads, I’m there to take someone’s job.”
It’s not necessarily that there is anything wrong with the comment, in fact, it’s a great attitude to have. The issue that many took was that it wasn’t exactly what you expect to see out of a fourth-round pick who should be working to endear himself to his teammates and find a place to fit in the locker room.
“A couple minutes [after I said it] my phone was blowing up,” he explained. “I thought I was going to get a lot of stuff when I came back here from the vets.”
He wasn’t alone; it wouldn’t have been surprising to hear the veterans say they were going to haze him a little extra or to at least hear that he got a bit of a lecture on using strong words like that.
That wasn’t the case.
“They didn’t [react negatively] at all,” Booker explained from team headquarters on Tuesday. “They pretty much liked it and were telling me that that is what I have to do when I am a rookie.”
Of course, C.J. Anderson said earlier in the offseason that the comment didn’t bother him, “To be honest, him carrying pads, him not carrying pads, it doesn’t matter as long as he comes to work. If he comes to work then he’ll get the respect. Now, if he doesn’t come to work then he’ll hear from the veterans.” But that’s coming from a guy whose job isn’t at risk, a guy who always knows the right thing to say.
Apparently, though, it wasn’t just the ever-kind Anderson who respected the rookie’s resolve. It simply seems there is no way to shake up this Broncos locker room. He put in that work and began to earn the respect of the team.
“They were basically saying, ‘What else are you supposed to say,’” Booker explained of the veteran’s message. “I’m not going to downplay myself and my ability on the field. Basically, they took it as what it was. That’s what my ability of me playing confident, so I just put it out there.”
Though the Broncos may bring him along a little slower than his teammates, as he is coming off of a knee injury, the only injury of his life, Booker will have his chance to back up those comments when the team puts the pads on at training camp on Thursday.
“It’s pretty good,” he said about the health of his knee. “I feel very confident about it and just can’t wait to get out here and compete.”
Booker spent the recent five-week break in Colorado rehabbing with the team to give himself a chance to get out there faster. He’s young, he’s confident and it sure sounds like he’s committed to making his strong comments become reality.
