As a loyal Oklahoma Sooner through and through, Rams quarterback 
“I don’t think there is a limit for former Sooners,” Bradford said. “I think the more, the merrier.”
So obviously Bradford had no qualms when the Rams opted to swap draft late draft picks with Baltimore to acquire former Sooners receiver
Considering Clayton’s pedigree and personality and Bradford’s status as the Rams’ starting quarterback, the addition makes even more sense to the rookie signal caller aside from his Oklahoma slanted view.
“I think he’s a very talented receiver,” Bradford said. “To see him come out Day 1, and have what seemed to be a great grasp on the offense already…he didn’t ask a lot of questions. He just got in the huddle, I called the play and he knew where to go, knew where to line up and knew what to run. I think he’s got a lot of speed. I think if we can get him the ball, he can definitely do some things with it.”
Clayton comes to the Rams from the Ravens, where he spent his first five NFL seasons after going as the 22nd overall pick in the 2005 draft.
With a reputation for his kind personality and his desire to become a pastor when his playing days are over, Clayton felt a lot of loyalty to the team that gave him his start. So it made his departure from Baltimore a little bittersweet.
But Clayton isn’t dwelling on it and expressed his enthusiasm for a new chapter in his football career.
“Coming to this organization, I’ve been really excited,” Clayton said. “I got to talk to Coach (Steve) Spagnuolo when they came to watch Sam work out and I had a good conversation. I didn’t think I would be here this soon, but I’m really excited about it.”
And with good reason. Clayton goes from a situation in Baltimore where balls would have been hard to come by because of the likes of Anquan Boldin, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and running back Ray Rice around to one in which he should have a chance to contribute big things.
Right away, he’s already the most experienced wideout on the Rams roster. In fact, Clayton has played in almost four times as many games (76) as the next most experienced receiver on the roster.
That veteran presence is certainly welcome to Bradford, who met Clayton originally when he was quarterbacking the Sooners and Clayton would return to Norman for offseason workouts.
“I think that too, the fact that he’s been in the league for a while now,” Bradford said. “I think any time you can add someone with that experience, it can definitely help, especially with a young group of guys.”
The question for Clayton will be how quickly he can adapt to the Rams’ offensive scheme.
In Baltimore, Clayton played in a West Coast style offense similar to the one in St. Louis in the early part of his career under Brian Billick.
In recent years, though, the Ravens have switched to a more Coryell-oriented offense under offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.
For the most part, the catching up process for Clayton will be more about re-learning the terminology as opposed to anything physical.
Clayton went back to Oklahoma and recently finished his communications degree. He thinks that studying should help him adjust sooner than later (pun unmercifully intended).
“I’m kind of glad I went to school because it was kind of the same feel: new environment, new atmosphere, a different study,” Clayton said. “This offense is a different system. It’s more words. We were numbers and words, but this is all terminology. Just having that mentality of being able to transfer everything and process a lot more new information and process it fast has been good.”
As for where he fits in, Clayton is stepping in for the injured
While in Baltimore, Clayton played nearly every receiver position, including both outside spots and in the slot. He says he doesn’t necessarily feel any loyalty or preference toward any of those positions.
“Wherever Coach needs me,” Clayton said. “Wherever he wants to put me. It doesn’t matter. I’ve been all over. Backfield. I can throw it, run it, kick it. I’m a football player. Whatever you need.”
If nothing else, Clayton and Bradford’s rapport is already in place and that should bode well for Clayton being able to contribute right away.
According to Spagnuolo and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, Clayton has already acclimated well to the offense and could play a more active role in Sunday’s game than was first anticipated.
“The system is a little bit different than what they did in Baltimore,” Spagnuolo said. “For today being his second day, I think he’s done a pretty nice job mentally. He seems to digest it pretty good and he went out there and didn’t seem to skip a beat.”
If indeed that’s the case and Clayton gets up to speed that fast, there’s no doubt that Sooners will continue to be more than welcome in St. Louis.
