[Vision2020] Rookie Vobora, Football And Fun Go Hand In Hand

[Tom Hansen]

>From the St. Louis Post-Distpatch
St. Louis, Missouri
Friday, August 1, 2008

For Rookie Vobora, Football And Fun Go Hand In Hand
By Bill Coats

The look on the face of Samantha Bloxdorf, a student trainer at Concordia 
University who is helping out at Rams training camp, was one of dread when 
linebacker David Vobora insisted she join him at the front of the dining 
hall.

That's where the rookies sing for the veteran players, a camp ritual. It 
was Vobora's turn, and he had enlisted new pal Chris Long, the Rams' first-
round pick in April's draft, for help.

He also needed Bloxdorf, who reluctantly stepped forward and, at Vobora's 
behest, took a seat facing the two hulking athletes, having no idea what 
to expect next. 

Vobora and Long serenaded Bloxdorf with a badly off-key version of the 
Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," complete with 
choreography: They knelt and reached out their arms toward her as they 
crooned, "Baby, baby, I get down on my knees for you."

The performance drew hoots and howls from an audience accustomed to seeing 
reticent rookies stumble through awkward renditions of their school's 
fight song. 

That wouldn't have been sufficient for Vobora, who acknowledges that he 
enjoys a good time as much as he does a big hit on a ball carrier.

"I always have fun; you have to," Vobora said. "I love football, no matter 
how hard it is, no matter how sore I am. I love it. And I'm going to have 
a good time at it."

After a pause, Vobora added, "Hey, Chris and I, I think we have a pretty 
big future in show business if this whole football thing doesn't work out, 
don't you?"

A LONG WAIT

The draft had slogged through nearly 28 hours, and 251 players had been 
selected by late afternoon April 27. But not Vobora, a 6-foot-1, 236-pound 
product of the University of Idaho. 

He was with a small group of friends and family in his hometown of Eugene, 
Ore., watching on television. Then, like a lightning bolt, there was his 
name on the screen: Vobora was taken by the Rams with the very last pick 
of the draft. He was "Mr. Irrelevant."

Vobora had no idea what that meant. But he found out, via Google, and 
began envisioning what "Irrelevant Week" — a tradition since 1976 in 
Newport Beach, Calif., honoring the final selectee in the draft — would 
be like. 

It turned out to be a weeklong party in late June. "David was awesome," 
said Melanie Fitch, "Irrelevant Week" organizer. "His whole family came 
out, and that made it just that much better." 

Vobora said he had a ball. "Paparazzi, the gifts, fancy cars, the Playboy 
mansion … you feel like a superstar," he gushed. "If you're going to 
give me stuff and take me to Disneyland, you can call me 'Mr. Anything You 
Want,' and I'll go with it."

MAKING THE TEAM

Long, the No. 2 overall draft choice, is the projected superstar; his spot 
in the starting lineup is virtually assured. Seventh-rounder Vobora, 
separated by 249 drafted players, is guaranteed nothing. Still, the two 
have bonded.

"It's ironic," Long said. "They call him 'Mr. Irrelevant,' and there's all 
this stuff about me being No. 2. But we're just alike. We've got the same 
motivations, the same goals. And I think he's doing a great job."

Vobora, 22, piled up 341 tackles, sixth in Idaho history, despite starting 
for only two seasons. In that span, he made 282 stops to lead the Western 
Athletic Conference in tackles both years.

"David was a very productive player in college," head coach Scott Linehan 
said, "and he just happens to be from the greatest college institution in 
the country. So he's got an advantage."

Linehan quarterbacked the Vandals from 1982 to 1986. They're itching, 
Vobora said with a laugh, to compare eras. "Coach is definitely going to 
have to sit down and tell me some Idaho stories," he said. "And I'll have 
some for him."

Of course, Linehan was kidding about Vobora having an edge. He was 
serious, though, when he insisted that every player on the field has an 
equal opportunity.

"Ask Marc Bulger, a sixth-round pick," Linehan said. "There are guys that 
have made it in this league, even Pro Bowlers … it didn't matter how 
they got here, but once they got here, they took advantage of it. You 
never know."

The Rams are looking for depth at linebacker, and Vobora's extensive 
special-teams experience is a major plus. 

Vobora "is a real smart football player and very adaptable; he's catching 
our eye," linebackers coach Rick Venturi said. "He's got a football 
mentality, instinctive, almost a throwback-type guy." 

THE WORK ETHIC

Asked about Vobora, middle linebacker Will Witherspoon blurted, "Oh, you 
mean Mr. Psychotic?" 

"I'd use the word 'gregarious,'" Long countered. "Dave lights up a room. 
He's a lot of fun to be around. … It's amazing. You get to know a lot 
about all these guys' personalities before you even know what kind of 
football players they are."

Had Long known Vobora years ago, he would have encountered the same 
character. "He's always been that way," said his mother, Debbie 
Vobora. "His philosophy in life is, 'Why do something if you can't have 
fun doing it?'"

But he also figures that sports endeavors aren't worth it if you can't 
come out on top, she added. "I remember when he was real young, and he'd 
go out to the front yard to play basketball with his dad," she said. "I 
hated that, because he'd get so upset if he lost. He'd be so mad at 
himself.

"He takes sports, especially football, very seriously."

How seriously? To get into top shape for camp, Vobora bought a 50-pound 
weight vest and strapped it on, under a full set of sweats, for his 
conditioning runs.

"It kicked my butt, but I'm really thankful that I did it," he said. It's 
paying off out here. I can really move around well."

Well enough to have a legitimate shot at sticking with the club, Linehan 
said.

"Just making a 53-man roster, no matter where you're drafted, is tough," 
Vobora said. "I know my role is special teams and to make plays, as well 
as know all the linebacker positions so I have the versatility to step in 
if they need me. Making the team is what it's all about. That's the main 
goal."

Be assured, though, that he'll get his kicks along the way. "Always," 
Vobora said, laughing again. "Always."

-------------------------------------------------

Seeya at Farmers' Market, Moscow

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

Came a tribe from the north brave and bold . . .

"Here We Have Idaho"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/HWHI.mp3

"I-D-A-H-O Idaho Idaho Go Go Go"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/Vandals.mp3


---------------------------------------------
This message was sent by First Step Internet.
           http://www.fsr.com/