Aaron Donald in tenth season: "I've got a lot to prove"
Aaron Donald has become one of the finest players of the past decade. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, an immediate candidate for the upper room proposed by Deion Sanders.
So what does Donald have to prove in season number ten?
“I’ve got a lot to prove," Donald told reporters on Saturday. "I didn’t have the season I wanted, obviously coming off of an injury and things like that. I feel like to get to where you need to be, it's like starting over from scratch again. It's a brand new year. Last year was last year, but there’s a little fire lit into me. I got a little motivation towards that to push me to feel like I'm back on ground one. So I’m trying to get back to where I want to be as a player, as a teammate, as a team overall, and that’s been kind of pushing me a little bit.”
He's also getting motivation from the fact that people don't expect the Rams to be very good.
“Right now we are just trying to get back on top," Donald said. "Obviously, we didn’t have a season we wanted as a team last year. Now you’re kind of looked over as a team, so I feel like we have got something to prove. So that's the motivation right there.”
Some players and coaches get indignant when media and/or fans dare to point out that a team wasn't very good last year and might not be much better this year. Donald doesn't mind it.
“We all need some type of fire, something to push you, something to get you going and that's something that I'm hanging on to right now," Donald said. "And I feel like we’ve got something to prove as a team. I think I got something to prove as a player and that's how we’re going to take it.”
When Donald signed his latest contract last year, the structure suggested that he could retire or seek a trade after this season. Donald was asked how he plans to keep going.
"I'm just here today and just focused on what I got to do today," Donald said. "I'm not really worried about what's next right now. I'm just in this camp moment trying to get myself going. I haven’t played football in a while, so I’m trying to knock the rust off. And at the same time, I got a bunch of new guys I'm playing with so we are trying to get everything clicking so come game time it’s where we want to be.”
The clear message is that Donald is where he wants to be, for now. We'll see where he wants to be after this season. Or perhaps during this season, if it's another tough year for the Rams and if a contender comes calling as the trade deadline approaches.
