The NFC West champion Rams placed only one player on the Pro Bowl roster — rookie linebacker Jared Verse.
Verse was surprised by the news. Very surprised by it.
“I thought I was getting fired,” Verse told reporters on Thursday. “I took a nap after practice and I got three calls from Coach McVay. I’m like, ‘I’m getting fired. Oh my God.’ I didn’t know what I did. I thought I was doing pretty good. He’s like, ‘You made the Pro Bowl.’ It was really surreal though. It felt amazing. Relief was first though, but it felt good.”
Verse immediately called his parents.
“I called my dad because my mom doesn’t answer half the time,” Verse said. “I called my dad. He’s like, ‘I’m with your mom right now.’ I’m like, ‘I made it.’ They started freaking out. I was like, ‘I’m going to call you later. You all are yelling too much.’”
A first-round pick from Florida State, Verse has 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and 35 tackles this year. He participated in 78 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
