Austin Proehl has witnessed the Rams winning a Super Bowl in Atlanta. And he’s seen his father fall just short, at the beginning of the Tom Brady era in New England.
Now, he gets to see it from a different angle.
The Rams practice-squad wideout won’t play in this week’s game, but the son of former Rams star Ricky Proehl knows his share of Super Bowl history because of seeing two of the most dramatic games as a child.
“I think I have anxiety today because of those years,” Austin Proehl said, via Ryan Kartje of the Orange County Register. “It always came down to the last moment. The Super Bowl is just like that.”
Austin Proehl was 6 years old when Brady led a stirring comeback to beat his father’s Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, but remembers his reaction to the loss (after his father tied the game with a late touchdown).
“I cried all the way home,” Austin said. “I knew how big it was.”
But two years earlier, he sat on his father’s shoulders after the Rams celebrated a win on the final play of the game against the Titans.
Austin was a seventh-round pick of the Bills this year, and also spent time with the Titans before signing with the Rams practice squad in October.
And while he won’t play this week, his role in the preparation is critical since he’s playing the role of Patriots slot receiver Julian Edelman in practice.
