When the NFL season began expectations in St. Louis were awfully low. Despite having drafted Sam Bradford with the #1 overall pick in the draft, and offensive lineman Roger Safold with the first pick in the second round, few had faith that the Rams would be anything more than a basement dweller again.
Sam Bradford has the Rams entering the final week of the regular season with a legit opportunity to make the playoffs. At 7-8, they are the NFC West division leaders and just need to defeat a Seattle Seahawks squad that will enter the game Sunday night without veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. We all know last year the Rams were 1-15 and the laughing stock of the league. This is a turn around.
Bradford has been the difference maker in St. Louis all season long. The rookie from Oklahoma has been solid, and he's demonstrated poise that isn't common in young quarterbacks. He doesn't look nervous or rattled in the pocket, and does a good job with his reads and progressions. I don't see the Eli Manning "bad body language" in Sam after he makes a mistake either. He's more like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady in his approach to the game. He's a perfectionist, but he clearly understands he's in the early stages of a process to get better. And yes, I did just compare him to Peyton and Tom!
For me, it's not about the numbers that Bradford has posted, although they are quite impressive given the talent that he has around him. The Rams won six games the last three seasons with pro bowler Stephen Jackson and former pro bowl quarterback Mark Bulger. Bradford has eclipsed that in just one season.
I was someone who believed that the Rams should have drafted Ndamukong Suh with their pick, but I must say that the front office made the right choice. Bradford has definitely been the fit St. Louis needed.
Sam Bradford has the Rams entering the final week of the regular season with a legit opportunity to make the playoffs. At 7-8, they are the NFC West division leaders and just need to defeat a Seattle Seahawks squad that will enter the game Sunday night without veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. We all know last year the Rams were 1-15 and the laughing stock of the league. This is a turn around.
Bradford has been the difference maker in St. Louis all season long. The rookie from Oklahoma has been solid, and he's demonstrated poise that isn't common in young quarterbacks. He doesn't look nervous or rattled in the pocket, and does a good job with his reads and progressions. I don't see the Eli Manning "bad body language" in Sam after he makes a mistake either. He's more like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady in his approach to the game. He's a perfectionist, but he clearly understands he's in the early stages of a process to get better. And yes, I did just compare him to Peyton and Tom!
For me, it's not about the numbers that Bradford has posted, although they are quite impressive given the talent that he has around him. The Rams won six games the last three seasons with pro bowler Stephen Jackson and former pro bowl quarterback Mark Bulger. Bradford has eclipsed that in just one season.
I was someone who believed that the Rams should have drafted Ndamukong Suh with their pick, but I must say that the front office made the right choice. Bradford has definitely been the fit St. Louis needed.
Sam has quietly been able to put criticism to rest that his shoulder would be able to hold up to NFL hits. He's been sacked 31 times and on the deck more than that. The young man has shown durability and toughness so far, and that's been a plus for the Rams.
The team finally believes they have a leader, and it's evident in their play on both sides of the ball. The defense, which is also much improved, now gets geared up to make stops, knowing that if they can get Sam the ball the team has a chance to put points on the board and win games. It's a big difference from how things were.
Bradford's numbers put him in elite company for a rookie qb. He's completing 60.5% of his passes. That's impressive with the lack of depth the Rams have at wideout. He's thrown for 3,357 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. He does have 14 picks, but that's much less than some other guys.
It's hard to make a pitch for a rookie to win MVP (actually absurd), but without Bradford the St. Louis Rams wouldn't be anywhere near where they are today. We would be looking at another year of two to three win ball and more jokes about how bad they are. That's a fact.
The team finally believes they have a leader, and it's evident in their play on both sides of the ball. The defense, which is also much improved, now gets geared up to make stops, knowing that if they can get Sam the ball the team has a chance to put points on the board and win games. It's a big difference from how things were.
Bradford's numbers put him in elite company for a rookie qb. He's completing 60.5% of his passes. That's impressive with the lack of depth the Rams have at wideout. He's thrown for 3,357 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. He does have 14 picks, but that's much less than some other guys.
It's hard to make a pitch for a rookie to win MVP (actually absurd), but without Bradford the St. Louis Rams wouldn't be anywhere near where they are today. We would be looking at another year of two to three win ball and more jokes about how bad they are. That's a fact.
Sure, Tom Brady is having a great season and Michael Vick is redefining his career, but Sam Bradford is the rookie quarterback who has transformed a horrible team into a contender.
Yes, I know the division is TRASH, but the fact remains that St. Louis is atop of it. The team and the city are sniffing the playoffs for the first time in years and it's all because of Sam Bradford.
Bradford stinks and so do the Rams. Stupid post.
ReplyDeleteUnlike the comment above, Bradford is really good and so is your post. He should be offensive rookie of the year at he very least.If someone is going to make a comment like the one above at least put your name to it
ReplyDeleteHey thanks C Note! Glad you liked it.
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