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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_fb55bf5f-4b15-5ee6-a383-2ac9e7adcc49.html
Ram Bytes: Make-or-break year for Bradford
Bernie Miklasz bjmiklasz@post-dispatch.com
Over the weekend, Rams coach Jeff Fisher reaffirmed his commitment to quarterback Sam Bradford.
Bradford is still the guy.
Fisher made that perfectly clear.
And he's telling the truth.
At this point, I'm not sure what there is to debate. We've gone around on circles on this for months now.
Shall we dance again?
1. The Concerns Are the Same
* Bradford hasn't distinguished himself as an upper-tier NFL quarterback in his four seasons with the Rams.
* Despite Fisher's claims, Bradford's durability is an issue; injuries have wrecked or damaged three of his past five seasons, including his final year at Oklahoma.
* Bradford's contract eats a bunch of salary-cap space, but the Rams can handle that, especially with the coming increase in the NFL cap limit for 2014.
2. The Conditions are Better. But How Much?
* The Rams' offensive line faces another retooling _ if not rebuilding. This is not Bradford's fault
* Do the Rams have an elite receiver? No. Have the Rams ever had an elite receiver in Bradford's four seasons? No. This is not his fault.
* Has offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer displayed any real acumen in designing a creative and innovative passing game? No. This is not Bradford's fault, either.
3. Yes, 2014 Looms as the Make-or-Break Season
The whole "make or break" theory was prematurely thrown down before the 2013 season. It wasn't true then. It's much closer to the truth now.
* This will be Bradford's 5th NFL season. It hasn't been a quarterback-friendly experience for Bradford in St. Louis, but how long do the Rams stay the course? How long does a team expect an enhanced performance from a QB after several consecutive years of similar results?
* This will be Bradford's 3rd season with Schottenheimer as the OC. If things aren't clicking in Year III ... then when?
* Bradford has definitely improved ... but he still has a lot to prove.
On the plus side, Bradford had a career-best passer rating of 90.9 last season. Bradford thrived last season after the Rams revised an ill-suited offense and went more to a ground game; in his final three starts before suffering a knee injury he passed for 7 touchdowns with 1 interception and had a passer rating of 99.0 Bradford's red-zone performance has been strong since the bye week of the '12 season. The Rams are 5-2-1 in Bradford's last eight starts against NFC West rivals. And he led the team to several comeback wins in 2012.
On the down side, Bradford hasn't shown the ability to elevate the play of those around him -- which is something that difference-making quarterbacks do regularly. He will make $17.6 million this year, and is guaranteed $16.5 million in 2015, the final year of his rookie contract. (Bradford is also coming off knee surgery but seems to be doing very well in his rehab and timetable for returning.)
If Bradford doesn't make an upward move in 2014, will the Rams continue to pour money down the hole? The Rams say they are willing to discuss a contract extension or revision, but Bradford has declined. So that makes 2014 a huge season for Bradford's future. If Bradford has a flat year, do the Rams really want to go into 2015 with him after what would be five seasons of average quarterback play at an exorbitant, cap-heavy salary?
That wouldn't make much sense. But we aren't talking about 2015.
After two consecutive seven-win seasons, the Rams believe they're getting closer to making a breakthrough. And if that's what they truly believe, then why start over right now at quarterback? Starting over doesn't make sense for 2014.
Beyond that, all bets are off.
This is a big year for Bradford and the third-year regime at Rams Park.
Here's another take on Bradford...
Writing on Sports on Earth, longtime scout Russ Lande offered an opinion and analysis on Bradford and what the Rams must do to help him. In part, this is what Lande wrote:
"The Rams have a lot of problems, and Sam Bradford is not one of them.
"Bradford is expensive, has suffered numerous injuries and has never developed into a consistent producer at quarterback. At the same time, he is still 26 years old, has shown numerous flashes of his enormous potential and has never had ideal protection or weapons. The Rams appear more committed to building around Bradford than replacing him, so this segment of GM for a Day strives to fix Bradford's problems by fixing everything else. Give Bradford a better offensive line and more weapons, then give the Rams defense a secondary to match their excellent defensive line, and the Rams will start to look like a playoff team, even if their NFC West schedule will make the playoffs hard to come by."
Thanks for reading ...
— Bernie
Ram Bytes: Make-or-break year for Bradford
Bernie Miklasz bjmiklasz@post-dispatch.com
Over the weekend, Rams coach Jeff Fisher reaffirmed his commitment to quarterback Sam Bradford.
Bradford is still the guy.
Fisher made that perfectly clear.
And he's telling the truth.
At this point, I'm not sure what there is to debate. We've gone around on circles on this for months now.
Shall we dance again?
1. The Concerns Are the Same
* Bradford hasn't distinguished himself as an upper-tier NFL quarterback in his four seasons with the Rams.
* Despite Fisher's claims, Bradford's durability is an issue; injuries have wrecked or damaged three of his past five seasons, including his final year at Oklahoma.
* Bradford's contract eats a bunch of salary-cap space, but the Rams can handle that, especially with the coming increase in the NFL cap limit for 2014.
2. The Conditions are Better. But How Much?
* The Rams' offensive line faces another retooling _ if not rebuilding. This is not Bradford's fault
* Do the Rams have an elite receiver? No. Have the Rams ever had an elite receiver in Bradford's four seasons? No. This is not his fault.
* Has offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer displayed any real acumen in designing a creative and innovative passing game? No. This is not Bradford's fault, either.
3. Yes, 2014 Looms as the Make-or-Break Season
The whole "make or break" theory was prematurely thrown down before the 2013 season. It wasn't true then. It's much closer to the truth now.
* This will be Bradford's 5th NFL season. It hasn't been a quarterback-friendly experience for Bradford in St. Louis, but how long do the Rams stay the course? How long does a team expect an enhanced performance from a QB after several consecutive years of similar results?
* This will be Bradford's 3rd season with Schottenheimer as the OC. If things aren't clicking in Year III ... then when?
* Bradford has definitely improved ... but he still has a lot to prove.
On the plus side, Bradford had a career-best passer rating of 90.9 last season. Bradford thrived last season after the Rams revised an ill-suited offense and went more to a ground game; in his final three starts before suffering a knee injury he passed for 7 touchdowns with 1 interception and had a passer rating of 99.0 Bradford's red-zone performance has been strong since the bye week of the '12 season. The Rams are 5-2-1 in Bradford's last eight starts against NFC West rivals. And he led the team to several comeback wins in 2012.
On the down side, Bradford hasn't shown the ability to elevate the play of those around him -- which is something that difference-making quarterbacks do regularly. He will make $17.6 million this year, and is guaranteed $16.5 million in 2015, the final year of his rookie contract. (Bradford is also coming off knee surgery but seems to be doing very well in his rehab and timetable for returning.)
If Bradford doesn't make an upward move in 2014, will the Rams continue to pour money down the hole? The Rams say they are willing to discuss a contract extension or revision, but Bradford has declined. So that makes 2014 a huge season for Bradford's future. If Bradford has a flat year, do the Rams really want to go into 2015 with him after what would be five seasons of average quarterback play at an exorbitant, cap-heavy salary?
That wouldn't make much sense. But we aren't talking about 2015.
After two consecutive seven-win seasons, the Rams believe they're getting closer to making a breakthrough. And if that's what they truly believe, then why start over right now at quarterback? Starting over doesn't make sense for 2014.
Beyond that, all bets are off.
This is a big year for Bradford and the third-year regime at Rams Park.
Here's another take on Bradford...
Writing on Sports on Earth, longtime scout Russ Lande offered an opinion and analysis on Bradford and what the Rams must do to help him. In part, this is what Lande wrote:
"The Rams have a lot of problems, and Sam Bradford is not one of them.
"Bradford is expensive, has suffered numerous injuries and has never developed into a consistent producer at quarterback. At the same time, he is still 26 years old, has shown numerous flashes of his enormous potential and has never had ideal protection or weapons. The Rams appear more committed to building around Bradford than replacing him, so this segment of GM for a Day strives to fix Bradford's problems by fixing everything else. Give Bradford a better offensive line and more weapons, then give the Rams defense a secondary to match their excellent defensive line, and the Rams will start to look like a playoff team, even if their NFC West schedule will make the playoffs hard to come by."
Thanks for reading ...
— Bernie
