TK42-RAM
... still not at my post.
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BRADFORD TRADED FOR FOLES (IN SUPER UPPER-CASE TO DETER DUPLICATE THREADS)
- Thread starter theramsruleUK
- Start date
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Quite the flurry of activity this afternoon , I was at work at the time and trying to keep up with all the activity on my phone , the who got what seemed to change every time I refreshed my phone
I don't think Foles is the long term answer , but neither was Bradford , I do like how the Rams took care of this right on day one of the new League year, no messing around
I don't think Foles is the long term answer , but neither was Bradford , I do like how the Rams took care of this right on day one of the new League year, no messing around
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- mojo
I say one has to come from FA(two if you count re-signing Barksdale).
I'm optimistic over this trade but it won't do us much good if we line up Robinson, Saffold and a bunch of inexperienced bums or inexperienced rookies on our OLine in September. Rams HAVE to address the OLine with a blue chip player or two. Cap room is no longer an excuse.
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Probably going to have to overpay for someone. Maybe it should be Barks, at least he's in-house, and I'm guessing it's probably better to overpay your own guy than somebody else coming in.
There isn't any quarterbacks out there. Foles, like you said, is not he answer. That said, it's a good safe play by the Rams.
RamBill
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Why Eagles Feel Great About Bradford
By Dave Spadaro
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/n...Bradford/f02d6f96-669d-4382-a921-c9dda0f9c95b
This was a move long in the works. The Eagles eyed Sam Bradford for weeks, and on Tuesday they made the move, acquiring Bradford in exchange for Nick Foles. Draft picks were involved. It was a huge move ...
This was a move long in the works. The Eagles eyed Rams quarterback Sam Bradford for weeks, and on Tuesday they made the move, acquiring Bradford in exchange for Nick Foles. Draft picks were involved. It was a huge move.
A former No. 1 overall draft pick (2010), Bradford's NFL career has been stunted by a lack of offensive talent around him early in his St. Louis tenure and by injuries late with the Rams. He played only seven games in 2013 after being pulled down on a run to the sidelines and tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and then missed all of 2014 when he was drilled in the pocket and tore the same ACL in the preseason opener.
An extremely talented quarterback who is 6-4 and 224 pounds, Bradford is able to make every throw from every position on the field. When the Eagles studied him -- and they did so very, very extensively before the trade -- they saw a quarterback with special accuracy, with touch, with a big arm. A quarterback who can get the ball out quickly, who can make fast, good decisions. Bradford is, the Eagles think, a classic pocket quarterback with just enough mobility to work the pocket well and keep plays alive.
And so a deal was done on Tuesday, one that brings to Philadelphia the quarterback that head coach Chip Kelly wants. He wanted Sam Bradford. He identified Sam Bradford as a special talent who can make this offense soar. It cost the Eagles Foles, and everyone wishes him the best of luck. It cost the Eagles a second-round draft pick in 2016 and a swap of picks in 2015 that is a difference of, roughly, 20 spots in the draft after compensatory picks are considered.
It is a gamble, no question about that. Kelly isn't afraid to make difficult, out-of-the-box decisions. But it is a gamble with a lot of upside because the Eagles think Bradford has the goods to be a franchise-type quarterback.
The misconception, perhaps, is that the offense the Eagles is one that we saw at Oregon, where the quarterback was mobile and a running threat. That's not what the Eagles are offensively. The Eagles can run the football effectively with their running backs -- and there is a need there that will be filled -- and their blocking scheme, and they need a quarterback who can be accurate, who can play tempo football and who can get the ball to the receivers -- a need position that the Eagles will address -- in a timely fashion down the field and in the short passing game.
Bradford, the Eagles feel, can do it all. He had his troubles in St. Louis throwing to the likes of Brandon Lloyd and Brandon Gibson and Danny Amendola and Austin Pettis and Lance Kendricks and Laurent Robinson and Greg Salas and Jared Cook and Tavon Austin. The Rams didn't have much other than Steven Jackson running the football to exhaustion working with a pretty bad offensive line.
And they had Bradford. And they pinned all of their hopes on him and just didn't give him much help as he absorbed 105 sacks in his first three seasons (42 games) and another 15 in the seven games he played in 2013 when Bradford threw 14 touchdown passes and four interceptions. Oh, and consider this: Bradford has five games (of 49 played) in which he has thrown multiple interceptions. Foles and Mark Sanchez combined for seven multiple-interception games last season alone.
That's the player the Eagles think they have acquired, a special talent with far more upside than they saw with Foles -- and no lack of respect for him. He was very productive here and everyone wishes Foles the best of luck in St. Louis -- or any other quarterback they saw in the market -- free agency or the draft. The Eagles, despite the overwhelming rush by the media and fans to think otherwise, were not going to move up, up, up in the draft and take Oregon's Marcus Mariota, the Heisman Trophy winner whom Kelly recruited. Nor did the Eagles feel their best option was to stay put and stick with Foles and extend his contract for the future.
Certainly, the deal hinges on Bradford remaining healthy and staying on the field for this offense. He had a concussion and some shoulder injuries at Oklahoma. He has the two ACL injuries and a shoulder injury in the NFL. Only twice in his five seasons has Bradford played a full 16 games.
The Eagles believe in their sports science program and their strength and conditioning program and they have the plan to put the right pieces around Bradford to help him stay healthy and make him more productive than he's been in his career.
That's why the Eagles did the deal, one on which they worked extremely hard and one that was, according to reports, off and on a couple of times -- at least -- in the last few weeks. They got the quarterback they wanted, one they think can be special in this offense. You may like the deal. You may not. You may have questions that just don't have answers right now, specifically how the Eagles will replace the production from departed running back LeSean McCoy and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and the weapons Kelly and vice president of player personnel Ed Marynowitz will bring in between now and September. Fair enough.
Wins and losses will dictate the wisdom of this decision. It was gutsy, no doubt about it. But being gutsy and having conviction is why Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie hired Kelly after the 2012 4-12 season. Twenty regular-season victories and a playoff appearance was a nice way to start Kelly's NFL head coaching career, but it wasn't the goal. Winning the whole thing is the objective, and the Eagles wanted the best quarterback they could get and Kelly wanted Bradford and then went out and made the deal.
Sam Bradford is the quarterback Kelly thinks can operate this offense to maximum efficiency. That's why he is an Eagle today.
By Dave Spadaro
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/n...Bradford/f02d6f96-669d-4382-a921-c9dda0f9c95b
This was a move long in the works. The Eagles eyed Sam Bradford for weeks, and on Tuesday they made the move, acquiring Bradford in exchange for Nick Foles. Draft picks were involved. It was a huge move ...
This was a move long in the works. The Eagles eyed Rams quarterback Sam Bradford for weeks, and on Tuesday they made the move, acquiring Bradford in exchange for Nick Foles. Draft picks were involved. It was a huge move.
A former No. 1 overall draft pick (2010), Bradford's NFL career has been stunted by a lack of offensive talent around him early in his St. Louis tenure and by injuries late with the Rams. He played only seven games in 2013 after being pulled down on a run to the sidelines and tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and then missed all of 2014 when he was drilled in the pocket and tore the same ACL in the preseason opener.
An extremely talented quarterback who is 6-4 and 224 pounds, Bradford is able to make every throw from every position on the field. When the Eagles studied him -- and they did so very, very extensively before the trade -- they saw a quarterback with special accuracy, with touch, with a big arm. A quarterback who can get the ball out quickly, who can make fast, good decisions. Bradford is, the Eagles think, a classic pocket quarterback with just enough mobility to work the pocket well and keep plays alive.
And so a deal was done on Tuesday, one that brings to Philadelphia the quarterback that head coach Chip Kelly wants. He wanted Sam Bradford. He identified Sam Bradford as a special talent who can make this offense soar. It cost the Eagles Foles, and everyone wishes him the best of luck. It cost the Eagles a second-round draft pick in 2016 and a swap of picks in 2015 that is a difference of, roughly, 20 spots in the draft after compensatory picks are considered.
It is a gamble, no question about that. Kelly isn't afraid to make difficult, out-of-the-box decisions. But it is a gamble with a lot of upside because the Eagles think Bradford has the goods to be a franchise-type quarterback.
The misconception, perhaps, is that the offense the Eagles is one that we saw at Oregon, where the quarterback was mobile and a running threat. That's not what the Eagles are offensively. The Eagles can run the football effectively with their running backs -- and there is a need there that will be filled -- and their blocking scheme, and they need a quarterback who can be accurate, who can play tempo football and who can get the ball to the receivers -- a need position that the Eagles will address -- in a timely fashion down the field and in the short passing game.
Bradford, the Eagles feel, can do it all. He had his troubles in St. Louis throwing to the likes of Brandon Lloyd and Brandon Gibson and Danny Amendola and Austin Pettis and Lance Kendricks and Laurent Robinson and Greg Salas and Jared Cook and Tavon Austin. The Rams didn't have much other than Steven Jackson running the football to exhaustion working with a pretty bad offensive line.
And they had Bradford. And they pinned all of their hopes on him and just didn't give him much help as he absorbed 105 sacks in his first three seasons (42 games) and another 15 in the seven games he played in 2013 when Bradford threw 14 touchdown passes and four interceptions. Oh, and consider this: Bradford has five games (of 49 played) in which he has thrown multiple interceptions. Foles and Mark Sanchez combined for seven multiple-interception games last season alone.
That's the player the Eagles think they have acquired, a special talent with far more upside than they saw with Foles -- and no lack of respect for him. He was very productive here and everyone wishes Foles the best of luck in St. Louis -- or any other quarterback they saw in the market -- free agency or the draft. The Eagles, despite the overwhelming rush by the media and fans to think otherwise, were not going to move up, up, up in the draft and take Oregon's Marcus Mariota, the Heisman Trophy winner whom Kelly recruited. Nor did the Eagles feel their best option was to stay put and stick with Foles and extend his contract for the future.
Certainly, the deal hinges on Bradford remaining healthy and staying on the field for this offense. He had a concussion and some shoulder injuries at Oklahoma. He has the two ACL injuries and a shoulder injury in the NFL. Only twice in his five seasons has Bradford played a full 16 games.
The Eagles believe in their sports science program and their strength and conditioning program and they have the plan to put the right pieces around Bradford to help him stay healthy and make him more productive than he's been in his career.
That's why the Eagles did the deal, one on which they worked extremely hard and one that was, according to reports, off and on a couple of times -- at least -- in the last few weeks. They got the quarterback they wanted, one they think can be special in this offense. You may like the deal. You may not. You may have questions that just don't have answers right now, specifically how the Eagles will replace the production from departed running back LeSean McCoy and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and the weapons Kelly and vice president of player personnel Ed Marynowitz will bring in between now and September. Fair enough.
Wins and losses will dictate the wisdom of this decision. It was gutsy, no doubt about it. But being gutsy and having conviction is why Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie hired Kelly after the 2012 4-12 season. Twenty regular-season victories and a playoff appearance was a nice way to start Kelly's NFL head coaching career, but it wasn't the goal. Winning the whole thing is the objective, and the Eagles wanted the best quarterback they could get and Kelly wanted Bradford and then went out and made the deal.
Sam Bradford is the quarterback Kelly thinks can operate this offense to maximum efficiency. That's why he is an Eagle today.
Ram Quixote
Knight Errant
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Wow. I've been through the first 19 pages.
Pages 1-2: disappointment, elation
Pages 3-18: knee jerk, knee jerk, knee jerk
Page 19: sigh of relief
Pages 1-2: disappointment, elation
Pages 3-18: knee jerk, knee jerk, knee jerk
Page 19: sigh of relief
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- mojo
We will have to overpay and that's Fine by me. If the Rams are truly a competent QB away from competing(like the majority of us here think) then you don't go into the season with guys like Barrett Jones, Demetrius Rhaney and Mike Person penciled in as your starters.
Even if the plan is to package another blockbuster trade using Foles and picks to nab Winston or Mariota...FA must be used to it's fullest. Like right now. Today.
If we bring in a 2nd or 3rd tier OLineman via FA, and draft another OLineman in say, the 2nd or 3rd rd and call it "good"..........I would start to believe that Snisher have been given the assurance by Kroenke that no one's job will be on the line regardless a year from now. Not saying that's a bad thing, but let's not forget that offensive line is a mess right now and the clock has started ticking on week one in September.
I'm not panicking, just saying that the Rams are going to need answers on the OLine pretty quick here.
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You can never go wrong with a Wire reference. Especially when it's Omar.
RaminExile
Hall of Fame
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The three(thought there were more than that????) stages of grief?
mimontero
UDFA
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My response on an Eagles forum for what it's worth:
"Hey guys, Rams fan here stopping by to genuinely apologize for what happened today. I mean, we fleeced you because your coach is an idiot. There is really no other way I can word that. Bradford's cap number is $13 million for this year and we shed a ton of cap space by making this move for one year of Foles at a way cheaper price (and we could always extend him). The genuine apology comes from the fact that this is a borderline uncompetitive move from Kelly. I mean, how someone making personnel decisions at the highest level of the game could be so dumb as to trade Foles for this return even if he does end up flipping Bradford for Mariotta is absolutely beyond any logic I could possibly fathom. I assure you we Rams fans are as baffled by this as you are."
"Hey guys, Rams fan here stopping by to genuinely apologize for what happened today. I mean, we fleeced you because your coach is an idiot. There is really no other way I can word that. Bradford's cap number is $13 million for this year and we shed a ton of cap space by making this move for one year of Foles at a way cheaper price (and we could always extend him). The genuine apology comes from the fact that this is a borderline uncompetitive move from Kelly. I mean, how someone making personnel decisions at the highest level of the game could be so dumb as to trade Foles for this return even if he does end up flipping Bradford for Mariotta is absolutely beyond any logic I could possibly fathom. I assure you we Rams fans are as baffled by this as you are."
RamBill
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QB swap: Bradford is out, Foles is in
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_fc32ea89-8c0f-5eee-ba64-7ab02cdfbf5f.html
One of the main reasons coach Jeff Fisher chose St. Louis over Miami in 2012 was the presence of quarterback Sam Bradford. But three seasons and two knee injuries later, Bradford’s star-crossed tenure in St. Louis is over.
After months of steady talk from the Rams about how much they wanted Bradford back, the former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick from Oklahoma was traded Tuesday to the Philadelphia for quarterback Nick Foles.
Besides Foles, the Rams received a fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft and a second-rounder in 2016. Besides Bradford, Philadelphia gets a fifth-round pick in 2015.
There are also a couple of situations in which Philadelphia could get a conditional pick tied to Bradford’s health and playing time. If Bradford misses the entire 2015 season for the Eagles, the Rams must send a third-round pick to Philly in 2016. If Bradford plays less than 50 percent of the Eagles’ offensive snaps in 2015, the Rams must send a fourth-round pick to Philly in 2016.
Fisher, who twice denied in the last month and a half that the Rams were interested in trading for Foles, issued the following statement early Tuesday evening after the trade had been finalized.
“Sam was a leader on our team, in the locker room, and on the field,” Fisher said. “He was a great teammate who was dealt some adversity but handled it all with grace and dignity. He represented himself as well as the organization in a first-class manner. I wish him nothing but the best throughout his career.”
In January, Fisher dismissed rumors of a trade for Foles, and as recently as Monday afternoon he told the Post-Dispatch that the Rams weren’t interested in trading for Foles and that those rumors must have been coming from Philadelphia.
Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
The Bradford move was just the headliner in a hectic first day of free agency for the Rams. The team lost backup Shaun Hill to Minnesota in a two-year deal for $6.5 million, according to league sources. All the way to the end, Hill remained interested in returning to the Rams, but Minnesota stayed persistent and landed him with a strong offer.
The Rams are expected to add another quarterback to the roster today when a trade with Houston for Case Keenum is finalized. The Texans are expected to receive a 2016 seventh-round pick in exchange for Keenum, who was cut by the Rams last season.
At the moment, that leaves the Rams with Foles, Keenum and Austin Davis at quarterback.
(Davis is a restricted free agent who received a qualifying offer from the Rams. He can receive offers from other teams, but the Rams have matching rights.)
There were also reports by EPSN that tight end Lance Kendricks had agreed on a contract to return to St. Louis. The Rams would only say that they were close to a deal. In addition, backup Rams offensive lineman Mike Person — an unrestricted free agent who had been with the Rams most of the past two seasons — has signed with Atlanta. Former Rams defensive tackle Kendall Langford, recently cut by the team, has signed with Indianapolis.
With the Bradford trade finalized, the Rams will save $13 million, which was the base salary due Bradford in 2015, the last year of his original contract. Foles is due to make $1.5 million in 2015, which is the last year of his original rookie contract with Philadelphia.
So that’s a net gain of about $11.5 million in salary cap space for the Rams, who now find themselves swimming in cap room with more than $27 million in space.
There was a time when the Rams hoped to bring back Bradford at a reduced rate this season. But at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, it became apparent that the sides were stalemated on a restructured contract. The Rams wanted a pay cut; Bradford and his agent, Tom Condon, didn’t. Bradford was still hopeful at that time of returning to St. Louis.
Bradford, 27, missed the Rams’ last 25 regular-season games because of two knee operations. In Philadelphia he will be reunited with Pat Shurmur, who was Rams offensive coordinator in 2010 when Bradford was named the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year.
Shurmur has the same title in Philadelphia. The Eagles are coached by one of the game’s top offensive minds in Chip Kelly, although it’s unclear who exactly Bradford will have to throw to since the Eagles parted ways with DeSean Jackson a year ago and lost Jeremy Maclin to Kansas City on Tuesday.
Because of injuries, Bradford started only 49 of a possible 80 games during his five seasons with the Rams. His final year of college ball at Oklahoma also was wrecked by a shoulder injury.
Foles, 26, appeared in 28 games with 24 starts for the Eagles, who drafted him in the third round of the 2012 draft out of Arizona. He had a great 2013 season in Philly, throwing for 2,891 yards in 13 games with 27 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. His passer rating was a stellar 119.2.
But Foles wasn’t nearly as effective in 2014, throwing for 2,163 yards, 13 TDs, and 10 interceptions for a passer rating of 81.4. He suffered a season-ending collarbone injury in Game 8.
Before the injury, Foles threw for 207 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 34-28 victory over the Rams last Oct. 5 at Lincoln Financial Field.
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_fc32ea89-8c0f-5eee-ba64-7ab02cdfbf5f.html
One of the main reasons coach Jeff Fisher chose St. Louis over Miami in 2012 was the presence of quarterback Sam Bradford. But three seasons and two knee injuries later, Bradford’s star-crossed tenure in St. Louis is over.
After months of steady talk from the Rams about how much they wanted Bradford back, the former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick from Oklahoma was traded Tuesday to the Philadelphia for quarterback Nick Foles.
Besides Foles, the Rams received a fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft and a second-rounder in 2016. Besides Bradford, Philadelphia gets a fifth-round pick in 2015.
There are also a couple of situations in which Philadelphia could get a conditional pick tied to Bradford’s health and playing time. If Bradford misses the entire 2015 season for the Eagles, the Rams must send a third-round pick to Philly in 2016. If Bradford plays less than 50 percent of the Eagles’ offensive snaps in 2015, the Rams must send a fourth-round pick to Philly in 2016.
Fisher, who twice denied in the last month and a half that the Rams were interested in trading for Foles, issued the following statement early Tuesday evening after the trade had been finalized.
“Sam was a leader on our team, in the locker room, and on the field,” Fisher said. “He was a great teammate who was dealt some adversity but handled it all with grace and dignity. He represented himself as well as the organization in a first-class manner. I wish him nothing but the best throughout his career.”
In January, Fisher dismissed rumors of a trade for Foles, and as recently as Monday afternoon he told the Post-Dispatch that the Rams weren’t interested in trading for Foles and that those rumors must have been coming from Philadelphia.
Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
The Bradford move was just the headliner in a hectic first day of free agency for the Rams. The team lost backup Shaun Hill to Minnesota in a two-year deal for $6.5 million, according to league sources. All the way to the end, Hill remained interested in returning to the Rams, but Minnesota stayed persistent and landed him with a strong offer.
The Rams are expected to add another quarterback to the roster today when a trade with Houston for Case Keenum is finalized. The Texans are expected to receive a 2016 seventh-round pick in exchange for Keenum, who was cut by the Rams last season.
At the moment, that leaves the Rams with Foles, Keenum and Austin Davis at quarterback.
(Davis is a restricted free agent who received a qualifying offer from the Rams. He can receive offers from other teams, but the Rams have matching rights.)
There were also reports by EPSN that tight end Lance Kendricks had agreed on a contract to return to St. Louis. The Rams would only say that they were close to a deal. In addition, backup Rams offensive lineman Mike Person — an unrestricted free agent who had been with the Rams most of the past two seasons — has signed with Atlanta. Former Rams defensive tackle Kendall Langford, recently cut by the team, has signed with Indianapolis.
With the Bradford trade finalized, the Rams will save $13 million, which was the base salary due Bradford in 2015, the last year of his original contract. Foles is due to make $1.5 million in 2015, which is the last year of his original rookie contract with Philadelphia.
So that’s a net gain of about $11.5 million in salary cap space for the Rams, who now find themselves swimming in cap room with more than $27 million in space.
There was a time when the Rams hoped to bring back Bradford at a reduced rate this season. But at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, it became apparent that the sides were stalemated on a restructured contract. The Rams wanted a pay cut; Bradford and his agent, Tom Condon, didn’t. Bradford was still hopeful at that time of returning to St. Louis.
Bradford, 27, missed the Rams’ last 25 regular-season games because of two knee operations. In Philadelphia he will be reunited with Pat Shurmur, who was Rams offensive coordinator in 2010 when Bradford was named the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year.
Shurmur has the same title in Philadelphia. The Eagles are coached by one of the game’s top offensive minds in Chip Kelly, although it’s unclear who exactly Bradford will have to throw to since the Eagles parted ways with DeSean Jackson a year ago and lost Jeremy Maclin to Kansas City on Tuesday.
Because of injuries, Bradford started only 49 of a possible 80 games during his five seasons with the Rams. His final year of college ball at Oklahoma also was wrecked by a shoulder injury.
Foles, 26, appeared in 28 games with 24 starts for the Eagles, who drafted him in the third round of the 2012 draft out of Arizona. He had a great 2013 season in Philly, throwing for 2,891 yards in 13 games with 27 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. His passer rating was a stellar 119.2.
But Foles wasn’t nearly as effective in 2014, throwing for 2,163 yards, 13 TDs, and 10 interceptions for a passer rating of 81.4. He suffered a season-ending collarbone injury in Game 8.
Before the injury, Foles threw for 207 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 34-28 victory over the Rams last Oct. 5 at Lincoln Financial Field.
RamBill
Legend
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Gordon: Trade is brilliant move by the Rams
• By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_c656ea3a-01ef-5548-999c-7482edeac4f1.html
Rams coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead kept telling anyone and everyone that Sam Bradford was their quarterback.
They expressed their undying commitment to 2010’s first overall draft pick despite his unfortunate injury history. They reaffirmed their belief that Bradford could still be special.
Then they shipped him to Philadelphia for Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on Tuesday as the NFL’s free agent marketplace officially opened.
Some salesmen they are!
With one blockbuster move, Fisher and Snead upgraded their most critical position, freed up significant salary cap space, improved their lot in the next two NFL drafts and created an opportunity to contend again.
This trade was a brilliant stroke. So much for this lame duck franchise standing pat with its nucleus and subjecting us to a boring offseason.
The gears began grinding when Bradford’s camp refused to rework his salary of $13 million for this season. Understandably, the Rams invited him to find a mark, er, another team willing to pay that.
Bradford had already “earned” $65.1 million on the contract he signed one year before the new collective bargaining agreement put a restrictor plate on rookie earnings.
He has missed 25 of the past 32 games and 31 of a possible 80 games during his Rams career. Twice he has torn his ACL, requiring reconstructive surgery on his left knee.
In between those injuries and others he posted an 18-30-1 record as a starting quarterback. Inept coaches, offensive line breakdowns and itinerant unskilled labor at wide receiver contributed to his failure — but asking Bradford to take a cap-friendly deal for this season was reasonable.
That is the least he could do for the franchise, right? The man got Powerball money to post mediocre statistics and lose.
Bradford had a chance to make good on some of the team’s massive investment in 2015. He had an opportunity to guide a maturing offense with Tre Mason, Brian Quick, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey.
He had a chance to help lead the long-suffering Rams back into postseason play. With the San Francisco 49ers retooling, the opportunity was there.
Instead he prompted the team to trade him, ensuring him a honored place on the STL’s pantheon of NFL draft failure.
Sure, he won a lot more games than, say, Big Red catastrophe Steve Pisarkiewicz. The Zark played just 10 games over three seasons — going 2-2 in four starts — after the Cardinals drafted him from Mizzou 19th overall in 1977. But the Zark didn’t make $65.1 million while failing.
Sure, Bradford proved more useful and less arrest-prone than former Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips. But the Rams were able to ditch L.P. before he did much damage here.
Bradford cast a five-year shadow over the franchise. There would be no happy ending for his star-crossed tenure.
Now he heads to Philadelphia, where many Eagles fans flew into a rage when they heard that their team won the bidding for Bradford.
With other teams showing interest, the Eagles stepped up to reunite Bradford with his first offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur. Not only did the team spend Foles, it moved back in the coming draft (sending a No. 4 to St. Louis and getting back a No. 5) and sent the Rams a second-round pick in 2016.
The only protection the Eagles got in this deal was a third-round pick in 2016 if Bradford gets hurt or a fourth-round pick next year if he doesn’t start.
That is an extraordinary price to pay for a battered athlete. It creates great expectations for Bradford, a genuinely nice guy who will suffer some seriously hard times in a tough town if he doesn’t win.
But, hey, be careful what you wish for, right?
Meanwhile, Foles welcomes a fresh opportunity with the Rams. The man went 14-4 as a starter under coach Chip Kelly and still got jettisoned — along with the other top skilled guys Kelly inherited.
These machinations have puzzled the entire league. Kelly is going mad scientist on his franchise.
Foles will never throw 27 touchdown passes against just two interceptions again, as he did in 2013. That was a classic outlier performance, an everything-went-right campaign in a go-go scheme with teammates making plays left and right.
Some NFL experts really like Foles, while others believe he can’t measure up to Bradford. But he will earn a fraction of the money (a mere $1.7 million in his final contract year) while presenting much less injury risk.
And let us not forget that the 2015 Rams are built on dominating defense, a strong running game and lots of play-action passes to the tight ends. Tuesday’s re-signing of free agent Lance Kendricks underscored that.
Once upon a time Air Coryell served St. Louis. Right now the Fisher Bus Company is operating the offense.
With the money saved at quarterback Fisher and Snead can invest more in the offensive line and fill other needs. Suddenly they have major cap flexibility. Suddenly they could jump into the crazy marketplace bidding.
Just like the Rams got a whole lot more interesting ... for another nine months, anyway.
• By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_c656ea3a-01ef-5548-999c-7482edeac4f1.html
Rams coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead kept telling anyone and everyone that Sam Bradford was their quarterback.
They expressed their undying commitment to 2010’s first overall draft pick despite his unfortunate injury history. They reaffirmed their belief that Bradford could still be special.
Then they shipped him to Philadelphia for Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on Tuesday as the NFL’s free agent marketplace officially opened.
Some salesmen they are!
With one blockbuster move, Fisher and Snead upgraded their most critical position, freed up significant salary cap space, improved their lot in the next two NFL drafts and created an opportunity to contend again.
This trade was a brilliant stroke. So much for this lame duck franchise standing pat with its nucleus and subjecting us to a boring offseason.
The gears began grinding when Bradford’s camp refused to rework his salary of $13 million for this season. Understandably, the Rams invited him to find a mark, er, another team willing to pay that.
Bradford had already “earned” $65.1 million on the contract he signed one year before the new collective bargaining agreement put a restrictor plate on rookie earnings.
He has missed 25 of the past 32 games and 31 of a possible 80 games during his Rams career. Twice he has torn his ACL, requiring reconstructive surgery on his left knee.
In between those injuries and others he posted an 18-30-1 record as a starting quarterback. Inept coaches, offensive line breakdowns and itinerant unskilled labor at wide receiver contributed to his failure — but asking Bradford to take a cap-friendly deal for this season was reasonable.
That is the least he could do for the franchise, right? The man got Powerball money to post mediocre statistics and lose.
Bradford had a chance to make good on some of the team’s massive investment in 2015. He had an opportunity to guide a maturing offense with Tre Mason, Brian Quick, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey.
He had a chance to help lead the long-suffering Rams back into postseason play. With the San Francisco 49ers retooling, the opportunity was there.
Instead he prompted the team to trade him, ensuring him a honored place on the STL’s pantheon of NFL draft failure.
Sure, he won a lot more games than, say, Big Red catastrophe Steve Pisarkiewicz. The Zark played just 10 games over three seasons — going 2-2 in four starts — after the Cardinals drafted him from Mizzou 19th overall in 1977. But the Zark didn’t make $65.1 million while failing.
Sure, Bradford proved more useful and less arrest-prone than former Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips. But the Rams were able to ditch L.P. before he did much damage here.
Bradford cast a five-year shadow over the franchise. There would be no happy ending for his star-crossed tenure.
Now he heads to Philadelphia, where many Eagles fans flew into a rage when they heard that their team won the bidding for Bradford.
With other teams showing interest, the Eagles stepped up to reunite Bradford with his first offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur. Not only did the team spend Foles, it moved back in the coming draft (sending a No. 4 to St. Louis and getting back a No. 5) and sent the Rams a second-round pick in 2016.
The only protection the Eagles got in this deal was a third-round pick in 2016 if Bradford gets hurt or a fourth-round pick next year if he doesn’t start.
That is an extraordinary price to pay for a battered athlete. It creates great expectations for Bradford, a genuinely nice guy who will suffer some seriously hard times in a tough town if he doesn’t win.
But, hey, be careful what you wish for, right?
Meanwhile, Foles welcomes a fresh opportunity with the Rams. The man went 14-4 as a starter under coach Chip Kelly and still got jettisoned — along with the other top skilled guys Kelly inherited.
These machinations have puzzled the entire league. Kelly is going mad scientist on his franchise.
Foles will never throw 27 touchdown passes against just two interceptions again, as he did in 2013. That was a classic outlier performance, an everything-went-right campaign in a go-go scheme with teammates making plays left and right.
Some NFL experts really like Foles, while others believe he can’t measure up to Bradford. But he will earn a fraction of the money (a mere $1.7 million in his final contract year) while presenting much less injury risk.
And let us not forget that the 2015 Rams are built on dominating defense, a strong running game and lots of play-action passes to the tight ends. Tuesday’s re-signing of free agent Lance Kendricks underscored that.
Once upon a time Air Coryell served St. Louis. Right now the Fisher Bus Company is operating the offense.
With the money saved at quarterback Fisher and Snead can invest more in the offensive line and fill other needs. Suddenly they have major cap flexibility. Suddenly they could jump into the crazy marketplace bidding.
Just like the Rams got a whole lot more interesting ... for another nine months, anyway.
OnceARam
Hall of Fame
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Looks like you won't be taking over the GM job just yet.
Looking forward to your revised draft. WR maybe?
Mackeyser
Supernovas are where gold forms; the only place.
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Todd Bowles, former Cards DC, is now the HC in NY for the Jets, iirc.
He's got to know Bradford almost as well as Shurmur, our former OC.
If Mariota is there at 6, will he take Bradford as part of Kelly's move to get Mariota?
Or has Kelly learned the hard way that you really need a very accurate passer and Bradford turned out to be the guy he actually needs for THIS Eagles team to succeed?
We'll see on draft day since any trade would be contingent on Mariota being available and it would have to be kept secret to prevent teams from leapfrogging the Jets. Not that most GMs won't have probably put it together, but they won't know...
He's got to know Bradford almost as well as Shurmur, our former OC.
If Mariota is there at 6, will he take Bradford as part of Kelly's move to get Mariota?
Or has Kelly learned the hard way that you really need a very accurate passer and Bradford turned out to be the guy he actually needs for THIS Eagles team to succeed?
We'll see on draft day since any trade would be contingent on Mariota being available and it would have to be kept secret to prevent teams from leapfrogging the Jets. Not that most GMs won't have probably put it together, but they won't know...
- Joined
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Looks like you won't be taking over the GM job just yet.
Looking forward to your revised draft. WR maybe?
If Amari Cooper or Kevin White are there...pick would always have been them. If not, trade down and grab an OL. Unless Mariota is there...then I pick him over everyone.