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Jeff Gordon
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/jeff-gordon/tipsheet-bradford-starts-over-with-young-cast/article_f088543c-7018-5834-b109-3ceca5ca7129.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... a7129.html</a>
When quarterback Sam Bradford gets back to work in the Organized Team Activities, exactly zero established NFL playmakers will join in the fun at Rams Park.
That is two fewer proven weapons than Bradford had at his disposal last season. The Rams are hitting the restart button on offense.
[hil]So, no, this cannot be considered a “make-or-break” year for him.[/hil]
The upcoming season is very important for him. It could be the pivotal year in his career, defining his future in the league. This is his chance to emerge as a true leader of young men.
After a solid rookie season, Bradford suffered through a miserable second season before bouncing back in Year 3. [hil]Basically he is back to Square One[/hil].
He is a promising young quarterback surrounded by other promising young skill players.
The offense could take off this year – IF Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey pan out big, IF Jared Cook breaks out, IF Chris Givens and Lance Kendricks build on solid 2012 seasons, IF Brian Quick figures it out, IF the young trio of running backs can replace the hugely productive Steven Jackson and IF Bradford progresses.
Expectations are high, but again, we’re talking potential. It’s not like Bradford looks around his offensive meeting room and sees Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, Ray Rice or Vernon Davis. He doesn’t see a Jackson or a Danny Amendola either.
The good news: [hil]the Rams appear to be tailoring the offense to Bradford’s strengths.[/hil]
The bad news: Offensive coordinator [hil]Brian Schottenheimer isn’t exactly Chip Kelly[/hil] as a spread offense innovator. So it’ll interesting to see how this plays out.
The big knock on Bradford is that he hasn’t lived up to his gigantic contract and the hype that comes with being the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. Odds are he will never live up to that ridiculous deal, the last of its kind for young quarterbacks.
But that doesn’t mean the franchise should label him a bust, discard him after the season and start over with somebody’s back-up or another draft pick.
Another knock on Bradford is that he didn’t make players around him better. This baffles Tipsheet, since some players clearly grew while working with Sam.
Amendola arrived as an extra guy, pulled off the personnel pile to fill a roster spot. He left for a five-year, $31 million contract with the Patriots. Did playing with Bradford make him better? Of course it did.
Brandon Gibson arrived as an extra guy, acquired from the depths of the Eagles roster. He left for a three-year, $9.78 million contract in Miami. Did playing with Bradford make him better? Of course it did.
Kendricks made a quantum leap from his rookie season (28 catches, 352 yards, no touchdowns in 15 games) to last season (42 catches, 519 yards, four TDs in 16 games). That was the best season a Rams tight end had in, like, forever.
What the Rams need to see from Bradford (and the rest of their still-developing skill players) is serious growth, especially in critical game scenarios. Bradford made some progress there last season, but Jeff Fisher needs whole lot more of that moving forward.
ESPN.com’s Mike Sando had this sensible breakdown:
Bradford is set to collect $9 million in salary this season, $8 million of which is guaranteed. His deal counts about $12.6 million against the cap. The salary jumps to $14 million in 2014, with a $17.6 million scheduled cap hit. That's the type of money top quarterbacks earn. What, then, if Bradford is not one of them? What if he's merely decent or pretty good, but not someone worth nearly $18 million a year?
The Rams could release Bradford, but that wouldn't make much sense unless he played horrendously -- something he has never done to this point. Remember, too, that the team would need an obviously better option at the position. Good luck finding one of those.
More likely and a lot less dramatically, the Rams could buy another year for evaluation. They are building for the long term with their own draft choices and those acquired from the Washington Redskins last offseason. The Rams already have drafted eight players in the first and second rounds under the team-friendly rookie wage scale, tied with Cincinnati and New England for most in the NFL. That figure is scheduled to grow by three in 2014. Their window is still opening. Time is on their side.
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/jeff-gordon/tipsheet-bradford-starts-over-with-young-cast/article_f088543c-7018-5834-b109-3ceca5ca7129.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... a7129.html</a>
When quarterback Sam Bradford gets back to work in the Organized Team Activities, exactly zero established NFL playmakers will join in the fun at Rams Park.
That is two fewer proven weapons than Bradford had at his disposal last season. The Rams are hitting the restart button on offense.
[hil]So, no, this cannot be considered a “make-or-break” year for him.[/hil]
The upcoming season is very important for him. It could be the pivotal year in his career, defining his future in the league. This is his chance to emerge as a true leader of young men.
After a solid rookie season, Bradford suffered through a miserable second season before bouncing back in Year 3. [hil]Basically he is back to Square One[/hil].
He is a promising young quarterback surrounded by other promising young skill players.
The offense could take off this year – IF Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey pan out big, IF Jared Cook breaks out, IF Chris Givens and Lance Kendricks build on solid 2012 seasons, IF Brian Quick figures it out, IF the young trio of running backs can replace the hugely productive Steven Jackson and IF Bradford progresses.
Expectations are high, but again, we’re talking potential. It’s not like Bradford looks around his offensive meeting room and sees Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, Ray Rice or Vernon Davis. He doesn’t see a Jackson or a Danny Amendola either.
The good news: [hil]the Rams appear to be tailoring the offense to Bradford’s strengths.[/hil]
The bad news: Offensive coordinator [hil]Brian Schottenheimer isn’t exactly Chip Kelly[/hil] as a spread offense innovator. So it’ll interesting to see how this plays out.
The big knock on Bradford is that he hasn’t lived up to his gigantic contract and the hype that comes with being the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. Odds are he will never live up to that ridiculous deal, the last of its kind for young quarterbacks.
But that doesn’t mean the franchise should label him a bust, discard him after the season and start over with somebody’s back-up or another draft pick.
Another knock on Bradford is that he didn’t make players around him better. This baffles Tipsheet, since some players clearly grew while working with Sam.
Amendola arrived as an extra guy, pulled off the personnel pile to fill a roster spot. He left for a five-year, $31 million contract with the Patriots. Did playing with Bradford make him better? Of course it did.
Brandon Gibson arrived as an extra guy, acquired from the depths of the Eagles roster. He left for a three-year, $9.78 million contract in Miami. Did playing with Bradford make him better? Of course it did.
Kendricks made a quantum leap from his rookie season (28 catches, 352 yards, no touchdowns in 15 games) to last season (42 catches, 519 yards, four TDs in 16 games). That was the best season a Rams tight end had in, like, forever.
What the Rams need to see from Bradford (and the rest of their still-developing skill players) is serious growth, especially in critical game scenarios. Bradford made some progress there last season, but Jeff Fisher needs whole lot more of that moving forward.
ESPN.com’s Mike Sando had this sensible breakdown:
Bradford is set to collect $9 million in salary this season, $8 million of which is guaranteed. His deal counts about $12.6 million against the cap. The salary jumps to $14 million in 2014, with a $17.6 million scheduled cap hit. That's the type of money top quarterbacks earn. What, then, if Bradford is not one of them? What if he's merely decent or pretty good, but not someone worth nearly $18 million a year?
The Rams could release Bradford, but that wouldn't make much sense unless he played horrendously -- something he has never done to this point. Remember, too, that the team would need an obviously better option at the position. Good luck finding one of those.
More likely and a lot less dramatically, the Rams could buy another year for evaluation. They are building for the long term with their own draft choices and those acquired from the Washington Redskins last offseason. The Rams already have drafted eight players in the first and second rounds under the team-friendly rookie wage scale, tied with Cincinnati and New England for most in the NFL. That figure is scheduled to grow by three in 2014. Their window is still opening. Time is on their side.
