Jaworski on Bradford 2011

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Jun 21 - 10:51 AM

After studying Sam Bradford's 2011 game tape, ESPN's Ron Jaworski says he was "troubled" by Bradford's "increasing tendency to anticipate the rush" and operate tentatively in the pocket.

Jaws calls Bradford a "top arm talent" with a "compact delivery and a strong arm," but alluded to stunted development last season. "In 2011, Bradford -- with very few exceptions -- did not look like the same, confident pocket quarterback that I saw as a rookie," Jaws observed. "He was tentative in the pocket, a function of both erratic offensive line play and receivers that could not win on the outside. But I was troubled by Bradford's increasing tendency to anticipate the rush. I call that 'Cabin Fever.'" Jaworski expects the Rams to "manage" Bradford under Jeff Fisher with a "run-first approach," and deems the third-year quarterback, "right now, a question mark."

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/5161/sam-bradford

 

[Angry Ram]

Jaws is one of the very few guys I actually like on BSPN.

We'll see, if what Jaws says is true, then we'll see a Falcons style O.

But then ppl will bitch about Sam's low YPC. :nono:

 

[RamFan503]

That's all great but what I saw was a QB that was standing tall in the pocket until the injuries destroyed all options to do so. QB play sucked last season but aside from SJ, what aspect of the offense worked well with any consistency?

I'm not sure you can blame a 2nd year QB for thinking he is going to get crushed on virtually every pass play when he gets crushed on virtually every pass play. When you watch the tape, it is obvious that even when the announcers were saying his ankle was healed, he wasn't stepping on it with confidence, nor could he move comfortably. And yet he still got several of those passes off with a defender right in his face. He will be fine this season and will build off of it.

Like Dr. has been saying, that was last season and this season is this season. I'm not saying you ignore last season but I also don't think you make assumptions about play this season based on the pathetic performance we witnessed last season. The kid has great mechanics, is very accurate, can move with the ball, can throw on the run, WILL step up into the pocket if there is one. What's not to like really.

 

[ramsince62]

This is not the first time that Jaws has made these same comments concerning Bradford's tendency to anticipate the rush. I think it comes down to whether or not Sam can "reset" himself and regain the confidence from his college years. There's no doubt that the often discussed issues (unstable/poor line play) of last year went a long way to diminishing Bradford's sense of self awareness and pocket presence.

We saw virtually the exact same things from Bulger which I think lends credence to the reality that if you can bring constant pressure upon the QB often enough, learned habits and reactions can be altered.

It's often stated but just as often over looked that an effective offense begins at the line of scrimmage. To my mind there is no doubt about Bradford's talents (when given reasonable time). In the past, teams with mobile QB's could somewhat over come OL weakness, but with pocket passers, they MUST BE PROTECTED.

 

[Thordaddy]

That's all great but what I saw was a QB that was standing tall in the pocket until the injuries destroyed all options to do so. QB play sucked last season but aside from SJ, what aspect of the offense worked well with any consistency?

I'm not sure you can blame a 2nd year QB for thinking he is going to get crushed on virtually every pass play when he gets crushed on virtually every pass play. When you watch the tape, it is obvious that even when the announcers were saying his ankle was healed, he wasn't stepping on it with confidence, nor could he move comfortably. And yet he still got several of those passes off with a defender right in his face. He will be fine this season and will build off of it.

Like Dr. has been saying, that was last season and this season is this season. I'm not saying you ignore last season but I also don't think you make assumptions about play this season based on the pathetic performance we witnessed last season. The kid has great mechanics, is very accurate, can move with the ball, can throw on the run, WILL step up into the pocket if there is one. What's not to like really.

That's what I saw and I really thought he shouldn't have been playing.

I think he was in danger of becoming Bulgerized and looks as though Jaws does too.