No more excuses for Sam Bradford

[-X-]

.... is the headline I'm seeing more and more of across the internet.

Setting aside the obvious regurgitation of unimaginative headlines that bloggers and media guys alike are perpetuating, I have to take offense to this latest offering of "No more excuses."

Yeah, I get it. Sam Bradford has had some of his more observant defenders offer up some reasoning behind his slow start and early career struggles, and maybe the less observant people (or less patient, or whatever is less offending) are tired of reading about said reasoning. I totally get that. But ... "excuses"? Really? That's the best word people can come up with to describe the discussion revolving around our QB? Is it really necessary to summarily discount a contrary opinion in one fell swoop like that?

Don't worry. I'm not listing all the "excuses" again. At least not yet. :shifty:

This is clearly just my opinion, but I can't quite understand how people can all watch the same game, with the same guy under center, and have what amounts to polar opposite opinions about him. I'm not a huge Bradford homer or anything, so let's get that on the table first. What I am, though, is an AVID follower of this team and an obsessive "film" watcher. Film's probably not the right word, because I don't have access to the kind of media to which coaches have access, but I do watch games over and over, I compile tons of clips through NFL Game Rewind, and I do have access to the all-22.

What I back my opinions with is primarily that.

The things I think that are tricky to argue are the following:

1. Can't see the whole field. How would you know that?
2. Locks on to receivers. Possibly, but can you really see his eyes all the time?
3. No leadership skills. TOTALLY subjective argument.
4. Every team has injuries, and (insert different QB here) dealt with the same. (no he didn't)
5. (Insert different QB here) can do (this or that) better, and had better early success. So?
6. A QB who makes that much money and was drafted #1 overall should be elite. Really? No matter what?

Anyway. The very last thing I want (or anyone wants) is for this to turn into an ugly Bradford thread. This was more just a long-winded display of my discontent for off-the-cuff remarks like "No more excuses", because it takes away from the legitimate work, conversation, debate, facts, and compilation of supporting data that other people have put into this particular topic. It's almost condescending.

It's also lazy journalism, and I just don't like it. I do agree, however, that Bradford is now set up to succeed (probably for the first time in his career), and now would be an ideal time for him to showcase his talents. With good coaching, a little bit of luck, a lot of health, and continued hard work, I do believe this could be Sam Bradford's breakout year. And won't it be nice for everyone to settle in on roughly the same opinion about his talents for once without having to resort to finding innovative ways to bash him or illegitimately prop him up?

Instead of "No more excuses", I'm leaning towards, "No more doubts."

 

[Selassie I]

I'm settling on...

We now have ALL of the ingredients required to complete the recipe.

Seasoning always makes the recipe tasty-er ,,, but it don't mean shit if you're missing ingredients.

Example ... How's your pot pie gonna turn out if you don't have a kick ass crust ?


Our list of ingredients needed for Offense is now complete.
Time to ring the dinner bell.

 

[Faceplant]

I'm settling on...

We now have ALL of the ingredients required to complete the recipe.

Seasoning always makes the recipe tasty-er ,,, but it don't mean shit if you're missing ingredients.

Example ... How's your pot pie gonna turn out if you don't have a kick ass crust ?


Our list of ingredients needed for Offense is now complete.
Time to ring the dinner bell.

I like this bell better. Lets GET IT ON!!!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUd-KL8GHkU[/youtube]

 

[Selassie I]

Baaaahahahahahahahaaaa

Me too :rofl:

 

[nighttrain]

Sam fulfills his potential , period..
train

 

[moklerman]

Yes, it's become far too common for Rams fans to argue about the QB and I, too, have seen the "no more excuses" mantra started already.

It has been disappointing to me that Rams fans aren't united in support and enthusiasm for Bradford. I mean, this isn't a Van Brocklin vs. Waterfield situation where there is a legitimate call for the other guy.

The Rams have a franchise guy who we should all be happy to have.

So, it's not "no more excuses" it's "Finally! They got Bradford some weapons."

 

[wolfman84]

I believe Fisher mentioned giving Sam more responsibilities as far as play calling or making adjustments at the line. Sam finally has the OL, the weapons, and the same offensive system two years in a row. Sam is going to shine.

 

[Angry Ram]

Yes, it's become far too common for Rams fans to argue about the QB and I, too, have seen the "no more excuses" mantra started already.

It has been disappointing to me that Rams fans aren't united in support and enthusiasm for Bradford. I mean, this isn't a Van Brocklin vs. Waterfield situation where there is a legitimate call for the other guy.

The Rams have a franchise guy who we should all be happy to have.

So, it's not "no more excuses" it's "Finally! They got Bradford some weapons."

For real. Sam isn't a problem.

The haters will just have to deal w/ it. Not like Sam's going anywhere (as in to another team).

 

[bwdenverram]

Good topic broseph.

From my simpleton point of view it's not as cut and dry either. Obviously unless you're a fan of the RAMS and you really know about the team you may have a skewed view of Sam.

We all know the cards Sam has been dealt. We know he has had very limited weapons around him. We also know he has had 3 different systems in 3 years. That he's had more lineman in and out of the huddle than most people care to dream about. However, even though I'm a Bradford supporter, I do think he does have some things he needs to get better at. Does he see the entire field? Hard to say but at times it does appear he misses wide open targets while trying to force throws into coverage. Does he lock onto receivers? I tend to say yes but I also think it's because when you've been sacked as many times as he has in the first couple years, you tend to go to your security blanket (which was Amendola most times). Do I think these are traits he can't change? NO. I think there are a ton of things that will start to change this year.

1)-I think the JL signing was huge. If we can make Saffold happy we could have the makings of a very solid OL. And I think Sam starts to get more comfortable in the pocket. He can go through his progressions and scan the field as they say.
2) Second year in ONE freaking system. Look, the NFL VS. College is way different, it's timing or "windows". Now that he can be in the same system, same language and start to really build on last year I think he is primed for a breakout season.
3) Awe-Weapons. Let's be really clear, before Givens (and hopefully Quick), Sam didn't have squat to work with.
Sorry, I like Amendola but if that's the best you have you're not going to win many shootouts. We all saw what Givens brings to the table and I think Quick will be a good one myself. I don't think I can stop smiling when I think of Austin, Cook and Bailey in this offense as well.

I really have to look at a couple comparisons of the past to Sam's situation.

Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman. When they were drafted they went to really bad teams, like Sam did. They had "virtually " no weapons and their OL's weren't very good. BUT- as they continued to draft well and bring in better players look what happened. Not only did they get better, but the entire team got better. It's a team sport and in no way do I think one player can do it all by himself. Now if Sam doesn't improve as all the talent has then we have another conversation. But if memory serves me, it was about year 3 or 4 when those great QB's really started to come into their own. Mind you, I'm not comparing Sam to these guys directly, just the situation.
I think Sam has all the tools to be great, but like any great quarterback, the more you have around you to succeed, the better off you will be. History has a tendancy to repeat itself. If Manning and Aikman are any indication of that, things look pretty bright in my view.

 

[ScotsRam]

Good topic broseph.

From my simpleton point of view it's not as cut and dry either. Obviously unless you're a fan of the RAMS and you really know about the team you may have a skewed view of Sam.

We all know the cards Sam has been dealt. We know he has had very limited weapons around him. We also know he has had 3 different systems in 3 years. That he's had more lineman in and out of the huddle than most people care to dream about. However, even though I'm a Bradford supporter, I do think he does have some things he needs to get better at. Does he see the entire field? Hard to say but at times it does appear he misses wide open targets while trying to force throws into coverage. Does he lock onto receivers? I tend to say yes but I also think it's because when you've been sacked as many times as he has in the first couple years, you tend to go to your security blanket (which was Amendola most times). Do I think these are traits he can't change? NO. I think there are a ton of things that will start to change this year.

1)-I think the JL signing was huge. If we can make Saffold happy we could have the makings of a very solid OL. And I think Sam starts to get more comfortable in the pocket. He can go through his progressions and scan the field as they say.
2) Second year in ONE freaking system. Look, the NFL VS. College is way different, it's timing or "windows". Now that he can be in the same system, same language and start to really build on last year I think he is primed for a breakout season.
3) Awe-Weapons. Let's be really clear, before Givens (and hopefully Quick), Sam didn't have squat to work with.
Sorry, I like Amendola but if that's the best you have you're not going to win many shootouts. We all saw what Givens brings to the table and I think Quick will be a good one myself. I don't think I can stop smiling when I think of Austin, Cook and Bailey in this offense as well.

I really have to look at a couple comparisons of the past to Sam's situation.

Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman. When they were drafted they went to really bad teams, like Sam did. They had "virtually " no weapons and their OL's weren't very good. BUT- as they continued to draft well and bring in better players look what happened. Not only did they get better, but the entire team got better. It's a team sport and in no way do I think one player can do it all by himself. Now if Sam doesn't improve as all the talent has then we have another conversation. But if memory serves me, it was about year 3 or 4 when those great QB's really started to come into their own. Mind you, I'm not comparing Sam to these guys directly, just the situation.
I think Sam has all the tools to be great, but like any great quarterback, the more you have around to you succeed, the better off you will be. History has a tendancy to repeat itself. If Manning and Aikman are any indication of that, things look pretty bright in my view.

That is an excellent post, and a great example of why I come here.

 

[Ram Quixote]

Forget about the added weapons; this second year in the same system is going to be the difference for Bradford.

I've said this before: if the Rams played this season with the same weapons as last year, Bradford would still pass for 4000 yards and 30 TDs.

 

[bwdenverram]

Good topic broseph.

From my simpleton point of view it's not as cut and dry either. Obviously unless you're a fan of the RAMS and you really know about the team you may have a skewed view of Sam.

We all know the cards Sam has been dealt. We know he has had very limited weapons around him. We also know he has had 3 different systems in 3 years. That he's had more lineman in and out of the huddle than most people care to dream about. However, even though I'm a Bradford supporter, I do think he does have some things he needs to get better at. Does he see the entire field? Hard to say but at times it does appear he misses wide open targets while trying to force throws into coverage. Does he lock onto receivers? I tend to say yes but I also think it's because when you've been sacked as many times as he has in the first couple years, you tend to go to your security blanket (which was Amendola most times). Do I think these are traits he can't change? NO. I think there are a ton of things that will start to change this year.

1)-I think the JL signing was huge. If we can make Saffold happy we could have the makings of a very solid OL. And I think Sam starts to get more comfortable in the pocket. He can go through his progressions and scan the field as they say.
2) Second year in ONE freaking system. Look, the NFL VS. College is way different, it's timing or "windows". Now that he can be in the same system, same language and start to really build on last year I think he is primed for a breakout season.
3) Awe-Weapons. Let's be really clear, before Givens (and hopefully Quick), Sam didn't have squat to work with.
Sorry, I like Amendola but if that's the best you have you're not going to win many shootouts. We all saw what Givens brings to the table and I think Quick will be a good one myself. I don't think I can stop smiling when I think of Austin, Cook and Bailey in this offense as well.

I really have to look at a couple comparisons of the past to Sam's situation.

Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman. When they were drafted they went to really bad teams, like Sam did. They had "virtually " no weapons and their OL's weren't very good. BUT- as they continued to draft well and bring in better players look what happened. Not only did they get better, but the entire team got better. It's a team sport and in no way do I think one player can do it all by himself. Now if Sam doesn't improve as all the talent has then we have another conversation. But if memory serves me, it was about year 3 or 4 when those great QB's really started to come into their own. Mind you, I'm not comparing Sam to these guys directly, just the situation.
I think Sam has all the tools to be great, but like any great quarterback, the more you have around to you succeed, the better off you will be. History has a tendancy to repeat itself. If Manning and Aikman are any indication of that, things look pretty bright in my view.

That is an excellent post, and a great example of why I come here.

Thank you sir.

RE: Quixote-

I don't know that I can agree but not trying to argue the fact that regardless of adding weapons he would throw for 30TD and 4,000 yards? I mean I do believe another year is very important but we play some pretty good teams this year and without having weapons against those teams with great D, I just don't know bro. None of the guys we had last year have EVER had 10 TD's or more. Most of them no more than 5. So maybe I'm saying Sam can do it, but could the talent we had last year do it?

 

[Username]

This argument is still so fucking stupid. It's the same fucking crybabies who whine and bitch about the QB for every single loss, because that's all they see or think they understand. The offense has been "improved" metaphorically, but there's still plenty that could happen which could result in it not hitting. Like injuries to the massively injury prone line number 1 overall. The fact that Jared Cook is the oldest receiver at 26, and also that he's never really had a breakout season yet. Who knows how far along Quick is now, or how he'll turn out. Austin and Bailey have a long ways to go to learn the playbook. We lost Steven Jackson, and Danny Amendola. Who will fill the LG spot, and will they be worth a shit? Ojinnaka almost single handedly lost games for us, with the Bears game being an excellent example.

Yeah, the staff is trying to make the offense more explosive and better overall. Let's watch the games and see if it happens, why it does or why it doesn't, and judge off of what we actually see.

What it breaks down to is this. If you watch the Jets game last year and think Sam Bradford had a bad game then you're right. If you watch the Patriots game last year, and think had he a fucking remote chance in hell, then you're a fucking idiot.

There are reasons for wins and losses, and they're not all on the fucking quarterback.

 

[Young Ram]

I have no doubts that Bradford is our franchise QB.

 

[Warner4Prez]

Forget about the added weapons; this second year in the same system is going to be the difference for Bradford.

I've said this before: if the Rams played this season with the same weapons as last year, Bradford would still pass for 4000 yards and 30 TDs.

I think it's an important point, but a double-edged sword. Continuity. Sure it's the same system for a second year, which is a huge sigh of relief. However, it's the same system with a handful of NEW guys. I'm fully behind Bradford, but there will be growing pains with all the n00bs on the roster. He's got Givens and Kendricks to lean on in the early going. Quick was raw and didn't see much time last year, sure Cook is a vet, but he's likely to have a bit of an adjustment phase.

I'm really looking forward to what this team can do, but I can also see a mass exodus of bandwagon jumpers if there's a bumpy start to the season. People might want to caution themselves that it might not be so sexy right out of the gate. But damn, it'll be fun come mid-season. And look out for that defense!

 

[RamFan503]

So my take is that Sam played pretty well within an offense that simply wasn't very good in many aspects. The combination of better weapons, better O-line, and 2nd year should all contribute to a better year for him. But let's not kid ourselves. I guess we'll see but Fish is not exactly known for his offenses putting up 50 points per game. Those looking for Warneresque performances will likely still be calling for his head at the end of the season.

Sam has the head on his shoulders to be a very good to great QB. He won't kill you with stupid mistakes. He's got very good touch. He can throw the deep ball. He can zip the short ball. Now the team needs to put it together.

I would honestly say that if Sam is putting up ungodly numbers this season, it will more likely mean that we are playing from behind too often. I would be fine with similar numbers from Sam - albeit with a few more TDs. If our defense continues to gel and our offense can control the ball, we win. That is ALL I care about.

 

[Warner4Prez]

This argument is still so fucking stupid. It's the same fucking crybabies who whine and bitch about the QB for every single loss, because that's all they see or think they understand. The offense has been "improved" metaphorically, but there's still plenty that could happen which could result in it not hitting. Like injuries to the massively injury prone line number 1 overall. The fact that Jared Cook is the oldest receiver at 26, and also that he's never really had a breakout season yet. Who knows how far along Quick is now, or how he'll turn out. Austin and Bailey have a long ways to go to learn the playbook. We lost Steven Jackson, and Danny Amendola. Who will fill the LG spot, and will they be worth a shit? Ojinnaka almost single handedly lost games for us, with the Bears game being an excellent example.

Yeah, the staff is trying to make the offense more explosive and better overall. Let's watch the games and see if it happens, why it does or why it doesn't, and judge off of what we actually see.

What it breaks down to is this. If you watch the Jets game last year and think Sam Bradford had a bad game then you're right. If you watch the Patriots game last year, and think had he a fucking remote chance in hell, then you're a fucking idiot.

There are reasons for wins and losses, and they're not all on the fucking quarterback.

You're a goddamn wordsmith. And I love it.

 

[Iron Lion]

One thing I noticed is that it seemed like 95% of the time when Bradford called an audible last year, it was a run. Don't know if any of you noticed that.

Might've just been the system, where it was a called run to one side with the backup play being a run to the other side. But that would be a bad system because once teams pick up on it, you're always giving away that it's a run when you audible. So I think it was Sam just checking it from a pass to a run.

I think ultimately his issue is not vision or receiver locking, but rather conservatism. Just too conservative. Checks it down too much, and when he goes deep it looks like he makes sure he errs on the side of overthrowing his receiver so he doesn't throw a pick.

But he also has the skill set you would expect from a #1 overall. The last drive of regulation @SF as well as the one @BUF really impressed me. Here it was not an option to be conservative because (if I recall correctly) the Rams were down by more than a FG.

So now it's just a question of whether or not you agree with this assessment, and then, if you do, whether or not it's correctable.

 

[Rabid Ram]

The one thing he needs to show is that he has TOTAL confidence in his ability to throw the ball downfield.Any pass for that matter.I just haven't seen anything that shows he is a franchise qb YET. The kid has a great attitude and I believe all the right tools, but it needs to translate into a much improved skill set this year. He has too many weapons and a solid looking interior line now.

I believe with both the weapons and much improved oline his confidence should and will bloom dramatically with each second he is able to stand comfortably in the pocket and target the Austin express or wing it to quick cook or steadman.

All this being said I believe there is more pressure on pead to make teams respect our run game so they arent just sitting back on our routes, and we can toss in somr play action trickery.

I believe that this is a fair assessment on both sides of the Bradford debate and im done rambling lol sorry

 

[jrry32]

I used to fight it...even made nice little pictures proving these people wrong. Not worth the time anymore. Sam will prove it(to the box score scouts) in 2013 when he finally doesn't have one of the bottom 3 supporting casts in all of the NFL.