Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's 2012

[biggame1190]

Why Do I feel like im the only one satisfied with Sam's 2012 season? It really makes me sick to my stomach when I see fans acting like 2012 for Sam was a bad year smh. Sam made great strides! Strides that the stat sheet does not always show! And doing so once again with an interchanging Offensive Line, subpar/young/injuried Wide Receivers, and yes new offensive playbook. I am not listing these things as excuses for sub-par play because I did not see 2012 as a sub-par year for our QB (with what he had to work with). I saw many great things!

I went into the 2012 season with a checklist of things I wanted Sam to improve on. The list consisted off....

-Limit tipped passes from defensive lineman

-Show more pocket awareness for blitzers

-Show more of his athleticism in and out of the pocket

-Go through progressions on WRs. Option 1, 2, 3, etc

-Limit Starring down WRs

-Show fans the great deep ball he has (I never doubted this BTW)

-Use eyes to change direction of DBs

-Make plays in the clutch when opportunities show itself

When the 2012 season was all over I could go back to this list and check mark everything on it! Did Sam perfect everything on it? No..Nor was I expecting that...Did Sam show great improvement in all? Yes he certainly did!

-Limit tipped passes from defensive lineman --- 2010 and 2011 we saw a lot of this. I am willing to say that Sam averaged maybe 2 swatted down passes from DLineman per game during his first two seasons. So much so that I could remember quiet a few of them. Well 2012 I can remember very little of them. Only 2 to be honest. I would say Sam had under 10 tipped passes from defensive lineman in 2012.

-Show more awareness for blitzers --- Sam's alarm clock in his head rung much better in 2012. Sam has done a much better job throwing the hot read (even if the WR did not expect it smh) upon a big blitz, as well as being smart and throwing the ball away. A lot of the deep Gibson fades thrown out of bounds that many knock him for saying "bad pass" just don't understand that Sam is really just throwing the ball away because of combination of blitzers and un-open WRs.

-Show more of his athleticism in and out of the pocket --- We saw more of 2010 mobility Sam Bradford in 2012. A improved one IMO. I was happy to see Sam on bootlegs, and very happy to see Sam "take what he can get" (As Sam would say) in rushing opportunities. WHILE SLIDING :ww:. Games such as the 49ers and Dolphins showed great heart and will for what Sam will do for the team on the ground if given the opportunity. For the first time in Sam's career he crossed the century mark in rushing yards (127 yards: Pretty good for a pocket passer). But also what was a joy to see was Sam uses his athleticism on passes. Throws on the run like the Kendricks TD (Cards 1) and the 2 point conversion to SJ39 (Fins) are two examples of what Sam was doing at times in 2012 with his athleticism.

-Go through progressions on WRs. Option 1, 2, 3, etc --- Now I understand that this was very hard to do in 2011 because the offensive line was such a disaster that Sam did not even have time to go through even his first option at moments. But thankfully while our line was far from perfect in 2012, they did have some good moments, moments where you got to see Sam going through his progressions. This is great yet sad; sad because sometimes I would notice Sam go through maybe all 3 or 4 of his progressions/options down field yet the play would end in a coverage sack, throw away, or short dump off because no one was open. Great for Sam though, showing great improvement on this shows that he is certainly not "gun shy". This was easy to notice because you saw Sam's head moving from left sideline, to middle field, to right sideline.

-Limit Starring down WRs --- This practically falls under the category above. Well all know that in 2010 Sam was very dependent on Dolamite, so much so that he would stare down #16 like me starring down that 10/10 chick I would never get in the bar :lol:. Well I personally did not see that issue in 2012. In both instances, when Danny was active and when Danny was inactive.

-Show fans the great deep ball he has (I never doubted this BTW) --- I was personally never skeptical on Sam's deep ball, I just knew that he never really had a deep threat WR to display it, until we drafted the kid I wanted in round 2, in round 4 of 2012... Sam showed his deep ball right from the get-go in 2010 with Mark Clayton, both connecting for numerous 35+ yard plays within the first month. Then Clayton goes down, Robinson not on the same page, Danny working the middle short, and Gibson...Well you know Gibby :cheese:. 2011 comes and Mike Sims Walker drops numerous threaded needle deep balls to get himself cut, Brandon lloyd comes on the scene but its when Sam's ankle was hindering him from putting juice on his throw....Ok 2012! Chris Givens arrives! Sam showed he has one of the best deep balls in the game! Go with the two Cardinals TDs, the Pats TD, hell go to the should-have-been 80 yard catch and run to Danny in SF. Too many to choose from! Sam had eight 40+ yard passes this season (7 combined the two years before). Sam always had this skill, it just took a while for him to fully display it because of personnel.

-Use eyes to change direction of DBs --- Sam did a great job of baiting defenders in 2012. Really helped out the WRs to free them into space. The Washington TD to Gibby pops in my head right away. Sam makes that Safety follow his eyes then on his pump fake helping Gibby sell his cut....Game over. Similar play in the @Arizona game, Kendricks TD. Sam had the safety vs a open Givens and open Kendricks. Sam looks at Givens, Safety turns his hips to the left sideline, Sam delivers a strike to Kendricks in midfield who rumbles into the endzone. This little trick by the QB has a big payoff, love it.

-Make plays in the clutch when opportunities show itself --- If anyone watched the season and does not have a vendetta on Sam then they will tell you that #8 is at his best in the clutch! Sam Bradford had 4 fourth quarter comebacks and 6 fourth quarter go ahead leads. For you stat Sam's QB rating in the 4th quarter was in the top 5 of the league. No need to mention any games because if you just watch most of our wins and most of our close loses in 2012 then you will see Sam putting his team in position to win. And that is what you want from a QB.

Now let me point out that I DID NOT and DO NOT expect perfection from Sam.....And that's no pun on Sam at all, because I do not expect perfection from ANYONE. NOBODY! Because no one is perfect. But I did expect Sam to improve on some of the fronts that I listed above. I knew that having a QB coach this time around would really help in his TRUE year 2 of 2012 (2011 was a voided year IMO: Just disaster on every front of a team), I knew that he is 100% motivated on making this team respectable, I knew that we would see good things in 2012 from Sam.

So I just dislike when people are like "If we don't see anything good from Sam in 2013 then...etc"....Just stop. Stop acting like Sam didn't show good things this season because he did.

GIVE HIM SOME DAMN CREDIT! IMO the MVP of the Rams in 2012.

I look forward to seeing Sam play in the future, in the same offense with new toys!

 

[DR RAM]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

You make a lot of good points, and I think Sam showed a lot of progression last season. I expect big things from him this year as long as we continue to build around him, and help keep him clean.

 

[jrry32]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I am happy he made improvements but I still want more from him.

 

[Vault 82]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I think he had a decent year. I think most people are expecting a substantially better showing next season, including myself.

 

[Ramhusker]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I expect a bigger and better 2013 from Sam because his supporting cast is improving and no changes in OC or system. The one thing I would like to see a big improvement in and I don't know how much of it is Sam's fault but these damn delay of game penalties drive me bonkers not to mention the way they stall drives of an O that doesn't exactly light up the scoreboard!!! Sam, without a doubt, is improving in most facets of his game.

 

[-X-]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I've already met my quota of pointing out why Sam isn't the liability people think he is.
All I can say at this point is, "you'll see."

But let's say, for the sake of argument (only) that Sam doesn't improve, and doesn't make it. Why on earth would I want to waste my time running him down as he was trying to improve himself, and by extension, this team? What could I possibly have gained from trying to piss everyone else off with comments about how he sucks? Even if I really thought that, I certainly wouldn't make it my life's work to try and *prove* it to other fans of the Rams. That's just stupid to me.

Anyway. It's no small wonder that as things around him began to stabilize, that he improved as well. Those things go hand in hand. For visual proof of that, just take a look at what happened to Rivers this past year. Lost some receivers, had some O-line problems, and ended up with a pretty pedestrian year (and stat line). Pocket passers all need the same things. Take those things away, and most of them end up in the same boat. Give good, talented QBs the tools to succeed, and everyone benefits.

Derp.

 

[…..]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I'll be happy when he learns how to complete the swing pass and the little 3 yard out that goes to either the TE or the slot guy in motion. He missed those passes so badly, on so many important 3rd downs that I couldnt forget them and let it prejudice me against all the improvements he's made. His red zone interceptions were almost as frustrating for me. Mobility is also a minus.

Having said that, he does make some beautiful throws on passes that most QB's find difficult.

So there you have my excuse for being cautious when evaluating his play. Some of you know I've proclained him "Average Sam". To me he'll be average Sam until he proves otherwise. Hopefully the addition of more dependable weapons and more consistent blocking will propel him to the level that most people think he should be.

 

[-X-]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I'll be happy when he learns how to complete the swing pass and the little 3 yard out that goes to either the TE or the slot guy in motion. He missed those passes so badly, on so many important 3rd downs that I couldnt forget them and let it prejudice me against all the improvements he's made. His red zone interceptions were almost as frustrating for me. Mobility is also a minus.

Having said that, he does make some beautiful throws on passes that most QB's find difficult.

So there you have my excuse for being cautious when evaluating his play. Some of you know I've proclained him "Average Sam". To me he'll be average Sam until he proves otherwise. Hopefully the addition of more dependable weapons and more consistent blocking will propel him to the level that most people think he should be.

Yeah, those are the things that he, personally, needs to improve upon. That, and the deep sideline passes. Too often those things sail to the outside when the receiver is hugging the sideline. I understand you don't wanna throw it inside, but you also don't want them 5 yards out of bounds either. I honestly believe those things will improve with some chemistry with his receivers. Clearly he's not an elite QB right now, but I really do see that he has the tools necessary to get there. Just taking longer than normal (for obvious reasons).

 

[biggame1190]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

and the deep sideline passes. Too often those things sail to the outside when the receiver is hugging the sideline. I understand you don't wanna throw it inside, but you also don't want them 5 yards out of bounds either

Come on now X, I thought you were more sound than that. You do understand that those incompletions you are mentioning above are THROW AWAYS 99% of the time right? Smart play to get rid of the ball when nothing is there. And I know the exact ones you are talking about. Notice on these plays (usually to Gibby) Gibby is blanketed? Yes because Sam is not necessarily throwing to him, just in his direction so there is no intentional grounding called. Just Sam being smart with a throw away. This is obvious and im amazed so many people can not understand little things liks that, all you have to do is mute the idiot main stream commentators who delute the game to the listeners by saying things like "terrible pass by Bradford throwing the ball in a OOB uncatchable area....yada yada"...They dont get it. Listen to Steve Savard, during those plays he calls it for what it is "and Sam is just gonna be smart and throw this one away".

Obvious. Me and rams24/7 have talked about this particular reaction from fans so much, such a pet peeve that so many misunderstand this....

 

[-X-]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

and the deep sideline passes. Too often those things sail to the outside when the receiver is hugging the sideline. I understand you don't wanna throw it inside, but you also don't want them 5 yards out of bounds either

Come on now X, I thought you were more sound than that. You do understand that those incompletions you are mentioning above are THROW AWAYS 99% of the time right? Smart play to get rid of the ball when nothing is there. And I know the exact ones you are talking about. Notice on these plays (usually to Gibby) Gibby is blanketed? Yes because Sam is not necessarily throwing to him, just in his direction so there is no intentional grounding called. Just Sam being smart with a throw away. This is obvious and im amazed so many people can not understand little things liks that, all you have to do is mute the idiot main stream commentators who delute the game to the listeners by saying things like "terrible pass by Bradford throwing the ball in a OOB uncatchable area....yada yada"...They dont get it. Listen to Steve Savard, during those plays he calls it for what it is "and Sam is just gonna be smart and throw this one away".

Obvious. Me and rams24/7 have talked about this particular reaction from fans so much, such a pet peeve that so many misunderstand this....

Well, I certainly love your enthusiasm and your zeal to protect Bradford in this instance, but we're gonna have to disagree. Before you arrived, I was his most staunchest defender, btw. lol. Trust me on this one though. I have a lot of stuff on the cutting room floor that kinda proves what I'm talking about, but I'm not going to trot that out. Just take my word for it. Not 100% of those misfires are intentional. I've seen him do it the other way around and give his receivers the opportunity to try and make a play on the ball too. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not. And that's fine too. Like you said, nobody is perfect. I've seen many a great QB do the same thing. It's called "sailing."

Btw, you will never. Never ever ever. See me take what the media (or fans) say as gospel when it comes to evaluating personnel. Not ever. In fact, I've made videos that disprove what the media and fans say when they fall back on those cliches about "elevating players around them" or "doesn't have pocket presence." I'm a student of the game, not a student of unqualified teachers.

 

[bluecoconuts]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I don't know if I would say satisfied, to me that suggests that I'm fine with him staying where he is. I want him to always improve, because the better he is the better we are.

That being said I was very happy with Sam's season, I thought he did very well. He showed all sorts of signs that if we put a good team around him, he will be an elite QB that takes us on deep playoff runs.

 

[-X-]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I don't know if I would say satisfied, to me that suggests that I'm fine with him staying where he is. I want him to always improve, because the better he is the better we are.

That being said I was very happy with Sam's season, I thought he did very well. He showed all sorts of signs that if we put a good team around him, he will be an elite QB that takes us on deep playoff runs.

Agree. He made some significant strides this past year in a lot of key areas. And still, with a banged up O-line for the better half of the season, and with two rookie WRs, and no Amendola again for a stretch. You really can't expect a whole lot under those circumstances. Especially from a 2.5 year pro. But still, people will try to tell you that it doesn't matter. "QB's are supposed to elevate the play of those around him." Or some such bullshit. That's all well and good for a QB who has a decade in the NFL and within the same system. But asking that of a QB like Bradford, who hasn't really been given much stability at all, is asking too much.

Not completely unrelated, I wonder how Bradford would do if he looked for the open running lanes as much as these other run-happy QBs do. Bradford isn't necessarily slow. I know that's not his strength, and we don't *want* him to do that, but still. I wonder how much success he would have doing that if he did bail at the first opening.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I don't know if I would say satisfied, to me that suggests that I'm fine with him staying where he is. I want him to always improve, because the better he is the better we are.

That being said I was very happy with Sam's season, I thought he did very well. He showed all sorts of signs that if we put a good team around him, he will be an elite QB that takes us on deep playoff runs.

Same here.

Another thing Sam showed this year; TOUGHNESS

He got plowed a few times. One game (can't remember which) I thought he dislocated his shoulder on an awful tackle/fall. After sitting out a play or two; he was right back out there.

Everyone loves a tough guy. Sam is one of them.

 

[…..]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I'm a student of the game, not a student of unqualified teachers.

:?!:


Prior to this quote.....it was just women that made me feel inadequate.

:lmao: :boing:

 

[-X-]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I'm a student of the game, not a student of unqualified teachers.

:?!:


Prior to this quote.....it was just women that made me feel inadequate.

:lmao: :boing:

 

[bluecoconuts]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

I don't know if I would say satisfied, to me that suggests that I'm fine with him staying where he is. I want him to always improve, because the better he is the better we are.

That being said I was very happy with Sam's season, I thought he did very well. He showed all sorts of signs that if we put a good team around him, he will be an elite QB that takes us on deep playoff runs.

Same here.

Another thing Sam showed this year; TOUGHNESS

He got plowed a few times. One game (can't remember which) I thought he dislocated his shoulder on an awful tackle/fall. After sitting out a play or two; he was right back out there.

Everyone loves a tough guy. Sam is one of them.

Arizona? I remember he took a big hit, Clemons threw a bad pass on second down, Bradford came back on third down and converted, then took us in for a TD.

 

[moklerman]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

Why Do I feel like im the only one satisfied with Sam's 2012 season? It really makes me sick to my stomach when I see fans acting like 2012 for Sam was a bad year smh. Sam made great strides! Strides that the stat sheet does not always show! And doing so once again with an interchanging Offensive Line, subpar/young/injuried Wide Receivers, and yes new offensive playbook. I am not listing these things as excuses for sub-par play because I did not see 2012 as a sub-par year for our QB (with what he had to work with). I saw many great things!

I went into the 2012 season with a checklist of things I wanted Sam to improve on. The list consisted off....

-Limit tipped passes from defensive lineman

-Show more pocket awareness for blitzers

-Show more of his athleticism in and out of the pocket

-Go through progressions on WRs. Option 1, 2, 3, etc

-Limit Starring down WRs

-Show fans the great deep ball he has (I never doubted this BTW)

-Use eyes to change direction of DBs

-Make plays in the clutch when opportunities show itself

When the 2012 season was all over I could go back to this list and check mark everything on it! Did Sam perfect everything on it? No..Nor was I expecting that...Did Sam show great improvement in all? Yes he certainly did!

-Limit tipped passes from defensive lineman --- 2010 and 2011 we saw a lot of this. I am willing to say that Sam averaged maybe 2 swatted down passes from DLineman per game during his first two seasons. So much so that I could remember quiet a few of them. Well 2012 I can remember very little of them. Only 2 to be honest. I would say Sam had under 10 tipped passes from defensive lineman in 2012.

-Show more awareness for blitzers --- Sam's alarm clock in his head rung much better in 2012. Sam has done a much better job throwing the hot read (even if the WR did not expect it smh) upon a big blitz, as well as being smart and throwing the ball away. A lot of the deep Gibson fades thrown out of bounds that many knock him for saying "bad pass" just don't understand that Sam is really just throwing the ball away because of combination of blitzers and un-open WRs.

-Show more of his athleticism in and out of the pocket --- We saw more of 2010 mobility Sam Bradford in 2012. A improved one IMO. I was happy to see Sam on bootlegs, and very happy to see Sam "take what he can get" (As Sam would say) in rushing opportunities. WHILE SLIDING :ww:. Games such as the 49ers and Dolphins showed great heart and will for what Sam will do for the team on the ground if given the opportunity. For the first time in Sam's career he crossed the century mark in rushing yards (127 yards: Pretty good for a pocket passer). But also what was a joy to see was Sam uses his athleticism on passes. Throws on the run like the Kendricks TD (Cards 1) and the 2 point conversion to SJ39 (Fins) are two examples of what Sam was doing at times in 2012 with his athleticism.

-Go through progressions on WRs. Option 1, 2, 3, etc --- Now I understand that this was very hard to do in 2011 because the offensive line was such a disaster that Sam did not even have time to go through even his first option at moments. But thankfully while our line was far from perfect in 2012, they did have some good moments, moments where you got to see Sam going through his progressions. This is great yet sad; sad because sometimes I would notice Sam go through maybe all 3 or 4 of his progressions/options down field yet the play would end in a coverage sack, throw away, or short dump off because no one was open. Great for Sam though, showing great improvement on this shows that he is certainly not "gun shy". This was easy to notice because you saw Sam's head moving from left sideline, to middle field, to right sideline.

-Limit Starring down WRs --- This practically falls under the category above. Well all know that in 2010 Sam was very dependent on Dolamite, so much so that he would stare down #16 like me starring down that 10/10 chick I would never get in the bar :lol:. Well I personally did not see that issue in 2012. In both instances, when Danny was active and when Danny was inactive.

-Show fans the great deep ball he has (I never doubted this BTW) --- I was personally never skeptical on Sam's deep ball, I just knew that he never really had a deep threat WR to display it, until we drafted the kid I wanted in round 2, in round 4 of 2012... Sam showed his deep ball right from the get-go in 2010 with Mark Clayton, both connecting for numerous 35+ yard plays within the first month. Then Clayton goes down, Robinson not on the same page, Danny working the middle short, and Gibson...Well you know Gibby :cheese:. 2011 comes and Mike Sims Walker drops numerous threaded needle deep balls to get himself cut, Brandon lloyd comes on the scene but its when Sam's ankle was hindering him from putting juice on his throw....Ok 2012! Chris Givens arrives! Sam showed he has one of the best deep balls in the game! Go with the two Cardinals TDs, the Pats TD, hell go to the should-have-been 80 yard catch and run to Danny in SF. Too many to choose from! Sam had eight 40+ yard passes this season (7 combined the two years before). Sam always had this skill, it just took a while for him to fully display it because of personnel.

-Use eyes to change direction of DBs --- Sam did a great job of baiting defenders in 2012. Really helped out the WRs to free them into space. The Washington TD to Gibby pops in my head right away. Sam makes that Safety follow his eyes then on his pump fake helping Gibby sell his cut....Game over. Similar play in the @Arizona game, Kendricks TD. Sam had the safety vs a open Givens and open Kendricks. Sam looks at Givens, Safety turns his hips to the left sideline, Sam delivers a strike to Kendricks in midfield who rumbles into the endzone. This little trick by the QB has a big payoff, love it.

-Make plays in the clutch when opportunities show itself --- If anyone watched the season and does not have a vendetta on Sam then they will tell you that #8 is at his best in the clutch! Sam Bradford had 4 fourth quarter comebacks and 6 fourth quarter go ahead leads. For you stat Sam's QB rating in the 4th quarter was in the top 5 of the league. No need to mention any games because if you just watch most of our wins and most of our close loses in 2012 then you will see Sam putting his team in position to win. And that is what you want from a QB.

Now let me point out that I DID NOT and DO NOT expect perfection from Sam.....And that's no pun on Sam at all, because I do not expect perfection from ANYONE. NOBODY! Because no one is perfect. But I did expect Sam to improve on some of the fronts that I listed above. I knew that having a QB coach this time around would really help in his TRUE year 2 of 2012 (2011 was a voided year IMO: Just disaster on every front of a team), I knew that he is 100% motivated on making this team respectable, I knew that we would see good things in 2012 from Sam.

So I just dislike when people are like "If we don't see anything good from Sam in 2013 then...etc"....Just stop. Stop acting like Sam didn't show good things this season because he did.

GIVE HIM SOME DAMN CREDIT! IMO the MVP of the Rams in 2012.

I look forward to seeing Sam play in the future, in the same offense with new toys!

You're not the only one and in fact, I think those that are unsatisfied are just a very vocal few. They are quite loud and post quite often, but in terms of Rams nation as a whole, I think most are satisfied with the progress shown this year.

 

[…..]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

oh thats cute..... :lmao:

touche mufukka...lol

 

[-X-]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

oh thats cute..... :lmao:

touche mufukka...lol

heh heh heh.

You know you mah dawg.
And, in case you were misled, I wasn't taking a shot at you with that comment.
Strictly the media, and the fans who forego thinking in favor of douchebaggery.

 

[…..]

Re: Why Do I feel like im the only One Satisfied with Sam's

not at all....didnt think it was....but I jumped in there cause it felt sooo right...lol

but then u turned it on me...and thats ok too. :lmao: you guys are friggin hilarious.