Faust
MVP
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Official Sam Bradford - QB (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter voiceofunreason
- Start date
Clicked the link, he seems 19th not 14th to me. I was impressed his rookie year and frustrated his second so the 34th 38th closeness seems odd.
I am still intrigued by their WRs yet think they have no one. It's so odd, it's difficult to word. If one or two would step up I'd feel better.
Anyway, I will be drafting Bradford in redraft and figuring he's a significant value.
I still expect him to be a very good NFL QB
Anyway, I will be drafting Bradford in redraft and figuring he's a significant value.
I still expect him to be a very good NFL QB
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PatsWillWin
Footballguy
It's odd that the Rams would do this. Only lowers the trade value of their pick.
CalBear
Footballguy
I don't see how it lowers the trade value of their pick, even if people believe them. If you are lower in the first round and you want a QB, you're just as likely to need to trade up to the #2 spot to get ahead of Jacksonville. If the Rams trade out of #2, their plans for their pick are completely irrelevant.PatsWillWin said:
It does lower the trade value of Houston's #1 pick a bit, because "knowing" that the Rams won't take a QB means that you can trade up to #3 instead of #1. Unless the Rams trade out of #2, which is very possible.
ItsOnlytheRiver
Footballguy
Fire this thing back up. Bradford "struggled" yesterday according to Twitter tweets.
This sums it up well from ESPN:
- As for the happenings on the practice field, it's more than fair to say the defense is ahead of the offense at this early stage. That should be no surprise, as that's often the case, but it was tough sledding for most of the day with a few early exceptions in seven-on-seven when Bradford connected with tight end Lance Kendricks a couple of times. Once team drills began, though, life became even more difficult with the defensive line consistently wreaking havoc on Bradford. When Bradford did get a pass off, it usually came a beat or two after he would have been sacked in normal game speed. Bradford and receiver Stedman Bailey had a clear miscommunication on one deep ball early in practice that fell easily into the waiting hands of cornerback Brandon McGee for an interception. Bradford looked a bit rusty overall and lacked zip on some of his throws (perhaps because of the pressure), but he did move well. He said after practice he believes the added challenge from the top defense should only serve to make the offense better.
- Working mostly with the second-team defense, rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donaldcontinues to be a terror. He made life miserable for the second-team offensive line and quarterback Shaun Hill. Hard to tell what's going to be more difficult: keeping Donald off the field or trying to block him.
The Rams gotta give their QB some time and we have to figure they've had discussions with their linemen and OC about this. I hate how every year you read that the defense is ahead of the O but...it happens.
Their DL is fantastic. If they can find a way to succeed this summer, I'll be very optimistic for the season which will in some ways be easier than playing against them.
bulger2holt
Footballguy
First practice of the year and coming off an ACL tear and he looked a little rusty? They should have released him right on the spot.
ItsOnlytheRiver
Footballguy
My post was tongue in cheak. But he has a lot to prove this year. This is it.
bulger2holt
Footballguy
ahh, I got ya. Sam will be great this year, especially with a running. Also, don't sleep on Kenny Britt. If Britt stays healthy and keeps his head on straight, he is really good. He is the type or WR Sam hasn't had. Alexander was close when healthy, but Britt is more physical. Hopefully Fisher gets him straightened out.
dkp993
Footballguy
My biggest concerns this yr for the Rams and Bradford aren't really centered around his play. It's the schedule and the division. After the first 3 games we run a stretch of 8 games that can only be described as murderers row. 7 of 8 games against last year playoff teams and the 8th game is against a 10 win Cardinals club. Sam could very well play well and they could be a much better team and we still end up 8-8 for the season.
Playing in the toughest division and football bar none and having that schedule is the very definition of having the cards stacked against you....
Playing in the toughest division and football bar none and having that schedule is the very definition of having the cards stacked against you....
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bulger2holt
Footballguy
The Rams fear no one. With a top 3 D, relentless pass rush and a pounding running game, teams will fear the Rams by week 3.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
The Rams schedule is a nightmare, especially that 8-week stretch, but they've been playing Seattle and SF tough the last few years, so really this year is make or break for Bradford. Having that dunce still as his OC won't help, though.
Faust
MVP
Sam Bradford feeling good as camp opens:
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/9894/sam-bradford-feeling-good-as-camp-opens
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/9894/sam-bradford-feeling-good-as-camp-opens
dkp993
Footballguy
Spoken like a true Rams fan! While I am optimistic I can't say I'm quite as optimistic as you are. But I am pulling for you!!!
kinglochness
Footballguy
Freeman, Tannehill, Griffin, Bradford, Kordell Stewart, Steve Grogan, Lynn Dickey, Joh Hadl, and Troy Aikman. So to answer your question, no. Unless you want to count Aikman (who was really a UCLA guy) or give a lot of premature credit to guys like Tannehill or RG3, it's pretty bleak.
ItsOnlytheRiver
Footballguy
bulger2holt is that optimistic every year. I suppose one of these years he'll get it right.
bulger2holt
Footballguy
Bradford has just as much talent as guys like Stafford, Flacco and Rivers. He was just put in a bad situation. Fisher has finally surrounded him with enough talent to succeed. Their strong running should help Sam a lot. Sam was putting up top 10 numbers last year before the injury, and that was without a true #1 WR. Imagine if he had one?
jurb26
Footballguy
No he doesn't. He's a decent QB but nothing special IMO. He's got the tools to succeed in a great environment and perhaps the Rams have that this year. I think their oline could be top 5 and the running game could also be. St. L still doesn't have a WR1 but it may not matter if the other stuff clicks.bulger2holt said:
5Rings
Lurker
Absolutely!
5Rings
Lurker
My worry for Bradford isn't that he hasn't shown talent when he had the chance. Loved how he looked to start last year. It's that even people within the organization seem to be accepting this as a sort of "last chance" for him. And the talent they need to have "breakthroughs" are mostly deep threats. Britt, Quick, and Givens, and as TE's go, Cook is better downfield as well. I'm not concerned about Tavon's ability to excel in the slot, or Bailey's as a good possession guy. But they need a couple of those other guys to come through...AND the problem there is...bulger2holt said:
...there's a very strong history of year-after-ACL QB's having struggles with the deep ball. RG3, Brady, Palmer...these guys all injured that front leg, and were pretty limited in what they could do downfield for at least a year. Palmer NEVER really got his deep ball back. I'm not sure Bradford has the luxury of taking a year to get his fastball back. But I'm worried physically, he may be limited to a year of dumpoffs and over-the-middles. The corresponding fear is that if he feels the need to force things, it could turn into a pickfest if there's inadequate zip on those bombs. All those guys had historically bad (for them) TD:INT seasons right after the injury.
So ultimately, I worry his eventual breakthrough, if it comes, may be on another team. Through no real fault of his own.
Everyone heals differently, but I think there's reason to worry.
Incidentally, it's for these same reasons that I'm inclined to reach aggressively for Austin in drafts.
jurb26
Footballguy
Didn't Palmer also have a shoulder problem that caused him to lose his arm strength? Maybe I'm getting guys confused but I'm pretty sure it wasn't the knee that caused the long term issues.
Lott's Fingertip
Footballguy
Palmer had elbow issues, IIRC.jurb26 said:
bulger2holt
Footballguy
I have been to a couple training camps so far and Bradford looks great. He is throwing lasers all over the field to Britt, Cook, Quick and Tavon.
RBM
Footballguy
Arm strength and accuracy were never his problems though. I like Bradford so I'm rooting for him but there is something he lacks in games....a certain moxy it takes to be a big time qb. It doesn't help that he has the worst OC in football, imo, working with him.bulger2holt said:
“A lot of big plays down the field. If there's any question about Sam's ability to play the position, I think it was answered here, at least early in camp. Some great throws today.''
Bradford, who seems to have a little extra zip on the ball these days, on a long pass down the left side to Kenny Britt for a 65-yard touchdown in 11-on-11 and hooked up frequently with second-year wideout Stedman Bailey on Saturday.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-report/rams-report-fanfest-at-dome-draws-better-than-fans/article_93149efd-0f6b-5378-8827-d5d1b153e1ee.html
Bradford, who seems to have a little extra zip on the ball these days, on a long pass down the left side to Kenny Britt for a 65-yard touchdown in 11-on-11 and hooked up frequently with second-year wideout Stedman Bailey on Saturday.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-report/rams-report-fanfest-at-dome-draws-better-than-fans/article_93149efd-0f6b-5378-8827-d5d1b153e1ee.html
The Rams held their annual scrimmage Saturday, coming out in full pads for the first time. While none of the principals competed in any live drills, the first-team offense and defense did match up for some extended team drills. They spent those drills working at "thud" tempo with the defense making contact with the shoulder pads but with no live tackling. The first-team offense continued to show signs of life in the early live drills, with quarterback Sam Bradford and receiver Stedman Bailey hooking up for big gains twice in as many snaps. Bailey had a big day in general, catching about 10 passes during live drills and seven on seven. Bradford later connected with Kenny Brittfor a long touchdown on a perfectly thrown deep ball. But when the drill moved closer to the goal line, the defense stood tall and kept the offense out of the end zone on consecutive handoffs from the 2.
Chaka
Footballguy
Throwing lasers and connecting on deep balls in camp is all well and good but I am still skeptical that he is anything more than a 6.8 ish YPA guy. I think Bradford's best hope for breaking through and being a guy who truly challenges defenses is if Britt comes out at peak form. He had the potential to be a difference maker and that would be a huge boon to Bradford because I don't see him as the type of QB who turns players into difference makers.
Despite that I think Bradford could be a 24ish TD guy with 3,800 yards but he needs more help to be a 30+ TD guy.
I also think fantasy players need to be prepared for the Rams to be much more of a running team.
Despite that I think Bradford could be a 24ish TD guy with 3,800 yards but he needs more help to be a 30+ TD guy.
I also think fantasy players need to be prepared for the Rams to be much more of a running team.
Givens got deep at times in games and seemed like maybe he could be a decent WR. Other times it seemed all he did was go deep and was quite easy to cover. If you want YPA to go up, you gotta root for a deep threat in STL. Britt and Quick give them big guys that could go up and get it where Bradford could take a shot(Cook too if he's in the mood). Givens didn't really give them that #1 WR vibe.
Chaka
Footballguy
Neither of them has shown the potential upside of Britt. Never seen Givens do anything other than go deep and never seen Quick do anything really notable at all. Perhaps with a better QB they could threaten defenses but I don't think Bradford is the guy to turn them into legitimate threats...unless a guy like Britt opens things up for them.
Faust
MVP
Rams managing Bradford's workload:
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/133857/rams-managing-bradfords-workload
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/133857/rams-managing-bradfords-workload
Mr. Irrelevant
IBL Representative
The Rams were 28th out of 32 NFL teams last season in pass attempts. Kellen Clemens (242 PA in 9+ games) was pretty much the definition of "game manager". Assuming Bradford remains healthy, does anyone actually expect the Rams to throw the ball less this year?
Chaka
Footballguy
And Kellen Clemens had terrible passing numbers but we're not talking about Clemens.
When Bradford was playing (7 games) they were on pace to throw the ball 608 times (including the 4 attempts Clemmens had in the game Bradford got injured) that would have been good for 10th most attempts last season. Through 5 games they were on pace to throw an incredible 691 passes.
So Bradfords 2 TD/game average last year came in a top 10 offense for passing attempts. Furthermore even with those gaudy pass attempt #s Bradford was on pace to finish with 3,915 yards, which would have placed him 10th overall but his 6.44 Y/A would have been the worst among the top 10 by a .5 yards.
Clemens was on pace for 423 passing attempts, if you plug Bradford's 6.44 Y/A and 5.3% TD rate (which is better than his career rates of 6.3 Y/A & 3.4% TD rate) you get 2,724 yards and 22 TDs.
I don't think it will be as bad as all that but I think the Rams would prefer to be in the bottom half of pass attempts this season (570-580 attempts at most) so if we use his career best Y/A of 6.7 and 5.3% TD rate that would give you 3,852 yards and 30 TDs. I would call that his absolute ceiling. That would have been good for 12th in yards and 6th in TDs last year. It would be great if it happened but I am always a little skeptical predicting career best numbers from players.
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The pace Bradford was on last year was so far above his career best, that unless you're openly predicting an injury, it would be insane to predict less than career best numbers for him. That, AND he added Britt, AND the other two favorites to be in the WR mix will be second year players now. Sometimes, even a good rule of thumb stops making sense when you look at the specifics.
MoveToSkypager
Footballguy
The pace Bradford was on last year was so far above his career best, that unless you're openly predicting an injury, it would be insane to predict less than career best numbers for him. That, AND he added Britt, AND the other two favorites to be in the WR mix will be second year players now. Sometimes, even a good rule of thumb stops making sense when you look at the specifics.
Chaka
Footballguy
The pace Bradford was on last year was so far above his career best, that unless you're openly predicting an injury, it would be insane to predict less than career best numbers for him. That, AND he added Britt, AND the other two favorites to be in the WR mix will be second year players now. Sometimes, even a good rule of thumb stops making sense when you look at the specifics.
Do players always improve on their current career best performances?
And 3,800 yards and 30 TDs would be his career bests by a good margin.
The Rams run
ass ratio with Bradford last season was 36.7% to 63.3% with Clemens it was 53.1% to 46.9%. I personally don't believe that there is any way on God's green earth that Fisher wants to have such a lopsided ratio again this season like they did with Bradford last year. I think something closer to their overall 45.7% to 54.3% ratio is where you should start with your projections.
Chaka
Footballguy
If you look at Brian Schottenheimer's track record as an OC the highest any of his teams have ever ranked in pass attempts is 13th (one time), and his teams average 21st in pass attempts. Now maybe you think that has more to do with Rex Ryan than Schottenheimer and maybe you would be right however Ryan and Fisher are cut from the same cloth.
Since becoming the HC of Houston full time in 1995 Fisher's teams average 22nd in pass attempts. He has had two seasons, out of 18 total, (2004 & 2005) where his teams ranked 2nd and 5th in pass attempts. In his other 16 seasons as a head coach the best his teams have ever managed is 16th in pass attempts (once). His totals for the other 15 seasons are 17th, 19th (twice), 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 27th, 28th (5 times), 29th & 30th. His teams have finished above the league average in rush attempts 13 times in 18 seasons. 1st (twice), 2nd, 4th, 5th (twice), 8th, 9th (twice), 11th (twice), 12th, 14th, 17th, 22nd, 23rd, 23rd & 25th (average of 11th in rush attempts).
Maybe I put too much stock in these things but I don't like betting against trends like that. The beginning of last season feels like an outlier.
Since becoming the HC of Houston full time in 1995 Fisher's teams average 22nd in pass attempts. He has had two seasons, out of 18 total, (2004 & 2005) where his teams ranked 2nd and 5th in pass attempts. In his other 16 seasons as a head coach the best his teams have ever managed is 16th in pass attempts (once). His totals for the other 15 seasons are 17th, 19th (twice), 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 27th, 28th (5 times), 29th & 30th. His teams have finished above the league average in rush attempts 13 times in 18 seasons. 1st (twice), 2nd, 4th, 5th (twice), 8th, 9th (twice), 11th (twice), 12th, 14th, 17th, 22nd, 23rd, 23rd & 25th (average of 11th in rush attempts).
Maybe I put too much stock in these things but I don't like betting against trends like that. The beginning of last season feels like an outlier.
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