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Bernie Bytes: Concern over Bradford
Good morning, and I hope you all had a pleasant weekend. Big week ahead. The Cardinals play at Pittsburgh and Washington, the Rams get their final preseason game out of the way, and it’s the start of the college football season.
Here's my take on Sam Bradford and the Rams …
Bradford didn’t look good Saturday night in Dallas. And no, I don’t care that it was a preseason game. That’s irrelevant. You want to see certain things from a quarterback, and it doesn’t matter if he’s playing in a preseason game, regular season game, postseason game or pickup game.
The partial check list:
• Is he firm in the pocket? Bradford was awfully jumpy in Dallas. This is disturbing. It’s a continuation of what we saw from Bradford in 2011, when he clearly felt the effects of the frequent pummeling he took from opponents.
• Does he make quick decisions and get the ball out before the protection gives way? Bradford was tentative in Dallas; he often squeezed the rock instead of throwing it.
• Is he instinctive and sharp in being aware of his surroundings? Can he sense the rush? Bradford at times seemed oblivious against the Cowboys. You don’t see him stepping up in the pocket to find extra time to make a throw. You don’t see him making that side move to avoid trouble.
• When the protection holds up, and the quarterback has time to make a throw, is he accurate? Bradford had one terrible miss down the left sideline. He had plenty of time to make the connection, but overthrew an all-alone wide receiver.
I’m no Bradford basher.
If anything, I’m a Bradford apologist.
This organization has done little to help him, and that realization must be a significant part of the evaluation process.
The Rams have hardly put elite talent, or above-average talent, around Sam. And that's true even now, with a new GM and coach in place.
It’s bizarre to me, how Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher could take over this roster, see the team’s shaky assortment of offensive tackles, and do little to upgrade the position over the offseason.
Their big move was to sign Barry Richardson, who played horribly at OT in Kansas City the past few seasons. Richardson was exposed again Saturday night in Dallas.
Snead and Fisher also brought in a journeyman guard, Quinn Ojinnaka. The Rams cut Ojinnaka last summer, which should tell us all we need to know. He couldn’t make the 2011 Rams, and now he’s the solution at left guard? Really? Well, Ojinnaka whiffed on a block Saturday and Bradford got clobbered.
It’s bizarre to me, how the Rams still don’t have an established playmaking receiver in place. Saturday night in Dallas, a couple of the series in the red zone looked like video clips pulled from 2011. Bradford dropped back to pass, and waited and waited and waited. But no receiver could gain separation, and get open. They were laughably easy to cover.
Yes, I know they have potential playmakers in rookies Brian Quick and Chris Givens. They could develop into terrific wide receivers, but I’ll have to see it first. Too many young WRs drafted early become busts in this league.
All I know for sure is this: the 2011 Rams had one of the sorriest group of receivers to ever line up for an NFL team. (That’s minus Danny Amendola, who was injured in the regular-season opener and lost for the season.) But here we are, nearly a year later, and no one has beaten out Brandon Gibson for a starting job. That may still happen; we’ll see.
But rookies Quick and Givens didn't get any time with the No. 1s Saturday. The coaches took a different approach with the rookie RBs, giving Isaiah Pead and Daryl Washington plenty of action, and with the 1st unit. So why wouldn't the coaches give the same opportunity to the rookie wide receivers?
If you have a thin group of receivers and use the No. 33 overall pick on a wide receiver, shouldn’t he be able to prevail over nondescript wideouts and quickly earn considerable playing time, or a starting job? It’s not as if Quick is being asked to edge out Torry Holt or Isaac Bruce, circa 2001, for playing time.
If the Snead-Fisher wide receivers can't displace the Billy Devaney and Steve Spagnuolo wide receivers, it's cause for disappointment. To put it mildly.
I know Quick lacks experience. I know he’s making the big leap to the NFL from Appalachian State. He needs time to develop, and all of that.
Frankly, I don’t want to hear it.
The Rams hyped Quick when they drafted him. They raised expectations. If Quick was coming here as a project, then the Rams should have told us that up front instead of acting as if they’d just discovered the new Andre Reed — the fourth-round pick from Kutztown State who became a Hall of Fame caliber receiver for the Buffalo Bills.
(By the way: I thought Quick showed real toughness in returning to Saturday's game after taking a massive hit, and pulling in a 39-yard catch. That's a positive sign. So here's an idea: PLAY HIM.)
So when I view Bradford’s play, I always try to keep in mind that he’s being asked to succeed with mediocrity at OT, and at wide receiver.
That’s a separate issue for now.
Back to Sam Bradford.
When you see Bradford display the obvious signs of Battered Quarterback Syndrome, it’s a concern. Because when a QB is rattled in the pocket, and unable to handle the oncoming pressure, you could line up Jerry Rice and Raymond Berry at WR and it wouldn't make a difference. If Bradford is going to get antsy as soon as he takes a hit, it's going to be a long year. Sure, the Rams need to do a better job of protecting him, and they're clearly going to have to rely on the running game. But this is a tough game, and QBs have to deal with a lot of adversity and pain. The best quarterbacks don't rise above it every time, but they usually maintain their composure and confidence. This is a big year for Sam. I'm not looking for negatives, but some of this stuff can't be ignored.
Thanks for reading ...
— Bernie
Bernie Bytes: Concern over Bradford
Good morning, and I hope you all had a pleasant weekend. Big week ahead. The Cardinals play at Pittsburgh and Washington, the Rams get their final preseason game out of the way, and it’s the start of the college football season.
Here's my take on Sam Bradford and the Rams …
Bradford didn’t look good Saturday night in Dallas. And no, I don’t care that it was a preseason game. That’s irrelevant. You want to see certain things from a quarterback, and it doesn’t matter if he’s playing in a preseason game, regular season game, postseason game or pickup game.
The partial check list:
• Is he firm in the pocket? Bradford was awfully jumpy in Dallas. This is disturbing. It’s a continuation of what we saw from Bradford in 2011, when he clearly felt the effects of the frequent pummeling he took from opponents.
• Does he make quick decisions and get the ball out before the protection gives way? Bradford was tentative in Dallas; he often squeezed the rock instead of throwing it.
• Is he instinctive and sharp in being aware of his surroundings? Can he sense the rush? Bradford at times seemed oblivious against the Cowboys. You don’t see him stepping up in the pocket to find extra time to make a throw. You don’t see him making that side move to avoid trouble.
• When the protection holds up, and the quarterback has time to make a throw, is he accurate? Bradford had one terrible miss down the left sideline. He had plenty of time to make the connection, but overthrew an all-alone wide receiver.
I’m no Bradford basher.
If anything, I’m a Bradford apologist.
This organization has done little to help him, and that realization must be a significant part of the evaluation process.
The Rams have hardly put elite talent, or above-average talent, around Sam. And that's true even now, with a new GM and coach in place.
It’s bizarre to me, how Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher could take over this roster, see the team’s shaky assortment of offensive tackles, and do little to upgrade the position over the offseason.
Their big move was to sign Barry Richardson, who played horribly at OT in Kansas City the past few seasons. Richardson was exposed again Saturday night in Dallas.
Snead and Fisher also brought in a journeyman guard, Quinn Ojinnaka. The Rams cut Ojinnaka last summer, which should tell us all we need to know. He couldn’t make the 2011 Rams, and now he’s the solution at left guard? Really? Well, Ojinnaka whiffed on a block Saturday and Bradford got clobbered.
It’s bizarre to me, how the Rams still don’t have an established playmaking receiver in place. Saturday night in Dallas, a couple of the series in the red zone looked like video clips pulled from 2011. Bradford dropped back to pass, and waited and waited and waited. But no receiver could gain separation, and get open. They were laughably easy to cover.
Yes, I know they have potential playmakers in rookies Brian Quick and Chris Givens. They could develop into terrific wide receivers, but I’ll have to see it first. Too many young WRs drafted early become busts in this league.
All I know for sure is this: the 2011 Rams had one of the sorriest group of receivers to ever line up for an NFL team. (That’s minus Danny Amendola, who was injured in the regular-season opener and lost for the season.) But here we are, nearly a year later, and no one has beaten out Brandon Gibson for a starting job. That may still happen; we’ll see.
But rookies Quick and Givens didn't get any time with the No. 1s Saturday. The coaches took a different approach with the rookie RBs, giving Isaiah Pead and Daryl Washington plenty of action, and with the 1st unit. So why wouldn't the coaches give the same opportunity to the rookie wide receivers?
If you have a thin group of receivers and use the No. 33 overall pick on a wide receiver, shouldn’t he be able to prevail over nondescript wideouts and quickly earn considerable playing time, or a starting job? It’s not as if Quick is being asked to edge out Torry Holt or Isaac Bruce, circa 2001, for playing time.
If the Snead-Fisher wide receivers can't displace the Billy Devaney and Steve Spagnuolo wide receivers, it's cause for disappointment. To put it mildly.
I know Quick lacks experience. I know he’s making the big leap to the NFL from Appalachian State. He needs time to develop, and all of that.
Frankly, I don’t want to hear it.
The Rams hyped Quick when they drafted him. They raised expectations. If Quick was coming here as a project, then the Rams should have told us that up front instead of acting as if they’d just discovered the new Andre Reed — the fourth-round pick from Kutztown State who became a Hall of Fame caliber receiver for the Buffalo Bills.
(By the way: I thought Quick showed real toughness in returning to Saturday's game after taking a massive hit, and pulling in a 39-yard catch. That's a positive sign. So here's an idea: PLAY HIM.)
So when I view Bradford’s play, I always try to keep in mind that he’s being asked to succeed with mediocrity at OT, and at wide receiver.
That’s a separate issue for now.
Back to Sam Bradford.
When you see Bradford display the obvious signs of Battered Quarterback Syndrome, it’s a concern. Because when a QB is rattled in the pocket, and unable to handle the oncoming pressure, you could line up Jerry Rice and Raymond Berry at WR and it wouldn't make a difference. If Bradford is going to get antsy as soon as he takes a hit, it's going to be a long year. Sure, the Rams need to do a better job of protecting him, and they're clearly going to have to rely on the running game. But this is a tough game, and QBs have to deal with a lot of adversity and pain. The best quarterbacks don't rise above it every time, but they usually maintain their composure and confidence. This is a big year for Sam. I'm not looking for negatives, but some of this stuff can't be ignored.
Thanks for reading ...
— Bernie