Former Seahawk Michael Robinson talks about the Rams

Michael Robinson calls Sam Bradford ‘soft’

By Ryan Van Bibber

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2014/7/16/5909299/michael-robinson-calls-sam-bradford-soft

The former Seahawks fullback had some nice things to say about the St. Louis Rams … just not their quarterback.

Former Seattle Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson was on ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday morning. Yes, it’s that awful show with Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith, so you probably didn’t watch it. A few people did, and they heard what Robinson had to say about the St. Louis Rams and their quarterback Sam Bradford.

Robinson picked the Rams as his surprise team in the NFC West. That’s a positive. The Rams are starting to get some respect from their peers around the league, and it’s been a long time since we’ve seen that.

On the subject of Bradford, Robinson went another direction, calling the fifth-year quarterback returning from an ACL tear “kind of soft.”

He didn’t stop there either. Robinson said the Rams had plenty of weapons on offense, pointing out specifically last year’s first-round pick Tavon Austin, but they needed to “toughen up” their quarterback. Robinson insinuated that Bradford had developed that “soft” reputation around the NFL.

We’re working to get video of Robinson’s comments now.

Take it for what it is, player trash talk. If nothing else, it’s a good way to fired up for a pair of game against the Seahawks this season.

On the subject of Bradford, Robinson went another direction, calling the fifth-year quarterback returning from an ACL tear “kind of soft.”

He didn’t stop there either. Robinson said the Rams had plenty of weapons on offense, pointing out specifically last year’s first-round pick Tavon Austin, but they needed to “toughen up” their quarterback. Robinson insinuated that Bradford had developed that “soft” reputation around the NFL.

That’s misreported. Listen to the vid in the original post. He doesn’t quite say that and he says more than that (that’s positive). He ends by saying when the game slows down for him a bit, his career will take off.

The vid is a bit different from how the article represents it.

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NFL guys going against St. Louis…what do you think of Sam Bradford?

I’ll give it to you straight…a little soft. I said it even when he was coming into the league, I don’t know, maybe it’s his look or his body … just a little soft… we know that we can send the dogs after him and he’ll throw us the ball… we understand that if we can move him off his spot and jam his receivers … the guy Austin is an awesome playmaker …he needs to slow the game down in his brain a little bit though

Historically, Bradford hasn’t done well against Seattle. The Rams are 2-4 against them with him playing qb. He has more INTs against them than TDs (4 T, 6 I). He has a completion percentage (avg) of around 55%, and a qb rating (avg) of around 64.3.

RockRam

Bradford is not soft physically or mentally.
However he doesn’t exhibit an ability to improvise much.

I think Bradford’s demeanor is not to take many risks, and to operate squarely in the middle of the system.
When the play breaks down, he doesn’t exhibit much ability to make lemonade from lemons.

That said, that doesn’t mean that he is soft or incapable of taking the Rams to the Superbowl.
It means that the system MUST revolve around what he does best, and avoid what he can’t do.

He needs a pretty clean pocket, because he is a pocket QB.
He needs WRs to get open, because his conservative nature doesn’t allow him to throw it up for grabs (although, if he had a guy who won most 50/50 balls he might).
He needs a strong running game, and an oline that can keep his feet clean.
He needs to be able to step UP into the pocket.
He needs to only have to throw on average 20 times per game.
He needs a play action pass scheme.
He needs very good WRs who can get open and hang onto the ball; if he only has 1 who is reliable, that’s who he’ll look for first every time (Danny Amendola and before him Clayton).

He CAN roll out, either way, but because he’s conservative whenever he rolls out he’ll only throw to that side of the field and not across his body to the opposite side.
He CAN audible the Rams out of bad plays.
He CAN move the ball down the field fast in a fast pace, when asked to.
He CAN make accurate throws at every distance.
He CAN make every throw because he has the arm strength.
He CAN read defenses.
He CAN translate an offensive game plan to the field.
He CAN have patience and not get flustered.
He CAN get rid the ball quickly (fast release).

He can NOT win a game with his feet.
He can NOT improvise.
He can NOT throw a guy open.
He can NOT move around in the pocket very well or buy time.
He can NOT be a fiery vocal leader.
He can NOT carry himself with a swagger and challenge his opponent that way.
He can NOT throw 35 times per game, in a past first offense, and survive let alone win consistently.
He can NOT elevate the team by himself ala Rogers, Brady, P. Manning.
He can NOT be a gunslinger who can throw 4 or 5 INTs ala Favre, and maintain a “what the hell” persona and a true personal confidence.

This is who Sam is, what he needs, and what he can and cannot do.

If Schotty will design an offense for this, and he has the players to support him, he can lead us to the playoffs.

Fwiw, here’s Bradford under pressure, according to Pro Football Focus stats.

2012. They rank him 12th…even though he was hit as he threw more than anyone else. He was also 2nd worst in WR drops when under pressure. He’s 11th in TDs throwing under pressure. He’s tied for 2nd with the least INTs when throwing under pressure.

His sack percentage under pressure is 10th worst, though, remember, 2012 included 8 games with an injury OL that consisted of Hunter Ojinnaka Turner Dahl Richards. (After leaving the Rams, Turner was benched and Ojinaka, Hunter, and Richardson are not presently on any NFL roster. That’s 4.)

His completion percentage under pressure is 20th of 38 ranked qbs. His accuracy percentage (or drops counted as completions) is ranked 18th of 38, which btw is still better Eli, Flacco, Luck, Stafford, Romo, and Brady.

In 2013, the figures are all tilted by the fact that they had no running threat for 4 of the 7 games.

But in 2013, he is 38th, and his completion percentage and accuracy percentage are both worse than 2012.

So what I conclude from that is that Bradford does better under pressure when he has a running threat.

From what I have seen, and just looking at raw numbers, I do not think it is true that he is “bad under pressure,” period. I think he is BETTER when he has a running threat.

All of this was prompted by Robinson. Well…it IS true that the Seattle defense has the number of the Rams offense. Bradford has 38 career INTs in 4 seasons, which is also 49 games played. His overall INT percentage is 2.2%. If he played 16 games last year 2.2% would rank 11th among qbs with 10 or more starts.

So he doesn’t throw INTs overall, but against Seattle he has 6 INts in 6 games. (Of the 49 games he has played, he played Seattle 12.2% of the time yet they represent neatly 16% of his total INTs.)

But then Seattle demolished Manning in the superbowl so I am not weeping into my soup. It’s Seattle. What qb has Seattle’s number? (There might actually be one but if I don’t recall.) The Rams do have to beat Seattle obviously…but the fact that Seattle has their number so far is not this big surprise.

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WV, if you break all those pick 6’s down, you don’t get 6 cases of an unnerved qb throwing blind into coverage.

Think of Stacy letting Mikkel hit his arm in the Carolina game…or, think of the one that bounced right off Richardson’s hands to a DE who had dropped into coverage (I think that was the Dallas game).

And I can pull of vids of him rolling out of the pocket and hitting a couple of TDs on the run. I could also repost the 30+ yarder to Cook where he waits knowing that a free lineman bears down on him. Those are just a couple of the off the top of my head examples.

And what about the 11/11 game in SF in 2012 where he went 26 of 39 (66.67%) for 275 yards, a 7.05 YPA, 2 TDs, and earned a 104.1 qb rating? That was against the NFC champs on their home turf…and that’s without the 80 yarder to Amendola early in OT that was called back because of penalty.

I have just seen too much that contradicts that view. Even erring on the conservative side, I would say it’s far more mixed than that, and not that cut n dried.

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RockRam

I think Sam is my guy on an emotional level. He’s never claimed to be a “star”. Never claimed to be the best. Never claimed to be a one man show.

He came in under terrible circumstances, won Rookie of the Year, and then had 3 OCs and 3 systems in his first 3 years. Most of his former oline isn’t even in the league any more they were so bad and I don’t think they lined up the same unit more than 2 games in a row due to injuries and ineptitude..

Then he has the high ankle, a full season, and then the ACL just as he was “getting it” in Schotty’s system, and just as the young WRs were starting to figure it out.

Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong; everything that is not of his control went south (and certainly some things of his control, as well). And yet, he threw nobody under the bus. He only spoke of how he had to improve and his confidence in his coaching staff and in his teammates.

Think he doesn’t know the nasty and derogatory things that have been said about him? Of course he does; he doesn’t live on another planet.
But he has stuck with it, worked hard, stayed positive, been accessible and respectful to the media, and perhaps this year it will pay off for him.

He is my guy on this team; and no I’m not Pollyanna. Bradford is not Kurt Warner, and it is likely not in his future to be in the HOF. But he is imo plenty good enough to take the Rams to the promised land. IF……he has good enough players to surround him. And at the moment, I think the only doubt area is WR; but that is currently an open question soon tbd.

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