Who's 'winning' the Foles-Bradford trade?

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  • November 18, 2015 at 2:26 am #34325
    Avatar photozn
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    Who’s ‘winning’ the Foles-Bradford trade?

    Ben Frederickson

    http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ben-frederickson/benfred-who-s-winning-the-foles-bradford-trade/article_783d23a7-89e0-56cc-8719-d222337fae18.html

    Imagine if they knew then what everyone knows now.

    A front office phone rings last March …

    Eagles: “2013 was a mirage. Fool’s gold. You’re getting a guy you will bench in favor of Case Keenum, a former undrafted free agent who hasn’t played in a real game in 11 months, but can’t possibly be worse.”

    Rams: “Intriguing. The guy you’re getting will create some buzz, fizzle, then fester. If he can stay healthy, well, it doesn’t really matter because he can’t. Tell Mark Sanchez he shouldn’t get too comfy holding that clipboard.”

    Eagles: “We’ll throw in a fourth-round pick and a second-round pick in 2016 if you kick back a fifth-round pick. Let’s be honest, there’s a decent chance one of the players we use these picks on will turn out to be better than either of these quarterbacks.”

    Rams: “We’ve got ourselves a deal!”

    It’s Week 11 of the 2015 season, and trying to figure out which team is “winning” the Nick Foles/Sam Bradford trade is an exercise in futility. It’s like a football version of that hypothetical yet still twisted “would-you-rather” game kids play. Would you rather get a paper cut between your toes, or between your fingers? And you have to pick one.

    Rams coach Jeff Fisher, less than 24 hours after he said he did not consider a quarterback change during an embarrassing 37-13 home loss to the Bears, announced Monday he has benched the floundering Foles.

    “Nick just needs a break,” said Fisher as he attempted to put a positive spin on sitting a team captain who was supposed to be a franchise quarterback.

    “He just needs a break right now. He’s going to continue to work. He’ll run scout team. He’ll be prepared to play. But, he just needs to get more experience under his belt in this offense. And we need to do a better job around him and I keep circling back to that. It’s not easy. It’s hard. But, to me it’s the right decision for us moving forward.”

    Philadelphia fans can’t chortle. Just as the Bradford roller coaster was starting to tick upward again — he posted QB ratings of 100-plus in two consecutive weeks for the first time this season! — he got hurt. Shocker. It’s a double whammy, shoulder injury plus concussion.

    Foles ranks 28th in completion percentage (56.6), 29th in passing yards (1,678), 30th in yards per attempt (6.55), 29th in touchdowns (7), 30th in touchdown percentage (2.7) and 29th in passer rating (75.9). The Rams are 4-5.

    Bradford ranks 19th in completion percentage (63.9), 13th in passing yards (2,297), 24th in yards per attempt (6.86), 21st in touchdowns (11), 27th in touchdown percentage (3.3) and 25th in passer rating (82.4) . He’s thrown 10 interceptions to Foles’ six. The Eagles are also 4-5.

    Right now, the biggest reason the Eagles are winning the trade has nothing to do with what Bradford did. It’s what he didn’t do. He reportedly turned down a four-year, $72 million contract offer before the season. Instead, he bet on himself to increase his worth. Now the Eagles can walk away penalty-free after the season if they choose.

    The Rams aren’t so lucky. Foles signed a $26 million contract extension that included almost $14 million guaranteed before he threw an errant pass in navy blue.

    “It’s his baby now,” Fisher said at the time.

    “He won’t crash,” Rams executive vice president Kevin Demoff said at the time.

    So forgive me for being skeptical on the Keenum hype Fisher is selling now.

    The tipping point on this trade could boil down to the 2016 draft. Andrew Donnal, the offensive tackle the Rams selected with the 2015 pick acquired in the trade, hasn’t wowed. But the second-round pick the Rams will make this spring might.

    The Eagles used the 2015 fifth-round pick they received from the trade to move up and select sparsely-used corner Eric Rowe in the second round.

    What a sad contest this has become.

    On Monday, Fisher insisted the Rams do not regret the trade.

    Why should they?

    It’s been equally brutal for both sides.

    November 18, 2015 at 2:43 am #34328
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
    Participant

    I count everything a wash, except we have Philly’s 2cd round pick next year. We can use that pick to get a QB with potential. 😉

    Agamemnon

    November 18, 2015 at 11:54 pm #34405
    Avatar photozn
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    REEVALUATING THE FOLES-BRADFORD TRADE

    With the news of Nick Foles’ benching, John Breitenbach revisits the QB-for-QB swap by the Rams and Eagles.

    https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/11/17/pro-nick-foles-sam-bradford-trade-re-evaulated/

    This offseason, the Rams traded Sam Bradford and a fifth-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for Nick Foles and a second-round pick. Neither team was overly-satisfied with the fit of their signal caller, but also found the options in free agency and the draft limited, forcing them to look around the league for solutions. It’s now the middle of November, and Foles has been benched for Case Keenum, while Bradford is likely to miss time for injuries sustained against the Dolphins.

    As is evident from the numbers, neither QB has played well through Week 10. Foles is better at generating big plays, but Bradford has better accuracy in general and under pressure.

    Foles’ biggest issue throughout his career has been consistency. Too often, good games have been followed up with terrible ones. Even in his outstanding 2013 season, Foles was dreadful against Dallas in Week 7. Overall, he has played four games with a +4.0 grade or better in his career, but another six with grades worse than -4.0. Three of those games have come this year, including the one that resulted in his benching against the Bears.

    Bradford, meanwhile, has done a decent job in Chip Kelly’s offense, but his limitations aren’t going away. He remains inaccurate and indecisive on downfield throws, even if his receivers have let him down on occasion with drops. Injury issues have resurfaced, with reports now that he may miss two games due to multiple injuries sustained in Week 10.

    The backups
    Jeff Fisher is desperately looking for a solution to save the Rams’ season, and probably his job, but recently-named starter Case Keenum does not look like the savior. Overall, he has a -10.6 grade in his performances in the pros (10 starts since 2013). There were some good moments in Houston, but passing under pressure proved a significant issue, along with accuracy in general.

    For the Eagles, Mark Sanchez remains a capable passer, but also more than capable of crippling decisions in key situations. His -7.9 grade in nine games last season suggests he’s unlikely to seize the starting job if Bradford is forced to miss significant time.

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