so how did Bradford do

wv wrote:

But then there’s those first 9 games,
including an injury…

Bradford is and always has been a slow learner. Not because he’s not smart, but because as an athlete (IMO) he’s more of a “learn it by repping a lot” type and has very little spontaneous improv in him. I have been saying all this since early in his Rams career. He CAN improv when he knows the drill by heart.

So a slow start in a new offense that had no running game and mediocre WRs? To me that’s just expected. Add getting his knee to be less stiff and more flexible to that.

So the slow start is no surprise.

Him doing well AFTER a slow start is no surprise.

The thing people should notice though is all the stuff he was doing once he got tuned in, stuff that people said he CAN’T do.

Yes he was aware in the pocket and did a good job under pressure, stepping up, evading sacks, getting the ball off. People said before he couldn’t do that and yes he was doing that and very well.

He had a high YPA, something people said he would never get. 7.98 is very good.

The only thing he wasn’t that he WAS before was deadly in the redzone. He used to be one of the 2-3 best in the league inside the 10. That wasn’t as evident in 2015.

Interesting about perceptions though. Roethlisberger missed games last year, again…a frequent thing with him. Yet he is supposed to be the epitome of tough. Bradford was out 2 games with a concussion, and that’s coming back from 2 knee injuries. Yet he is supposed to be a china doll, as some put it.

But see last year, Eagles were 22nd in qb hits (meaning 22nd worst, they allowed a lot) yet Bradford ended up being PFF’s best qb under pressure. THAT is a very striking thing. High in hits? Yet also best under pressure? Whazzat combo tellya?

I always felt with Bradford that there were perception problems in talking about him. People just couldn’t SER stuff with him, and often assumed the opposite of what was actually the case.

.

zn wrote:

after a rocky start, Bradford finished well in Phil. In his last 7 starts,

Malcolm Jenkins: Sam Bradford can lead Eagles to Super Bowl

by Darin Gantt

Malcolm Jenkins: Sam Bradford can lead Eagles to Super Bowl

The Eagles don’t appear to be interested in using the franchise tag on quarterback Sam Bradford, but one of his teammates is a big believer in his ability to lead the team in a post-Chip Kelly world.

Via Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins was unequivocal in his praise of Bradford, saying he could lead them to a Super Bowl.

“If you protect Sam and give him weapons to use,” Jenkins said, “I think he can be one of those quarterbacks to win a championship.”

That wasn’t always apparent last year, though Bradford did look more and more competent as the year went on. Staying healthy was a plus as well, after what he went through the two previous years in St. Louis. Perhaps getting more stable on his twice-repaired ACL was the difference, but Jenkins said Bradford was also more comfortable in the locker room, which helped.

“Early, especially in the first half of the season, I don’t know how comfortable he was in the locker room or being in the role of the leader on the team when he had just gotten here, Jenkins said. “He’s got new guys. Then he got hurt, and when he came back, he decided to take the team by the horns basically.

He really started to be a lot more vocal, he started to break down the huddles, he started to speak to the team before every game. When he did that, he gained the trust of the teammates and he started playing better. The back half of the season, he played really well for us.

“So, from a player’s perspective, we definitely got behind Sam in that back stretch and really would like to see him back moving forward. We think he can be the leader and the quarterback that we need.”

There was a bright-line difference between the first seven weeks of Bradford (62 percent completions, 76.4 passer rating) and the rest of the season (68 percent, 97.0).

And that kind of play the back half of the season will also make him valuable to others as he’s about to hit the market, though not valuable enough for the Eagles to invest $20 million for a single year, or to allow him to think that’s where the negotiation starts.

Sam Bradford Expected To Re-Sign With Eagles, May Have To Take A “Prove-It Deal”

link: http://nfltraderumors.co/143043-2/

Jason Cole of B/R has spoken to multi NFL teams who expect free agent QB Sam Bradford to re-sign with the Eagles this offseason. However, Bradford will not receive the Eagles’ franchise tag.

Cole mentions that Bradford had a strong finish to his 2015 season, but it’s still unlikely that he’ll receive a massive contract in line with the recent quarterbacks deals. Instead, Cole believes Bradford may have to sign a one-year, “prove-it deal” in 2016 and test the open market again in 2017.

Eagles executive Howie Roseman recently said on a recent podcast with Dave Spadaro that they want to have Bradford back next year if it “makes sense on both sides.”

“We’ve all been clear that we like Sam, and we’d like to have him back. It goes then between all of us and whether we can figure something out that makes sense on both sides,” said Roseman, via PhillyMag.com. “Sometimes we get into a situation where we sit here and it will make sense from the team’s perspective but when you’re talking about a negotiation, it’s also got to work for the other side and the player, and we understand that. But hopefully this will all work out and we’ll look at that depth chart when we line up here in July and be really excited about the position.”

Bradford, 28, played out the final year of his six-year, $78 million contract that included $50 million guaranteed.

The free agent market for quarterbacks isn’t very deep with Bradford, Kirk Cousins, and Ryan Fitzpatrick being the most notable players, so it will be interesting to see where he ends up and the kind of contract he signs.

In 2015, Bradford threw for 3,725 yards while completing 66 percent of his passes to go along with 19 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 12 quarterback out of 37 qualifying players.