Bradford press conference

Sam Bradford takes no shots at Rams on way out

By Nick Wagoner | ESPN.com

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Quarterback Sam Bradford took his first crack at handling the Philadelphia media as the Eagles introduced him at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Bradford has never been much for media attention and in his time with the St. Louis Rams often avoided doing any more than the NFL media policy would dictate. And, of course, the media attention and scrutiny in St. Louis is far different from what he’ll now face. But, at least in his first try, Bradford handled everything about as well as could be expected.

In the 15 minutes or so he was on the dais (which can be seen here), Bradford fielded plenty of questions about his twice-torn left anterior cruciate ligament. He also fielded a few questions about how things in St. Louis ended.

It should come as no surprise that Bradford, who always carried himself as the consummate professional in St. Louis, had nothing bad to say about the organization that made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2010.

Asked if he felt like a lack of talent around him was the reason it didn’t work out in St. Louis, Bradford said that wasn’t the case.

“I’m not going to sit here and make excuses for the way things are,” Bradford said. “I’m just excited to be here. I look at the opportunity ahead of me and I think it’s a great one. I’m looking forward to the fresh start.”

Bradford was also asked if he felt like the Rams “gave up” on him.

“No, not at all,” Bradford said. “The way I look at it is the Eagles wanted me, they pursued me and they got me in this building. I’m happy to be an Eagle and I’m ready to get to work.”

Bradford did, however, offer some clarity on how long the trade had been in the works and where he stands from a health standpoint. Bradford said that he learned of a possible trade three or four weeks ago and that along the way multiple teams expressed interest.

That timeline would mostly match up with February’s NFL scouting combine, where news of the Rams shopping Bradford first came up. At the time, Rams general manager Les Snead and coach Jeff Fisher vehemently denied the rumors. Though it was clear the Rams might make a move if the right offer came along, they obviously were more eager to make something happen than they let on.

“This has been in the works for a while,” Bradford said. “So it didn’t catch me totally by surprise when it happened yesterday. I think any quarterback in this league would love to play for Chip in this offense.”

Around that same time, it also had become clear that taking a pay cut for the season was growing into a bigger point of contention between the two sides, though Bradford was not asked about that Wednesday.

Bradford didn’t reveal much else that anyone would consider revelatory in his time on the podium. He did express happiness that he’ll be reunited with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur in Philadelphia.

In discussing the need for stability, Bradford said that’s one of the few things the Rams didn’t have in his five years. Right now, that’s also not something overly abundant with the Eagles unless you’re a former Oregon Duck.

“I think the key to any successful organization is stability, whether that’s professional sports, business, whatever it is,” Bradford said. “That’s something we didn’t have a lot of in St. Louis. But I think there’s a lot of other reasons that things have gone the way they have.”

Namely, his two consecutive ACL injuries. Bradford said he began a throwing program in St. Louis a few weeks ago and reiterated that he plans to be ready for training camp and he’s willing to compete for the starting job with Mark Sanchez.

Such is Bradford’s new lot in life. After a career in St. Louis that once held so much promise, Bradford said he can’t afford to spend time looking back on his time with the Rams.

“I wouldn’t say regret,” Bradford said of his time in St. Louis. “I think any player when you come into this league, everyone has the dream of playing 12, 15, whatever it is, that many years with the club that brought you into the league. But like I said, I think this is a great opportunity. If it’s not in St. Louis, I think this is the one place that a quarterback would want to be and this is where I want to be. I’m an Eagle now and I can’t wait to start this journey.”

Eternal Ramnation wrote:

What shots could he possibly take? I don’t think Sam is the kind of guy that would take shots anyway but I just can’t see what shots he could take.

He could have blamed a very pedestrian supporting cast for most of his time here, but I think he realizes that the team was ready to go last year when he got hurt.