Bradford's return

Bradford eager to make 2014 debut against Packers
AP – Sports

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bradford-eager-2014-debut-against-022735264–nfl.html

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford has insisted throughout training camp that his knee wasn’t a concern.

And by all appearances he has looked comfortable during practices.

His first major test comes Saturday when St. Louis plays host to Green Bay in both teams’ second preseason game.

It will be the first time since Bradford tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in October at Carolina that he faces the prospect of being hit and tackled.

”It’s important just being out there, knowing that I can get hit, knowing that I’m probably going to take a few hits in the preseason,” he said after Tuesday’s practice.

”I think it’s probably bigger for everybody else to see that it’s going to be OK, I’m going to get hit, it’s part of the game. It’s not a big deal.

”But it will be nice to take that first hit and get up knowing that everything’s fine.”

Bradford suffered the injury after trying to scramble out of bounds. He got hit just before getting to the sideline and landed awkwardly on his left knee. The subsequent swelling delayed the surgery for about a month.

Since then, Bradford said everything has gone as planned. He hasn’t missed any reps or pulled back from his routine.

Even missing the Rams’ preseason opener last week against New Orleans was part of the progression established after the surgery to get him ready for the start of the regular season.

Now, he gets to see – as does everybody else – how prepared he and his knee are to be on the field.

”Really excited,” he said. ”It’s been a long time since I’ve been out there for real. I can’t wait to get back out there. Going through OTAs (organized team activities) and going through training camp, that’s great and all but we’re here to play the game.

”So, to get out there on Saturday and take live snaps, I’m really looking forward to it. Hopefully the guys are looking forward to having me back out there, too.”

Bradford was on pace to have his finest season before the knee injury.

He threw for 1,687 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions before missing the final nine games of the 2013 season.

If his production level had stayed the same, he would have finished with about 3,900 yards, 32 touchdowns and just nine interceptions.

His previous best year came in 2012 during which he threw for just over 3,700 yards and 21 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Injuries limited him to just 10 games in 2011 after being selected as the NFL offensive rookie of the year in 2010.

To get back to where he was, Bradford said it’s important for him to get more than just a taste of playing before the Rams open the season Sept. 7 against Minnesota.

”You can simulate live periods in practice and you can try to make things as realistic as possible, but I don’t think you can every really simulate game speed,” he said. ”The preseason games are a touch slower than what they are in the real season, but they’re still amped up from practice.

”Especially as young as we are on the perimeter, as many reps as we can get during the games, really helps us.”

Sam Bradford eager for preseason debut
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/10478/sam-bradford-eager-for-preseason-debut

EARTH CITY, Mo. — By the time the St. Louis Rams and Green Bay Packers kick off Saturday afternoon’s preseason contest, it will have been an even 300 days since quarterback Sam Bradford last played an organized football game.

Granted, it won’t be the real deal but as preseason contests go, this is about as excited as you’ll see Bradford get.

“(I’m) really excited,” Bradford said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been out there for real and I can’t wait to get back out there. Going through [organized team activities] and going through training camp, I mean, that’s great and all but we’re here to play the game. So to get out there on Saturday and take live snaps, I think I’m really looking forward to it. Hopefully the guys are looking forward to having me back out there, too.”

Getting Bradford back for the preseason should be no surprise after a rehabilitation which seemingly offered little in the way of setbacks. After Bradford had the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee surgically repaired in late November, he and the Rams set about an aggressive and meticulous plan for his recovery.

Right on schedule, Bradford returned for about half of the Rams’ OTAs in the spring and was ready to go full speed when the team opened camp last month.

In the time since, Bradford has taken every repetition with the first-team offense and rarely showed any ill-effects aside from initial rust in the early days of camp. He has had some soreness after practice, but says that is to be expected of any player going through the grind of camp.

“I’ve taken every rep, haven’t had to sit out, haven’t had to miss anything,” Bradford said. “My knee feels great, it’s responded really well. I think we’ve been very fortunate Coach (Jeff) Fisher does a great job with our schedule, between the special teams practices and the days off, we’ve had some time to rest and recover. My knee feels really good right now. I’m really happy to see that I haven’t had to miss any time in camp.”

It’s unclear how much Bradford will play against the Packers, but consistent with Fisher’s gradual build philosophy, it’s probably safe to expect he will get more work in the final two preseason contests than against Green Bay.

Before any of that, though, the next step will be taking his first hit. Bradford has dealt with no shortage of pressure during camp and has even had a couple of close calls with players running into him and rolling near his knee. But he has yet to be taken to the ground by someone wearing a different helmet.

“I think it’s important just to be out there knowing that I can get hit, knowing that I’m probably going to take a few hits in the preseason,” Bradford said. “I think it’s probably bigger for everyone else to see that it’s going to be OK. I’m going to get hit, its part of the game, it’s no big deal. I’ve come back from an injury before, but it will be nice to take that first hit and get up knowing that everything’s fine.”

Bradford ready for next step in his return
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/bradford-ready-for-next-step-in-his-return/article_2ac05e5a-476e-5a16-b0f1-7e0fc28f5fa7.html

Physically, Sam Bradford has shown he’s fine. Mentally, he has shown confidence in his surgically repaired left knee — the confidence to step into his throws and scramble when necessary.

So the first step of this critical season for the Rams’ starting quarterback has been accomplished.

Now comes step two. With the Green Bay Packers in town for Saturday’s 3 p.m. preseason game at the Edward Jones Dome, Bradford will be facing live pass-rushers for the first time in nearly 10 months.

(Step three — the final step — is whether Bradford can stay healthy and play well. And that can’t be determined until the regular season.)

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been out there for real, and I can’t wait to get back out there,” Bradford said. “Going through OTAs and going through training camp, I mean that’s great and all, but we’re here to play the game.”

Coach Jeff Fisher indicated Thursday that Bradford would play a quarter, maybe more, against the Packers, which means he’ll be involved in maybe 15 to 20 plays.

Strange as it may sound, Bradford is almost looking forward to getting hit. Not that he’ll be telling his linemen: OK, let them through on this one, I want to be sacked and sacked hard.

“It’s important just to be out there knowing that I can get hit, knowing that I’m probably going to take a few hits in the preseason,” he said. “I think it’s probably bigger for everyone else to see that it’s gonna be OK.”

Because Bradford isn’t worried.

“I’m gonna get hit; it’s part of the game,” Bradford said. “It’s no big deal. I’ve come back from an injury before. But it’ll be nice to take that first hit and get up knowing that everything’s fine.”

Similarly, Fisher said he has no anxiety about Bradford’s return to game action for the first time since suffering a torn ACL while being shoved out of bounds by Carolina’s Mike Mitchell last Oct. 20 in Charlotte.

“None whatsoever,” Fisher said. “He’s our starting quarterback, and he’s healthy. He’s going to play in a preseason game.”

End of story.

“That’s it,” Fisher said.

Even so, there figures to be mass wincing by spectators Saturday afternoon whenever a Green Bay pass rusher gets near Bradford or if he scrambles out of the pocket.

The first time Bradford scrambled during the opening weekend of training camp, what can best be described as a collective groan of fear came from the spectators at Rams Park. The fans got more accustomed to the sight as camp progressed.

With left tackle Jake Long and right guard Rodger Saffold sitting out today, Bradford will be protected by only three-fifths of his starting offensive line. All the more reason to make quick decisions and get the ball out quickly against the Packers.

“I just want to see an efficient operation out there,” Bradford said. “No pre-snap penalties, getting us in and out of the right plays, pushing the ball down the field, and probably taking a few hits and getting up knowing that I’ll be OK.”

Offseason pickup Davin Joseph, a two-time Pro Bowler while with Tampa Bay, looks like a more than capable replacement for Saffold at right guard. At left tackle, it could be Mike Person, who started there against New Orleans.

Before the start of camp, Fisher said the Rams would back Bradford down if there were any setbacks with the knee. But that hasn’t been necessary.

“No, I’ve taken every rep,” Bradford said. “Haven’t had to sit out, haven’t had to miss anything. My knee feels great; it’s responded really well. I think we’ve been very fortunate. Coach Fisher does a great job with our schedule. Between the special teams practices and the days off, we’ve had some time to rest and recover.”

As to whether the knee has caused him any trouble in camp, Bradford said: “Obviously during training camp all your body gets sore at some point. So it’s just kind of your normal aches and pains of training camp, but nothing out of the ordinary.”

Green Bay is a blitzing team, known to bring safeties and cornerbacks. But the Packers didn’t show a lot in their preseason opener against Tennessee. And with a huge opening game of the regular season, Thursday Sept. 4 at Seattle, the Packers may stay vanilla in exhibition play, not wanting to show much to the Seahawks.

But you never know. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if the Packers tried a blitz or two against Bradford and the Rams’ first-team offense. And they have a couple of the game’s best pass-rushers in their 3-4 front in Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews.

Other than keeping Bradford upright, Fisher would like to see fewer penalties, better run defense and a better running game against Green Bay than was the case against the Saints.

In particular, the Rams spent a lot of time on run drills this week, particularly in Thursday’s practice. Basically the entire team ran wind sprints, or “gassers” after Monday’s practice — and ran a lot of them — as “punishment” for the 14 penalties against New Orleans.

“We’ve got to get the penalties down,” Fisher said. “We need to tackle better on defense. It will be a good challenge for us.”

The team watched some Green Bay tape from its preseason opener, just to get a measure of familiarity. But once again, there is nothing resembling a Rams game plan. Once again, the Rams will keep it basic, doing the same kinds of things against Green Bay that they did last week against New Orleans. And that they’ve done on the practice field for the past three weeks at Rams Park.

“I’d like to see some young guys step forward and show some improvement,” Fisher said. “They’ve got the jitters put behind them; they know what to expect. So go out and compete, and just execute. That’s what we want to see. We need execution from the bottom half of our roster.”