Miklasz: Bradford should cut Rams a break

Bernie: Bradford should cut Rams a break

By Bernie Miklasz

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/bernie-bradford-should-cut-rams-a-break/article_2cf334ea-38f7-53f4-b1b8-743ed39b16fc.html

Oh, goodie … it’s your lucky day! Time for another hot take on Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. And I’m sure there will be many more before he moves on, or the Rams move on, or whatever happens next in their unfortunate, unsuccessful relationship.

Let’s start by getting a several preliminaries out of the way:

* Bradford is entering the final season of his six-year rookie deal worth $76 million. Bradford is scheduled to make $12.985 million in salary this season, but he’ll count $16.58 million against the team’s salary cap.

* It’s not Bradford’s fault that he got stuck with a terrible football team, or that he was the last No. 1 overall draft pick before the NFL and the NFL players’ union changed the system for rookie compensation in 2011. Bradford’s $76 million was pretty much locked in as soon as the Rams picked him at the top of the 2010 draft. There were no negotiations. He was going make as much money as a Wal Mart heir no matter what he did during the life of the contract.

* Our Jim Thomas — the former star running back at Southwest High School on the city’s south side — has reported, on multiple occasions, that the Rams would like Bradford to restructure the contract and play 2015 at a lower salary.

* Our man Thomas also reports that the Rams and Bradford’s agent Tom Condon have been unable to reach an agreement. There is resistance in the Bradford camp.

* Despite the fact that Bradford has had two knee surgeries … since the fall of 2013 … and that he’s missed the last 25 regular season games … and that he has started only 49 of a possible 80 games during his first five seasons … and that his injury problems date back to his final season of college ball and missing most of the games at Oklahoma in 2009 … the Rams LOVE him. Coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and QB coach Chris Weinke have all made that abundantly clear. To quote the famous poet 50 Cent, the Rams’ bosses LOVE Sam Bradford the way a fat kid love cake. (And I do love cake, by the way.) Heck, Fisher basically sought Bradford’s approval before promoting Cignetti and hiring Weinke.

* When the Rams’ folks talk about Bradford, I have to go for the Q tips to clean my ears and make sure I’m hearing things correctly; the Indy Colts don’t carry on about Andrew Luck the way the Rams slobber over Bradford. My late father Bernie Sr. never talked about Johnny Unitas the way Fisher pumps up Bradford.

* It’s one of the most remarkable things I’ve seen, considering that the Rams have WON 18 GAMES WITH BRADFORD AS A STARTING QB since the beginning of the 2010 season. … yes, a whopping 18 WINS … Goodness, the way this is going, I fully expect Rams owner Stan Kroenke to go to Bradford to seek Sam’s permission to move the team to Los Angeles or keep it in St. Louis. I’m surprised that Rams Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff hasn’t gone to Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz to demand that Bradford be put in charge of designing the new football stadium.

* Of course, the current predicament is mostly the Rams’ own fault. Snead and Fisher failed to take a proactive and aggressive approach in securing a legitimate QB alternative to Bradford. Especially after Bradford went down the first time, the Rams should have used a premium draft choice to select and develop Bradford’s successor or replacement. They could have, at least in theory, made a trade for a veteran NFL starter. Or reached higher than, say, Shaun Hill. Instead, Snead-Fisher drafted Garrett Gilbert in the 6th round last year, they signed Hill, and they brought Austin Davis back. That’s it. Do you see quality insurance or a future plan there? Nope.

* Condon is a great agent. A legendary agent. A wise agent. And a tough agent. Condon is apparently determined to make sure that Bradford receives full payment on the original contract. And if you look at this from Condon’s viewpoint … why should he settle for less? There’s a shortage of quarterbacks in this league, which explains the recent free-agent feeding frenzy to sign marginal NFL starter Josh McCown. (Cleveland “won” the bidding.) The Buffalo Bills just made a trade with Minnesota for that prized catch, Matt Cassel. The list of remaining free-agent quarterbacks reads like something out 1987, when desperate teams were signing replacement-squad QBs to rush in and start games with the veterans out on strike. Heck, Sammy Garza and Shawn Halloran might be able to find a backup gig right now.

* And when Condon looks at the free-agent list, and when he scans the Rams roster, and when he knows that the Rams have done nothing to give themselves a legitimate option at QB to possibly move Bradford to the side … well, what do you expect Condon to do? In this barren quarterback market, why should Bradford accept less money when the Rams — more than anyone — are faithfully declaring their undying love for Sam?

From a pure business/bargaining position, I’m on Condon’s side. Again, the Rams largely put themselves in this mess by drafting Bradford, and they’ve kept themselves stuck in the muck by staying with Bradford and ignoring the obvious alarms.

But that’s only one side of it.

Here’s the other: Bradford should give the Rams a break.

Why?

I could list many reasons, but let’s stick with three:

1. Because $am already collected about $63 million from the Rams, and he’s started only 61.25 percent of the regular-season games, and the team is 18-30-1 when he starts. Again, he has no obligation to take a pay cut. But in this case, it’s the right thing to do. The Rams have been incredibly supportive and patient with Bradford. And it isn’t unreasonable to ask him to help out _ yes, even though they clearly deserve to be caught in this foolish position of depending on him again.

2. Because if $am accepts less money in 2015, the Rams will have more money to spend on free agents. I’m not saying they’d spend it wisely. They’ve had too many swings-and-misses in free agency during the Snead-Fisher regime. But at least the Rams would have more money in hand to seek solutions, fill holes, and put a better team around Bradford. The Rams require assistance on the offensive line. They need a tackle, a guard, and probably a center. Bradford is coming off two consecutive seasons wrecked by knee injuries. Doesn’t he want the best possible protection he can get? By taking a pay cut, Bradford would be investing in his own safety.

3. Because if $am plays at a reduced rate, and he has the 2015 season that he and everyone else has been waiting for … can you imagine the kind of berserk, preposterous and insane bidding for him on the open free-agent market after the ’15 season? If NFL general managers are losing their minds over Josh McCown, Bradford would cash in for a huge contract.

If the Rams are willing to put attainable incentives in a reworked Bradford contract, he’d probably end up making close to the original $13 million, anyway.

Bradford needs to play and perform. And if he plays and performs at a quality level in 2015, he’ll make plenty of money going forward, and will more than make up for any salary concessions he grants now.

If five-time league MVP Peyton Manning can take a pay cut in Denver … it’s hardly unreasonable, let alone outrageous, to ask Bradford to do the same.