reporters on the trade (Wagoner, Thomas, Clayton, King, & many more)

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March 10, 2015 at 8:21 pm #19898

zn
Moderator

With Sam Bradford gone, Rams must establish run-first identity

By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16889/with-sam-bradford-gone-rams-must-establish-identity

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Before the start of the 2013 season, the St. Louis Rams attempted to build their offense around quarterback Sam Bradford. They drafted receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey and signed offensive tackle Jake Long and tight end Jared Cook with the intent to spread things out and have Bradford pile up the video-game numbers he did when he won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma.

The experiment was a monumental bust and lasted all of four games before Rams coach Jeff Fisher scuttled it. Fisher and the Rams went back to a grind-it-out philosophy that brought stability to the offense, but mediocre results in the win column.

Three games later, on Oct. 20, 2013, Bradford played in what would be his final regular-season game as a member of the Rams against Carolina. He tore the ACL in his left knee and missed the rest of that season. He bounced back in time for the 2014 preseason only to suffer the same injury again. Of a possible 80 games, Bradford played in 49 in five seasons.

On Tuesday, the Rams sent Bradford to Philadelphia in exchange for quarterback Nick Foles. The Rams also received Philadelphia’s 2015 fourth-round pick and 2016 second-round pick, the Eagles got the Rams’ 2015 fifth-round pick. If Bradford plays less than 50 percent of the snaps in 2015, the Eagles get a 2016 fourth-round pick from the Rams. If Bradford does not play this season, the Eagles get a 2016 third-round pick from the Rams. If Bradford plays more than 50 percent of the snaps in 2015, the Eagles get no additional picks.

In Foles, the Rams are getting a fresh start at the game’s most important position, albeit one with limitations who has yet to prove he can consistently perform in an offense outside of what Chip Kelly does in Philadelphia.

Foles should be an upgrade over Bradford by the simple act of being healthy and cost-effective. His 2015 cap number is just shy of $1.7 million. Although Foles is coming off a clavicle injury, his medical history doesn’t approach Bradford’s. But really, if the Rams are to become what Fisher wants them to become, Foles should only play a minor role.

In trading Bradford, the Rams gained nearly $13 million in salary-cap savings, which puts them in the range of $28 million in available space. Time and again, Fisher has emphasized the need for his team to win with a dominant defense and a power running game.

“I don’t think it’s any different than anybody else,” Fisher said at last month’s scouting combine. “It’s a run game. You need to run the football and you need to complement your play-action game to the run game and play good defense and play good special teams. You know, everybody will tell you, if you got a top-five or six defense and you can run the football, you’ve got a chance to be in the final four. That’s the very basic theory.”

It’s a theory that might sound good on the surface, but is much more difficult in execution. In Seattle, that very basic theory has worked wonders, but only because the Seahawks have a truly dominant defense and a run game to match.

In three seasons with Fisher as the head coach, the Rams have averaged 106.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks 19th, and an average of 4.1 yards per carry, which ranks 17th. Meanwhile, Seattle’s rushing attack is first in yards per game and second in yards per carry in that span.

The pieces for a dominant defense look to be in place, but if the Rams are to become what Fisher wants, they must make haste to ensure the running game can meet that standard.

As the Rams were pulling off the Bradford-Foles swap Tuesday afternoon, the rest of the league was busy signing top free agents. After releasing center Scott Wells and tackle Jake Long and with Joe Barksdale and Davin Joseph set to hit unrestricted free agency, the Rams could need as many as three new starters on the offensive line.

However, now that the Rams have the money, many of the types of players who would seem to fit into what the Rams want are already gone. Center Rodney Hudson is headed to the Oakland Raiders, the San Diego Chargers landed guard/tackle Orlando Franklin and guard Mike Iupati is off to Arizona. Signing high-priced offensive linemen hasn’t worked out well for the Rams in the past, but if they’re willing to make a bold move by ridding themselves of Bradford, this is the time to buoy those moves by pushing their chips in and trying to legitimately become what Fisher wants.

Taking it a step further, while the Rams like their young group of running backs, including Tre Mason, chasing a top back such as DeMarco Murray or even, as crazy as it sounds, Adrian Peterson, would make even more sense. Fisher’s Tennessee teams enjoyed their greatest success in the prime years of Eddie George and Chris Johnson.

Fisher and his staff are entering their fourth season without so much as a winning record to show for it. Along the way, we’ve only seen small glimpses of the Rams becoming what he has envisioned since he arrived in 2012.

For better or worse, trading Bradford gives the Rams the money and opportunity to help realize that vision. It’s incumbent on Fisher and his group to see it through before it’s too late and, like Bradford, they too are on their way out the door.

March 10, 2015 at 8:27 pm #19900

zn
Moderator

Peter King @SI_PeterKing
Just got told, “Chip came hard after Bradford. That’s why this happened.” So there’s that.

Peter King @SI_PeterKing
There were other teams, multiple, involved in the chase for Bradford.

March 10, 2015 at 9:35 pm #19915

zn
Moderator

Rams finalize Bradford trade to Philly

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-finalize-bradford-trade-to-philly/article_ca028d5c-1afb-5fdd-b24e-235fe7601f8f.html

With the trade terms finally cemented early Tuesday afternoon, quarterback Sam Bradford’s star-crossed five-year tenure in St. Louis came to an end.

After months of saying how much Bradford meant to the program going forward, the team reversed field and traded the former No. 1 overall pick to Philadelphia.

In exchange for Foles, the Eagles get Bradford and a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. Besides Foles, the Rams get a fourth-rounder in 2015 and a second-rounder in 2016.

There are also a couple of potential conditional picks, depending on Bradford’s health and playing time this coming season. If Bradford plays less than 50 percent of the snaps next season for the Eagles, the Rams must send a fourth-round pick to Philadelphia in 2016. If Bradford misses the entire 2015 season, the Eagles get a third-rounder in ’16.

Fisher, who has twice denied in the past couple of months that the Rams were interested in trading for Foles, issued a statement on the trade:

“Sam was a leader on our team, in the locker room and on the field,” Fisher said. “He was a great teammate who was dealt some adversity but handled it all with grace and dignity.

“He represented himself as well as the organization in a first-class manner. I wish him nothing but the best throughout his career.”

And that was just the headliner in a hectic first day o agency. The Rams lost QB Shaun Hill to Minnesota, and closed in on a deal to retain tight end Lance Kendricks.

There also were reports that the team was trading a seventh-round pick in 2016 for Houston quarterback Case Keenum, who was with the Rams for part of the ’14 season.

But back to Bradford. Dating back to late January when the Foles trade rumors originally surfaced, Rams officials have consistently denied that there was anything to them. As recently as Monday afternoon, Fisher told the Post-Dispatch once again that there was nothing to the Foles rumors.

That obviously didn’t turn out to be the case.

With the trade finalized, the Rams will save just under $13 million in base salary, which Bradford was scheduled to receive this year.

Foles is due to make $1.522 million in 2015, which is the last year of his original rookie contract

In Minnesota, Hill agreed to a two-year, $6.5 million contract with Minnesota. Incentives can bump the overall value up to $7.5 million.

The Rams had shown strong interest in retaining Hill, and the feeling was mutual on Hill’s part. But Hill opted instead for the Vikings

Bradford, 27, missed the Rams’ last 25 regular-season games because of two knee operations.

Because of injuries, Bradford started only 49 of a possible 80 games during his five seasons with the Rams. His final year of college ball at Oklahoma also was wrecked by a shoulder injury.

Foles, 26, appeared in 28 games with 24 starts for the Eagles over the past three seasons. He opened the 2014 season as the starter and led the Eagles to a 5-2 record, including a 34-28 victory over the Rams. Foles started the eighth game but suffered a collarbone injury that shelved him for the remainder of the season.[/quote]

March 10, 2015 at 10:00 pm #19919

InvaderRam
Moderator

yeah. it all comes down to the oline and the running game on offense. i like tre mason. i think he can be at least very good. if they can find a complement to mason and if they can rebuild that oline, the offense should be fine.

the defense has been inconsistent. hopefully, they can put it all together this year. i think they should add another cornerback.

March 10, 2015 at 11:02 pm #19923

zn
Moderator

VID: John Clayton breaks down why the Eagles decided to trade QB Nick Foles to the Rams for QB Sam Bradford.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:12457654

March 10, 2015 at 11:05 pm #19925

zn
Moderator

Early returns: Rams come out on top of Bradford trade

By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/16886/early-returns-rams-come-out-on-top-of-bradford-trade

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Despite countless insistences to the contrary, the St. Louis Rams are finally moving on from quarterback Sam Bradford.

The Rams confirmed Tuesday that they are sending Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for quarterback Nick Foles, with additional draft choice compensation involved. The move means the days of “make or break” years for Bradford in St. Louis have mercifully ended and fresh starts for all parties can be had.

Throughout coach Jeff Fisher’s three years in St. Louis, the Rams seemed to remain devoted to Bradford’s potential as a franchise quarterback. On multiple occasions, Fisher said Bradford was one of the two primary reasons he took the St. Louis job in the first place. That affection never materialized into much on the field; Bradford missed the past 25 games because of two torn anterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee and played in just 49 of a possible 80 games in five years in St. Louis.

Despite those ailments, the Rams appeared to again be committed to him for 2015. As it turned out, Fisher’s and general manager Les Snead’s repeated claims that “deleting” Bradford wasn’t the solution and that Bradford played a large role in the hirings of Frank Cignetti as offensive coordinator and Chris Weinke as quarterbacks coach turned out to extend only so far as the best trade offer they could retrieve.

At last month’s NFL scouting combine, both Fisher and Snead denied that they had allowed Bradford the chance to seek a trade.

“I was surprised to hear that — not surprised — but no, that’s inaccurate,” Fisher said then. “We talked about what our plans are for him.”

Snead echoed those sentiments.

“I did say deleting him is not our answer,” Snead said. “I don’t know that that [trading him] solves our riddle. … He’s a good player. If some team was interested I certainly don’t blame them. But I’ll stick to what I said earlier, deleting him is not the answer.”

At nearly every turn, Fisher and Snead offered similarly blatant misdirection. But they did so as a means to an end — that being doing what they could to drive up the price for Bradford in the event that some team wanted to make a deal, while at the same time maintaining their relationship with Bradford.

In the meantime, Tom Condon, Bradford’s agent, was apparently refusing to discuss the parameters of a pay cut from Bradford’s $16.58 million 2015 cap hit. As that issue simmered on the back burner, the Eagles and Chip Kelly apparently began making it clear that they wanted to make a move for Bradford.

All along, the Rams didn’t seem that interested in trading Bradford, with the important caveat that they might if the right offer came along. As the process moved on, Philadelphia apparently sweetened the pot to finally reach something with which the Rams felt comfortable. That something included Foles, a 2015 fourth-round pick and a 2016 second-round selection, not to mention a net savings of about $11,443,000 when subtracting Foles’ 2015 cap number from Bradford’s.

Make no mistake, Foles has plenty to prove in his new digs, not least of which includes proving that he can perform in an offense outside of Kelly’s control. But a new start certainly won’t hurt in those endeavors and the Rams figure to make moves to help him along the way.

Considering that Foles comes as a younger, cheaper, healthier (though he’s had health issues) option, the Rams netted valuable future picks that could potentially provide a quarterback if Foles doesn’t work out, and they got some much-needed cap space to improve other areas, it’s hard not to see this as a win for the Rams.

Of course, declaring trade winners now means a whole lot of nothing in the grand scheme of things. What happens on the field in 2015 and beyond will give us a more tangible victor.

But as a team that hasn’t had a whole lot of wins on the field or in the free-agent market in the past decade-plus, the Rams will take any victory they can get, even a premature one.

March 11, 2015 at 12:25 am #19934

PA Ram
Participant

Why Eagles Feel Great About Bradford

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/dave-spadaro/article-1/Why-Eagles-Feel-Great-About-Bradford/f02d6f96-669d-4382-a921-c9dda0f9c95b

Why Eagles Feel Great About Bradford

By Dave Spadaro
This was a move long in the works. The Eagles eyed Sam Bradford for weeks, and on Tuesday they made the move, acquiring Bradford in exchange for Nick Foles. Draft picks were involved. It was a huge move …

This was a move long in the works. The Eagles eyed Rams quarterback Sam Bradford for weeks, and on Tuesday they made the move, acquiring Bradford in exchange for Nick Foles. Draft picks were involved. It was a huge move.

A former No. 1 overall draft pick (2010), Bradford’s NFL career has been stunted by a lack of offensive talent around him early in his St. Louis tenure and by injuries late with the Rams. He played only seven games in 2013 after being pulled down on a run to the sidelines and tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and then missed all of 2014 when he was drilled in the pocket and tore the same ACL in the preseason opener.

An extremely talented quarterback who is 6-4 and 224 pounds, Bradford is able to make every throw from every position on the field. When the Eagles studied him — and they did so very, very extensively before the trade — they saw a quarterback with special accuracy, with touch, with a big arm. A quarterback who can get the ball out quickly, who can make fast, good decisions. Bradford is, the Eagles think, a classic pocket quarterback with just enough mobility to work the pocket well and keep plays alive.

And so a deal was done on Tuesday, one that brings to Philadelphia the quarterback that head coach Chip Kelly wants. He wanted Sam Bradford. He identified Sam Bradford as a special talent who can make this offense soar. It cost the Eagles Foles, and everyone wishes him the best of luck. It cost the Eagles a second-round draft pick in 2016 and a swap of picks in 2015 that is a difference of, roughly, 20 spots in the draft after compensatory picks are considered.

It is a gamble, no question about that. Kelly isn’t afraid to make difficult, out-of-the-box decisions. But it is a gamble with a lot of upside because the Eagles think Bradford has the goods to be a franchise-type quarterback.

The misconception, perhaps, is that the offense the Eagles is one that we saw at Oregon, where the quarterback was mobile and a running threat. That’s not what the Eagles are offensively. The Eagles can run the football effectively with their running backs — and there is a need there that will be filled — and their blocking scheme, and they need a quarterback who can be accurate, who can play tempo football and who can get the ball to the receivers — a need position that the Eagles will address — in a timely fashion down the field and in the short passing game.

Bradford, the Eagles feel, can do it all. He had his troubles in St. Louis throwing to the likes of Brandon Lloyd and Brandon Gibson and Danny Amendola and Austin Pettis and Lance Kendricks and Laurent Robinson and Greg Salas and Jared Cook and Tavon Austin. The Rams didn’t have much other than Steven Jackson running the football to exhaustion working with a pretty bad offensive line.

And they had Bradford. And they pinned all of their hopes on him and just didn’t give him much help as he absorbed 105 sacks in his first three seasons (42 games) and another 15 in the seven games he played in 2013 when Bradford threw 14 touchdown passes and four interceptions. Oh, and consider this: Bradford has five games (of 49 played) in which he has thrown multiple interceptions. Foles and Mark Sanchez combined for seven multiple-interception games last season alone.

That’s the player the Eagles think they have acquired, a special talent with far more upside than they saw with Foles — and no lack of respect for him. He was very productive here and everyone wishes Foles the best of luck in St. Louis — or any other quarterback they saw in the market — free agency or the draft. The Eagles, despite the overwhelming rush by the media and fans to think otherwise, were not going to move up, up, up in the draft and take Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, the Heisman Trophy winner whom Kelly recruited. Nor did the Eagles feel their best option was to stay put and stick with Foles and extend his contract for the future.

Certainly, the deal hinges on Bradford remaining healthy and staying on the field for this offense. He had a concussion and some shoulder injuries at Oklahoma. He has the two ACL injuries and a shoulder injury in the NFL. Only twice in his five seasons has Bradford played a full 16 games.

The Eagles believe in their sports science program and their strength and conditioning program and they have the plan to put the right pieces around Bradford to help him stay healthy and make him more productive than he’s been in his career.

That’s why the Eagles did the deal, one on which they worked extremely hard and one that was, according to reports, off and on a couple of times — at least — in the last few weeks. They got the quarterback they wanted, one they think can be special in this offense. You may like the deal. You may not. You may have questions that just don’t have answers right now, specifically how the Eagles will replace the production from departed running back LeSean McCoy and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and the weapons Kelly and vice president of player personnel Ed Marynowitz will bring in between now and September. Fair enough.

Wins and losses will dictate the wisdom of this decision. It was gutsy, no doubt about it. But being gutsy and having conviction is why Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie hired Kelly after the 2012 4-12 season. Twenty regular-season victories and a playoff appearance was a nice way to start Kelly’s NFL head coaching career, but it wasn’t the goal. Winning the whole thing is the objective, and the Eagles wanted the best quarterback they could get and Kelly wanted Bradford and then went out and made the deal.

Sam Bradford is the quarterback Kelly thinks can operate this offense to maximum efficiency. That’s why he is an Eagle today.

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick

March 11, 2015 at 1:13 am #19937

Agamemnon
Participant

http://walterfootball.com/freeagentsigninggrades.php

Eagles acquire QB Sam Bradford, 2015 5th-round pick, 2016 3rd/4th-round pick from Rams for QB Nick Foles, 2015 4th-round pick, 2016 2nd-round pick
Apparently, some NFL teams didn’t get the memo that this was the beginning of free agency. The Rams and Eagles are among those that believe that this is the trade deadline, apparently.

The Rams are easier to analyze. They’ve shed Sam Bradford’s awful contract and obtained Nick Foles in return. They even improved their positioning in the 2015 and 2016 NFL Drafts on top of it to sweeten the deal. Bradford has not been able to stay healthy at all, and while Nick Foles is somewhat of a limited quarterback, he’s more reliable in terms of staying on the field. He has also posted better numbers than Bradford thus far, though, to be fair, he has enjoyed better weapons at his disposal. He’ll have more trouble being effective in St. Louis, though the Rams will be able to move on from him much easier than they could have from Bradford, otherwise.

As for the Eagles, this move is puzzling, to say the least. It was initially reported that the Eagles and Rams would swap first-round picks, which made sense because it gave Philadelphia ammunition to move up for Marcus Mariota. However, the first-round swap wasn’t even close; Philadelphia actually worsened its draft position this and next April in this deal. Making matters worse, it basically guarantees that Bradford will be the starter in Philadelphia this upcoming season.

With that in mind, Philadelphia deserves an “F” grade (Duck Kielbasa?) for this trade. Bradford is highly overpaid and extremely injury-prone, and he doesn’t fit Chip Kelly’s offense any better than Foles did. Bradford will be hurt by the middle of October, meaning Sanchez will have to start again. Perhaps that’s why Kelly overpaid Sanchez.

My condolences to all Philadelphia fans. I’ve gotten many frustrated texts this evening, and I can understand why. One such Eagles’ fan, my friend Body Burner, texted me, “Is Chip Kelly playing Madden?” I replied: “No, because the Madden computer would’ve rejected this trade.”

Grade for Rams – A
Grade for Eagles – F

Rams acquire QB Case Keenum from Texans for 2016 7th-round pick
The Texans were going to cut Case Keenum after re-signing Ryan Mallett and acquiring Brian Hoyer, so getting anything for him, even a seventh-round pick in 2016, is a plus. The Rams, meanwhile, needed a third quarterback behind Nick Foles and Austin Davis. Keenum could eventually evolve as the direct backup behind Foles or another quarterback when/if Davis moves on. For a seventh-round pick in 2016, that’s not a bad deal.

Grade for Rams – B
Grade for Texans – B+

Agamemnon

March 11, 2015 at 2:02 am #19943

Agamemnon
Participant

News
March 10, 2015 – 11:36 pm
http://gbnreport.com/
Eagles appear to have hitched hopes to oft-injured Rams’ QB … When the trade between Philadelphia and St. Louis for veteran QBs Sam Bradford and Nick Foles, the general assumption around the NFL was that the deal would only be a steppingstone for the Eagles to find a way to move in the 2015 draft in order to grab Oregon QB Marcus Mariota. Instead, when the terms of the deal were finally announced, it appears that Philadelphia GM/head coach Sam Bradford has made the very curious decision to go with the oft-injured Bradford as his QB next fall as the Eagles actually got very little else in the deal. Indeed, in addition to Foles, the Rams also received a fourth-round pick in 2015 and a second-round pick in 2016 from the Eagles, while Philadelphia got a fifth-round pick from St. Louis in 2015. The Eagles will also get a 4th-round pick in 2016 if Bradford plays less than 50% of the team’s offensive snaps this year or a #3 next year if he doesn’t play at all. Of course, it is still possible the Eagles try and move up to get Mariota using Bradford as part of the package, however, it is difficult to see the scenario in which Foles, who is cheaper and healthier than Bradford, would not have been the more attractive trade bait.

Agamemnon

March 11, 2015 at 8:17 am #19946

Agamemnon
Participant

The Rams-Eagles trade will take a long time to figure out. The deal no one saw coming was Sam Bradford and a fifth-round pick in 2015 for Nick Foles, a fourth-round pick in 2015 and a second-round pick in 2016. The Rams had multiple trade options for Bradford, who has had two straight seasons ended with ACL tears to his left knee, but by Monday were focused on Philadelphia because the Eagles had something no other involved team could trade—a potential starting quarterback like Foles.

“Chip came hard after Bradford,” an NFL insider said. “That’s why this happened.”

What I was told reliably Tuesday night: Philadelphia coach/power-czar Chip Kelly loves Bradford, feels Bradford’s the right guy to run his fast-paced offense, and this from an insider on the trade of the day: “Chip came hard after Bradford. That’s why this happened.” I know many of you think this is some sort of precursor to Kelly stockpiling weaponry to chase Marcus Mariota in the first round of the draft, but I don’t think so. There aren’t a lot of GMs in the league who would think Bradford is clearly better than Foles. So to trade up for Mariota, from where the Eagles sit at 20, would take first-round picks this year and next year, the second-round pick this year, Bradford, and probably more. That assumes the Titans or Jets actually want the risky Bradford and would sacrifice dealing down to number 20 this year in the process. I don’t see it. It’s far more likely that, as my source says, Kelly is smitten with Bradford, who ran a fast-paced offense at Oklahoma his final season even though he is more suited to a classic NFL scheme.

Offseason Primer

Trades, tags, salary caps, free agency. This can be a confusing time of year for NFL fans. Andrew Brandt breaks down the business of football in an easy-to-understand way.

FULL STORY
Two other points to be made here: I can tell you with certainty that this was not a trade made to punish Bradford for not re-doing his contract. Bradford was owed $13 million this year, and the Rams certainly wanted him to take a major pay cut to stay, after he gave them precious little in the past two seasons. I also can tell you that, even Bradford had agreed to slash his salary prior to the weekend, the Rams still would have made this trade. They like this trade. They like Foles’ potential, they like the fact they recouped a 2016 second-rounder, and through no fault of his own they’d lost faith in Bradford. No matter what they said, they just had no faith that Bradford could stay upright for 16 games.

As for Kelly, he now is under heavy, heavy pressure. No one truly buys that Bradford is a franchise quarterback. He may be, but he certainly isn’t now. He’s missed 39 of 80 possible NFL starts due to injury, he’s a 58.6 percent passer, and his passer rating is a feeble 79.3. He’s been hurt in fluky ways, but life for an NFL player starts with showing up, and Bradford hasn’t been good at that. If he either doesn’t play well or goes down by Columbus Day with another injury, it’s going to be very tough for Kelly to take the broadsides that will come his way in a tough NFL city.

http://mmqb.si.com/2015/03/11/jameis-winston-roger-goodell-nfl-trades-free-agency-retirement/

Agamemnon

March 11, 2015 at 9:07 am #19960

zn
Moderator

Gordon: Trade is brilliant move by the Rams

By Jeff Gordon

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/jeff-gordon/gordon-trade-is-brilliant-move-by-the-rams/article_c656ea3a-01ef-5548-999c-7482edeac4f1.html

Rams coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead kept telling anyone and everyone that Sam Bradford was their quarterback.

They expressed their undying commitment to 2010’s first overall draft pick despite his unfortunate injury history. They reaffirmed their belief that Bradford could still be special.

Then they shipped him to Philadelphia for Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on Tuesday as the NFL’s free agent marketplace officially opened.

Some salesmen they are!

With one blockbuster move, Fisher and Snead upgraded their most critical position, freed up significant salary cap space, improved their lot in the next two NFL drafts and created an opportunity to contend again.

This trade was a brilliant stroke. So much for this lame duck franchise standing pat with its nucleus and subjecting us to a boring offseason.

The gears began grinding when Bradford’s camp refused to rework his salary of $13 million for this season. Understandably, the Rams invited him to find a mark, er, another team willing to pay that.

Bradford had already “earned” $65.1 million on the contract he signed one year before the new collective bargaining agreement put a restrictor plate on rookie earnings.

He has missed 25 of the past 32 games and 31 of a possible 80 games during his Rams career. Twice he has torn his ACL, requiring reconstructive surgery on his left knee.

In between those injuries and others he posted an 18-30-1 record as a starting quarterback. Inept coaches, offensive line breakdowns and itinerant unskilled labor at wide receiver contributed to his failure — but asking Bradford to take a cap-friendly deal for this season was reasonable.

That is the least he could do for the franchise, right? The man got Powerball money to post mediocre statistics and lose.

Bradford had a chance to make good on some of the team’s massive investment in 2015. He had an opportunity to guide a maturing offense with Tre Mason, Brian Quick, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey.

He had a chance to help lead the long-suffering Rams back into postseason play. With the San Francisco 49ers retooling, the opportunity was there.

Instead he prompted the team to trade him, ensuring him a honored place on the STL’s pantheon of NFL draft failure.

Sure, he won a lot more games than, say, Big Red catastrophe Steve Pisarkiewicz. The Zark played just 10 games over three seasons — going 2-2 in four starts — after the Cardinals drafted him from Mizzou 19th overall in 1977. But the Zark didn’t make $65.1 million while failing.

Sure, Bradford proved more useful and less arrest-prone than former Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips. But the Rams were able to ditch L.P. before he did much damage here.

Bradford cast a five-year shadow over the franchise. There would be no happy ending for his star-crossed tenure.

Now he heads to Philadelphia, where many Eagles fans flew into a rage when they heard that their team won the bidding for Bradford.

With other teams showing interest, the Eagles stepped up to reunite Bradford with his first offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur. Not only did the team spend Foles, it moved back in the coming draft (sending a No. 4 to St. Louis and getting back a No. 5) and sent the Rams a second-round pick in 2016.

The only protection the Eagles got in this deal was a third-round pick in 2016 if Bradford gets hurt or a fourth-round pick next year if he doesn’t start.

That is an extraordinary price to pay for a battered athlete. It creates great expectations for Bradford, a genuinely nice guy who will suffer some seriously hard times in a tough town if he doesn’t win.

But, hey, be careful what you wish for, right?

Meanwhile, Foles welcomes a fresh opportunity with the Rams. The man went 14-4 as a starter under coach Chip Kelly and still got jettisoned — along with the other top skilled guys Kelly inherited.

These machinations have puzzled the entire league. Kelly is going mad scientist on his franchise.

Foles will never throw 27 touchdown passes against just two interceptions again, as he did in 2013. That was a classic outlier performance, an everything-went-right campaign in a go-go scheme with teammates making plays left and right.

Some NFL experts really like Foles, while others believe he can’t measure up to Bradford. But he will earn a fraction of the money (a mere $1.7 million in his final contract year) while presenting much less injury risk.

And let us not forget that the 2015 Rams are built on dominating defense, a strong running game and lots of play-action passes to the tight ends. Tuesday’s re-signing of free agent Lance Kendricks underscored that.

Once upon a time Air Coryell served St. Louis. Right now the Fisher Bus Company is operating the offense.

With the money saved at quarterback Fisher and Snead can invest more in the offensive line and fill other needs. Suddenly they have major cap flexibility. Suddenly they could jump into the crazy marketplace bidding.

Just like the Rams got a whole lot more interesting … for another nine months, anyway.

March 11, 2015 at 9:12 am #19961

Agamemnon
Participant

Nick Foles described as “overjoyed he’s out of Philly”
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 11, 2015, 5:58 AM EDT
St. Louis Rams v Philadelphia Eagles Getty Images

Nick Foles is glad to be out of Philadelphia.

Foles, the former Eagles quarterback who was traded to the Rams for Sam Bradford and draft picks yesterday, apparently wanted to leave. Sal Paolantonio of ESPN said on 97.5 The Fanatic that a Foles relative described Foles as ecstatic to no longer be an Eagle.

“I just talked to a member of Nick Foles’s family. He is absolutely pumped, overjoyed he’s out of Philly,” Paolantonio said.

There had been no previous reports of Foles clashing with coach Chip Kelly, but it’s become clear recently that Kelly wasn’t satisfied with any of his top offensive skill position players. Foles, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin are all leaving the team this week.

In St. Louis, Foles is going to a place where he’s expected to be the starter. After enduring months of speculation that he’d be replaced in Philadelphia by Marcus Mariota, it’s easy to see why Foles would be happier as the man in St. Louis.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/11/nick-foles-described-as-overjoyed-hes-out-of-philly/

Agamemnon

March 11, 2015 at 3:03 pm #20064

zn
Moderator

Peter King

http://mmqb.si.com/2015/03/11/jameis-winston-roger-goodell-nfl-trades-free-agency-retirement/

The Rams-Eagles trade will take a long time to figure out. The deal no one saw coming was Sam Bradford and a fifth-round pick in 2015 for Nick Foles, a fourth-round pick in 2015 and a second-round pick in 2016. The Rams had multiple trade options for Bradford, who has had two straight seasons ended with ACL tears to his left knee, but by Monday they were focused on Philadelphia because the Eagles had something that no other involved team would offer—a potential starting quarterback in Foles.

“Chip came hard after Bradford,” an NFL insider said. “That’s why this happened.”

What I was told reliably Tuesday night: Philadelphia coach/power-czar Chip Kelly loves Bradford, feels Bradford’s the right guy to run his fast-paced offense, and this from an insider on the trade of the day: “Chip came hard after Bradford. That’s why this happened.” I know many of you think this is some sort of precursor to Kelly stockpiling weaponry to chase Marcus Mariota in the first round of the draft, but I don’t think so. There aren’t a lot of GMs in the league who would think Bradford is clearly better than Foles. So to trade up for Mariota, from where the Eagles sit at 20, would take first-round picks this year and next year, the second-round pick this year, Bradford, and probably more. That assumes the Titans or Jets actually want the risky Bradford and would sacrifice dealing down to number 20 this year in the process. I don’t see it. It’s far more likely that, as my source says, Kelly is smitten with Bradford, who ran a fast-paced offense at Oklahoma his final season even though he is more suited to a classic NFL scheme.

Two other points to be made here: I can tell you with certainty that this was not a trade made to punish Bradford for not re-doing his contract. Bradford was owed $13 million this year, and the Rams certainly wanted him to take a major pay cut to stay, after he gave them precious little in the past two seasons. I also can tell you that, even if Bradford had agreed to slash his salary before the weekend, the Rams still would have made this trade. They like this trade. They like Foles’ potential, they like the fact that they picked up a 2016 second-rounder, and through no fault of his own they’d lost faith in Bradford. No matter what they said, they just had no faith that Bradford could stay upright for 16 games.

As for Kelly, he now is under heavy, heavy pressure. No one truly buys that Bradford is a franchise quarterback. He may be, but he certainly isn’t now. He’s missed 39 of 80 possible NFL starts due to injury, he’s a 58.6 percent passer, and his passer rating is a feeble 79.3. He’s been hurt in fluky ways, but life for an NFL player starts with showing up, and Bradford hasn’t been good at that. If he either doesn’t play well or goes down by Columbus Day with another injury, it’s going to be very tough for Kelly to take the broadsides that will come his way in a tough NFL city.

March 11, 2015 at 3:34 pm #20071

zn
Moderator

Cosell on the trade

March 11, 2015 at 3:47 pm #20082

Dak
Participant

Cosell thinks the Rams are better for making this trade. But, his evaluation of Foles doesn’t make me that excited. He must not think much of Bradford, certainly not as much as some of the NFL franchises out there.

March 11, 2015 at 4:09 pm #20091

zn
Moderator

Bernie: Getting to know Nick Foles

By Bernie Miklasz

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/bernie-getting-to-know-nick-foles/article_1902aabb-1c64-5cb1-93f8-57376ec7bc2f.html

Here’s a scouting report on the Rams’ new quarterback acquired from Philadelphia on Tuesday in exchange for QB Sam Bradford…

1. Foles was born on Jan. 20, 1989 in Austin, Tex. and is a graduate of Westlake High School in Austin. Notable Westlake alums include New Orleans QB Drew Brees, Baltimore place kicker Justin Tucker, Tampa Bay tight end Kyle Adams, actress Angela Bettis, MLB reliever Huston Street, and retired MLB third baseman Kelly Gruber.

2. Foles, who is listed at 6-5 or 6-6 — depending on the source — was a star basketball player in high school. A three-year starter and two-time team MVP who was recruited by Texas, Baylor and Georgetown (among others.)

3. Foles’ parents, Larry and Melissa Foles, have done very well in the restaurant business. Larry Foles was co-founder of Eddie V’s Prime Seafood in Austin, a successful upscale establishment that now has 13 locations. Six are in Texas but other Eddie V’s can be found in Chicago, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif., Orlando, Tampa, Scottsdale AZ, and Northern Virginia. According to media reports Foles and partners sold the restaurants to a corporation that owns other chains including Red Lobster, Olive Garden and The Capital Grille. Reported sale price: $59 million.

4. Foles is married to Tori Moore, a former volleyball player at Arizona. (They met there as students.) She is the sister of former NFL tight end Evan Moore.

5. Foles is a devout Christian and a genuinely humble person. When asked how he handles the highs and lows of playing a demanding QB position Foles said: “I’m a Christian. It’s my faith in Christ. I’m into scripture every day. I have great players around me. And great parents that have raised me. And people that have surrounded me throughout my career who helped shape who I am. That’s who I go out there and play for every single day. I don’t play for myself. I play for my teammates and play for the people that helped me get to where I am. I know they’re watching me every week, and I want to play for them. It’s just in my heart and that’s who I am.

“I’m very fortunate to be playing, and I know that any given day could be the last. And I’ll be thankful for the time I have had to play this game. But I’m going to give my all every single day. So why would I let my confidence (fluctuations) and frustrations affect me when I know it’s only a short time where I can play this game. And it’s not worth getting all distraught and mad and going too high or too low. I just want to be me. That’s it. Simple as that.”

6. Foles isn’t a live-wire personality on or off the field. If you want a fist-pumping QB that shrieks at teammates and opponents, then this isn’t your guy. Fans that disliked Sam Bradford’s low-key personality will be getting the same in Foles. In Philadelphia, “Friday Night Lights” author Buzz Bissinger stirred things up by writing that Foles “has an aura of softness about him.” Bissinger recommended that Foles “man up to be the man.”

Here was Foles’ response at the time: “I don’t agree with it just because I think a quarterback and leader and anything it’s not necessarily what you do with the limelight or anything. Obviously, handling yourself in an appropriate matter is very important for you and your teammates, but I’ve always believed that you need to be who you are.

“If you’re a guy who loves to go out and be at everything and do that and you can be a great player and great leader as well, that’s awesome because that’s naturally what you’re great at, that’s naturally what you want to do. See, if I were to go and do all that stuff, that’s sort of out of my norm.

“I’ve always been a laid-back Texas boy. I love my family. I love being with my family. That’s what I stick to. I love the game of football. I love getting better. My teammates know me because I show them who I am in the locker room and then I don’t change when I go on the field.”

Foles had declined a one-on-one interview request with Bissinger before Bissinger wrote the piece.

7. According to the Eagles’ media guide, Foles lists “Where the Red Fern Grows” as his favorite book. Favorite film? The cartoon version of “Scooby-Doo.” In an interview with ESPN, Foles said his favorite Disney movie is “Lion King.” His favorite meal? Fried catfish. (He’ll be able to find plenty of that in the St. Louis area.) Foles also has, at least in the past, been a devotee of Bikram yoga.

8. Coming out of high school in 2007, Foles initially committed to Arizona State. But he had a change of heart and signed with Michigan State. After a season in East Lansing, Foles transferred to Arizona, got a chance to start during the 2009 season, and was the Wildcats’ full-time starter in 2010 and 2011. He was a communications major at Arizona.

9. Here’s a scouting report from the respected quarterback analyst Greg Cosell, who described Foles as a limited talent in a 2014 interview:

“I think if you look at Foles the player, what you likely see is this: He’s got a good arm but not a gun; he’s not a power thrower, not a drive thrower. He’s a little more of a finesse thrower than a drive thrower,” Cosell said “He does not have quick feet. There is no quick-twitch to his movement. There’s no explosive lower-body movement to him. When you look at Foles, I think what you see is a quarterback that needs the system to work for him and provide defined reads and good throws with the route concepts, just the whole system. He needs the system to work for him… I don’t think he’s really any different (from 2013.) Because he’s not a quick-twitch guy, when he doesn’t feel comfortable making a throw he’ll start to look a little awkward because he’s not quick twitch, he moves around.”

10. Foles is a workaholic. At Arizona, coaches had to tell him to ease off on lifting weights. He’s consumed by video scouting of opponents and has been known to have teammates over for film study.

11. Daniel Jeremiah, formerly a scout with the Eagles, had this to say (in part) in his official scouting report filed to the team before the 2012 draft: “Mentally, excellent smarts, knows what everybody is doing on the field, understands fronts and coverages. … outstanding worker, sets a tone in the weight room … great character … He’s all about football. Always at the facility. He was there when I was visiting with the (Arizona) QB coach. He wanted to see one particular play that bothered him from practice, so he showed up, came right into the room with his ice bag on his arm. Has the wide receivers over all the time to watch tape and eat at his apartment. Pays for their food … Foles is a clear leader of the team.”

12. Foles’ 2013 season was, in many respects, one of the finest by a QB in NFL history. Some highlights: Pro Bowl selection, Pro Bowl Offensive MVP, league passer-rating leader (119.2), two-time selection as NFC Offensive Player of the Week, had the 60th “perfect game” (as in passer rating) in NFL history, was ranked at No. 70 in the NFL Network’s list of Top 100 players in the league at the end of the 2013 season. Also: Foles tied an NFL record with seven TD passes in a game, had the best single season TD-interception ratio (27:2) in NFL history, and posted the best-ever passer rating (152.8) for a calendar month (Nov. 2013.)

13. Foles wasn’t nearly as effective in 2014, throwing 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a passer rating of 81.4 before his season ended after eight games because of a broken collarbone. Cosell suggested that NFL defenses made some changes in how they played against Foles in 2014 after getting a chance to study the 2013 version of Foles and the Eagles offense.

“Because all of this was new to defensive coordinators, we all agree that it looked last year like there were a ton of open receivers, which doesn’t happen that much in the NFL,” Cosell said. “And he needs the system to work for him.”

14. Here’s an excerpt of Bissinger’s 2014 profile of Foles in Philadelphia magazine:

“The truth was, Nick Foles was something of a nerd (in high school), a guy who hung around with a small posse of mostly non-football nerds — eggheads, kids who would go on to careers in finance and private equity and engineering. A hot Saturday night was getting together at his house to play video games like Call of Duty, or hanging out at Zilker Park on the shores of Lady Bird Lake. ‘Dude, come on, you’re the quarterback, go out and have some fun,’ high-school teammate Matt Nader pleaded with him, fruitlessly.

“He was the kid you wanted dating your daughter, because he would have her home at 9:30 after you said 10. He was socially awkward, with a naive and goofy sense of humor. He dressed as if he had never seen clothes before. His hair was oddly styled in an ersatz pageboy, curling below his ears like a drainage ditch and covering his forehead in uneven wisps, thin grime on a windshield. His face was a cup of Napoleon Dynamite and a tablespoon of golly-gee-willikers and a teaspoon of Gomer Pyle.”

15. Eagles coach Chip Kelly had no problem trading Foles the quarterback. But Kelly was a big fan of Foles the person. “I wish there were more people like Nick Foles in our lives,” Kelly told the Philadelphia media last November.

March 11, 2015 at 5:08 pm #20102

zn
Moderator

Sam Bradford: Trade to Philly has been in the works for weeks

by Michael David Smith

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/11/sam-bradford-trade-to-philly-has-been-in-the-works-for-weeks/

New Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford revealed today that he has known for weeks he was being shopped by the Rams, even as the Rams claimed that wasn’t the case.

“This has been in the works for a while so it didn’t catch me totally by surprise when it happened yesterday,” Bradford said.

When reports first surfaced that the Rams could trade Bradford, St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher said the reports were inaccurate. But Bradford revealed that he has known for nearly a month that the Eagles and coach Chip Kelly might trade for him.

Bradford said he’s happy to be in Philadelphia because he’s a fan of Kelly’s innovative offensive system.

“I think any quarterback in the league would love to play for Chip, in his offense,” Bradford said. “It’s extremely quarterback-friendly. The tape that I’ve watched, it just looks like a lot of fun to play in. I think it’s similar to what I did in college at Oklahoma. I’m extremely excited.”

Bradford also said he has “a great relationship” with Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who previously coached him in St. Louis. Bradford is happy — and not surprised — to be in Philadelphia.

March 11, 2015 at 6:01 pm #20105

Zooey
Moderator

I bet there aren’t many starting NFL QBs whose parents have greater net worth than they do.

March 11, 2015 at 6:26 pm #20108

zn
Moderator

from off the net

===

ramBRO

I caught a radio interview with ESPN’s KC Joyner wherein he discussed the Bradford trade. For those who don’t know, KC Joyner is the self-proclaimed “Football Scientist” who ranks player performance on metrics outside of typical stats. In other words, he applies “analytics” to football in the same way that Billy Bean might do so for baseball.

Although as a Rams fan I was interested in what Nick Foles would bring to our team, the radio hosts spent the entire segment having Joyner focus on what Chip Kelly saw in Sam Bradford. This is what he said:

1) Sam Bradford is a smart and “safe” QB who takes care of the football.

2) Bradford is also accurate with his deep ball.

Those were the primary benefits that Joyner listed. But he delved a little further. He indicated that people have a misconception of Chip Kelly’s offense thinking that it’s an up tempo passing attack. In reality, it’s an up tempo rushing attack that looks to take advantage of a tired/disorganized defense with passes – preferably vertical ones (hence the Bradford interest). Joyner said that Kelly’s offense is only effective with a strong rushing attack and that his WR’s need to be physical in order to block downfield (thus, no use for a Desean Jackson/Jeremy Maclin-types). Foles became careless with the ball last season and Kelly doesn’t believe that he’ll have that problem with Bradford.

The radio hosts inquired why the Eagles would trade away LeSean McCoy if they were looking to have a strong rushing attack and Joyner said that: A) they got a good defensive player in return (defense is the primary concern for the team); B ) RB’s are a dime a dozen (didn’t discuss losing out on Frank Gore); and, C) more cap space to go after his type of guys.

Again, there was little talk of the compensation for Bradford or his injury history. This was all about what the numbers told Joyner on why Kelly might like Bradford so much. And truth be told, it sounded as though Joyner liked the pick-up.

March 11, 2015 at 6:48 pm #20119

InvaderRam
Moderator

well. this move will either make chip look like a genius or it will get him fired.

March 12, 2015 at 9:43 am #20172

zn
Moderator

Adam Schefter discusses Chip Kelly’s comments that Philadelphia plans to move forward with Sam Bradford as the team’s starting quarterback and the Eagles are not planning to draft QB Marcus Mariota.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:12461752

March 13, 2015 at 6:46 am #20340

Agamemnon
Participant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21cviD9Rn58

Agamemnon

March 16, 2015 at 9:54 am #20718

zn
Moderator

VID: Warner on the trade

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-free-agency/0ap3000000477864/Warner-Foles-will-have-more-success-early-in-St-Louis

March 16, 2015 at 9:43 pm #20764

zn
Moderator

Bernie: Rams can’t be dumb about protecting Foles

By Bernie Miklasz

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/bernie-rams-can-t-be-dumb-about-protecting-foles/article_d6954f6a-e718-508c-b97d-4a6c15b0871d.html

In attempting to gauge how Nick Foles will do as the Rams’ starting quarterback in 2015, it makes sense to start by looking at the coaching.

Foles had an advantage when Philadelphia drafted him into the NFL in 2012. Foles had a chance to break in under Andy Reid, one of the most dependable offensive minds in the game. Reid knows how to coach quarterbacks.

From 1999 through 2012, Reid’s Philly offenses were ranked seventh in the NFL in points, eighth in passing yards, eighth in touchdowns from scrimmage, fifth in touchdown passes, 14th in yards per passing attempt (6.88) and had the fourth-best ratio of touchdown passes to interceptions.

Foles was the beneficiary of good rookie schooling from Reid in 2012, and that prep work probably helped him to get ready to play for new Eagles coach Chip Kelly in 2013.

Foles started 18 games under Kelly in 2013 and ‘14, with the Eagles winning 14 of the starts. In Foles’ two seasons in the Kelly system, the Eagles ranked eighth in the league in passing yards, ninth in touchdown passes, and fourth in yards per passing attempt (7.96).

Philadelphia was No. 2 in points from scrimmage on offense (424) in 2013, and followed up with a No. 6 ranking with 397 scrimmage points last season.

And the Rams?

With Jeff Fisher as head coach over the past three years, the Rams were 21st in yards per passing attempt, 19th in touchdown passes, 25th in passing yards.

That’s hardly an outlier. While many Rams fans liked to blame offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for the team’s mediocre offense, this view badly overlooks Fisher’s dreadful history with NFL offenses.

Fisher-coached teams have ranked among the NFL’s top 10 in points from scrimmage only three times in his 19 full seasons. And it hasn’t happened since 1999, when Fisher was in his fifth full season as coach of the Tennessee Titans.

As longtime Nashville columnist and sports-talk host Joe Biddle recently noted, Fisher had a lot of nicknames during his time in Tennessee. Some of the favorites were “Coach 8-8” … “Coach Field Goal,” … and “Coach Three-and-Out.”

From a pure football standpoint, it’s easy to understand why Sam Bradford is elated to go from a bland Fisher-coached offense to a more dynamic Kelly-coached offense. It’s nothing personal. It’s just that quarterbacks tend to thrive in Kelly’s system.

And the Fisher run-based system? Not so much. What’s really surprising is Fisher’s absolute failure to build a strong offensive line. The Rams have been average at best at running the football, and their quarterbacks still take too many hits.

For a coach who is all about physical football, it’s astounding to see the Rams trudge on with such a pedestrian offensive line.

Even now the Rams began the free-agent season by pumping more money into Fisher’s favorite side of the ball, the defense.

Then again, perhaps that’s why Fisher has only six winning records in his 19 full seasons as an NFL head coach — including two winning seasons over the past 10 years.

Foles is going from a quarterback-enhancing offense to one that does little to cultivate outstanding QB play. Maybe new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and new QBs coach Chris Weinke can improve things, but it’s important to remember (for the 100th time) that this is Jeff Fisher’s offense.

It made sense for the Rams to save $11 million in salary-cap space by shipping Bradford’s big salary and chronic-injury records to Philadelphia. It made sense for the Rams to pick up a second-round draft choice in the swap.

Bradford never prospered in the Fisher offense.

Bradford never has come close to approaching the kind of season that Foles delivered in 2013, when he put up 27 touchdowns, only two INTs, an average of 9.1 yards per passing attempt, and a league-best passer rating of 119.2.

That doesn’t mean Foles is a better QB than Bradford.

I think we’ll get a better read on that now that the quarterbacks have switched teams and coaches.

If he can stay healthy Bradford certainly fits the QB profile Kelly was looking for. He has a quick mind, is adept at reading defenses, and doesn’t hesitate to check down instead of taking an avoidable sack or risking an interception by heaving a foolish pass. Bradford’s experience in a spread offense at Oklahoma will make him comfortable in Kelly’s up-tempo attack.

So why did Kelly sour on Foles? Kelly wouldn’t have made this trade unless he felt Bradford was superior to Foles. A coach doesn’t trade a lower-salaried quarterback with healthier knees — and give up a premium second-round draft pick on top of it — unless he was convinced he was landing a much better quarterback in return.

At the end of the 2014 season, Kelly praised Foles’ personal qualities but noted that the quarterback “gets banged up a little.” To some, that would be rather humorous considering Bradford’s history of frequent injuries. But Eagles insiders say Kelly’s comment was more about Foles’ habit of taking unnecessary hits by holding onto the ball too long.

Unlike Bradford, Foles hasn’t had two reconstructive surgeries on his left knee. But injuries have knocked Foles out in each of the last three seasons. There was a broken hand in 2012, a concussion in 2013, and a broken clavicle that sidelined him for the final eight games of 2014.

Foles has a slow release, and a longer throwing motion, and that can put him in harm’s way more often. And as a few QB analysts have noted, Foles is visibly uncomfortable when there’s clutter in or around his pocket.

Despite the return of big-play wide receiver Jeremy Maclin to the Philadelphia offense — Maclin had missed all of 2013 with a knee injury — Foles’ play declined last year. His completion percentage fell four points, to 59.8. He threw almost as many interceptions (10) as touchdowns (13.) His yards per attempt plunged by two yards, to 7.0.

And Foles’ passer rating plummeted to 81.4. For perspective consider that Rams’ backup QB Austin Davis had a passer rating of 85.4. And fellow Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez — who took over for the final eight games — had a higher rating (88.4) than Foles. And was more accurate.

So what happened?

For whatever reason, Foles’ play deteriorated under pressure last season. I have to throw some numbers at you, listed by category. The blitz numbers come from STATS LLC. The under-fire numbers are from Pro Football Focus:

FOLES WHEN BLITZED

2013: completed 64.6% for 10.73 yards per attempt, six touchdowns, no INTs and a passer rating of 125.1

2014: completed 53.8 percent, for 6.86 YPA, one TD, two INTs, and a passer rating of 67.9.

FOLES WHEN UNDER PASS-RUSH FIRE

2013: under pressure on 34.3 percent of his dropbacks, completed 48 percent, had an adjusted accuracy rating of 68.1 percent, threw three TDs and no interceptions.

2014: under pressure on 34.1 percent of his dropbacks, completed 39.8 percent, had an adjusted accuracy rating of 51.9 percent, threw four TDs, and had five INTs.

That’s significant difference in both categories.

A negative difference.

And please note that Foles came under pass-rush heat at a slightly lower rate in 2014 compared to 2013. Moreover, Pro Football Focus gave the Eagles a better pass protection grade in 2014 compared to 2013.

That’s the first thing to watch with Foles in 2015: do the Rams understand what he is, and how to put him in a position to succeed?

When harassed by the defense in 2013, Foles didn’t lose his cool. He made plays. But Foles wasn’t the same quarterback under pressure in 2014. That’s almost certainly the reason why Kelly lost patience with him.

That’s why it’s imperative for the Rams to solidify their offensive line. If the coaching staff watched video of Foles in 2014, they can’t possibly think it’s a smart idea to throw this kid to a pack of jackals by setting him up behind another flimsy O-line.

March 18, 2015 at 11:49 pm #20957

zn
Moderator

Rams Made Right Decision with Bradford, Even if He Succeeds with Eagles

By Anthony Stalter

http://www.101sports.com/2015/03/17/rams-made-right-decision-with-bradford-even-if-he-succeeds-with-eagles/

Hop into the DeLorean… we’re taking a trip into the future.

It’s January, 2016 and the regular season in the NFL has just concluded. The playoffs are about to start and there’s Sam Bradford, preparing to lead the Eagles to their second wild card appearance in the past three years. The Rams, meanwhile, missed the postseason after Nick Foles helped engineer a .500 season.

It would be a nightmare scenario for Rams fans to finally watch Bradford put together a winning season and lead his team to the playoffs, yet in a completely different city. And while some hate to admit it, that scenario is entirely possible. Chip Kelly’s system is as quarterback-friendly as they come, and plays to Bradford’s strengths as a signal-caller. Just like at Oklahoma, he’ll have the ability to make quick reads and get the ball out of his hand quickly, or turn around and hand off to a talented running back in DeMarco Murray.

But even if that nightmare were to become a reality, the Rams still made the right decision in trading Bradford. First and foremost, none of us have the benefit of hindsight when it comes to making difficult decisions. If we did, the definition of “risk” would be useless. In that snapshot in time, the Rams made a decision to unburden themselves of Bradford’s contract and injury history, all while acquiring a capable starter in Foles and a second-round pick in 2016. It was the right decision at the time, just as it will be the right decision a year from now even if Bradford soars (sorry for the pun) and Foles fails (sorry for the alliteration).

Even if Bradford does soar (last time, I promise), there was no guarantee that he was going to post similar production in this city, with this Rams team, under this coaching staff. In order to have success, he may have needed a different environment under a completely different coaching staff. His 2015 season in Philadelphia and his hypothetical 2015 season in St. Louis aren’t mutually exclusive. Just because he’s able to stay healthy and productive with the Eagles doesn’t mean he would have done so in St. Louis.

And what if Bradford does have success in Philadelphia: what do the Eagles do then? If he leads the Eagles to the playoffs it might be an easy decision to sign him to a contract extension. But those two blown ACLs aren’t erased from his medical history. Handing an injury-prone quarterback another fat contract based on one good year doesn’t seem like a shrewd business decision.

This is why I used the term “unburden”. The Rams have completely unburdened themselves from the Bradford situation. The free agent options at quarterback were brutal and this year’s draft class is shallow at the position. They were stuck. Bradford was the best option and even with that being the case, the Rams would have had to hold their breath that he would stay healthy for an entire season. His contract also would have prevented them from eventually addressing needs along the offensive line and/or adding quality depth like Nick Fairly.

But now Bradford is Kelly’s problem (at least until he swings another trade that nobody sees coming). I don’t mean to be flippant: I felt bad for Bradford when he tore his ACL again after working his a** off to get ready for training camp last year. It wasn’t fair. In fact, his entire career in St. Louis wasn’t fair. It was as if the football gods used him as their go-to whenever they were in need of a cruel laugh.

I hope Bradford does succeed in Philadelphia.

But even if he does, the Rams made the right decision. Foles is still largely an unknown. His 2013 season was a thing of beauty, but turnovers and accuracy woes doomed his 2014 campaign long before the broken collarbone did. From a skill set standpoint, Bradford is a better passer than Foles if we’re comparing apples to apples.

But we’re not comparing apples to apples because one of those apples has browned in several places. The fact that Bradford has only played seven games the last two years, coupled with the reality that Foles won’t be running Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense (which is to say the Rams’ offense is not complex), it was a no-brainer trade for the Rams.

I’ll say the same thing next year regardless of what transpires this fall.

March 25, 2015 at 10:36 am #21410

zn
Moderator

Eagles gamble Bradford has upside

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/eagles-gamble-bradford-has-upside/article_c1fcf070-fd0f-54db-a82a-4255814a5ed0.html

PHOENIX • Philadelphia owner Jeff Lurie said the Eagles were gambling on upside when they traded Nick Foles and a pair of draft picks to the Rams for Sam Bradford and, ”You hate to give up a No. 2 (second-round) pick in a future draft — that’s a tough one to swallow,” Lurie told reporters Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings. “But if you can gain a franchise quarterback out of it that puts you in a position for other things — that’s what you do.”

Besides the QB swap, the Rams get a fourth-round pick this year and a second-round pick in 2016. The Eagles get a fifth-rounder from the Rams this year. If Bradford misses the entire 2015 season or plays fewer than 50 percent of the snaps, Philadelphia gets a conditional pick in 2016 from St. Louis.

In doing homework on the potential trade, Lurie said Eagles coach Chip Kelly watched Bradford “hundreds of times. He talked to every coach he ever had. This is well-researched; it wouldn’t satisfy me if it wasn’t.”

Going back to the 2010 draft when coach Andy Reid’s staff was in place in Philly, Lurie said, “We thought (Bradford) was the best young quarterback we had seen in a long, long time. Probably since Peyton Manning coming out of college.

“Rookie of the year his first year. Pat Shurmur had him as an offensive coordinator. We confirmed everything we had heard about him in the draft process. Extraordinary competitor. Incredibly accurate. And needs to stay healthy.”

Shurmur is now Philadelphia’s OC.

WARNER WEIGHS TRADE

Making an appearance a little later in the day at the owners meetings, former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner called the Foles-Bradford trade “interesting to me from a couple of different standpoints.”

Warner continued: “St. Louis has been behind Sam from Day 1, and Coach (Jeff) Fisher taking over we just heard: ‘He’s our guy. He’s our guy. He’s our guy.’ You kind of thought St. Louis would stay behind Sam.”

That changed on the first day of free agency two weeks ago when the trade went down.

“You also understand the health issues,” Warner said. “It’s tough to play without having that position on the field for 16 games or close to it. And him not being able to do that, I think has been tough. So you see it from that perspective.”

The fact that the Eagles re-signed quarterback Mark Sanchez, who played relatively well for them last season, at least gives Philly a backup plan should Bradford stumble or get injured, Warner said.

And from the Philly perspective?

“Here’s a guy two years ago that went 27-2 — 27 touchdowns and two interceptions,” Warner said, speaking of Foles. “That doesn’t happen very often. And I know it doesn’t happen twice very often. (But) last year was a little bit of a struggle.”

The uncertainty with Foles, as Warner sees it, is which Foles are the Rams getting. The outstanding performer of 2013, or the guy that scuffled last season and then got hurt.

“Who is he? What are we gonna get for the long term?” Warner said. “But we’ve seen that he can be really, really good and I think that’s the thing that excites you. . . You just don’t have a very big sample size on what he’s going to be.”

Warner agreed with Lurie’s notion that acquiring Bradford was an upside gamble.

“I think a lot of people have seen that,” Warner said. “Physically, you know that he’s got all the ability to be a top-notch quarterback. He’s a young kid that has the right attitude. A guy that can lead your franchise. I think all that stuff is in play.”

Warner said one of his concerns about Foles “is just the speed by which he plays. I’ve always believed that you have to be able to see and react very quickly.

“I felt in Philly’s system, he thrived because things transpired a little bit slower. A lot of the stuff was down the field where he could take his time to get through reads. And he was very good in that kind of system. But I also wonder how does that translate to another system; a system that maybe wants you to get it out on time.”

March 25, 2015 at 10:55 am #21411

zn
Moderator

zn wrote:

Making an appearance a little later in the day at the owners meetings, former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner called the Foles-Bradford trade “interesting to me from a couple of different standpoints.”

Warner continued: “St. Louis has been behind Sam from Day 1, and Coach (Jeff) Fisher taking over we just heard: ‘He’s our guy. He’s our guy. He’s our guy.’ You kind of thought St. Louis would stay behind Sam.”

That changed on the first day of free agency two weeks ago when the trade went down.

“You also understand the health issues,” Warner said. “It’s tough to play without having that position on the field for 16 games or close to it. And him not being able to do that, I think has been tough. So you see it from that perspective.”

The fact that the Eagles re-signed quarterback Mark Sanchez, who played relatively well for them last season, at least gives Philly a backup plan should Bradford stumble or get injured, Warner said.

And from the Philly perspective?

“Here’s a guy two years ago that went 27-2 — 27 touchdowns and two interceptions,” Warner said, speaking of Foles. “That doesn’t happen very often. And I know it doesn’t happen twice very often. (But) last year was a little bit of a struggle.”

The uncertainty with Foles, as Warner sees it, is which Foles are the Rams getting. The outstanding performer of 2013, or the guy that scuffled last season and then got hurt.

“Who is he? What are we gonna get for the long term?” Warner said. “But we’ve seen that he can be really, really good and I think that’s the thing that excites you. . . You just don’t have a very big sample size on what he’s going to be.”

Warner agreed with Lurie’s notion that acquiring Bradford was an upside gamble.

“I think a lot of people have seen that,” Warner said. “Physically, you know that he’s got all the ability to be a top-notch quarterback. He’s a young kid that has the right attitude. A guy that can lead your franchise. I think all that stuff is in play.”

Warner said one of his concerns about Foles “is just the speed by which he plays. I’ve always believed that you have to be able to see and react very quickly.

“I felt in Philly’s system, he thrived because things transpired a little bit slower. A lot of the stuff was down the field where he could take his time to get through reads. And he was very good in that kind of system. But I also wonder how does that translate to another system; a system that maybe wants you to get it out on time.”

Interesting.

Warner chimes in.

.

March 25, 2015 at 12:25 pm #21415

Herzog
Participant

Hmmm……I trust Warner’s assessment. So in essence, we just need a good offensive line to give him time to go through his reads.
We have Robinson and Saffold….hell, that’s all we need!

March 31, 2015 at 9:33 pm #21881

zn
Moderator

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XBw9oGGSRM
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