Bernie: Change Would Do Bradford No Good

[r8rh8rmike]

Bernie: Change would do Bradford no good

January 14, 2013 12:50 am • BY BERNIE MIKLASZ, Post-Dispatch Sports Columnist

Brian Schottenheimer to the Jacksonville Jaguars? Say it isn’t so. The last thing the Rams quarterback Sam Bradford needs right now is another change at offensive coordinator.

I’d be surprised if Schottenheimer emerges as Jacksonville’s new head coach. The boring Jags need to spark excitement in the market, and Schottenheimer wouldn’t sell tickets. Moreover, the new Jacksonville GM, Dave Caldwell, is tight with San Francisco offensive coordinator Greg Roman, and Roman looms as a stronger candidate.

Schottenheimer did a good job in 2012. The Rams scored 261 points on offense, up from 175 points in 2011. They scored 27 touchdowns on offense, up from 16. They threw 22 touchdown passes, up from nine. They averaged 344 yards per game from scrimmage, up from 308 yards. They had a net pickup of 680 passing yards.

The 2012 Rams had more success in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 51.4 percent of its opportunities, compared to 38.7 percent in 2011. Bradford put up some of the league’s top red-zone passing stats over the final eight games and improved in all of the significant statistical categories, including accuracy on deep passes, and accuracy when under pressure.

That said, the Rams still finished 28th in the NFL in points scored on offense, and were 23rd in yards from scrimmage per game. That usually doesn’t lead to a head-coaching job for a coordinator. But we probably would have said the same thing after the 2010 season, right before the Cleveland Browns hired Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur as head coach.

I think it’s fair to conclude that Schotteheimer had Bradford and the offense moving in the right direction. And if he stays, it’s reasonable to anticipate more meaningful improvement in 2013.

In three NFL seasons Bradford has had three coordinators and three offenses. If Schottenheimer stays, how much would Bradford benefit from having coaching stability for the first time in his NFL career? It’s an intriguing consideration.

Continuity is an important factor in quarterback development. There are no absolutes, but the coordinator-quarterback relationship is often an important piece of the QB’s foundation. Just look at the quarterbacks that have won the last nine Super Bowls.

Peyton Manning had Tom Moore by his side for 12 consecutive years in Indianapolis. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers has leaned on Tom Clements as quarterbacks coach or coordinator since 2006. Drew Brees has worked closely with Pete Carmichael since coming to New Orleans in 2006.

Bruce Arians was a constant coaching presence in Pittsburgh during Ben Roethlisberger’s formative years. Eli Manning of the Giants has had Kevin Gilbride in place as position coach or coordinator since his rookie season of 2004.

Tom Brady has had three offensive coordinators in New England – Charlie Weis, Josh McDaniels, Bill O’Brien – but there’s been no disruption because the Patriots have always promoted from within.

Having the right coordinator in place can alter a quarterback’s career. Troy Aikman, the league’s No. 1 overall draft choice in 1989, was awful in Dallas during his first two NFL seasons, but that changed when the Cowboys brought in Norv Turner as offensive coordinator. Aikman won three Super Bowls and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

“We were terrible before Norv joined us,” Aikman said. “Norv took the same cast, and we jumped immediately on offense. I know firsthand what that can mean to a team.”

We’ve seen quarterbacks struggle or fail to reach their potential because of coaching chaos. Two prime examples are San Francisco’s Alex Smith and Chicago’s Jay Cutler.

Smith – the No. 1 overall pick in 2005 – had seven offensive coordinators in his first eight seasons. Next season Cutler will try to get in synch with his fourth offensive coordinator in five seasons with the Bears.

“It’s hard for an offense and as a quarterback to get to where you want to be and be consistent on a weekly basis if you’re changing coordinators every couple of years,” Cutler told a Chicago radio station earlier this season. “That’s a reality.”

If Schottenheimer is hired by Jacksonville, Bradford will have to adapt again; in 2013 he would have a fourth offensive coordinator in as many seasons. But Rams head coach Jeff Fisher is adamant: even if Schottenheimer goes, the offense will remain the same.

The Rams could foster continuity by promoting quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti to offensive coordinator. But sources tell me that’s unlikely.

And if a new coordinator comes from the outside, will he really run the same offense, or is it logical to expect some changes?

Playbook aside, there’s the personal relationship. Bradford and Schottenheimer click. Would there be instant chemistry between Bradford and a new coordinator?

In the Rams’ final game, at Seattle, the Rams empowered Bradford with more responsibility to make decisions at the line of scrimmage. He was also allowed to run a more up-tempo approach that plays to his strengths. It was a welcome development.

Bradford has largely been a regimented, programmed, robo-style quarterback in his first three seasons. But Fisher and Schottenheimer were planning to turn Bradford loose in 2013 by having him play a more instinctive, free-flow style.

The day after the Seattle game, when discussing Bradford’s progression and prospects for 2013, Fisher said: “We’re not going to change things here. We’re only going to do things to help him get better. We turned a lot over to him (at Seattle) in the no-huddle and on the line of scrimmage. You can see us moving down that path with him and in order to do so, you have to maintain continuity.”

Despite Fisher’s insistence on keeping everything the same in 2013, we simply don’t know how this will play out if there’s a new coordinator. But let’s not pretend it isn’t a factor.

[fliptalianstallion]

Regarding almost any article Bernie has made.

[Azul e Oro]

You could tell Bernie to chillax; the sun will rise tomorrow, yet if he needed to fill a column, he'd blubber; " Bbbbbut....what if it doesn't?! YOU don't know !"

Of course the continuity thing is key; we've all been saying it for years. As long as the basic concepts and verbiage stay the same- which is how I interpret Fish's remark, I don't see how a new OC's wrinkles could hurt. Good schemes evolve with the personnel & the prevailing offensive/defensive trends; Brady & The Pats are possibly the best eg.

Schotty was ok,imo, but if someone knows how to get more rush TDs ( you know, something really outside the strategic box like putting freakin' SJ in at the goal line maybe more than once a month...), I say don't let the door hit ya....

[thoey]

I didn't read the whole article, as I read the title and said "Well, Duh!!!"