Bradford Starting on MNF

[sadhappy]

According to Charlie Casserly on Twitter
Twitter

[Rambos]

Report: Bradford will start at quarterback against Seahawks
Posted by Josh Alper on December 12, 2011, 6:03 PM EST
Arizona Cardinals v St. Louis Rams Getty Images

One of the myriad questions on the minds of the millions and millions of people waiting with baited breath for the epic Monday Night Football showdown between the Rams and Seahawks is whether or not Sam Bradford will be starting at quarterback for St. Louis.

The answer has arrived. Charley Casserley of CBS reports that Bradford, who has been hampered by a high ankle sprain, will indeed get the start. That means the legions of Tom Brandstater fans will have to wait a little bit longer to see their man get a shot on the big stage and it also means that Bradford should be in the running for most That Guys of the night from Jon Gruden.

Bradford’s sophomore NFL season has been a frustrating one, although it hasn’t been bad enough to knock offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels off the list of possible Todd Haley replacements in Kansas City. The Chiefs might not be the only Missouri team looking for a new head coach when the season comes to a close, although it seems unlikely that McDaniels would wind up replacing Steve Spagnuolo if the head man does get the axe.

[Nick]

Hope he doesn't aggravate the injury even further.

[GROUND DOG 39]

It makes it a little more interesting, don't you think.? Do not get him killed McD.?

[fliptalianstallion]

It's not a matter of "when" he's going to get injured, but rather "if" he re-injures that ankle that he'll end up in the PUP next season...

[sosa39rams]

It's not a matter of "when" he's going to get injured, but rather "if" he re-injures that ankle that he'll end up in the PUP next season...

PUP? You cant further a ankle sprain enough to miss more than a month. A sprain is a sprain. The only way it gets worse is if he breaks it, and that has nothing to do with an ankle sprain.

[g tha problem]

i commend his warrior attitude. it would be easy for him to just sit out the rest of the season. i like it. he is on a mission. i just hope he can walk off the field at the end of the season.

[Keenum]

I hope it's because he is healthy, but either way I'm glad to see he isn't quitting on the team.

[laram0]

This is great news.....now go out there and score some points!!!!

[RamFan_Til_I_Die]

You people wanting Sam to be done for the season are insane! Who cares if he aggravates it the injury and makes it worse? You can't make a freaking ankle sprain get worse to the point it will affect next season. This is not a potential career ending injury or concussion we're dealing with, it's a SPRAINED ANKLE!

I think you guys are totally out of touch with how the average football player feels about being in games and competing.

EVERY GAME MATTERS.

Players don't give a crap if they have one win or 10, they will want to play in the next game just the same, and believe it or not when you are in a losing season you crave each win even more! That may be hard for you to believe, but most of these players want to compete every week no matter what, and the only thing worse than losing is watching your team lose from the sideline thinking you could have made a difference.

If Sam was able to play tonight and didn't I'd be highly disappointed. He is a warrior, and I applaud him for playing tonight!

[RockinRam]

For what it's worth, Ben Roethlisberger sprained his ankle, and went back in to lead the Steelers to victory.

[Nick]

You people wanting Sam to be done for the season are insane! Who cares if he aggravates it the injury and makes it worse? You can't make a freaking ankle sprain get worse to the point it will affect next season. This is not a potential career ending injury or concussion we're dealing with, it's a SPRAINED ANKLE!

Bradford suffered a setback to his ankle two weeks ago or so after returning too early from the initial injury, saying himself that, "It's definitely gone back to the first couple weeks after the injury." So you can't tell me there's nothing to lose by him playing tonight.

Bradford and the Rams are risking another setback by allowing him to continue to play on an ankle that I'd hope we can all agree likely isn't 100%, in a season that we all know is over and lost. That Bradford wants to compete is admirable, but that is completely beside the point. The focus should be on what's best for him and his health, especially since this team has no post-season prospects this year.

High ankle sprains are tricky beasts and can sometimes require not just weeks but months to fully heal. Is it really worth exposing Sam to an injury that could linger into his offseason schedule? Or at the very least, delay his rehab from the injury with the same potential consequences? Consider this blip from a Tony Softli article published last week:

It is not about giving up on the season, it is not about the lack of pride or not wanting to win. It is about getting your franchise player healthy. I wrote a blog several weeks ago after Bradford was injured about high ankle sprains. When researching with several of my medical sources around the country, all of them kept saying the same thing: symptoms could last 2-7 months and the best rehab is rest.

By placing Bradford on injured reserve this week, that will allow him a chance to heal through rest for four weeks, so he can have a productive offseason in the weight room, on the field in OTAs (organized team activities) and minicamps. For Bradford to head into the offseason needing rehab to finish out a season that was lost four weeks ago when you talk about playoff opportunities, the right thing to do is protect the Rams' investment.

If this were a team in contention for the playoffs with something on the line, I think it'd be a different story. But given where this team is right now, I agree 100% with Softli, and I really hope this decision doesn't come back to bite the Rams.

[sosa39rams]

Bradford suffered a setback to his ankle two weeks ago or so after returning too early from the initial injury, saying himself that, "It's definitely gone back to the first couple weeks after the injury." So you can't tell me there's nothing to lose by him playing tonight.

Bradford and the Rams are risking another setback by allowing him to continue to play on an ankle that I'd hope we can all agree likely isn't 100%, in a season that we all know is over and lost. That Bradford wants to compete is admirable, but that is completely beside the point. The focus should be on what's best for him and his health, especially since this team has no post-season prospects this year.

High ankle sprains are tricky beasts and can sometimes require not just weeks but months to fully heal. Is it really worth exposing Sam to an injury that could linger into his offseason schedule? Or at the very least, delay his rehab from the injury with the same potential consequences? Consider this blip from a Tony Softli article published last week:



If this were a team in contention for the playoffs with something on the line, I think it'd be a different story. But given where this team is right now, I agree 100% with Softli, and I really hope this decision doesn't come back to bite the Rams.

People are making it sound like theres a great chance that after today he may have a career ending injury... The only way he re-aggravates it is if he becomes healthy and re-sprains it. Other than that, hes already at the worst of the ankle sprain category. And other than a re-aggravation of the sprain, he is fine.

[Nick]

People are making it sound like theres a great chance that after today he may have a career ending injury...

No one is making it sound like that. Let's put the hyperbole and straw-man arguments to bed, please.

[Trevor]

Um to people who say you can't further a injury of a high ankle sprain have no idea what your talking about. When you stretch something beyond its stretching capacity, things start to tear.