Gordon: *****' Smith can relate to Bradford's ordeal

[HUbison]

Gordon: *****' Smith can relate to Bradford's ordeal

BY JEFF GORDON | Posted: Thursday, December 29, 2011

San Francisco ***** quarterback Alex Smith can feel Sam Bradford’s pain.
Smith has been the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. He has taken the helm of losing football teams and taken the physical and emotional beatings that come with that unpleasant assignment.
He adapted to new offensive coordinators, overcame injuries and played from behind year after year. He has withstood media ridicule and withering fan criticism.
Smith has had to carry the “draft bust” label like a yoke around his neck. So he is uniquely qualified to comment on Bradford's young career.
“Yeah, it's tough,” Smith said during his Wednesday conference call with the St. Louis media. “No one understands that at the quarterback position you rely on so many people just to have a chance to do your job. Just from an outside perspective looking in, obviously he had a really big rookie year. I think he did a lot of good things and then the expectations just continue to rise and a new system, the lockout, all of the injuries the Rams have had this year especially on the offensive side of the ball at the receiver position and offensive line, things like that . . . No one wants to talk about that or hear that.
“A lot of times so many people just look at your stats and all of that stuff can be deceiving. So for him I still think just continue to work to get better every day. You’re going to get through this. The NFL is so much ‘what have you done for me lately’ and just looking forward to the next game and putting that stuff behind you.”
These days, Bradford is hobbling around with a high ankle sprain. He wants to play in the season finale and end his 2011 season on a high note.
But playing hurt hasn’t done him or his team any good this season. Rolling him back onto the field on one good leg — with limited practice time over a huge chunk of the season — would make no sense.
Bradford and the Rams need to write off this season as a lost cause and prepare for the team’s re-launch in 2012. Take the lessons learned from this fiasco and move forward.
Some Rams fans are hoping the team gets the first overall pick so it can take Andrew Luck. He is the Next New Thing coming into pro football.
Luck is an impressive prospect, for sure, but his most marketable quality is his absence of failure at the NFL level.
If Luck goes to a good team, as Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco did, he will be fine. If he goes to a patient team, as Carson Palmer, Tin Tebow, Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers did, he could excel once his turn comes.
If he goes to a bad team — as Smith and Matthew Stafford did — then he will get knocked around. Perhaps he will fight through, as Smith and Stafford have, or maybe the circumstances will get the best of him.
And then USC quarterback Matt Barkley will become the Next New Thing.
Should the Rams fall into the first overall pick, they should leverage that position into a package of assets. They should stick with Bradford, who has seen good, bad and ugly during his two years on the job.
That experience has given Bradford perspectives a rookie cannot possess. He will have an opportunity to parlay that maturity into breakthrough success, as Smith finally has in San Francisco.
The ***** stuck with Smith. They finally assembled a coaching staff capable of moving the franchise forward. Now they are 12-3 and the reigning NFC West champions. Now they can earn a first-round bye and the right to host their second-round playoff game.
Bradford could travel this road given the same opportunity.
“I think for him, he's such a young player in this league, he's got such a long road ahead of him that if he just continues to work on becoming a better player, he'll be just fine,” Smith said.
In the meantime, Bradford better tune out sports talk radio and stay clear of the Internet message boards and chat rooms.
“Yeah, you learn that one real quick,” Smith said with a chuckle. “It's tough. Even look at Sam a year ago, everybody is singing your praises, and then a year later all of the sudden it's not the same story. You learn how quickly things can change and obviously this is the most popular sport in America and it is that for a reason. Obviously, that's a part of it. If you play quarterback, you're going to be under a lot of scrutiny, people are going to say a lot of things either way about you, so you better have some thick skin. If you don't have thick skin you're not going to make it very long in this league.”

[HUbison]

In the meantime, Bradford better tune out sports talk radio and stay clear of the Internet message boards and chat rooms.

Always a good idea.

[dgr828]

Bradford needs to get himself together so other Rams can rally around him. Leaders
need no excuses. 2011 was a poor year for the Rams, unfortunetly it fall on Sams shoulders.

[Harry S. Truman]

Bradford needs to get himself together so other Rams can rally around him. Leaders
need no excuses. 2011 was a poor year for the Rams, unfortunetly it fall on Sams shoulders.

Agreed, but it's also the job of the front office to put this guy in a position to lead this team.

[Tampa_Ram]

You know things have gone bad when Alex Smith starts throwing out advice.

Bradford will be great next year with better quality players and playmakers next year.

[MauiRam]

Bradford will be great next year with better quality players and playmakers next year.

Sadly those two words are becoming Ram fans' mantra ..

[macrammer]

You know things have gone bad when Alex Smith starts throwing out advice.

Bradford will be great next year with better quality players and playmakers next year.

Ha! But, look at Whiners. 12-3 and most likely soon to be 13-3 barring a miracle. Are we that much different then they were a year ago? They finished 6-10 on a team with talent, basically same talent as their 12-3 record for this year.


Should we have a better record then 2-13? Are we simply devoid of any talent that is aligned to the 2-13 record?

OR,

Does a new coach and attitude make a difference for us as it did the Whiners?

6-10 Whiners v. 2-13 Rams

QB Smith v. Bradford Edge Rams Bradford is much better and much more upside
RB Gore v. Jackson Edge Rams SJ is better IMO
WR Crabtree v Lloyd Push I take Lloyd anyday but close here, we need a game changer
TE Davis v. Kendricks Big Edge Whiners But i think Kendricks has good upside
OL Push Rams have the potential if Safford and Smith regroup
Nobody singing praises of Whiner OL last year
DL Edge Whiners We do need interior lineman but have Quinn/Long
LB's Edge Whiners with more depth need help here
Secondary Push when we are healthy and emergence of Gordy/Stewart
Kicker Edge Whiners but not last year

I truly believe with right coaching philosophy and proper development of our younger guys, we are not going to sufffer through this debacle of season next year. As much as I dislike the Whiners, they have shown me that with the right change and coaching infrastructure, you can improve quickly. As Dick Vermeil once said, "Why not us?"

[mh-i]

So now the front office didn't put Bradford in a position to win coming into the 2011 season? Seems to me half the publications and most of this board thought the Rams were capable of winning the NFC West. Who got it wrong?

Easy schedule last season raised expections to unreasonable heights?

Tough schedule this season sunk the ship?

Injuries and injuries only caused the downfall?

Was the offensive line bad or just injured?

Was the problem McDaniels and his complicated offense? Should he have dumbed it down because there was no off season?

Is the defense bad against the run or do they just get tired because the offense is so bad.

The list of questions/excuses can go on and on. It seems to me that depending on who your favorite Ram player is some fans or writers are willing to throw everybody else under the bus no matter that if you connect the dots it doesn't add up.

[Tampa_Ram]

Ha! But, look at Whiners. 12-3 and most likely soon to be 13-3 barring a miracle. Are we that much different then they were a year ago? They finished 6-10 on a team with talent, basically same talent as their 12-3 record for this year.


Should we have a better record then 2-13? Are we simply devoid of any talent that is aligned to the 2-13 record?

OR,

Does a new coach and attitude make a difference for us as it did the Whiners?

6-10 Whiners v. 2-13 Rams

QB Smith v. Bradford Edge Rams Bradford is much better and much more upside
RB Gore v. Jackson Edge Rams SJ is better IMO
WR Crabtree v Lloyd Push I take Lloyd anyday but close here, we need a game changer
TE Davis v. Kendricks Big Edge Whiners But i think Kendricks has good upside
OL Push Rams have the potential if Safford and Smith regroup
Nobody singing praises of Whiner OL last year
DL Edge Whiners We do need interior lineman but have Quinn/Long
LB's Edge Whiners with more depth need help here
Secondary Push when we are healthy and emergence of Gordy/Stewart
Kicker Edge Whiners but not last year

I truly believe with right coaching philosophy and proper development of our younger guys, we are not going to sufffer through this debacle of season next year. As much as I dislike the Whiners, they have shown me that with the right change and coaching infrastructure, you can improve quickly. As Dick Vermeil once said, "Why not us?"

I agree with this for most part, but i think its both, new coaching staff a few new draftees and FA's. We still need a wr besides LLoyd, our others just cant cut it more then being a #3/#4. TE help would be nice but i think with the right coaching Kendricks could show what he showed in preseason, still wouldnt hurt adding a TE somewhere that can block and is at least a decent pass catcher. we still need at least 1 stud DT. O-line we need a center and possibly RT.

but i agree, the biggest change needs to be coaching. but i still want Blackmon.

[Tampa_Ram]

Sadly those two words are becoming Ram fans' mantra ..

lol true enough, have to agree i think ive been saying those words for the last 5 years at least.

[Trevor]

Like I said before, the Rams are a HC and OC away from being a good team.

[macrammer]

I agree with this for most part, but i think its both, new coaching staff a few new draftees and FA's. We still need a wr besides LLoyd, our others just cant cut it more then being a #3/#4. TE help would be nice but i think with the right coaching Kendricks could show what he showed in preseason, still wouldnt hurt adding a TE somewhere that can block and is at least a decent pass catcher. we still need at least 1 stud DT. O-line we need a center and possibly RT.

but i agree, the biggest change needs to be coaching. but i still want Blackmon.

Tampa,

Sure we need some help. But, with better talent and DEVELOPMENT we can turn this around. Stan has the money, we just need the football minds to helps us do this in a way that gets us out of the perverbial NFL gutter. If we do end up with top pick this year, we may get something for it. Sign a few FAs that PRODUCE and we are right back in this.