I'm tired of hearing the "I'm tired of hearing the excuses" excuses.

[HUbison]

Guys, gals, and everyone in between........I am so tired of hearing the "I'm tired of hearing the excuses" excuses. Especially as it relates to Bradford.

If it's been posted once, it's been posted a thousand times around; the idea that Bradford is to be scapegoat regardless of any context at all. You know....."Bradford sucks, and I don't care about any excuses". How can that statement ever be taken seriously?

If Carl Edwards took to the track in a '73 Pinto, and came in dead last (which he would).....is that an excuse or a reason?
If LeBron had to play with his hands glued to his feet, and didn't score a point (which he would).....is that an excuse or a reason?
If Albert Pujols went to the plate with a wiffle bat, and hit .000 (which he would).....is that an excuse or a reason?

So if Sam Bradford goes to the field as a 2nd year pro, in a brand new offense (with little to no prep time), with an unblocking line, no safety valve (after Amendola goes down), horrible receivers (how many times do I have to watch Gibson slow up coming out of a break) with magnetic hands of the same polarity as the ball, and coaches calling a painfully obvious offensive gameplan.........is that an excuse or a reason? Oh, and did I mention he also began calling his own line adjustments this year.

Oh yes, Bradford has his share of blame. He has to stop staring down receivers. He has to start seeing the whole field. He has to be "aware" of pocket pressure a little quicker. He's got things to work on as he evolves from a very simple offense to a rather complex offense.

However, to simply write him off because you're "tired of hearing excuses" is foolishness. Every player has to be judged in context. Because folks, the simple truth is, NO quarterback was going to succeed under the circumstances heaped upon the 2011 Rams QB. Brady, Brees, Manning (w/ a healthy neck), Rodgers...........none of them would have made this team win games. And I'm sure some would have been "tired of hearing the excuses" then as well.

I understand the frustration. I honestly do. We don't want to know how the sausage is made, we just want it to taste good. And right now, it tastes pretty bad.

But Bradford is doing nearly as well as can be hoped for in this situation. Edwards won't win in the Pinto, Pujols won't win with wiffle bat, and Bradford will not win in the current situation. Hopefully 2012 brings better.

[Rambos]

Guys, gals, and everyone in between........I am so tired of hearing the "I'm tired of hearing the excuses" excuses. Especially as it relates to Bradford.

If it's been posted once, it's been posted a thousand times around; the idea that Bradford is to be scapegoat regardless of any context at all. You know....."Bradford sucks, and I don't care about any excuses". How can that statement ever be taken seriously?

If Carl Edwards took to the track in a '73 Pinto, and came in dead last (which he would).....is that an excuse or a reason?
If LeBron had to play with his hands glued to his feet, and didn't score a point (which he would).....is that an excuse or a reason?
If Albert Pujols went to the plate with a wiffle bat, and hit .000 (which he would).....is that an excuse or a reason?

So if Sam Bradford goes to the field as a 2nd year pro, in a brand new offense (with little to no prep time), with an unblocking line, no safety valve (after Amendola goes down), horrible receivers (how many times do I have to watch Gibson slow up coming out of a break) with magnetic hands of the same polarity as the ball, and coaches calling a painfully obvious offensive gameplan.........is that an excuse or a reason? Oh, and did I mention he also began calling his own line adjustments this year.

Oh yes, Bradford has his share of blame. He has to stop staring down receivers. He has to start seeing the whole field. He has to be "aware" of pocket pressure a little quicker. He's got things to work on as he evolves from a very simple offense to a rather complex offense.

However, to simply write him off because you're "tired of hearing excuses" is foolishness. Every player has to be judged in context. Because folks, the simple truth is, NO quarterback was going to succeed under the circumstances heaped upon the 2011 Rams QB. Brady, Brees, Manning (w/ a healthy neck), Rodgers...........none of them would have made this team win games. And I'm sure some would have been "tired of hearing the excuses" then as well.

I understand the frustration. I honestly do. We don't want to know how the sausage is made, we just want it to taste good. And right now, it tastes pretty bad.

But Bradford is doing nearly as well as can be hoped for in this situation. Edwards won't win in the Pinto, Pujols won't win with wiffle bat, and Bradford will not win in the current situation. Hopefully 2012 brings better.

I agree with you 100 percent.

When I read how bad Bradford is playing and he's a bust, he's not making the guys around him play better ect....

The first thing I look at is how old is the person that posted that, maybe it's a generation thing? Not that an 18 year does not have the smarts, just maybe the expectations are just way too high.

I have pointed out many times how long it took Troy Aikman to become a an elite QB, four years, but that does not seem to register. Speaking of Aikman he was on DP show last week. Dan pointed out that he had 300 plus yards rushing his first year. He asked was that by design. Troy said well, Michael Irvin was hurt his first year and they just where not a good football team. And he was learning how to read the defense, it takes time until you really now what you are doing. In his last year as a pro he ran for 11 yard or so...

But I just think the exceptions are way to high for Bradford. Last year I thought Sam looked good not great, more athletic they i thought he would be. But if you watch him today and can't see that he has all the tools and the arm strength to boot to be elite. I just don't know what you are looking at really. He looks good to me this year, I love to watch him play and can see that once he's had a few years in and some help he will be awesome.

It's been a really bad year, but when I see him throw passes like he did to Lloyd for the TD that's a thing of beauty.

More to your point HUB, during the off season, I can't think of one person on this board that said we have a great set of WR on this roster Bradford should light it up. All of us knew we did not get a true number one WR to help and all of us where concerned that our WR where just not that good, so when we lost DA and a few others, I'm shocked that the expeditions didn't come down.

We have one WR that's helping Sam and that's Lloyd and they just started working together, can't wait to see what they do in the future.

[macrammer]

Guys, gals, and everyone in between........I am so tired of hearing the "I'm tired of hearing the excuses" excuses. Especially as it relates to Bradford.

If it's been posted once, it's been posted a thousand times around; the idea that Bradford is to be scapegoat regardless of any context at all. You know....."Bradford sucks, and I don't care about any excuses". How can that statement ever be taken seriously?

I am sorry but I really do not recall any "Bradford Sucks and I don't care about any excuse" threads. I see mostly nothing but support for the young man in the forum with some constructive crticism around him locking into receiver and holding ball too long.

If Carl Edwards took to the track in a '73 Pinto, and came in dead last (which he would).....is that an excuse or a reason?
If LeBron had to play with his hands glued to his feet, and didn't score a point (which he would).....is that an excuse or a reason?
If Albert Pujols went to the plate with a wiffle bat, and hit .000 (which he would).....is that an excuse or a reason?

So if Sam Bradford goes to the field as a 2nd year pro, in a brand new offense (with little to no prep time), with an unblocking line, no safety valve (after Amendola goes down), horrible receivers (how many times do I have to watch Gibson slow up coming out of a break) with magnetic hands of the same polarity as the ball, and coaches calling a painfully obvious offensive gameplan.........is that an excuse or a reason? Oh, and did I mention he also began calling his own line adjustments this year.

Oh yes, Bradford has his share of blame. He has to stop staring down receivers. He has to start seeing the whole field. He has to be "aware" of pocket pressure a little quicker. He's got things to work on as he evolves from a very simple offense to a rather complex offense.

However, to simply write him off because you're "tired of hearing excuses" is foolishness. Every player has to be judged in context. Because folks, the simple truth is, NO quarterback was going to succeed under the circumstances heaped upon the 2011 Rams QB. Brady, Brees, Manning (w/ a healthy neck), Rodgers...........none of them would have made this team win games. And I'm sure some would have been "tired of hearing the excuses" then as well.

I understand the frustration. I honestly do. We don't want to know how the sausage is made, we just want it to taste good. And right now, it tastes pretty bad.

But Bradford is doing nearly as well as can be hoped for in this situation. Edwards won't win in the Pinto, Pujols won't win with wiffle bat, and Bradford will not win in the current situation. Hopefully 2012 brings better.

I am sorry but I have not seen any "Bradfords sucks I do not want to hear any excuse threads" I see many on this board that support him but there is valid criticism (as you suggest) around his perfrmance this year. holding ball too long, locking onto primary receiver accuracy on deep balls.

If this type of threads and or opinion does exist I certainly think it is a small minority.

[emuen]

First of:

Brady, Brees, Manning (w/ a healthy neck), Rodgers...........none of them would have made this team win games.

This statement is brilliant! Because if people don't agree with you, then they can't prove that you are not right! You don't exactly say which flaws these QB's have that make them not succeed, but it's hard for others to prove that they could. That's why it's such a great statement.

And now for my post:
If you are already tired of the "I'm tired of hearing the excuses" excuses, then think about how it must be like to see all the excuses made around these forums, because there are way more posts protecting Bradford from any critic then there are bashing him. Try looking through Game threads and get peoples immediate response. Not a lot of bashing going around.
As Nick has said elsewhere, the truth is somewhere in the middle. He looks bad for the reasons HUbison stated in his post. And he is bad because of the problems he has that macrammer mentioned.

I can get frustrated when Goldberg gets owned, a free DE hits Bradford so he fumbles and then read a post about Bradfords fumble problem
But I also get frustrated when he under throws a free Lloyd, gets picked off by Peterson I then read that the receiver didn't make the play, or good CB work. No! The receiver made the play when he got open, no reason he should have to do any more on that play. Not that he could. No! Not good CB work, he got burned. Just a bad throw...

Now I'll make it clear that I want Bradford to succed, because somehow eventhough I'm a Rams fan, people don't automatically asume that (crazy right?):
I hope Bradford succeds! I think he can succed, but it means he has to improve in the areas that macrammer and others have mentioned on this forum.

That some of them write "No more excuses" - in the start of there posts - doesn't make some of there points any less true.

[HUbison]

That some of them write "No more excuses" - in the start of there posts - doesn't make some of there points any less true.

What it "makes" is an unwillingness to look at context. If you're willing to see the context while evaluating Bradford then fine. Congrats. This thread was not intended for you.

But let's not pretend every Bradford detractor is of the same ilk.

[fearsome foursome]

I guess some of the same "reasons" could be used to say that is why the coaches are not succeeding as well.

[Trevor]

I am sorry but I have not seen any "Bradfords sucks I do not want to hear any excuse threads" I see many on this board that support him but there is valid criticism (as you suggest) around his perfrmance this year. holding ball too long, locking onto primary receiver accuracy on deep balls.

If this type of threads and or opinion does exist I certainly think it is a small minority.

Probably locking onto the receiver is due to him not trusting his other receivers. They tend to drop balls ya know.. Holding on to the ball probably due to him waiting for his receiver to get open which most of our receivers have a hard time doing..

[emuen]

What is "makes" is an unwillingness to look at context. If you're willing to see the context while evaluating Bradford then fine. Congrats. This thread was not intended for you.

But let's not pretend every Bradford detractor is of the same ilk.

Or they are saying "Even in the given context, he should be able to preform better as a 1st overall pick." Even though he doesn't have great receivers he shouldn't sell a play on Lloyds ability to get open or not.
Even though he doesn't have time for many deep routes, he should be able to hit a free receiver 20+ yards down the field consistently without forcing the receiver to make a sick play.
Even though it's a new and complex system, he should be able to grasp the concept of a safty valve - when Jackson sits free over the middle.

Things you would expect a good QB to be able to do in any situation

You just have to look at the hopeless expression on Brandon Lloyds face on his way to the sideline - after another bad throw - to know how some Rams fans must be feeling.

[mh-i]

However, to simply write him off because you're "tired of hearing excuses" is foolishness. Every player has to be judged in context. Because folks, the simple truth is, NO quarterback was going to succeed under the circumstances heaped upon the 2011 Rams QB. Brady, Brees, Manning (w/ a healthy neck), Rodgers...........none of them would have made this team win games. And I'm sure some would have been "tired of hearing the excuses" then as well.

Define succeed. Is it wins and losses or solid play? Would any of those quarterbacks be ranked 30th in the league? I doubt it but that's where Bradford's rated? Should Bradford be judged as simply a 2nd year QB or a second year QB who happened to be the NUMBER ONE PICK OVERALL? Being that the Rams took him with the first pick I think the bar is higher for Bradford.

I asked this next qusetion on another thread. Does Bradford make the players around him better? Suiperstars do that no matter the sport. At this point of his career the answer is clearly no. If he's going to be the leader, which the QB is supposed to be, he's going to have to elevate his game.

I read you saying that "Edwards won't win in the Pinto, Pujols won't win with wiffle bat, and Bradford will not win in the current situation." as a cop out. The Rams as a team are horrible, no doubt but Bradford is a key member. By making that statement you a skape-goating the rest of the team. That's not realistic.

[HUbison]

I am sorry but I have not seen any "Bradfords sucks I do not want to hear any excuse threads".

Maybe you're right. Maybe everyone is willing to evaluate Bradford with context in place.

No excuses. If his production stays at 1 TD or less per game leading the Rams offense it's over as far as I'm concerned.

Bradford is wildly inconsistent and has played terrible. I dont care about excuses.

Bradford has played like a bust all season. So until he can lead us to a win, a 4th quarter come back, rally his teammates, get to the playoffs, give us a winning season, throw more than 6 TD's in a year, or score more than 10 PPG he isn't nothing better than a bust.

A small sample that would say otherwise.

If this type of threads and or opinion does exist I certainly think it is a small minority.

No "if", of course. And whether it is a minority or majority of posters is irrelevant. The mindset that disregards all context but passes judgment nonetheless is not worthwhile, regardless of number.

[HUbison]

Or they are saying "Even in the given context, he should be able to preform better as a 1st overall pick."

Then they would be wrong. Though I applaud them for at least using context to pass their judgment, faulty as it is.

[macrammer]

Probably locking onto the receiver is due to him not trusting his other receivers. They tend to drop balls ya know.. Holding on to the ball probably due to him waiting for his receiver to get open which most of our receivers have a hard time doing..

Agreed. But I putt his on coaching staff. Continually waiting for our less then stellar receiving dorp to get open on 20 yard outs with a rag tag O line AND not adjusting to something that develops quicker is the issue I have here. Realizing that Danny is out and Salas too we still have NFL caliber players out there (right?) so why not chang eit up?

[HUbison]

Define succeed. Is it wins and losses or solid play?

Both, of course.

Would any of those quarterbacks be ranked 30th in the league? I doubt it but that's where Bradford's rated?

Probably not, but it's hard to tell. And for the record, Brees in his 2nd year as a starter would have been looking up at Bradford's 2011 play.

Should Bradford be judged as simply a 2nd year QB or a second year QB who happened to be the NUMBER ONE PICK OVERALL?

As a 2nd year QB in his 2nd system. What a lot of fans don't seem to grasp is the relevancy of draft slot is gone as soon as they sign their contract. The scoreboard neither gives points nor take them away based on where any player is drafted.

[HUbison]

I guess some of the same "reasons" could be used to say that is why the coaches are not succeeding as well.

They certainly could be, but Spags should probably still be fired. Unless of course you're suggesting that context equates with giving a free pass. If so, then I would have to disagree with you.

[RamsFanSam]

Right now, the Rams are loaded with talent. Unfortunately, most of it is on the IR list, and the ones who aren't are unable to put any gas into that Pinto.

Is the lack of wins Bradford's fault? No. Why do I say this? Um...how about the other 52 players on the active roster? Let's look at a few:

Jackson - yes, I'm starting out with one of the best players in the NFL. All of us know how the beast can run over, through, and around almost any defense in the NFL. So why doesn't he have more TD's?

Laurainitis - Another one of the NFL's better players. No one can say he isn't an animal on our defense - but has anyone thought about the reason he's had such a monster year is because the rest of the D might not be holding their own?

I don't think I need to add the other 50 on the active roster to explain it any further. It isn't just (insert player name here), it's ALL OF THEM.

Football is a TEAM sport. This means that the 11 guys on the field at any given moment have got to play as ONE.

On June 6, 1944, on a 50 mile stretch of the Northern coast of France, more than 5,000 allied ships and 13,000 allied aircraft supported the more than 160,000 allied troops that launched the invasion of Nazi-controlled Europe. Twelve nations worked together to integrate their military personnel and resources to assault the beaches of Normandy. Many men died on both sides of this battle. However, no one can argue the importance of the success of this invasion.

Twelve different governments from these countries worked in unison to invade Europe as one force. Each man who set foot on French soil that day knew the imprtance of doing his job, and doing it better than he thought he was capable of doing. Every one of those more than 160,000 men was scared, even if he would not admit it. But they did what they had to do - they worked as a TEAM and fought on - even in the face of death and defeat - and won the battle. Over 9,000 men from the allied countries lost their lives in the invasion of Normandy. But - even though many saw their friends and comrades fall and die, they did not surrender. They did not quit. They did what they knew they had to do.

That is what the Rams have lacked this season. On opening day, the dome was rocking with excitement. Jackson scored the first TD, and the team was on fire. The next offensive series, Jackson was on the sideline, and the offense seemed a little deflated. When Amendola went down...so did the fight in the team, and the excitement in the dome.

We can't hang our hopes and dreams on a few players. This is like the entire allied force on D-Day bringing out the white flags when the Germans began firing at the invading allies 30 minutes before the landings actually began.

Millions of people in Europe and other places around the world are living free because the men who invaded Normandy that day did not use the "excuse" that the Germans were undefeatable (which, at that time, they did appear to be).

Bradford's play this year cannot be explained by an excuse. Instead - there are reasons for it. The biggest reason of all is that there are a lot of other people who are NOT doing their job and playing as a team. This includes EVERYONE - coaches, training staff, front office personnel, even the fans.