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If Rams want to win, Bradford is easy -- and only -- choice
Feb. 27, 2010
By Pete Prisco
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Tell Pete your opinion!
INDIANAPOLIS -- When was the last Super Bowl you came away from thinking that a defensive tackle decided the game?
Now you know why the St. Louis Rams have no choice but to take a quarterback with the first overall pick in the April draft.
That quarterback should be Oklahoma's Sam Bradford.
Forget the charade, Rams. Forget the two top defensive tackles. As good as Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh and Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy are as players, that position doesn't come close to being as important as quarterback.
You don't win championships with defensive tackles.
You win with great passers.
The Rams were 1-15 last season. Their offense was horrible. The passing game was the problem. They were 28th in passing and had just two pass plays of 40-plus yards, the lowest number in the league.
Starting quarterback Marc Bulger, who missed time with injuries, is talking retirement and the Rams might not want him back if he doesn't.
When Rams general manager Billy Devaney met with the media here at the combine, he said the Rams have pretty much narrowed their possibilities with the top pick -- provided there is no trade -- to four players, the two defensive tackles, Bradford and Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
"We know this," Devaney said. "It if comes down to that right now, there are four guys that will be given consideration."
There is still a lot of work left to do before decision day. We have the combine, pro days and two months of evaluation.
And then there's the most important part of all: Is Bradford's surgically repaired shoulder as good as new?
Bradford suffered a shoulder injury while being tackled in a game last September against BYU. He came back for a game, but the reinjured the shoulder against Texas. That's when his season ended.
Bradford had surgery in October, performed by esteemed surgeon Dr. James Andrews, but he's not all the way back to where he can throw. So he isn't throwing here at the combine, but will instead wait for his Pro Day workout in Norman on March 25.
"We'll get with the doctors, our medical people, as soon as we get back to St. Louis," Devaney said. "That'll be a big decision, and a lot will go into that. We'll probably have more than one opinion on that. We want to get as accurate and thorough information we can, so we'll find out after this process is over. Yeah, that's why we're putting it on the doctors. You hope so. You'll get obviously all the tests, but we've got to see him throw.
"I think his [pro] date is the 25th of March and in my mind we may go in again right before the draft and see a couple weeks later what his status is. Is it improving? Is it the same? Has he regressed? We need to find out and be as sure as possible. There's no sure things, but yeah, a position like that absolutely we need to be sure."
Bradford said Saturday that his arm is about 85 percent right now.
"I think Dr. Andrews is extremely happy with it," Bradford said. "He says I'm ahead of schedule right now, the velocity I'm putting on the ball, some of the throws I'm able to make right now. I feel like with another month's work, by the time my pro day gets here, I'll be able to make all the throws I was able to make before, with probably some more arm strength I had before I got hurt."
Drew Brees had shoulder surgery four years ago and then won a Super Bowl earlier this month. With modern medicine, the shoulder shouldn't be a problem. But until Rams doctors give hum the OK, they won't know for sure.
Bradford's talent says he should be the first player picked, and were it not for the shoulder it would be an easy choice. It was interesting that he was given the No. 1 jersey here among quarterbacks.
"It's alphabetic and mine happens to be the first name," Bradford said. "So it's nice."
No. 1 in April is what he wants. And based on what some scouts are saying, he should be the guy.
"He's the most accurate passer I've seen come into the draft in the past 10 years," one NFC personnel director said.
Bradford had completion percentages of 69.5 and 67.9 in his two full seasons as quarterback at OU. Those numbers are really impressive, especially since he played in an up-tempo passing offense. He was adept at hitting receivers on the run and threw 50 touchdown passes in 2008.
Bradford has added 12 pounds of weight to his 6-foot-4½ frame, which puts him at 236 pounds. That should help him better handle the pounding in the pocket in the NFL.
"He's a tall guy, he just needed to add some weight," Devaney said. "They didn't think he was a problem. They just thought as he matures and keeps working he'll be fine eventually. One of the things he did need for a tall guy -- he needed to put some pounds on."
Taking a quarterback high is sometimes a risky proposition. We've seen a lot of busts. Devaney was in San Diego when the Chargers had Ryan Leaf go bust, so he has seen it up close and personal.
But Devaney need not worry. Bradford won't bust. He's not a knucklehead like Leaf. He's a good, levelheaded kid who happens to be the best quarterback in this draft and will follow in the recent footsteps of Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez and start as a rookie -- and have success.
Suh is a great player, the top in this draft. But with the value placed on the quarterback and the way the game is played now, the Rams can't afford to take him.
If they want a ring, they need to draft the guy with the golden wing.
Feb. 27, 2010
By Pete Prisco
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Tell Pete your opinion!
INDIANAPOLIS -- When was the last Super Bowl you came away from thinking that a defensive tackle decided the game?
Now you know why the St. Louis Rams have no choice but to take a quarterback with the first overall pick in the April draft.
That quarterback should be Oklahoma's Sam Bradford.
Forget the charade, Rams. Forget the two top defensive tackles. As good as Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh and Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy are as players, that position doesn't come close to being as important as quarterback.
You don't win championships with defensive tackles.
You win with great passers.
The Rams were 1-15 last season. Their offense was horrible. The passing game was the problem. They were 28th in passing and had just two pass plays of 40-plus yards, the lowest number in the league.
Starting quarterback Marc Bulger, who missed time with injuries, is talking retirement and the Rams might not want him back if he doesn't.
When Rams general manager Billy Devaney met with the media here at the combine, he said the Rams have pretty much narrowed their possibilities with the top pick -- provided there is no trade -- to four players, the two defensive tackles, Bradford and Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
"We know this," Devaney said. "It if comes down to that right now, there are four guys that will be given consideration."
There is still a lot of work left to do before decision day. We have the combine, pro days and two months of evaluation.
And then there's the most important part of all: Is Bradford's surgically repaired shoulder as good as new?
Bradford suffered a shoulder injury while being tackled in a game last September against BYU. He came back for a game, but the reinjured the shoulder against Texas. That's when his season ended.
Bradford had surgery in October, performed by esteemed surgeon Dr. James Andrews, but he's not all the way back to where he can throw. So he isn't throwing here at the combine, but will instead wait for his Pro Day workout in Norman on March 25.
"We'll get with the doctors, our medical people, as soon as we get back to St. Louis," Devaney said. "That'll be a big decision, and a lot will go into that. We'll probably have more than one opinion on that. We want to get as accurate and thorough information we can, so we'll find out after this process is over. Yeah, that's why we're putting it on the doctors. You hope so. You'll get obviously all the tests, but we've got to see him throw.
"I think his [pro] date is the 25th of March and in my mind we may go in again right before the draft and see a couple weeks later what his status is. Is it improving? Is it the same? Has he regressed? We need to find out and be as sure as possible. There's no sure things, but yeah, a position like that absolutely we need to be sure."
Bradford said Saturday that his arm is about 85 percent right now.
"I think Dr. Andrews is extremely happy with it," Bradford said. "He says I'm ahead of schedule right now, the velocity I'm putting on the ball, some of the throws I'm able to make right now. I feel like with another month's work, by the time my pro day gets here, I'll be able to make all the throws I was able to make before, with probably some more arm strength I had before I got hurt."
Drew Brees had shoulder surgery four years ago and then won a Super Bowl earlier this month. With modern medicine, the shoulder shouldn't be a problem. But until Rams doctors give hum the OK, they won't know for sure.
Bradford's talent says he should be the first player picked, and were it not for the shoulder it would be an easy choice. It was interesting that he was given the No. 1 jersey here among quarterbacks.
"It's alphabetic and mine happens to be the first name," Bradford said. "So it's nice."
No. 1 in April is what he wants. And based on what some scouts are saying, he should be the guy.
"He's the most accurate passer I've seen come into the draft in the past 10 years," one NFC personnel director said.
Bradford had completion percentages of 69.5 and 67.9 in his two full seasons as quarterback at OU. Those numbers are really impressive, especially since he played in an up-tempo passing offense. He was adept at hitting receivers on the run and threw 50 touchdown passes in 2008.
Bradford has added 12 pounds of weight to his 6-foot-4½ frame, which puts him at 236 pounds. That should help him better handle the pounding in the pocket in the NFL.
"He's a tall guy, he just needed to add some weight," Devaney said. "They didn't think he was a problem. They just thought as he matures and keeps working he'll be fine eventually. One of the things he did need for a tall guy -- he needed to put some pounds on."
Taking a quarterback high is sometimes a risky proposition. We've seen a lot of busts. Devaney was in San Diego when the Chargers had Ryan Leaf go bust, so he has seen it up close and personal.
But Devaney need not worry. Bradford won't bust. He's not a knucklehead like Leaf. He's a good, levelheaded kid who happens to be the best quarterback in this draft and will follow in the recent footsteps of Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez and start as a rookie -- and have success.
Suh is a great player, the top in this draft. But with the value placed on the quarterback and the way the game is played now, the Rams can't afford to take him.
If they want a ring, they need to draft the guy with the golden wing.
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