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Bradford would be a player, not a savior
By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
03/30/2010
Many Rams fans are rallying around Sam Bradford as the magic-wand solution to this team’s woeful offense. They are eager for change, and the personable Oklahoma star is certainly a fine quarterback prospect.
But this franchise’s recent QB history reminds fans to maintain some perspective.
Will Bradford ever be as good as Kurt Warner, a two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl hero? Warner set the standard for quarterback play in his era, yet his time in St. Louis ended badly.
Opponents beat him into submission. The Rams benched him, then sent him packing. When Warner left St. Louis, team officials -– and many NFL experts -– insisted that he was finished.
Not only did he have “battered quarterback syndrome,” which rendered him skittish in the pocket, but his oft-fractured right hand made him fumble-prone.
Will Bradford ever be as good as Marc Bulger, a two-time Pro Bowl honoree with 22,814 career passing yards?
Bulger had been one of the most accurate quarterbacks in this decade . . . until opponents beat him into submission. He, too, appeared to suffer from battered quarterback syndrome the last few seasons. Now Bulger, like Warner before him, appears headed toward an unhappy ending with this franchise.
These aren’t a couple of snot-nosed kids who washed out here.
Both guys were let go by their first teams (Packers and Saints). Both guys had to work their way up from the No. 3 role here, doing all the thankless supporting-cast work. Both guys had to battle to become No. 2 quarterbacks.
Both guys responded spectacularly when they finally got their chance to start, after extensive preparations. Both guys led talented Rams teams into postseason play.
And then both guys went the wrong way, for a variety of reasons.
So what could we reasonably expect of Bradford if he stepped into this world?
The kid has an accurate arm. He is smart, too. He showed great character trying to come back from his shoulder injury. He literally took one for the team.
His resume is spectacular. But Bradford is a long way from being ready to elevate a bad team -– a task, by the way, which got the better of Warner (in 2002) and Bulger (2007, 08, 09).
If the Rams draft Bradford, EVERYBODY needs to maintain their perspective through all the hoopla that will ensue. Sam would step into the same job that ate up Pro Bowlers -– and he would step into it at the worst possible time.
That is a lot to put on any young man. “Fans get caught up thinking one guy -– as good as he could be -– is going to change the whole culture of an organization in a short period of time,” Warner observed Tuesday.
That is just not a realistic proposition. Warner tutored prized prospect Eli Manning with a pretty good Giants team, then mentored former USC star Matt Leinart in Arizona.
“With guys who are the No. 1 pick, they’re not going into great situations.” Warner said. “They aren’t going to a team that is one player away -– and yet everybody thinks they are the one person who can turn it around.”
Sometimes progress comes quickly. Mark Sanchez fought through adversity with the Jets and reached postseason play, albeit with a team that had a great offensive line, a great running game and a dominant defense.
Manning developed well with the Giants. Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco are success stories, although neither went to terrible teams. Vince Young may be coming on now, after originally freaking out.
Peyton Manning and, a long time ago, Troy Aikman are two more positive examples.
But JaMarcus Russell is a mess in Oakland. Ryan Leaf imploded in San Diego. Cade McNown and Akili Smith blew up, as did Joey Harrington and Brady Quinn. Alex Smith is still trying to find himself.
“They get thrown by the wayside two or three years down the road because their teams didn’t turn around,” Warner said. “And it’s not always their fault.”
All of this is pause for thought. If the Rams are destined to take Bradford, fine, but everybody needs to keep their expectations in check. Bradford would be a player here, not a savior.
By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
03/30/2010
Many Rams fans are rallying around Sam Bradford as the magic-wand solution to this team’s woeful offense. They are eager for change, and the personable Oklahoma star is certainly a fine quarterback prospect.
But this franchise’s recent QB history reminds fans to maintain some perspective.
Will Bradford ever be as good as Kurt Warner, a two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl hero? Warner set the standard for quarterback play in his era, yet his time in St. Louis ended badly.
Opponents beat him into submission. The Rams benched him, then sent him packing. When Warner left St. Louis, team officials -– and many NFL experts -– insisted that he was finished.
Not only did he have “battered quarterback syndrome,” which rendered him skittish in the pocket, but his oft-fractured right hand made him fumble-prone.
Will Bradford ever be as good as Marc Bulger, a two-time Pro Bowl honoree with 22,814 career passing yards?
Bulger had been one of the most accurate quarterbacks in this decade . . . until opponents beat him into submission. He, too, appeared to suffer from battered quarterback syndrome the last few seasons. Now Bulger, like Warner before him, appears headed toward an unhappy ending with this franchise.
These aren’t a couple of snot-nosed kids who washed out here.
Both guys were let go by their first teams (Packers and Saints). Both guys had to work their way up from the No. 3 role here, doing all the thankless supporting-cast work. Both guys had to battle to become No. 2 quarterbacks.
Both guys responded spectacularly when they finally got their chance to start, after extensive preparations. Both guys led talented Rams teams into postseason play.
And then both guys went the wrong way, for a variety of reasons.
So what could we reasonably expect of Bradford if he stepped into this world?
The kid has an accurate arm. He is smart, too. He showed great character trying to come back from his shoulder injury. He literally took one for the team.
His resume is spectacular. But Bradford is a long way from being ready to elevate a bad team -– a task, by the way, which got the better of Warner (in 2002) and Bulger (2007, 08, 09).
If the Rams draft Bradford, EVERYBODY needs to maintain their perspective through all the hoopla that will ensue. Sam would step into the same job that ate up Pro Bowlers -– and he would step into it at the worst possible time.
That is a lot to put on any young man. “Fans get caught up thinking one guy -– as good as he could be -– is going to change the whole culture of an organization in a short period of time,” Warner observed Tuesday.
That is just not a realistic proposition. Warner tutored prized prospect Eli Manning with a pretty good Giants team, then mentored former USC star Matt Leinart in Arizona.
“With guys who are the No. 1 pick, they’re not going into great situations.” Warner said. “They aren’t going to a team that is one player away -– and yet everybody thinks they are the one person who can turn it around.”
Sometimes progress comes quickly. Mark Sanchez fought through adversity with the Jets and reached postseason play, albeit with a team that had a great offensive line, a great running game and a dominant defense.
Manning developed well with the Giants. Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco are success stories, although neither went to terrible teams. Vince Young may be coming on now, after originally freaking out.
Peyton Manning and, a long time ago, Troy Aikman are two more positive examples.
But JaMarcus Russell is a mess in Oakland. Ryan Leaf imploded in San Diego. Cade McNown and Akili Smith blew up, as did Joey Harrington and Brady Quinn. Alex Smith is still trying to find himself.
“They get thrown by the wayside two or three years down the road because their teams didn’t turn around,” Warner said. “And it’s not always their fault.”
All of this is pause for thought. If the Rams are destined to take Bradford, fine, but everybody needs to keep their expectations in check. Bradford would be a player here, not a savior.
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