Sam Bradford : The next really GREAT one

neilster

I must say the draft classes of recent times , im talking Matt Allen , Josh Freeman, Flacco have been the real deal

But it does appear that Sam Bradford may be the best of the lot

He has a group of no-names at reciever , a rebuilt and newish O-Line and cant lean on a dominant defense . This means he is getting very little help but continuously he comes up big . Remember in 1998 Peytom Manning played on a terrible Colts team and put up bad numbers . Bradford seems to have that all important "it" factor which is that mix of confidence, hard work , poise , intelligence and leadership that already has Rams fans saying that they have scored big in a very big way

fascinating to watch over the rest of season and next

mikemac

neilster wrote: »

Matt Allen

Matt Ryan or maybe Matthew Stafford?

Matt Allen was a punter for the Giants

neilster wrote: »

He has a group of no-names at reciever ,

Before he went on IR, Mark Clayton was racking up the numbers. Former 1st round pick for the Ravens, I wouldn't call him no name.
Not a star but one of the better recievers in the NFL

Peyton Manning

Hugely impressive rookie season. The guy has a great career ahead of him. It would be magnificent if the Rams somehow ended up getting AJ Greene to go with Bradford, although they look like finishing somewhere around the 8 - 12 mark in the draft so he'll never fall that low, nor will they trade up. I do think he needs some good receivers to play around with though, and wouldn't be surprised to see them take Julio Jones in Round 1, or Jonathan Baldwin in Round 2.

jdivision

feelingstressed wrote: »

Before he went on IR, Mark Clayton was racking up the numbers. Former 1st round pick for the Ravens, I wouldn't call him no name.
Not a star but one of the better recievers in the NFL

Baltimore got rid of him cos he wasn't getting it done. He was viewed as a bit of a bust and then Bradford made him look class. Just goes to show how much the right situation can make in deciding if you're a success or a bust.

Personally, I felt the year that Stafford come out that I'd prefer the Lions to take a LT and wait for Bradford - they were always going to end up with nearly the worst record anyway. Stafford's been better than I expected but just too injury prone.

What Bradford has achieved already is fantastic.

bruschi

In general, the draft years for the QB's have been up and down. I suppose its still a bit early to tell for some but some of the years have great results, and others are not worth talking about:

2010 - Bradford, Tebow, Clausen, McCoy
2009 - Stafford, Sanchez, Freeman, White, (Edelman)
2008 - Ryan, Flacco, Henne
2007 - Russell, Quinn, Kolb,
2006 - Young, Leinhart, Cutler, Clemens, T.Jackson, Whitehurst
2005 - A.Smith, Rodgers, Campbell, Frye, Orton, Anderson, Cassel, Fitzpatrick
2004 - Manning, Roethlesberger, Rivers, Losman, Schaub,

Some years have had great names, 04 and 05 especially, and the late picks in 05 have turned out great. But then, apart from Cutler, most of 06 is useless, and 07 maybe worse. Last couple of years have been good, and huge potential in them.

Its great for the Rams that Bradford is working out well so far. The greatest show on turf could yet be back in the Gateway to the west.

eagle eye

Archimedes wrote: »

Hugely impressive rookie season. The guy has a great career ahead of him. It would be magnificent if the Rams somehow ended up getting AJ Greene to go with Bradford, although they look like finishing somewhere around the 8 - 12 mark in the draft so he'll never fall that low, nor will they trade up. I do think he needs some good receivers to play around with though, and wouldn't be surprised to see them take Julio Jones in Round 1, or Jonathan Baldwin in Round 2.

They have Mark Clayton and Donnie Avery. They will be back next year and I expect them to have big seasons. They have the guys to fill in behind them as evidenced by what Sam Bradford has done without his no.1 and 2 and they have Mardy Gilliard too who should come on after his rookie season.
I think they will be looking at Safety or DE/OLB with their first round pick. Of course it all depends on where they are and how it falls on the day. Like if you are there with the 15th pick and Julio Jones is still on the board they might just take him.

I'm disappointed by the way that you don't mention a certain Michael Floyd from Notre Dame. I hope the Patriots get him, he is going to be a star in the NFL.

Peyton Manning

eagle eye wrote: »

I'm disappointed by the way that you don't mention a certain Michael Floyd from Notre Dame. I hope the Patriots get him, he is going to be a star in the NFL.

I actually like Michael Floyd and I'll think he'll have a good career for himself. I just think there's better receivers in college football at the moment. Greene, Blackmon and Jones are streets ahead of him imo. I'd rank him ever so slightly behind Baldwin, but I still think he's a talented receiver.

I'm actually looking forward to seeing how Danario Alexander gets on now that he's returned. Was sad to see him go undrafted, but he could be a real gem for the Rams. If he finishes the season in good stead, they might not look for a WR until the latter rounds. He looked good this weekend, and a bit of consistency could easily make him the number one guy receiver in St. Louis. I'd rate him pretty damn highly.

neilster

feelingstressed wrote: »

Matt Ryan or maybe Matthew Stafford?

Matt Allen was a punter for the Giants



Before he went on IR, Mark Clayton was racking up the numbers. Former 1st round pick for the Ravens, I wouldn't call him no name.
Not a star but one of the better recievers in the NFL

very few people on this forum start threads or conversation but lots like to watch the balloon go up so they can shoot it down , im pretty sure you know its Ryan i speak of as Stafford cant stay on the field

Mark Clayton is commonly held as a bust at the Ravens , he had a 900 yrd season as a 2nd year pro, 700yrds in his fourth season but tailed off after that , He was picked and paid as a WR1 and never measured up , his numbers were as a complementary reciever ..no-name might be unkind but not that far off ....his stats wouldnt hold up as a top tier WR3 in this league over his career span.... he was on target for a 60 catch season of 1,000yrds if he had stayed off IR but shoulda woulda coulda

neilster

Archimedes wrote: »

I actually like Michael Floyd and I'll think he'll have a good career for himself. I just think there's better receivers in college football at the moment. Greene, Blackmon and Jones are streets ahead of him imo. I'd rank him ever so slightly behind Baldwin, but I still think he's a talented receiver.

I'm actually looking forward to seeing how Danario Alexander gets on now that he's returned. Was sad to see him go undrafted, but he could be a real gem for the Rams. If he finishes the season in good stead, they might not look for a WR until the latter rounds. He looked good this weekend, and a bit of consistency could easily make him the number one guy receiver in St. Louis. I'd rate him pretty damn highly.

i think Danario Alexander even showed great flashes last week ...he willd definitely help Stafford

davyjose

neilster wrote: »

very few people on this forum start threads or conversation but lots like to watch the balloon go up so they can shoot it down , im pretty sure you know its Ryan i speak of as Stafford cant stay on the field

I thought you meant Matt Cassel.

Yeah, I'm not going to pronounce a QB great 11 games into their career. Matt Ryan looks like an absolute Clutch QB though. 19-1 at home in his career so far :eek:!!!

giddyup

Bradford is great for the Rams and for the NFC West. If the Hawks can pick-up a good replacement for Hasselbeck it would set up a nice divison rivalry.

Jake Locker is sliding down the draft so we may get to pick him up yet.

redeal

Unfortunatley Bradford does look to be a quality QB. I say unfortunately as Im a 49ers fan and I only wish we had a top QB to turn our fortunes around.

It really would be annoying to see the rams come good again while the 49ers keep messing around with QB's.

I think T.Smith could be good and has added more excitement to the offence but its unsure if he can deliver on the big stage. Fingers crossed he does step up in the long term and the hawks get someone strong in QB & the division should improve no end.

ReacherCreature

feelingstressed wrote: »

Without doubt Bradford is the real deal.

A great future in the league awaits him.
But first a few years with the Rams and it wouldn't be a shock to see the Rams in the playoffs to win the NFC uselss West this year

James Laurinaitis is a quality MLB and a leader.

The Rams have a lot of needs to be sure. Mark Clayton needs to come back but more recievers needed to be sure. A lot of work to be done but the only way is up.
And a good head coach to manage them!

It's good to see Laurinitas develop. Some pegged him as a 'reach' of sorts due to his lack of speed I think. Slipped down the draft. Great to see him as a leader.

I think Mark Clayton got a lot of flak during his time in Baltimore. Quarterback instability hurt him I feel and maybe he's found his niche in St. Louis.

giddyup wrote: »

Bradford is great for the Rams and for the NFC West. If the Hawks can pick-up a good replacement for Hasselbeck it would set up a nice divison rivalry.

Jake Locker is sliding down the draft so we may get to pick him up yet.

Surely Charlie Whitehurst was brought in for the back-up job to Hasselbeck? Give the kid a chance to see what he's got.

I'm also a fan of Bradford and it's great to see him do well. Stafford's my favourite QB of this 'era', he's damn tough on what was, a difficult team. Be interesting to see how he does with the shoulder.

neilster

feelingstressed wrote: »

I think I'm a fairly good contributor, flame me if you want.
I didn't exactly want for posters to take a position so I could oppose them!
I was supporting the Ravens when they had Boller at QB and were far from a fashionable team. In fact, they still are.

I respect your opinion Neilster, I didn't flame you
I didn't disagree with your numbers on Mark Clayton, having said that as a Ravens fans I was sad to see him go. I'd rather him then Housh.......never mind the game winning TD against the Steelers.
And as a Ravens fan, it's Steeler week!

OP, go look at the first page of this thread, in fact I agreed with you on Bradford's potential tonight

Point taken and taken onboard

I would say that if you mention Avery, Gilliard and a resurgent Clayton the Rams may not need replacements in the draft and as i say Clayton was off to a flyer before the injury

Also while the Ravens were bedding in Flacco there was a lot of game management going on with a smaller playbook which wouldnt suit a reciever wanting a lookin , one thing i would say about Housh is very sure hands but i would also say he appeared to have lost some speed in Seattle and he was never the fastest in his good years in Cincy

Peyton Manning

neilster wrote: »

Point taken and taken onboard

I would say that if you mention Avery, Gilliard and a resurgent Clayton the Rams may not need replacements in the draft and as i say Clayton was off to a flyer before the injury

Also while the Ravens were bedding in Flacco there was a lot of game management going on with a smaller playbook which wouldnt suit a reciever wanting a lookin , one thing i would say about Housh is very sure hands but i would also say he appeared to have lost some speed in Seattle and he was never the fastest in his good years in Cincy

Dont forget Danario Alexander! As a draft prospect, I rated that kid higher than Mike Williams who's tearing it up in Tampa Bay. Would have been drafted higher than him too if not for injury I reckon, which I never really took into account. He was brilliant in college.

neilster

Tom_Brady wrote: »

Dont forget Danario Alexander! As a draft prospect, I rated that kid higher than Mike Williams who's tearing it up in Tampa Bay. Would have been drafted higher than him too if not for injury I reckon, which I never really took into account. He was brilliant in college.

absolutely the kid showed promise recently , Mike Williams to be fair was a 1st rd prospect on most boards except the nutcase incidents that plagued him in syracuse ....he is class , and will mature into an elite WR1

think it might be unkind to expect that from danario but i think he will be nice part of the jigsaw

as for Bradford he has in the last 4 games threw for 13 TDs with a rating of 103 , a percentage of 64% and 245 yds passing per game. This isnt just good numbers for a rokie , these are just good numbers and he will be even better given more help

giddyup

ReacherCreature wrote: »

Surely Charlie Whitehurst was brought in for the back-up job to Hasselbeck? Give the kid a chance to see what he's got.

He's not a credible option to step-up whenever Hasselbeck hangs up his boots. I reckon he has another season in him if he stays healthy. Would be great to see him with a worthy understudy next year. Hawks will draft QB in Rd 1 or 2.

neilster

giddyup wrote: »

He's not a credible option to step-up whenever Hasselbeck hangs up his boots. I reckon he has another season in him if he stays healthy. Would be great to see him with a worthy understudy next year. Hawks will draft QB in Rd 1 or 2.

There are a lot of question marks at a lot of teams before the Hawks pick, some of these are

Bills - I feel that Gailey likes Fitzy but if Luck is there i think the bills will move

Dolphins - I would say Henne is definitely on borrowed time

Redskins - Shanahan knows QBs and knows McNabbs play has been dreadful coupled with the fact that DC is a coachkiller and Shanahan needs to correct this

Bengals - Palmers salary in 2011 will probably mean he wont return along with the 80% passer rating

Vikes - If Favre doesnt return and TJack keeps throwing picks a QB will be traded for or picked in draft

Titans - If Fisher survives and thats a big if when the owner loves VYoung , team keeps losing and Fisher is in last year of contract coming into a labour dispute but if Fisher survives MusicCity will need a QB

Raiders - This may be an outside shot but Davis likes Campbell but Campbell isnt good enough, Gradkowski is tough limited and clutch and Cable loves him , Davis less so , Gradkowski cant stay on the field , a franchise QB is needed

Panthers - Probably the No 1 pick , Jerry Richardson (owner) and Matt Hurney (GM) ultimatley will not let Andrew Luck pass them by ...i think people have remembered the Rams in 2009


49ers - If Singletary is fired and Jim Harbaugh at Stanford is hired what are chances Stanfords QB gets drafted or trade up for Luck ...i think Panthers take Luck that even with Clausen , you cant pass on players who will ultimately rescue a franchise ...im thinking manning with the colts in 98

Cardinals - Whizzy needs to get a reliable QB , take a look at Skelton till season end and then draft highly or trade

so you see the Hawks have plenty of competition

Peyton Manning

neilster wrote: »

49ers - If Singletary is fired and Jim Harbaugh at Stanford is hired what are chances Stanfords QB gets drafted or trade up for Luck ...i think Panthers take Luck that even with Clausen , you cant pass on players who will ultimately rescue a franchise ...im thinking manning with the colts in 98

For what it's worth, Stanford have already confirmed they have offered Jim Harbaugh a new contract with a significant pay rise, and he has indicated that he intends to accept it after the Orange Bowl. He's very happy there so I don't think we'll see him in the NFL for another 3-5 years.

neilster

Tom_Brady wrote: »

For what it's worth, Stanford have already confirmed they have offered Jim Harbaugh a new contract with a significant pay rise, and he has indicated that he intends to accept it after the Orange Bowl. He's very happy there so I don't think we'll see him in the NFL for another 3-5 years.

Whilst i would say he is happy there and that he does intend on signing that contract (if nothing changes between now and the Orange Bowl) , his name is getting an awful lot by both the NFL press and columnists

This usually means that his agent has let the press know that he coach at NFL level again given the right opportunity

I am not saying that Harbaugh is doing a "Gruden" on it as he is in the NCAA at Stanford and he has said he will say

But if the yorks pull trigger on Singletary after 2 more losses at the 49ers for instance , what then ...not saying it will happen , but people say a lot of things when they know the least that will happen is remaining at Stanford

Tying in with what you say the timing might be wrong or the NFL roles that may come up