Sam Bradford’s recovery on schedule
St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) runs with the ball and is injured on the play against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford is still “the guy”, and the Rams will be hoping that he can continue to make strides here in 2014. But first Bradford has to get healthy, and it sounds like he is doing just that. The former Oklahoma star tore his ACL after playing some solid football in a chippy, Week 7 loss to the Carolina Panthers, and he will continue to be the Rams starting quarterback despite only looking average through the first four years of his career. He’s set to make a hefty $17.6 million, but Rams prudent GM Les Snead believes in him.
I still believe in Bradford as well, because he looked good before going down with the ACL tear and was playing the best ball of his career. In 2013, Bradford completed 60.7% of his passes with 14 touchdowns, four interceptions, and an average of 241 passing yards per game despite having some uneven play from the receivers around him. With Zac Stacy breaking out, Bradford projects to have a solid year in 2014, even if Snead follows up on his word that the Rams don’t need to go after a true No. 1 receiver, a la Sammy Watkins, in the offseason.
Yesterday, FOX Sports’s Alex Marvez reported that Snead said that Bradford has begun running on the treadmill and is “on schedule” overall in his recovery. There is no doubt that Bradford will be back in time to start the season, and hopefully the Rams give him a receiver like Watkins to help him out.