Sam Bradford gets big-time support from Jeff Fisher
St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher speaks to the media in a press conference during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The St. Louis Rams have made it clear throughout the offseason that they support Sam Bradford 100% going into a make-or-break 2014 season for the former first overall pick, but the speculation that the Rams will cut ties with Bradford has still persisted. There are some who believe that the Rams are smokescreening us and will simply kick the Oklahoma product to the curb in favor of drafting a signal-caller with the second overall pick.
Any speculation regarding the Rams tossing Bradford should come to a standstill following some incredibly strong words of support from head coach Jeff Fisher, who has never been shy to state that Bradford is still “the guy” in St. Louis. He’ll have to play well in 2014 in order to continue to be the team’s passer and justify that sky-high salary, but it’s clear that he has the support of Fisher, GM Les Snead, and the rest of the organization.
Fisher said yesterday at the Combine, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas, “And we as an organization — the coaches, Les, and everybody — have a great deal of respect for him. And trust in him. He’s our guy.
“So I don’t know where that (speculation)’s coming from. This year before he got hurt, he was playing pretty good football despite the fact that we didn’t win a lot of games early. But projected out over the course of the season — had he stayed healthy — I think you would have seen a different player.”
Bradford deserves to show his stuff in 2014, especially since he played at about a league-average level in 2012 and was solid in 2013 before going down with a torn ACL. Fisher confirmed that his rehab is going very well.
And while Bradford definitely deserves the 2014 season to show his stuff, the Rams will be left with no choice but to cut him if he fails. They should do everything in their power to set him up for success, which is why drafting Sammy Watkins makes sense despite the fact that they also took Tavon Austin with a top ten pick last year. But they have so much money invested in him that he’ll have to prove the faith that the Rams organization has in him.