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St. Louis Rams: Will Nick Foles lead them into the playoffs in 2015?

By Nick Ziegler

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One of the biggest trades this offseason easily was the St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles swapping quarterbacks.

The trade sent Sam Bradford to the Eagles in exchange for Nick Foles, as in a rare instance, both teams traded away their projected starting quarterbacks. Sam Bradford came into the NFL with a lot of hype as the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Sadly for Bradford and the Rams, Bradford has turned into one of the biggest busts in NFL history so far in his career.

Most of the reason why Bradford would be considered a bust is because he has been hampered by injuries throughout his career. Bradford’s NFL career started out pretty well, as in his first season he helped lead the Rams to a 7-9 record. In his rookie season he totaled 3,512 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.

In a bad year for Bradford and the Rams in 2011, the beginning of major injuries would occur for the young quarterback, as he missed games throughout the season, which totaled six missed games overall, and a dreadful record for the Rams.

Nov 23, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) spits out a sunflower seed before the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

In his third season, Bradford would really showcase his talents, as he totaled 3,702 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. After the solid 2012 season, Bradford and the Rams were optimistic about the 2013 season. In 2013, things started off great for Bradford, as he was on track for his best season yet. In seven games, he totaled 1,687 passing yards with 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Unfortunately for Bradford, in the Rams’ seventh game of the season that year, was that he suffered a torn ACL in his knee, which ended his season.

Last season, Bradford was on his way back from the torn ACL he suffered in 2013, when awful luck would strike again. In a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, for the second time in a calendar year, Bradford would suffer a torn ACL.

Bradford was able to show glimpses of what the Rams saw when they selected him first overall. His inability to stay on the field made him too unreliable to go into another season with him as the starting quarterback. With the back-to-back years of ACL surgeries for Bradford, the fact that the Rams were able to get a starting-caliber player in Nick Foles for him is great.

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Foles may not have been a first-round pick like Bradford, but he has shown that he has the ability to win games in the NFL, and also put up great statistics. In 2012, Foles got his first cup of tea in his rookie season after an injury to Michael Vick. Foles didn’t excel in a short sampling in his rookie year, but that experience seemed to help the next season.

In 2013, the Eagles would get off to a poor start with Vick at quarterback, and when Foles got his second chance to claim a starting spot, he delivered. In 2013, Foles would be named to his first Pro Bowl, as he totaled 2,891 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. The touchdown to interception ratio for Foles was ridiculous in 2013, and he helped the Eagles reach the playoffs with a 8-2 record in the regular season.

Understandably in 2014 there was a decline in Foles’ stats, but the Eagles still had a 6-2 record with him as starter before he broke his collarbone.

The NFC West has been a difficult division for years now, and with little production from the quarterback position, the Rams have been in the bottom of the standings. The San Francisco 49ers are heading in the wrong direction after a rough offseason, which means the Rams can potentially hop into the top three in the division, which could mean a playoff spot. If Foles can stay healthy and produce somewhere in between his past two seasons, the Rams will be in great shape for the 2015 season.

Next: What grade do the Rams get for the 2015 offseason so far?

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