Minnesota Vikings: Sam Bradford Is the Future and Can Deliver
By Luke Sims
The Minnesota Vikings trade for Sam Bradford is looking more critical in light of Teddy Bridgewater‘s continued injury struggles.
Shortly before the 2016 season, it looked like Sam Bradford’s career was stalled. Fortunately for him, the Minnesota Vikings came knocking with opportunity following an horrific injury to starter Teddy Bridgewater. That trade between the Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles will have a profound impact for more than one season. The Vikings didn’t just make that trade for 2016, they made it for the future.
Related Story: Teddy Bridgewater Like to Miss 2017 Season
Credit to the Vikings and to Bradford, because it looks like that move was wise and beneficial. With the report that Bridgewater may miss all of 2017, the Vikings need a quarterback that can help the team win. Even if Bridgewater can come back in 2018, it is uncertain how ready he will be for the rigors of an NFL season or where he will be mentally after two years away from the game.
Bradford’s ability has never been questioned, but he has rarely proven himself worthy of being the first-overall pick back in the 2010 NFL Draft. His 7-8 record as a starter for the Vikings in 2016 is a continuation of his mediocrity through his career. Four of his six seasons as a starter have resulted in seven wins and he has yet to break that barrier.
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2016 was something different, though. Bradford displayed a grit that has been lacking in his past seasons and he managed to post some his career’s best numbers despite playing behind the most injured offensive line in football.
Posting career highs in completion percentage (71.6, best in NFL history) and yards (3,877) was an impressive feat for Bradford, even with the struggles on the rest of the Vikings offense. He also managed to throw interceptions on just 0.9 percent of his dropbacks, which tied Dak Prescott and was only surpassed by Tom Brady in 2016. That’s not bad company to be mentioned among.
To say that Bradford is “elite” would be a stretch. At the moment, he isn’t the kind of dominant quarterback that can take over a game and a team can rely on to do almost everything and gut out a win. But Bradford does appear to be close.
The talent that made him the first-overall pick seven years ago is coming to the surface with the Vikings. The numbers from 2016 could just be the tip of the iceberg. Assuming a competent run game and the return of a healthy offensive line, Bradford’s continued rise could reach incredibly lofty levels in 2017 and beyond.
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It may be painful for Vikings fans to see Bridgewater’s tenure with the Vikings sizzling out, but having Bradford on the cusp of reaching his potential is exactly the kind of heartening development that the fan base needs. Before last season, Dan Hanzus had the Vikings ranked No. 5 on his NFL franchise “Pain Rankings” and it’s tough to argue against that. The Vikings are a fairly complete team now. Now with Bradford at the helm, it’s clear that a window that was opening under Bridgewater can remain open and, possibly, lead to success.