After being drafted first overall by the St. Louis Rams in the 2010 draft, Bradford transitioned almost seamlessly into the starter’s role and played really well.
In that rookie season, he completed 60% of his passes and threw for over 3,500 yards with 18 touchdowns. Considering that the only real offensive weapon he had at his disposal was Steven Jackson, those numbers look even better.
Best of all, the Rams appeared to be trending upward. They finished that season a surprising 7-9 and if they had beaten Seattle in Week 17, they would have made the playoffs.
Given how well the 2010 season had gone, it would have been excusable if you had assumed the sky was the limit for Bradford and the Rams.
But then the other shoe dropped.
The team fell to 2-14 and while it was certainly not all on Bradford, it didn’t go well for him. He completed just 53.5% of his passes and threw six touchdowns. Most notably, he also started just ten games thanks to a high ankle sprain that lingered all season. He also never seemed to feel completely comfortable with the offense put in place by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who had come on board in the offseason.
The 2012 season did show marked improvement, as he completed just a shade under 60% of his passes and he had a career-best 21/13 touchdown to interception ratio. The Rams also finished 7-8-1, their best record since going 8-8 in 2006.
If the Rams are going to take the next step as a franchise, though, they will need Bradford to equal, and likely better, those numbers moving forward.
The Rams defense was amazing last year, and have added to the depth of some positions on offense as well. The most important position was wide receiver. Although the Rams lost Brandon Gibson, they gained Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and have Brian Quick stepping it up in the first few mini camp practices. With the emergence of Chris Givens, and adding tight end Jared Cook and offensive tackle Jake Long, this Rams team is looking solid.
I personally believe that the Rams will need a runningback to step up to take the pressure off Sam Bradford. The question is who will it be? Isiah Pead, Darryl Richardson, or rookie Zac Stacy? My bet is Zac Stacy, and if that is the case, the Rams will in fact make the playoffs. Yes, I said will make the playoffs.
Sam Bradford will be a great fantasy option this year, he will have tons of weapons to throw to this year. Expect huge numbers in year four for the former first round pick.
