Sources: Rams, Bradford agree on $78M deal

[1ke]

This is retarted....That is all

 

[Nature Boy]

Bill Polian says having a top 10 pick in the draft is suicide.
One mistake sets a franchise back for years.

I agree, the Raiders are living proof of that.

 

[Nukleopatra]

:O A Nuk sighting!

Care to back that up? Or are you just gonna drop that in here and leave?

I expect an answer when you come back out of hibernation.

Only Sam Bradford can back it up - I'm just predicting he will.

Besides, Matt Stafford got something like 41 mil - and Bradford is a much better NFL prospect than that guy.

 

[PEYMAN18]

Only Sam Bradford can back it up - I'm just predicting he will.

Besides, Matt Stafford got something like 41 mil - and Bradford is a much better NFL prospect that guy.

You would honestly say you would take Bradford over Stafford?

 

[Nukleopatra]

You would honestly say you would take Bradford over Stafford?

Sam Bradford is the best QB prospect in the last two draft classes. If Sam comes out in 2009, I'd take him over both Stafford and Sanchize.

I questioned the Rams for passing on Sanchez..... not anymore.

 

[dave]

I agree, the Raiders are living proof of that.

They have the added dilemma of awful management. That never helps.

Ronaldo McClain might be the first top-10 pick your guys have gotten right this decade, though, to be fair, Robert Gallery has at least carved out a credible NFL career.

 

[citizenerased]

You would honestly say you would take Bradford over Stafford?

Sam Bradford was seen by most as the concensus number one pick last year, Stafford only vaulted up there after Bradford annouced he was staying.

 

[dave]

Sam Bradford was seen by most as the concensus number one pick last year, Stafford only vaulted up there after Bradford annouced he was staying.

But Bradford is coming off two shoulder surgeries. IMO, his signing bonus should have been about $2-3M more than Stafford's, because of the jump between years.
But Bradford can't be seen the same way he was looked at before last year's draft because of those shoulder surgeries.
No Rams fan can honestly say the shoulder issues aren't a bit of a concern.

 

[JOHNNYTHECLOWN]

Hard work pays off.

 

[dave]

Hard work pays off.

I'm not knocking Sam Bradford. He may be everything Nuke says he is, but to dismiss two shoulder surgeries in one year isn't realistic.

 

[Fox1994]

Only Sam Bradford can back it up - I'm just predicting he will.

Besides, Matt Stafford got something like 41 mil - and Bradford is a much better NFL prospect than that guy.

$37 million better?

 

[Archer]

$37 million better?

He means Stafford got 41mil guaranteed.

He got 72 total.

 

[Fox1994]

He means Stafford got 41mil guaranteed.

He got 72 total.

:kickballs: Damn. My bad. I see. If we're looking at it just like that, I can see Bradford being $6 mil better total, $9 mil better in bonus. Fer sure, fer sure. If it's just a matter of simple inflation (I thought he was getting WAY more than Stafford), than it's no big deal.

I concede... Kinda.

I still think it's entirely too much money and that this shit has spun out of control. We need a rookie salary cap in the new CBA.

 

[Nukleopatra]

But Bradford is coming off two shoulder surgeries. IMO, his signing bonus should have been about $2-3M more than Stafford's, because of the jump between years.
But Bradford can't be seen the same way he was looked at before last year's draft because of those shoulder surgeries.
No Rams fan can honestly say the shoulder issues aren't a bit of a concern.

I'm not worried about his shoulder at all, honestly. I'm more concerned with how he adjusts to the NFL, and how he bounces back after, what's going to be, a less than stellar rookie season. The organization did a lot of homework with Bradford's medical history, and as a fan, I'll have to rely on their efforts.

He's just as likely to suffer a major leg injury. But I won't concern myself with any of that. Passing on a franchise QB because of an injury that may happen, isn't the best way to go about it, in my opinion.

At this point in time, his shoulder is 100%, his arm is stronger than ever, and he's probably the most accurate quarterback in the last two draft classes.

 

[dave]

Simply being accurate at the college level doesn't guarantee NFL success.
If that were the case, Danny Wuerrfel would be a hall of famer.

Bradford needs to be more than accurate - he needs an accurate deep arm, he needs good decision-making, he needs the elite NFL QB psyche.

Simply being accurate as a college player makes your Graham Harrell.

 

[Nukleopatra]

Simply being accurate at the college level doesn't guarantee NFL success.
If that were the case, Danny Wuerrfel would be a hall of famer.

Bradford needs to be more than accurate - he needs an accurate deep arm, he needs good decision-making, he needs the elite NFL QB psyche.

Simply being accurate as a college player makes your Graham Harrell.

Well, all we have to go on is what he did at college, and his pro day.

And judging by that, he made it look simple.

Now we get to see the next level, and I'm looking forward to it. If he does bust, I highly doubt it'll have anything to do with his shoulder ''issue.''

 

[Fox1994]

Well, all we have to go on is what he did at college, and his pro day.

And judging by that, he made it look simple.

Now we get to see the next level, and I'm looking forward to it. If he does bust, I highly doubt it'll have anything to do with his shoulder ''issue.''

I doubt it'll have to do with his shoulder either.

That's really not even in the equation for me.

I think it has to do - like all QBs - with adjusting to the pace of the pro game, learning to work in a pro system, and dealing with pro defenders.

Somehow I doubt he's going to have much trouble... But they all do, to some extent. We'll just see how, like you said, he bounces back from what's inevitably going to be a less-than-stellar rookie season.

Who are the Rams' offensive skill players not named Sam Bradford and Steven Jackson?

 

[Hasselbeck]

Shame he wont even play 5 years in the NFL. He's just a whiter Jamarcus Russell. Fuck this homo!

Stick to Dolphins football man.

If you want to make the case that he's a bust in the making, he's much more similar to Alex Smith than Jamarcus Russell.

Bradford actually..
- Is accurate
- Is in shape
- Has shown that he cares about football, given he fought like hell to come back early from a shoulder injury and then do so once again to recover and be the top pick
- Is coach-able

And so on.

I don't understand the hate for this guy? Yeah he hurt his shoulder in college. That's what happens when a 270 pound linebacker drives you into the ground. Yes, he got $50M guaranteed - that's not his fault though, that's the broken rookie scale that could literally cause the NFL to stop playing for an entire year.

In my opinion, and I feel very good about this, Sam Bradford will not be a bust at the NFL level. He's a legit prospect with pinpoint accuracy seldom seen in young prospects. Sure he has his flaws and question marks, but all of that is correctable.

I think Bradford will be in that Matt Ryan/Joe Flacco/Mark Sanchez class of young, talented QB's in no time.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Who are the Rams' offensive skill players not named Sam Bradford and Steven Jackson?

The Rams have three young WR's who are all very different, but all pretty good.

-Donnie Avery is the guy everyone knows about, but like i've been saying for three years now, he's a #3/slot WR. If he's a starter for you, your team doesnt have very good WR's. But he's a very good #3, because he's fast and can run deep routes to keep Safeties busy. His negative, is he's incredibly brittle and gets hurt if you breathe on him.

-Laurent Robinson was on his way to a big year before he got hurt Week 2. He had a great preseason, and was the clear cut #1 WR. He would have caught 70+ balls easily, even with punch drunk Bulger and Kyle f'n Boller throwing to him. His drawback is his hands. He will drop easy ones. He's alos always been injury prone. To me, he's a perfect #2.

-Brandon Gibson really came on at the end of the season and will eventually be the best of the group. He's a future Pro Bowler with tremendous hands (makes one highlight catch per game), good speed, and appears to run good routes. His drawback is experience, he really didn't play until Week 9 or 10.

Throw in Danny Amendola, who really excelled all year coming out of the slot as a pest, Mardy Gilyard from Cincinnati, Keenan Burton who looks like a good possession guy, and a few others, and the Rams have a deep group of young dudes competing for jobs. I'm a glass half empty guy, but even I concede that WR won't be much of an issue. The team is in much worse shape in other areas.

 

[Fox1994]

Cool. Whaddayu think the chances of them surviving the injury bug are this year?