• March 28, 2024

Sam Bradford Has The Arm, But Does He Have The Fire

SamBradford118I know everybody is talking about the New England Patriots game last night and the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers coaches were unable to communicate with each other throughout the first half of the game.  The Patriots have been painting a target on their backs and their reputation is going to tarnish all the success they’ve had over the years.

I don’t want to discuss the Patriots and their foibles.  I want to talk about something that I’ll be looking for when the Eagles take on the Falcons on Monday night.

I’ll be looking for passion in Sam Bradford.  I’ll be looking for the passion I see in Tom Brady.  His passion was on display last night and it was shining bright.  He is a tremendous competitor.  We’ve seen Bradford show that he can throw the ball with Brady’s accuracy, but does he have the passion, leadership and desire to win that Brady exudes.

Brady is a fighter.  He’s hard on himself and the guys who play with him.  He accepts nothing but excellence.

Is Bradford a fighter?  Is he a “Philly Guy”?  We haven’t seen it yet.  He’s as quiet as a church mouse off the field and soft-spoken.  He’s going to need some fire around here.  The city of Philadelphia demands that a player give everything he has.  They want to see passion.  The City loves Brian Dawkins because he left it all out on the field.  You can feel that in the Hype Video which Dawkins narrates.

After an OTA practice in the spring, I asked Bradford if he was ready for Philadelphia, and he answered, “I guess”.

I can imagine it’s been fun for Bradford to see the excitement his excellent play in the preseason has generated here in the Delaware Valley, but there’s another side to the excitement.  If you’re not a fighter and somebody who is going to give everything you’ve got, you’re not going to enjoy your time here in Philly.  That excitement can turn quickly and it can be vicious, if you don’t go out and fight.

Brady’s passion and demand for excellence makes his teammates better.  Can Bradford elevate the play of his teammates and make them better?  He surely didn’t do it in St. Louis with the Rams because they were horrible before Bradford got there and they were still a poor team while he was there.  But that’s the past.  Bradford needs to take notes as he watches Brady lead his Patriots into battle.

Brady enters every season thinking of winning another Lombardi trophy regardless of whom is lining up with him.  Will Bradford’s thirst for victory and greatness act like a virus which infects the entire Eagles organization?  Everybody talks about Brady’s smarts and his accuracy, but it’s his passion which has allowed the Patriots to surround him with mediocre to above average players and he has been able to lead them to championships.

Oh how this city yearns for a leader like number 12 up in New England.

Brady takes his game to another level in the playoffs and Super Bowl.  Does Bradford have that very special quality that Brady has to raise his level of play when everything is on the line?  Can he step in the huddle with fire in his eyes and confidence in his voice and tell his teammates that they’re going to march the length of the field with only a minute left on the clock and score a touchdown to win the game.

The throwing motion and accuracy won’t get it done alone.  The courage, passion and leadership will be needed as well.

Go get em Sam.

GCOBB

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eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
September 11, 2015 11:43 am

it took a long while for ESPN hosts and post game analysts to gain the courage to even recognize Mike Tomlin’s press conference rage and when they did they tip toed like they were jumping in 110 degree bath water. It was like 15 minutes after Mike Tomlin’s bomb exploded that ESPN producers allowed the topic to even be discussed. Self fear and self censorship by the phony baloney ESPN employees reacting to Mike Tomlin minutes after his disgust head phone comments.

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 11, 2015 4:31 pm

ESPN should delete the ‘N’ from their title- they do not report news. They have zero integrity and it is unwatchable.

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
September 11, 2015 11:49 am

So many people are expected Bradford to put up Nick Foles 27TD 2 interception 9 wins 2 lose numbers from the get go. And these are the journalists and reporters that go to the practices. I’m joining them.
hey Kool I’m in, make room , Superbowl !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

paulman
paulman
September 11, 2015 2:46 pm

One thing we have to remember, not everybody displays their Compassion, Competitiveness in an outward, rah-rah, animated way like Tom Brady does…
Do we see Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Montana scream and fire their Teammates up.. No, they led by example, compete their asses off and prepared and anticipated like very few at their positions have.. .

Another thing we have to note that Sam Bradford has come back Twice from ACl SUrgery’s which takes a lot of hard work, discipline, commitment and competitiveness to get your body and mind back in the shape of being a Professional Football Player so he obviously cares and loves what he’s doing
Also do note that Sam Bradford has a lot to play for Contract Wise this Season.. If he leads the Eagles to the Playoffs, Plays well and puts up Pro-Bowl Status type of Stats, he’s looking at a $100 Million Contract from either the Eagles or other Teams in the Market for a QB (Jets,Redskins,Texans,Bears,Browns to name a few)

Now whether Bradford will ever be a “Philly Guy” or not remains to be seen and really is irrelevant as far as he is concerned as it will come down to how well he Plays, Performs under pressure and how the Team does in Big Games.. . If He has Success, there is a great chance the the Team does also… If he struggles or gets injured, then probably so does the Eagles Team as does the Prospects of Bradford getting any Mega $100 Million Deal ..

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
September 11, 2015 3:36 pm

Can he take a hit is a better question. He got hit in the preseason real good one time and clearly his feelings were hurt. lol

Also I’m not convice he can persevere when things get bad. Part of me thinks he’s a more talented Snachez – when things are good Sanchez ain’t bad. As soon as they go awry, Sanchez ain’t so good. I feel like Bradford is that kind of dude with more talent.

We will see. Hopefully the Eagles are up enough that he doesn’t (or rarely) gets tested like that.

Gotta Luv It
Gotta Luv It
September 11, 2015 4:55 pm
Reply to  tsjohnson5

This guy tore his knee up twice fought and came back
can that count as perseverance ?

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
September 11, 2015 7:08 pm
Reply to  Gotta Luv It

So did RG3.

Doesn’t mean he’s a better ball player for it.

deserteagle
deserteagle
September 11, 2015 10:24 pm

Its interesting we are jettisoning ME guys for there demonstrative ways and now we’re wondering wether the QB is a fire and brimstone Rah rah guy.I only know if he executes the offense with precision and quick decisive reads that will be enough of a Brady impression for me.i remember it was an oft critique of Andy ,he lacks fire .There are guys who lead by example ,and guys that are vocal ..the bottom line is ,stay healthy ,the numbers he’ll put up in Chips scheme will make him scream for joy when he cashes his checks .

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
September 12, 2015 5:38 am
Reply to  deserteagle

“ME” guys is a fan narrative. Some bullshit fans make up about certain players they don’t like or to justify why they were cut when that decision was a dumb one.

Bradford is still a HUGE question mark though I think this scheme is good for him. It’s good for Snachez too, doesn’t mean I want him starting. Bradford’s health is still the #1 concern, but his ability to push through the bad times is a solid #2.

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 12, 2015 9:36 am
Reply to  tsjohnson5

Getting rid of which ‘ME’ guy is a bad decision?

daggolden
daggolden
September 12, 2015 5:43 am

Brian Westbrook was on 97.5 and they asked him about TO being a ME guy. He said when TO was there in 04 everyone parked in the players lot except TO who parked right in front of the NOva Care center. 14 TDs later nobody gave a fuck as they were going to the SB thanks to him. They loved him. lol.

daggolden
daggolden
September 12, 2015 5:48 am

Aldon Smith sure would of looked good opposite Barwin and Graham on Monday night. I could care less what he does off the field lol. Them Oakland players welcomed him with open arms. Those players don’t give a fuck they want to win its the fans who are the moral police.

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 12, 2015 6:30 am
Reply to  daggolden

‘me guys’ is not a fan narrative – the head coach of the team through his actions shows you that he doesn’t like them, has no use for them.
aldon smith going to oakland is fitting…it is where ‘high talent, low character’ guys go to make some money and lose a lot of games before they retire broke because of 7 baby mommas, multiple league suspensions etc.
its not the fans who are the morality police…its the coach

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
September 12, 2015 8:47 am
Reply to  daggolden

Dag – I wouldn’t want to live on the same street as Aldon Smith and have that drunk fool zoom past my loved ones daily, having parties with knife and gun fights. This guy puts the whole neighborhood at risk.

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
September 12, 2015 9:42 am

Aldon Smith may be troubled, but in this situation he is right.

You need to read up on the DUI – the whole thing was ridiculous and some cop who probably recognized him and wanted to assert his power is why it’s even a thing.

Guy really did nothing wrong. And a good lawyer will get him out of the charges. The ONLY reason he’s being charged is b/c they think they get squeeze for some fines, since he’s likely going to want to put this behind him and not have it interfere with his playing time.

You best beleive The Raiders looked into the situation before they signed him and it was really stupid of the 49ers to let him go.

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 12, 2015 9:46 am
Reply to  tsjohnson5

Yes the raiders are famous for their due diligence ….
Always an excuse for low expectation Johnson! It’s the cops fault etc…

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
September 12, 2015 10:12 am
Reply to  haveacigar

TS loves to firs off the completely unsubstantiated (or even completely incorrect) statements in order to flame the fires of racial divide.

Yesterday:
“Boston (the city) being super racist also isn’t news.”

Lets just call an entire city “super racist” because….well, why not….the Pats have a lot of white players….

Today

Aldon Smith….”guy did nothing wrong……some cop (a popular narrative)…..”
DUI in Miami. Also arrested for carrying an assault weapon.
2 people shot at a party in his house. He himself stabbed.
DUI after car accident in San Jose and posession of MJ
Arrested at Airport for being a dick
DUI in Santa Clara after getting in another car accident

“some cop asserting his power…..”

That is some cop….able to follow him all around the country like that.

Fan it!!!

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
September 12, 2015 12:46 pm

1. Um….do you know Boston’s history?

Do a little research. Google is your friend. Similar to Chicago, Boston is a city outside of the south with a very long, well documented, still very prevalent racist past and present.

But yeah…I made that up. Aren’t you Canadian?

2. Reading is fundamental:

“Aldon Smith may be troubled, but in this situation he is right. ”

I spoke about THIS particular set of charges. NOT all his previous ones. There is a reason he’s ONLY being charged with 3 MISDEMEANORS.

In THIS situation he (likely) didn’t do any wrong. Also I didn’t say anything about the cop being racist. I said he was likely drunk on power. Because if you read up on what happened…there was no reason to hit him with a DUI.

Hence MISDEMEANOR charges. Because if there was really and issue – considering his previous charges, this wouldn’t be a misdemeanor. That’s why Raiders likely took a shot on him.

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 12, 2015 1:06 pm
Reply to  tsjohnson5

Dumb Johnson he took the test and was charged with DUI…. You did say the cop was looking to score points or some such shit. It’s always the cops fault in the land of low expectations

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
September 12, 2015 1:14 pm
Reply to  tsjohnson5

And for sycophants like you, it’s never the cops fault.

And you are the one talking about low expectations – and also he didn’t take the test this go ’round – that’s one of the misdemeanor charges against him.

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 12, 2015 1:52 pm
Reply to  tsjohnson5

Took the field sobriety test btw … Failed it. Then because he knows he was drunk didn’t take the chemical test… Johnson, I have to hand it to you… You are consistent in your defense of assholes. Well… Assholes of a certain kind

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
September 12, 2015 2:25 pm
Reply to  tsjohnson5

Vinniedafool just shut da hell up…first Boston is well known for racism…nothing new there…and the Eagles should explore any opportunity to improve our pass rush! Aldon Smith is an excellent talent and his last situation are merely misdemeanor charges…what does it hurt to take a look…what’s to lose fools?

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 12, 2015 2:33 pm
Reply to  tsjohnson5

His last charges were ‘only’ misdemeanor….after a series of serious incidents to have ‘only’ 3 misdemeanor charges … The low expectation group is riding high. Hot air u support chip for certain things then when it comes to ‘talented’ thugs you go back to ghetto

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 12, 2015 9:52 am

3 DUI, weapons charges, league suspensions and yet he was misunderstood by some over zealous cop…sounds about right!

zilents44
zilents44
September 12, 2015 11:03 am

Lol vinnie and you bit at her racial divide….if u ignore it….it will go away

zilents44
zilents44
September 12, 2015 11:11 am

It could be true what TS is saying but this aint aldon smith first time drinking and driving……so his past haunts him…..its like boy who cried wolf

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 12, 2015 11:16 am
Reply to  zilents44

It’s more like an asshole being an asshole.

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 12, 2015 2:10 pm

Btw Johnson there are many times when it’s the cops fault ie this asshole, racist in NY who took out the tennis player … But when a cop does confront a thug who doesn’t respond to simple police commands, is defiant and rude etc gets a bullet, well let’s just say it’s not worth a riot.

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 12, 2015 2:18 pm

‘ONLY ‘ and 3 misdemeanors used in the same sentence… Only in the hood is that credible

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
September 12, 2015 2:32 pm

Gcobb a lot of Qb’s don’t have Tom Brady’s competitive fire! All we know is that we took a very small ,intelligent risk! We upgraded the position and if Bradford gets hurt we simply on the same level we were at last year!
Also the Rams didn’t have the talent for Bradford to “uplift”. When your online sucks and your receivers stink there ain’t much uplifting that’s going to take place

mhenski
mhenski
September 12, 2015 6:22 pm

My god what a love fest article for the pats… Disgusting I love tom Brady and the pats disguised as a what is Bradford made of article.

haveacigar
haveacigar
September 12, 2015 6:42 pm

Henski I agree… The passion of Brady… Make me puke… Want to see the fire blah blah

paulman
paulman
September 12, 2015 7:43 pm

***Falcons HC Dan Quinn has ruled out Returnman/WR Devin Hester for Monday’s Season-Opener due to a lingering Turf-Toe Injury

OL Jake Matthews (Back) &WR Roddy White (Shoulder) did participate in
Practice today for the Falcons are expected to Play

paulman
paulman
September 12, 2015 8:52 pm

Checking out Mich State vs Oregon.. Pretty Good Game with some NFL Prospects from both sides… QB Cook, LT Conklin, DB Nicholson and from Oregon players like WR Washington, DE Bruckner OL &TE …
7-7 at the end of the 1st Quarter

jakedog
jakedog
September 12, 2015 9:42 pm

You say he’s got the arm based on three preseason drives, yet in his pro career he has less than a qb rating of 80

But What Else He Lacks

A pair

jakedog
jakedog
September 12, 2015 9:45 pm

Desperate eagles fans following the media hype and eagles hype on a never was been: Sam Bradford

jakedog
jakedog
September 12, 2015 9:49 pm

Wait until foles outperforms this softy

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
September 12, 2015 10:20 pm
Reply to  jakedog

Even I can;t really see that happening…statistically at least. Rams have no oline, no RBs (right now) and garbage for wrs.

That being said…this isn’t a question of who will be better head to head…its who will/would have performed better for the Eagles.

Bradford has the measurables….but he certainly doesn’t have the history. And he does have a rep for folding up when the going gets tough. Are we going to see “lets make them pay”, or Sanchez-style slumped shoulders?

Will the body lanuage rams fans used to complain about continue? Or is it ancient history? You know my feeling is that tigers don’t often change their stripes, but I am hoping this is an exception.

paulman
paulman
September 12, 2015 10:24 pm
Reply to  jakedog

How does Foles outplay Bradford? He plays for the Rams now..
Foles had his chance and Kelly and decided he wasn’t good enough to take th the Eagles to the Super Bowl.. It’s way past time to move on from Nick Foles, He’s Gone and nothing’s going to bring him back…

deserteagle
deserteagle
September 13, 2015 10:56 am

Comparing Foles performance vs.Bradfords for a different coach and squad is folly.Its all rear view mirror history.Its likened to running into your “ex wife or girlfriend” .Both the ex and QB envy .will get you nowhere .Wishing she was still under center ,ain’t going to get you any more snaps.Move on ,your at the NFL dance and you dance with whom you have on your arm.I do think we will soon see how the bubble wrap boy ,reacts to adversity in philly ,as Vinnie illuminated ,he wasn’t exactly a beloved figure in St. Louis ..How will the glare of a passionate fan base and press corp ,and all the Philly expectations play out is the plausible question ..Let the games and the fun begin..