Second Preseason Game a Critical One For Sam Bradford

Tomorrow the St. Louis Rams will play their second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers in the Edward Jones Dome. Saturday will also mark the first time that Bradford will have taken a snap in a game since he got injured last season against the Carolina Panthers.

Although it may not seem very important, this game is more critical for Bradford than some might like to admit. For Bradford this is the next step for him to getting back and getting to 100%. There is obviously a big difference between practice speed and game speed, and for Bradford, this is his first game in almost a year.

In practice the defensive players aren’t allowed to hit Bradford, but against Green Bay, he’s going to have guys like Clay Matthews hitting him and going after his legs. For Bradford, it’s going to be important that he doesn’t get anxious in the pocket and doesn’t get tentative.

If we see any signs of anxiousness or tentativeness from Bradford, even though it will only be his first game back, ti will be a little concerning as it will show that he is thinking too much about his knee, and that he doesn’t trust it.

"“It’s important just being out there, knowing that I can get hit, knowing that I’m probably going to take a few hits in the preseason,” he said after Tuesday’s practice. “I think it’s probably bigger for everybody else to see that it’s going to be OK, I’m going to get hit, it’s part of the game. It’s not a big deal. But it will be nice to take that first hit and get up knowing that everything’s fine.”"

We don’t know how much Bradford is going to play, but it’s still going to be interesting to see how comfortable the Rams quarterback is running the offense the offense, how comfortable he is in the huddle, and making calls at the line of scrimmage. Just to see his comfort level, and how much chemistry he has built with his receivers such as Kenny Britt and Brian Quick is going to be something to watch.