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Sam Bradford: Remembering The St. Louis Rams Quarterback

By Pat Farrell

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Sam Bradford is leaving St. Louis.

After taking a season off in 2011, Jeff Fisher came back to coaching in the NFL for a young team with a quarterback loaded with potential. That quarterback was Sam Bradford. Bradford was the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, and went on to win rookie of the year.

A lower leg injury to Bradford in his next season forced him to miss a lot of time, and the team went on to only win two games. While others debated that the Rams should’ve taken Robert Griffin III second overall in the upcoming 2012 draft, (then) new head coach Jeff Fisher stuck with Bradford. It paid off that season too.

With little to no talent around him, Bradford threw for 3702 yards & 21 touchdowns. Bradford’s strong play continued on into 2013 until his season was cut short due to an ACL tear in week 7 against the Panthers.

After Bradford spent the next offseason recovering, Fisher continued to express loyalty to his quarterback. Heading into the 2014 season there was finally hope in St. Louis. If Bradford could just stay healthy, the pieces around him were finally there. In the third game of the preseason against the Cleveland Browns, all hope was smothered. Bradford once again suffered a season ending ACL injury, sending a dagger into the hearts of St. Louis.

Nov 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) attempts a pass during the first quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

After another offseason of recovery, a lot of recent speculation has surrounded the quarterback regarding his future in St. Louis. From rumors of the Rams trading Bradford to them cutting him, Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead had continued to deny any such rumors and remained loyal to Bradford (so it seemed).

On Tuesday there was apparently a change in thought as Bradford was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Nick Foles.

It’s a sad ending to a brief tenure in St. Louis for Sam Bradford. The former first overall pick was unable to lead the Rams to a winning season, and ended up playing in only 49 out of the teams 80 games in his time there. Moving on to the new Rams quarterback.

It’s unclear whether or not St. Louis can see Nick Foles as their guy for years to come. Foles put up great numbers in 2013, his first year getting quality time as a starting quarterback in the NFL. Serving as a replacement to Michael Vick, Foles threw for 27 touchdowns & only 2 interceptions.

Last season Foles suffered a collarbone injury that sidelined him, and resulted in backup Mark Sanchez taking over for the remainder of the season under center. Foles is now heading into his fourth season with a record of 15-9 as a starter.

Is Nick Foles an upgrade over Sam Bradford? It’s hard to tell at this point who the better quarterback is. Bradford is one of the most talented passers in the league, but Foles brings more of an athletic presence at quarterback, and is very safe with the football.

We could compare the two all day long, but no longer having to take a deep breath while Sam Bradford drops back to pass in a Rams jersey anymore is a relief to me. For that reason  mainly is why the Rams must have made this move. There simply has been no stability at the quarterback in St. Louis throughout Bradford’s career, and that’s what has contributed to the team struggling so much these past five seasons.   

It’s hard to believe after everything invested in Sam Bradford, he’s gone just like that. I wish him all of the best and hope he is given a chance in Philadelphia. As for the Rams, let the Foles era begin.

Here are some farewell tweets to Sam Bradford from Rams fans:

Next: Why The St. Louis Rams Should Want Nick Foles

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