Bradford hurt...again

[Alo]

On the first drive of today's game vs. Baylor, Sam Bradford twisted his right knee while making a throw on the run. Though he stayed in the game, he limped his way through the first half, missing on a couple throws and ending the half by throwing a ball straight at a stone-handed DB.

 

He also was the victim of a couple drops and a line that couldn't keep him clean. But his play is raising a lot of questions about his durability - it's very disappointing to see injuries deprive him of his pinpoint accuracy.

 

Hopefully, he'll play better in the second half and - more importantly - next week against Texas.

[bonedawg]

Well, scratch him off the list for 2010.

[ballpeen]

Well, scratch him off the list for 2010.

 

The only QB i take is Tebow, and not before about 20.

 

QB isn't the way to go if you have a high pick next draft.

 

I might think Ryan Mallett if he comes out early.

 

[Vegasdogg]

There isn't a QB in this draft I like in the first round.

[Alo]

Does Bradford strike you as a franchise QB at all?

I'm taking a wait and see approach with Bradford. Was looking forward to watching a ton of him this year, but the injury stole a sizable chunk of that scouting time.

 

It's natural that he'd be a bit rusty this week, but he's missing on a lot of throws (just overthrew another pass). And it looks like he may have lost some of the bulk he built up this offseason, which would make sense if he couldn't lift because of the shoulder.

 

The Red River Shootout next week will be huge for him. Also, Ndamukong Suh will have a good shot at re-injuring him when they meet in early November.

[Alo]

Bradford got a little better in the second half. Still, the offense lacked any rhythm and Bradford didn't seem to be in sync with his receivers. His body language showed how frustrated he was.

 

Hopefully, he'll play better next week.

 

[Alo]

Different perspectives, Shep. And different focuses.

 

People who are evaluating Bradford as a draft prospect want to be convinced he isn't simply a cog in what is an incredibly successful offensive machine: one in which he doesn't call his own audibles and, until recently, almost never was chased out of the pocket or forced to make throws on the move.

 

For that reason, playing behind an inexperienced line this year should be a challenge to his mental toughness and ability to make quick decisions. In many ways, it parallels the challenges faced by Brady Quinn during his senior year, when some of his accuracy and poise issues were revealed.

 

Unfortunately, the injury in the season opener complicated things by providing more adversity but also limiting the amount of time Bradford would have to adjust. I guess one could excuse the guy's missteps because of that, but I'm more inclined to be fair, but critical. I want to see him show some quick decisionmaking, be accurate on the move, and avoid DA-type boneheaded throws.

 

With that context, I think you can appreciate why I wasn't impressed with what I saw today. To have his first throw on the move be a 4th down throw on which he hurt his knee without being touched, then delivered a difficult to catch ball (one of those eleven drops, I'm assuming) didn't impress any draft geeks watching the game. He gunned a nice throw on the move later in the game, but it wasn't a high pressure a throw: it wasn't on 4th down or with rushers closing in on him.

 

Mobility and accuracy on the move could be what separate a guy like Mark Sanchez and Bradford at the next level. Unfortunately, the knee injury limited what one could glean from this game. However, he did have another play where he decided to run, then slowly and awkwardly decided to slide/collapse turfward. In the NFL, that kind of clumsy hesitation will get a quarterback killed.

 

The near pick at the end of the second quarter was disappointing. Enough said.

 

While I can understand why reporters are calling it a decent performance, I don't think Bradford did anything today to convince skeptics that he's a franchise quarterback. Sure, he threw for a lot of yards and the offense scored 33 points. But against Baylor last year, Bradford's offense scored 35 points in the first half. This year, his YPA was 7.9; last year, it was 12.0.

 

Next week's going to be huge for him, so what happened this week won't end up mattering much. But if I were to judge him based on this one performance, the grade wouldn't be very high.

[car ramrod]

The only QB i take is Tebow, and not before about 20.

 

QB isn't the way to go if you have a high pick next draft.

 

I might think Ryan Mallett if he comes out early.

 

Damn, will you guys quit with the Tim Tebow talk.

 

Has the kid ever took a snap under the center? I'm sure he has but I haven't seen it. The only way I take Tebow as a QB is if he falls to the 6th round. Maybe 2nd, 3rd round if we draft him as a H-Back and make him a Dallas Clark clone.

The kid as a awesome college QB and a GREAT leader. But Ken freakin Dorsey was good in college.

[Sez.EJ]

On the first drive of today's game vs. Baylor, Sam Bradford twisted his right knee while making a throw on the run. Though he stayed in the game, he limped his way through the first half, missing on a couple throws and ending the half by throwing a ball straight at a stone-handed DB.

 

He also was the victim of a couple drops and a line that couldn't keep him clean. But his play is raising a lot of questions about his durability - it's very disappointing to see injuries deprive him of his pinpoint accuracy.

 

Hopefully, he'll play better in the second half and - more importantly - next week against Texas.

 

Good..gives us a reason NOT to draft a QB... We have more pressing issues.

[Tobalaz]

There isn't a QB in this draft I like in the first round.

Same here.

I used to like McCoy but the more I see of him, the more that arm scares me off.

I like Pike in the 2nd if he's still there.

 

[Alo]

Same here.

I used to like McCoy but the more I see of him, the more that arm scares me off.

Me too. Yesterday, he dinked and dunked Texas to what could have been a surprise loss. Were it not for the two touchdowns scored by the Longhorns' defense and special teams, Colorado could have squeezed out a huge upset.

 

And McCoy fumbled again, which he seems to do in about every other game. Also threw his sixth pick of the year, though it wasn't really his fault (the throw was high and outside & a little too hard, but Shipley should have caught it).

 

I like Pike in the 2nd if he's still there.

The game Thursday night against South Florida will play a big part in determining Pike's draft stock. It'll be his first matchup this year against a very tough defense: George Selvie's a decent pass rusher, and the guy opposite him has even more potential.

 

If you watch the game, check out USF safety Nate Allen. He's got decent size (6'2", 205 lbs.) and has shown better instincts this year. He's coming off a virtuoso performance against Syracuse, in which he picked off two passes and seemed to be in on almost every tackle. But I'm a little concerned about his change of direction ability, which seems average at best.

 

Pike will need to show some poise against those guys. Also, I want to see him throw a tighter ball; as Sobo@theOBR has pointed out, Pike just doesn't seem to be able to spin it like Bradford, Locker, and Clausen can. He doesn't have a particularly quick release either.

 

2nd round seems like a strong possibility.

 

Alo, lovin the sig.

Glad you like it. Just to explain things a bit, I'm adding a pic each week of the draft prospect who impressed me most. If you click on the pic, you're directed to the guy's nfldraftscout profile.

 

Suh got it this week. Though, if I'd waited until Saturday night, I might have posted a pic of Michigan DE Brandon Graham (3 sacks, 1 TFL vs. Iowa) instead.

[lemosley01]

Oh man - thanks for that stuff Alo. Glad you didn't leave permanently.