Tag: st louis rams

Bradford For Browns’ QB? It’s Worth a Shot.

Now that the over-hyped, little changed Browns’ logo has been introduced, we can return to the area’s obsession with who should and will play quarterback for the team this fall.

Besides the local zealots who still insist Brian Hoyer should get the gig based on his “record” as a starting signal caller, there are many fans who feel Hoyer could be a good fallback option, but GM Ray Farmer should try to get someone better.

The question is…does a better option exist?

Over the past few days, it has been reported that the St. Louis Rams would be willing to trade the former first overall pick, QB Sam Bradford.  Is Bradford a better option?  Why do the Rams want to move him?  And, what would you be willing to give up to get him?

As for the first question, Bradford’s biggest problem in his NFL career has been staying on the field, missing six games in his second season, 2011, and has played just seven games over the last two years.

When he’s been on the field, his rating has gotten better with experience, starting at 76.5 his rookie year and improving to 82.6 in his last full season (2012) and to 90.9 in the seven games he played in ’13.

He completed 60.7 of his throws that year with 14 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions.

That kind of performance would make him a god among QB’s since the Browns returned to the league in 1999.

With quarterback play on the decline in the NFL, why would the Rams be willing to move a player who is still just 27 years old?

The obvious answer is reliability.  Having your “starting” quarterback available for less than 25% of your games over the last two seasons isn’t something to write home about.  To be sure, Jeff Fisher would like someone who he can be sure will be out on the field most Sundays.

The other reason is Bradford’s contract, which is a $16.5 million cap hit in 2015.  The Rams’ management would like to spend that kind of money on someone who will actually be playing when the games start.

For the Browns, who have tons of cap space, this isn’t a huge issue because this is the last year of the deal, so they would be out of it after one year if another injury crops up for the former Heisman Trophy winner.

It’s worth the gamble if you don’t have to pay an exorbitant price.

And what should that price be?  Bradford is certainly not worth a high draft choice, because of his injury history, so there’s no way we would give up a first rounder.

Considering the Rams will get a great deal of cap space by trading Bradford, and that is most definitely worth something to them, we would figure a third or fourth round pick would be an appropriate price.

If Bradford can stay healthy and play well, behind a solid pass protecting offensive line, he could be the future QB for the Browns.  If he doesn’t, he at least buys another year of development for Johnny Manziel, assuming he gets his act together.

It’s worth the gamble because it’s only a one year commitment.

Considering the other options that are out there, Farmer should look very seriously at making a deal to get Sam Bradford.  He might be the best player available at this critical position.

JD

Browns’ Fans Need to Chill

The Cleveland Browns have many knowledgeable fans, they just don’t seem to be very vocal.

How else can you explain the reaction to last Friday nights exhibition, er, pre-season game, a game in which Cleveland ended up winning!

What was viewed as a very good draft by GM Tom Heckert is now relegated to horrible, based on one quarter of the Browns first game that doesn’t count.

How ridiculous is that.

Let’s look at the first few picks made by Heckert last April:

Trent Richardson, the third overall pick, had a “hangnail piece of cartilage” removed from his knee last week, so he is referred to as a bust who will never, ever be healthy.  We aren’t doctors, but it sounds like a very minor procedure and it shouldn’t keep Richardson out of the season opener against Philadelphia.

The team’s second first round pick, QB Brandon Weeden didn’t complete every pass he threw, and didn’t lead the Browns to touchdowns in the three possessions he played, so now fans are looking forward to getting the first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft so they can pick USC signal caller Matt Barkley.

It didn’t help Weeden that Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck looked impressive in his first start against the St. Louis Rams, who had the second worst record in the NFL last season.  The Lions, by the way, made the playoffs.

Second round pick T Mitchell Schwartz was shaky against a pretty good Lions’ pass rush, led by All Pro Ndamukong Suh.  So, he’s another rookie labeled as a bust, despite playing a half in his team’s first pre-season contest.

Supplemental pick WR Josh Gordon didn’t catch four passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns, so he stinks.  Of course, no one allows that he hasn’t played a meaningful game of football on any level for over a year.

Detroit ran the ball very well last Friday, so third pick DT John Hughes certainly will never become even a decent NFL player.

The complaints go on and on.

The truth is these guys are rookies.  This was their first game played at that speed, the professional speed.  It would be very odd if they played great right out of the gate and stayed at that level for the rest of their careers.

It just doesn’t work that way.

Luck was regarded as the most NFL ready passer to enter the league since Peyton Manning, who’s been in the NFL for more than ten years.  That’s how infrequently players like that come along.  So, it’s not fair to Weeden to expect he plays at a high level right from the get go.

It will be interesting to see how all of the rookies play Thursday night at Green Bay.  Will they take the lessons learned in the first game and make corrections.

Even if they don’t, it’s still crazy to proclaim them busts until they’ve played at least an entire NFL season.

As for Richardson, from many reports, he could have played with the soreness his cartilage fragment generated, but he and the team figured it was better to get it taken care of now.

If after four games, all of the rookies are struggling, then fans can be concerned.  And concerned only.  No panic, no proclamations of a horrible draft.

The more comments heard after the Detroit game, the more you have to think about former GM Phil Savage’s comments about Browns’ fans.  They have a “woe is me” mentality.

JD