How Much Pressure is on Sam Bradford?

Football season is here.  It cannot be ignored any longer.  August is on the doorstep making the Oklahoma Sooners first game a month a way.  One month away.  For me, it is a time of awakening.  The person I refer to as Football Blake has been hibernating since January.  Like man becoming wolf, I too will transform in the coming months.  I know this change will occur.  I look forward to it.  But, like Wolfman, losing control is both exalting and terrifying.

Who will I become 6 p.m., August 31st?  Will the superstitions eat me alive or will the Sooners play well enough to keep me mentally stable?  Will my neighbors think I'm a profane, raving lunatic, or will I keep it together?  Will my car survive the road trips this season?  Will I resist temptation to cook tailgate food on a weekly basis (not off to a good start as the kick off menu ideas list has 15 entries already).  Will I bounce back from a tragic season of fantasy football?  Will the Chargers force me to root against them?  Will my weeks be ruined by poor football?

Will Sam Bradford be on the hot seat this season?  That is what I wish to focus on today.

The answers to the previous questions are as follows in order: Football Blake, Yes/No, Yes/No, Maybe, No, Yes, Yes, Yes. 

Bradford is my favorite football player.  At least I want him to be.  He is similar to Blake Griffin in my rooting hierarchy because there is a ceiling on how excited I can get.  I have chronicled my issues with Griffin in previous posts, but Bradford presents me with similar challenges.

For starters, no matter how good Bradford is, the St. Louis Rams will not be great offensively.  He has the youngest group of receivers in the NFL, his offensive line has a lot to prove and Steven Jackson is gone.  Jackson was the team leader.  He was the veteran the locker room looked to for leadership the same way Baltimore Ravens players looked  to Ray Lewis.  He also was an effective runner that kept defenses honest.  Even the most hardcore NFL fans probably couldn't name a single running back on the Rams roster today.

Bradford is entering his 4th season as a starting quarterback.  This will be the first season he won't have to learn a new offense.  In 2010 Bradford won offensive rookie of the year and was within a game of the playoffs one year after the Rams finished 1-15.  That progress earned offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur the Cleveland Browns head coaching job.  Bradford spent most of the 2011 season injured and the Rams went 2-14 with the worst offense in the NFL.  That decline earned the entire coaching staff a pink slip as the Rams brought in Jeff Fisher. Under the third new offense in three years Bradford and the Rams improved to a still mediocre 7-8-1.  A great improvement, indeed, but Bradford lacked dazzle.

That brings us to 2013.  The Rams still don't have a single proven receiving commodity.  There are high hopes for first round draft pick Tavon Austin and tight end acquisition Jared Cook, but not a single proven threat on the roster.  So just to refresh, no receivers and no running backs.  Throw in an offensive line with a proclivity for giving up sacks and you've got a challenging year ahead offensively.

The NFC West has become top heavy with San Francisco and Seattle boasting loaded rosters and exciting young quarterbacks.  They are stacked on defense and surrounded their quarterbacks with proven veterans at all the skill positions.  It is extremely unlikely that three teams  from the same division could make the playoffs.

Bradford still has three years and lots of money left on his contract so he won't have job security issues this season, but fans and management alike are looking for Bradford to breakout.  Nine wins would be a triumph of a season for the Rams.  The best they can hope for is 3-3 within the division.  The roster is still a year or two away from truly competing.

While I fully expect the Rams to be mediocre again, I don't expect it will be Bradford's fault.  He simply doesn't have the weapons.  I know what you're thinking, "it's a shoddy carpenter that blames his tools..."  I understand.  I also believe that will be the reaction of management and Rams fans. That is why I am concerned for Bradford's future.  The Rams were a horrible franchise before he was drafted and instantly breathed life into the team.  That early success led to unrealistic expectations as did the instant success of Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, and Russell Wilson. Patience is a nearly non-existent virtue among NFL faithful, but that's exactly what St. Louis needs.  A playoff appearance is not in the cards this year.

What fans need from Bradford is a sign of improvement.  Moving beyond a game manager and making plays that end up on Sportscenter.  He should get plenty of chances to put the ball in the air with the uncertainty of his run game.  Who really knows?  I am not convinced that Fisher hired the right offensive coordinator.  Aside from his last name, I can't understand what credentials Brian Schottenheimer has.  His last job was developing Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets offense.  How'd that work out?  He's been widely criticized for not taking the reigns off Sanchez and hopefully he will not repeat that mistake with Bradford.

When Bradford was drafted, I thought his ceiling was Tom Brady and his floor was David Carr.  He is closer to Carr than Brady currently.  With coaching and surrounding roster playing such a huge factor in the life of a quarterback, Bradford has another uphill climb this season.

If the Rams are smart they'll stay patient.  If they do get tired of him, I know a certain running back in Minnesota who would welcome him with open arms.  In fact, that's actually what I hope happens.  Screw playing well this season.  Let's hope the Rams and Vikings underachieve until they reunite Bradford and Adrian Peterson.  Now that would be fun.