Those who did not see former OU quarterback Sam Bradford make his preseason debut for St. Louis on Saturday night could have missed a peek into the future.
The big concern this year for the No. 1 draft pick is the still-dreadful Rams offensive line. Bradford may have come out firing on his opening drive, but the offensive line’s deficiencies quickly caught up with him.
The line, as it is, offers little protection for Bradford to keep his surgically repaired right shoulder off the turf.
The Vikings sacked him four times, including twice in his final three plays. That’s not counting all the hurries, hits and batted-down passes.
The rookie finished 6-13 for 57 yards. That’s not bad, but not great.
If the line protects him, Bradford has the tools to be a solid quarterback for years. If the line doesn’t, oh boy.
Watch the highlights from Saturday’s preseason game, and see for yourself the severity of hits Bradford took. He barely had a chance to three-step drop before defenders had hands on him.
That won’t be enough for Bradford to excel, or last.
A real example is David Carr, the Houston Texans’ No.1 pick in 2002. Carr has been sacked 265 times in his eight-year career.
During his rookie year, Carr was collecting grass stains 76 times because of a woeful Texans’ offensive line.
Carr amassed the majority of those sacks in his first five years with the Texans. The last three years, he’s been used sparingly as a backup.
The lack of protection from his offensive line caused him to go from prized franchise quarterback to league journeyman.
That’s not the future the Rams want for their $80 million top pick.
For perspective, recently unretired (again) Brett Favre has been sacked only 503 times during his 20-year career.
The offensive line needs to improve. Soon the Rams may have to decide whether to start Bradford and let him take the hits or save him and let the young line develop protecting AJ Feeley until at least mid-season.
After that opening performance, can there be much optimism that the O-line can gel fast enough to protect Bradford?
The line has to for his sake. Soon.
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