The Bradford Watch

Five and one.  5-1.  5 and 1.  

However you say it, the Rams realistically could (and some argue should) possess such a record.  The Week 5 loss to the Lions was a legitimate beatdown characterized by a complete mental lapse and a lack of physical explosiveness in all facets of the game.  The other games?  Two losses by a combined six points against beatable teams. 

Sam Bradford is a likely candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year, the defense has placed a surprising amount of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, the receivers aren't outstanding but are producing just enough, the offensive line is doing a decent job in both pass protection and run blocking, and Steven Jackson is still in one piece.  Even at 3-3, life is good.

Heading into Week 7, we are starting to get a solid sense of just how well our young gun at QB is playing.  This upcoming week, I expect the Rams to run the ball down the throats of Tampa Bay, with Jackson amassing over 100 yards for the third week in a row (I actually foresee him reaching near 200 total yards).  I think this is the week that we see Sam at his most efficient, with an extremely high passer rating and completion percentage.  At 3-2, Tampa Bay's losses have come to New Orleans and Pittsburgh, two very formidable teams.  They are by no means a bad team, and I think it will be a good game, but the Rams need efficiency, not stardom from Bradford this week.

Per usual, ignoring all the banter about statistics not reflecting the nature of the game or the performance of the player, let's look at Bradford's statistics through his first six games:

Week 1 : 30/55, 253 yards, 1TD, 3INT, 53.1 passer rating, 2 sacks

Week 2: 14/25, 167 yards, 2TD, 1INT, 86.6 passer rating, 3 sacks

Week 3: 23/37, 235 yards, 1TD, 1INT, 78.1 passer rating, 1 sack

Week 4: 23/41, 289 yards, 2TD, 1INT, 84.3 passer rating, 4 sacks

Week 5: 23/45, 251 yards, 0TD, 2INT, 46.1 passer rating, 1 sack

Week 6: 18/31, 198 yards, 1TD, 0INT, 87.8 passer rating, 3 sacks

Extrapolating his current statistical output out to a full season, Bradford theoretically would finish the season with 3,618 yards, 19TD, 21INT, a 69.3 passer rating, and a total of 37 sacks.

Now let's put this in context and establish what it really means in comparison to his current and recent competition:

1. The sack totals places him in a tie for the 4th most sacked QB this season.
2. Bradford is currently 13th in the league in passing yards.  
3. While he is currently tied for 15th in TD passes, Bradford is tied for the 2nd most INTs in the league right now with 8 interceptions.  The only quarterbacks who have thrown as many or more are Eli Manning (8) and Alex Smith (9).
4. Sam's passer rating took a large dip in Week 5 with a 46.1 rating, but he followed that performance up with his highest rated performance of the year with an 87.8 rating.  Now his rating is currently ranked 30th in the NFL, with only Jimmy Clausen, Derek Anderson, and Jason Campbell, two of whom are no longer starters, having lower ratings.

And now I end with my discaimer:

The cause of Bradford's statistical output may have nothing to do with his abilities and may more appropriately be attributed to line play, receiver talent (or lack thereof), game planning, adjustments to the running game, etc.  Furthermore, this small sample of play is not a good basis for judging Bradford's development.  What I mean by that is: it really means nothing at this point in the season...although we're getting there.  Nonetheless, some food for thought.