Jim Thomas at the Post-Dispatch did not technically confirm that Ben McDaniels, the brother of St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, has been working with Sam Bradford through the lockout. In his weekly chat, Thomas said that he "wouldn't necessarily dispute the conspiracy theorists" on the idea.
I guess we're kind of the conspiracy theorists here, at least an enabler. We've talked about that very possibility before on these pages. Ben, as you know, was McDaniels' assistant and QB coach in Denver. It's quite possible that Ben McDaniels has worked with Sam Bradford during the lockout to go over the playbook. Bradford's direction in the informal workouts happening this week make it fairly obvious that he knows the playbook. And we do know he got a copy during the brief April window when the lockout was lifted.
Earlier this month, Mike Freeman at CBS reported that players and coaches all over the league were violating the lockout rules, Skyping, texting and breaking down their work via telephone. It's not a stretch at all to think that Bradford has worked with Ben McDaniels who has then worked with his brother. As I said then, Josh McDaniels is no stranger to the moral gray area.
There's another possibility here that you shouldn't forget. Dick Curl, the Rams' QB coach under Shurmur and the guy who coached Bradford through his NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year season retired earlier this offseason. He and Bradford developed a strong connection last year, and Curl and Bradford could easily be continuing their work from last season. Sure, it's a different offensive system, but they don't necessarily have to be working on the Xs and Os.
Something's happening. Someone interceding in a way that's making the Rams informal practices slightly more formal. The lockout is stupid and wrong; I hope every team in the league is finding a way to defy it, especially the Rams.