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The news is not good. Sam Bradford will be out for the 2014 season with a torn ACL. The St. Louis Rams will turn to Shaun Hill to run the offense in Bradford's absence.
Rams QB Sam Bradford is out for season after MRI shows he did tear left knee ACL, per sources. Rams will announce later today. @ESPNNFL
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) August 24, 2014
It's a huge blow for Bradford and the Rams. The quarterback has missed parts of two seasons already in just four years. Now, he won't even see the field in his fifth season with the Rams.
Obviously, the Rams were counting on Bradford to have a more productive season than in the past. They avoided drafting another quarterback with one of two first-round picks, and didn't take a chance on some of the others available in the later rounds until settling on a developmental prospect, Garrett Gilbert, in the sixth round.
However, this Rams team was built with two primary strengths in mind: running the ball well and playing ferocious defense. The defense took a hit with the injury to Trumaine Johnson, but it's a unit capable of playing its way into consideration as the best defense in the league. Early returns on the running game have been less than positive in the preseason, but the Rams haven't had their starting offensive line in place either.
Losing Bradford hurts, especially in a division like the NFC West where the margin for error is razor thin. It does not mean the Rams are in for another losing season. This is when good coaches rise above, and the Rams believe they have just that man in Fisher.