Tag: Sam Bradford (Page 18 of 25)

      McCoy vs. Bradford: Who will be the better pro?

      October 14, 2009 /

      With Oklahoma set to square off against Texas in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday night, I thought it would be fun to breakdown the quarterback matchup between the Sooners’ Sam Bradford and the Longhorns’ Colt McCoy to figure out who would make the better pro.

      Colt McCoy vs. Sam Bradford: Who will be the better pro quarterback?

      Arm Strength: Bradford.
      Neither quarterback has elite arm strength, but Bradford can make all the throws, while McCoy excels at the short to intermediate passes. Lack of arm strength could be an issue for McCoy at the next level.

      Size: Bradford.
      Bradford is two inches taller than McCoy and nearly 15 pounds heavier. Bradford can probably add to his frame, where McCoy is essentially maxed out.

      Accuracy & Decision Making: Push.
      Both QBs have outstanding accuracy, get the ball out of their hands quickly and are excellent decision-makers.

      Leadership: Push.
      Bradford and McCoy’s leadership have been evident in how good their teams have been with them under center. Both players truly love playing the game and it shows both on and off the field.

      Athleticism: McCoy.
      Although Bradford does have decent athleticism, he loses this category by a long shot. McCoy has displayed excellent athleticism in his career while rushing for over 500 yards in each of his past two seasons. He’s also very mobile, which helps him elude pressure and buy extra time to find receivers.

      Release: Bradford.
      Bradford has a great release, but we’re probably splitting hairs in this category because both quarterbacks get the ball out of their hands quickly.

      The Final Whistle:
      Both of these quarterbacks have weaknesses in that neither runs a pro-style offense in college. So on most occasions, neither is forced to make difficult reads and neither has faced a consistent pass rush. They both benefit from playing in a conference with weak defenses and have out-of-this-world stats because of it. That said, Bradford has fewer question marks surrounding his pro potential than McCoy does. McCoy has never operated under center and that could be a huge problem once he gets to the next level. While Bradford doesn’t have the arm strength to zip the ball into tight windows, he can make all the throws at the next level. The same cannot be said for McCoy, who will struggle with the deep ball in the NFL.

      In the end, the question of which quarterback will make a better pro comes down to what offenses they’re drafted into. If a team figures out how to use McCoy’s athleticism and accuracy to hide his lack of arm strength, then he could become an outstanding pro. But Bradford has more intangibles that pro scouts look for and thus, would be my choice to emerge as the better NFL quarterback.

      Winner: Sam Bradford.

      Which quarterback will make the better pro?
      View Results

      College Football

      Bradford officially ruled out against Miami

      October 2, 2009 /

      Oklahoma head coach said Friday that freshman Landry Jones will start at quarterback for the Sooners this Saturday against Miami. Sam Bradford, who suffered a shoulder injury against BYU in the opening week of the season, was making progress throughout the week but Stoops didn’t feel as though Bradford was ready yet.

      From Tulsa World:

      “Sam has made daily progress, but we don’t feel like he’s quite where he needs to be yet,” Stoops said in a press release. “Our team has a lot of confidence in Landry’s ability and we’re looking forward to going into the game with him at quarterback. Our approach will be the same that it has been in the last two games.”

      “No one’s gonna play if they’re not healthy and ready to go,” offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said on Tuesday. “. . . A guy coming off an injury, if there are throws he can’t make, you either take those throws out or you say, ‘Look, if you can’t make the throws, the guy doesn’t play.'”

      In a Wednesday report by CBS Sportsline columnist Dennis Dodd, Bradford’s father, Kent Bradford, said he didn’t see the harm in his son waiting another two weeks before returning to the starting lineup. That would put Bradford in the center of the storm for the Oct. 17 showdown with No. 2-ranked Texas.

      This is absolutely the right move. If there’s any doubt about whether or not Bradford is ready to play, then he’s not ready to play and I applaud Stoops for not rushing him back onto the field.

      Jones has more than enough weapons around him to succeed and Oklahoma’s defense has been fantastic this year. As long as the young QB doesn’t try to force the action by trying to make things happen in the passing game, he should be fine.

      College Football

      Sam Bradford to return this week?

      September 30, 2009 /

      The Oklahoman reports that Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford split snaps with the first team in practice this week with redshirt freshman Landry Jones and might be ready to play Saturday against Miami.

      Stoops still isn’t ready to announce whether Bradford will play Saturday at Miami, but said Bradford hasn’t had any setbacks in his recovery and wasn’t particularly sore Tuesday morning after throwing during Monday’s practice.

      “That’s positive in that everything to this point that he has done he has handled in a positive way and he has made daily progress,” Stoops said. “That part is encouraging. But it’s just too early to determine his status for Saturday. I’m not able to give the answer yet, until we see what Sam’s capable of throughout the week. Is he able to make all the throws? Is he able to do it without too much soreness? How does he react the next day?

      If Bradford plays on Saturday, it would signal a remarkable turnaround from where he was at a few weeks ago. Some were suggesting that his season was over and now he has a chance to play this week.

      Hopefully Oklahoma isn’t rushing Bradford back onto the field too soon. I doubt Stoops would put the success of the team over the health of his player (or at least, I hope he wouldn’t), but if Bradford continues to progress throughout the week then there might be no reason for him to sit out.

      Even though VA Tech shredded them on the ground last week, Miami has an aggressive front seven – one that could cause problems for Bradford if he’s rusty upon his return. It’ll be interesting to see how he progresses throughout the week and whether or not he’ll play against the Canes on Saturday.

      College Football

      Stoops won’t discuss Bradford’s return

      September 17, 2009 /

      When probed about the pending return of his Heisman-winner quarterback, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said he wouldn’t discuss the subject.

      From Tulsa World.com:

      During his press luncheon on Tuesday, Stoops was asked about Bradford’s progress coming back from a separated shoulder, and Stoops quickly replied, “I’m not even going to go there,” fearing that discussing Bradford’s rehab schedule would only fuel speculation.

      Instead, it was Stoops’ comments that fueled speculation on talk radio and message boards Wednesday — speculation that either Bradford is progressing faster than anticipated and may play against Tulsa, or that Bradford’s injury is worse than first feared and he may be out longer than the original prognosis of 2-4 weeks.

      After practice Wednesday, Stoops told reporters that Bradford won’t play against TU, but declined to discuss specifics of Bradford’s rehab or return schedule.

      Hopefully Bradford won’t be rushed back onto the field. As much as Oklahoma needs him (as well as college football fans looking forward to another tight race in the Big 12), Bradford has bright future ahead of him and can’t risk further injury.

      He should return when he’s at or near complete health.

      College Football

      Rohde: Bradford should sit out entire season

      September 10, 2009 /

      John Rohde of the Oklahoman writes that Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford should sit out the rest of the season after injuring his throwing shoulder in OU’s loss to BYU last Saturday.

      By sitting out this year, Bradford would be free to rehab at his own pace with far less risk of re-injury.
      It would give Bradford a few months to clear his head and thoroughly examine his future plans.

      A redshirt junior, Bradford could enter the 2010 NFL draft, or return as a senior if he felt he had something to prove because of the injury.

      Bordering on the absurd, Bradford eventually would be eligible to petition for a sixth season at OU, a la Jason White. (If Bradford plays again later this season, he would have no sixth-year option.)

      If Bradford has recovered enough to play in 2-4 weeks, by all means, come on back
      If Bradford’s recovery falls behind schedule, I say sit this one out.

      Rohde brings up good points and the smart thing probably is for Bradford to sit out the rest of the season. As Rohde’s points out, he could come back for his senior season fully healthy and then enter the NFL draft the following year.

      Then again, telling a competitor like Sam Bradford to sit out the season following a year in which he won the Heisman and led the Sooners to the national title game is like telling a kid not to write on the wall after getting his new box of Crayolas. He’s just going to tune you out.

      This has nothing to do with Bradford making the smart decision and everything to do with wanting to play football. He wants to be out there with his teammates and it’s going to be extremely difficult to get him to sit out when he knows his team needs him more than ever. I just hope for his sake that he doesn’t injury himself more when he does come back, because the young man has a bright future ahead of him in the NFL.

      NFL

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