Sam Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, saw his first NFL game action Saturday night, and his first live football since October 17.
Our Sam Monson wore out the rewind button trying to get a sense of what he actually did above the mediocre stat line.
Bradford entered the game at 12:09 in the second quarter with the game tied at 7-7, and began his first drive at the St. Louis 22-yard line.
His first throw was on second and 5, and he made the classic rookie error of staring down his target and failing to connect on a short out to his slot receiver. The next play though, on third down, the Rams got a glimpse of what they paid the big bucks for. Bradford again stared down his receiver, but this time fired a bullet through a tight window between a linebacker and defensive back to pick up 12 yards and the first down.
It was good news and bad news for Bradford as he went to work against the Vikings' second-team D. The good news was that he was facing backups, the bad news was that those backups were getting the better of the starting Rams O-line.
Despite this, he demonstrated some good poise, and ability to diagnose defensive schemes, even in the face of pressure. When the Vikings sent an overload blitz to Bradford's right-hand side later on his first drive, he calmly slid to his left and hit the open receiver on the backside of the pressure for a first down.
Bradford quickly settled into the game, taking less than a series to get comfortable with the pressure and be able to check down to a back or bail on a play and throw it at the feet of his receiver when it was necessary.
The thing that stood out watching Bradford was his accuracy is superb. Last season the top two rookie quarterbacks, Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez, struggled badly over the course of the season, and neither player was able to demonstrate consistent accuracy. Bradford, despite his low completion percentage in this game, was extremely accurate, both in the pocket and on the move.
His accuracy went beyond just hitting receivers to being able to place the ball on the correct shoulder, directing it away from defenders and moving the receiver with his throw. Being able to achieve that in the face of some fierce and consistent pressure is impressive in his first game action for nearly a year.
The Rams were hoping to get a look at Bradford executing the two-minute offense late in the first half, but right tackle Jason Smith set about spoiling that plan, getting taken apart on consecutive plays by Jayme Mitchell and forcing a three-and-out series.
From that point in the game the Rams lost the handle on their pass protection, prompting Mike Mayock in the booth to complain about teams putting their franchise QBs out there with second teams so bad they miss blocks completely. The only problem is at that point it was still the Rams' starting O-line being handled by the Vikings' second-team D. Bradford left the game shortly after.
For a first look at this year's top pick, Bradford cut an impressive figure. He's far from the finished article, as you would expect. But he was able to look calm in the pocket, show good understanding and demonstrate an uncanny accuracy, and those are all excellent traits in a young quarterback. He was also quick to bounce up after several clean hits were laid on him during his time on the field.
Bottom line for the Rams is that Bradford looks to be holding up his end of the bargain, but they need to find a way to protect him better than they were during this game.
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