Sam Bradford could be primed to surprise in Arizona
By Thomas Clark
A Chip on his Shoulder
While my prior points of evidence were concrete aspects of the Cardinal’s roster that I believe will put Sam Bradford in a position to succeed. This last point is strictly a theory: I think Sam Bradford is angry.
Coming out of Oklahoma, most draft pundits viewed Bradford as the most polished quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning. Fast forward nearly a decade, and Bradford has largely failed to live up to expectations. Every time Bradford has provided fans with glimpses of hope, his career has been derailed by injuries.
After a strong 2012 campaign, Bradford only managed to play a combined seven games over his final two seasons in St. Louis. After his incredibly efficient 2016 season in Minnesota, Bradford spent most of 2017 battling injuries, before ultimately losing the starting quarterback job to NFL journeyman Case Keenum.
Now, Bradford finds himself on his fourth NFL team, and his chances as a starting NFL quarterback seem to be running dry. While Bradford is the unquestioned starter for the Cardinals over Mike Glennon, league wide speculation is that Arizona may be looking to trade up for one of this year’s top quarterback prospects. All in all, Bradford’s starting role for the Cardinals is far from concrete.
All things considered, I would not be shocked to see Bradford post career numbers this year. What drew me to that conclusion? The fact that Bradford is seemingly up against a wall.
These days Bradford is more known for his lucrative earnings than his on-field performance, and while franchises are seemingly more than willing to give Bradford chance after chance, fellow players throughout the league have called out Bradford for his monumental wealth and less than stellar career to date. Now Bradford is faced with playing against a stacked NFC West with ruthless defensive lines in all three opposing cities. While a returning David Johnson should take pressure off of Bradford, the Cardinals only have one receiver with an a thousand yard receiving year under their belt: 34 year old Larry Fitzgerald.
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At the crossroads of his professional career, most media pundits expect Bradford to fizzle out in Arizona, and that is exactly why I expect him to excel.