2011 NFL regular season
Sam Bradford Status: All About The Drop Back For Rams QB
By Ryan Van Bibber@justRVB Oct 20, 2011, 12:38pm CDT
Share All sharing options for: Sam Bradford Status: All About The Drop Back For Rams QB
St. Louis Rams QB Sam Bradford's availability will depend entirely on his ability to drop back.
Today we're continuing with a good old fashioned game of "will he or won't he" with St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. Reports yesterday sounded an optimistic tone that he would play. A report today said not so fast; expect A.J. Feeley to start. So which is it? Well, it's a matter of pain tolerance for Bradford and whether or not he can function in the drop back.
Will Carroll at Sports Illustrated paints a much clearer picture of the injury situation for Bradford. Mobility being a little different for an NFL QB versus, say, a running back, gives Bradford a higher likelihood of playing this week. As we've said all along, keep an eye on Bradford's practice status. The key, according to Carroll, is his ability to drop back.
The key will be Bradford's ability to drop back, which is a lateral move. If he can do this in practice by Saturday, he should have no real issues playing. Bradford is not much of a scrambler, so it shouldn't create much of an issue. Even if he's slightly limited, the Rams could shift to short drops or shotgun.
Based on this info, I'd expect Bradford to play this week. However, as Carroll also notes, adjust your expectations downward, something you should be used to anyway as a Rams fan. Hopefully, having Brandon Lloyd and Mark Clayton will help.