The 700 Level’s annual Philadelphia Eagles training camp preview returns. We’re taking an in-depth look at Birds position by position and asking whether the club got better or worse. Check out the introduction for more details on the series.
BETTER
Sam Bradford
If we were going solely by the numbers, Nick Foles is a far better quarterback than Bradford. However, statistics often are meaningless without proper context.
Foles had the good fortune of playing in a prolific offense with a solid supporting cast, plus his totals are embellished by the unsustainable production of a historic 2013 campaign. Bradford was never surrounded by much or any talent at all and worked under three different offensive coordinators in five seasons for the St. Louis Rams.
Forget the numbers and take injuries out of the equation. Bradford has a bigger arm than Foles. Bradford stands tall in the pocket, whereas Foles became skittish. Bradford gets rid of the ball faster. He turns the ball over less. He played in a similar style of offense at the University of Oklahoma. Bradford had the talent to go No. 1 overall in the 2010 draft, while Foles was only a third-round pick.
NFL
At the very least, Bradford seems like a better fit for the Eagles, if he isn’t simply better than Foles, period.
I was skeptical of Bradford initially, his 18-30-1 record as a starter and career 79.3 passer rating, as anybody would be. But then I took a hard look at his situation in St. Louis. Not one wide receiver, tight end or running back managed 700 yards receiving in a season when Bradford was under center. Not one offensive lineman was named to the Pro Bowl in all that time. The coaching staff was in a constant state of flux.
Bradford’s situation was comparable to the one Mark Sanchez came from with the New York Jets, only the Rams were worse—and Bradford’s numbers were still better. And what happened to Sanchez when he was dropped on to a well-coached team with talented skill players and decent protection? His completion percentage jumped nine points and his yards per attempt increased by over a full yard.
There’s little reason to think Bradford shouldn’t benefit similarly from the change of scenery. An improved Bradford could be a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback.
Projections aside, anybody can see Bradford has impressive tools when we go to the tape. This video of every attempt over 15 yards from the 2011 season shows not only how Bradford’s teammates frequently let him down, but how much touch and accuracy he delivers the football. Foles could be pretty good, but Bradford has the potential to be special.
&
WORSE
Stability
The only problem is, whether Bradford is better than Foles or not, the Eagles essentially hit the reset button in Chip Kelly’s third season as head coach. And there doesn’t appear to be much of a fallback plan, either.
Rather than lock up a quarterback long-term, Bradford will be playing out the final year of his contract for the Eagles. Frankly, there’s no need to cause a big fuss over this—Bradford’s value can hardly sink any lower, so it makes no sense for him to sign an extension. However, it does put the club in a bit of a bind. Either Bradford performs well and the Eagles have to get him under contract, which might involve use of short-term agreements such as the franchise or transition tag. Or Bradford plays poorly (or not at all) and the Eagles don’t wish to retain his services, in which case the search for a signal-caller is back on.
The Eagles are not exactly prepared for the latter. Sanchez did re-sign for two years, so worst case scenario is he’s the opening-day starter in 2016. There’s no up-and-coming quarterback on the roster, though, unless you count Matt Barkley—most do not.
It is plausible Bradford could have a good season and sign a long-term extension without issue before ever reaching free agency. Then again, there are roughly a million other ways this could all go down, and almost every one is cause for concern.
THE SAME
Backup QB / Mark Sanchez
Predictably, Sanchez is not as bad as everybody thought. And predictably, he still isn’t the answer, either.
Sanchez is entering his second season in the Eagles’ system, which is a positive. Another year removed from shoulder surgery, he claims his arm strength has improved as well, which is encouraging.
Yet Sanchez’s arm strength would need to improve a lot over what we saw last season to be more than merely adequate. Plus, we still saw too many of the same kind of dumb turnovers that plagued him in New York, to the tune of 11 interceptions and three fumbles lost in nine games.
Sanchez may very well be the best backup quarterback in football. You can feel comfortable with him at the helm for a few games. He’s appeared in two conference championship games, so in the right situation, you might even feel good about him for a season or two. But Sanchez isn’t a franchise quarterback. Which is okay—just saying.
THE UNKNOWN
Sam Bradford’s health
Once again, whether Bradford is better than Foles or not, his health is the biggest question mark. As of the Eagles’ last minicamp in June, Bradford still wasn’t a full participant at practice.
The good news is Bradford is expected to be ready in time for training camp. Of course, that’s not even half the battle. Can Bradford make it to the regular season healthy? Can he manage to stay on the field for 16 games or close at least? What will his mindset be like when he hasn’t played a meaningful football game in close to two years? Will he need to shake off the rust? Will he shy away from contact?
The concern is not so much about Bradford’s ability. Torn ACLs typically are not career-ending in this day and age, even two to the same knee 10 months apart. The question is whether that knee, and Bradford in general, are going to hold up.
Even prior to the ACLs, Bradford had trouble staying healthy. He missed six games in 2011 with a high ankle sprain, and he lost almost the entirety of his ’09 season at Oklahoma with a shoulder injury. At a certain point, you wonder if it’s really just bad luck or if a guy is somehow more prone to injury than everybody else.
We’ll all find out together, but one thing seems for certain—the Eagles’ season is depending on it.
BETTER OR WORSE?
I was ready to ride with Foles. Then Kelly shocked the world and traded Foles and draft picks for Bradford. There’s a reason he did that. The head coach watched the tape and concluded that buried beneath the injury history and numbers is actually a franchise quarterback, one who at the very least is a better fit for his system. Whether Bradford can stay healthy
Better
Previously: Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Line, Defensive Line, Outside Linebacker, Interior Linebacker, Cornerback, Safety, Special Teams