I would just add Mark-freakin'-Clayton to Amendola. He was an immediate 100 yard per game receiver for the Rams when traded from Baltimore. I cried when he hurt his knee on a deep pass, never to return. Sam has only had those two produce.Tonight's second round draft may be the last chance for Philly to work out a trade, but it seems they're dead set on Bradford under center in 2016. What a mess.
"I'm going to request that you stop posting in this thread." - circa 2008
"Why does there have to be so much immature stuff on here?" - circa 2010
Originally Posted by Tear Down This Wall
Yes! Terrible position. Didn't stutter. Money is great but Bradford already has plenty of it and if he gets smashed into the ground for another season he might not be enjoying any of it down the line. The Eagles gave away 5 draft picks that could have been used to help current needs. Without significant upgrades on the OL, Bradford will be looking at another season where lack of pass protection greatly increases his chance of season or career ending injury. Of course if that happens people like yourself will be saying that Bradford is injury prone and hasn't done anything in the NFL.
Bradford should use any leverage he can to get what he wants. The Eagles sure would and did.
Last edited by SoonerorLater; 4/29/2016 at 06:13 PM.
If I were Sam I'd somehow injure myself pronto, take the money and leave the game. Not worth the hassle, the Eagles' contemptuous attitude and the risk of further, more serious injuries.
I didn't count Mark in because it was so short lived....I'm guessing Wentz
gets his baptism not later than 3rd week of the regular season, but given
what Philly has up front it might be the 3rd week of preseason...sure wish
Sam could have been a Bronco...
**** and moan all you want, but Bradford hasn't earned the right to hold out. He has been fragile, and that's not his O-line's fault. Bradford needs to prove he belongs.
Exactly! Excellent post.
Put a lid on it! Kiss it goodbye. We gave it away, and apparently thought it made sense to do so.
Kinda tacky, but not as tacky as what the Eagles did.
Put a lid on it! Kiss it goodbye. We gave it away, and apparently thought it made sense to do so.
It doesn't require any rights to hold out - it's strictly a business contract issue. Perhaps you meant he has earned little leverage, but again, that's between him and the Eagles organization. I'm not following it closely, but i haven't read he is holding out. He is refusing to participate in *voluntary* off-season training. I know that the NFL culture has these workouts as anything but voluntary, but it is not yet a breech of contract. It is more a tweak to the beak (pun) of the Eagles and to show he is serious about wanting out. And there is nothing morally wrong about breech of contract either, IMO, if he is willing to pay the consequences. I'm sure the Eagles have fully protected themselves in such and event.
I certainly don't mean he has no legal right. I guess he hasn't technically held out, but it's my understanding that he has stated he won't be back, so it seems he'll be officially holding out when the time comes. My point is that he's not a star, and should honestly feel blessed anybody would hand him that kind of money along with the keys to the team. Sure, Sam hasn't been handed the best circumstances, but when you're a star, you stop making excuses at some point. Sam changed scenery, and even Chip (the guy that made Foles look like a star) couldn't make it work.
I love Sam, and always will, but I'm not very proud of him at the moment. Philly gave him an opportunity, and he should be working as hard as he can to make the most of it.
I understand Bradford doesn't have a strong NFL resume - I just don't see a reason to place moral judgement. The Eagles put him in a tough spot by trading up and taking a QB at #2 overall and now Sam is putting the Eagles in a tough spot by demanding a trade. It's not uncommon for players and teams to have an antagonistic relationship with only a contract (and agent) as a way to communicate. 2 yrs in the NFL is like dog years and he almost assuredly not going to start the whole time in Philly unless the new guy is a bust. So he would be 2 years older and starting over with a new team/coach/system. If his motivation really is to get a chance to be a long term starter and not to optimize income, this is probably a good gambit to play.
Sam Bradford is not in a tough spot. He's an overpaid, often injured NFL quarterback who is going to have to fight for the starting position. He should be happy to be overpaid, and man enough to compete with a rookie without the bitching.
Be a man, Sam!
"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
President Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wall, June 12, 1987
He has been in the pros for five years, and has had five different offensive coaches. Last year he played very well, but then the Eagles cleans house, and it is starting all over again. Players have to develop a rhythm with each other to get it right. Especially with timing pass plays. I would think if you have a big investment you would want to make sure it was successful...but then what do I know.....
You know what else hurts your "rhythm" with your teammates - being injured and missing seasons' worth of practices and games.
It doesn't matter how many excuses are made for Bradford - the premise of the thread was that Philly had put him in a tough situation by guarding their future. It's a joke. Every NFL has to protect themselves, especially at QB.
Bradford is a know injury risk. Any team in Philly's position would have done the same thing. Bradford, for his lot, needs to man up. He knows damn well the NFL is a business. St. Louis and Philly have given him plenty of bites at the apple as a starter. He hasn't been a superstar, or even consistent. So, he hasn't earned the right to bitch and moan about having to compete for his job.
If he loses it, he's a well paid clipboard holder. And, in the end, that may be the best thing for his long term health for the rest of his career - and, after.
"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
President Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wall, June 12, 1987
Philly did put Bradford in a tough situation considering his goal is a shot at long-term starter. Drafting a QB at #2 overall is not protecting their future - he *is* the designated future. Once it's clear the Eagles are not a playoff team around mid-season, Bradford will be benched regardless of how he has played. He'll still have market value (unless he gets hurt again), but he'll be a year older and will have sat on the bench at seasons end. Being a well paid clipboard holder may well be the best long term, but it's not relevant to what he has said he wants.
I'm not sure what happened here - it was either poor communication or the Eagles management changed their minds after Bradford signed the contract. But they hold all the cards, so I suspect it will play out exactly as it usually does - Bradford will start for the Eagles for 8-10 games and then be traded or waived before next season with less chance at being long term starter than he had a month ago.
NEWSFLASH: The NFL isn't about an individual player's wants - especially when the individual player in question has played two full seasons out of six since he's been drafted.
Also, if a franchise only gives you a two year contract, they are not looking at you as a long term solution - especially at quarterback. Franchise-type QBs get long-term deals.
Bradford is not a franchise quarterback; he is a band aid. The rookie will have a longer contract than Bradford. If Bradford wants to pout, he makes himself look very petty - especially since he's been given a ton of money to sit for a good portion of his career.
"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
President Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wall, June 12, 1987
Not a news flash. I'm just saying Bradford and agent are focused on what he wants and how best to get it - the NFL/Eagles will take care of themselves. Nothing wrong with that if he doesn't mind what people like you think about it - which he clearly doesn't. There was a disconnect between team and player as Bradford was fine with the short term contract until the trade-up to #2 for a QB. I think it would have been wise on the Eagles part to make that plan known before signing Bradford to set expectations correctly. Either Bradford (via agent) misunderstood or the Eagles kept the plan quiet or they changed their minds after Bradford signed. My guess is they changed their minds and took into account Bradford's likely reaction and decided the deal was worth it anyway. Just bidniz.
I doubt they're worried about it. New head coach Pederson had them sign Chase Daniels, who has already worked in the playbook from his three prior seasons in KC with Pederson. So, Bradford or not, the players will already have a quarterback at the off-season camps/training periods who can help them learn the offense on and off the field.
This is something that also bothers Bradford. But, he should be a pro about it. I think he's getting bad advice from his agent, personally, because this whole thing seems out of character from everything we've seen or heard out of Bradford. It's really dumb, too, because Bradford has no leverage - his agent should know that because he's the one who negotiated the deal.
Stupid.
"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
President Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wall, June 12, 1987
I hear that the Eagles receivers are going to boycott team activities until Sam returns. They're revolted at having to catch Daniel's passes with his boogers all over the balls.
"I'm going to request that you stop posting in this thread." - circa 2008
"Why does there have to be so much immature stuff on here?" - circa 2010
I'm sure the Eagles are not worried; as I said they must have taken Bradford's likely response into account and moved forward anyway. The reason I think this was a late change of direction is that it seemed silly to offer Bradford that much $$ in the first place given they had Daniels available for short term placeholder/groomer. That money could have been used for long term help at another position.
I also totally agree a lot of this is coming from his agent. Now whether it's bad advice may depends on factors we might not know. Condon is one of the most powerful agents in the NFL and must know a lot about most the teams around the league. It would make no sense for Condon to sour other teams on Bradford for next year as that is the most likely chance for a trade. The current public stance may be just to force the Eagles to be more flexible in their trade demands next time around. It could also be that Bradford has said he would rather retire than be stuck in a short term or back-up situation, so he's willing to risk the consequences of a real holdout.
Even though Sam has never said he will not live up to his contract (the letter of his contract) it wouldn't surprise me to see him retire if he isn't traded. Too much animosity without any real middle ground for either side. It's not just hard feelings between Eagles management and Bradford. Philly Fans (all sports) are the worst most caustic SOB's in pro sports. These are the fans in the city that booed Mike Schmidt probably the most successful figure in Philadelphia sports history. Eagles fans would make Bradford's year miserable.
Bradford was looking for a situation where he could become a franchise QB. Could he have done that? Maybe, maybe not. One thing is for sure, he would never have signed the contract with the Eagles if they hadn't given him assurances he was their guy. Call it bad faith bargaining but the Eagles if they didn't outright lie to Bradford they sure didn't tell the whole truth.
At this point it seems Bradford's best strategy is to create an atmosphere, without actually breaking the contract, where the Eagles consider any further relationship so toxic as to be irrevocably broken . At that point they well may decide to eat 11 mil in salary and move Bradford. If not then Bradford can either decide to sit on the bench and collect a check or retire.
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