PHILADELPHIA – Sam Bradford got the trade he wanted months ago – just eight days before the season opener.
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Wow, wow, and triple wow. We were in the same workout group that summer and I remember watching his work ethic, the way he approached the game and handled himself, he set the bar for everyone in Oklahoma.
They have a top-five defense, an improved offensive line and Adrian Peterson, the reigning league rushing champion and, at 31, a future Hall of Famer who can’t waste a full season playing for a high draft pick in 2017. Roseman recovered the first-round pick he surrendered to the Browns for rookie quarterback Carson Wentz and gave the team’s fans reason to scream the letters E-A-G-L-E-S out loud on a Thursday night near the end of April. Phil Taylor, Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden, Barkevious Mingo and Johnny Manziel – all first-round picks – preceded Gilbert out of town. But the Vikings, sensing they still could contend for the NFC title after winning the NFC North last year, parted with a first-round pick next year and a fourth-rounder in 2018 for, basically, one season of Bradford as a starter. But we’re trying to get that (Super Bowl) trophy. That was the plan, at least, with Bradford at quarterback. “But as we sit, we have to flexible and we have to be able to take advantage of opportunities that give us an opportunity to get where we want to be”. After making a trade they never should have to move up and take Wentz with the second overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, the Eagles followed that up by trading away their starting quarterback a week before the season, which is never a great idea – except when you can get back nearly everything you gave up to get Wentz in the first place. So they made a decision to take a big gamble on Bradford, a former #1 overall pick who has flashed ability for years but never really put it all together.
The ending of the Sam Bradford Era, of course, means the beginning of the Carson Wentz Era isn’t far off. “And I think as we went through this process and spoke with all the teams. we felt this was a very rare and unique opportunity to add a quarterback of Sam’s caliber”.
Actually, it is the executive vice president of football operations who has discredited his veteran players by making this trade.
“Me and Shurm’ have a great relationship”, Bradford said.
For all of the talk about Wentz going through rookie growing pains, it isn’t like he is replacing a quarterback that didn’t have some major flaws.
Daniel was expected to be the No. 2 behind Bradford this season while Wentz was groomed behind the scenes. Roseman was asked if that meant the team was looking to the future rather than 2016. “We’re going to reflect the determination and drive that this city has”. We’re going to be tough on both sides of the ball. and we kept 11 offensive linemen and defensive linemen and we’ll see progress. The reality is that no one knows how Bridgewater’s rehabilitation will go at this stage, and the Vikings have to plan for every scenario. “How that translates, I have no idea”.
The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired cornerback Justin Gilbert from the Cleveland Browns for a sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
With Daniel or Wentz under center in 2016, there’s a good chance the Eagles could end up tanking the season.
“Because of our quarterback depth chart, we got some calls this week”, Roseman said.
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That’s under the jurisdiction of football operations chief Howie Roseman and his staff, which Pederson refers to as “Howie and his team”.
