Bradford needs line, time
Sam Bradford looks a lot like you remember him.
Smooth. Accurate. Composed.
Unless he’s running for his life.
The Oklahoma quarterback was hurried more in the first couple series of the Red-White game Saturday than he was all of last year. Oh, that might be a bit overblown, a smidgen of hyperbole, but not by very much. Bradford clearly didn’t have the time that he had a year ago when he led the Sooners to the national championship game and won the Heisman Trophy.
Offensive line was one of the biggest questions after the Sooners lost four big-time players from last year’s starting unit. Out are Jon Cooper, Phil Loadholt, Duke Robinson and Brandon Walker. In are Ben Habern, Cory Brandon, Brian Simmons and Stephen Good. Trent Williams is the only holdover.
Everyone knew it would take time for this new group to come together.
Clearly, that time has yet to arrive.
Did the Sooner offensive line do some nice things in the Red-White Game? Sure, but Bradford was “sacked” twice in the first possession. (Being “sacked” in the spring game means that a defender got to him and would’ve lit him up in a full-contact situation, but being the spring, full contact is a no-no where quarterbacks are concerned.) Slingin’ Sam was sacked an average of once a game last season.
He wasn’t just sacked. He was rushed, too. Bradford missed a couple throws because he just didn’t have time. Several other times, he went with a hot read or a quick out or a dump off to get simply get rid of the ball.
It was a positive play, a smart play, but it wasn’t the play it might have been.
Bradford looks like he’s every bit as good as he was a year ago, but it might not look like it come the fall unless the offensive line improves.
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Comments
I think people will realize it was the Offensive line that
deserved the Heisman. Any descent QB can look good if given enough time and a hole to run in.
Well that is not totally true either if the line was that great last year when OU needed them the most they could have helped to pump out a 200 yard rushing game like in the past. No last year’s line was good a pass blocking till they faced someone with speed and size.
This years line will get better just look at who was not out there yet. There can not be a JUCO player that went to JUCO for grades practice even one play till he is enrolled in classes at OU. And you can not be accepted till you have you Associate degree from a 2-year college. Well you see where this is going. JUCO is still in class so not all the JUCO’s are at OU yet. Wait and see what happens midway through the summer. I am sure these coaches have something up their sleeves still. You will see some new faces show up and make this O-Line very strong.
Sam is still the man…I can see that from San Diego! Being a Sooner rabid dog, I can tell you that Bob never shows all his cards in the red & white game. Why? Because there are Longhorns on GOOGLE-EARTH trying to get the jump on our boys. Keep ‘em guessing Bob, and please for goodness sake, talk Mike into coming back and taking this really good defense into the ranks of the great. One more note…if you keep playing conservative JOE-PA football in the big games, the Sooners can kiss any chance of winning another National Championship goodbye. What do you have to lose by pulling out all the stops? (see Boise state).
“Bradford clearly didn’t have the time that he had a year ago when he led the Sooners to the national championship and won the Heisman Trophy.”
I guess you meant “national championship game.”