Sam Bradford's a Viking

[Crax]

I'm happy with the move. I was hoping teddy would do well this year, but things happen and sometimes you have to pay more than you would otherwise. We gave up nothing this year and losing a potentially late 1st isn't the end of the world. It would stuck to be a mediocre team this year with all the other pieces we have right now.

[Mothman]

...losing a first-and fourth rounder for nothing.

How is it "nothing"?

Aside from a tendency to get injured what is it about Bradford's game that makes you think this was such a terrible move?

[halfgiz]

Bradford is a good fit for Turner & Shurmur .
Shurmur has been around Bradford a lot so he must like something about him.

It's a Ballsy move on Ricks part. They must feel good about our team or they wouldn't have went this route.
We will see how it goes...

[Husker Vike]

Probably as good as we could have gotten this late,I am much happier than if Spielman would have waited for the final cuts and picked up some journeyman.

[VikingLord]

I think that we had hopes for a SB dashed by Teddy getting hurt. Not sure what other QB we could have gotten would have given us the same chance.

#2 and maybe most importantly to me is what's not being said.....
Giving a 1st red pick means that Teddys injury is way more serious than we are privy too. We will never be drafting high enough to get that Elite 1st rd QB. So, maybe they think we keep Bradford at the helm and maybe he can actually live up to the hype ?

I think you are right. I think Spielman is being told that Bridgewater's injury is considerably more serious and might affect his ability to pick up where he left off career-wise even assuming he can rehab his knee. I've never heard of an injury like that happening on a non-contact drill to any NFL player, much less a QB, and I'm going to guess Spielman realizes he has a team entering it's Superbowl window this year and he simply can't bank on Bridgewater's return, much less a return to form.

In that light what Spielman gave up to get a guy like Bradford makes a lot of sense, especially if he's not intended to be a "one-year rental" like some are saying, but rather the guy. He can produce as well, if not better, than Bridgewater did last year, especially down the field where Turner likes to attack, so if the Vikes protect him adequately and aren't looking to him to be the savior of the offense I think he fits very well.

I still hope Teddy can come back from that injury, but Spielman is being a realist here and I think this is likely to be seen as one of his more astute moves before all is said and done.

[petev_sj]

Wow, passing accuracy is REALLY IN HIGH DEMAND in today's NFL. This guy's career has been written off so many times yet he is still able to command a 1st and a 4th.

He is a Vikings now so I am behind him 100%, but the news did surprise me to say the least.

[dkoby]

Obviously this will be a make or break deal depending on if Bradford can stay healthy. I've never liked him because of his injuries. However, the arm talent is there, as with his experience in reading defenses.
I'm sure he's never had a run threat like Peterson behind him to rely on.
I'm OK with the price. It's steep, but decent QBs are a premium in this league and Bradford has played very good in the past. We can just hope that he has found a good situation.
Look what Favre did to that team by simply injecting talent into the QB position.

I love, love ,love Teddy. I think he is such a class guy and think he was showing great progression. But as someone else pointed out, he may never be right again. His injury was a severe punch in the gut.

Two things I'm concerned about, the system is number one. Can Bradford adapt to Norvs offense? Has he played in this system before? How long will it take him to assimilate?
The second is the injury history.
The defenses will definitely know where Bradford is going to be. Pocket protection will be an elevated concern if it already wasn't.

The good, I think Bradford will be better at the play action that Teddy is/was. That threat of Adrian will be better used by Bradford. This team continues to get deeper and deeper in talent across the board. I believe the defense will get even better and Zim will call a more aggressive defense this year.

[TJ24]

Giving up a first always sucks but it's probably worth it. The team has too much young talent to just punt the season away with hill.

[VikingLord]

Maybe it will help.

I realize the price is steep but for Pete's sake, it's possible they were "doomed" with Bridgewater. I know everybody loves him and had high hopes for him but it's not like he'd even firmly established himself as an average NFL QB yet. Heck, in arguably the two most important games of the 2015 season for the Vikes (the season finale with the division on the line and the playoff game), he threw for a whopping 245 total yards and 0 TDs and missed wide open receivers. The Vikings had the 31st-ranked passing game in the league! Bridgewater hasn't shown much to imply future greatness.

If he can get up to speed in the system, Bradford is probably an upgrade.

I'm with you on that point Jim. We all hoped Bridgewater would flourish this year, but it was far from guaranteed.

[VikingPaul73]

I will try to be the optimist here.... Reasons why this is a good move, despite the cost.

1) Teddy may not recover by next season, or possible ever. This is insurance against that possibility.
2) The rest of the team is starting to peak now, and our star RB isn't getting any younger. Vikes need to make a move towards a championship.
3) Shaun Hill is not a full-season NFL starter. Never has been, 36 yrs. old. Think about it.
4) Is there a better QB out there? Sanchez? Vick? Kaepernick? McCown?
5) A 1st round pick does not necessarily work out as one might hope: Troy Williamson, Christian Ponder, Cordarrelle Patterson, for example.
6) Sam Bradford has shown flashes of really good play in his career, but has never had a decent team around him. This could work. He threw for 3700 yds last season, with 19 TD's and 14 INT's, 86.4 QB rating. Not too bad with a pretty awful supporting cast.

THIS MIGHT WORK! SKOL!

I appreciate your optimism, I really do. And you make some good points. But allow me to play yin to your yang:

1) Bradford is a statue with an injury history, now playing behind an absolute disgrace of an OL. This likely won't be pretty.
2) Trading a 1st really handcuffs us on trying to improve said disgrace of an OL. I was really hoping to see a 1st rounder used next year on a RT or LT. Now? They have much less flexibility in dealing with Kalil, Smith, and even Berger this offseason.
3) Even when healthy he's been average and now he'll be running for his life. As DP posted, Hill has a better career passer rating!!
4) This smells like a panic move to win the super bowl NOW. Since we all know this won't happen this year with this awful OL, it's a terrible gamble which mortgages the future based on desperation.

This MIGHT work, but almost certainly WON'T work (if you define "WORK" as winning the super bowl)....and it cost them a big building block for the future.

[VikingLord]

*whispers

Teddy was one of the best passers in the league on intermediate throws

/leaves

The thing is, he may never be again.

This move didn't occur in a vacuum - Spielman is being told things about the injury, and perhaps about Bridgewater's overall health, that led him to make this move. He didn't trade or cut Bridgewater, but he is responding to the overall situation which is his job. As Zimmer himself said, this is a team of guys who have worked very hard to put themselves into a competitive position, and Spielman's job is to adjust as needed before and during a season if necessary to make sure the team overall can succeed.

[mondry]

Interesting, I think Sam is better than public perception of him. His WR's in Philly lead the league in drops last year and his pass protection has never been great, though obviously that part will likely remain true here as well.

Taken from Pat's Wiki

"Shurmur also made a tangible impact on Sam Bradford’s immediate success as a rookie in 2010. The first-overall pick out of the University of Oklahoma set NFL rookie records for most consecutive passes without an interception (169) and most completions (354). Under Shurmur’s tutelage, Bradford finished the season with a 60.0 completion percentage, 3,512 yards and 18 touchdown passes, winning the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award."

This combo worked very well in the past, I will be VERY interested to see how Norv's offense is adjusted to work with Sam and what Pat's input will be on the offense.

As for the price, yes it's expensive but this isn't just a "we need a QB for 1 year, make it happen" kind of move. We need to understand that Teddy may never be the same, remember Culpepper? So Sam is a guy who could actually be our future now, our Alex Smith if you will.

Sure that's not a super exciting comparison but as a worst case scenario if Teddy isn't the same guy it's better than any alternatives. The Broncos won the superbowl with Peyton Manning at 40% and we still have Peterson and the defense so imo it's worth the resources to get Bradford.

[Mothman]

I think you are right. I think Spielman is being told that Bridgewater's injury is considerably more serious and might affect his ability to pick up where he left off career-wise even assuming he can rehab his knee. I've never heard of an injury like that happening on a non-contact drill to any NFL player, much less a QB, and I'm going to guess Spielman realizes he has a team entering it's Superbowl window this year and he simply can't bank on Bridgewater's return, much less a return to form.

In that light what Spielman gave up to get a guy like Bradford makes a lot of sense, especially if he's not intended to be a "one-year rental" like some are saying, but rather the guy. He can produce as well, if not better, than Bridgewater did last year, especially down the field where Turner likes to attack, so if the Vikes protect him adequately and aren't looking to him to be the savior of the offense I think he fits very well.

I still hope Teddy can come back from that injury, but Spielman is being a realist here and I think this is likely to be seen as one of his more astute moves before all is said and done.

Well said. Spielman is being a realist and I see this as a smart, responsible move. There's obviously no way to know how it will work out but he's wisely added a veteran QB in his 20s to a talented roster.

A first round pick for a starting QB isn't such a bad price, especially if the Vikes have a good season and push that pick down into lower part of the first round (preferably at the very bottom).

Apparently, the 4th round pick is conditional but I'm not sure what the conditions are yet.

[TSonn]

This MIGHT work, but almost certainly WON'T work (if you define "WORK" as winning the super bowl)....and it cost them a big building block for the future.

Sure, but what if we don't win the superbowl yet Bradford plays well and we're able to flip him for even more value than we gave up? That option also exists.

[Mothman]

Sure, but what if we don't win the superbowl yet Bradford plays well and we're able to flip him for even more value than we gave up? That option also exists.

If he truly plays well, he could BE their future at QB. He's only 28. This trade may have cost them a building block (the first round pick) but it might also have added a key building block. Only time will tell.