Fans finally got to see a glimpse of what Sam Bradford could do in this offense. Yes, it was just a half, but something happened in the second half of the Eagles and Redskins game that could prove to be a focal point in why the Eagles, specifically Sam Bradford, get things turned around this season.
It was late in the first half, the Eagles were struggling on offense and they desperately needed something good to happen. It was 2nd and 5, with 4:47 left to go, Sam Bradford dropped back, stepped up and delivered a beautiful throw to Nelson Agholor who made a spectacular catch with one hand for a 45 yard gain. Sounds like a good play to most fans, but nothing special, right?
For the first three games of the season, Sam Bradford had played hesitant, he looked shaky in the pocket, he was rattled. Something you weren’t used to seeing from the former #1 overall pick if you watched him play in St. Louis. After being away from the game for two years, it’s easy to be rusty. But when he connected with Agholor on that deep pass, Bradford’s entire demeanor changed for the better. He looked confident, he looked poised. In the second half against the Redskins, Sam Bradford threw three touchdowns, no interceptions and looked like the quarterback we all had hoped to see.
Remember playing football when you were younger and early on in a game, if you dropped two easy passes, you were going to be thinking a lot about that next pass being thrown your way. You can’t drop it again, you don’t want the quarterback to lose his confidence in you. You begin over thinking things, not playing naturally, you lose confidence. Until, you catch that next pass.
Confidence is everything in sports. Think about Sam Bradford’s situation for a second: the guy was away from football for two years. Film study, reading defenses, heck, even throwing against live competition. Rust was expected, but when it finally showed up, fans were like “what the hell is going on?” The first three and a half games were ugly, but if that second half against Washington showed fans anything, it’s that Bradford is ready to build off that strong performance and get things rolling.
Sam Bradford looks to have his confidence back, and in a quarterback driven league, the Eagles need him. The offensive line has been up and down, but mostly consistent in pass protection. I expect Sam Bradford to come out on Sunday against the Saints, and have his best game to date in an Eagles uniform.