May 25, 2015
Normally, sports columns are reactionary, offering perspective, pro or con, to something that has already happened. Let’s flip the script this week. Let’s talk about what is about to happen.
Sam Bradford will be the next big sports star in Philadelphia.
The often-injured quarterback will be a revelation for the Eagles this season. He will be the player everyone anticipated when he was the first pick in the 2010 draft, and he will lead his new team deep into the playoffs. Bet on it.
Why the optimism? Bradford has demonstrated already that he can excel in the NFL – when healthy and working with people who can exploit his unique skill set. In his rookie season, he surpassed Peyton Manning’s record of most completed passes by a rookie quarterback (326) and was only the third rookie ever to pass for over 3,000 yards.
The only other thing you need to know about that extraordinary rookie season is that his offensive coordinator was Pat Shurmur, the very same man who will be his offensive coordinator with the Eagles. Shurmur took the head-coaching job in Cleveland after that season, leaving his protégé in less able hands.
Sam Bradford is an Eagle today because his quick release and uncanny accuracy made a major impression on Shurmur in that rookie year. Shurmur saw what Nick Foles had to offer after two seasons here and concluded – wisely – that Bradford had far more potential. Since Bradford was drafted first in 2010 and Foles 88th two years later, is there really any doubt?
The coordinator was also aware of Bradford’s flashes of brilliance in the succeeding years. After a disappointing second season, Bradford topped all of his rookie numbers in 2012. He threw for 3,702 yards – which is more than 800 yards better than Foles did in his amazing 2013 season. Bradford is a first-rate NFL quarterback. The numbers don’t lie.
Of course, what happened after that is the reason for all of the skepticism, and it is justified. Bradford tore the ACL in his left knee twice, and has not played in the regular season since the eighth game of 2013. He is damaged goods, no question.
But orthopedic surgeons agree that an athlete, at 27, can completely recover from back-to-back ACLs and perform at his previous peak. How do I know this? I have had several of the top medical minds from NovaCare Rehabilitation on my WIP radio show over the past month, and they have all said so.
Also lost in the negative noise about Bradford since the trade has been what he did in St. Louis in the weeks just before that first ACL injury. Almost halfway through his fourth season, Bradford was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, with a passer rating of 90.9. He threw only four interceptions in 263 attempts.
Now let’s apply some basic logic to this situation. Bradford will be back with Shurmur, in an explosive offensive system designed by Chip Kelly, with a reliable offensive line and a deep backfield including Ryan Matthews, Darren Sproles and the top runner in the game, DeMarco Murray. Yes, his receivers are young, but Zach Ertz is already one of the best tight ends in the league.
In his first five seasons, Sam Bradford has demonstrated that he can be an elite NFL quarterback, and there is no reason – other than the obvious health concern – to believe he won’t reach new heights with Kelly and Shurmur and Murray on his side this season.
It’s time to invest in his Eagles jersey, Philadelphia. He’s going to be a star.
***
Sam Hinkie will NOT select D'Angelo Russell in the draft.
Moments after the Sixers got the third pick in the NBA lottery last week, most of the self-proclaimed experts declared the no-brainer of all no-brainers: Sixers GM Sam Hinkie will claim D'Angelo Russell, the slick, sharp-shooting point guard from Ohio State, with the selection.
Which, when you really think about it, is hilarious. Hinkie is going to do what everybody thinks he will? Really? How will people see him as a genius if he simply does the predictable?
First of all, Russell can actually shoot – a talent Hinkie has shown no appreciation for so far. Nerlens Noel has a range of about seven feet, as indicated by his paltry 9.9 scoring average last season. Joel Embiid averaged six shots a game in his one year at Kansas. Russell’s 19-point average and 45 percent shooting percentage will not impress Hinkie.
Secondly, Hinkie is the only GM in the NBA who actually traveled to China to scout Emmanuel Mudiay, a far less developed but more athletically gifted point guard. Hmmm. A foreign player coming off a serious ankle injury with dubious shooting ability? Sounds like the ideal Sam Hinkie analytics-friendly draft pick, doesn’t it?
At the risk of activating the army of stat nerds who worship Hinkie, let me say one more time that his only accomplishment so far has been amassing the worst two-year record for a GM in Philadelphia history – 37-127. His only rebuttal is that he is not following the usual rebuilding path, so this must be a better way. Blind faith is not just required with Hinkie; it is demanded.
Well, prepare yourself now for his latest gambit. Hinkie will take Mudiya, and his cult will stand and cheer. Of course, very few of these people will actually attend any Sixers games next year because the team, once again, will be unwatchable.
***
Dave Hakstol is going to lead the Flyers back to respectability.
Already, the early confusion over Dave Hakstol’s arrival from North Dakota has given way to genuine optimism. His confidence, work ethic and college success are reminiscent of another coach who moved to Philadelphia a couple of years ago. Who else? Chip Kelly.
Now, Hakstol doesn’t have Kelly’s quick wit or even quicker offense, but the similarities are otherwise hard to ignore. Hakstol is a late bloomer at 46, compared to 48 when Kelly arrived here. Hakstol is also a student of the game, obsessed with details and prone to innovation. He is not accustomed to losing.
The best sign that Hakstol will bring new hope, and a new culture, to the Flyers is the way he handled questions in his first week on the job. Like Kelly, at no point did he temper expectations for immediate success, warn about an inevitable learning curve or suggest that he was part of any rebuilding plan. He believes in himself.
Ron Hextall has been the GM for only a year, but he actually is accomplishing something that seemed impossible months ago – an actual move into the 21st century for an organization that has been mired in the distant past. Hakstol is the latest symbol of that new direction. He is going to be very good – maybe even great.
In fact, here’s a bonus prediction for the Flyers. They will not finish last in the NHL in shootouts as long as Dave Hakstol is the coach. Hallelujah.
And finally . . .
• Ruben Amaro Jr. is blowing another big opportunity right now. The Phillies GM should hold an auction -- today -- for the services of Ryan Howard, whose hot streak has re-established himself as an appealing option on the trade market. Amaro said last week that nothing was happening with Howard. Then make it happen.
• While he’s at it, Ruben Amaro also needs to promote stud pitching prospect Aaron Nola from Reading to Lehigh, in anticipation of the 21-year-old’s arrival here sometime this summer. The kid is dominating Double A ball, but Amaro said the potential ace needs more seasoning. Based on what? Nola’s inexperience, or Amaro’s insecurity?
• Now that the NFL has rejected the Eagles’ proposal for two-point conversions from the one-yard line, are Tim Tebow’s days already numbered here? Let’s hope not. If anyone can find a use for Tebow’’s unique talents, it’s coach Chip Kelly. And trying some two-pointers from the two-yard line isn’t such a bad idea, either.
• Is it possible to look dumber than Patriots owner Robert Kraft did last week? After months of whining about Deflategate, he caved right in after facing his fellow owners. No one knows what was said behind close doors, but it’s a safe bet that his billionaire pals told him to stop screwing around with their golden goose.
• Meanwhile, New England sports fans just keep embarrassing themselves. Last weekend, they held a “Free Tom Brady” rally at Gillette Stadium, and Patriots fan Patricia Shong insisted that her obituary include the statement: “Tom Brady is innocent!!” As I wrote here last week, their hero worship is frightening.
• Sixers CEO Scott O’Neill actually said last week that coach Brett Brown now has “Ferraris in the driveway” – meaning that injured Joel Embiid, unproven Nerlens Noel and a player not yet drafted are all elite performers. What does that make LeBron James? Either Ferraris have depreciated dramatically – or O’Neill is nuts.
