Spagnuolo: ‘Great Things’ Ahead For Bradford
Sam Bradford. Photo courtesy of USA Today.
Former St. Louis Rams head coach and current New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was a guest on 97.5 The Fanatic’s morning show today, and offered some thoughts on the quarterback he drafted first overall in 2010.
Spagnuolo, who will now be coaching against Sam Bradford twice a year, raved about the quarterback’s pedigree.
“Sam Bradford was as good as it gets when he was coming out of college, and he still can be that. It’s hard to go to a franchise where you’re building,” Spagnuolo said. “You talk about the offensive line, that’s a challenge for a young quarterback and yet, he’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010.”
Spagnuolo also noted that other teams were just as high on Bradford, thanks to a tremendous pre-draft workout he had at Oklahoma.
“I still remember the workout at Oklahoma when we went to watch him, it was outstanding,” he said. “I remember talking to Mike Holmgren after that. Mike was at Cleveland at the time, and I want to say they had the fifth or the sixth pick, and he was trying to find any way and every way to get Sam Bradford. He felt that—and coach Holmgren has seen a lot of quarterbacks—he said it was the best workout he’d ever seen.”
Spagnuolo spent three years as the Rams’ head coach – two of those were with Bradford.
“Trust me when I tell you he’s got all the skills, and I keep going back to the fierce competitor because I believe elite quarterbacks in this league have that,” said Spagnuolo. “You think of them all, the Aaron Rodgers, the Tom Bradys, the Peyton Mannings, Eli Mannings, they’re all very fierce competitors. They love the challenge, they love to rally people around them, and Sam has that. I really believe that.”
Spagnuolo cited Bradford’s injuries as well as injuries to other offensive players as the reasons why everything didn’t come together in St. Louis. But he thinks the 27 year old found a good landing spot in Philadelphia.
“I’m glad we took him, I think the world of him,” Spagnuolo said. “I know he’s going to do great things there in Philadelphia.”