5 reasons Sam Bradford can lead Vikings to the Super Bowl
By John Buhler
Sam Bradford might be in his best situation to date as an NFL quarterback. Here are five reasons he can lead the Minnesota Vikings to Super Bowl LI.
The Minnesota Vikings have been able to get to 2-0 on the year despite major injuries to their offense. Minnesota will be without starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, running back Adrian Peterson and left tackle Matt Kalil for probably the rest of the 2016.
Yet, the Vikings remain one of the better teams in the NFC this season. Minnesota made a bold, but brilliant trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to land quarterback Sam Bradford as Bridgewater’s replacement for the foreseeable future. Bradford helped get the Vikings to 2-0 on the season by beating the division rival Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, 17-14 in Week 2.
Though he has only made one start for the Vikings, here are five reasons that Minnesota can make it to Super Bowl LI in Houston this season with Bradford under center.
5. Adds interesting wrinkles to Norv Turner’s offense.
One of the more interesting elements of the Vikings is the Norv Turner offense. Minnesota is one of the few teams in the NFL that still routinely uses five to seven-step drops from under center. Turner’s throwback offense uses the run to open up the pass with deep vertical routes on play-action.
It may sound a little strange, but Bradford is probably better equipped to play in Turner’s offensive scheme than Bridgewater. Bradford has the better arm and is a more accurate passer than Bridgewater.
Neither quarterback loves to air it out regularly, but keep in mind that Bradford was a consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Bridgewater went No. 32 to the Vikings in 2014. One could argue that Bradford has been in chaotic offenses his entire career. Bridgewater has had more stability and has thus far done less than Bradford under center.
Bradford has had an injury-riddled past, but doesn’t look nearly as frail behind a terrible Vikings offensive line. It’s his in-game experience and his ability to get the football out in under 2.5 seconds that might give Bradford more success in the Turner offense than Bridgewater ever had.
With this really being Bradford’s last shot at being an NFL starting quarterback, he’s already playing with house money in Minnesota. Expect Bradford to play freer in the Turner aerial attack than conservative Bridgewater did in the last two seasons. It’s boom or bust for this former Oklahoma Sooner.