Sam Bradford clinging to hope he’ll keep starting job

Sam Bradford’s hold on the starting job is tenuous, but he’s hoping some simplifications will foster improvement for the Cardinals offense.

Through two games, the Arizona Cardinals have scored six points and put up 350 yards of offense in losses to the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams. Quarterback Sam Bradford has, of course, done little, averaging 3.3 yards per attempt last week on his way to just 90 yards through the air.

The clamoring for rookie Josh Rosen to take over under center for the Cardinals is here and well-founded. Head coach Steve Wilks has not dismissed the idea of a quarterback change, and things really can’t get any worse for the Arizona offense. The misuse of David Johnson has been notable, but Wilks has promised more involvement in the passing game for the star running back.

In the near-term, some changes need to be made going into Week 3 against the Chicago Bears. Bradford pointed to a trimming down of the playbook as an immediate way to ignite things offensively.

"Just make sure that the plays that we have in the game plan everyone’s comfortable with versus multiple looks. Just really feel like we own the plays that are in the game that week as opposed to having so many calls on the sheet that maybe we know them but we’re not owning them the way that we should. I think the thought is just allow everyone to go out there and play faster, simplify everything a little bit and hopefully it shows up in the speed in which we play."

The Cardinals didn’t cross midfield last week against the Rams until almost the end of the game, well past the point where it mattered in a 34-0 blowout that may not have been that close. Improvement in every area is needed, but Bradford’s 4.0 yards per attempt and 55.6 passer rating through two games is on center stage right now.

Win or lose on Sunday, the Rosen era is looming in Arizona. If things go the way they’ve gone thus far, Rosen may finish the game against the Bears and make his first NFL start in Week 4. But Bradford can’t be blamed for wanting to keep the starting job, and hoping some alterations to offensive coordinator Mike McCoy’s playbook postpones the inevitable for at least one more week.