Patrick Causey, on Twitter @PhillySportsPMC
As Nick Foles was signing a two-year contract extension with the St. Louis Rams, the player the Eagles acquired for Foles was starting to show noticeable improvement in practice.
As multiple outlets have reported, Bradford impressed on Thursday with his repetitive accuracy, anticipation and arm strength. It was his best performance so far in training camp.
Per Birds24/7.com, Lane Johnson was blown away by Bradford's performance: “He was throwing lots of touchdowns today. He’s very accurate. I haven’t seen accuracy like that from a quarterback in a long time."
It's a small glimpse of what might become. A sign that the Eagles maybe, finally, hopefully solved the riddle that is the most important position in football.
Of course, his performance should be taken with a huge grain of salt. There was no pass rush. And there was zero chance a defensive player would be dumb enough to try to go after the Eagles new fragile centerpiece. Give any NFL caliber quarterback enough time without pressure and they will carve you alive.
But the strong arm, quick release and even quicker mind were on full display. A tantalizing skill set that makes it easy to see why Bradford was the number one overall pick in 2010 and considered one of the better quarterback prospects to enter the league in the last decade.
The question of whether the Eagles made the right move to acquire Bradford in a trade — which saw them give up not only Foles but also a second and a fourth round pick — will take time to answer. We will get our first glimpse into the future on September 14 when the Eagles open their season against the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Dome.
But it will take more than one game to definitively answer this question. Because even if Bradford lights the world on fire in Chip Kelly's high octane offense, most Eagles fans will wait with baited breath every time that Bradford drops back to throw.
The fragility of Bradford's knees makes your grandmothers crystal stemware look like fortified steel. Add to it the the sense of impending doom that dominates Philadelphia sports fans psyche, and every Sunday will have a faint sense of watching a live game of Russian Roulette. It is not a matter of if it will go bad, it is just a matter of when.
If Bradford gets hurt, or struggles, or worse, Foles excels while Bradford struggles or gets hurt, you can forget about that extended honeymoon that Kelly has enjoyed. It will come to a screeching halt, forcing even some of the most ardent Chip Kelly fans will begin to abandon ship.
But even if Bradford gets hurt or struggles, you cannot fault the Eagles for taking a calculated risk to achieve greatness. While I disagree with the ad hoc criticism flying in Foles direction — how can you write off his 2013 season as a byproduct of luck while refuse to recognize the extenuating circumstances that impacted his performance in 2014? — I respect Kelly for not being afraid to swing for the fences trying to find a franchise caliber signal caller.
Yes, Foles played great in spurts. And yes, you have to admire his toughness. But, Bradford's skill set — his arm strength, his quick release, his ability to make quick decisions — is noticeable. He has a higher ceiling, even if he is less likely to reach it given his injury history and lack of performance to date.
It seems that Chip is taking a page out of Pete Carroll's playbook. When Carroll came to the Seahawks, they had 34 year old Matt Hasslebeck at the tail end of his career. Outside of that, there was no long term solution in sight. Without a franchise quarterback, Carroll knew that he was on borrowed time (much like he was during his first stint in New England). So Carroll took risks. Over and over and over again until he finally struck gold.
He started by trading a second and third round pick to the San Diego Chargers for Charlie freaking Whitehurst and a second round pick. Huh?
Two years later, after it became clear that Whitehurst was nothing more than a backup, the Seahawks signed ex-Packers supersub Matt Flynn to a three year $26 million deal.
Of course, Flynn never took a snap as the Seahawks starter because that same year Carroll drafted Russell Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft (ahead of the Eagles, who were reportedly enamored with the Wisconsin product but chose to draft Vinny Curry in the second round instead).
Wilson of course, helped to guide the Seahawks to two Super Bowls (winning one) in his first three years in the league, and seems to be only getting better.
The Seahawks are now set at the most important position in football, all because Carroll refused to accept average. He kept taking chances — some of which were widely criticized at the time — because he understood the simple truth that without a top-10 quarterback, your chances of achieving ultimate success in this league are miniscule.
Kelly tried Vick, hoping to be the quarterback whisper that finally helped Vick fully utilize his considerable talents.
He tried Foles, and squeezed every ounce of production out him.
He signed Sanchez (twice) to low risk deals hoping to tap into the talent that warranted a top 10 draft pick.
Heck, he even signed Tim Tebow — because, well, I don't know why.
And with the exception of Foles, none of those moves worked out. So now, he's traded for Bradford.
And while it's unclear if Bradford will work out, it is safe to assume that Chip Kelly won't stop until we obtains that quarterback that has become all but a prerequisite to winning a Super Bowl.
Here's hoping we get our Russell Wilson sooner rather than later. One way or the other.
