“Sam’s greatest gift outside of his arm is his mind. He wasn’t allowed to use any of that in Chip Kelly’s offense.”
By Annie Ross
Like a broken clock, the NFL Network’s Chip Kelly-hating analyst Heath Evans has a chance of being right twice a day.
Yesterday was one of those days.
With Kelly gone and quarterback Sam Bradford returning in 2016 after signing a two-year contract Tuesday, Evans was back on the Fanatic yesterday:
“Sam got better and better and better through the course of the season. Despite being restricted to use his mental asset. When you hustle to the line of scrimmage every play, everything’s being done from the sideline.
“Well, Sam’s greatest gift outside of his arm is his mind. He wasn’t allowed to use any of that in Chip Kelly’s offense.”
In final eight games last season Bradford hurled 10 touchdowns to just four interceptions while completing over 65 percent of his passes and posting a quarterback rating of 96.5.
“My mind is a great attribute,” Bradford said Thursday at the NovaCare Complex. “I enjoy going to the line and making checks. The fact he [coach Doug Pederson] let Alex (Smith) do that in Kansas City. I look forward to that.”
Evans thinks that Bradford will thrive thanks to playing in Pederson’s offense and if he fails, it won’t be due to a lack of effort.
“Knowing Sam the way I do,” Evans said. “He probably has half of the playbook already down. The mental calisthenics of knowing the X’s, O’s formations and all the shifts, I guarantee you Sam has already started digesting a lot of that.
“Are they going to win a Super Bowl next season?” Evans said. “Probably not. But, can they compete inside the NFC with the talent they have? It’s a hands down, overwhelming, absolutely yes.”
