By Annie Ross
Perhaps the biggest question the Eagles have to answer tomorrow is:
Why does quarterback Sam Bradford seem like a high schooler who can’t complete a pass, read a defense or lead a team to victory?
And the Jets’ stiff defense and relentless pass rush poses a big challenge for the Birds’ offensive line as they try to keep Bradford off his ass!
Through two weeks, teams have been comfortable dropping back into coverage and daring Bradford to squeeze the ball between zones.
According to Grantland.com, Bradford has been blitzed on only 11.0 percent of his dropbacks, the second-lowest rate in the league; which is the same sort of logic you apply when you try to stay a few car lengths away from student drivers.
Bradford has been bad under any circumstances, but he’s been worse against those few blitzes; his 26.3 QBR against no rush falls to 15.1 when teams send the house. Todd Bowles has sent pressure 47.0 percent of the time through two weeks — why wouldn’t he do the same against a passer who has shown virtually no ability to make opponents pay with big plays?
