By Jack Ryan
Eagles fans shouldn’t be surprised if quarterback Sam Bradford develops an up close and personal relationship tomorrow with Ryan Kerrigan.
The Washington pass rusher got a$16 million signing bonus as part of a five-year, $57.5 million contract this offseason, which makes the start to his season disappointing.
Kerrigan, who had 13.5 sacks last year, has just half a sack this year. He acknowledged that he feels it’s particularly important to him to play well this year to prove he’s worth the money he’s making.
“Absolutely,” Kerrigan said, via ESPN. “That’s a lot of personal pride. I got that big contract and I want to show I’m worthy of it. Of course you want to justify it, but it’s not something like I wake up every day and say I’ve got to [justify] it.”
Kerrigan does think he’s putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but he’s being paid the big bucks to sack the quarterback.
“I’ve been close a number of times, but close doesn’t cut it,” Kerrigan said. “I have to win my one-on-ones more and win them quicker. I’ve been close a lot of times, but I have to win it quicker and make things happen quicker.”
On Sunday Kerrigan will try to put pressure on Bradford, who has been sacked just twice while throwing 117 passes this season.
