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Philadelphia Eagles: What Should Fans Expect From Sam Bradford Tonight?

By Samuel Sanchez

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Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

When the lights at Lambeau Field turn on and the clock strikes 8pm eastern, all eyes will once agin be locked onto the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford. Sam overcame a mental hurdle by getting his feet wet and taking some hits in the process last week against the Baltimore Ravens. Bradford was up and down but looked good considering it has been a full year since he’s played live football.

Now the Eagles are heading into their third preseason game against the Green Bay Packers and it is the most critical exhibition game. This is the game when the team’s starters get the lions share of reps and usually play the entire first half. I’m not exactly sure how much Sam will play, but my guess would be he plays at least the first quarter. Now that Bradford has cleared the first hurdle, what should fans expect tonight with increased playing time?

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The first factor that comes into play with QB Sam Bradford is his health. By all accounts he feels totally healthy and Sam has even shed the knee sleeve he was sporting at the beginning of training camp. This is obviously great news and might convince head coach Chip Kelly to loosen the leash a little with Sam.

Chip pulled Sam after one series last Saturday, Kelly has to let Sam Play multiple series tonight in order to get physically and mentally ready for the regular season. Fans need to see if some of the rust that Bradford displayed last week has indeed disappeared at least a little. Sam was all over the place with his accuracy on all types of throws. Improved accuracy is definitely a part of Sam’s game to keep a close eye on.

Next is just the overall command of the offense. Does Sam have full control and grasp over the offense? This means is the ball getting out quick? Is the tempo of the offense as fast as it can be. Last week, fans couldn’t really make that assumption because the Baltimore Ravens were extremely sloppy on defense. The Ravens had so many penalties on defense in the opening drive, the tempo wasn’t as blazing fast as it can be. With all the stoppages, Bradford and company sputtered all the way down the field for a touchdown with help due to the Ravens lack of discipline.

I don’t expect Bradford to come out razor sharp, but there needs to be some progress made from last week. Just the overall sharpness of Sam needs to improve. Sam needs to obviously stay healthy but pass the fans eye test. Bradford needs to show why Chip Kelly and the rest of the coaches and players are excited about him. The simple eye test will either make fans extremely nervous about the season, or extremely hype, either way Sam needs to just generally improve his game and show consistency.

The Philadelphia Eagles are excited about what Sam Bradford could potentially become, but as of right now Sam needs to take another step forward in his play. The fans will be watching Bradford closely as he takes the field Saturday night, these preseason games are extremely important for Sam. The rust needs to be gone by the regular season. Chip Kelly has a vision of what needs to be done to win a Super Bowl and it all starts Saturday night with his new quarterback Sam Bradford.

Next: Who needs to show up vs. Green Bay?

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