The Facts: Steve Spagnuolo remembered Sam Bradford's workout at Oklahoma in 2010 when Spagnuolo was the St. Louis Rams' head coach with the No. 1 pick and Mike Holmgren ran the Cleveland Browns and had the No. 7 pick. According to Spagnuolo, Holmgren tried doing everything he could to acquire Bradford. The workout was that impressive, and Bradford was as attractive of a quarterback prospect in recent memory. "He still can be that," Spagnuolo said Wednesday.
Spagnuolo referenced Bradford's "great first year," when Bradford was the rookie of the year and the Rams won seven games. Then OC Pat Shurmur left to become the head coach in Cleveland and the Rams hired Josh McDaniels as coordinator. The NFL had a lockout throughout the summer, and it slowed the team's transition to the new system when the lockout ended in July.
Diehards Line:Spagnuolo pointed to an October 2011 game when Bradford completed 29 of 45 passes for 328 yards while running a no-huddle offense. The offense showed signs of life, but Bradford injured his ankle on the last play of the game. He was never the same the rest of the season. Spagnuolo said that Bradford is a "better athlete than people think," and pointed to Bradford's ability as a hockey player, basketball player, and a golfer. Now the New York Giants' defensive coordinator, Spagnuolo will be tasked with trying to stop Bradford twice this season. That, of course, requires Bradford to be healthy after missing most of the two past two seasons with two torn ACLs. "I know he's going to do great things there," Spagnuolo said. Spagnuolo said Bradford can "make all the throws" and is in a good scheme for his skill set with Chip Kelly.