Sam Bradford shows why Eagles took a risk

SIX TIMES on Saturday, Sam Bradford displayed why Nick Foles had to go.

It's the same reason the Sixers had to draft Joel Embiid.

Anyone who watched the examples of Embiid's nearly supernatural abilities during his yearlong rehab from foot surgery - the silky jump shots, the nasty dunks - understood that a man of his size, strength and athleticism comes along once in a generation.

There have been Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon, and, now, this guy. He is strong and will be stronger; he can run with an extra gear; he can jump with the body control of a man a foot shorter; and, not to be minimized, he can shoot, for some reason a rare skill among 7-footers with those other gifts.

Embiid is big, and he is special; exactly the sort of player around whom NBA franchises are built.

Nick Foles is big and smart and capable, but not special.

Mark Sanchez is smart and capable, but not special.

Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow - smart, too. Maybe even capable.

But when Bradford flicked six passes against the Ravens' defense in the second preseason game, it was obvious why the Eagles believed they had to send Foles to St. Louis to see if Bradford's twice-repaired knee could carry their franchise.

The first pass, a deep, missed connection to Riley Cooper, traveled 45 yards with just enough arc to keep the defender from having a chance. Cooper broke inside, toward help, while Bradford threw outside, away from the safety, but that really didn't matter.

What mattered was that Bradford threw the ball with little effort; with no extra motion. It got there fast and it got there catchable.

This is an unusual happening for Eagles passers; nearly unprecedented.

Michael Vick, whose unmatched arm strength is often overlooked in light of his unmatched athleticism and his various shortcomings, delivered throws like that; but Vick was 6 feet tall, which limited his vision and, so, limited how fast he could read an unfolding play. Also, by his own admissions, Vick was not exactly a student of the game.

Donovan McNabb had a big arm and was a bigger guy, but no one would call him a polished passer.

This looked more like Randall Cunningham.

The ball just sort of jumps out of Bradford's hand with surprising velocity and, usually, surprising accuracy; think Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels and fastball.

Also, Bradford is a solid 6-4, weighs 224 pounds, is 27, is an excellent athlete and a football nerd: the best Chip Kelly could get this side of Marcus Mariota.

Bradford has a history of uncanny accuracy but an even more startling history of injury: a shoulder in college; an ankle that cost him six games as a second-year pro in 2011; and the delicate left knee that cost him half of 2013, then, reinjured, all of 2014.

Still, the Eagles believed they had to gamble. They had to move Foles, otherworldly in 2013 but, now, in a contract year and coming off a rocky start to 2014. The Eagles also will pay Bradford about $12 million more than they would have owed Foles, and they had to include a 2016 second-round pick, the highest involved in the trade.

That pick is hugely significant; Brian Dawkins and DeSean Jackson were second-round picks. Foles went in the third.

If you watched Saturday night, you know the gamble was worth it.

Foles can make that first, deep throw, but Foles needs to reset his feet and load up.

Bradford delivered it like he was waving goodbye to his mother.

He next hit Darren Sproles with a heater over the middle, precisely, perfectly. Sproles dropped the next one. Even his bad pass - too high to Nelson Agholor, thrown off his back foot - had enough pop so the defenders didn't have a chance to intercept it.

Bradford threw off his back foot perhaps because he saw 335-pound nose tackle Brandon Williams about to plant him in the Lincoln Financial Field turf, which is exactly what Williams did, with the full force of his frame.

Bradford rolled around a little, adjusted his jaw (mouthpiece, kid), spat the blood out of his mouth from his cut lip and played on.

He had been hit low, near his knees, on an ill-advised read-option call earlier in the series, but that was a love tap compared to the sternum-crusher Williams delivered. This was the test.

He passed.

"Just to get out there to take some shots and to feel the speed of the game, feel the rush . . . we tried to simulate that in practice but it's really hard when I'm off-limits, so it was good to feel the speed of the game," Bradford said. "I think it's part of the game and it's one of those last hurdles, one of those last boxes that needed to be checked."

The low hit and the big blow also earned a bit of credit from his new teammates.

"He stood right back up, then took another hit, then took us all the way down the field and we scored," said left tackle Jason Peters. "That says a lot for Sam."

Indeed, Bradford went on to hit Josh Huff and Jordan Matthews on crossing patterns for first downs that set up a touchdown. With that, Chip Kelly's riskiest move among a barrage of bizarre personnel reassignments was as validated as it could have been to this point.

Bradford was sharp, executed the offense, commanded the team and endured two hits.

"I am pleased," Kelly said. "He's progressing the way we logically had a plan with him."

That logic meant holding Bradford out of the preseason opener the week before, allowing him to see the Ravens in the teams' joint practices that led up to Saturday's live action.

Remember: This is the first real action for Bradford in a calendar year. Kelly said that, barring a bout with Legionnaires' disease or some other dreaded malady, Bradford will see plenty more action Saturday in Green Bay.

By his own admission, he can be much better.

"Hopefully things will slow down a little bit," Bradford said. "I think I was a little amped up the first couple of plays out there."

The two most significant offensive players, running back DeMarco Murray and Peters, said they were impressed with Bradford's poise.

Perhaps in a year or two, the same will be said of Embiid.

Either way, they were gambles the teams had to make.

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