Ram Must Take Sam Bradford

So far, conventional wisdom has indicated that the St. Louis Rams would use the number one overall selection in the NFL Draft to choose a defensive tackle, either Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy. Both are dominant players and both are worthy of the number one selection, but…

Building an NFL franchise is more about survival than convention. For the Rams, convention has to be tossed aside. The current regime needs to survive and energize Rams fans. They need to sell season tickets and luxury boxes. A quarterback has to be the choice.

Even though Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford missed much of this past season with a shoulder injury, he is still the player that makes the most sense for the Rams.

Both Suh and McCoy will most likely be dominant players in the NFL, but will a tackle move fans to buy tickets? Sam Bradford is a different story. He comes with a Heisman Trophy in pocket and some scouts say he’s the most accurate passer they’ve ever seen. He’s a tall, good looking kid from a winning program.

The Rams have taken interior lineman often lately and haven’t had a young stud quarterback since Jim Everett was acquired from the Oilers in 1986. Quarterbacks can be difference makers. The thing the Rams have to consider is this, if a stud DT comes in and plays great it may not excite fans or win games. If Sam Bradford comes in and plays great the team will win, tickets will sell and the coach and front office staff will survive for a few more years while Bradford develops.

Why the Saints will win

Five good reasons why the Saints will win the Super Bowl.

1. Drew Brees is coming off his forth 4,000 yard season as a passer and there were time when he was unstoppable. When he’s on, which is most of the time, the touchdowns come in bunches. The Saints best hope is a huge day from Brees.
2. Reggie Bush is the X-factor for the Saints offense. They are blessed with a stable of dangerous, reliable receivers and a quality tight end. The undrafted Pierre Thomas is a tough runner who has made big plays for New Orleans, but Bush can demoralize a defense. If the Colts don’t flow to the ball and wrap him up, he can go the distance on any play.
3. Greg Williams. Remarkably, the  Saints did not sack Brett Favre during the NFC Championship game, but they hit him more than a dozen times. Many quarterbacks would have stayed down in the face of such pressure. If Williams, the Saints defensive coordinator, can devise a similar plan of attack and lay the wood on Peyton Manning, the Saints may have a chance. Manning is known to take a dive when he a free rusher is in his face. If the Saints can force the issue with pass pressure, they might be able to stop the Colts deadly passing attack
4. Darren Sharper. The veteran safety has had a career year and was a strong early season candidate for NFL defensive player of the year. He has a boatload of picks this year and if Peyton Manning makes a mistake, Sharper will pick it off and take it to the house.
5. Lady luck. The Colts are the clear favorite in this contest, but the Saints have either been extremely opportunistic or just downright lucky. Whether it’s a timely interception or a fortunate bounce of the ball, plays that could have gone against them have gone their way. They say it’s better to be lucky than good and the Saints are both.

Why The Colts Will Win

Five good reasons why the Colts will win the Super Bowl.

1. They are more playoff tested than the Saints. Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints are the feel good story during this championship fortnight, but they earned their way into the Super Bowl against a team led by a fragile quarterback, Kurt Warner and a mistake prone gun slinger, Brett Favre.
2. The Colts have the better defense. The numbers don’t jump out at you, but you can’t argue with the results. The Colts don’t rely on turnovers, they pressure the other team’s QB and play stout run defense. The Saints rely on stripping the ball and timely picks.
3. The Colts have the better coach. This is no knock on Sean Payton who’s done an outstanding job, but Jim Caldwell took over an excellent team and got them to the promised land. A lot of coaches would have allowed their ego to trick them into making changes in order to put their stamp on the Colts. Caldwell resisted that urge. Smart non-move.
4. Experience. The Colts have been their before. With all the Katrina hype and win one for the Big Easy drama, the Saints are likely just glad to be there. The Colts are on a mission and unlike their opponent, getting to the Super Bowl is not the prize. Hoisting the Lombardi Trophy is the only successful conclusion for Manning and company.
5. Peyton Manning. Drew Brees is good, really good. Peyton Manning is on another planet. The poise and patience he displayed in the face of the furious heat applied by Rex Ryan’s Jets was amazing. His calm and the adjustments in their protection packages are the stuff of legend. In the first 25 minutes of the first half, the Jets frustrated and battered Manning. Then, out of nowhere, Manning led the Colts on a precise drive, slicing through the Jet’s D like butter. Even Rex Ryan knew the Colts were going to be unstoppable.