The NFL.com guys pick their QB to start a franchise with.

[blind melon]

lol...

I think both Freeman and Bradford would be guys I'd want to start a franchise off with...

Of course I'm biased as hell and my first choice would be Free, but I see nothing wrong or negative with what Bradford did in 2010.

They are both going to be elite QB's in a few years.

FWIW - Josh is 4 months YOUNGER than Bradford....   

[AlstottUpTheGut]

Bradford was protected A LOT by the offensive play calls that called for short passes and check downs, hence his low YPA. Not only that but he had Steven Jackson behind him which I'm sure helped take a lot of pressure off as people were stacking the box.

He almost took his team to the playoffs? That was because they played in the NFC West in one of the worst years for the division in its history. (8-8 Seahawks made it instead) I'm almost positive that if Freeman were given that weak division, SJ39, and a full training camp as the starter that he would have looked better than Bradford.

I'm not denying that Bradford could be a very good QB in the future, but I just wasn't as impressed as everyone else.

[Biggs3535]

Bradford had a 76.5 rating as a rookie. Ryan had an 87.7. Flacco had an 80.3. Freeman had a 59.8. So it can't be said that Freeman was as good as Bradford statistically as a rookie, but the approaches taken with the two were completely different: Bradford had a full offseason of coddling and preparation, while Freeman's first offseason was bungled. He didn't get nearly the preparation of Bradford, but on the positive side threw caution to the wind and threw the ball down the field immediately. This led to a huge improvement curve in his sophomore season once he got a full winter of work under his belt. It cannot be said Bradford's receivers were any worse than Freeman's at similar stages. But Freeman certainly had the better receivers in real time and it may be that St. Louis never matches the Bucs in quality in that area. Bradford meanwhile has yet to show he can throw the ball down the field; his YPA is two yards below that of Ryan as a ROOKIE. He is 30th in the NFL in that area. Forgive me if I'm not impressed.

Keep fighting the good fight...

[Legend]

Didn't someone post a thread a while back that showed Ryan is terrible under pressure? I'm curious as to how he "thrives". He was terrible against the Packers. And hasn't won a playoff game yet. So he still has nothing more than Freeman on that part.

[JDog]

Sorry, but Ryan has made the playoffs and Freeman has not.    He DOES have more than Freeman on that part.

Admittedly neither of them have won a superbowl or been voted league mvp, so neither have that over each other.

[TBayXXXVII]

I initially started my research based on Bucky Brooks' statement in regards to Matt Ryan: "...and the team has won at a high level under his direction."  Based on my results, I've concluded that Bucky Brooks is wrong.

I'm just going to throw a few things out there....

STATS:  Comp-ATT / PCT / Yards / TD's / Int's
Matt Ryan:
Against good teams: 377-656 / 57.47% / 4,162 / 20 / 15 / 77.04 Rating with a 10-11 record (not included... 0-2 in the playoffs [stats stink].
Against bad teams: 508-800 / 63.50% / 5,899 / 46 / 19 / 94.99 Rating with a 23-4 record.

First 16...
Against good teams: 124-222 / 55.86% / 1,493 / 4 / 6 / 65.77 Rating with a 4-3 record.
Against bad teams: 141-212 / 66.51% / 1,947 / 12 / 5 / 104.82 Rating with a 7-2 record.


Josh Freeman:
Against good teams: 214-385 / 55.58% / 2,307 / 14 / 15 / 69.26 Rating with a 3-9 record.
Against bad teams: 233-375 / 62.13% / 2,983 / 21 / 9 / 95.67 Rating with a 23-4 record.

First 16...
Against good teams: 146-262 / 55.73% / 1,520 / 8 / 12 / 63.79 Rating with a 2-6 record.
Against bad teams: 145-248 / 55.47% / 1,852 / 10 / 9 / 80.24 Rating with a 6-2 record.


Sam Bradford:
Against good teams: 97-174 / 55.75% / 969 / 5 / 5 / 69.34 Rating with a 1-4 record.
Against bad teams: 257-416 / 61.78% / 2,543 / 13 / 10 / 79.44 Rating with a 6-5 record.


NOTE... all opponents who were 8-8 were calculated as a bad team for ALL QB's.


I think it's safe to say that if we were to rank the teams that these QB's played for... MINUS the QB, we'd all rank them as 1. ATL 2. TB 3. STL.  Ofcourse the sample sizes are very small, but out of the 3, I'd rank Ryan as #3.  Between Freeman and Bradford, I think Bradford will end up being the best, but as of right now... in the 16 and 24 game sample sizes, a toss up is the only logical conclusion.  RIGHT NOW, neither is better or worse than the other.

[nubcake]

There's at least a case to be made for Bradford, but there's none to be made for Ryan over Freeman lol. Freeman has arguably already passed him based on last season.

I enjoy seeing Freeman fly under the radar because it keeps media attention away for the time being(something I'm sure Freeman could handle right now, I'm just not sure about a lot of other young guys on the team), but it is pretty humorous to watch at the same time. The guy put up the 9th best TD/INT ratio in the history of the NFL at the age of 22 and people are still taking Matt Ryan? Gotta love the national media lol

[NovaBuc]

Freeman, no question. Bradford second. Not really a fan of the other three, Ryan especially. Flacco would probably be third I guess. Sometimes I think Ryan is rated so highly because of who preceded him. Hard to not look like a great quarterback and leader when you essentially succeed Mike Vick. Atlanta is still giddy over having their first back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history, and for some reason the Falcons are one of the teams that the NFL/ESPN/Fox seem to want to shove down everyone's throats as a great team/franchise. Ryan's a good game manager, I don't really see him as a leader or a great passer. He's a slightly more accurate version of Jake Delhomme. A decent, lucky passer who has one great receiver that seems to bail him out of trouble time and time again. Though I think if you put any of the four on the Jets in place of Sanchez and it's likely the Jets have one more Super Bowl appearance/win in their history.

 Freeman's poise and leadership are just incredible. I don't think anyone can seriously question his leadership when you see what he has done this offseason. 30-40 players showing up at his 'practices' when they are not getting paid at the moment, he's reviewing film and studying the teams he will face in 2011 (if the season is played) on his own, and still being the public face/voice for the franchise. Combine those 'intangibles' with his physical abilities, he's leaps and bounds above the other five. Bradford may give him competition down the road perhaps, but I just don't get the sense he has the same leadership qualities. I don't get a sense he will ever put the team on his back and will them to a win the way Freeman has already.

[BucsBay]

No doubt that Bradford is going to be one of the most prolific regular season QB's very quickly. His accruacy is outstanding. Still I'd take Freeman against a tough defense when you have to convert a 3rd and 10 to win a game. As much as we hate on Matt Ryan, that is a scenario where he has shined as well.

[GameTime]

i dont think a team could go wrong with any of these guys.  but yeah, im biased towards free.  his mobility just adds a dimension those other guys dont have.

[barbernbrooks]

Jdog must be a troll

[anterrabae33]

How anyone could choose Bradford over Freeman blows my mind.

Are you kidding?   Compare what both of them did their rookie season.

Nobody would have picked Steve Young or Joe Montana after their rookie years either.

Tebow is definitely the top guy to pick - he just hasn't played enough yet.   Once he does - look out!

So, you managed to start an argument and then completely contradict your argument all within a few posts.

[JDog]

How is it contradictory to say that the guy doesn't know what he's talking about when he says he can't believe someone would say Bradford is better than Freeman.   Bradford has only played one season - his rookie season - and his rookie season was better than Freeman's rookie season.   So of course it's easy to see why they would pick Bradford over Freeman.   It's easy to see why they'd pick Bradford over Tebow as well given the head to head results from their rookie seasons.    Bradford is an extreme exception as a huge success as a rookie.   Matt Ryan is the only other guy to have near that success recently as a rookie.   Freeman's success as a rookie was minimal.

Just because I can easily see why they would pick Bradford over Freeman right now doesn't mean they won't be picking Tebow over both of them in a couple of years.   

[anterrabae33]

How is it contradictory to say that the guy doesn't know what he's talking about when he says he can't believe someone would say Bradford is better than Freeman.   Bradford has only played one season - his rookie season - and his rookie season was better than Freeman's rookie season.   So of course it's easy to see why they would pick Bradford over Freeman.   It's easy to see why they'd pick Bradford over Tebow as well given the head to head results from their rookie seasons.    Bradford is an extreme exception as a huge success as a rookie.   Matt Ryan is the only other guy to have near that success recently as a rookie.   Freeman's success as a rookie was minimal.

Just because I can easily see why they would pick Bradford over Freeman right now doesn't mean they won't be picking Tebow over both of them in a couple of years.

I don't understand how comparing their rookie seasons settles anything? Unless you take the players stats and accolades as a whole, then you're just picking and choosing to make a biased argument. Anyone can say, "Hey, well Freeman's rookie year was no where near Trent Edwards rookie year" or well "Freeman had a horrible first year and Peyton Manning had a great third year, so he's better." It's all or nothing and even with Freeman's bad first year, I believe he still trumps Bradford's successful rookie year with his accumulation of achievements in the NFL. It does work both ways though, Bradford only has one year in the NFL and it's all we have to base it on, so in my mind, he's up there with all the good young QB's. It's all just a matter of preference.

[Hate]

How anyone could choose Bradford over Freeman blows my mind.

Are you kidding?   Compare what both of them did their rookie season.

Nobody would have picked Steve Young or Joe Montana after their rookie years either.

Tebow is definitely the top guy to pick - he just hasn't played enough yet.   Once he does - look out!

So, you managed to start an argument and then completely contradict your argument all within a few posts.

LMAO.... i'm sure the rebuttal included an extreme amount of tap dancing, the likes of which Sammie Davis would appreciate.