I don't do (the other) football

[TeaLeaf]

Swap your spherical balls for more of a vesica piscis-shaped prolate spheroid and now we're talking the 'other' football, the american kind with pads and helmets.  Penfold's MK Dons/MU story made me laugh, this one made me sad for fans of the St Louis Rams and for their starting quarterback Sam Bradford.

After a stellar college football career as an Oklahoma Sooner, Bradford was drafted in first overall in the 2010 draft.  He's played well since coming to the NFL, showing some signs of brilliance, even earning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.   Pretty quickly, St Louis piled their football hopes onto his shoulders - as Sam Bradford played, so did their St Louis Rams.  

2010 - played all 16 games - Rams went from 2009's 1-15 and last in the NFC West to 7-9 and second in the NFC West.
2011 - played through injury for 10 games then sat out rest of season - Rams finished 2-14 and last in the NFC West
2012 - played all 16 games - Rams improved to 7-8-1 and third in a very tough NFC West year (49'ers & Seahawks beat them)
2013 - played 7 games then blew out his left ACL, he was on track to have his best ever NFL season - Rams finished 7-9 and last in the NFC West
2014 - he played briefly in the 2nd pre-season warm-up game, then in the 3rd pre-season game (his second of the new season) he blew out his left ACL again and is out for the year.  

So I have a little bit of sympathy for Rams fans and for Bradford.  After rehabbing for a year to strengthen his reconstructed knee and get cleared to play football again, he re-gained his starting QB status in training camp, then lasted for around 30 minutes of pre-season football before a defender (who was being blocked by a Rams tackle) fell to the ground and rolled up onto Bradford's left leg and did the damage.

Bradford will now undergo a second ACL reconstruction and for that I feel a chunk of sympathy for a competitor who just wants to play ball.

However last year he earned $18.5m salary during his rehab.   He's scheduled to make about $20m salary plus endorsements this year, so whilst I feel for sorry for his injury, I'm not *that* sorry!

[Tutonic]

Two reconstructions on the same knee?

I'd be surprised if he makes it back to the NFL at all after that

[TeaLeaf]

I'm of the same opinion, I reckon he'll rehab and get paid during that period, then once recovered he'll get cut.  I think his 'guaranteed' money runs through to the end of 2015, so he'll do just fine financially, his rookie deal was the largest in NFL history.