First things first. As pre-conceived notions would have it, you’ve already formed a strong opinion on the quarterback situation in St. Louis. Fair enough. You either belong to the "it’s a make-or-break year for Sam" camp, or the "You can’t question his ability until you surround him with NFL caliber talent." To each his own. As long as you’re not sporting a tattoo of your significant other in a Bradford jersey, your stance on Bradford has it’s merits.



As for 2012…by all accounts, you’ve got to be encouraged by the direction that the Rams are headed, and the direction that Sam Bradford is leading them. Any NFL fan - regardless of whether you’re an avid Rams fan or not - knows that the Rams have been deficient at two key positions on offense: Wide Receiver and Offensive Line. You look at the win column for the Rams over the past six years, and you can directly correlate the results to the absence of the aforementioned offensive contributors.



Give Sam credit. He hasn’t made something out of nothing, but it’s about as close as you can get.

Bradford GP Yards Comp % TD’s INT’s Rating 2010 16 3,512 60.0 18 15 76.5 2011 10 2,164 53.5 6 6 70.5 2012 16 3,702 59.5 21 13 82.6



Touchdowns aren’t everything in the NFL; winning is. And 21 touchdowns isn’t overly impressive, given the fact that the league leader - Drew Brees - more than doubled that figure with 43. It does demand respect, though, in regards to the company that he keeps. Matt Schaub, who just so happens to have an excellent group of WR’s, threw 22 TD’s in 2012, and right below Sam in the rankings, with 20 TD’s, was Matthew Stafford. That’s one QB who lead their team to a Divisional Championship in 2012, and one QB who’s thrown for over 10,000 yards in the past two seasons…and has the most dominant WR in the game.



Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson; Final answer. The question? "What’s the difference?" If you find it fair to assume - and I’ll trust that you do - Sam Bradford could potentially excel in the NFL with an elite wide receiver like either Johnson. So just how did he keep pace?



Let’s revisit each passing touchdown for the season...





Week 1[Lions] : 23 yard pass To Brandon Gibson (4th quarter)



Week 2 [Redskins] : 1 yard pass to Danny Amendola (2nd quarter)

Week 2 [Redskins] : 34 yard pass to Brandon Gibson (3rd quarter)

Week 2 [Redskins] : 1 yard pass to Matthew Mulligan (4th quarter)



Week 3 [Bears] : None



Week 4 [Seahawks] : None



Week 5 [Cardinals] : 7 yard pass to Lance Kendricks (1st quarter)

Week 5 [Cardinals] : 51 yard pass to Chris Givens (4th quarter)



Week 6 [Dolphins]: None



Week 7 [Packers]: 3 yard pass to Austin Pettis (4th quarter - 19secs left)



Week 8 [Patriots]: 50 yard pass to Chris Givens (1st quarter)



Bye



Week 10 [49ers]: 36 yard pass to Brian Quick (1st quarter)

Week 10 [49ers] : 2 yard pass to Austin Pettis (4th quarter)



Week 11 [Jets]: 1 yard pass to Brandon Gibson (1st quarter)

Week 11 [Jets] : 2 yard pass to Brandon Gibson (4th quarter)



Week 12 [Cardinals]: 37 yard pass to Lance Kendricks (2nd quarter)

Week 12 [Cardinals] : 37 yard pass to Chris Givens (3rd quarter)



Week 13 [49ers]: None



Week 14 [Bills]: 13 yard pass to Brandon Gibson (4th quarter)



Week 15 [Vikings] : 4 yard pass to Brian Quick (2nd quarter)

Week 15 [Vikings] : 6 yard pass to Danny Amendola (4th quarter)

Week 15 [Vikings] : 6 yard pass to Lance Kendricks (4th quarter)



Week 16 [Bucs] : 80 yard pass to Lance Kendricks (3rd quarter)

Week 16 [Bucs] : 6 yard pass to Austin Pettis (3rd quarter)



Week 17 [Seahawks]: 2 yard pass to Austin Pettis (2nd quarter)





While compiling these stats - and watching each on NFL Rewind - there were several things of interest that I thought should be noted.

First, that I was typing the name of a 2013 free agent whom many deem replaceable - Brandon Gibson - early and often. Second, that Chris Givens should re-invigerate Rams fans who yearn for a deep threat. Third, the majority of these touchdowns were near goal-line. Finally, not who or how, but when these TD’s were being scored.



Rams 2012 TD Receptions - 21



Brandon Gibson - 5

Austin Pettis - 4

Lance Kendricks - 4

Chris Givens - 3

Danny Amendola - 2

Brian Quick - 2

Matthew Mulligan - 1



Hmm…intriguing. Brandon Gibson, who is now in a contract year, lead the Rams in receiving TD’s in 2012. For those of you thinking ‘so what?’ go back and watch some tape. Not only did he lead the team in TD’s [and nearly yardage], but he had a tremendous rapport with Bradford nearing season’s end. Once [potentially still] known for being a preseason MVP, Gibson proved to be a capable - and reliable - receiving option throughout the duration of the 2012 season.



Right behind Gibson, finishing with four touchdowns, is Austin Pettis. The interesting thing about these TD figures is that most speculate that it’s a ‘one-or-the-other’ situation in regards to this tandem of WR’s. Pettis, who was drafted under the previous regime, is not in a contract year and will only count $780,000 [per] against the cap over the final two years of his initial rookie contract, which ends in 2014.



In case you missed it - and I did not - Pettis’ touchdown yardage stats point to him being anything other than the deep threat receiver that Chris Givens obviously is...



Total Yards on TD Receptions - 402



