One of the many downsides to the NFL lockout was players being unable to meet with coaches. Saints quarterback Drew Brees had to organize and fund workouts to keep his team fresh. Matt Hasselbeck threw to his receivers in a parking lot. Guys had to improvise in the lockout to stay sharp, and apparently Rams quarterback Sam Bradford got really creative.
In order to get a jump-start on learning new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense, Bradford headed to Gainesville to pick Charlie Weis’ brain. You may recall that Weis was the offensive coordinator in New England when McDaniels was the team’s quarterbacks coach. Even though their offenses aren’t identical, Bradford figured it would be a good starting point.
“They spent time in New England together,” Bradford told Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples. “So their offensive philosophies are fairly similar. Obviously, they don’t run the exact same offense. But I just thought if I could come down and just talk some ball with coach Weis and get a feel for what his philosophy is, then it could possibly help me try to transition to Josh’s offense.”
Bradford said that even though he had the playbook, it’s not the same as having someone explain it to you. He says meeting with Weis was beneficial so he could gain an understanding of what McDaniels would be looking for.
I already was a Bradford fan based on his playing ability, but now we can add more positive characteristics to his abilities: creativity and improvisation.
