Eagles finish off season with win over Giants
Eagles open post-Chip era with win over Giants in season finale »
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. >> If the Sam Bradford era has ended for the Eagles, it will not be without a late jolt of promise.
With 30-for-38 throwing accuracy Sunday, 320 passing yards, two touchdown passes and a growing reputation as a leader, Bradford helped the Eagles to a 35-30 victory over the New York Giants.
And with a steady, lateseason surge, the 2010 Offensive Rookie of the Year gave the Birds about what they expected after trading for him last offseason.
“You all know what I think of him,” interim head coach Pat Shurmur said. “I think what you’re seeing from Sam in the last part of this year is more of what he is.”
Shurmur was the St. Louis Rams’ offensive coordinator when Bradford enjoyed his award-winning rookie season. But since then, and particularly through 2013 and 2014 when he endured chronic knee injuries, Bradford had been mostly ordinary. That he could lead the Eagles only to a disappointing 7-9 season did not necessarily cleanse that reputation.
But the more he grasped the system, the more his recovering knees strengthened, and the more he exhibited that leadership, the more valuable Bradford looked.
“It really showed how much he does mean to this offense and to this team when he came back in the Patriots game and showed what he can do,” said Jordan Matthews, who caught two short TD passes Sunday. “I think he’s been phenomenal.”
For that, the Birds face a decision. About to become a free agent, the unsigned Bradford has hinted but not insisted that he wants to return to the Eagles. But they would either have to grant him a long-term contract or affix him with a franchise tag at a fee of $20-millionplus for one year.
That Bradford passed for 361, 380 and those 320 yards in his last three games, and that he had thrown eight touchdowns passes over his last five games, complicates that decision.
“You see organizations around the league that have committed to changing all the time,” Shurmur said. “And it’s hard for them to get traction.”
If that was an endorsement of Bradford, it was subtle. Bradford’s campaign for Shurmur to officially replace the fired Chip Kelly was more direct.
“I would love to play for him,” Bradford said. “I really enjoyed playing for him today. Obviously, I hope he gets serious consideration.”
Bradford acknowledged that his decision to re-sign with the Eagles will be attached to the next head coach.
“That’s definitely going to be a factor,” he said. “It definitely depends on who they hire and what kind of offensive system he wants to run. If he feels like I fit and I feel like I fit, that’s it.”
With only days to prepare for the game after replacing Kelly, Shurmur did not make sweeping changes to the offense Sunday. The Birds, though, appeared more patient, with Bradford calling multiple audibles. “There were probably more than in the past,” he said.
Bradford, 28, did miss two games this season, but that was due to concussion and shoulder issues, not the result of that lingering knee trauma. So he remained relatively healthy by modern NFL quarterbacking standards, improved as the season progressed and was known to have the confidence of his teammates.
“I felt like I was playing much more consistently each week,” Bradford said. “I think things were really started to take off.”
Was that enough for the Eagles to bring him back?
And was it enough for him to want to come back if there is more coachingstaff upheaval?
“You want to play for a guy that’s going to be there for you,” the quarterback said, “who’s going to lead you and inspire you, someone the guys in the locker room can really rally around. Fortunately, I don’t have to make those decisions. They are made way above me. Mr. Lurie, I’m sure, will do a great job of finding a head coach.”
He’ll need to find a quarterback too … or acknowledge that he already has the one he needs.