Sam Bradford Earned 2017 Starting Quarterback Job

It’s time to leave Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford alone now. Head coach Mike Zimmer was right to make him the starter for 2017.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford set a new NFL record for completion percentage this season. He completed 71.6 percent of his passes and was criticised for it. I get that that passes at the line of scrimmage aren’t worth passes down the field.

Sure, the worst completion in the world is the one that’s short of the line to gain on third down. And this isn’t to say that Bradford deserves any kind of praise for the record he set. Finishing 17th in the NFL in first down percentage isn’t great either.

But when you look at the circumstances Bradford played under, he deserves some respect. And he definitely deserves to be the starting quarterback for the Vikings for 2017. Let’s not forget that when he first started the season, the threw the ball down the field.

Remember, Bradford started his first game with the Vikings couple of days after he was traded there. Yet he still played well and won the first four games he started. And he lost star running back Adrian Peterson and left tackle Matt Kalil to injuries after one game.

More injuries would come to the offensive line in the first year without retired right tackle Phil Loadholt. On top of all that, the Vikings don’t even have a true No. 1 receiver. So Bradford executed the only game plan the team could have at that time.

And he kept the Vikings in the playoff hunt until they lost in Week 16 to the Green Bay Packers. People need to remember why Bradford started playing small ball in Minnesota. But instead, they’re going to be shocked when Bradford starts lighting in up in 2017.

They will be healthy then!