Sam Bradford Injury: St. Louis Rams Must Play It Safe with Franchise QB

The St. Louis Rams season opener was worse than they could have ever imagined. 

Not only did they lose running back Steven Jackson and wide receiver Danny Amenedola, their franchise quarterback Sam Bradford injured his right forefinger and it is uncertain if he will miss any games. 

If he does play, nobody knows how much pain he will be in or if he will be productive. 

Because of this, the Rams must play it safe in dealing with Bradford. 

According to Sporting News, X-rays were negative, but it is a nerve injury. Bradford said he was unable to move his finger, but that he plans to start in Week 2 against the New York Giants.  This will more than likely be a painful lingering injury for Bradford, which is why the Rams have to be cautious.

Luckily for the Rams, they play in the weak NFC West. The division is still for the taking, even if Bradford misses time. 

St. Louis doesn't pay a division opponent until Week 9, and before that they play the Giants, Ravens, Redskins, Cowboys, Packers and Saints. 

Even if Bradford where 100 percent during those games, the Rams would struggle to win even one. Therefore, if Bradford is in pain this week at practice, then he shouldn't play.  Resting your franchise quarterback to avoid further problems is the best move the Rams could make at this point.

Look at 2010, a 7-9 record was good enough to win the NFC West, and even though the Arizona Cardinals picked up Kevin Kolb, their defense hasn't improved enough to make them runaway favorites in the division. The NFC West will be wide open all year, and Bradford needs to be healthy for the divisional stretch of the season.

There is nothing wrong with St. Louis playing it safe, because their next five weeks are extremely tough. Rest Bradford up for a few weeks, and after his bye in Week 5, hopefully he will be good to go.

Bradford will be monitored all week, and even though he really wants to play in Week 2, that may not be the best decision. The Rams must play it safe and think towards the future when it comes to Bradford's health.

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LIFE HURTS. THIS INJURY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DICKIES.