Sam Bradford Injury: Is Rams QB Tough Enough to Play with Nerve Damage?

Sam Bradford was surprisingly an iron man his rookie year as the signal caller for the St. Louis Rams.

He dealt with a number of injuries in his junior year at Oklahoma, appearing in just two games weeks apart and becoming injured in both. He underwent season-ending surgery and entered his name to become eligible in the NFL Draft.

The Rams took a gamble on a player with an injury history and made him their No. 1 overall pick in 2010. He definitely did not disappoint.

Jim Thomas of St. Louis Today noted that Bradford was one of only three quarterbacks in the entire NFL to play every offensive snap for his team in 2010.

With injury concerns seemingly out of the way, it looked like Bradford would be on his way to a Pro Bowl caliber season, but is now facing some doubt.

After the Eagles knocked him around a bit and injured the index finger on his right throwing hand, Bradford had to retire to the locker room midway through the fourth quarter.

When asked about it,

"I was trying to move it; I couldn't really move it," Bradford said. "I tried to throw a couple balls and just couldn't get much pressure on it. Took X-rays and they were negative. So that's a positive thing. So I'm looking forward to just treating it, getting back."

Coach Steve Spagnuolo has said he believes it is a nerve issue, but we won’t know more until the team releases details from further testing, which should be done today.

The Rams really need Bradford to man up and play regardless of the damage. Backup A.J. Feeley isn’t going to lead this team to an NFC West title, and without Bradford the team is going to quickly spiral back into obscurity after having such a promising outlook on the season.

The hopes of every Rams fan to get back into the playoffs rides upon Bradford, his pain threshold and willingness to get back on the field to lead his team.

It is time for Bradford to prove himself to the Rams. 

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