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Sam Bradford is entering his fourth NFL season this year and many people around the league are saying that this is the year that he will "breakout." If he does "breakout" this year, what does he have to do? How many yards will he have to throw for? Touchdowns? Interceptions? See, nobody really knows how to truly define a breakout season. Matt Ryan has proved to be a top ten quarterback in the league these past few years. He has ranked in the top ten in passing yards in 2010, 2011, and 2012. In this piece, I am going to compare Matt Ryan's career up to his fourth season to what Sam Bradford's look like. Now, I think that Matt Ryan's true breakout season was in 2011. Sure, he was a top ten quarterback in 2010, but not a lot of people were really calling him elite after that year. However, after 2011, all of the national talking heads (ESPN, FOX, CBS, NBC, and NFL Network) were all calling Matt Ryan the next great quarterback. And they were right. I have two main reasons why I decided to compare Ryan and Bradford, and here they are: Coming into 2011, Matt Ryan was entering his 4th NFL season. Guess who is entering his fourth year in 2013? Sam Bradford. In the 2011 draft, the Falcons traded up to get Julio Jones with the 6th overall pick. In the 2013 draft, the Rams moved up to select Tavon Austin with the 8th overall pick. (Les Snead was a part of both of those trades.) Ryan and Bradford's first three years of there respective careers look very similar. In each of their rookie seasons they were both solid. Matt Ryan's numbers in his rookie season (2008) were: 265-434 for 3440 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. In Bradford's rookie season (2010) the stats were similar: 354-590 for 3512 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Both players had a "sophomore slump" in their respective second years. Both guys missed games in their second seasons; Ryan missed 2 games, Bradford missed 6. Both guys threw for under 3000 yards and were in the bottom ten in passing yards of starting quarterbacks in the NFL. However, both quarterbacks bounced back in their third years. Both set career highs in yards and touchdowns, and career lows in interceptions. Ryan's numbers were: 357-571 for 3705 yards, 28 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. To compare, Sam Bradford was 328-551 for 3702 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in his third year. Pretty close, right? Ryan threw for just 3 more yards than Sam, but he also threw for 7 more TD's and 4 fewer interceptions. In my eyes, this next year was Matty Ice's breakout season. He was 347-566 for 4177 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 2011. I labeled this as Ryan's breakout season because it was the first time that he threw for over 4000 yards in his career. That number seems to separate the good quarterbacks from the average-below average ones. That season was also Julio Jones's first season. In his rookie season, Jones caught 54 passes for 959 yards and 8 touchdowns. If Tavon Austin could duplicate those numbers, I think we would all be fine with that. If Sam Bradford continues to copy Matt Ryan's career path, 2013 will be a big leap forward for him. It would be the first time he throws for 4000 yards. Can Sam Bradford become as good of a quarterback as Matt Ryan? That is yet to be determined, but with the addition of Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, and Jared Cook it is certainly possible. Sam Bradford is entering his fourth NFL season this year and many people around the league are saying that this is the year that he will "breakout." If he does "breakout" this year, what does he have to do? How many yards will he have to throw for? Touchdowns? Interceptions? See, nobody really knows how to truly define a breakout season. Matt Ryan has proved to be a top ten quarterback in the league these past few years. He has ranked in the top ten in passing yards in 2010, 2011, and 2012. In this piece, I am going to compare Matt Ryan's career up to his fourth season to what Sam Bradfo

The St.louis Rams secondary dosent sit well in my stomach.dont get me wrong Janoris Jenkins and Cortland finnegan are mosters and trumaine has a lot of potential, but what happens when one or two of them goes down with an injury? we need more depth,remember the horrific 2011 season Bartell,Fletcher,Al Harris,Justin king,and Jerome Murphy all of them getting injuried,we resorted to using Josh Gordy (who was decent) and Rod Hood as are starters. are safety's situation isnt all that great either,i really like Darian Stewart.i have question marks about Tj Mcdonald,Hopefully he proves me wrong. well just wrote this to point out some thoughts.Go Rams ! The St.louis Rams secondary dosent sit well in my stomach.dont get me wrong Janoris Jenkins and Cortland finnegan are mosters and trumaine has a lot of potential, but what happens when one or two of them goes down with an injury? we need more depth,remember the horrific 2011 season Bartell,Fletcher,Al Harris,Justin king,and Jerome Murphy all of them getting injuried,we resorted to using Josh Gordy (who was decent) and Rod Hood as are starters. are safety's situation isnt all that great either,i really like Darian Stewart.i have question marks about Tj Mcdonald,Hopefully he proves me wrong. well just wrote this to point out some thoughts.Go Rams !

To be fair, Sam Bradford hasn’t played three full seasons. In 2011, he played in only 10 games as a result of injury. That doesn't really have any bearing on what’s about to be covered, though. The question that arises is whether or not Bradford’s ability to convert in the red zone is truly success, or a bi-product of the offense’s inability to make big plays that go the distance. Bradford has thrown 45 TD’s since being drafted in 2010. His best season-long performance came last season, when he threw for scores on 21 of his passes - 18 of the remaining 24 [TD’s] were thrown during his rookie campaign. The intriguing thing about his 45 scores isn't where they rank among other NFL QB’s or who they were thrown to. It’s in how deep the Rams needed to move into their opponents side of the field in order to strike. As mentioned, nearly 80% were scored in the red zone. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise. The Rams’ offense has lacked much explosion for several years; specifically in the aerial attack. Coupled with the fact that inconsistencies along the offensive line have made it difficult to punch it in on the first - sometimes second - attempt. Let’s have a look at how Sam has dispersed his 45 TD’s, specifically in regards to the Rams location on the football field. 2012 Field Position Att Comp’s Comp % TD’s Rating Opp’s 19-1 yd line 60 33 55.0 13 81.2 Opp’s 49-20 yd line 147 84 57.1 5 75.0 Own 1-20 yd line 112 72 64.3 1 85.8 Own 21-50 yd line 232 139 59.9 2 77.7 2011 Opp’s 19-1 yd line 32 8 25.0 4 66.1 Opp’s 49-20 yd line 93 49 52.7 2 70.8 Own 1-20 yd line 64 35 54.7 - 62.9 Own 21-50 yd line 168 99 58.9 - 75.1 2010 Opp’s 19-1 yd line 87 42 48.3 12 75.2 Opp’s 49-20 yd line 167 98 58.7 6 80.4 Own 1-20 yd line 66 50 75.8 - 84.3 Own 21-50 yd line 270 164 60.7 - 70.5 Field Position & Attempts At the conclusion of the 2012 season, Bradford has thrown 1,498 career passes. 179 [11.9%] of his attempts came at a time when the Rams were in the red zone. 407 [27.2%] were thrown after the Sam lead the team past the 50-yard line, yet not quite into the red zone. On the Rams half of the field, 242 [16.2%] passes were thrown inside their own 20, and 670 [44.7%] between their own 21 and midfield. I find that putting stats like this into fancy bar chart format make it easier at a glance… In breaking it down by halves of the field in which Sam targeted his receiver[s], 586 of his 1,498 pass attempts [39.1%] came on the Rams half. This is certainly a statistic the Rams would benefit from nudging closer to a 50/50 split. The 2012 season - in Sam’s best year statistically - the number of attempts by half actually displayed a downward trend. Only 207 of his passes came after eclipsing the 50-yard line, accounting for 37.6% of all his attempts on the year. No need to sweat it, though. Last year’s rookie phenoms Andrew Luck [37.0%] and Robert Griffin III [36.9%] didn’t fair any better. So don’t throw in that towel just yet. Completion Percentage It’s pretty clear to see - looking at completion percentage in the chart above - that Bradford struggles to find his receiver in the oppon

One of the things I find most deplorable about Major League Baseball is its blackout policies. Its origins are set deep into the financial structure of the television contracts at the national and regional levels and for that reason, fans have no choice but to live with it. From the fan perspective, the rules are confusing and frustrating. At its essence, the national situation is this. During the times when games are covered by FOX Network on Saturday and ESPN on Sunday nights, viewers are prohibited from seeing other out-of-market contests – even if one is paying for MLB’s premium packages such as MLB.TV or MLB Extra Innings. Perhaps more so than any other team, the “nation” part of the Cardinal Nation feels the impact. From the days when the Cards were the only team west of the Mississippi and MLB had not yet entered the South, Cardinals fandom became most widespread. As such, one could argue that support of the Cardinals is even deeper-rooted than MLB’s blackout policy. Yet on days like this, it has to take a back seat to these fan-unfriendly rules. Specifically, on this Saturday, May 25, what that means is that much of the country will be stuck viewing one of four other contests such as Marlins-White Sox and A’s-Astros, rather than being given a choice to see the Cardinals-Dodgers instead. (Link to Saturday’s FOX MLB coverage map.) This exclusivity window is almost certainly baked into the national contracts, which run through 2021. Even worse news for the future is that starting in 2014, FOX’s regular-season game rights will double – from 26 to 52. In other words, the conflicts will only increase over the next eight years. The money involved in these broadcast rights is huge, with FOX to pay MLB an estimated half-billion per year and ESPN even higher at $700 million annually (which include post-season coverage). For that reason, relief from the national weekend television blackouts is not on the horizon. Follow me on Twitter. Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook. Tweet This Post

The only thing more offensive than charging fans full price for preseason football is the notion of extending the regular season to 18 games. Why extend the season: Greed. But it's an idea that's just not going away, even if it's tabled for now. Commissioner Roger Goodell brings it up again and again. The latest talk is nixing a pair of unpopular preseason games. Fans don't watch them. Players don't like them. But the NFL and its owners aren't just going to sacrifice revenue for the sake of good will. Remember, even the worst preseason game still get better ratings than any regular season baseball game ... or most other sports for that matter. An extended season means more injuries. For fans, it means watching more backups play in games that count. For players, it's more exposure to the kind of injuries that take years off their lives, while the league continues to deny the long-term neurological health risks of the sport ... and denying sufficient long-term health care to its former players. (Remember, players do earn a nice pay check for their work, but owners earn even more). Rams defensive end Chris Long perfectly summed up the feelings most people have about the 18-game season on Twitter earlier this week: Dear Roger Goodell, if you don't like preseason games, cut them in half. We don't like them either. But no one wants an 18 game season. 😡😱 — Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) May 22, 2013 Don't worry fans I'm not dumb enough to write that tweet thinking the NFL really cares what players think. Venting.. — Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) May 22, 2013 And because the internets is crawling with trolls, someone responded ... @heel_ihab how much do you pay a year? — Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) May 22, 2013 How about Long's response? THAT, ladies and gents, is why Long wins at Twitter.

The St. Louis Cardinals had gotten off to a slow start against lefthanded starters before this weekend's series against the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. Heading into the series, many a commenter noted that the Dodgers would trot out a lefty starter in each of the club's contests this LA series. Some were concerned with this turn of events. Other than Clayton Kershaw--a pitcher of such skill that any time he takes the ball against your favorite team should cause consternation--fans should have been pleased. For it was only a matter of time before the Cardinals broke out against a slop-tossing southpaw. The breakout commenced Friday night when Chris Capuano got the start for the onetime streetcar Dodgers. Former enforcer in the Memphis Mafia and current Cardinal clubber Allen Craig led the assault. The professional hitter laced a two-RBI double to the Dodger blue outfield wall in the third off Capuano and followed that laser with one that was hit harder and sailed further, to the seats beyond the wall his third-inning double hit. Craig's third homer of the season pushed the Cards' tally to four. After Craig staggered Capuano, October hero David Freese provided the coup de grace. Jon Jay led off the sixth with a single. Immediately following a coaching visit to the mound, Freese laced a dinger that once would have made Mark McGwire smile but undoubtedly made the once red but now blue-blooded hitting coach cringe. Mattingly promptly gave Capuano the hook. Freese's homer punctuated Capuano's line for the night: 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, and 2 HR. Friday night's result was not surprising and perhaps predictable. The Cardinals were due to breakout against a lefty starter. The statical line posted over the nine games leading up to el Birdos' series in LA were bound to bend the career numbers against lefties of the team's batters. We need only look to 2012 for evidence of the Cards' inherent skill in hitting lefthanded starters. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS VS. LEFTHANDED STARTING PITCHERS (2012 VS. 2013) Year G PA H 2B HR BA OBP SLG OPS sOPS+ tOPS+ 2012 48 1892 478 92 68 .287 .358 .478 .835 129 120 2013 10 361 70 14 8 .221 .300 .341 .640 81 74 The Cards hit lefthanded starters very well in 2012. We can start our analysis with the OPS+ stat. Split OPS+ (sOPS+) is a stat available at Baseball Reference that compares a club's performance to the league's in a particular split. Our split in this particular chart is OPS vs. lefthanded starters. sOPS+ is calculated so that 100 is exactly league average. The higher above 100, the better a team's OPS in the given split. The lower, the worse. The Cards' sOPS+ of 129 was excellent. In 2013, even after bludgeoning Capuano's offerings last night, the Cards are still well below average against lefthanded starters. Next to sOPS+ is tOPS+ which compares a team's performance in a given split to its overall performance. The Cards batters performed best against southpaw starters in 2012. In 2013, the Redbirds sluggers are hitting incredibly poorly against lefty starters as opposed to righthanded starers and relief pitchers. The problem players in this split so far this season are an unlikely bunch that features Yadier Molina, Matt Holliday, David Freese, and Matt Carpenter (as well as the less surprising Ty Wigginton and Pete Kozma, who each have a hitting skill level low enough that their poor performance in any particular situation is never particularly unexpected). In 2013, Molina, Holliday, Freese, and Carpenter have hit in an underwhelming fashion against southpaw starters. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS VS. LEFTHANDED STARTERS (2013) Player PA H 2B HR BA OBP SLG OPS sOPS+ tOPS

Entering into a three game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals have an opportunity to test their mettle against 3 consecutive left handed pitchers.  Lefties have given the Birds fits so far this season, and one wonders why, as this has not been a persistent problem in the past (though perception may be different, the numbers tell a different story).   The Cardinals are hitting as a team only .221 so far this season against left handed pitching.  That is in comparison to .265 in 2011 and .276 in 2012.  Last night’s victory over lefty Chris Capuano offered some hope of a turnaround; two more games against lefties (though one is Clayton Kershaw, arguably the best pitcher in baseball), offers more.   But is it really a lack of skill against lefties that is the problem?  A look at some sabermetrics may offer a clue. (more…)

St. Louis Cardinals Team Leaders– Down by the Farm Here are the team leaders for each affiliate for the Cardinals: (Memphis Redbirds, Springfield Cardinals, Palm Beach Cardinals, Peoria Chiefs) Hits-  Wong 59 – O’Neill 43 – Steinstra 51- Valera 51 Runs- Wong 32 – O’Neill 32 – Walsh 22 – Wisdom 30 2B- Romak 14 [...]

Chuck Cecil is a name that most St. Louis Rams fans should know well. He's a long-time Jeff Fisher associate, once his defensive coordinator in Tennessee, and now his defensive backs coach with the Rams. He's also a former NFL defensive back, and was kind of a big hitter himself back in the day. In 1993 Cecil, then with the Cardinals, delivered a brutal hit on Redskins tight end Ron Middleton. He nailed him right in the chest, knocking Middleton's helmet off and sending him to a more ephemeral world for a few minutes. The hit cost him $30,000, one of the largest penalties every leveled at the time. If it had happened under Roger Goodell rather than Paul Tagliabue, Cecil would surely have been suspended, especially with the rule changes since then. Here's a Sports Illustrated article on the incident from 1993. That's the cover story. It's called "Too Vicious for the NFL?" The most insane part is Cecil admitting he was in another place immediately after the hit, unable to recall exactly what happened. He played the game with a nasty streak, which has carried over to his coaching style. Exhibit A: It's impossible to find video of the hit, apparently. So if you have video of it, please let us know. You can get a taste of Cecil's playing style here Freak outs following his big hits with this one from his Packers days. That's Neil Anderson he takes out. (h/t Reddit NFL) Seriously, HIVEMIND, go try and find that Cecil hit on Ron Middleton. There's a free TST t-shit in it for you if you do.

Memphis vs. Round Rock, 6:05pm - Boone Whiting Springfield vs. Midland, 6:09pm - Richard Castillo Palm Beach @ Jupiter, 5:35pm - Jonathan Cornelius Peoria vs. Wisconsin, 6:30pm - Kyle Helisek