Hey Sleeves...

Let me start by saying this- I don't necessarily blame Sam Bradford for his recent behavior. In the NFL, you have a limited window to make money thanks to the non-guaranteed nature of their contracts, and when that's over, you're done. When the Eagles traded up to #2 in the 2016 NFL Draft, the writing was on the wall for Bradford that he both wasn't long for starting in Philly, and that he may not get that second year on his deal. I don't blame him for demanding a trade, and in the process trying to kill his own value to the Eagles. With a fairly large payroll number by him the next two years, he's not easy to move. Bradford was simply being a smart business man.

Playing the leverage game only works for so long though, and there's another side to this reality- Bradford's situation is no one else's fault. Sam Bradford is not a bad NFL quarterback, he's a roughly average quarterback, if he stays on the field. His problem is that the expectations on him were much higher. He was picked #1 overall by the then St. Louis Rams. and just hasn't been that player. He's good enough to play and start for the right price. He's not the guy the Eagles are going to build the future around though. Now, in the interest of trying to guarantee himself something he really hasn't earned yet in the league, he's risking his job as a starter, just to prove a point.

I don't think the Eagles did Sam Bradford a solid, if they indeed didn't tell him this was their direction when they signed him. Sam Bradford is being compensated healthily though to play a boys' game as an adult. He's a multi-millionaire, for playing football. Yes, his team picked someone who will compete for his job with him. He still has a big time contract, as he has since being picked #1 in the 2010 draft, and should show up and play football for that money. He of all people, should know that Carson Wentz is guaranteed absolutely nothing.

I'm Swearing Off Philly Sports Talk Radio

Today, the Phillies will open Spring Training. The Sixers and Flyers are currently playing real games. One would think that both WIP and the Phanatic in Philadelphia would be talking about one of those three teams. They are all very young teams that are moving in a new direction, and may be on the rise. Instead though, Philadelphia sports talk radio is all about Sam Bradford, and whether the Eagles will put the "franchise tag" on him. It's all about a 7-9 team that hasn't won a title in over 55 years, has a new, unproven coach, and who consistently insists on having their drama play out on the front pages of the city's papers.

I just don't care.

The Eagles haven't been a real Super Bowl contender since 2008, and nothing involving their current quarterbacking situation is going to change that status. They refuse to rebuild, and their owner refuses to commit to a defense-first attitude that could make them a serious force.

I just don't care.

So, until the radio stations want to start discussing some of the teams who are trying to build a champion, I don't have a need to listen. I don't need to hear twelve different opinions on whether they should (obviously) sign Fletcher Cox to a long-term deal. I certainly don't need to hear terribly mistaken fans who think signing Bradford back is the difference between 4-12 and 12-4. I'm sorry, I'm least excited about the Eagles, of the four teams in the city right now. This isn't to say I have no interest, it's to say that my interest was killed long ago by being continually fed constant Eagles talk on the radio. I get it, they have an off-season. They're a 7-9 team though. Let's stop acting like anything all that big is going on with them.