Archie Bradley came to Philadelphia at a time where the Phillies bullpen could use all the help it can get. It also happens to have been a time where another team in the neighborhood is struggling with a certain quarterback dilemma, but Bradley couldn't help with that... or could he?
On the latest episode of The Chris Rose Rotation, a new part of Jomboy Media, Bradley made his debut appearance as a regular contributor to the rotation and spoke on a number of interesting topics, including his history playing against Bryce Harper and his recent engagement.
But perhaps most interesting was his casual claim that he could have been an NFL quarterback had he not swayed from the football path.
"I'm not afraid to say it. I mean, I think I would have played quarterback in the NFL. Like, no doubt about it for me, for sure," Bradley said. "I wouldn't change my path at all. I love where I'm at, I love the career I've had, but as a reliever you've gotta grind, man. Getting contracts, getting deals, proving your worth is an everyday tough deal.
"...Look at some of the dudes who are in my class who are playing in the NFL, who have had opportunities, and I'm like, gosh man. I think I could have been one of those dudes."
Who were some of "those dudes?" Teddy Bridgewater and Jacoby Brissett were some good ones. Jeff Driskel, Brett Hundley, Brandon Allen and Johnny Manziel were among those with at least some NFL experience under their belt, though they weren't very good. And there were several no-names above Bradley, at No. 45 on the Class of 2011 high school QB rankings from 247 Sports.
Bradley was a three-star prospect out of high school, and he committed to Oklahoma to play both baseball and football. Surprisingly, it looks like his mind was set more on the gridiron than it was on the baseball diamond at the time.
"I wouldn't be serious about football if I didn't come here, and that's really what I'm trying to set apart, is that I am serious," Bradley said back in 2010. "I mean, I committed to Oklahoma to play football and baseball — football first — and, you know, if I go there and they let me play baseball, then that's part of it. But I committed to the University of Oklahoma to play football, and coming out here and competing with the best in the country really shows them that I'm serious."
Obviously, opting out of this route and going to the bigs has worked out quite well for Bradley — except for a scary moment when he was hit with a liner in the face — seeing as he's racked up over $10 million and is set to make $6 million in 2021 for the Phils. There's a chance that his best days are still ahead of him, too, as he's only in his age-28 campaign and has already turned in some great stat lines. But he still considers what could have been, and tried to paint the picture of his play style for those of us who haven't seen him on the football field.
"I was definitely a pro-style quarterback. I was fast for my high school, you know what I mean. I wouldn't say I would compete at running the ball at the next level," Bradley explained. "I would scramble and get away, but I had a strong arm man. And I understood defenses, I understood schemes. That's what I loved most about it, is breaking down a defense, breaking down why a certain pattern works in cover two or man coverage or zone, and obviously the college and NFL are completely different levels with that.
"But that's the one thing I love most about being quarterback, is you control the game. Like you have to know the o-line, you have to know what the defense is doing... there's so many factors that go into playing quarterback that are just outside of physically being good."
Jalen Hurts not impressing in camp? None of the veterans the Eagles wanted falling into their laps? Maybe it's time to make a call to the bullpen and bring Bradley back. It took him about, oh, one awesome interview to immediately become a fan favorite here in the City of Brotherly Love, so he might have more of a leash than Eagles quarterbacks of the past.
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