Staff Blog
Is Stewart Bradley the Best Middle Linebacker in the NFL?
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| Bradley, back at Nebraska |
| via the Nebraska Journal Star |
Just this morning Ashley Fox penned a feature arguing that the Birds’ linebacking core was unheralded. She called they the “glue” to the “glitz” of the bigger names. That may have been true this morning, but it’s
a good thing that wasn’t Fox’s assignment today, she’d be furiously
hitting ‘delete’ if it was. Stewart Bradley just took a big step
towards becoming a big name.
Today Peter King, SI’s in-the-know senior football writer, filled in for the legend Paul Zimmerman (Dr. Z is recovering from a November stroke) in naming the magazine’s annual All Pro team. Bradley, the Eagles’ middle linebacker, beat out bigger names like Brian Urlacher and Jon Beason for the coveted honor. He was the only Eagle selected.
King bends the rules a bit by including both an inside LB (Ray Lewis also made the cut) and a true MIKE, but being named the best 4-3 linebacker by a guy like King is nothing to scoff at.
Personally, I’d argue that the pick is a little premature; Bradley is a ballplayer for sure, but he struggled early against the pass and still occasionally appears to miss gap assignments. Still, this should go a long ways towards the linebacker’s Q rating and could be a harbinger of future pro bowls. No one is doubting the Birds wouldn’t be where they are today if not for his contributions.
Congrats Big Blue, you’re officially on the radar.
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