Sam Bradford didn’t work outside with his new teammates Tuesday, instead staying inside to meet with the Cardinals’ medical and training staff to formulate a plan to keep him healthy.
“We’ll identify what Sam needs to do, and put him on a program that’s based on him, the individual,” strength and conditioning coach Buddy Morris said, via Darren Urban of the team website. “We like to individualize a lot around here.”
Bradford started only two games last season because of his knee injury, which required arthroscopic surgery. He returned to backup Case Keenum in the postseason, though Bradford didn’t see the field.
“As a player, you can’t focus on it,” Bradford said. “I trust the process I’ve been through to this point; I know the strength staff here, the training staff here. We talked . . . about putting in the plan to make sure my knee is as healthy as it can be come Week 1.
“I am trusting the fact they know what they are doing. They’ve dealt with some guys who have had knees that have had issues like mine. With that work, we’ll be in a place where it will allow me to do can do what I need to do for 16 games.”
Morris said he talked with “everybody that’s ever trained” Bradford as well as the quarterback’s current physical therapist.
“I think we’ve got a great plan between myself, Tom Reed [the team’s head athletic trainer] and obviously Sam, just like we did for Carson [Palmer] a couple years ago,” Morris added. “I get tired of people telling me what I can’t do. I worry about what I can do. So we’re going to focus on what we can do with Sam, and we’re going to put him in a position to achieve optimal levels and put him in the best possible position to help us win football games.
“Trust me, we’ve talked about him.”