Bradford returns to Rams refreshed after bye week

ST. LOUIS -- The bye week gave Sam Bradford time to heal from a brutal first four weeks. There's no telling how long that refreshed feeling will last.

No quarterback has been sacked more than the St. Louis Rams' second-year man. And he has taken a lot of hits after letting go of the ball during an 0-4 start that's been a collective kick in the teeth for a team that had appeared ready to contend.

The Rams practiced twice last week before getting four days off. That meant time to reflect for Bradford, who said Wednesday that everyone has plenty of room for improvement. The Rams face the undefeated Packers (5-0) on Sunday.

St. Louis already is three games behind surprising San Francisco in the NFL West, yet optimism remains.

"The more I thought about things, the more I realized I think we've got the right people here, the right players, the right coaches," Bradford said. "We've all just got to continue to work no matter what happens, buy in, and we'll get this thing figured out."

He's ready for this week's game at unbeaten Green Bay.

"The body feels great," Bradford said. "I had a great workout, lifted about as heavy as I have since the season started. The body feels about like it did when the season began, and that's one of the big plusses of the bye week."

A minus for the Rams: Nothing can be done about the first four games.

Offensive tackle Rodger Saffold probably had his worst game in a loss to the Redskins before the bye. The weight room provided a release for the frustration.

"You don't fully forget about it," Saffold said. "You're just on to the next one."

St. Louis' offense is next-to-last in yards per game in the NFL entering Sunday's game and at or near the bottom in several other statistical categories. Bradford has thrown only one interception but has only three TD passes and completed only 49.7 percent of his passes.

Pass protection has been spotty at best, which has led to a whopping 19 sacks. There have been far too many dropped passes, many of them right at the numbers.

"You don't want your linemen blocking for an extra-long time," Saffold said. "You don't want your quarterback sitting in there too long, and you want to make sure you get open. When everybody does their job effectively, you see the good plays.

"We just need to make more of them."