Sam Bradford leads 1st-team at Eagles camp

More work has gone into Sam Bradford's knee than Michaelangelo put into some of his statues.

Somewhere in there is a twice-torn ACL, elegantly patched back together and thus far healing according to nature's intricate plan. 

The presumed starter under center when the Eagles kick off in Atlanta this September, Bradford emerged onto the practice field on a bright Sunday morning that was, for this franchise, the first real day of work -- without his knee brace.

Head coach Chip Kelly said Bradford was "a 100 percent" and "full go" ahead of the first practice. His quarterback took all the snaps with the first-team during the seven-on-seven sets and the full 11-on-11 drills all through the day. Mark Sanchez did likewise with the backups.

Rust was an easy prediction, and it was there. Nolan Carroll stepped in front of a pass and another for Riley Cooper was high and long. But timing was bound to be an issue with the missed time he's accrued.

"It was great to get out there and get to run the offense," Bradford said. "There's only so much you can do in 7-on-7. There's only so much you can learn in meetings. I learn best on the field, getting reps. Just to be out there playing with those guys, getting to know how they fill space, building chemistry with our wide receivers and running backs. I think that's what I'm most excited about."

It's the first time he's been able to be excited about anything football related in some time.

During the OTAs and minicamp, Sanchez handled the No. 1 position while Bradford was kept away from the more serious action in preparation for this summer's work, in an effort to inch out every possible second of rehab on his knee. Technically, the competition is still open between the two, but the $13 million that will drip into Sam Bradford's bank account this autumn almost confirms the Eagles expect him to man their up-tempo offense exclusively.

For a variety of reasons, Bradford says this will be the most important training camp of his career. But, aside from the obvious reason, a bigger challenge remains in his learning the Eagles' playbook.

"Obviously, earlier in my career, I went through offenses every year," he said. "The past three years, I was fortunate enough to be in the same offense. When you're in the same offense, you're not learning new things every day. You're kind of fine tuning. I think it's very important I make the most of every rep I get during this camp."

He'll have little more than four weeks to establish himself as the starting quarterback for the team when they open their regular season on a Monday night, so time is tight. He has more than enough stacked against him, but what talent he brings with him is also enough to outweigh it.