Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray share a happy moment after overtime win in Dallas. Photo by Jesse Simmers / contrastphotography.com

In 2013 singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams released the pop song “Happy,” a catchy and wildly successful little ditty about being joyful and well…happy!

The song and its original video became so popular Williams decided to release all 360 four-minute videos shot to make the promotion.

He could have had version No. 361 if he wanted to by just using the footage of Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford and the rest of the Eagles reaction after the Birds scored the overtime touchdown – a 41-yard catch and run from Bradford to Jordan Matthews — that beat the Dallas Cowboys 33-27 on November 8 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas…A play that may have saved the season.

Who could blame them for expressing so much joy?

The Eagles started the season with high expectations from every corner of the football universe.
But the offense struggled through the first seven games, especially in the first quarter, specials teams was not producing the big plays and touchdowns it had been known for in 2014.

The defense played well overall – consistently causing turnovers – but had started to show lapses at the beginning of games leading up to and including the pivotal game in Dallas.

But things are starting to look positive going forward.

At press time the Birds were 4-4, with a 4-2 run after opening the 2015 campaign 0-2.

The key for this upward trend is the continued progress No. 7 is making.

Every week Bradford looks more and more confident in the pocket. He is moving better and avoiding the pass rush while cutting down on turnovers – zero against the Cowboys.

The offensive line, to a man, is playing better and was most impressive when Lane Johnson moved from right to left tackle to hold down the fort against Dallas for All-Pro tackle Jason Peters who was out with back spasms.

Johnson was rock solid and his replacement Dennis Kelly was more than adequate at right tackle.

The Birds rushed for 176 yards overall and allowed just one sack.

Bradford said the victory over Dallas meant more than just a notch in the win column.

“It gives me a lot of confidence and just from talking to some of the other guys after the game…that we all know that we’re capable of that,” Bradford said at his weekly press conference at NovaCare. “And it’s something we’re trying to be more consistent at. And like I said after the game, it’s great to know we had a great week of practice last week and we could translate that and come together like the way we did in the game.”

One major reason the Eagles offense is starting to click is that Bradford is getting stronger in his mind and in his legs.

The quarterback admitted he was guiding the ball at times rather just trusting his life-long instincts to pass the ball.

A lot of that has to do with recovering from back-to-back major knee surgeries and getting past the trust factor with his knees.

Against Dallas, Bradford was 25 of 36 for 295 yards, a touchdown pass, no interceptions and a quarterback rating of 103.4. That’s a stat line any NFL quarterback will take in a crucial game that ends with a win.

“I’ve said all along, the more you do something, the more reps you get, the better you feel,” Bradford said. “That’s kind of how this process has gone for me. The more I’m out there, the more reps I get, the more looks I’ve seen, the different defenses I’ve seen, the more comfortable I feel running this offense.”

The receivers, running backs and linemen have never tried to pin any problems on Bradford or the coaches, especially Matthews.

The second-year receiver out of Vanderbilt has beaten himself up over and over with regards to his dropped passes and poor decisions. Matthews, more so than Bradford, needed the redemption the game against the Cowboys provided.

In a practice leading up to the Dallas game, Bradford said Matthew dropped a pass in the red zone. So upset with himself, Matthews would not leave the practice field until he felt like he had fixed the problem.

“I think it was Thursday, Jordan dropped a ball in the red zone,” Bradford recalled. “After that he took every rep on offense and every rep on the scout team against the defense. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a starting wide receiver do that. You could see it in his eyes, the hunger to fix it. I couldn’t be happier for the guy knowing how hard he worked.”

It must have worked. Matthews caught nine passes for 133 yards and the game-winning touchdown against the Cowboys.
Whatever conversation you are having about the Eagles offense this year, it inevitably ends up back to Bradford and his legs.

The 2015 Eagles will go as far as his reconstructed knee takes them. Bradford is showing signs he could take the Eagles pretty far.

“I think the biggest thing for me has been my ability to move in the pocket,” Bradford said. “And get to the backside of some of the progressions, whether it be the second, third or fourth guy. I feel much more comfortable doing that now as opposed to earlier in the season.
“Earlier in the season my footwork was just all over the place,” he continued. “Whether that’s from being in a new offense, trying to figure out the rhythm and the timing of the plays, or just not having played football. I don’t know what it was, but when I feel like my feet are under me, and I’m in rhythm, good things happen.”

Those words alone should make Eagles fans feel…happy!