Logic says illogical for Sam to return next season

Originally Published: Oct 21, 2009 9:16 PM CDT

Logic will win out over emotion. It will mean the end of an abbreviated career of at the University of Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford. I don't see any way he will decides to play another season in Norman.  Hope I'm wrong. Again.  

Today’s announcement that Sam Bradford’s post-practice meeting with the media was being cancelled almost certainly had nothing to do about his returning to the Sooners—short or long term. I believe the talented QB--who has a shy side to him and who must be sick of hearing the daily updates and speculation about his future-- saw that questions he was not ready to address were about to come, and so he simply called a time out.

I believe Bradford anticipated a three-minute session where he would say he was not going to play the rest of the season, say he would not speculate on anything else about surgery or about whether he’d return to OU or play pro and hit the road.

Perhaps an afternoon internet report that Bradford was set to have his right shoulder operated on by esteemed surgeon Dr. James Andrews made him a little squeamish. Perhaps he’d not completely decided if or when or where surgery would take place and that he didn’t want to play by the media rules and would prefer to talk about it when he felt like it.

For a guy who is total class and as good a college player as I’ve seen, he’s got to be wondering when this nightmare will  end. Unfortunately, it’s not after he addresses the local media. There are much bigger fish to fry.

But don’t feel sorry for the guy too long. First, I don’t think he’d want that. Second, his long term options are good. Third, he’s headed for huge paydays soon.

An NFL scout tells me Bradford could jump to the No. 1 overall pick if he returned for another season at OU and bulked up and was not re-injured.   But he said if he stayed at OU and injured the shoulder a third time that the downside was significant.  He and two other NFL people tell me that right now?Bradford still a first round pick?maybe a high one if teams believe the shoulder is stable—and that’s whether he goes to the NFL combine or not.  

So in the end, this decision is all about the NFL. He’s already lost tens of millions because of his unselfish decision to return and go after a national title he was so closed to last season.

 From a practical standpoint, returning for another season would mean he’d also lose one more year of NFL money.  And returning for another season would present a risk not many people would accept. Another injury would be devastating.

The NFL people tell me returning would let him put a little more meat on his bones and give him the chance to prove he could be a star without the superb protection he got from OU’s 2008 offensive line.

But if it was your kid?..You know the rest. The answers is you’d tell your kid to tell his legions of admirers he loves them, but then tell them a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

And logic says it would be illogical to play on Saturdays when Sundays are giving you another chance.