TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | WIRELESS
CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBER SERVICES | SIGN IN SIGN OUT | MY PROFILE PAGE | MY ACCOUNT

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Sports Extra!
Follow us on ...
OU | OSU | TU | ORU | HIGH SCHOOLS | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NFL | FANTASY | OUTDOORS | GOLF | PROS | ALL




SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS
    Sports Editor
Mike Strain
Sports Columnist
Dave Sittler
The Picker
Entertaining & Infuriating

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US
BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

TULSA WORLD

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA



Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark

Sam is staying

The University of Oklahoma's Sam Bradford will return for his junior season. AP
 
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 1/14/2009  2:28 PM
Last Modified: 1/15/2009  5:05 AM

 SITTLER BLOG: Bradford making gutsy decision, and the right one

Audio: Listen to Sam Bradford make his announcement that he’s staying at OU and then hear a Q&A. (Approx. 4 minutes).

NORMAN -- Sam Bradford is part quarterback, part finance major and all Sooner.

The University of Oklahoma quarterback on Wednesday answered the question all OU fans have asked for three months: will he be back next year?

Absolutely, Bradford said, and with a certain degree of satisfaction.

“Looking at it, I’ve dreamed about playing at Oklahoma since I was little,” Bradford said during a press conference at Memorial Stadium. “And my three years here have been probably three of the best years of my life, and I really feel that there’s no need to cut this experience short. And I’m really looking forward to coming back and competing for a fourth straight Big 12 championship and another opportunity at a national championship.”

As reported Wednesday on tulsaworld.com, Bradford turns down the opportunity to enter the NFL Draft, where it’s likely he would have been a first-round pick. Draft analysts have suggested he could have gone as high as the No. 1 overall pick, which would have amounted to a contract in the area of $50-75 million. Bradford’s grade from the NFL draft advisory committee was first round.

But Bradford’s perceived draft stock seemed to dip in the week since OU’s loss to Florida in the BCS national championship game. One report had him going between the 10th and 20th picks — significantly less money — and the entries of juniors Matthew Stafford of Georgia (last week) and Mark Sanchez of USC (Wednesday night) may push Bradford further down.

So Bradford, who carries a 3.95 GPA in finance, figured there could be far more money on the table next year if he returned to OU, played well, continued to mature and added some muscle to his slender frame.

That, plus he just adores being a Sooner.

“I just think knowing that if I left, I’d be leaving a lot of teammates, a lot of guys that I’ve become really close to,” he said. “I think the ability for me to spend another year with them is really behind coming back.”

Bradford also revealed that two of his offensive teammates, tight end Jermaine Gresham and tackle Trent Williams, are returning to OU for their senior season. (Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said Monday he was coming back.) The deadline for underclassmen to announce is Thursday night at midnight.

“With them coming back I feel like we are going to be very solid on offense again,” Bradford said. “I think that’s one of the strong points of this program, that we’re able to replace players every year.”

After Bradford’s time at the podium, head coach Bob Stoops, back from the American Football Coaches Association convention in Nashville, was visibly cheerful.

“Obviously it makes our team stronger, with that experience and that kind of talent back for another year,” Stoops said. “But I think also it sends, hopefully, a clear message to other young guys out there that these guys value their experience in college. They value their education.”

Stoops talked about three juniors who left early last season – Malcolm Kelly, Curtis Lofton and Reggie Smith – and were all drafted lower than they were projected. He also talked again about the case of Jammal Brown, who returned from a 2004 second-round projection as a junior and, as a senior, became the first lineman drafted in 2005. Stoops said Brown made nine times more money -- and won the Outland Trophy – by playing his senior year at OU.

“You can speculate all you want,” Stoops said. “Sometimes there’s some obvious guys that you can be correct about. But overall, I think rarely does the TV monitor have it like it happens.”

Bradford’s father, Kent, said he expected the family would purchase an insurance policy in the event his son sustains a major injury next season, although he admitted it hadn’t been discussed yet.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Kent Bradford said.

Sam Bradford acknowledged a large degree of uncertainty with the whole thing. For instance, last week he was ranked No. 1on Scouts, Inc.’s Top 32, while this week he was No. 9. Who knows what his position would be when the draft unfolds on April 25-26? “Nothing’s for certain,” he said. “Everything you hear today is just speculation.

Nothing’s positive. Nothing’s guaranteed. There’s a big difference between what you hear right now than what’s actually done in April.”

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper told the Tulsa World on Tuesday that his concerns about Bradford — that his success was largely a product of the talent around him, and that he didn’t know how good Bradford truly was under a heavy pass rush -- were played out in the Sooners’ national championship game loss to Florida.

“When he got harassed in the pocket, he wasn’t quite as good as he had been. He looked a little bit like a deer in the headlights at times,” Kiper said. “He had two losses when they pressured him. He lost two games when they got some heat on the quarterback. He lost to Texas and he lost to Florida.”

Bradford said the loss to Florida played “a little bit” in his decision, but he tried to take emotion out of it.

“It’s frustrating to end on a loss,” he said. “I want to come back and finish my career the right way, on a win.”

Bradford said he made up his mind on Tuesday night.

“I did go back and forth,” he said. “I really didn’t put much thought into it before the national championship game, so there was a lot of information to comprehend, especially in a short amount of time. There were a lot of things that I thought about, and I did go back and forth several times. I feel like this is where my heart is. This is where I want to be.”
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

Print this story Print      Email this story Email     
Share      Bookmark Bookmark


COMMENTS 
      Add your comment Show: Most Recent Comment First

57 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
Report Comment Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you.  -- Web Editor Jason Collington
 

 
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (1/14/2009 2:34:18 PM)
GEEEEEEEEEZ!!!!! The suspense is killing me!!!!

BOOMER SOONER!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Comment
your kidding, Owasso (1/14/2009 2:46:08 PM)
Bradford would do himself a favor if he would go for the draft. HUGE guarantee this year only. Next year, tiny opportunity compared to now. It would be easier to limp around campus after a pro career than to get hurt at OU and lose the chance.
Report Comment
kyote, (1/14/2009 2:47:20 PM)
Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeee just go away. Who cares he is only a ball player.
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (1/14/2009 2:48:27 PM)
How about you go away kyote!!!!

BOOMER SOONER!!!

You just can't stand it huh?
Report Comment
HAHAHAHA, (1/14/2009 2:49:02 PM)
"kyote, (1/14/2009 2:47:20 PM)
Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeee just go away. Who cares he is only a ball player."

sounds like an aggie fan.
Report Comment
dgsoonergirl, (1/14/2009 2:55:42 PM)
I had sources from "within the OU athletic department" confirm that with me about 3 hours ago. I just hope our sources are correct!

BOOMER SOONER!!!!
Report Comment
GoGreen, Mid-Town Tulsa (1/14/2009 3:18:15 PM)
I hope the sources are correct too! I think he is making a great choice that he can live with the rest of his life, he is further his education which is most important!

BOOMER SOONER!
Report Comment
guy, Tulsa (1/14/2009 3:19:48 PM)
he just missed out on his payday. next year rookies won't be getting the huge contracts anymore. he'll be the next Jason White.
Report Comment
CRB, T.B.D. (1/14/2009 3:20:20 PM)
I thought he was supposedly a "smart" QB.....Turning down a top 10 pick is dumb. See Brian Brohm former first round gurantee who fell to second round by staying the extra year. Cost himself a lot of $$ for that extra year.
Report Comment
Reality Check, (1/14/2009 3:24:47 PM)
Some of you need to get your facts straight, the NFL commissioner has already gone on record as stating there will be no rookie cap until at least 2011.

As far as Bradford coming back, as a Sooner fan I can't be happier. Whether it's a good or bad financial decision absolutely no one can say until next year's draft.
Report Comment
Bullhead, Nicut (1/14/2009 3:24:51 PM)
BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER!
BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER!
BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER!
BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER!
BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER!
BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER!
BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER!
BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER! BOOMER SOONER!
Report Comment
best4tulsa, (1/14/2009 3:29:09 PM)
I give my expert advice for free
Report Comment
BabaLou, (1/14/2009 3:47:41 PM)
I have two words for Sam....."Jason White". It's great for Sooner fans, but I sure hope this is the right decision for such a great kid. And, while I'm at it, Saint Tebow may be a great kid too, but Saint Tebow talks about Saint Tebow, and Sam Bradford always talks about his team mates and coaches. He's not out there promoting himself and thumping his chest all the time.
Report Comment
husker, Tulsa (1/14/2009 3:48:28 PM)
Its good to see some players committed to their Universities and getting a education.If he is any good at the next level his payday will come.Plus a few losses will leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Report Comment
Bullhead, Nicut (1/14/2009 3:58:15 PM)
I'm with you, Reality. Financial or not, I think it was a good family and good personal decision (IF he is coming back). One thing about traditional/real NA families, is they discuss and decide together these things. Education is important. This young man is talented and will go far no matter what he does.

As an OU fan, tried and true, I'm so happy I could do a rain dance. You have to be a real fan to understand.
Report Comment
hypertude, Clinton (1/14/2009 4:03:36 PM)
There's more to life than just $$$!
Report Comment
Bird1, Tulsa (1/14/2009 4:03:58 PM)
Great news for us. Hope it's true. Scouts said he had some flaws that could hurt him in the draft this year. They didn't like how he was not as good when he got hit more like in Texasss and FU games. Good arm, but not great. One more year should correct their opinions. BTW, those are just opinions and no one really knows where he would go in the acutal draft. It's all speculation.
Report Comment
Bird1, Tulsa (1/14/2009 4:05:57 PM)
Burnt orange horns - You had to pull it out in the last two minutes to beat a 10th ranked team!!!
Report Comment
sham1932, (1/14/2009 4:06:09 PM)
I do not know what Sam's major is, but now is the time to enjoy college life and get his degree, and continue playing for OU. The big $'s will still be available later. I hope Sam stays at OU.

Bill
Tulsa
Report Comment
Maarek, (1/14/2009 4:06:14 PM)
I am sure he can't wait to not get paid to get beat up for all those Wal-mart fans out there. Seriously, who wants to play for a team whose mascot is a bandwagon?

Actually serious, I just hope he doesn't Jason White himself. Of course who wants to play for Detroit either, so it seems like another year in "school" might be best for him.
Report Comment
HardHeartedHanna, (1/14/2009 4:06:26 PM)
How much is he making now?
Report Comment
Maarek, (1/14/2009 4:08:29 PM)
Bird1,

I think the Texas fan would just point to the final rankings and remind you that they beat you on a "neutral" field....

Whatever a neutral Texas field in Texas is....

That said, they did beat you.
Report Comment
Bird1, Tulsa (1/14/2009 4:08:48 PM)
His major is Finance. He can worry about the Salary Cap next year.
Report Comment
Have that, America (1/14/2009 4:09:42 PM)
good for him and for OU if he comes back...having loyalty modern day when theres millions of dollars at stake is basically non existant.

I just hope that he gets insurance outside of what the NCAA gives you because that stuff is crap. I also pray that he doesn't get hurt behind that green line he is gonna have.

personally, I don't see the logic to it cuz he is loosing his recievers & line, so there is very little chance he will have anywhere near as good a year next year as he did this one, but to each their own. more power to em.
Report Comment
Maarek, (1/14/2009 4:09:50 PM)
HardHeartedHanna,

Big Red Sports And Imports stopped paying their players years ago, so it's a lot harder to tell nowadays.
25 of 57 comments displayed. | View All
 

 
Add Your Comment 
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.

 
Post Your Comment
 



Home | About Tulsa World | Advertise With Us | Privacy | Usage Agreement | FAQ and Help | Contact Us | Today's Headlines
Copyright © 2010, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.