Chris CrockettWhat Would You Have Done If You Were Sam Bradford?
October 27th 2009 13:19
It’s such a tough decision for a D-1 college athlete of Sam Bradford’s stature to have to make as an underclassman. Do you go pro or do you stay in school? Are you emotionally ready to take the next step? Are you physically ready to take the next step? We all know what Bradford’s career path and aspirations were when he enrolled at The University of Oklahoma--- to prep himself to be a high end NFL draft pick. So--- for the most part--- it comes down to the issues of him being emotionally and physically ready for the undertaking of life in the NFL. The question on the minds of so many people right now though---when it comes to Bradford---is did he stay too long, now that he’s hurt and going to need major surgery on his throwing shoulder and is out for the remainder of his junior season? Did he risk too much money by coming back to school after pretty much accomplishing everything short of a national title that you could dream of as a young D-1 gridiron star?
Bradford broke the NCAA freshman record of 29 touchdown passes when he connected for 36 in 2007. He also led his team to the Big 12 conference championship that year. As a sophomore, Bradford was electric. He was a QB machine who threw for 50 TD’s while leading OU to another Big 12 title and a berth in the national championship game. He became only the second sophomore in NCAA history to win the prestigious Heisman Trophy.
Bradford has just declared that he will have season ending surgery in hopes of entering the 2010 NFL Draft. If all goes well, his college life is over and he will be a Top 10 pick come April. Bradford’s recovery should take between 4-6 months after the surgery on Wednesday. Most scouts still fully expect him to be selected in the upper end of the first round when the draft takes place. However, no matter how you slice it, Bradford is damaged goods now before he even takes one professional snap in the NFL. The degree of ‘damaged’ or the favorable prognosis on his recovery from the surgery isn’t the point. He still will have had one major surgery on his throwing shoulder before turning pro. That being said, all should be fine for Bradford moving forward according to the doctors. He most likely will be one of the lucky ones and get to continue to pursue his dream of becoming a great ballplayer in the NFL and that sure beats having your much heralded football career come to an end while getting slammed to the ground and injuring your shoulder at the hands of a hated Texas Longhorn.
I have no problem with what Bradford did in coming back for his junior season and passing up what most likely would’ve been the #1 overall selection in the ’09 draft, nor should anyone else have a problem with it. It’s his life. If he felt he wasn’t ready, then so be it, it’s his decision to make. Here’s my question, if you had the shiny resume of Sam Bradford after two years of highly competitive D-1 college football under your belt, with all sorts of personal accolades to go with it, would you have come back to school? Would you have gambled and taken a huge risk on reaping the benefits of the financial windfall that comes with being a surefire top five NFL draft pick? What if you sustained an injury much worse than what Bradford’s seems to be and you never got to play again?
Chuck
~TCFB~
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Comment by Anonymous
If I got hurt and could never play again, I'd always live with the if only haunting me in the back of my mind.
Comment by Michael 2
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In the real world, the rest of us work all our lives to try to get to a millions of dollars. If you can do it one one year the smartest decision is to do so. Almost anything else of lasting significance, such as getting a college degree can be done later, when you are done earning money.
Comment by Chuck H
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