Sweet Home Oklahoma No More

I've always been told growing up that college will be the best four years of my life. Well, I can vouch for that. Hopefully, for Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford, he got his fill. His college days are over, and simultaneously, his career as a Sooner.

This past Sunday, a press release from the University of Oklahoma informed the populous that Bradford has opted to undergo season-ending surgery on his throwing shoulder to repair the strained AC joint he suffered most recently in a match-up against Texas. By choosing to have the procedure, Bradford also chose a 4-6 month recovery period following surgery. This places him dangerously close to the April 22nd date of the NFL Draft. Luckily for Sam Bradford, he has one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country digging into his shoulder next week. Dr. James Andrews, surgeon of the stars, will be performing the procedure. This guy knows a thing or two about repairing shoulder damage, see case Favre, Brett.

For Bradford, all hope comes down to April 22nd. That is the day we see if the damage that has been done, was too much to recover from. Following the BCS championship loss his Sooners suffered at the hands of the legendary Tim Tebow, Bradford entered the postseason as a projected top 5 draft pick. This position GUARANTEED him a modest 30-40 million dollars, had he chosen to leave Oklahoma and head for the bright lights of Detroit (or Seattle, or Kansas City, or any of those other terrible NFL squads with a top 5 draft pick). Sadly, after two devastating injuries, Bradford finds his draft stock plummeting faster than General Motors. His recent projections show he is standing to lose around 20 million dollars by choosing to come back for a junior season. Do you think you could buy a Coaches Trophy with 20 mil?

Sources: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4593917; http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009)