Sooners Unsure About Sam Bradford's Long-Term Future

Originally Published: Oct 20, 2009 5:1 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORMAN, Oklahoma – At his weekly press conference Tuesday, OU head coach Bob Stoops said the future of quarterback Sam Bradford is still up in the air. However, Stoops added that the Heisman Trophy winner will address the media after practice Wednesday.

Bradford injured his throwing shoulder for the second time this season when he was sacked by cornerback Aaron Williams in the first quarter of the Sooners’ 16-13 loss to Texas Saturday. The play was eerily similar to the one that caused Bradford’s first injury in OU’s season opener against BYU.

“Of course it's disappointing for him to have gotten pinned and trapped in the same position, it was very unlikely, but it happened,” Stoops said. “Again, it's a similar injury to before. The MRIs and X-rays show no different damage than what was already there. His path will be determined here in the next couple days.”

Bradford missed three games because of that injury, and before returning against Baylor said that surgery was still a possibility. The re-injury to Bradford’s shoulder now makes surgery more likely.

“Sam is such a great leader and great player,” said lineman/tight end Brody Eldridge. “We just have to press on from here and do what we can do. There's not a lot you can say.”

In Bradford’s absence, redshirt freshman Landry Jones has thrown for 1,111 and 11 touchdowns. The Sooners remain confident that they can win with Jones at quarterback.

“You saw what Landry can do when he stepped up for those first three games when he was in there,” Eldridge said. “There's no question about what Landry can do.”

By comparison this season, Bradford and Jones’ stats have been very similar. In fact, Jones has a slightly higher completion percentage and quarterback rating than Bradford.

“As a guy coming in this situation I couldn't be more pleased with his leadership, his attitude, his work and how he has played,” Stoops said. “He had a lot of nice plays the other night. He put the ball in good spots for a lot of those plays.”

Stoops said Monday that Bradford will definitely miss the Sooners’ game Saturday against Kansas, but his future for the rest of the season is a mystery.