Sooner slump

Written by Jason Brubaker | 09 September 2009

Things just keep getting worse for Oklahoma football. First, the Sooners lose Heisman-trophy winning QB Sam Bradford to a shoulder injury in the first half of their first game. Next, they manage to lose that game as well, dropping a hard-fought contest to BYU and re-opening the "Mid-majors deserve to be in the BCS" conversation.

Finally, it was announced late yesterday that All-American TE Jermaine Gresham will miss the entire season after having surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee. Gresham was injured during a practice this fall, and while it was initially thought he may only miss a week or two, it now means he'll be watching the season from the sidelines.

Now, the Sooners are faced with the prospects of defending their Big 12 Championship without arguably the best QB and TE combination in the country. Bradford is likely to return in about a month, but it's not likely he'll be able to regain top form in time to knock off Texas and Oklahoma State, while Gresham just hopes to be healed in time to impress NFL scouts next spring.

As a college football fan, you never want to see players injured, All-Americans or not. But what makes this especially disheartening is that both players passed up the lure of NFL dollars to return to school. Both Bradford and Gresham could be cashing six-figure paychecks right now. Instead, they opted to return to dorm rooms, 8 a.m. classes and lecturing professors. Both players did the supposed "right thing" by returning to school, yet now their NFL futures are a little cloudier.

Think NFL scouts might be a little weary of a tight end coming off knee surgery? Or a QB with a dinged-up throwing shoulder? With the way scouts are able to pick apart players' games, these injuries could end up costing Bradford and Gresham, even if they suffer no long-term effects.

This is why it's hard to criticize players who leave early for the NFL. If you had an opportunity to realize a life-long dream, a dream that would make you incredibly wealthy, would you pass it up, especially if you knew that opportunity might not always be there?

So here's hoping for quick recoveries for both players. They likely won't realize their dream of a national title this year, but both players can still hopefully look forward to long, prosperous NFL careers.