Heisman winner Sam Bradford announced yesterday that he is going back to school for his Junior season.  It will be his fourth season in Norman, given his red-shirt season.

This morning on my way in to work, the morning crew on the local sports radio station all pretty much agreed that he was making a mistake, since some experts (like Todd McShay) have Bradford pegged as the likely #1 overall pick.

But Bradford made the right call, if he wants to be a successful NFL quarterback, by going back to school.

Although I believe it would be a mistake, it’s possible that the Lions would have taken Bradford #1 overall, and he would have (eventually) signed a nice, fat contract, and likely been set for life.

Many people, including my die-hard Sooner alum/fan neighbor, insist that it is his mental makeup that will make him a success at the next level.  But even against Florida in the national championship game, Bradford just looked average.  Add to that what looks to me to be a strange throwing motion, and only two years of experience–and that coming in a shotgun heavy version of the spread offense, based somewhat on the offense Mike Leach installed in 2000 (which has produced gaudy numbers at the NCAA level, and several QBs who have gone on to do nothing in the NFL), and the likelihood of Bradford succeeding out of the gate in the NFL drop.

Add to that that he would likely be joining one of the worst teams in the NFL, and he would be sure to fail.

2008 NFL success stories Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco might have some teams (and their fans) thinking that throwing rookie QBs to the fire is the way to go.  But they would be sadly mistaken in the case of Bradford.  Both Ryan and Flacco played four years of college, had success in offenses better suited to the pro game, and had that success surrounded by talent that was not as forgiving of mistakes as the OU talent pool.

So Bradford made the right call–at least one more year of college experience, a chance for a second Heisman, another chance at a national title, and hopefully some offensive scheme tweaks (if Bob Stoops wants to improve his reputation as someone who gets players ready for the next level–I count four Sooners from the Stoops era who are NFL stars, and only a handful more that have made any impact), and he could go on to NFL stardom.