If Sam leaves, who will our QB be next season?

[mjhurani]

First off, I really hope Sam stays, but when you combine the fact that NFL draft gurus have him going 1 or 2 (shouldn't change after combines) plus our entire O-Line will be graduating, both starting WR's plus Chaney, and Gresham is projected 1st round, so he might go to. It might be in Sam's best interest as a 3rd yr college player who is eligible for the draft, that he go pro.

Assuming this happens, who will be our guy in '09? Halzle is obviously a SR so we lose him to.

Can anyone please tell me some particulars about Landry Jones, the 6'4" 210 lb frosh? Phil Steele's mag has him ranked #3 out of HS.

I'm hoping some of you HS recruiting gurus can chime in with all the details about the next Sooner signal-caller.

Thanks.

[Stitch Face]

I highly doubt it will be Nichol...

[noobalicious]

Nichol left

[sooner59]

Nichol for Heisman! Heh.

[Frozen Sooner]

Likely Landry Jones. Like 99%.

I think Mark Dantonio would be pretty surprised if Keith Nichol shows up playing at OU next year. ;)

Landry's a big kid with a big arm. The knock I've heard on him is his footspeed, but I know he lost a lot of weight his senior year to improve his mobility.

[mjhurani]

I completely forgot that Nichol left for Michigan State.

So we've got Landry Jones on campus already. We've got Drew Allen out of SA, TX committed, we're looking at Kolby Gray out of Houston, Wes Luquette out of New Orleans, Taylor Davis from Arizona, and some others as well.

The recruits we've signed and are looking at are listed here:

http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=146&p=9&c=4&yr=2009

[SanDiegoSoonerGal]

Prediction: Sam will not leave. He will stay at OU to complete his degree.

Supporting evidence:

1. He's already an academic all-American. Why would he work that hard if he intended to pursue a professional athletic career? And his stated goal is to be a corporate attorney.

2. His father knows how fleeting a sports career can be. Hence, we can assume he is encouraging his son to take up something with a longer shelf life.

Counter evidence: I'm an idealist.

[soonerboy]

keith nichol left to michigan state...it'll probably be landry jones unless we get in on a terrel pryor type of player that can out do all the qb's that are already here. I really hope we dont get into a two qb system it didn't work with thompson and bomar.

[mjhurani]

The sooner Sam declares after the bowl game (I won't jinx us by calling it anything other than bowl game, LOL) then the sooner we can possibly sign another top recruit at QB who believes he'll play right away. That's the hope anyway. Knowing that only Landry remains, as good as he may be, will lure more top prep QBs our way.

[rainiersooner]

I would love him to stay. And I think he wants to stay. I think the graduation of the entire OL might give him pause. We can replace the receivers. We're stacked at running back. But the line is a big deal. Having said that, if he stays, I think our replacements on the O-Line - what with the reps they've gotten so far this season in the second half - will be good enough that he can still excel and he will consider that. All in all - it's a push and I have no friggin' clue! Gee, I hope that was helpful.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

The sooner Sam declares after the bowl game (I won't jinx us by calling it anything other than bowl game, LOL) then the sooner we can possibly sign another top recruit at QB who believes he'll play right away. That's the hope anyway. Knowing that only Landry remains, as good as he may be, will lure more top prep QBs our way.

why do you hate our program? name the last "top recruit" at QB that didn't transfer? (hint he lined up in the wishbone)

note 1 - must have been recruited as a QB, not an athlete
note 2 - transfer includes INTO the program from another school
note 3 - must have been here at least a year :D

[BoulderSooner79]

Sam will be a 4th year player next year, so I don't see his decision to stay or go having an effect on QB recruiting. I could even seeing him staying as helping - what freshman wouldn't want to learn from him.

[Scotty]

screw top recruits

bradford was a three star

[Thesifer]

Hasn't he mentioned something about staying already? I don't have any supporting evidence for that, I just remember hearing that at some point.

I don't see him leaving.

[En_Fuego]

Sam Bradford................OU............Jack Mildren......(really).....Steve Davis.....(really)........OU........Josh Heuple.......(really).....Jamelle Holieway.......(really)............Dont forget where ya came from......!!!!!

[sendbaht]

Sam will play for OU next year. He said so, beside I do not believe 700 billion would change his mind, ya right. We win the NC and we can pick any QB we want.

Sam Stays....85% I'd say.

[TXBOOMER]

Why would Sam leave? He would go to Detroit. No amount of money in the world is worth living in Detroit.

[swardboy]

Why would Sam leave? He would go to Detroit. No amount of money in the world is worth living in Detroit.

We have a WINNAR!!!!!!!

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Jarrod Reese..he will save the program

[Sooner04]

why do you hate our program? name the last "top recruit" at QB that didn't transfer? (hint he lined up in the wishbone)

note 1 - must have been recruited as a QB, not an athlete
note 2 - transfer includes INTO the program from another school
note 3 - must have been here at least a year :D
How high was Cale Gundy's rating? Note 1 destroyed my Brandon Daniels reply.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

gah, forgot about him. yes, gundy was the #2 QB in the nation behind...chris weinke. i was thinking of eric mitchell

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Jarrod Reese..he will save the program

transfer

[stoops the eternal pimp]

yeah I know..South Carolina..I was hoping he had some eligibility left

[stoopified]

Moot point,Sam is staying.Landry Jones will be #2 and would likely fill Sam's shoes should anything befall him.

[OU4LIFE]

Prediction: Sam will not leave. He will stay at OU to complete his degree.

Supporting evidence:

1. He's already an academic all-American. Why would he work that hard if he intended to pursue a professional athletic career? And his stated goal is to be a corporate attorney.

2. His father knows how fleeting a sports career can be. Hence, we can assume he is encouraging his son to take up something with a longer shelf life.

Counter evidence: The NFL's collective bargaining agreement will likely be voted out this year, which would cost Sam close to 50 million dollars if he chooses to stay.

just sayin

[Crimsontothecore]

I say we go after Brent Rawls. He's supposed to be really, really, really good:D

[SoonerinSouthlake]

the answer=
whoever plays best in practice

[SbOrOiNaEnR]

I think Sam sticks around one more year, to finish his undergrad. By Spring 2010 he'll have been here four years, so the academic part (supposedly) will be taken care of. After this year, he could potentially have won a MNC, a Heisman Trophy, and completely rewritten OU's passing record books. Football-wise, he would have NOTHING left to prove. But I think academics truly are important to the kid, so he'll stick around one more season to finish his degree.

[boomermagic]

What I am hearing is the NFL has put a rookie cap on the league starting next year so IF that is true no doubt Sam will leave so he gets a better deal.. Anyone know if that is true ?

[OU4LIFE]

Rookie cap will come after the collective bargaining agreement gets voted down by the players and owners.

So yes, it's true.

If Sam is smart, why on earth woudl he turn down 50 million bucks in favor of a degree and 12 million?

[boomermagic]

I'm afraid he is gone folks.. I would be...

[Sooner04]

gah, forgot about him. yes, gundy was the #2 QB in the nation behind...chris weinke. i was thinking of eric mitchell
Advantage, 04.

Eric Mitchel. Out of Pine Bluff, right?

And I WANT Sam to leave. Nothing to prove, and too much money to leave on the table. Look at what happened to that idiot, Leinart.

[OUster]

On a side note, I was looking at our depth chart last night...the ENTIRE defense, is coming back with the exception of Lendy. Two starters from the offensive line are coming back, including Trent Williams. Yes, we have two starting wide receivers leaving, but their current backups are getting plenty of play right now. We have ALL of the backfield coming back. Gresham has already stated there is no way he is leaving early. Honestly, if the O-line gels, I think we have a chance to be just as good, if not better, than we are this year.

[OU4LIFE]

it's going to be fun watching a Sooner QB on Sundays for a change.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

On a side note, I was looking at our depth chart last night...the ENTIRE defense, is coming back with the exception of Lendy. Two starters from the offensive line are coming back, including Trent Williams. Yes, we have two starting wide receivers leaving, but their current backups are getting plenty of play right now. We have ALL of the backfield coming back. Gresham has already stated there is no way he is leaving early. Honestly, if the O-line gels, I think we have a chance to be just as good, if not better, than we are this year.

nic harris is gone as well.

OL - patton has proven adept at a) player development b) playing backups c) finding guys that fit our scheme

you are seriously okay with our backup WRs?
caleb - doesn't look too bad
adron tennell - has more drops than catches this year (this after being ranked out of high school 16 places in front of michael crabtree).
the other redshirts are an unknown

[soonerfan28]

I don't think Bradford will leave after this season because he loves college to much. The O-line problem isn't as big of a mess as people might think. Trent Williams and Brian Simmons are both juniors and we have Jarvis Jones who played some during LSU's national championship run. I think Cooper will be our biggest loss but then you have Habern and Hannan who were ranked in the top 3 centers in there respective classes. I think he'll stay but if not I think it goes to Landry and I don't think there will be as mcuh drop-off as people might think. Thats not saying he's the 2008 Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford.

[soonerfan28]

I think Owens, Miller and Broyles start next year.

[OU4LIFE]

I don't think Bradford will leave after this season because he loves college to much. The O-line problem isn't as big of a mess as people might think. Trent Williams and Brian Simmons are both juniors and we have Jarvis Jones who played some during LSU's national championship run. I think Cooper will be our biggest loss but then you have Habern and Hannan who were ranked in the top 3 centers in there respective classes. I think he'll stay but if not I think it goes to Landry and I don't think there will be as mcuh drop-off as people might think. Thats not saying he's the 2008 Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford.

Ok let me put it to you a different way.

It's YOUR situation, You're working a job that you signed on for four years to do, but I'm going to offer you 50 million reason to come work for me, but only if you do it this year. And you could go back to your old job at your leisure to finish up your project.

OR you can come work for me next year after you've completed your project, for 8 million reasons.

your call.

[JLEW1818]

Jones will be good too.

[Dan Thompson]

Sam has already said he will stay. It has been post here before.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

4life, you are making some assumptions there

1. that the maximum length of rookie contracts are not reduced to 3 years like they were in the NBA allong with the concept of restricted and unrestricted free agents.

2. that teams are just as likely to immediately play a first round QB even though the % of salary cap he represents is much much lower

3. that an awesome QB who signs an 8 year contract for 50 mill can't make as much as an awesome QB who makes 8 mill for 3 years and is immediately entitled to free agent money on his 4th year.

yes, these are unknowns, but when this went down in the NBA, players who were good out of the shoot made much, much more money than with the previous system because they weren't throwing as much money at busts.

i think the key point is that if sam goes out this year, he is going to get the crap pummelled out of him because he is going to be 21 years old and expected to start from day 1. he'll be a shadow of what he could be if he is allowed to mature a little bit before he is thrown into the fire.

[SoonerStormchaser]

I hear Brett Rhomar or Brent Rawls might be the favorites...

[cvsooner]

nic harris is gone as well.

OL - patton has proven adept at a) player development b) playing backups c) finding guys that fit our scheme

you are seriously okay with our backup WRs?
caleb - doesn't look too bad
adron tennell - has more drops than catches this year (this after being ranked out of high school 16 places in front of michael crabtree).
the other redshirts are an unknown

Don't discount what a job Jay Norvell has done with the current group. He's a very good coach.

I think I'm as concerned about Kevin Wilson leaving as I am any personnel.

[Echoes]

I really thought at first that he wouldn't leave.. but now at least to me it looks more and more likely. Big 12 offensive POY, possible Heisman and National Champion, either #1 or 2 qb pick... What more would he have left to accomplish?

I do agree though, he is not like many. His family isn't pushing him to go into the nfl, and he is a very bright kid with a future, no matter what he does with it.

[OU4LIFE]

4life, you are making some assumptions there

1. that the maximum length of rookie contracts are not reduced to 3 years like they were in the NBA allong with the concept of restricted and unrestricted free agents.

2. that teams are just as likely to immediately play a first round QB even though the % of salary cap he represents is much much lower

3. that an awesome QB who signs an 8 year contract for 50 mill can't make as much as an awesome QB who makes 8 mill for 3 years and is immediately entitled to free agent money on his 4th year.

yes, these are unknowns, but when this went down in the NBA, players who were good out of the shoot made much, much more money than with the previous system because they weren't throwing as much money at busts.

i think the key point is that if sam goes out this year, he is going to get the crap pummelled out of him because he is going to be 21 years old and expected to start from day 1. he'll be a shadow of what he could be if he is allowed to mature a little bit before he is thrown into the fire.

I'm just looking strictly at the numbers JKM...and since it has not happened yet, yes it's an assumption.

BUt now that Upshaw is gone, no one, other than the rookies, want the collective bargaining agreement. League veterans are tired of watching untested rookies come into the league and sign a 75 million dollar contract, with 39 million of it GUARANTEED, when they haven't done anything. So you can guarantee that's going away.

So, instead of the above, with 39 million guaranteed, if he waits a year he's looking at a 3-4 year deal in the range of 18 to 20 million with only 6-9 million of it guaranteed.

SO, what i'm saying is....if you can get 39 million GUARANTEED or 9 million guaranteed, which one would YOU take.

Also, with the smaller contract dollars, the teams won't have the pressure of pushing them in right away to get their money's worth.

[King Crimson]

gah, forgot about him. yes, gundy was the #2 QB in the nation behind...chris weinke. i was thinking of eric mitchell

Mitchell was my guess. actually, #2 behind Weinke was Rusty Hilger.

[Sooner04]

Mitchell was my guess. actually, #2 behind Weinke was Rusty Hilger.
Weinke's old, but he's not THAT old.

[soonerfan28]

Ok let me put it to you a different way.

It's YOUR situation, You're working a job that you signed on for four years to do, but I'm going to offer you 50 million reason to come work for me, but only if you do it this year. And you could go back to your old job at your leisure to finish up your project.

OR you can come work for me next year after you've completed your project, for 8 million reasons.

your call.

I am not saying he won't go pro before the season I was one of the people who said if he had a good year that he would probably leave. He would have to be at least 50/50 at this point but he does seem to be loving his time in college and you're not gonna get the same college experience that he's getting now if he comes back to finish up. About the O-line I'm just sayin that we shouldn't count out next years because we still recruit good players and we already know that a few can play. I still think he stays though.

[KingBarry]

4life, you are making some assumptions there

1. that the maximum length of rookie contracts are not reduced to 3 years like they were in the NBA allong with the concept of restricted and unrestricted free agents.

2. that teams are just as likely to immediately play a first round QB even though the % of salary cap he represents is much much lower

3. that an awesome QB who signs an 8 year contract for 50 mill can't make as much as an awesome QB who makes 8 mill for 3 years and is immediately entitled to free agent money on his 4th year.

yes, these are unknowns, but when this went down in the NBA, players who were good out of the shoot made much, much more money than with the previous system because they weren't throwing as much money at busts.

i think the key point is that if sam goes out this year, he is going to get the crap pummelled out of him because he is going to be 21 years old and expected to start from day 1. he'll be a shadow of what he could be if he is allowed to mature a little bit before he is thrown into the fire.

JKM -- This is exactly why he would stay. Here's the reason, and the only real reason, that Mr Bradford might turn down the $50 million. On the other hand, who turns down $50 million? Well, something else to keep us busy during the off season.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Won't keep us busy to long. He has to declare in January I believe

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

SO, what i'm saying is....if you can get 39 million GUARANTEED or 9 million guaranteed, which one would YOU take.

assumption 1 - the new CBA reduces max rookie contracts to 3 years like the NBA

assumption 2 - NFL revenue sharing stays exactly the same

assumption 3 - they fix price max contracts based on tenure in the league (like they did with the NBA)

given these assumptions, what we are going to see is that the better players at key positions in the league are going to end up with a higher % of the pay than currently. this will most likely be on the following positions:

LOT, CB, DT, DE, QB

humorously the positions that they pay so frickin much out of the draft for. so what you are going to see is the money that the rookies were commanding being shuffled to the vets. what this most likely means for waiting is that sam will get 3 mill a year guaranteed as a rookie but 8 mill a year as a free agent (similar to what we see in the NBA) IF he produces.

so - 39 mill over 8 years or 41 mill over 7 years.

now there are 2 arguments for taking the money now:

1) the contract is front loaded
2) there is no guarantee of the 2nd contract (though as a QB the only question would be the amount)

the 2 big arguments for waiting are:
1) less likelihood of getting killed as a rookie, stunting your development
2) there will be more money for QBs in the new system than the old system (and QBs last like 110 years in the NFL)

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I really don't think he goes this year anyway..I don't think any qb gets picked in the top 10

[OUster]

nic harris is gone as well.

OL - patton has proven adept at a) player development b) playing backups c) finding guys that fit our scheme

you are seriously okay with our backup WRs?
caleb - doesn't look too bad
adron tennell - has more drops than catches this year (this after being ranked out of high school 16 places in front of michael crabtree).
the other redshirts are an unknown

DOHP!, I forgot about Harris, but with Proctor, Fleming and Ibiloye waiting in the wings, I think we will be ok.

As for the wide receivers, someone addressed it earlier, but I can't help but feel partly satisfied with the way our WR's have developed in the past and Broyles, Owens and Miller with one more year of experience. I think Adron Tennell hasn't played to his potential. The year ending knee injury from last year may have affected him more than anticipated. Maybe the additional time to heal will help him get back on track. You have to admit, things don't look too shabby for next year. They definitely don't look as doubtful as the prognosticators thought at the beginning of the year and our new defensive lineup.

[SoonerEmpire]

I hear from my double secret sources that we have an incoming freshman phenom from Carson, CA named Jamelle Holieway challenging for a starting QB spot next season. I hope he doesn't suck... ;)

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

DOHP!, I forgot about Harris, but with Proctor, Fleming and Ibiloye waiting in the wings, I think we will be ok.

i'm pretty sure 1 safety will be quinton carter, who has played really well at times this year. i've watched fleming a lot on kickoff coverage and i just gotta say most of the long kicks we've given up seem to split him and matt clapp.

[Curly Bill]

Sam has already said he will stay. It has been post here before.

What else was he supposed to say when asked that question in the middle of the season? He said exactly what every other player that has left early said at the same point.

[Curly Bill]

I am not saying he won't go pro before the season I was one of the people who said if he had a good year that he would probably leave. He would have to be at least 50/50 at this point but he does seem to be loving his time in college and you're not gonna get the same college experience that he's getting now if he comes back to finish up. About the O-line I'm just sayin that we shouldn't count out next years because we still recruit good players and we already know that a few can play. I still think he stays though.

Good God! he loves college, blah, blah, blah...He'd better love it a ****in lot to put off earning millions of NFL dollars!

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Good God! he loves college, blah, blah, blah...He'd better love it a ****in lot to put off earning millions of NFL dollars!

so you are saying there is never a case where patience might net you more NFL dollars? *cough* jimmy wilkerson *cough*

[Curly Bill]

so you are saying there is never a case where patience might net you more NFL dollars? *cough* jimmy wilkerson *cough*

It can happen, then again you could have a knee blown out, or end up like Matt Lion-fart. If you're near the top of the draft you gotta go while you have a sure thing.

IMO

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

It can happen, then again you could have a knee blown out, or end up like Matt Lion-fart. If you're near the top of the draft you gotta go while you have a sure thing.

IMO

knee isn't an issue with insurance - heck he might be able to get a 100 million dollar policy for next year (subsidized by the NCAA even).

2nd point is valid and the crux of what i'm saying here - i think sam, given his position and what they are doing with the CBA, stands to make more money with a rookie salary cap situation than with the current CBA (given assumptions above). the reason is that if his stock slides he isn't pinned into an 8 year craptacular contract. he is 3 years and then show me the money, because he is accurate and, unlike leinart, he has a cannon.

remember last year, when everyone was calling me crazy for saying that kelly and reggie should have stayed? the one person i didn't say made a mistake was loftin - he struck while the iron was hot and it paid off. the other 2 just had way too much baggage that they needed to get fixed to be high picks.

[cvsooner]

i'm pretty sure 1 safety will be quinton carter, who has played really well at times this year. i've watched fleming a lot on kickoff coverage and i just gotta say most of the long kicks we've given up seem to split him and matt clapp.

Bummer. I figured Clapp was a monster for clobbering somebody.

Did you notice how Moreland just sorta went down like a turtle in the middle of the pile on the OSewe kickoff return? He made a very good block, but not for us, unfortunately.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Bummer. I figured Clapp was a monster for clobbering somebody.

Did you notice how Moreland just sorta went down like a turtle in the middle of the pile on the OSewe kickoff return? He made a very good block, but not for us, unfortunately.

you mean when we had 5 guys in the lane and 2 of them blocked the other 3? its been one of those years...

[SoonerBBall]

so you are saying there is never a case where patience might net you more NFL dollars? *cough* jimmy wilkerson *cough*

I hate it when Jimmy is brought up in these conversations because Jimmy would be the first to tell you he would have made more if he stayed. His immediate family circumstances were the reason he ended up leaving.

[Jdog]

First off, I really hope Sam stays, but when you combine the fact that NFL draft gurus have him going 1 or 2 (shouldn't change after combines) plus our entire O-Line will be graduating, both starting WR's plus Chaney, and Gresham is projected 1st round, so he might go to. It might be in Sam's best interest as a 3rd yr college player who is eligible for the draft, that he go pro.

Assuming this happens, who will be our guy in '09? Halzle is obviously a SR so we lose him to.

Can anyone please tell me some particulars about Landry Jones, the 6'4" 210 lb frosh? Phil Steele's mag has him ranked #3 out of HS.

I'm hoping some of you HS recruiting gurus can chime in with all the details about the next Sooner signal-caller.



Thanks.
What guru has him going 1 or 2?

the best I've found is walter camp where he's ranked 51st - and he's 3rd among QBs. he's staying.

[sooner59]

When Sam decides to move on, we should just clone him.

[JLEW1818]

Seen a couple weeks ago, Mcshay had him number 1

[OU4LIFE]

knee isn't an issue with insurance - heck he might be able to get a 100 million dollar policy for next year (subsidized by the NCAA even).

2nd point is valid and the crux of what i'm saying here - i think sam, given his position and what they are doing with the CBA, stands to make more money with a rookie salary cap situation than with the current CBA (given assumptions above). the reason is that if his stock slides he isn't pinned into an 8 year craptacular contract. he is 3 years and then show me the money, because he is accurate and, unlike leinart, he has a cannon.

remember last year, when everyone was calling me crazy for saying that kelly and reggie should have stayed? the one person i didn't say made a mistake was loftin - he struck while the iron was hot and it paid off. the other 2 just had way too much baggage that they needed to get fixed to be high picks.

You're assuming that Sam stays healthy and continues to develop into an NFl QB. IF he does stay healthy, and continues to develop, the sky's the limit, but you can say that whether he leaves now for front loaded guaranteed money, or later for long term free agent money.

I'm just saying there are a LOT of 'ifs' to the staying argument. and not nearly as many in the leaving argument.

Ryan Leaf looked like the second coming out of college, he's still counting his guaranteed money. I say get it while you can.

I want Sam to get everything he can get at the best time he can get it. Whatever that means for OU is secondary.

[boomermagic]

Ok let me put it to you a different way.

It's YOUR situation, You're working a job that you signed on for four years to do, but I'm going to offer you 50 million reason to come work for me, but only if you do it this year. And you could go back to your old job at your leisure to finish up your project.

OR you can come work for me next year after you've completed your project, for 8 million reasons.

your call.


Hello boss... When do I start ?:D

[boomermagic]

Sam has already said he will stay. It has been post here before.

Are you a betting man ? I am..:D

[boomermagic]

You're assuming that Sam stays healthy and continues to develop into an NFl QB. IF he does stay healthy, and continues to develop, the sky's the limit, but you can say that whether he leaves now for front loaded guaranteed money, or later for long term free agent money.

I'm just saying there are a LOT of 'ifs' to the staying argument. and not nearly as many in the leaving argument.

Ryan Leaf looked like the second coming out of college, he's still counting his guaranteed money. I say get it while you can.

I want Sam to get everything he can get at the best time he can get it. Whatever that means for OU is secondary.

I am just the opposite.. I am OU{TEAM} all the way.. Now, Having said that the perfect situation would be IF Sam were to stay and NOT BE INJURED, and IF Sam were to have a great year and IF he were to be offered more money.. I'm all for that but We live in the real world... Sam will take the money and run.. That's what anyone would do... You can't blame Sam..

[mjhurani]

Dad-gummit, I just saw ESPN's Todd McShay give his updated NFL Draft #'s 1-5 and he has Sam going #1 to the Detroit Lions. I know there's probably not a college QB around who would wanna play in Detroit, but if he's gonna be #1 he almost has to leave. They were saying Leinart was gonna be #1 in 2005 but he decided to stay 1 more yr and then he dropped to #10. It literally cost him millions. It also happened to Colt Brennan of Hawaii. For every Peyton Manning who gets rewarded by staying 4 yrs there are like 5 guys who drop lower than they would have gone. Strike when the iron is hot, I guess.

The worst part about the draft gurus picking Sam to go first is that underclassmen only have until Jan 15th to declare so it's not like they even get to go to the combines and get dropped down the list. Maybe if Sam went to the combine they would tell him he has more stuff to work on and he would stay 1 more yr. Unfortunately, the combines are way after the early departure deadline of Jan 15th.

Selfishly, I really wish he would stay 1 more yr so we can all watch him dominate again but selflessly I want the best for the kid and it looks like he's gonna have to go.

Oh well, at least there will be tons of new QB's lining up to come play in Norman in this great offense in the most storied program in all of college football..

[OUAlumni1990]

Landry Jones film clips on rivals.com look pretty good. He looks sharp, but we will likely have a rebuilding year on offense.

[TMcGee86]

I know Matt Lienart is the popular example, but I'm really not that sure he would have been the #1 pick. NFL scouts never liked him as much as ESPN and the rest. They knew his mobility was suspect along with his arm.

It's not like he had a bad Sr. year. So what dropped his stock? It was him actually working out for scouts and them getting a real idea of his measurables.

That easily could have happened in 04 if he had declared then.

[KC//CRIMSON]

We'll know who the quarterback at Oklahoma will be on January 16th.

[mobilesteve]

I know Matt Lienart is the popular example, but I'm really not that sure he would have been the #1 pick. NFL scouts never liked him as much as ESPN and the rest. They knew his mobility was suspect along with his arm.

It's not like he had a bad Sr. year. So what dropped his stock? It was him actually working out for scouts and them getting a real idea of his measurables.

That easily could have happened in 04 if he had declared then.

There is a 100% chance the 49'ers would have taken Leinart over Alex Smith. There's also a 99% Alex Smith killed all 6' QB's from ever getting drafted high again.

[mjhurani]

I know Matt Lienart is the popular example, but I'm really not that sure he would have been the #1 pick. NFL scouts never liked him as much as ESPN and the rest. They knew his mobility was suspect along with his arm.

It's not like he had a bad Sr. year. So what dropped his stock? It was him actually working out for scouts and them getting a real idea of his measurables.

That easily could have happened in 04 if he had declared then.

There were fewer impact players coming out in '05. In '06, his own teammate Reggie Bush coming out and of course Vince Young who had back-to-back incredible Rose Bowls. Your mention of his measurables did not help but he was almost a guarantee to go #1 to the Niners in '05 as the measurables were less important to them than his seemingly incredible upside after the '04 BCS title game.

[mjhurani]

There is a 100% chance the 49'ers would have taken Leinart over Alex Smith. There's also a 99% Alex Smith killed all 6' QB's from ever getting drafted high again.

I agree with the first part that Leinart woulda gone to SF over Smith.

Regarding the second part, Smith is actually 6'4", so his height is not the problem. His grasp of the game, or lack thereof, seems to be the problem.

He might have hurt future spread-option type QB's from being taken very high again, but his height was certainly not a question. Also, he seemingly spent his entire college career in the shotgun and rarely under center. That did not help his cause either in the NFL.

[StormySooner-IN]

Why would Sam leave? He would go to Detroit. No amount of money in the world is worth living in Detroit.
or playing for Detorit.

Not only are they 0-14 now, but they are always bad. ALWAYS.

Good college legends go to die there.

Please stay Sam. :(

[GrowlinGator]

From what I've heard I think Bradford would go in the 3-5 range. Possibly Seattle where he wouldn't be expected to be an immediate starter, that is if the Bama OL is off the board .

As much as I think he's overrated, Stafford goes to the Lions if I had to guess because he has perfect mechanics but at times iffy decision making, where as Bradford has great decision making but his footwork and throwing mechanics aren't the perfect prototypical NFL style yet. Lions want an immediate starter and Stafford's flaw is the easier of the two to coach.

That said, I think Bradford should (and if I had to guess will) go this year, because you can't be confident that you will play well or stay healthy for that big free agent deal later once they change the system, better to get your upfront guaranteed money now.

And Sam looks like he'll make a great pro-QB and somewhere in the 3-5 range is probably going to be a better fit than being the immediate starter in Detroit anyways.

[mjhurani]

The most compelling reasons for Sam to leave would be that he just had a huge statistical season winning the Heisman (pros care more about his size, arm strength, and poise in the pocket) and has a sky high stock right now. All 5 starting O-lineman graduate as do the top 3 WR's (Iglesias, Johnson, and Chaney). I'm also hearing that if Gresham declares he will be considered the best TE in the draft so he'll be drafted high as well. 2009 will definitely be a rebuilding yr for the offense so the defense will have to carry OU next fall, kind of like 2005. I think it's imperative that this group wins the BCS title game on Jan 8th because the next run probably won't happen until 2010, but I think it's fair to say another national championship run is on the horizon because this yr's great team and exposure will only attract better and better talent to Norman for years to come..

[OU4LIFE]

The most compelling reasons for Sam to leave would be that he just had a huge statistical season winning the Heisman (pros care more about his size, arm strength, and poise in the pocket) and has a sky high stock right now. All 5 starting O-lineman graduate as do the top 3 WR's (Iglesias, Johnson, and Chaney). I'm also hearing that if Gresham declares he will be considered the best TE in the draft so he'll be drafted high as well. 2009 will definitely be a rebuilding yr for the offense so the defense will have to carry OU next fall, kind of like 2005. I think it's imperative that this group wins the BCS title game on Jan 8th because the next run probably won't happen until 2010, but I think it's fair to say another national championship run is on the horizon because this yr's great team and exposure will only attract better and better talent to Norman for years to come..

We lose 3 starting OL, 4 is you count Walker but he subs in and out a lot. We lose the 3 tops WR's , but there's plenty coming up, and we return every RB.

I hardly see it as a rebuilding year.

[CarolinaSoonerFan]

knee isn't an issue with insurance - heck he might be able to get a 100 million dollar policy for next year (subsidized by the NCAA even).

2nd point is valid and the crux of what i'm saying here - i think sam, given his position and what they are doing with the CBA, stands to make more money with a rookie salary cap situation than with the current CBA (given assumptions above). the reason is that if his stock slides he isn't pinned into an 8 year craptacular contract. he is 3 years and then show me the money, because he is accurate and, unlike leinart, he has a cannon.

remember last year, when everyone was calling me crazy for saying that kelly and reggie should have stayed? the one person i didn't say made a mistake was loftin - he struck while the iron was hot and it paid off. the other 2 just had way too much baggage that they needed to get fixed to be high picks.

Who is this Kelly you refer to? Slow times is all I remember>>>

[badger]

View and laugh. (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=brain/081215&sportCat=ncf)

[mjhurani]

We lose 3 starting OL, 4 is you count Walker but he subs in and out a lot. We lose the 3 tops WR's , but there's plenty coming up, and we return every RB.

I hardly see it as a rebuilding year.

The only returners of significance on the O-line are Williams & Simmons, but losing the 5 SR's does hurt. At WR, Broyles & Caleb will be good but the production will drop a bit.

As far as rebuilding, did you sleep through 2005 when we went 7-4 in the regular season?

Look, I'm as a big an OU fan as anyone, but we have to be realistic. The fact that in our "rebuilding years" like 2005 we can go 7-4 then go win a bowl game over a 10-1 Oregon team is pretty amazing. Every program goes through some ups and downs. We have a Top 5 head coach with an incredible staff and we have a Top 3 historical football tradition, but in this day and age, every school in the country, even the top ones, go through rebuilding seasons.

For us, it's looking like 2009 will be an 8-4 or 9-3 regular season at best, with 2010 being another great run for us at the BCS title. I'm okay with it because in this day and age of college football parity, it's a reality that it will happen at even the top schools like OU.

[EstablishedSooner1967]

Who ever Bob wants to be...