Sophomore slump for Bradford?

By John Shinn
The Norman Transcript

August 10, 2008 01:19 am

— Sam Bradford admits he’s heard of sophomore slumps, but that’s as far as he’s willing to go on the topic.
The Oklahoma quarterback doesn’t believe in the notion that those who experienced breakout freshman seasons must suffer some sort of dip their following season.
“If you believe in something, it is going to happen,” Bradford said.
Whether or not Bradford experiences a sophomore slump will be determined over the next the five months.
OU coaches haven’t spent a great deal of time discussing it either. They’ve raved about Bradford’s mental makeup since his redshirt season in 2006.
They’ve been impressed with the way he became the team’s unquestioned leader following his unexpected freshman success.
To them, all signs to point toward Bradford coming up with a suitable encore this season.
“The key thing as a quality player is to have the confidence to be a leader but also to play within himself and not push the limit,” offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said. “The key to a young player who played so well is to stay mature and grounded and not cross the line.
“A sophomore slump happens when he doesn’t have a supporting cast, if he’s arrogant and thinks he’s better than he is or when he tries to make plays he can’t make. Sam has the makeup to avoid the pitfalls, but we’ll see.”
If he stumbles, his fortunes will fall in line with those of several recent freshmen All-American quarterbacks. Of the previous four to receive the honor from The Sporting News, only one has offered an even better sophomore season.
Bradford’s freshman season will be a tough act to follow. He could play very well and still have a hard time duplicating his freshman numbers. And the only recent freshman All-American to defy the sophomore slump trend has been West Virginia’s Pat White in 2006. White showed a marked improvement in passing numbers. Still, none of the last four in Bradford’s spot was able to lead their team to a better win-loss record.
The reasons for the slump, or lack of win-loss improvement differ. The most common reason has been beyond the quarterback’s control. In the cases of Florida’s Chris Leak in 2003, Michigan’s Chad Henne in 2004 and Texas’s Colt McCoy in 2006, the biggest reason for their dips, arguably, was a change in the caliber of teammates surrounding them.
All of them entered their sophomore seasons leading offenses with different personnel than their freshmen season. McCoy, for instance, played with several veterans of Texas’ 2005 national championship team. By the time he became a sophomore, most of them were gone.
But that shouldn’t be a problem for Bradford. His entire offensive line, most of his receivers and most of his running backs remain Sooners.
As far humility goes, those who play with Bradford believe his confidence has grown while his ego hasn’t.
“Sam’s always been very calm,” wide receiver Manny Johnson said. “There isn’t much that affects him.”
Will there be more pressure on him this season? You bet. Playing quarterback at a program like OU isn’t easy. Especially after the season he’s coming off of. Bradford, though, expects more from himself anyway.
“I have had a year of experience, so this season I should be able to make more plays. I might try to force things, but I still need to realize that it is still playing football and still the same game,” he said. “You have to take care of the football, you can’t make mistakes and you still have to put points on the board. I think just staying focused 100 percent of the time is something that I need to do.”
And while Bradford may feel the pressure to lead and improve at his position, he shouldn’t feel the pressure of duplicating last season’s statistics; statistics that made him the nation’s leader in passing efficiency. The most important number to Bradford is victories.
“It all depends on the situation that you’re in,” he said. “There are a lot of things that I can do to be a better quarterback, and there are a lot of things that I can do to help our team win. I didn’t look so much at the numbers, but the bigger things that I can do to help this team win.”
It’s really pretty simple.
If OU wins a third straight Big 12 title and plays for a national championship, nobody will be blaming Bradford.
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com

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