NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, echoing coach Bob Stoops, said Tuesday that questions remain about his return to competition.

Included are whether he will return, or — if his shoulder does not favorably respond — whether surgery might eventually be necessary, although further damage around what essentially is a separation has not been indicated.
“I don’t know if I can give you a definitive answer, but right now, I do feel like, yes, I will be back at some point,” Bradford said.
He conceded that off-season surgery was possible.
“It’s just all a matter of how my arm reacts to making all the throws that I have to, to the stress that going through a season puts on it,” Bradford said.
“I mean, all the doctors I’ve talked to, it’s all a matter of how my arm reacts. Until I get out there, until I practice, until I make all the throws, until I play in a game, I’m not going to know. And no one’s going to know.”
As he attempts to return for the 2-2 Sooners for Saturday’s Big 12 Conference opener against Baylor, Bradford discussed a wide range of topics, including those who were critical of his decision not to enter last year’s NFL Draft and those who feel he should walk away from this season.
“I knew from Day One that coming back and playing another year, there was a possibility of getting hurt,” he said. “But I felt like the benefits of coming back and going through another year of college ... outweighed the risk of coming back and getting hurt.
“I still feel I made the right decision. I can’t change that decision. So there’s really no reason to look back and second-guess myself now. I mean, money’s not everything. Some people, they think it is. But to me, there are a lot more things. I dreamed about coming to Oklahoma and playing football. We didn’t have a pro team in Oklahoma, so this was like my pro team.
“My experience here has been unbelievable. I felt like coming back and adding to my experience would be a great thing for me.”
Bradford’s decision to return also was based partly on making another run at a national championship. But he said shelving this season has not entered his mind despite the Sooners’ two losses.
“You say the national championship’s out of the picture, but what happens if we win nine straight games and we win the Big 12?” he posed. “You know, there’s still a possibility to win another Big 12 championship and become the first team to win four straight Big 12 titles.
“I mean, I still think there’s a lot in front of this team. It would be extremely selfish for me to say, ’Oh, the possibility of a national championship is slim now, so why come back?’
“I’ve spent so many hours with these guys, and for me to say or even think about something like that is just extremely selfish.”
Bradford said the uncertainty about his return has been “one of the most frustrating things about it” and that his NFL future is “a concern.”
He said he felt good after Monday’s practice, but that he also felt good last Tuesday.
“(The shoulder) did get sore as the week went along,” he said. “It seemed like the main thing was that at the end of the week, I just didn’t feel comfortable with the amount of preparation I had.”
He said he would like to have a game in hand before next week’s Texas game, but the next couple of days will determine if that is possible.
“Just for the fact that this is when we get the most work against our defense and during those periods, that’s as close to a game-like situation as we get,” he said. “Obviously, me not playing in a game for a couple of weeks, it’s going to be important for me to get those reps.”
Stoops said the decision on Bradford’s status likely would be made Thursday.