"For Sam Bradford, Sunday's game in Dallas is as close at it gets to an NFL homecoming. He grew up in Oklahoma City, about 3½ hours north on I-35. Oklahoma is Cowboys country when it comes to pro football; always has been.

But when the Rams drafted Bradford No. 1 overall in 2010, Bradford's No. 8 jersey started springing up in malls and stores throughout the Sooner state. And some of those Tony Romo No. 9 Cowboys jerseys were moved to the discount racks.

So there could be even more Oklahomans than usual in the stands at Cowboys Stadium when the Rams come to town for a 3:15 p.m. kickoff. Bradford has received more than a few ticket requests from friends and family.

"And I would hate to get tickets for people to watch me stand on the sideline," Bradford said. "So hopefully, I'm getting tickets for people that are going to see me play."

Yes, there is that not-so-small matter of Bradford's high ankle sprain. It occurred on the Rams' last offensive play of the game against Green Bay. Basically, the entire pocket collapsed on him and he got hit from a few angles. There was such a heap of humanity that game tape doesn't really show exactly how Bradford's left ankle was hurt.

"I got hit from the front, I got hit from the back, and that's about all I know," Bradford said.

On Wednesday, about all he could say for certain about the injury is that it's getting better and he's doing everything possible to play in his backyard Sunday.

"Whether we were playing in Dallas or whether we were playing in Alaska, I'm going to do everything I can to play every Sunday," Bradford said. "But I've had this Dallas game circled for a while now knowing that it is about as close to home as I get. It'd mean a lot for me to play down there, so hopefully it'll be ready."

Bradford didn't practice Wednesday; in fact, he wasn't on the field."