Swelling postpones Bradford's surgery

The St. Louis Rams have postponed quarterback Sam Bradford's knee surgery, which had been scheduled for Tuesday, due to swelling.

Coach Jeff Fisher said Wednesday no new date has been set for the procedure to repair a torn left ACL, but anticipated it would be soon. The team previously announced the surgery would be done by Dr. James Andrews, who also operated on the quarterback's shoulder at Oklahoma.

''It will be in the near future,'' Fisher said. ''During some of the rehab, he swelled up a little bit, so we just decided to wait. Nothing to be alarmed about.''

Bradford has been exercising to strengthen the knee and quadriceps prior to surgery, perhaps easing the rehab path. He's also been on his feet a lot at practice and on game days.

The Rams anticipate Bradford, the first overall pick of the 2010 draft, will be back in time for next year's opener.

''Back in the old days, they'd cast you for half your life,'' Fisher said. ''Now, you come out of the procedure and they're already working on the range of motion, so it's different. That's why they're coming back so fast.''

Backup Kellen Clemens makes his third straight start Sunday at Indianapolis for the Rams (3-6), who have lost three in a row.