CFB players leaving for draft prep

This is ridiculous. Just saw where RB Fournette will not play in LSU's bowl game so he can start preparing for the NFL draft. There have been others in the past weeks. Charles Walker DL from Oklahoma as well.

These kids are actually leaving their team to work on some insignificant drills. Not only does this leave your teammates and coaches trying to fill a big hole, but now you are taking one of the best diagnostic tools away from the evaluators you are trying so hard to impress - game tape.

I'm not talking about leaving as a junior, I'm referring to the ones who are leaving before their final game. I know Fournette is nursing an ankle injury and who knows if he would have been healthy enough to play but I have to question the decision to leave your team. Seems very selfish imo. How will NFL evaluators respond?

 

millions at stake if they get hurt in the bowl game. i may not like it but i can see their point in doing so. one game tape won't make or break some of the top guys. i would make them pay back their scholarship money for that final semester. that seems fair.

 

I am with you Turtle. Hell you can get hurt walking down the street. Most of these
players have insurance policy's set up in case for devastating injuries.

 

he's got that high ankle sprain anyway.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...s-walker-leaving-sooners-to-prepare-for-draft

Seems like Coach Stoops has the same opinion as mine, in this case its about Walker. While interim coach Oberon for LSU seemed to embrace the idea of Fournette leaving the team.

This whole thing isn't about the injuries to me. If you can't practice (or play) for the game, how are you going to prepare for the draft? But my main point is these kids making the decision to leave the team. Why do they feel the need to go to that length? They can't just support their teammates and be on the sideline even if they are injured? Seems like another "me first" generation decision. But I'm sure they'll raise hell if they don't get open access to the team's rehab equipment, etc, with them not being on the team.

I guess we'll see come draft time if there is any effect or if more players take this path in the future.

You would think Fournette would want the chance to play in the bowl as he's seen by most as the 2nd best RB on the team anyway. Just like Kevin Dodd blew up that bowl game last year.

 

Ifo Ekpre-Alamu. Which would he have rathered , his insurance policy or an NFL career? I see his point. Top 10 pick, millions of dollars, or chance to play in an unimportant bowl game for the honor of his school, with a risk of losing his career.
I see his point. These guys risk their careers every time they take the field.

 

It is quite the strenuous situation for most of these young men for sure.


Do you elect to play a game that can either boost or hurt your draft stock pending on your performance or if injured?

Or

Do you prepare yourself to test your athletic abilities against your peers to showcase you are the better talent of your position at the professional ranks via a series of drills?




Not easy at all.... for some Turtle.


How I see it, I find it interesting that Leonard is forgoing a bowl game just to get ready for a draft he already more than likely knows he is the top of the class and a top ten selection...

 

Jaylon Smith.

If I was in their position, I wouldn't play in the bowl game either. Neither McCaffrey nor Fournette need any more game tape. They're going early in the draft. I respect the decision to look out for themselves and make sure that extra game doesn't end up costing them millions of dollars. I also respect the decision to play one last game for a university that you love. It should have literally zero affect on how the NFL scouts and teams view them as players and people. Their body is their business and they need to protect it the best they can. I sure wouldn't feel good about playing in some garbage bowl game right before I stood to make millions. Not a huge risk, but no reward at all to play.

I would scoff at a mid round caliber player who could use a big bowl game to vault themselves up the draft board, but we don't see any of those guys skipping out on bowls. I'd also scoff at a player skipping an entire season to focus on the draft, but I don't think that's happened yet to my knowledge.

The real issue is that there are way too many bowls and all but like 4 of them are completely meaningless. You're going to start to see all the top players skipping out on the bs bowls and the only ones that play will be he teams that play in the CFB playoff. For this reason alone the NCAA should think about adding another round to the playoff system. This last paragraph is totally off topic lol please disregard

 

Fournette is the second best back on LSU team's, there glad to get rid of him.
How did he do against BAMA?LOL In the pros all players are good, not
just a hand full each game.

 

Jaylon Smith said he would play in the bowl game again.

http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...ision-would-be-if-he-had-a-bowl-game-to-play/

As far as Chrissy McCaffrey not playing, I thought Stanford (with him actually participating) and UNC would have been a good bowl game to watch. I'm sure I'll still watch but a little less allure without the star players. I'm sure the big donors to the schools are re-thinking their contributions. And I'm sure the 24 seniors on the roster are thankful for Chrissy's decision to abandon them on their final college game. It just surprises me that the star of the team works his ass off to win as many games as possible then bows out on the biggest one of the year. If some say its a business decision, then I find it hard to agree. To me its a committment to the team decision.

Will someone come up with a list of bowl games that are considered OK to skip and which ones are a no-no?

Then you want to expand the playoffs? I'm assuming those would be on the skip "no-no" list. A lot of great players on those championship bracket teams. Pretty high draft picks I bet. But those guys are OK if they risk their careers as you say? Why should any of them play their senior years if they've had a good soph and junior year? That's a whole season of risks. I don't see the cutoff because there is no cutoff. Play the games.

I agree some of the guys don't need the tape as much as others, but how they respond in high pressure situations like bowl games could be useful to evaluators.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...-condemns-draft-prospects-skipping-bowl-games

 

That's good on Jaylon. I respect his decision to play the game, and I'm glad he's not bitter about the injury.

I wouldn't say the Hyundai Sun Bowl is the biggest game of the year for Stanford tho. Does it match up to their biggest rivalry games with the teams they "hate"? How about the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl for Fournette? There are so many BS bowls that this is going to continue to happen. Almost every one of them is a glorified exhibition game.

There really isn't a list of no-skip bowls. I know 99% of kids wouldn't skip a chance to win a championship, so I'm assuming that the playoff games won't be ones that gets skipped. Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl... those types of games could mean something to these guys. Idk. I doubt they get skipped very frequently.

Guys won't skip entire seasons tho. That makes it very difficult. You can't just miss a whole year of competition and get better at your craft. I played professional golf for 4 years. I could skip a BS tournament that meant nothing to practice for a bigger tournament, but I couldn't take a whole year off to practice without playing a single competition. I'd almost certainly get worse.

This situation equates to something similar to skipping my final college exhibition match after we were eliminated from NCAA's to practice for PGA Tour school. I don't know whether or not I'd make that decision, but I wouldn't be upset with someone that did or judge them for it. It's an understandable decision either way it goes.

I understand where you're coming from, but, this is their body and their future. It's also extremely likely that they will make 95% of the money they make in their lifetime during their NFL career. It's not an easy decision for them to make and I think its not our place to judge them for it.

 

Sorry for the novel in the previous post turtle haha

 

What happens if said players get hurt 1rst game of season? I would also like to say there
are far too many bowl games, That being said there can be injuries playing football at any time.
I am still with you turtle playball.

 

I agree there are way too many bowls. And all these "lesser" bowls will be the worse for the wear when the star players stop playing in them. I just feel bad for the teammates who may not go on to the NFL and are playing in their last game. For them, I'm sure the "lesser" bowls are one of the highlights of their careers. But I digress, I still don't understand how taking yourself out of a football game helps you look better at the next level.

What would leave a better impression on scouts. Chrissy rushes for 200 yards in the bowl game or Chrissy sits the bowl game and improves his 3 cone shuttle and 40 time? Jaylon Smith still got drafted. Sean Spence had a career threatening injury in preseason of his first year in the NFL. It can happen at anytime.

But I get it, they want to protect their bodies for the NFL. You talk about your golf career decisions (and that's awesome, I'm a big time hack but sure have fun doing it) but that's a one person game whereas football is a team sport and they are forcing the effects of their personal decision on teammates. That's probably the part I'm stuck on and maybe why I have more respect for hockey players.

Either way, I hope at least one of the bowl games that these teams are in, turns out to be a game for the ages and the players that pulled themselves out will look back and
re-think their decision.

On the positive side, maybe someone who is not normally in the spotlight rises to the occasion and has a career game.

 

no worries, good debate on a current topic

 

Well I was never good enough to leave school early, let alone skip any golf tournaments haha I see your point on the team game vs individual game thing tho. I also hope that a kid who normally wouldn't get this opportunity absolutely kills it in the bowl game. I bet the back up RB's are stoked on the decision haha

 

WOAH
200 yards?????
you best better retract that statement
there is no way in hell he would run for that against my TAR HEELS

okay well maybe he could and probably would if he played

but still

i don't like reading it

Mitch Trubisky(Mentor Ohio) is playing and said to decide on nfl after the game
I'm torn but there is probably zero chance of the Steelers getting him anyway
Best to you Mitchy just win a bowl game it's been too long.

 

Didn't know Trubisky was from Mentor. I played them in H.S. although we were a class or two down from them as they were a big school. Northeast Ohio and Western PA home grow some killer football players.

 

Ok on another topic that is related...I think the coaches that leave their teams to HC another team in the time between the final regular season game and the bowl game are exponentially worse. That is just unfathomable to me. I guess no one likes to finish what they start. Bunch of spineless pyssies imo. Do they really think the HC job is going to be filled by the time bowl season is over if the team is pursuing them that aggressively? Please...

So now I feel like Peter from Family Guy - "You know what really Grinds my Gears?" lol Either way, eff those coaches, way to show leadership. Bailing at the first opportunity.

 

Until we see college football players being compensated for what they make these colleges.
We will continue to see defection, it's a shame really. Universities make all this money off these players.
Eliminate about half the bowl games would be a start in the right direction.

 

my god don't get me started on these colleges
there is a fine line tho of what is payment

 

McCaffrey missed a couple of games due to injury, so I can see his concern, he is the most versitile player in this draft, he can play 4 positions at a high level, running back, kick returner, slot and wide receiver, and his dad Ed is a retired NFL player who probably advised him to skip his bowl game, and if we could somehow land Chris in this draft what a boost that would be to our offense and special teams......

 

jake butt from mich. just lost a lot of money with his injury.

 

Yet Jabrill Peppers a true superstar is crying because he could not play in bowl game ?