OT Mccaffrey to skip Sun Bowl to focus on draft

[BlueMAB]

I will be shocked if he goes in the first round. Strangely, I think his versatility may hurt him. Is he a Running Back, a Slot Receiver, or a utility guy? Is he Wes Welker or Darren Sproles? If his career matches either of those players he will have had a good career. But I doubt anyone would take Welker or Sproles with a first round pick if they could go back in time.

As for skipping the bowl game, I doubt I would do it....but I have no problem with him and Fournette doing so. Schools treat these kids like commodities. Can't blame them when they start acting like commodities. Coaches leave during bowl season all the time. Most scholarships are still one year deals. Why should the players be held to a higher standard?

I've seen him projected anywhere from 15+/- to late first round.

And based on NCAA bylaws (unless they've changed very recently) ALL scholarships are one year deals.

 

[RioDog]

Your response is not shocking. It's shows you don't even understand the concept. Being a person of character is a matter of personal integrity. It has nothing to do with pleasing a guy on a message board. It has everything to do whether your word means anything. Some times you make commitments that become really painful to keep and that's when your character is tested. The truth is without character, it doesn't matter how wealthy you are. You're diminished and no amount of money fixes that. But, understanding that is the difference between older generations and newer ones. The team plays to win as a team. There are kids on that team that played their hearts out that will never have a chance to play pro but still put their bodies on the line for that kid to be a hero. Why do they have to lose their best player and walk away with a loss so he doesn't have to risk being hurt? Why is he any better than the last player on that bench that showed up every practice to get the Shiite kicked out if him playing scout team? No, this is self centered materialism at its worst. The kid is a loser.

While I don't disagree with your points, I think you've greatly oversimplified what could be a complex situation. You keep talking about commitment to his team as if that existed in some kind of bubble; as if he wasn't a member of some other team such as his family. Maybe those folks have supported him since before he was a college player. Maybe they made sacrifices to promote his success and are now counting on him for financial support. Your assumption that his decision is based on personal greed is insulting to the player and could be completely wrong. Are you a mind reader? I know I'm not. So what if he plays in the bowl game and gets hurt? Who suffers? The NCAA? Nope. The school? Nope. They got their pound of flesh. Now the scenario is a little more complicated than the one you painted. Maybe he has to chose between loyalties to 2 different teams; family or school. Not a pleasant decision to make, and for all we know the kid may be suffering with his choice. But for me the only "manly" choice in the scenario I described is obvious.

I actually like the idea another poster had a bout the school indemnifying him for potential lost income. Perfect solution. If they want him to play in the game so badly then let them pony up. Better yet, if the NCAA is counting on his name to bring money/interest/viewers then let them split the insurance tab with the school. Clearly the only interests that gain from his participation are the school and the NCAA. So let hem share the risk with the player. If they're not interested in that then I don't see why the kid should be expected to assume all of the risk.

 

[Exit 4]

Why only skip the bowl games, why not skip the last couple games of the year as well if your school already has two losses and you are a projected 1st round pick?

I could see this kid falling to the Pats late in the 1st round..although Denver will be under pressure to take their local kid and son of a former player. As a Giants fan, I don't want him - we have Odell and have other needs to fill.

 

[storrsroars]

James Conner is playing his team's bowl game in hopes he moves up the draft chart with his performance.

His situation is not the same as the other two - they have nothing to gain. Conner does.

Conner is currently the 14th ranked back in the draft. He should be at least top 10 if not higher. Kid is a stud. If he hadn't lost last year to cancer, he'd have been a Heisman candidate, IMO. Whatever team gets him is gonna get a steal.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I fully support Fournette & McCaffrey skipping their meaningless bowl games to focus on the draft.

My only issue is that people don't get to call them team players.

 

[freescooter]

If you are on a team you play until the season is over. That simple. Without Stanford football he isn't going to the NFL. This idea that nobody has any responsibility to anyone beyond himself is really a pretty sad state of affairs. At some point taking it to its logical conclusion you'll see players sitting out regular season games especially if they are either out of contention or losing. Why make an effort if you can't go on to the conference title/final four. Bett r quit on your team mates so you don't risk getting hurt and maybe lower your draft place.

 

[Colt house75]

Feldman: Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette are the beginning of a bowl-skipping trend

USAT: Enough: McCaffrey is a team player, and skipping bowl is right for him

NYT:http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/s...an-mccaffrey-stanford-skip-sun-bowl.html?_r=0

Bowl skipping trend will become the norm for potential draft picks and maybe it is a good thing. For many of the players coming out of college,
the contract they sign might be their first and last.

The trend: When was the last time you saw Tom Brady at the Pro bowl?
The NBA All star game is a total offensive "show" with little contact....
The change of format for the NFL Pro Bowl

Maybe the end result is this: ESPN loses enough $$$ in the meaningless bowl games that the championship playoff is expanded from
4 teams to 8 teams (or 16 teams where every conference with 5 other at large teams).

FOLLOW THE $$ trail and that is the future.

 

[storrsroars]

Bowl skipping trend will become the norm for potential draft picks and maybe it is a good thing. For many of the players coming out of college,
the contract they sign might be their first and last.

The trend: When was the last time you saw Tom Brady at the Pro bowl?
The NBA All star game is a total offensive "show" with little contact....
The change of format for the NFL Pro Bowl

Maybe the end result is this: ESPN loses enough $$$ in the meaningless bowl games that the championship playoff is expanded from
4 teams to 8 teams (or 16 teams where every conference with 5 other at large teams).

FOLLOW THE $$ trail and that is the future.

Exactly. And conversely, if pulling out of 2nd and 3rd tier bowl games begins to affect the earning power of those players, they'll stop doing it. So the onus is really on the NFL and how much value they place on a prospect being a "stand-up teammate", or if they're simply looking to draft another slab of meat to put thru the processor.

It's probably always going to be the latter, but it's nice to think that this could backfire on the McCaffrey's of the world.

 

[polycom]

Why only skip the bowl games, why not skip the last couple games of the year as well if your school already has two losses and you are a projected 1st round pick?

I could see this kid falling to the Pats late in the 1st round..although Denver will be under pressure to take their local kid and son of a former player. As a Giants fan, I don't want him - we have Odell and have other needs to fill.

Good thing you post on a message board and you aren't the Giants GM.

 

[Exit 4]

Good thing you post on a message board and you aren't the Giants GM.

The kid will be an injury machine. Lets circle back in 3 years. I want the best available of the following positions: OT, TE, DE or MLB in round 1.

 

[BlueMAB]

If you are on a team you play until the season is over. That simple. Without Stanford football he isn't going to the NFL. This idea that nobody has any responsibility to anyone beyond himself is really a pretty sad state of affairs. At some point taking it to its logical conclusion you'll see players sitting out regular season games especially if they are either out of contention or losing. Why make an effort if you can't go on to the conference title/final four. Bett r quit on your team mates so you don't risk getting hurt and maybe lower your draft place.

That's such a silly argument. McCaffrey's decision makes sense for him. That doesn't mean it's right for everyone. He had do deal with injuries this year, and he's in a position where he could vault from late first/second round, to the top 15-20. One more game in college won't do that, but eye popping numbers at the combine would. Exhibit A: Byron Jones. There was nothing he could do in a Bowl Game that would have improved his draft stock the way his combine performance did. There's a point of diminishing returns. Deciding not to play for half a season would probably leave most GMs and coaches with a negative impression. There's a huge difference between skipping 3-4 regular season games, and skipping an exhibition game to give yourself more time to prep. It doesn't make sense for everyone, it makes sense for him.

You keep talking about commitment to his team as if that existed in some kind of bubble; as if he wasn't a member of some other team such as his family. Maybe those folks have supported him since before he was a college player. Maybe they made sacrifices to promote his success and are now counting on him for financial support.

I don't disagree with your argument, but FYI, he's the son of a former NFL player, Ed McCaffrey Ed McCaffrey - Wikipedia

He played 12 years in the league, I don't know for certain what their financial situation is, but the chances are it is better than most.

I fully support Fournette & McCaffrey skipping their meaningless bowl games to focus on the draft.

My only issue is that people don't get to call them team players.

That's a fair argument, but as long as his teammates continue to call them team players, then I'll take their word for it. I don't think anyone NOT on the team has as much credibility when discussing who is or isn't a team player.

 

[polycom]

That's such a silly argument. McCaffrey's decision makes sense for him. That doesn't mean it's right for everyone. He had do deal with injuries this year, and he's in a position where he could vault from late first/second round, to the top 15-20. One more game in college won't do that, but eye popping numbers at the combine would. Exhibit A: Byron Jones. There was nothing he could do in a Bowl Game that would have improved his draft stock the way his combine performance did. There's a point of diminishing returns. Deciding not to play for half a season would probably leave most GMs and coaches with a negative impression. There's a huge difference between skipping 3-4 regular season games, and skipping an exhibition game to give yourself more time to prep. It doesn't make sense for everyone, it makes sense for him.



I don't disagree with your argument, but FYI, he's the son of a former NFL player, Ed McCaffrey Ed McCaffrey - Wikipedia

He played 12 years in the league, I don't know for certain what their financial situation is, but the chances are it is better than most.



That's a fair argument, but as long as his teammates continue to call them team players, then I'll take their word for it. I don't think anyone NOT on the team has as much credibility when discussing who is or isn't a team player.

Ed McCaffrey - Wikipedia

Kids won the genetic lottery...

 

[The Funster]

How about a fear of loss of that "consensus", and dropping down from #1 to #5... or worse...which could mean millions of dollars lost.

That can happen. Perhaps an NFL team looks at him and questions his character? Part of me is saying the kid has an obligation and should play. The other part of me says, "Screw the NCAA, they won't be able to sponge money off some of these kids as they walk out the door."

 

[BHusky]

Why only skip the bowl games, why not skip the last couple games of the year as well if your school already has two losses and you are a projected 1st round pick?

I could see this kid falling to the Pats late in the 1st round..although Denver will be under pressure to take their local kid and son of a former player. As a Giants fan, I don't want him - we have Odell and have other needs to fill.

Belichick doesn't take RB/WR's in the first round, so there is no way he goes to the Pats. They will have other needs come draft day and there isn't room for McCaffrey anyway with White/Lewis/Edelman/Amedola/Jones as RB's/slot WR's/returners.

 

[huskymedic]

John Werner ‏@JohnWernerTrib 12m 12 minutes ago
Baylor senior running back Shock Linwood has elected not to play in Cactus Bowl to focus on possible NFL career.

?Not a team Player?

Bruce Feldman@BruceFeldmanCFB 6 mins ago
#Baylor's all-time leading rusher .. also had been suspended for "attitude issues" earlier this year.

 

[FartMan69]

I hope this kills the Bowl system. It's such a stupid thing to begin with and now that ESPN owns all of them and uses them as advertising cash cows I say that's a good thing

 

[BHusky]

The NCAA created this mess by more than doubling the number of bowl games in the last 20 years

I hope this kills the Bowl system. It's such a stupid thing to begin with and now that ESPN owns all of them and uses them as advertising cash cows I say that's a good thing

And the only place to put the blame is on the NCAA who created this mess in the first place. You reap what you sow and in their case they got greedy and are starting to feel the repercussions of that. In the last 20 years they have more than doubled the number of bowl games to drive their own revenue. What was once a major accomplishment to make a bowl game is now just a watered down participation trophy and players/teams have recognized that. Why jeopardize an injury in a game that the public has now deemed meaningless (outside of New Year's Bowls and the Playoff).

 

[MilliniumPrince]

I've seen him projected anywhere from 15+/- to late first round.

And based on NCAA bylaws (unless they've changed very recently) ALL scholarships are one year deals.

I have seen similar projections. He was a great college athlete, but I just don't see him in the first round.

The BIG 10 has guaranteed scholarships (as long as the athlete stays in good standing with the University and the Athletic Dept.).

 

[MilliniumPrince]

If you are on a team you play until the season is over. That simple. Without Stanford football he isn't going to the NFL. This idea that nobody has any responsibility to anyone beyond himself is really a pretty sad state of affairs. At some point taking it to its logical conclusion you'll see players sitting out regular season games especially if they are either out of contention or losing. Why make an effort if you can't go on to the conference title/final four. Bett r quit on your team mates so you don't risk getting hurt and maybe lower your draft place.

Officially, Stanford's season is over. And don't kid yourself, he could have played in 50 or 60 different programs and still made the League. I also think it is fair if Stanford tells him he has to pay for any remaining courses toward his degree. As we all know, the most important thing to Division I Programs is the education of their players. Take away that his academic ride if they see fit.

The point made earlier in the thread is a great one. Stanford can offer to cover him for say $5 Million if they want him to play in an exhibition.

 

[Jax Husky]

I fully support Fournette & McCaffrey skipping their meaningless bowl games to focus on the draft.

My only issue is that people don't get to call them team players.

Just to clear one thing up, Fournette has been hurt all year and only played in 6 games due to a nagging high ankle sprain that requires a minor surgery to fix. He needs these extra weeks to rest and prepare for the career that will put food on his daughter's table.

I keep seeing commentary and hearing pundits jibber jabber, while conveniently leaving this out to further thei own agendas and talking points about being "team players". This is the kind of ish that no talent old wbite guys named Kornheiser love.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

I don't think this was posted...some interesting perspectives here. The only way Richt makes sense if he says that coaches also have to stay through bowl games.

Richt critical of standouts skipping bowls: 'Sad'

I think if I had spent that much time with my teammates, it would be hard to sit out my final game. I get that most of these games are meaningless, but for the non NFL guys, it's your final game and it means something. And having the best guys on the field trying to win seems like it would be important to them. It's a tough call, but I can't imagine sitting it out. ( unless you are banged up like Fournette).

 

[superjohn]

Trenton Irwin ‏@trenton_4 3h 3 hours ago
The whole team supports @CMccaffrey5 in everything and anything. Hes been a leader to this team through the easy times and tough times.

TheNFLWire ‏@TheNFLWire 1h 1 hour ago
Stanford's Solomon Thomas posts tribute to draft-bound teammate, roommate Christian McCaffrey

My buddy is close friends with Trent Irwin's dad. Great kid and a tight-knit team at Stanford.