Star players skipping bowl games

#1
fade route

fade route

Just being honest
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#1
SIAP - McCaffery and Fournette skipped their bowl games to protect themselves from injury and risk their draft status and they went #4 and #8 respectively. Jake Butt tore his ACL in Michigan's bowl game and was projected to be a 1st round pick and slipped to the 5th round because of the injury.

My question is this - would you hold it against a star UT player for sitting out a bowl game to protect their draft status?

What if it's a significant bowl?

My opinion is that I don't have a problem with it unless its the playoff game and national title game. Guys have to protect their futures and there is so much $$ at stake and the differences between rounds is huge. What say you?
 
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#2
#2
I wouldn't like it for the team, but I would completely understand and not blame him for it.

But what door does this open? After 3 losses, why not sit out the rest of the season?
 
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#3
#3
salutethehill said:
I wouldn't like it for the team, but I would completely understand and not blame him for it.

But what door does this open? After 3 losses, why not sit out the rest of the season?
Click to expand...

Agree, what if it's an average year, say 5-5, heading into our last 2 games against Mizzou and Vandy? Would a future 1st round pick feel obligated to keep playing? The NFL clearly doesn't care, and why would the players care what a bunch of internet fans like us think? If this trend picks up steam I could see this kind of scenario.
 
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#4
#4
I think Fournette & McCaffery just created the new normal for star players in bowl games.
 
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#5
#5
I have no problem with a player sitting out a meaningless bowl game to protect draft status and potentially millions of dollars.
 
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#6
#6
Arden Key could potentially sit out this entire year and still be a top 10 pick. Yardage and stats in college pale in comparison to measurables and combine.
 
#8
#8
WWDBD






What Would Derek Barnett do?



Did the school pay for only part of your classes? I don't think so. You have an obligation to the school and the fans.
 
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#9
#9
It's a slippery slope once you start talking about taking games or seasons off.

Draft insurance is the answer.
 
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#10
#10
Unless it's a playoff game, I have no issue with it. I view all non-playoff bowl games as the kickoff to next season (The pre-bowl practices should be like pre-spring practice).

I'm a Memphis Grizzlies fan. I wonder if their first round series would have been different had Tony Allen not got injured during a meaningless regular season finale. I bet Kawhi Leonard wouldn't have had that type of series if Allen had not got hurt playing in a game that he should have rested.
 
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#11
#11
VolBricks said:
WWDBD






What Would Derek Barnett do?



Did the school pay for only part of your classes? I don't think so. You have an obligation to the school and the fans.
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They have zero obligation to the fans, and no one said that they weren't going to class, only skipping bowl games or the end of the season.
 
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#13
#13
I think it depends greatly on the type of Bowl they are playing in.

Birmingham Bowl, yeah, could see them skipping it and not affecting their draft status. if we are talking one of the playoff bowls and they skipped it, I could see that potentially affecting the way a pro team looked at them.
 
#14
#14
fade route said:
SIAP - McCaffery and Fournette skipped their bowl games to protect themselves from injury and risk their draft status and they went #4 and #8 respectively. Jake Butt tore his ACL in Michigan's bowl game and was projected to be a 1st round pick and slipped to the 5th round because of the injury.

My question is this - would you hold it against a star UT player for sitting out a bowl game to protect their draft status?

What if it's a significant bowl?

My opinion is that I don't have a problem with it unless its the playoff game and national title game. Guys have to protect their futures and there is so much $$ at stake and the differences between rounds is huge. What say you?
Click to expand...

Why are we focusing on BOWL games ?

Let's re-discuss this, IF players are seen (for this purpose) skipping our 2017 SEC championship game and subsequent BCS game(s).

Otherwise, stay in school / PLAY the games for which you received scholarship or walk-on rights to PLAY and show your talents in.

Otherwise, would an Engineering major skip traveling to TX or where-er, in fear she/he might be injured in the competition and risk being hired by someone afterwards ??
 
#15
#15
UT-Rex said:
Why are we focusing on BOWL games ?

Let's re-discuss this, IF players are seen (for this purpose) skipping our 2017 SEC championship game and subsequent BCS game(s).

Otherwise, stay in school / PLAY the games for which you received scholarship or walk-on rights to PLAY and show your talents in.

Otherwise, would an Engineering major skip traveling to TX or where-er, in fear she/he might be injured in the competition and risk being hired by someone afterwards ??
Click to expand...

There were discussions among the talking head whether or not it would hurt their draft status. It clearly did not.

Your example isn't an apples to apples comparison.
 
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#17
#17
UT-Rex said:
Why are we focusing on BOWL games ?

Let's re-discuss this, IF players are seen (for this purpose) skipping our 2017 SEC championship game and subsequent BCS game(s).

Otherwise, stay in school / PLAY the games for which you received scholarship or walk-on rights to PLAY and show your talents in.

Otherwise, would an Engineering major skip traveling to TX or where-er, in fear she/he might be injured in the competition and risk being hired by someone afterwards ??
Click to expand...

Does the engineering student have a $25MM-$30MM job offer on the line?
 
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#19
#19
So anyone with a high enough draft status has the NCAA foot the bill for the premium on a nice fat one shot insurance policy? It's not in their (NCAA) interest to have star players skipping games. It's not so much a carrot as a safety net.
 
#20
#20
fade route said:
SIAP - McCaffery and Fournette skipped their bowl games to protect themselves from injury and risk their draft status and they went #4 and #8 respectively. Jake Butt tore his ACL in Michigan's bowl game and was projected to be a 1st round pick and slipped to the 5th round because of the injury.

My question is this - would you hold it against a star UT player for sitting out a bowl game to protect their draft status?

What if it's a significant bowl?

My opinion is that I don't have a problem with it unless its the playoff game and national title game. Guys have to protect their futures and there is so much $$ at stake and the differences between rounds is huge. What say you?
Click to expand...

If you are going to make the argument, at least be accurate. Fournette WAS injured. He had struggled with it throughout the season, and sat out under medical advice. So, I feel it unjust to just lump him in with McCaffery, who sat out and made public why he did so.

If I were a coach or GM, that would be a factor in my decisions. I would view sitting out as unfavorably as other character concerns. Dalvin Cook dropped due to nonsense that happened in middle school that some jackass dug up. Ancient history to me. I would not have taken him over Fournette, but I would have called his name well before McCaffery.

It may be excusable for you, but I can never respect doing that.
 
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#21
#21
I could see this becoming significantly more common.

It will always bother me at least a little, because it's a case of putting yourself ahead of your teammates. Because a bowl win is good for your (returning) teammates and coaches, and is good for the program to build off of in the coming recruiting cycle and off-season. On the other hand, avoiding injury in the six months before the draft is good for you personally. It is good logic, but it's selfish logic.

Having said that, it would bother me a lot less if we're playing in the Music City Bowl against Indiana than if we're in (a) the playoffs, or (b) a marquee bowl (Sugar, Orange, Rose, etc.) against a challenging peer-level opponent, one with just as much history as us...a Michigan, or USC, or Oklahoma, or Florida State.


fade route said:
Agree, what if it's an average year, say 5-5 [going into Mizzou-Vandy]....
Click to expand...

I sure hope that's not an average year for the Vols in the future. It sure hasn't been, in our past.

Prefer to think of an 'average' year as one where we lock up bowl eligibility (6th win) some time in October, and end the year with 8 or 9 wins. That should be our 'average,' I think.

And our history over the past 25 years mostly bears that out. 8.5 wins over a 12 game season (adjusted down for an 11-game season) seems just about average.

Boca Vol said:
I think Fournette & McCaffery just created the new normal for star players in bowl games.
Click to expand...

I hope not quite 'normal', but can certainly see it happening a lot more in the future.
 
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#23
#23
TNnative said:
If you are going to make the argument, at least be accurate. Fournette WAS injured. He had struggled with it throughout the season, and sat out under medical advice. So, I feel it unjust to just lump him in with McCaffery, who sat out and made public why he did so.

If I were a coach or GM, that would be a factor in my decisions. I would view sitting out as unfavorably as other character concerns. Dalvin Cook dropped due to nonsense that happened in middle school that some jackass dug up. Ancient history to me. I would not have taken him over Fournette, but I would have called his name well before McCaffery.

It may be excusable for you, but I can never respect doing that.
Click to expand...


Fournette could've played but chose not to in order to avoid making the injury worse.

You may not respect it but NFL teams sure don't give a crap about your principles. Fournette and McCaffery were top 10 picks.
 
#25
#25
I say let the players do what they can to protect their lively hoods if that means sitting out to protect yourself and your family future...do it.

I may be disappointed that my fav player sat out, but if he got hurt to where he can not play football the same anymore, then it is a travesty.

Neither you or I will pay his bills for the rest of his life.

It sounds really noble to thump your chest and tell someone else to put their livelihood at risk...when you want to have to deal with the day-2-day fallout.

Be selfish players and always protect yourself, cause no one else cares
 
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