BleedGopher
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per Chip:
The College Football Playoff is the only postseason event that truly carries any significance. As a traditionalist who loves the history of college football, it feels heretical to devalue the importance of, say, the Rose Bowl. But viewed logically, non-playoff bowl games are merely exhibitions that extend the risk for injury and possibly damage the earning potential for NFL hopefuls, especially those projected as high draft picks.
Players who elect to skip bowl games are being pragmatic, not selfish. Criticism of their decision is shortsighted.
The case of Jaylon Smith shifted attitudes in this debate. The former Notre Dame linebacker was projected as a top-five pick. Then he suffered a devastating knee injury in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl and fell to the second round, costing him millions of dollars.
He became a cautionary tale.
“I think everybody has a certain case of why they should or shouldn’t do it, and I think every case has to be handled individually,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said.
Cashman was the Gophers’ best defensive player so his absence will have a significant impact. He’s not considered a high draft prospect, and he might not get drafted at all. But by skipping a low-tier bowl, he’ll avoid risking an injury that could kill his NFL dream altogether.
“I can give them advice, but I’ll never tell anybody what to do,” Fleck said.
For some, the decision is easy. Others probably wrestle with it, knowing not everyone will agree with their choice.
Former Gophers running back David Cobb would have been an interesting case study. Cobb was projected as a midround pick in 2014. Questions about his speed made it imperative that he perform well in the 40-yard dash for scouts in pre-draft workouts.
He suffered a hamstring injury that season. He recovered enough to play in the Citrus Bowl, but he admitted that “I wasn’t quite myself.”
I called Cobb this week to see if he might have skipped the bowl game had that trend been more prevalent at the time. He waffled.
“It’s hard because I just want to play,” he said. “I would want to show my stuff and just be out there with my teammates. That’s the biggest thing for me: Not wanting to let my teammates down.”
He paused.
“But also knowing that I wasn’t really healthy,” he said. “You have a lot of future goals that you’ve been working for your whole life. You kind of ask yourself, is it worth it? Of course you want to play that last game. But with the trend being how it is today and more acceptable … I mean, it’s hard for me to say that I would sit out. But I definitely would have had a little more thought to go into it.”
http://www.startribune.com/college-...be-faulted-for-skipping-bowl-games/503391212/
Go Gophers!!
The College Football Playoff is the only postseason event that truly carries any significance. As a traditionalist who loves the history of college football, it feels heretical to devalue the importance of, say, the Rose Bowl. But viewed logically, non-playoff bowl games are merely exhibitions that extend the risk for injury and possibly damage the earning potential for NFL hopefuls, especially those projected as high draft picks.
Players who elect to skip bowl games are being pragmatic, not selfish. Criticism of their decision is shortsighted.
The case of Jaylon Smith shifted attitudes in this debate. The former Notre Dame linebacker was projected as a top-five pick. Then he suffered a devastating knee injury in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl and fell to the second round, costing him millions of dollars.
He became a cautionary tale.
“I think everybody has a certain case of why they should or shouldn’t do it, and I think every case has to be handled individually,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said.
Cashman was the Gophers’ best defensive player so his absence will have a significant impact. He’s not considered a high draft prospect, and he might not get drafted at all. But by skipping a low-tier bowl, he’ll avoid risking an injury that could kill his NFL dream altogether.
“I can give them advice, but I’ll never tell anybody what to do,” Fleck said.
For some, the decision is easy. Others probably wrestle with it, knowing not everyone will agree with their choice.
Former Gophers running back David Cobb would have been an interesting case study. Cobb was projected as a midround pick in 2014. Questions about his speed made it imperative that he perform well in the 40-yard dash for scouts in pre-draft workouts.
He suffered a hamstring injury that season. He recovered enough to play in the Citrus Bowl, but he admitted that “I wasn’t quite myself.”
I called Cobb this week to see if he might have skipped the bowl game had that trend been more prevalent at the time. He waffled.
“It’s hard because I just want to play,” he said. “I would want to show my stuff and just be out there with my teammates. That’s the biggest thing for me: Not wanting to let my teammates down.”
He paused.
“But also knowing that I wasn’t really healthy,” he said. “You have a lot of future goals that you’ve been working for your whole life. You kind of ask yourself, is it worth it? Of course you want to play that last game. But with the trend being how it is today and more acceptable … I mean, it’s hard for me to say that I would sit out. But I definitely would have had a little more thought to go into it.”
http://www.startribune.com/college-...be-faulted-for-skipping-bowl-games/503391212/
Go Gophers!!