Fournette, McCaffrey sitting out bowl games to prep for draft

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Gopher07

Gopher07

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Both Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey have announced they're going to sit out their respective bowl games to focus on preparing for the NFL draft.

How common will this sort of thing become for teams not in major bowl games? I can see more players - particularly running backs - choosing this path in the future.

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ting-out-bowl-ending-college-career/95529388/
 

I don't like the way this trend is going. When I saw Fournette do it my initial thought was "does this raise a red flag for his character?" Clearly, a trend is starting as McCaffrey is the second guy to do it.
Does Fournette gain anything by playing in the Citrus Bowl? No.
Does McCaffrey gain anything by playing in the Sun Bowl? No.

The fact that they are on the team I believe they should play with their teammates in the bowl game.

A much larger picture and changing the debate would be that this is a reason to expand the playoffs. The common disagreement is that having a college football playoffs makes the regular season unimportant. College players are quickly learning, it is actually the bowl season that is unimportant. Lets say there was a 32 team playoff (way to big in my opinion), do you think Fournette and McCaffrey are sitting out? Sadly, a bowl game is an overblown exhibition game unless you are in one of the top 4-6 bowls.
 

I can understand why a player might make this decision but I think it will be really unfortunate if this becomes a trend. The draft prep line is BS though, they are doing this to avoid any chance of injury, has nothing to do with getting ready for the draft.
 

"After careful consideration, I have concluded that healthy knees and ankles are worth about $3 million* more than injured knees and ankles."

Can't blame him. But I hate the trend.

* I just made this number up.
 

If coaches are allowed to flee to a new job before the bowl game (ahem looking at you brian kelly), this only seems fair. That being said it does kind of suck, but I'm not sure how to combat it
 


The Lorax said:
If coaches are allowed to flee to a new job before the bowl game (ahem looking at you brian kelly), this only seems fair. That being said it does kind of suck, but I'm not sure how to combat it
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There is no way to combat it really. If a kid puts his future ahead of his team there isn't really anything anyone can do about it. This is a tough one because on the one hand it is tough to fault the kid for trying to protect his future on the chance that he sustains a bad injury in the bowl game. On the flip side from a team standpoint it sucks and you are putting yourself above what is best for the team and program.

I don't really recall a lot of guys doing this in the past but with these high profile guys doing it this year it could very quickly start a trend of guys not playing in bowl games in order to "protect" their future. As I said in my other post my only beef is with players saying they are doing this to prepare for the draft, just call it what it is, you are abandoning your team and looking out for yourself.
 

Sitting one game will assure that they do not get injured. However......I don't see how abandoning your team for a bowl game improves your draft stock. Seems like a potential red flag for teams. If I were choosing between that guy.....and a guy who played.....it wouldn't be much of a choice.
 

stocker08 said:
Sitting one game will assure that they do not get injured. However......I don't see how abandoning your team for a bowl game improves your draft stock. Seems like a potential red flag for teams. If I were choosing between that guy.....and a guy who played.....it wouldn't be much of a choice.
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What if they had fantastic bowl games and the draft value went up?

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 

stocker08 said:
Sitting one game will assure that they do not get injured. However......I don't see how abandoning your team for a bowl game improves your draft stock. Seems like a potential red flag for teams. If I were choosing between that guy.....and a guy who played.....it wouldn't be much of a choice.
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I might be wrong, but my best guess is that so many guys jump up the draft based on the combine workout. I am guessing he is already working with a sprinting coach for the 40 yard dash, improving his bench, vertical, etc.

I agree with you. Call me old fashioned, but I would rather have a guy who puts the team first.
 



Zeke Elliott weighed in:

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stocker08 said:
Sitting one game will assure that they do not get injured. However......I don't see how abandoning your team for a bowl game improves your draft stock. Seems like a potential red flag for teams. If I were choosing between that guy.....and a guy who played.....it wouldn't be much of a choice.
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At the very least it tells a team that you are willing to put your needs ahead of the team which for some teams would be a definite red flag I would think. Doesn't make the kid a bad person to sit out the bowl game but with guys like Fournette and McCaffrey not playing it makes it tougher for their team to come out with a victory. Clearly that doesn't matter to those players who have their sights set on the NFL but it sucks for the other 120+ guys and especially the other seniors who might want to end their college career with a victory.
 





Article from Yahoo: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-da...frey-opting-to-skip-bowl-games-174654560.html

Besides, what’s a bowl game anyway? Bowl games used to be considered exhibitions. The stats didn’t even count. Outside of the playoff, they still are mostly pointless, at least to everyone but the people profiting off them.

Coaches routinely leave their teams to take new (often higher-paying) jobs in between the end of the regular season and the bowl game. Schools have no problem firing coaches in the middle of the season. Is Fournette wrong for not finishing the year with the teammates and coaches he started it with back in the heat of August, or is LSU wrong for canning his head coach, Les Miles, in September after a 2-2 start?

The charade has been stripped away. The man making arguments behind the curtain has been exposed.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to play in a bowl game and ending your career with your guys and then concentrate on the NFL. Go out, have fun and stay safe.

It’s just there is also nothing wrong with the other way, the way Christian McCaffrey just uniquely busted open for plenty of future stars to follow.
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MNVCGUY said:
There is no way to combat it really. If a kid puts his future ahead of his team there isn't really anything anyone can do about it. This is a tough one because on the one hand it is tough to fault the kid for trying to protect his future on the chance that he sustains a bad injury in the bowl game. On the flip side from a team standpoint it sucks and you are putting yourself above what is best for the team and program.

I don't really recall a lot of guys doing this in the past but with these high profile guys doing it this year it could very quickly start a trend of guys not playing in bowl games in order to "protect" their future. As I said in my other post my only beef is with players saying they are doing this to prepare for the draft, just call it what it is, you are abandoning your team and looking out for yourself.
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Don't they usually protect their futures with insurance policies?
 

BarnBoy said:
"After careful consideration, I have concluded that healthy knees and ankles are worth about $3 million* more than injured knees and ankles."

Can't blame him. But I hate the trend.

* I just made this number up.
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Leonard Fournette's $10M policies and the unregulated world of player protection
By Dennis Dodd May 12, 2016 • 10 min read
leonard-fournette-truck-lsu.jpg
Leonard Fournette's insurance coverage began in spring practice. USATSI
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Leonard Fournette wasn't comfortable when confronted with his athletic mortality.
Did it ever cross his mind -- LSU's junior tailback was asked recently -- that his talents are insured by two policies, each worth $10 million? Those policies are believed to make him one of the most heavily insured players in college sports history.
"I don't think about it," Fournette told CBS Sports. "This is the second time I'm actually talking about it. I leave everything in God's hands."
 


I absolutely love the idea that players are looking out for their own best interests. Players get a scholarship. Some of you mentioned additional teams being added to the playoffs. To hell I say; that's more games and practices for the players and more money for the schools. Scholarship retains its same value. Assuming of course the player is even on scholarship.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Jim Harbaugh to skip Orange Bowl so he can prepare for his next NFL head coaching job:

ANN ARBOR, MI — Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said he will sit out of the Orange Bowl against Florida State on December 30th so he can prepare for his next NFL job. Harbaugh said it was a tough decision, but he felt he had to put his career first.

Link
 

Gopher07 said:
Zeke Elliott weighed in:

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Seems pretty disingenuous when he left a year of eligibility on the table.
 


Buck_Buchanan said:
If Christian McCaffrey got hurt in the bowl game & could never play again, he'd get a tax free $5 million, per his insurance policy. Time Gazette http://timegazette.com/2016/12/stanfords-christian-mccaffrey-to-skip-sun-bowl-for-2017-nfl/
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Which is pretty minimal in light of his total future earning potential. Not only that, it's highly unlikely he would be found to be unable to EVER play again so the chance of collecting on that amount is remote. If he were to be injured it is more likely to be something that causes him to drop a round or so in the draft, which may or may not be covered by his policy. If it is covered it's a significantly lesser payout from the policy. So the real cost is the earning potential of a second round salary vs a first round salary (for example) over the 4-5 years of a rookie contract. By way of example, for somebody who dropped from the end of the 1st to the end of the 2nd in 2015 that's roughly a $5 million hit (minus the sub-$1 million insurance payout for falling in the draft) over the course of the rookie contract, with much less of that overall contract being guaranteed.
 

SJUgopher said:
Because he's black, right?
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Yeah, you're right.

It was either because he was black or because he was the first one to do it. Clearly, he was just ahead of the game. If he were the only one that did it and I was an NFL GM I would be wondering if he cares about the team aspect of anything or if it is all individual. Now with a few more doing it, the norm will quickly become that star players sit out of the bowl game. I personally think both Fournette and McCaffrey are selfish and don't agree with either of them. Like Cris Carter said on ESPN. If Fournette cannot catch a football now, he won't catch a ball at the combine or next season. Fournette is what he is, a power runner that will make a lot of money for his skill of running the ball. Look at Adrian Peterson, perhaps one of the best pure running backs ever, but he cannot pass block or be an effective pass receiver. I am guessing he works on those two skills a lot, but just can't do it.
 


If I was an NFL team considering drafting these players, the first thought in my head would be what will happen if they have to play in a meaningless game in the NFL. For example, preseason games, games when the team has already clinched the playoffs or the division, and possibly even practice. If it's week 17 and their team only has home field advantage to gain from their game, will they want to sit out for that game too?

I don't think it will change where they go in the draft too much but if I was an NFL team I'd certainly be concerned about it. It shows that they care much more about themselves than their team.
 

This was a really gutsy but smart move by McCaffrey even if it deprives Stanford of a "high motor guy" and a "coach on the field." Of course, I imagine teams will still opt for the more athletic Fournette in the draft, even though he made the move out of pure self-interest. Sad!
 

GoGophersUMN said:
If I was an NFL team considering drafting these players, the first thought in my head would be what will happen if they have to play in a meaningless game in the NFL. For example, preseason games, games when the team has already clinched the playoffs or the division, and possibly even practice. If it's week 17 and their team only has home field advantage to gain from their game, will they want to sit out for that game too?

I don't think it will change where they go in the draft too much but if I was an NFL team I'd certainly be concerned about it. It shows that they care much more about themselves than their team.
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It's different when you're getting paid.
 

Take Jaylon Smith for example. He was projected as a top 5 pick and then he has the terrible knee injury against Ohio St. The injury cost him a contract near 20 million dollars with 5 million guaranteed, instead he goes in the 2nd rd signed and a 6 million dollar contract and people have serious questions if he will play due to nerve issues in the knee that still exist. Why risk it especially as a RB.
 

Is Mitch skipping the Holiday Bowl to get ready for the draft too?
 

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