Will Mo play in a bowl game?

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Even if the NFL doesn't work out for Mo, I fully expect him back as coach asap.
 

MNfootballfan said:
I am along the same lane as you but I think I have come around a little more. There is absolutely nothing for Mo to gain by playing in the game other thank breaking two records that I want him to have. I don't know Mo personally and don't know if the records mean anything to him.

Truth be told, whatever bowl game we get in is a meaningless game.

Where I have come around to is I have no problem with players opting out of bowl games but I do judge a player that opts out during the season. A couple of years ago, Mississippi State had a RB opt out to prepare for the draft in the middle of the year. That same player was just cut in the middle of his second year by the Packers. Matt LaFleur said his release was not an on-field decision. I don't know if it is a coincidence or not, but a player quit on his team in the middle of the year later gets cut mid-year with the coach indicating it was fit in the locker room/character.
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We are on the same page but this is an interesting debate.

From the standpoint of the NC picture and what not, yes, bowl games are meaningless. They are a reward for the players but in the end the final score doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.

That said, the odds of something happening in the bowl game that drastically affects a players draft stock or NFL prospects is very low.

I get why players opt out but it is a disappointing trend that has seen players valuing money over team.
 

MNVCGUY said:
We are on the same page but this is an interesting debate.

From the standpoint of the NC picture and what not, yes, bowl games are meaningless. They are a reward for the players but in the end the final score doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.

That said, the odds of something happening in the bowl game that drastically affects a players draft stock or NFL prospects is very low.

I get why players opt out but it is a disappointing trend that has seen players valuing money over team.
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Can also spin it to say valuing health over team. Of course health can lead to money if one's chosen profession is football.
 

Ibrahim strikes me as a guy who is just going to buckle up and go in the bowl game. If he were headed for a Day 1 or Day 2 selection in the draft, he might think differently, but as a few others have said, given the current direction of the pro game, he's probably a Day 3 guy. And don't take that as a slight on Ibrahim. He will always be one of my favorite Gopher players. The way he moved the pile to clinch the Outback Bowl in 2020 is something I will never forget. Just a treasure to watch.
 

MNVCGUY said:
We are on the same page but this is an interesting debate.

From the standpoint of the NC picture and what not, yes, bowl games are meaningless. They are a reward for the players but in the end the final score doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.

That said, the odds of something happening in the bowl game that drastically affects a players draft stock or NFL prospects is very low.

I get why players opt out but it is a disappointing trend that has seen players valuing money over team.
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Agree, lets say Mo runs for 250 in the Pinstripe Bowl, Music City Bowl, etc is a NFL team going to say, "Wow, we have to take a look at this guy." Mo can do everything in a game that needs to be done. He has shown it time and time again. I don't know if he will be successful in the NFL. Heck, I thought Josh Allen would be a bust and embarrassingly enough I was hoping the Vikings would draft Johnny Football - I didn't realize his demons were as bad as they were.

In my opinion, if Mo is not successful it will be because of lack of straight line speed. I don't know how fast he is, but I know I have seen him get caught on many a long runs and it seems like every time someone has a 'angle' on him.
 



MNVCGUY said:
We are on the same page but this is an interesting debate.

From the standpoint of the NC picture and what not, yes, bowl games are meaningless. They are a reward for the players but in the end the final score doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.

That said, the odds of something happening in the bowl game that drastically affects a players draft stock or NFL prospects is very low.

I get why players opt out but it is a disappointing trend that has seen players valuing money over team.
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Tell that to fans that relish every win, and getting to 9 this season.
 


pharmacygopher said:
I'm assuming no. Won't be playing in a NY6 bowl and also highly, highly unlikely going to a NYD bowl.

The logical thing is for him to rest and start preparing for the combine, all star games (how did he not get a senior bowl invite??), and the draft. That makes complete sense. He's given everything to this program.

But.....pretty sure he's 50-100 yards away from setting the single season rushing mark (Cobb) and all time rushing record (Thompson). Does he want those records and the legacy?

Sorry if this has already been answered.
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he better not. He is 24. He can not afford another injury before the draft.
 




MNfootballfan said:
Agree, lets say Mo runs for 250 in the Pinstripe Bowl, Music City Bowl, etc is a NFL team going to say, "Wow, we have to take a look at this guy." Mo can do everything in a game that needs to be done. He has shown it time and time again. I don't know if he will be successful in the NFL. Heck, I thought Josh Allen would be a bust and embarrassingly enough I was hoping the Vikings would draft Johnny Football - I didn't realize his demons were as bad as they were.

In my opinion, if Mo is not successful it will be because of lack of straight line speed. I don't know how fast he is, but I know I have seen him get caught on many a long runs and it seems like every time someone has a 'angle' on him.
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Mo is not an unknown quantity to the NFL.
 





MNfootballfan said:
In my opinion, if Mo is not successful it will be because of lack of straight line speed. I don't know how fast he is, but I know I have seen him get caught on many a long runs and it seems like every time someone has a 'angle' on him.
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I agree with your point but I don't watch much NFL these days. When I do, I rarely see a RB run for 30 yards or more.
 



Whytetale said:
Mo is not an unknown quantity to the NFL.
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That was the exact point I was trying to make. It doesn't matter if he has 10 carries for 150 yards or 10 carries for -3 yards - it wouldn't change his draft stock one bit.
 

MNfootballfan said:
That was the exact point I was trying to make. It doesn't matter if he has 10 carries for 150 yards or 10 carries for -3 yards - it wouldn't change his draft stock one bit.
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You are working on the assumption that the only thing that matters in all this is draft stock. Many players are going to put more value in being with their team one more time then they are on the fickle world that is the NFL.

Mo seems to be wired in the way that says if he is physically able to play in the bowl game he is going to do that as opposed to bailing on his team to go train. i could certainly be wrong but I will be surprised if he opts out for anything other than health reasons.
 

MNVCGUY said:
You are working on the assumption that the only thing that matters in all this is draft stock. Many players are going to put more value in being with their team one more time then they are on the fickle world that is the NFL.

Mo seems to be wired in the way that says if he is physically able to play in the bowl game he is going to do that as opposed to bailing on his team to go train. i could certainly be wrong but I will be surprised if he opts out for anything other than health reasons.
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Not exactly... my first post said I hope he plays because he is so close to two records but I don't know Mo personally and don't know 1) what motivates him 2) if records mean anything to him 3) if he cares about draft stock.

Playing, or not playing, will have zero impact on his draft stock.

My personal thoughts are the same as yours. He seems to be pretty team oriented.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I get why players opt out but it is a disappointing trend that has seen players valuing money over team.
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Well, I think most of them, at least the ones we're concerned with* decided to play college football in hopes of improving their chances at the NFL, not to be a part of a team, although that comes with it.

Footnote: *I could see other situations, like the lower levels where you might get one player drafted from the whole conference, where the players have the mentality of being a "team" etc because everyone of them came to college with no legit hopes of the NFL.
 

Mo is not going in the first or second round. So I think there's a decent chance he plays.
 

I have been dreading MO’s potential 40 time in the combine so I wonder if getting injured in the bowl game and not participating in the combine would necessarily be all bad.

And with Mo’s potential struggles with the measurables, I also wonder if a resume listing all time and single season rushing leader would be more important for him than other RBs for NFL evaluators.
 

Schnauzer said:
And with Mo’s potential struggles with the measurables, I also wonder if a resume listing all time and single season rushing leader would be more important for him than other RBs for NFL evaluators.
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No. It's what can you do for me going forward, not what have you done in the past. And I know your next response, "well, rushing titles are indicative of what he can do" and you're right, but his 40 and other measurables will trump that.
 

looking at Mo, he's not the biggest or the fastest guy out there.

what he has is vision - the ability to make guys miss - and the ability to gain yards after contact.

for the NFL, one big question is pass-catching ability.

But, comparing him to someone like Mattison for the Vikes, I certainly think Mo can be that type of back in the NFL. might not be a starter, but a valuable contributor.

as far as the bowl game, it's up to him. and he has earned the right to make that choice.
If he wants to play and go for the records, great. If he doesn't want to play, then thanks for a great career and good luck with whatever comes next.
 

Schnauzer said:
I have been dreading MO’s potential 40 time in the combine so I wonder if getting injured in the bowl game and not participating in the combine would necessarily be all bad.

And with Mo’s potential struggles with the measurables, I also wonder if a resume listing all time and single season rushing leader would be more important for him than other RBs for NFL evaluators.
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He can always have something "nagging" him if he wants to skip the combine. I think he's a 5th-7th round pick either way.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
looking at Mo, he's not the biggest or the fastest guy out there.

what he has is vision - the ability to make guys miss - and the ability to gain yards after contact.

for the NFL, one big question is pass-catching ability.

But, comparing him to someone like Mattison for the Vikes, I certainly think Mo can be that type of back in the NFL. might not be a starter, but a valuable contributor.

as far as the bowl game, it's up to him. and he has earned the right to make that choice.
If he wants to play and go for the records, great. If he doesn't want to play, then thanks for a great career and good luck with whatever comes next.
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Agreed -- and I've been saying this for a long while now. He reminds me of James Robinson: an extremely productive players who didn't pop with measurables. GMs and scouts are all about potential, but coaches are all about wins. Mo will either get drafted late or sign as a UDFA, but he'll impress in camp with his ability to pass block, find creases, and move the pile...not to mention he'll be a heckuva lockerroom guy.
 

MNfootballfan said:
I am along the same lane as you but I think I have come around a little more. There is absolutely nothing for Mo to gain by playing in the game other thank breaking two records that I want him to have. I don't know Mo personally and don't know if the records mean anything to him.

Truth be told, whatever bowl game we get in is a meaningless game.

Where I have come around to is I have no problem with players opting out of bowl games but I do judge a player that opts out during the season. A couple of years ago, Mississippi State had a RB opt out to prepare for the draft in the middle of the year. That same player was just cut in the middle of his second year by the Packers. Matt LaFleur said his release was not an on-field decision. I don't know if it is a coincidence or not, but a player quit on his team in the middle of the year later gets cut mid-year with the coach indicating it was fit in the locker room/character.
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A chance to be the all-time leading rusher, both career and single season, for a Big Ten university that has played football 125 years has got to mean something to Mo.
 

Dakota2 said:
A chance to be the all-time leading rusher, both career and single season, for a Big Ten university that has played football 125 years has got to mean something to Mo.
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I know it would mean something to me! Records like that usually stand for a while.
 

Wally said:
If he stays healthy he is 100% an NFL running back.
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Yep. Age is not that big of a deal. My guess is he gets two contracts, makes some decent coin, and retires into a coaching position somewhere.
 

Crappie said:
Tell that to fans that relish every win, and getting to 9 this season.
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Concur. The Bowls mean something to fans and most players as most aren't getting an NFL look. I can understand those that opt out to protect and prepare themselves, I just don't like it .
 

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