KDawg Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 6 hours ago, Going Commando said: It ruins the bowl games and basically turns them into spring exhibitions, but there is no incentive for potential first round picks to play in their bowls. I like that Bresee did it though, even though he was hurting. I think it does show good competitive character, but opting out doesn't show a lack of competitiveness. Disagree. Opting out shows that you are about you and not the team. Some of these guys have been the ones in the off-season preaching family and team and then they go and sit out before a bowl game. Can I fault them? No. Do I think they are bad people? No. Would I do it? I’d like to say no, but the idea of millions of dollars coming my way might make me make the same decision… But it is a lack of competitiveness. They don’t care about the Bowl game and competing. They care about he money. And that’s fine. Just own it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhead36 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 College is a means to an end for these guys. The colleges used them for 3-4 years and the bowl games are completely meaningless outside of the playoff. Look out for yourself first. Always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 Watching Dallas Schultz, Dallas Goddart, George Kittle and of course Kelce, I'm all in on Mayer in the first. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Est.1974 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 Hopefully we can have a strong free agency period, would make the selection of a TE in the first a bit more reasonable to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhead36 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 14 minutes ago, Koolblue13 said: Watching Dallas Schultz, Dallas Goddart, George Kittle and of course Kelce, I'm all in on Mayer in the first. None of those other guys were 1st rounders. 1st round TEs are a trap. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 52 minutes ago, Warhead36 said: College is a means to an end for these guys. The colleges used them for 3-4 years and the bowl games are completely meaningless outside of the playoff. Look out for yourself first. Always. They are making money in college now to play. And it’s not about the college. It’s about their teammates. As I said, I don’t mind them doing what they feel they need to. I certainly won’t chastise them. But let’s not pretend like they are ultra competitive guys who bleed the sport. They may love it. They may enjoy playing it. But if you play with your team all year and you’re in an actual Bowl game that means something… bailing on your teammates is the antithesis of being a competitor. I can see skipping the Carcare.com United Airlines Bowl. But nothing around 12/31 and onward. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 3 hours ago, KDawg said: Disagree. Opting out shows that you are about you and not the team. Some of these guys have been the ones in the off-season preaching family and team and then they go and sit out before a bowl game. Can I fault them? No. Do I think they are bad people? No. Would I do it? I’d like to say no, but the idea of millions of dollars coming my way might make me make the same decision… But it is a lack of competitiveness. They don’t care about the Bowl game and competing. They care about he money. And that’s fine. Just own it. I would have agreed with you before about their competitiveness when it was just a couple guys opting out, and I definitely don't like the opt outs because the bowls used to be one of the most fun parts of the CFB season. But I do agree they don't care about the bowls, and opting out is now the norm and I think the culture of the bowl season has changed to where, for these first round prospects, there isn't enough left to compete for in these games to risk their position in the first round. They've become glorified exhibitions that even the fans don't really care that much about any more. There used to be prestige in winning a Gator or Rose bowl, but not any more. I think the teammates of the guys opting out understand the situation and I doubt they fault them for it because they probably want a chance to play and shine on national TV. And some of the guys who have opted out go on to be among the best players and competitors in the NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Going Commando said: I would have agreed with you before about their competitiveness when it was just a couple guys opting out, and I definitely don't like the opt outs because the bowls used to be one of the most fun parts of the CFB season. But I do agree they don't care about the bowls, and opting out is now the norm and I think the culture of the bowl season has changed to where, for these first round prospects, there isn't enough left to compete for in these games to risk their position in the first round. They've become glorified exhibitions that even the fans don't really care that much about any more. There used to be prestige in winning a Gator or Rose bowl, but not any more. I think the teammates of the guys opting out understand the situation and I doubt they fault them for it because they probably want a chance to play and shine on national TV. And some of the guys who have opted out go on to be among the best players and competitors in the NFL. As I said above, I get it. And if I were in their position I’m not sure what I’d do. The money is tempting. And I get the nothing Bowls. But sitting out of big Bowl games is not a good look. Think of it like this: High school player and his team makes the state championship game. Star player going to Alabama. Does he sit out the championship game while perfectly healthy? If he does, what does Alabama think/say? They may not give a ****, I don’t know. I’ve never had a player go to a big D1. But the colleges I talk to wouldn’t think highly of the move. Now, the NFL is different. That’s not lost on me. I just don’t like the way it looks from a teammate/coach perspective. But I’d get it. Tough to pass on millions just to make your teammates happy. Slippery slope. Edited December 31, 2022 by KDawg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
method man Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 7 minutes ago, KDawg said: As I said above, I get it. And if I were in their position I’m not sure what I’d do. The money is tempting. And I get the nothing Bowls. But sitting out of big Bowl games is not a good look. Think of it like this: High school player and his team makes the state championship game. Star player going to Alabama. Does he sit out the championship game while perfectly healthy? If he does, what does Alabama think/say? They may not give a ****, I don’t know. I’ve never had a player go to a big D1. But the colleges I talk to wouldn’t think highly of the move. Now, the NFL is different. That’s not lost on me. I just don’t like the way it looks from a teammate/coach perspective. But I’d get it. Tough to pass on millions just to make your teammates happy. Slippery slope. Does Alabama pull his scholarship after he has already signed and committed if he tears an ACL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 2 minutes ago, method man said: Does Alabama pull his scholarship after he has already signed and committed if he tears an ACL? Can apply that same logic to any game after he’s committed. So if he commits at end of junior year, does he sit the entire senior season so that doesn’t happen? Slippery slope. Also to answer your question: who knows. Probably depends on how good the kid is, doesn’t it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
method man Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 1 minute ago, KDawg said: Can apply that same logic to any game after he’s committed. So if he commits at end of junior year, does he sit the entire senior season so that doesn’t happen? Slippery slope. Also to answer your question: who knows. Probably depends on how good the kid is, doesn’t it? You can’t do that as a junior in HS because you will probably have few scholarship offers. Parsons did it skipping his final year at Penn State and the consequence was dropping a few spots in the draft (although what he did to his teammate probably had something to do with it too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 10 minutes ago, method man said: You can’t do that as a junior in HS because you will probably have few scholarship offers. Parsons did it skipping his final year at Penn State and the consequence was dropping a few spots in the draft (although what he did to his teammate probably had something to do with it too) His teammate situation was a big part of that. I’m not arguing right or wrong, or the ethics of it, or the morality. That is an individual decision that I wholeheartedly respect and understand. I just don’t think someone who is ultra competitive is sitting out of a game. That’s the whole premise of the conversation here. Fortunately, being ultra competitive isn’t a pre requisite to being a good player in the NFL. Professionalism and work ethic are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number 44 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 Three reasons for a kid to play the bowl game: 1. The school has met it's part of the bargain and given the kid the opportunity for an education, as well as coaching and exposure to an NFL opportunity. Seems like the right thing to do. 2. Teammates. 3. Forty years from now, what memories will matter the most? One reason to not play: 1. Risk of injury that might cost the player big bucks and/or a career. Tough call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhead36 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 What memories do you hope to make playing in the galleryfurniture.com bowl? The schools also make millions off these kids. Teammates...I guess I can see that. But I think if you're a star player with a chance to make millions in the NFL your teammates would understand if you opted out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 (edited) 46 minutes ago, Warhead36 said: What memories do you hope to make playing in the galleryfurniture.com bowl? The schools also make millions off these kids. Teammates...I guess I can see that. But I think if you're a star player with a chance to make millions in the NFL your teammates would understand if you opted out. The ****ty little Bowls are a little different. The guys who aren’t going pro don’t even want to play in those. Out of curiosity (and no it doesn’t particularly matter) did you play college ball? HS? Just trying to see where the line in the sand is drawn on opinions. For full disclosure I didn’t play. Got hurt. But I did coach at the D3 level. Edited December 31, 2022 by KDawg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number 44 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 18 minutes ago, Warhead36 said: What memories do you hope to make playing in the galleryfurniture.com bowl? The schools also make millions off these kids. Teammates...I guess I can see that. But I think if you're a star player with a chance to make millions in the NFL your teammates would understand if you opted out. That's fine. I'm not making any judgments here, just saying the various motivations are real, and they each carry different weight for different people. I was once offered a position in Pakistan. The offer included life-changing money for me. I opted against accepting the offer, as it seemed to me that the changes in my life that the move to Pakistan would represent wasn't worth the changes the money might bring. Not everyone would agree, and that's OK. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrepDC Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 I understand both sides of the conversation. I am admittedly biased, though, as I came up in more of the old school, teammates are like family, and you never abandon your brothers era of football. It would have been really frowned upon when I was playing to skip the season finale for personal interests. We also didn't have *as much money on the line as these guys and an opportunity to change the lives of our entire families. The risk in that last game is no different than the risk any other time we suit up. Unless there is a pre-existing injury(injuries) that the player is avoiding aggravating, I don't like sitting out to avoid injury. If you're going to sit out the finale game, you might as well sit out your final season. Eventually guys like Derek Stingley would sit out after their freshman year, if we keep going this route, since they've proven themselves. I can understand why they do it. But I also have much more respect for guys like Bryce Young and Will Anderson finishing out the season; and by their standards the Sugar Bowl is settling, but they're finishing the job. If I were a team, I would at least look into the motivations of the players who chose to sit out. Watching Mayer stand on the sideline like a superstar while his teammates played was not a good visual for me. How much does he really love the game? How much is he going to push himself for his teammates once the big checks arrive? It could be nothing, but I would look into it if I were a FO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chump Bailey Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 I freaking love Will Levis. I also like Tanner Mordecai but am unsure he if will declare or not. Levis has all the looks of a franchise QB to me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 Alabama has a good culture. It speaks well of that program and of Young and Anderson that they played in their bowl game. To me, it's a point in their favor because it shows competitive character. I just don't think opting out shows a lack of competitiveness because too many opt outs have gone on to be too good in the NFL to question their competitiveness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
method man Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 1 hour ago, Chump Bailey said: I freaking love Will Levis. I also like Tanner Mordecai but am unsure he if will declare or not. Levis has all the looks of a franchise QB to me. Levis’s NFL comp is Carson Wentz ironically 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 1 minute ago, method man said: Levis’s NFL comp is Carson Wentz ironically I love that guy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinsinparadise Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 Not sure about top 20 but I think he can creep into the late first or early 2nd if so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 If we could somehow trade back to the early 2nd and pick up more day 2 and/or 23' draft picks and grab Washington, I'd be happy. I don't know if his ceiling is Mercedes Lewis though and I'd shoot higher for a TE1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
method man Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 Dawand Jones is another interesting RT only prospect. 6-8 360 with 36 inch arms who is an absolute mauler in the run game, plays with solid technique and has good athleticism for a man that size. He does have obvious limitations in pass pro against speed guys and won’t be the nimblest and fluid guy blocking in the second level. I see a bigger, more powerful Cornelius Lucas with a meaner streak Despite that, he will be there when we pick in rd 2 and I would consider him if the Tennessee RT is off the board in round 2. I am starting to get more open to a Mayer or a non tackle in rd 1 given there will be solid Day 1 starter RT options in rd 2. I also think it is a lock there will be a quality center prospect with the 3rd round comp pick and maybe even in rds 4 and 5 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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