Joe Starkey: David DeCastro is absolutely right about Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette

[tube517]

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/joe-starkey/2016/12/21/Joe-Starkey-David-DeCastro-Christian-McCaffrey-Leonard-Fournette-steelers-stanford-lsu-football-nfl-draft-underclassmen/stories/201612210068


Thoughts?

[SteelMember]

Let 'em sit out if they want. These aren't playoff bowl games. Matter of fact, is most of these bowl games now are pure money grabs. Most have barely .500 teams playing in a meaningless game that is unwatchable most times anyway. Why risk an NFL career with a possible injury in the Shit Show Bowl.

[SteelerFanInStl]

Most of the bowl games are worthless anyway. They need to cut back and get rid of a bunch of them.

The NFL needs to change their rule about players needing to be 3 years removed from high school. That's a ridiculous rule. Many players are clearly ready for the NFL before that and they shouldn't be forced to wait and risk possible injury. Quite a few of them don't belong in college anyway since they're not there to learn.

[fansince'76]

Let 'em sit out if they want. These aren't playoff bowl games. Matter of fact, is most of these bowl games now are pure money grabs. Most have barely .500 teams playing in a meaningless game that is unwatchable most times anyway. Why risk an NFL career with a possible injury in the Purina Puppy Chow™ Shit Show Bowl.

Fixed.

[tube517]

Fixed.

Personally I am waiting for the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl and the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl. :coffee: :lol:

[Born2Steel]

As a fan of a school that has played multiple bowl games, while the HC takes off for another school/job opportunity, I have no issue, zero problem, mind your own damn business, if a player wants to sit out a 'meaningless' bowl game.

To be fair...I would only condone seniors or juniors who are entering the draft to sit out. Or is that fair?

[st33lersguy]

The only bowls that matter to me this year are the peach bowl and fiesta bowl.
Really don't care about the butt-muncher bowl between the 2 6-6 mid major teams or the ballerina pansy bowl between 2 6-6 mid-major conference teams

[Craic]

Most of the bowl games are worthless anyway. They need to cut back and get rid of a bunch of them.

The NFL needs to change their rule about players needing to be 3 years removed from high school. That's a ridiculous rule. Many players are clearly ready for the NFL before that and they shouldn't be forced to wait and risk possible injury. Quite a few of them don't belong in college anyway since they're not there to learn.

Iirc, the whole reason for the three-year wait was because players coming out earlier had more chance of injury (body is still growing at 18 or 19) and with only a 2 or 3 years NFL window anyway, when they finished their career in 3 years, they had nothing to fall back on and no money to go back to college. So, I'm in favor of the rule, but there's no reason schools that are making millions on these athletes cannot purchase insurance policies for their star athletes who stay and play their last one or two years—policies that would pay the athlete the equivalent of a rookie contract if they get injured and aren't drafted. (Doing so by something such as the average pay of the players before and after him in stats who were drafted, plus blah, blah, blah).

As far as not playing in a bowl game, I'm split. Part of me sees it as a snub on teammates, regardless of whether the teammates are okay with the idea. The other part of me completely understands the risk/reward assessment and congratulates the player on thinking ahead.

On a related note - this ability to see both sides is why it usually takes me an hour to decide what to have for dinner.

[Born2Steel]

Iirc, the whole reason for the three-year wait was because players coming out earlier had more chance of injury (body is still growing at 18 or 19) and with only a 2 or 3 years NFL window anyway, when they finished their career in 3 years, they had nothing to fall back on and no money to go back to college. So, I'm in favor of the rule, but there's no reason schools that are making millions on these athletes cannot purchase insurance policies for their star athletes who stay and play their last one or two years—policies that would pay the athlete the equivalent of a rookie contract if they get injured and aren't drafted. (Doing so by something such as the average pay of the players before and after him in stats who were drafted, plus blah, blah, blah).

As far as not playing in a bowl game, I'm split. Part of me sees it as a snub on teammates, regardless of whether the teammates are okay with the idea. The other part of me completely understands the risk/reward assessment and congratulates the player on thinking ahead.

On a related note - this ability to see both sides is why it usually takes me an hour to decide what to have for dinner.

The slope here is what players are allowed to sit out? If you let one, you have to let ALL that also want to, sit out. It is purely selfish on the part of the player. To force a player to play that doesn't want to play is not going to work either. I don't think there is a wrong reaction to this. You can see a guy's point, and yet, still completely think he's wrong. Maybe not wrong, but definitely being selfish. What is really the difference between skipping a bowl game and skipping your senior season? Either way it's a selfish move, that a player makes for, what he feels, is what's best for him. I'll never like it, but I accept it.