Grier to skip bowl game

Uncle Si

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This is becoming more and more a tactic, and I kind of like it.

If College football is going to make all this money off these kids, then they should continue to exercise the little control they have. Will be interesting to see if others follow suit.

I mean if you are comfortable in your draft status and your team isnt playing for a national championship, your loyalty to the team and school will be challenged by the risk of ruining your fiscal future in a meaningless game meant to make money for others
 
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HawkGA

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I agree. I grew up with the mindset of "free college is enough" but the amount of money in college football is getting crazy and these kids are frozen out. Not cool.
 

West TX Hawk

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Hopefully more players follow suit and many of these pointless exhibition bowls will discontinue. Why risk an ACL tear just so ESPN 2 and your conference can profit? Definitely makes sense to start your combine prep now if you’re not in a major game.

There’s at least 15 too many bowls anyway. If more players start exiting these games maybe it’ll lead to an expanded playoff...but I digress.
 

justafan

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West TX Hawk":150jwo8w said:
Hopefully more players follow suit and many of these pointless exhibition bowls will discontinue. Why risk an ACL tear just so ESPN 2 and your conference can profit? Definitely makes sense to start your combine prep now if you’re not in a major game.

There’s at least 15 too many bowls anyway. If more players start exiting these games maybe it’ll lead to an expanded playoff...but I digress.

There are really only a small percentage of schools that will ever challenge for the playoffs. A lot of these exhibition bowls mean a lot to those players and fans that won't ever play in a bcs game. They are rewards to a lot of players not going to the pros.
 

Seahawkfan80

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justafan":g9ftbd0u said:
West TX Hawk":g9ftbd0u said:
Hopefully more players follow suit and many of these pointless exhibition bowls will discontinue. Why risk an ACL tear just so ESPN 2 and your conference can profit? Definitely makes sense to start your combine prep now if you’re not in a major game.

There’s at least 15 too many bowls anyway. If more players start exiting these games maybe it’ll lead to an expanded playoff...but I digress.

There are really only a small percentage of schools that will ever challenge for the playoffs. A lot of these exhibition bowls mean a lot to those players and fans that won't ever play in a bcs game. They are rewards to a lot of players not going to the pros.

And it is the last chance they have to show the Scouts what they have to offer. You never know if they have been seen during the course of the year and if they want to pursue a career as a bench warmer. See Sam Bradford.
 

West TX Hawk

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Seahawkfan80":bmvjhkdn said:
justafan":bmvjhkdn said:
West TX Hawk":bmvjhkdn said:
Hopefully more players follow suit and many of these pointless exhibition bowls will discontinue. Why risk an ACL tear just so ESPN 2 and your conference can profit? Definitely makes sense to start your combine prep now if you’re not in a major game.

There’s at least 15 too many bowls anyway. If more players start exiting these games maybe it’ll lead to an expanded playoff...but I digress.

There are really only a small percentage of schools that will ever challenge for the playoffs. A lot of these exhibition bowls mean a lot to those players and fans that won't ever play in a bcs game. They are rewards to a lot of players not going to the pros.

And it is the last chance they have to show the Scouts what they have to offer. You never know if they have been seen during the course of the year and if they want to pursue a career as a bench warmer. See Sam Bradford.

But that's what the Senior Bowl and East-West games were specifically designed for. Those players are in the spotlight to impress scouts.

There are now 40 bowl games and that should be dropped to about 24. It used to be an honor to qualify for a bowl and now it's a joke having teams with only 5 wins against FBS schools pitted against one another. More and more prospects are going to skip these games just as overall attendance and ratings have declined.

When it's saturated, people grow tired and tune out and now even some players don't care either.
 
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HawkGA

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You have to be invited to the Senior Bowl and East-West shrine game and then you also have to be seniors (have they changed the rule yet to simply having declared for the draft?). For underclassmen, it's a chance to showcase their talent on a more national scale. More importantly, though, I think is that these Bowls are intended as rewards. They are semi-vacations, aren't they? It's one of the reasons I don't understand why Hawaii seems to always play in the Hawaii Bowl (or why there is a bowl game in Detroit).

In the same vein, I think it would be great if the players and coaches could come to an agreement that the players stays on the team, preps with the team, travels with the team, but doesn't actually play in the game.
 

Rat

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I don't like this for Grier. He's not currently considered a top-end prospect, and the bowl game gives him a last chance to really give his stock momentum.

It makes sense for a lot of players. I don't think Grier is one of them, but in the end, his measurables and pro day will likely be more important anyway.
 
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HawkGA

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Interesting take. I haven't looked to see where he's expected to go. Some radio folks (don't know who) were speculating the other day that this could start to happen with even second and third round players. Perhaps, not sure what the pay difference between say, 2nd and 3rd versus 5th and 6th round picks is.

Exit question: Does it make sense to skip your team's bowl game but play in the Senior Bowl? I would think it does.
 

justafan

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West TX Hawk":a8huou4p said:
Hopefully more players follow suit and many of these pointless exhibition bowls will discontinue. Why risk an ACL tear just so ESPN 2 and your conference can profit? Definitely makes sense to start your combine prep now if you’re not in a major game.

There’s at least 15 too many bowls anyway. If more players start exiting these games maybe it’ll lead to an expanded playoff...but I digress.

Grier will get drafted even if he hurts a knee.He isnt a CB or OLB that would be devastated by a knee injury.I hate seeing a QB bail. *edIt and add 1 thing. If I am a GM looking for a leader and face of the franchise he aint it.

But these bowls arent important to YOU. To small communities across the country,to schools that will never be on a level playing field with the SEC or Big Ten and players who never will go any further they are huge. Just because you dont want to watch doesnt mean they arent important to the fabric of collegiate sports. Is it a money grab? Ya but other students and sports benefit from them.
 

fenderbender123

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Should be a negative mark on a player's draft profile.

"Doesn't appear to enjoy the game of football."

"Doesn't play for his team."
 

West TX Hawk

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fenderbender123":2uoeeeou said:
Should be a negative mark on a player's draft profile.

"Doesn't appear to enjoy the game of football."

"Doesn't play for his team."

Worked out ok for McCaffrey.
 

OrangeGravy

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justafan":gs5oq1p4 said:
West TX Hawk":gs5oq1p4 said:
Hopefully more players follow suit and many of these pointless exhibition bowls will discontinue. Why risk an ACL tear just so ESPN 2 and your conference can profit? Definitely makes sense to start your combine prep now if you’re not in a major game.

There’s at least 15 too many bowls anyway. If more players start exiting these games maybe it’ll lead to an expanded playoff...but I digress.

Grier will get drafted even if he hurts a knee.He isnt a CB or OLB that would be devastated by a knee injury.I hate seeing a QB bail. *edIt and add 1 thing. If I am a GM looking for a leader and face of the franchise he aint it.

But these bowls arent important to YOU. To small communities across the country,to schools that will never be on a level playing field with the SEC or Big Ten and players who never will go any further they are huge. Just because you dont want to watch doesnt mean they arent important to the fabric of collegiate sports. Is it a money grab? Ya but other students and sports benefit from them.

I'm with West TX on this. No question the bowl games are great for a majority of the players and others involved in the program. However, have you seen what it cost to get the entire program to a bowl game? You have the band, cheerleaders, all players, training staff, and various other staff. Once you factor all that in, a lot of these schools end up breaking even or losing money on the trip. The conference eats up a portion of each teams bowl payout for "Admin" costs. Unless you get multiple teams in the big NY6 bowls ( like the SEC every year ), the only people making money are the bowl associations that run them and the conference head offices. Even some well thought of football programs run at a budget deficit every year as it is. The whole thing is a scam. I'd love to see the number of bowl games culled to somewhere around 20 where you really have to have a good year (like 8+ wins) to go to one.

I don't even give 2 craps if my school goes to one of the lower bowls. It's not interesting unless you're matched up against one of the premier programs and have a shot to beat them
 

fenderbender123

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West TX Hawk":1002nesb said:
fenderbender123":1002nesb said:
Should be a negative mark on a player's draft profile.

"Doesn't appear to enjoy the game of football."

"Doesn't play for his team."

Worked out ok for McCaffrey.

Sure. But still a negative mark, IMO.
 

justafan

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fenderbender123":1ky12wpr said:
West TX Hawk":1ky12wpr said:
fenderbender123":1ky12wpr said:
Should be a negative mark on a player's draft profile.

"Doesn't appear to enjoy the game of football."

"Doesn't play for his team."

Worked out ok for McCaffrey.

Sure. But still a negative mark, IMO.


McCafferey isnt a QB. That is a huge difference for me. He has every right to make a business decision but I wouldnt draft him if I need a leader for my team. Mayfair wouldnt have gone 1st IMO if he would have done that. I dont think I have ever heard of a QB doing that. Its huge red flag to me.
 
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HawkGA

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The odds of a QB getting hurt are pretty low so it is certainly curious. But whatever. I wouldn't hold it against him.
 

kobebryant

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justafan":78pufgsf said:
fenderbender123":78pufgsf said:
West TX Hawk":78pufgsf said:
fenderbender123":78pufgsf said:
Should be a negative mark on a player's draft profile.

"Doesn't appear to enjoy the game of football."

"Doesn't play for his team."

Worked out ok for McCaffrey.

Sure. But still a negative mark, IMO.


McCafferey isnt a QB. That is a huge difference for me. He has every right to make a business decision but I wouldnt draft him if I need a leader for my team. Mayfair wouldnt have gone 1st IMO if he would have done that. I dont think I have ever heard of a QB doing that. Its huge red flag to me.

Yodney Cajuste has already pulled out of the game, and I wouldn't blame Grier if that played a part in his decision. If Duane Brown wasn't playing in a game that didn't have any ramifications I wouldn't blame Russ for missing it as well.

Unless it is a playoff game I actually think teams would be better served to give the reps to the guys that are going to be starting in 2019.

If a young college man has fulfilled his academic requirements for the semester and is ready to move on to the working world then I wish him the best.
 

IndyHawk

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He has to build up with his ped's for the draft :sarcasm_on:
 

Attyla the Hawk

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justafan":3etuuo2m said:
fenderbender123":3etuuo2m said:
West TX Hawk":3etuuo2m said:
fenderbender123":3etuuo2m said:
Should be a negative mark on a player's draft profile.

"Doesn't appear to enjoy the game of football."

"Doesn't play for his team."

Worked out ok for McCaffrey.

Sure. But still a negative mark, IMO.


McCafferey isnt a QB. That is a huge difference for me. He has every right to make a business decision but I wouldnt draft him if I need a leader for my team. Mayfair wouldnt have gone 1st IMO if he would have done that. I dont think I have ever heard of a QB doing that. Its huge red flag to me.

There are all kinds of flavors of opinion at the NFL level.

If I'm a player, then I'm actually thinking it's a benefit to have teams with this kind of opinion dropping you from their boards. The reality is, closed mindedness rarely stops at just one circumstance. Typically feeble mindedness permeates every aspect of ones existence. And in the NFL, the worst teams are time and again the ones led by those that choose to put themselves at competitive disadvantages. Who bind themselves to overly simplistic and self defeating constraints:

"I want a winner"
"Players from big time programs"
"Doesn't fit the prototype"
"Look at his calves. Not built to stand up to NFL punishment"
"Doesn't love the game"
"May not have the necessities to play ...."


So much stupid, it's like a disease. Kind of like watching the Chicago Bears drafts from 1990 to 2015.

This kind of move, aside from eliminating the very real risk of career derailment, is also a preemptive means to get your name off the draft boards of the teams that you don't want to be on in the first place.
 

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