Le'Veon Bell met with Mark Dantonio and has decided to declare early for the NFL Draft. Article from MLive is here.
"Upset's not a good word to use, but he (Dantonio) was taken aback a little bit. He thought he had a good chance of Le'Veon coming back."
Hopefully his future NFL team will have a better record against the refs than MSU did this year.
Best of luck
Exactly.
I'm surprised MD was surprised.
"They're stuck with that quarterback (sophomore Braxton Miller) for the next two or three years, that's fine with me. He throws worse than (Tim) Tebow. - Steve Everitt
Upset isn't the word. Scorned
Upset isn't the word. Scorned fits better
I got the shotgun. You got the briefcase. It's all in the game though, right?
Yeah...
Not real difficult to picture MD's bitter expression upon hearing the good news eh?
We're gonna play with toughness, we're gonna be responsible and we're gonna play with toughness. This is Michigan.
(No subject)
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user
No integrity
Bell is rated the fourth-highest RB by many services, and a possible first round pick who won't fall further than the second round. In the NFL, the second round is still decent. Also, his style isn't exactly conducive to a long "shelf life," and he did carry the ball 382 times this season. Any coach with any integrity would have told Bell to go.
Then again, expecting Mark Dantonio to have integrity is like expecting Nick Saban to stay in one place for twenty years.
Good Luck to him. He's pretty
Good Luck to him. He's pretty good.
Time for Nick Hill to prove his worth and put his money where his mouth is after talking about Denard.
(No subject)
When the ADept sells special jerseys and gear, you'll see my picture next to the targeted customer crowd. A sheep.....but a Blue one.....
If I were in his shoes I'd go
If I were in his shoes I'd go too. RBs have such a short shelf life in the NFL. Better to get paid than spend an extra year in East Lansing.
Quite right. Most of us saw
Quite right. Most of us saw Lattimore's interview (interrupted by agony though it was) on television and he made exactly the same argument--short shelf life, get the NFL money while you can.
Can't blame a guy for thinking that way. MSU had always ridden its RBs hard under Dantonio, and Bell may think he's better off even if he's a third or fourth round pick.
Servant. Pastor. Husband. Michigan fan in Duluth.
Nick Tompkins
Last year that got a RB commit from GA named Nick Tompkins whom was ranked the #11 RB in the class, I remember watching his tape and being really impressed with his game. Had a lot of decent offers and would seem like a more viable option than Hill.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/michigan/football/recruiting/player-Nick-Tompkin...
Bo' Money Bo' Problems
Tompkins was the #11
Tompkins was the #11 ALL-PURPOSE BACK, according to Rivals. Norfleet was #5 in that category. There's a whole separate category for "running backs."
Only Mork would be upset
Only Mork would be "taken aback" about a kid he recruited/coached/looked after trying to live a dream and make things better for himself and his family.
Sincerely,
Cpt. Ass-Hat
He obviously saw how well the
He obviously saw how well the passing game was progressing and knew the writing was on the wall for way less carries next season.
The guy ran for almost 1,800
The guy ran for almost 1,800 yards . . . how could Dantonio have realistically expected him to come back?
BTW, major kudos to our defense for holding him to 68 yards on 26 carries (2.6 per). What an effort they turned in that day.
Rough off season in the early
Rough off season in the early entry department for MSU. After seeing numerous Michigan juniors leave gaping holes behind only to get undrafted, I've got to say that I'm relieved to see it finally happening to somebody else. If Gholston leaves, that will hurt. He isn't as dominant as his reputation, but he was still arguably the best MSU recruit of the past decade, and whoever replaces him probably won't be as good.
My first thought was "thank
My first thought was "thank god."
Bell is a tank and their best offensive asset. I'm glad he's not gonna be playing for State anymore. I actually liked seeing him play a lot because he's incredibly gifted. I'm looking forward to seeing him hurdle defenders in the NFL (one of the HL of the season IMO)...as long as it isn't against my team.
This is the right decision for him too. He's proven he can be a workhorse and I don't think there is much upside to staying another year.
Avatar is a reference to this. Go Blue!
It's a smart choice
Power running backs have a short enough NFL lifespan as it is. He led the NCAA in carries this year with 382, if he stayed he would probably do it again.
Bell...
"was laying in the weeds."
"Where's the threat?"
Maybe the Lions should take
Maybe the Lions should take him in the 5th round.
Not that I loved Rich Rod less, but that I loved Michigan more.
honestly
it would not shock me if they reach for him at fifth overall...
(But I wouldn't be mad if they did take him later in the draft)
I heard Mork is recruiting
I heard Mork is recruiting Big Foots son to come in and take over the running back position.
"Are you an official here?Because you've officially given me a boner."
i guess
They have to find a new rb for mattison to shut down
Follow me on Twitter @gfraley05
????
How does one tell if Dantonio is upset? The dude always looks like he smelled something bad.
Strive to win. If you lose....win.
he smells
from laying in soggy weed beds outside of Brendan Gibbons apartment.
Best of luck to him. Maybe
Best of luck to him. Maybe my Steelers will draft him in the later rounds.
Without him, Michigan State doesn't even sniff a bowl game this year.
If you need drugs to be a good writer, you're not a good writer.
-Rod Serling
Good riddance.
Good riddance.
'Try growing up in Texas a Michigan WOLVERINE'. Follow me on Twitter: RudygoBLUE
I don't really see Bell being
I don't really see Bell being a quality NFL back. He's too slow. He could be a decent short yardage back, but not a feature runner.
Larry...
Johnson 2.0
Eh, I thought Larry Johnson
Eh, I thought Larry Johnson was better (though kind of a head case).
Mikel
LeShoure 2.0 IMO.
Denard Robinson......They're not going to catch him!
Lj...
Had a couple of years where he was the best back in the nfl, stat wise at least
Maybe a Brandon Jacobs type?
Maybe a Brandon Jacobs type? A short yardage back who can occasionally carry the load when needed?
Of course you don't
I bet you would have poo-pood someone like Alfred Morris with the Redskins too. Sixth round guy, high 4.6 forty. Nothing special.
Bell has a very good chance at being a very good back. You can't account for team/coaching fit and just plain old luck.
Quicker on the draw than I.
Quicker on the draw than I.
Servant. Pastor. Husband. Michigan fan in Duluth.
I didn't watch Alfred Morris
I didn't watch Alfred Morris in college, so I don't think your opinion of what I would have thought about a guy that I never saw a year ago really matters.
I bet you would have voted for Dewey.
Hey, don't knock Dewey - he
Hey, don't knock Dewey - he was a Michigan grad. Plus, he had a sweet mustache.
That's what people said about
That's what people said about Alfred Morris, and he ran for 1500 yards as a rookie this year. 4.67 40.
Not to say that Bell will do that, but for certain types of runners top end speed isn't that important. Great running backs like Terrell Davis have succeeded without it.
Servant. Pastor. Husband. Michigan fan in Duluth.
alfred morris is as good as
alfred morris is as good as he is because of rgiii and the constant threat of the option between the 2 of them. they both complement each other. had morris been on any other team, his stats would not be what they are.
It's been a lot. Its been a roller coaster that for some reason seemed like it would never get good. But you know what? We kept fighting. It's like that old saying goes, "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions." -David Molk
Beat me to it;
Alfie runs
Beat me to it;
Alfie runs for 600-800 yds in Arizona. RG3 puts so much pressure on the LBs, DEs that it gives Alfie nice cut-backs where the above defenders should be.
I agree to an extent
I don't think Bell will ever be a star, but i do think he can be a quality back up in the league that can occassionally start if the normal #1 guy is hurt. He has great footwork for a guy his size. His biggest problem is when he doesn't realize he's a monster, and tries to be a speed back or bounce things instead of squaring his shoulders. I think as a more situational type runner the NFL will get that out of his system.
And with all that said, I still think it's the smart decision for him to leave. He needs to lose 10-15 lbs to try to increase his speed, but it won't increase enough to get benefit from another year and ~375 carries again. He has maxed out his draft position because it's a down year for RBs and he had a very good year, but will always have limited pure speed (he also sometimes takes a while to get going, unlike Morris as others have said, who has a good enough first step to threaten the edge). Great college back that could have been really great had he any offensive line. I see a solid 5-7 years in the league as a quality backup and occassional starter.
ATrain...
.
We're gonna play with toughness, we're gonna be responsible and we're gonna play with toughness. This is Michigan.
Bummer. Does this mean we
Bummer. Does this mean we can't watch the clips of him hurdling the Bosie State player and Indiana player for the 10,000th time on ESPN?
Go Blue! Always!
Hurdles..
They should show the clip of when he tried the hurdle against Minnesota. The Minnesota DB stood up and flipped him.
no you get to see him trying
no you get to see him trying to do it in the NFL and getting completely smeared when he does
I was thinking the same
I was thinking the same thing. He'll be on a few highlights yet trying to hurdle.... for the defender.
MSU loses alot
MSU really is losing a bunch of talent from a team not loaded to begin with. Will enjoy watching over their decline. I give Dantonio 2 years before he bails. Narduzzi would be smart to get out while his reputation is still intact. Surely back to trainwreck status in EL.
Bigscotto68
ohowihateohio.....
God Bless his cotton pickin' Maize and Blue heart
I wouldn't be surprised if he
I wouldn't be surprised if he gets booted in a couple years. They were 6-6 this year, and they're probably staring down two more seasons of the same. Once MSU goes back to mediocrity, he'll get shown the door.
MSU might be headed for a
MSU might be headed for a real down year. Maxwell is super shaky. No RB to lean on. No dion sims to bail you out on 3rd down. If gholston leaves this team will definetly be looking like a 5-7 team. King Smug dantonio deserves such.
MSU may have close to the
MSU may have close to the worst offense in football next year without Sims and Bell.
to Bell. He's a special player. It's better for him, too. He can't afford another 400 carries to hinder a future in the pros.
YOU'RE LOOKING LIVE ON ME OPENING A BAG OF PEANUTS!
-Brent Musburger on an airplane