Indy Pete - Go Blue

December 20th, 2018 at 9:02 AM ^

He had a great career.  I support his right to do this, but I cannot say I understand completely it as he is not a first day pickup.  He could stand to have another strong performance against an SEC defense.   Projected 4th round picks have not sat out bowls in the past that I can recall, not sure if that sends a great message to NFL teams. 

Regardless, I hope he has great success and can use football to support his family. 

M-Dog

December 20th, 2018 at 9:32 AM ^

And they lose an amazing amount of money to agents, taxes, paybacks to friends and family, etc.

You can burn through it very quickly, and a lot of guys with short careers and no endorsements do.

A lot of guys think "I don't need to worry about my education, I'm going to make the NFL."

But the reality is, even if you do beat the odds and make the NFL, for 90+% of NFL players it's not enough to support you for life.

I know a few former NFL players, and this has been true for them.  Today, they have "regular" jobs.  They couldn't make and keep enough to have no job.

DutchWolverine

December 20th, 2018 at 10:08 AM ^

All true, but the main reason an NFL contract isn't enough to support them for life is because of the spending habits that they have once they "make it."  Even if you only last a few years and make a couple million dollars total, that is more than most Americans will make in a lifetime. 

jmblue

December 20th, 2018 at 3:11 PM ^

That's not  just a problem for athletes.  Virtually everyone increases their spending to accompany their increased income, and many people then struggle to bring their spending down when their income declines.  This is especially true when it happens at a young adult age (like 20s/30s).  

 

cavebeaner

December 20th, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^

My rafting guide one summer in Colorado was a (then) current NFL offensive lineman for the Colts. I was all like, "Dude. You play in the NFL, what are you doing here?" and he said he was learning the ropes so that when he wasn't in the NFL anymore he could make money owning his own rafting company.

He did say that Peyton "tipped" his OL very, very well.

JC06Z33

December 20th, 2018 at 9:57 AM ^

Kind of. OP said he wasn't fully on board with the notion of Higdon sitting out this game.  He even qualified his thoughts with the quality of the defense in this particular bowl game and the amount of film Higdon had may not show what he can do against good defenses.


BeatOSU52 did construct a straw man by himself though, although not directly in reference to OP.  No one said anything about any round of a draft pick; 4th round was mentioned.  No one said anything about the type of bowl game; an SEC defense was mentioned without even mentioning a specific bowl game or level of bowl game.  He took the OP's questioning of the decision and turned it into an incredibly hard line that the OP never took. 

bluebyyou

December 20th, 2018 at 5:16 PM ^

It's a very valid point and where we are heading. Straw man?  Really? What do we do when players start taking it easy as the season nears its end?  Could that have happened in the Indiana game?  Or OSU?  I assume that it didn't but I can surely see the potential for "I" before "team."

 

Blue_Bull_Run

December 20th, 2018 at 1:07 PM ^

Meh, I am not sure. If we take this "I want to avoid all risk because I am going to the NFL" approach, then why would a player on the #16 team want to play through a playoff game? Why would players on the #1 team want to risk injury in the first round? Why not sit out a few rounds and then just play the championship? 

Should high school seniors sit out too? 

This is definitely an interesting new paradigm and I think this board has a lot of good discussion on what happens if this goes to its logical extreme. But to keep it in context, it sounds like we only have three current players making this decision. And according to Bush, he isn't even cleared yet anyways.

 

JPC

December 20th, 2018 at 9:17 AM ^

Why exclude the Rose Bowl? People seem to suggest that anyone who even has a sniff at the NFL should sit any non-CFP bowl. 

Hidgon is a solid college back. He's exactly the kind of guy who should want to play his last game. 

ijohnb

December 20th, 2018 at 9:56 AM ^

Yeah, the construct is kind of crumbling.  If the Peach Bowl doesn't matter, why does any game matter?  Why would it matter more or less than the Rose Bowl.  For that matter, if the issue is providing for your family, why is the Playoff any different?  Both the Peach Bowl and the Playoff come with a trophy, right?  Neither involves compensation.  All of these games are "exhibition games" if that is the measuring stick.  One step further, if the outcome of a specific college game does not matter, why does any college game matter? 

The decision to sit out these bowl games for perfectly healthy potential NFL players is an arbitrary one, and is kind of the factor leading to these games being "meaningless."  The Ohio State game has meaning because the level of effort and dedication given to the game gives it meaning.  Sure it has "history," but why would "history" be a reason to risk mid-round money but a bowl game with huge implications for program momentum not be?  I guess because he would have less time to recover before the combine?   And I am not saying this about Higdon specifically, but if a player's eyes are so fixed on the NFL, even one projected as a mid-round pick, does it not give you pause as to their level of focus on the goals at hand coming down the stretch of a season?

And the standard response would be "pay the players."  But how much?  If a player is projected to have a first contract worth 4 million dollars, how much would you have to pay them to make the Peach Bowl worth it?  I don't think an increased stipend is going to move the needle much there. 

It just sucks, because contrary to what a lot of people say around here, these games did not always feel "meaningless."  Think of the amount of NFL talent that was the field for Michigan v. Texas in 2004 or Michigan v. Florida in 2007.  Those were huge games.  That was the old normal for bowl games. 

 

ijohnb

December 20th, 2018 at 10:51 AM ^

Tips cap.

You changed my perspective a little bit in that (way too long) exchange that we had about this topic.  I still think the issue is a little bit more complicated than "quitting or not," but I must say that your perspective had an impact on the way I look at the issue.

M-Dog

December 20th, 2018 at 12:07 PM ^

You hit the heart of the issue:  A lot of guys are playing college football in preparation for the NFL because they have to, not because they want to.

They could not care less about the rah rah stuff, they want to prepare themselves for a pro football career and there is no other way to do it.  There is no viable minor league.

So they do as much as they feel they need to do in college, and that's it.  If they have established themselves well enough by the middle of their last season, they are not interested in any meaningless bowl game or even meaningless regular season games.

User -not THAT user

December 22nd, 2018 at 6:57 AM ^

If rivalry games and results mean something to players, I suspect there would be some guys at least on this year’s team who wouldn’t want their last memory or impression left in a Michigan uniform  being that of a 62-point horsefucking by Ohio State.

Maybe that’s just me, but getting the chance to prove “that ain’t us” by making the next team up (Florida in this case) pay would be just what the doctor ordered.

Michigan4Life

December 20th, 2018 at 12:34 PM ^

Senior Bowl is different because you're showcasing yourself to the scouts and the NFL GMs/coaches. Plus, you're competing with NFL prospects. This is a good way to boost your stock where the bowl game doesn't do much since you already have game tapes from the regular season. The most important part of the process are the practices where you show work ethics, practice habits, ability to compete with NFL bound prospects.

 

Top prospects do skip Senior Bowl

FGB

December 20th, 2018 at 9:24 AM ^

I've read articles on both ESPN and SI where NFL front offices have indicated it makes no difference in their draft evaluations.  Maybe, possibly, slightly, for someone who already has a bunch of red flags if it suggests they can't get along with their team, but beyond that the NFL doesn't care.

 

4th and Go For It

December 20th, 2018 at 10:38 AM ^

This^^. We can look at this bowl game as the end of the 2018 season or the beginning of the 2019 season. Is it really that bad that these players move on and get guys who have been working all season more run? That will help shape the offense next year? Is winning or losing this game important or are the extra practices and game speed experience for up-and-coming players important? I think there's arguments for both but I don't know what we need to trot out the "quitting on your team" chestnut whenever these guys opt out. Their season had goals - win the B1G ten, go to the CFP. That part's over. I'm fine with letting the guys who will contribute next year take a bigger role here. 

ijohnb

December 20th, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^

I think this is probably the best perspective to take.  The running backs who are going to be getting the carries next could use the work now, and it does not really have to diminish the importance of the game.  The backups are part of the team too and I support and care about any game in which Michigan athletics are involved, so I am not sure why Karan Higdon's performance has any more intrinsic value to me than Tru Wilson or Hassan Haskins doing the same.

Thanks 4th and Go For It.  That is a good post.

JFW

December 20th, 2018 at 10:35 AM ^

yeah. I can see this both ways. It's not like he's Gary who can almost only go down by playing at the peach bowl if he has a bad game or gets an injury. At the same time, the Butt injury has to loom large, especially when you have a little girl to take care of. 

I'll stick with 'If he's okay with it, and his teammates are good with it, then by golly It's good'. 

b1rutkow

December 20th, 2018 at 9:03 AM ^

Not a surprise yes. But since a third of our starters are likely to sit out, we should expect them to lose to Florida. You wont hear from me complaining and negativity towards Harbaugh on this loss.