Higdon Playing in the Senior Bowl When He Didn't Play in the Peach Bowl?
Karan Higdon admitted today that Harbaugh was pissed he didn't play in the Peach Bowl. And while I fully support any player's right to look out for his future, how can Higdon justify playing in the Senior Bowl when he didn't play in the Peach Bowl? (He's the only Michigan player in the Senior Bowl, by the way.)
The "I didn't want to get hurt before the draft" excuse is clearly not true, because he could get hurt in the Senior Bowl just as easily as he could have in the Peach Bowl. Did he sit out the Peach Bowl because he thought he had proven all he needed to in college? If so, why is he playing in the Senior Bowl?
I haven't scoured the Senior Bowl rosters enough to see if there are any guys who skipped their team's bowl game. This is his life and his career, but this is a really bad look for a Michigan captain.
January 22nd, 2019 at 10:55 PM ^
I can't get too excited about this stuff anymore. You gotta know that Dwayne Haskins had some extra goodies in his Christmas stocking for playing in his bowl game.
January 22nd, 2019 at 10:56 PM ^
I think he will regret his decision. But I understand.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:10 PM ^
Right on both accounts.
January 22nd, 2019 at 10:56 PM ^
Um wasn't this already known he was playing in the Senior Bowl and not Peach Bowl?
Edit: Why does someone have to post something negative right after a buzzer beater win. I understand it wasn't what we wanted but still. I still can't vote at all but it would be nice to be able to vote on OP threads for the people that can.
January 23rd, 2019 at 1:00 AM ^
It’s called a buzzkill.
January 23rd, 2019 at 4:43 AM ^
Is it? Or is it a case of two separate stories on two different subjects, and an example of how many people can focus on more than one thing at a time?
January 23rd, 2019 at 8:18 AM ^
I think the point of the comment you're replying to is not that you can't focus on more than1 thing, but "WHY" focus on this other thing right at that moment?!
It wasn't even news, it had been known for days/weeks by anyone who follows Michigan sports enough to be creating posts on Mgoblog!
Hoops had literally won on a buzzer beater moments before this was posted!
I'm not gif savvy, but here's what I would insert here if I knew how:
"This is my disapproving look"
January 22nd, 2019 at 10:56 PM ^
Honestly, at this point does it really matter. Not to mention, when he said he wasn't playing in the bowl game, we all knew he was gonna play the in the Senior Bowl. Good luck Karan, and thanks for all you did for the University of Michigan. Makes us proud on your next job.
January 22nd, 2019 at 10:56 PM ^
We're seriously asking this question?
It's because the Peach Bowl is a pointless exhibition game in relation to his future career prospects, while the Senior Bowl is an opportunity to show off for NFL teams and improve your draft stock
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:24 PM ^
So some people are still doing this bowl games are pointless crap still ?
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:53 PM ^
In terms of Higdon's career and the risk/benefit ratio? It would've been pretty pointless for him to play in it
January 23rd, 2019 at 12:56 AM ^
All college football games are meaningless with regards to career and risk/benefit for 95% of players, so I’m sure you’d be fine with everyone sitting out every game and we can just play walk ons
January 23rd, 2019 at 8:50 AM ^
A player like Higdon who has pro football aspirations has a lot more risk of having something negative happen that impacts his career as opposed to a player who is going into a line a work that is less physically demanding. For example, blowing out a knee has a much greater impact on someone who wants to play pro football than it does on someone who is going to work as an Aerospace Engineer.
January 23rd, 2019 at 1:08 AM ^
No, some players are still doing this 'my family and my future are more important than this bowl game' crap. And while some fans may not like it--while this fan may personally regret it--it is what it is. Sitting around complaining about it on message boards won't move the dial even a little.
January 22nd, 2019 at 10:59 PM ^
LET. IT. GO.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:02 PM ^
Knowing what we know about the offense and how that game went can you really blame the guy? I'm glad he stayed away from that game. Wouldn't have done anything to help his stock. Might have hurt it if he played.
January 23rd, 2019 at 6:20 AM ^
I want to disagree with this take but it occurs to me that I will probably watch the Senior Bowl with more interest than the Peach Bowl. Regardless of how the game turned out, we just got a really stupid bowl game draw. I have a strong feeling that Higdon would have played the Rose Bowl or if we had played Georgia or Texas. It was against Florida for the 3rd time in 3 years in a bowl game that has little history or appeal in a “meh” location. I was mad for a while but it is what it is. A lot of teams have fallen ass backwards into the Rose Bowl over the years for a soft landing. It does suck that we got a really bad draw after a good season.
January 23rd, 2019 at 8:53 AM ^
"I will probably watch the Senior Bowl with more interest than the Peach Bowl. "
Really?
January 23rd, 2019 at 12:08 PM ^
I can't speak for anyone else, but personally I have ZERO interest in watching the Senior Bowl, regardless of who is there. I care about teams much more than individual players (since, you know, football IS a team sport). An overhyped all star game with people from disparate college regimes thrown together to play a game with no camaraderie or well developed strategy has no appeal for me.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:04 PM ^
Good luck to the young man.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:07 PM ^
Not a fan of skipping games! Harbaugh was also pissed at Bush. I don’t blame him. The scholarship is for 13/13 not 12/13. So much for playing for your teammates and your brothers. It’s a trend none of us should like as college fans. Basketball is next.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:10 PM ^
If CFB is going to be a big business, players will treat it as such. It’s that simple. Harbaugh may be upset, but he’s also making 7 million a year while players are hoping they’re healthy and get drafted at best value so they can make that in the future. It sucks from a fan perspective but I understand why players do it
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:13 PM ^
I get it. The NCAA is a farce and it is finally coming back to bite them.
January 23rd, 2019 at 12:17 AM ^
The NCAA brings in so much money I have to believe they could insure at the very least each player during their Bowl Game. Hell maybe even the season.
Have a panel and slot every players draft status and guarantee to make them whole based if they drop in the draft from injury.
January 23rd, 2019 at 1:50 AM ^
Higdon as a student athlete at UM was making a lot more than the average American.
January 23rd, 2019 at 5:14 AM ^
No, he did not. Got alot of free services but did not get paid more than the monthly stipend.
January 23rd, 2019 at 7:43 AM ^
Ron Burgandy voice: "I don't believe you."
January 23rd, 2019 at 8:40 AM ^
When you're a PhD student, tuition reimbursement is considered "income" by the IRS. He received free tuition, free housing/food, free clothes, and most importantly free coaching (both positional and S&C) - all of which allowed him to focus on nothing but honing his craft. If we're not being naive, he probably received a great deal of information/training related to performance-enhancing drugs too.
That is worth many multiples of the average person's household income, and it's a huge opportunity for these guys. Especially a guy like Hidgon who didn't have the world at his feet out of HS.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:17 PM ^
Indeed...for me, this was the line in the sand being crossed.
Did any other school have three players that sat out?
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:19 PM ^
Easy justification to expand the playoffs. Fine with me.
January 23rd, 2019 at 12:51 AM ^
Only gonna get worse unless the NCAA decides to be proactive about it and let athletes make money from their image while they're in school.
January 23rd, 2019 at 6:02 AM ^
This is a lazy take. Do you really believe that kids will “make money from their image” and rhat will be enough to tilt the scales!?
How much would a player have to make to consider taking the risk? 50k? 250k? 500k?
And how many of them would still have that money when they got to the point of the NFL draft? I’ll give you a hint - next to none.
January 23rd, 2019 at 12:21 PM ^
This will not solve the issue. The real problem is schools allowing a situation where extracurricular school activities (cfb, mbb, hockey, etc.) can be approached as just a business decision by the students. Unpopular take, but the most efficient way to stop this will be to eliminate athletic scholarships (must be at the NCAA level, not just at UM). Applicants can still get a bump in their admissions chances due to their sports, but not a full ride for it. Will top talent go else where besides college? Maybe or even probably. I'm fine with that. If the want to be a pro athlete from the outset, they probably have little to no interest in going to classes anyway. In this context, I care about UM beating other schools; it doesn't matter if it is our NFL draftees vs their draftees or our 3rd string walk one vs their walk ons. I will still watch/attend the games all the same BECAUSE IT IS MY SCHOOL AND A PART OF ME. If I just wanted to watch elite football athletes, I'd buy tickets to any of the generic NFL teams.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:08 PM ^
Scouts watch every practice and the game. Scouts wouldn’t be at all of Michigan’s practices leading up to the Peach Bowl. He could have helped with a big game, but he probably wouldn’t have had one judging by the performance of the team in that game. Much more likely to improve stock with a healthy senior bowl or combine. Neither is a certainty if he plays in the Peach Bowl. Criticize it if you want, but it makes sense from a business perspective
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:19 PM ^
If you have multiple potential first round picks, Scouts will be at the practices and games..... now if they don't practice or play....
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:51 PM ^
It's different. He will be playing and practicing in front of scouts against other draft prospects. There aren't enough scouts to be at all of UMs games. Every team will have multiple scouts at the senior bowl. Plus you can meet with teams. He sat out to not be injured for an opportunity like this.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:14 PM ^
He was playing for his daughter. Lol.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:17 PM ^
I 100% support Karan and any other Michigan player who makes such a decision that they feel is the best way to launch their professional career.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:26 PM ^
I support all Michigan players sitting out all games for all seasons. Let’s be honest. It’s what’s best for their long-term careers.
January 23rd, 2019 at 8:48 AM ^
NFL coach "Karan, we are looking for guys with commitment and leadership to join our team, please explain your decision as team captain not to play in the Bowl game and to walk away from your brothers?
January 23rd, 2019 at 11:21 AM ^
NFL agent: "Why should my client show any loyalty to his "brothers" since you're considering cutting him, not because of performance, but because of his salary cap hit?" There's no loyalty in the NFL.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:25 PM ^
They should do away with the Senior Bowl
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:26 PM ^
Very little likelihood a bowl game, just like any individual game during the season, will have a great impact on draft status. On the other hand for the Senior Bowl, you get to work out with NFL coaches and scouts and practice and play against a veritable all star team of future NFL players.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:27 PM ^
With players sitting out for non-playoff bowl games, it seems like the logical course would be expand the playoff. The only other course is to remove some of the bowl games and we all know that isn't going to happen.
It's funny how you guys like to quote Bo's " the team, the team, the team" but are ok with it when captains sit out and put themselves above the team. You're not just playing for yourself and your family, you're playing for the guy next to you. I'm not in the situation to sell out my friends for millions of dollars, so I don't really know what I'd do but, I'd like to think I'd be there until the end when everything was finished.
January 23rd, 2019 at 12:22 PM ^
I'd sell out my friends for millions then hold auditions for those who want to be part of my posse.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:34 PM ^
The Senior Bowl is a game where guys get evaluated by tons of scouts and has a real impact on a player's draft position. The Peach Bowl is an exhibition game a month after the season that occurred on the same day as the semi-finals of the national title hunt and was watched by dozens.
Again, people want to get mad that these (largely) unpaid college athletes for personal reasons. Yes, Higdon could get hurt playing in the Senior Bowl. But at least by then the scouts have seen him practice and have, generally, a pretty good idea about him. We follow these guys every week so we have an outsized knowledge about them; my guess is the average NFL scouting room has a basic idea about Higdon but probably not nearly as detailed as they'll have when multiple guys see him perform reps at this game. It's a no-brainer why he'd skip the Peach and play here.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:53 PM ^
And the gameplay experience is likely quite different in the two games. Senior bowls the last few years rarely see a back get more than 10 carries and it’s usually more like 5-7. Karan averaged almost 19 carries a game during the season and his high was 33 carries. The risk reward equation is much different in an all star game with all the other exposure from the week of scouting.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:35 PM ^
Any scouting advantage that comes from the Senior Bowl vs. the Peach Bowl is marginal, at best. The health risk isn’t any different. I don’t agree with it, but at least there’s a rational argument for sitting out a Bowl game and not playing any more football until you’re getting paid. There isn’t one for Higdon skipping the Peach but playing in the Senior. He simply abandoned his teammates for no good reason. If I were making draft decisions for an NFL team, and the talent levels were close, I’d take the player who showed up for his teammates over one who chose not to.
January 22nd, 2019 at 11:50 PM ^
Unless you have a status as a can't miss talent, sitting out is a horrible business decision. Higdon was a mid-round at the best, and I won't be surprised that he goes undrafted.