[FarmBoy]

My view on the Luck vs. Gaffney thing is that career ending injuries seem a lot less prevalent in the QB position than RB. Look at Sam Bradford. He missed his senior year with a devastating shoulder injury and was still #1 in the draft. But a RB blowing out their ACL or knee could be catastrophic for the career. On top of that, with our OL, Luck is hardly ever hit, so the risk of injury is further reduced. Additionally, with the uncertainty and turmoil in the NFL holdout, it made sense for Luck to wait it out and hone his craft another year.

But for Gaffney, football isn't even his pro-sport. The risk he's putting his body through just to have a good time almost feels irresponsible. As a RB, he puts his body at a much higher level of risk, whether it's running or blocking, than the QB does. Don't get me wrong, I love what he brings to the team, but I think the sick feeling I get whenever one of our players goes down would be that much more amplified if it were Gaffney. It would be akin to a medical student training in brain surgery deciding to pick up boxing in the final year of residency to represent his university.

I'll play the devil's advocate to myself though. I hate how college sports have become a training ground for the pros. Kids pick schools based on how it positions them to go pro. Athletes, like Keenan Allen at Cal, are evaluating their NFL prospects a season before they're even eligible. So to the degree that a kid just wants to go out there play and represent their university with pride and get in the trenches with their brothers, I can respect that.

[FarmBoy]

My view on the Luck vs. Gaffney thing is that career ending injuries seem a lot less prevalent in the QB position than RB. Look at Sam Bradford. He missed his senior year with a devastating shoulder injury and was still #1 in the draft. But a RB blowing out their ACL or knee could be catastrophic for the career. On top of that, with our OL, Luck is hardly ever hit, so the risk of injury is further reduced. Additionally, with the uncertainty and turmoil in the NFL holdout, it made sense for Luck to wait it out and hone his craft another year.

But for Gaffney, football isn't even his pro-sport. The risk he's putting his body through just to have a good time almost feels irresponsible. As a RB, he puts his body at a much higher level of risk, whether it's running or blocking, than the QB does. Don't get me wrong, I love what he brings to the team, but I think the sick feeling I get whenever one of our players goes down would be that much more amplified if it were Gaffney. It would be akin to a medical student training in brain surgery deciding to pick up boxing in the final year of residency to represent his university.

I'll play the devil's advocate to myself though. I hate how college sports have become a training ground for the pros. Kids pick schools based on how it positions them to go pro. Athletes, like Keenan Allen at Cal, are evaluating their NFL prospects a season before they're even eligible. So to the degree that a kid just wants to go out there play and represent their university with pride and get in the trenches with their brothers, I can respect that.