[82lsju]

somewhat related to this is Charles Walker leaving Oklahoma to train for the draft before the season was over (although in Walker's case it was unclear if he'd play again this season), see the last bit below on one person's opinion on any impact to his draftability.

----

Oklahoma defensive lineman Charles Walker, a redshirt junior, has told OU coach Bob Stoops that he is leaving the Sooners program to prepare for the 2017 NFL Draft, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.

Oklahoma has two regular-season games remaining against West Virginia and rival Oklahoma State, but Walker has been out of the lineup for more than a month due to a concussion. It's unclear whether Walker would have been available for either of those games, or the postseason. But Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops left only one interpretation for how he viewed the decision.

.....

NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks doesn't believe Walker's draft value will be significantly damaged by his departure, but that doesn't mean Walker won't have to answer for the decision.

"Walker will have to answer to the severity of the concussion. He'll have to answer questions about why he left the team, because it does show a level of selfishness," Brooks said. "He'll also have to deal with the backlash, and whatever various things his coaches report to scouts. But at the end of the day, I don't think it will drastically affect his draft stock at all."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...-for-draft

[82lsju]

somewhat related to this is Charles Walker leaving Oklahoma to train for the draft before the season was over (although in Walker's case it was unclear if he'd play again this season), see the last bit below on one person's opinion on any impact to his draftability.

----

Oklahoma defensive lineman Charles Walker, a redshirt junior, has told OU coach Bob Stoops that he is leaving the Sooners program to prepare for the 2017 NFL Draft, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.

Oklahoma has two regular-season games remaining against West Virginia and rival Oklahoma State, but Walker has been out of the lineup for more than a month due to a concussion. It's unclear whether Walker would have been available for either of those games, or the postseason. But Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops left only one interpretation for how he viewed the decision.

.....

NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks doesn't believe Walker's draft value will be significantly damaged by his departure, but that doesn't mean Walker won't have to answer for the decision.

"Walker will have to answer to the severity of the concussion. He'll have to answer questions about why he left the team, because it does show a level of selfishness," Brooks said. "He'll also have to deal with the backlash, and whatever various things his coaches report to scouts. But at the end of the day, I don't think it will drastically affect his draft stock at all."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...-for-draft

[82lsju]

somewhat related to this is Charles Walker leaving Oklahoma to train for the draft before the season was over (although in Walker's case it was unclear if he'd play again this season), see the last bit below on one person's opinion on any impact to his draftability.

----

Oklahoma defensive lineman Charles Walker, a redshirt junior, has told OU coach Bob Stoops that he is leaving the Sooners program to prepare for the 2017 NFL Draft, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.

Oklahoma has two regular-season games remaining against West Virginia and rival Oklahoma State, but Walker has been out of the lineup for more than a month due to a concussion. It's unclear whether Walker would have been available for either of those games, or the postseason. But Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops left only one interpretation for how he viewed the decision.

.....

NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks doesn't believe Walker's draft value will be significantly damaged by his departure, but that doesn't mean Walker won't have to answer for the decision.

"Walker will have to answer to the severity of the concussion. He'll have to answer questions about why he left the team, because it does show a level of selfishness," Brooks said. "He'll also have to deal with the backlash, and whatever various things his coaches report to scouts. But at the end of the day, I don't think it will drastically affect his draft stock at all."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...-for-draft

[82lsju]

somewhat related to this is Charles Walker leaving Oklahoma to train for the draft before the season was over (although in Walker's case it was unclear if he'd play again this season), see the last bit below on one person's opinion on any impact to his draftability.

----

Oklahoma defensive lineman Charles Walker, a redshirt junior, has told OU coach Bob Stoops that he is leaving the Sooners program to prepare for the 2017 NFL Draft, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.

Oklahoma has two regular-season games remaining against West Virginia and rival Oklahoma State, but Walker has been out of the lineup for more than a month due to a concussion. It's unclear whether Walker would have been available for either of those games, or the postseason. But Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops left only one interpretation for how he viewed the decision.

.....

NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks doesn't believe Walker's draft value will be significantly damaged by his departure, but that doesn't mean Walker won't have to answer for the decision.

"Walker will have to answer to the severity of the concussion. He'll have to answer questions about why he left the team, because it does show a level of selfishness," Brooks said. "He'll also have to deal with the backlash, and whatever various things his coaches report to scouts. But at the end of the day, I don't think it will drastically affect his draft stock at all."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...-for-draft

[TreesAndBirds]

My admiration for A. Luck keeps increasing. But maybe the things I admire in him are also the type of things holding him back. Maybe he should have bolted Indy to go to a team with better prospects and a bigger market. My sense was that he felt some loyalty to Indy. It seems  CM might have made a different decision. Maybe as a result CM will have a more successful career. But I really admire Andrew as a person. He is a leader. He is the type of person I am proud to have an endowed coaching position at my school named after.

[TreesAndBirds]

My admiration for A. Luck keeps increasing. But maybe the things I admire in him are also the type of things holding him back. Maybe he should have bolted Indy to go to a team with better prospects and a bigger market. My sense was that he felt some loyalty to Indy. It seems  CM might have made a different decision. Maybe as a result CM will have a more successful career. But I really admire Andrew as a person. He is a leader. He is the type of person I am proud to have an endowed coaching position at my school named after.

[TreesAndBirds]

My admiration for A. Luck keeps increasing. But maybe the things I admire in him are also the type of things holding him back. Maybe he should have bolted Indy to go to a team with better prospects and a bigger market. My sense was that he felt some loyalty to Indy. It seems  CM might have made a different decision. Maybe as a result CM will have a more successful career. But I really admire Andrew as a person. He is a leader. He is the type of person I am proud to have an endowed coaching position at my school named after.

[TreesAndBirds]

My admiration for A. Luck keeps increasing. But maybe the things I admire in him are also the type of things holding him back. Maybe he should have bolted Indy to go to a team with better prospects and a bigger market. My sense was that he felt some loyalty to Indy. It seems  CM might have made a different decision. Maybe as a result CM will have a more successful career. But I really admire Andrew as a person. He is a leader. He is the type of person I am proud to have an endowed coaching position at my school named after.

[AthleticsDynasty]

Regarding "future earning potential", Christian is in a very unique situation in that, unlike any of the other players on this team, he can predict with a high degree of certainty what contract he will get come next spring, and he has nothing, zero, to prove to anyone in the NFL. From that perspective, jeopardizing those earnings by playing in an exhibition would be irrational.

College football is largely about and driven by money. Games run excruciatingly long due to TV contracts. We had a "Toyota Red Zone" for awhile, for crying out loud. Ads everywhere. Coaches making more than all of the humanities professors at a school combined. Schools reaping XX millions every year. It's a cheap/free farm system for the NFL. Given all of that, I have zero problem with Christian's choice here. His lifelong dream has been to play in the NFL. The only way for him to achieve it was to go to college that played big-time football. He paid his dues. Now his lifelong dream (I'll say that again for emphasis) is finally within reach. And now we are disappointed in him for doing everything possible and rational to fulfill that dream? Get over ourselves.

How do people feel about Tyrone McGraw from a few years ago? Didn't he "quit on the team" to go to medical school? So selfish, that guy.

This is untrue.

As for Mcgraw refresh my memory, did he leave the team during the season? Also was he starting med school right away or did he leave to begin preparing a month early for?

[AthleticsDynasty]

Regarding "future earning potential", Christian is in a very unique situation in that, unlike any of the other players on this team, he can predict with a high degree of certainty what contract he will get come next spring, and he has nothing, zero, to prove to anyone in the NFL. From that perspective, jeopardizing those earnings by playing in an exhibition would be irrational.

College football is largely about and driven by money. Games run excruciatingly long due to TV contracts. We had a "Toyota Red Zone" for awhile, for crying out loud. Ads everywhere. Coaches making more than all of the humanities professors at a school combined. Schools reaping XX millions every year. It's a cheap/free farm system for the NFL. Given all of that, I have zero problem with Christian's choice here. His lifelong dream has been to play in the NFL. The only way for him to achieve it was to go to college that played big-time football. He paid his dues. Now his lifelong dream (I'll say that again for emphasis) is finally within reach. And now we are disappointed in him for doing everything possible and rational to fulfill that dream? Get over ourselves.

How do people feel about Tyrone McGraw from a few years ago? Didn't he "quit on the team" to go to medical school? So selfish, that guy.

This is untrue.

As for Mcgraw refresh my memory, did he leave the team during the season? Also was he starting med school right away or did he leave to begin preparing a month early for?

[AthleticsDynasty]

Regarding "future earning potential", Christian is in a very unique situation in that, unlike any of the other players on this team, he can predict with a high degree of certainty what contract he will get come next spring, and he has nothing, zero, to prove to anyone in the NFL. From that perspective, jeopardizing those earnings by playing in an exhibition would be irrational.

College football is largely about and driven by money. Games run excruciatingly long due to TV contracts. We had a "Toyota Red Zone" for awhile, for crying out loud. Ads everywhere. Coaches making more than all of the humanities professors at a school combined. Schools reaping XX millions every year. It's a cheap/free farm system for the NFL. Given all of that, I have zero problem with Christian's choice here. His lifelong dream has been to play in the NFL. The only way for him to achieve it was to go to college that played big-time football. He paid his dues. Now his lifelong dream (I'll say that again for emphasis) is finally within reach. And now we are disappointed in him for doing everything possible and rational to fulfill that dream? Get over ourselves.

How do people feel about Tyrone McGraw from a few years ago? Didn't he "quit on the team" to go to medical school? So selfish, that guy.

This is untrue.

As for Mcgraw refresh my memory, did he leave the team during the season? Also was he starting med school right away or did he leave to begin preparing a month early for?

[AthleticsDynasty]

Regarding "future earning potential", Christian is in a very unique situation in that, unlike any of the other players on this team, he can predict with a high degree of certainty what contract he will get come next spring, and he has nothing, zero, to prove to anyone in the NFL. From that perspective, jeopardizing those earnings by playing in an exhibition would be irrational.

College football is largely about and driven by money. Games run excruciatingly long due to TV contracts. We had a "Toyota Red Zone" for awhile, for crying out loud. Ads everywhere. Coaches making more than all of the humanities professors at a school combined. Schools reaping XX millions every year. It's a cheap/free farm system for the NFL. Given all of that, I have zero problem with Christian's choice here. His lifelong dream has been to play in the NFL. The only way for him to achieve it was to go to college that played big-time football. He paid his dues. Now his lifelong dream (I'll say that again for emphasis) is finally within reach. And now we are disappointed in him for doing everything possible and rational to fulfill that dream? Get over ourselves.

How do people feel about Tyrone McGraw from a few years ago? Didn't he "quit on the team" to go to medical school? So selfish, that guy.

This is untrue.

As for Mcgraw refresh my memory, did he leave the team during the season? Also was he starting med school right away or did he leave to begin preparing a month early for?

[AthleticsDynasty]

The perfect example is Myles Jack vs Jaylon Smith. Viewed as the top 2 LBers in the draft coming in to the year.

Jack gets injured in September and leaves the team
Smith plays and gets a major injury(thats more than a full year setback) in Notre Dame's bowl game

Yet Smith was drafted ahead of Jack

[AthleticsDynasty]

The perfect example is Myles Jack vs Jaylon Smith. Viewed as the top 2 LBers in the draft coming in to the year.

Jack gets injured in September and leaves the team
Smith plays and gets a major injury(thats more than a full year setback) in Notre Dame's bowl game

Yet Smith was drafted ahead of Jack

[AthleticsDynasty]

The perfect example is Myles Jack vs Jaylon Smith. Viewed as the top 2 LBers in the draft coming in to the year.

Jack gets injured in September and leaves the team
Smith plays and gets a major injury(thats more than a full year setback) in Notre Dame's bowl game

Yet Smith was drafted ahead of Jack

[AthleticsDynasty]

The perfect example is Myles Jack vs Jaylon Smith. Viewed as the top 2 LBers in the draft coming in to the year.

Jack gets injured in September and leaves the team
Smith plays and gets a major injury(thats more than a full year setback) in Notre Dame's bowl game

Yet Smith was drafted ahead of Jack

[Row80Critic]

I am not quite as understanding as most on this board.  I think it is in bad form and somewhat of an act of ingratitude.  Either you are part of the team for the entire season regardless of result or you are not.  Does one think for a second if we were playing Alabama in the Peach Bowl CMac would be home in Colorado working out?  Possibly there are some teammates who are not too happy about this decision, IMO.  :o

Well said. 

[Row80Critic]

I am not quite as understanding as most on this board.  I think it is in bad form and somewhat of an act of ingratitude.  Either you are part of the team for the entire season regardless of result or you are not.  Does one think for a second if we were playing Alabama in the Peach Bowl CMac would be home in Colorado working out?  Possibly there are some teammates who are not too happy about this decision, IMO.  :o

Well said. 

[Row80Critic]

I am not quite as understanding as most on this board.  I think it is in bad form and somewhat of an act of ingratitude.  Either you are part of the team for the entire season regardless of result or you are not.  Does one think for a second if we were playing Alabama in the Peach Bowl CMac would be home in Colorado working out?  Possibly there are some teammates who are not too happy about this decision, IMO.  :o

Well said. 

[Row80Critic]

I am not quite as understanding as most on this board.  I think it is in bad form and somewhat of an act of ingratitude.  Either you are part of the team for the entire season regardless of result or you are not.  Does one think for a second if we were playing Alabama in the Peach Bowl CMac would be home in Colorado working out?  Possibly there are some teammates who are not too happy about this decision, IMO.  :o

Well said. 

[Mick]

[quote author=AncientCityIndian link=topic=16303.msg183032#msg183032 date=1482177884]
I am not quite as understanding as most on this board.  I think it is in bad form and somewhat of an act of ingratitude.  Either you are part of the team for the entire season regardless of result or you are not.  Does one think for a second if we were playing Alabama in the Peach Bowl CMac would be home in Colorado working out?  Possibly there are some teammates who are not too happy about this decision, IMO.  :o

Well said.
[/quote]


Exactly.  At least no one is pretending McCaffrey is a team player and that his decision not to play in the Sun Bowl is anything other than completely selfish.

[Mick]

[quote author=AncientCityIndian link=topic=16303.msg183032#msg183032 date=1482177884]
I am not quite as understanding as most on this board.  I think it is in bad form and somewhat of an act of ingratitude.  Either you are part of the team for the entire season regardless of result or you are not.  Does one think for a second if we were playing Alabama in the Peach Bowl CMac would be home in Colorado working out?  Possibly there are some teammates who are not too happy about this decision, IMO.  :o

Well said.
[/quote]


Exactly.  At least no one is pretending McCaffrey is a team player and that his decision not to play in the Sun Bowl is anything other than completely selfish.

[Mick]

[quote author=AncientCityIndian link=topic=16303.msg183032#msg183032 date=1482177884]
I am not quite as understanding as most on this board.  I think it is in bad form and somewhat of an act of ingratitude.  Either you are part of the team for the entire season regardless of result or you are not.  Does one think for a second if we were playing Alabama in the Peach Bowl CMac would be home in Colorado working out?  Possibly there are some teammates who are not too happy about this decision, IMO.  :o

Well said.
[/quote]


Exactly.  At least no one is pretending McCaffrey is a team player and that his decision not to play in the Sun Bowl is anything other than completely selfish.

[Mick]

[quote author=AncientCityIndian link=topic=16303.msg183032#msg183032 date=1482177884]
I am not quite as understanding as most on this board.  I think it is in bad form and somewhat of an act of ingratitude.  Either you are part of the team for the entire season regardless of result or you are not.  Does one think for a second if we were playing Alabama in the Peach Bowl CMac would be home in Colorado working out?  Possibly there are some teammates who are not too happy about this decision, IMO.  :o

Well said.
[/quote]


Exactly.  At least no one is pretending McCaffrey is a team player and that his decision not to play in the Sun Bowl is anything other than completely selfish.

[76lsjumb]

Regarding "future earning potential", Christian is in a very unique situation in that, unlike any of the other players on this team, he can predict with a high degree of certainty what contract he will get come next spring, and he has nothing, zero, to prove to anyone in the NFL. From that perspective, jeopardizing those earnings by playing in an exhibition would be irrational.

College football is largely about and driven by money. Games run excruciatingly long due to TV contracts. We had a "Toyota Red Zone" for awhile, for crying out loud. Ads everywhere. Coaches making more than all of the humanities professors at a school combined. Schools reaping XX millions every year. It's a cheap/free farm system for the NFL. Given all of that, I have zero problem with Christian's choice here. His lifelong dream has been to play in the NFL. The only way for him to achieve it was to go to college that played big-time football. He paid his dues. Now his lifelong dream (I'll say that again for emphasis) is finally within reach. And now we are disappointed in him for doing everything possible and rational to fulfill that dream? Get over ourselves.

How do people feel about Tyrone McGraw from a few years ago? Didn't he "quit on the team" to go to medical school? So selfish, that guy.

For me, at least, this is the source of the disappointment:

"I wanted to get this out of the way so that it's not a distraction to the team. I want to focus, and I want my team to focus, on beating North Carolina. I'm thankful for the chance to get to play another game with my teammates and to work as hard as I can to make that victory possible."  -- Christian McCaffrey, 12/07/16

The person who wrote that was really inspiring to this Stanford fan.  So... what happened to that person?

[76lsjumb]

Regarding "future earning potential", Christian is in a very unique situation in that, unlike any of the other players on this team, he can predict with a high degree of certainty what contract he will get come next spring, and he has nothing, zero, to prove to anyone in the NFL. From that perspective, jeopardizing those earnings by playing in an exhibition would be irrational.

College football is largely about and driven by money. Games run excruciatingly long due to TV contracts. We had a "Toyota Red Zone" for awhile, for crying out loud. Ads everywhere. Coaches making more than all of the humanities professors at a school combined. Schools reaping XX millions every year. It's a cheap/free farm system for the NFL. Given all of that, I have zero problem with Christian's choice here. His lifelong dream has been to play in the NFL. The only way for him to achieve it was to go to college that played big-time football. He paid his dues. Now his lifelong dream (I'll say that again for emphasis) is finally within reach. And now we are disappointed in him for doing everything possible and rational to fulfill that dream? Get over ourselves.

How do people feel about Tyrone McGraw from a few years ago? Didn't he "quit on the team" to go to medical school? So selfish, that guy.

For me, at least, this is the source of the disappointment:

"I wanted to get this out of the way so that it's not a distraction to the team. I want to focus, and I want my team to focus, on beating North Carolina. I'm thankful for the chance to get to play another game with my teammates and to work as hard as I can to make that victory possible."  -- Christian McCaffrey, 12/07/16

The person who wrote that was really inspiring to this Stanford fan.  So... what happened to that person?

[76lsjumb]

Regarding "future earning potential", Christian is in a very unique situation in that, unlike any of the other players on this team, he can predict with a high degree of certainty what contract he will get come next spring, and he has nothing, zero, to prove to anyone in the NFL. From that perspective, jeopardizing those earnings by playing in an exhibition would be irrational.

College football is largely about and driven by money. Games run excruciatingly long due to TV contracts. We had a "Toyota Red Zone" for awhile, for crying out loud. Ads everywhere. Coaches making more than all of the humanities professors at a school combined. Schools reaping XX millions every year. It's a cheap/free farm system for the NFL. Given all of that, I have zero problem with Christian's choice here. His lifelong dream has been to play in the NFL. The only way for him to achieve it was to go to college that played big-time football. He paid his dues. Now his lifelong dream (I'll say that again for emphasis) is finally within reach. And now we are disappointed in him for doing everything possible and rational to fulfill that dream? Get over ourselves.

How do people feel about Tyrone McGraw from a few years ago? Didn't he "quit on the team" to go to medical school? So selfish, that guy.

For me, at least, this is the source of the disappointment:

"I wanted to get this out of the way so that it's not a distraction to the team. I want to focus, and I want my team to focus, on beating North Carolina. I'm thankful for the chance to get to play another game with my teammates and to work as hard as I can to make that victory possible."  -- Christian McCaffrey, 12/07/16

The person who wrote that was really inspiring to this Stanford fan.  So... what happened to that person?

[76lsjumb]

Regarding "future earning potential", Christian is in a very unique situation in that, unlike any of the other players on this team, he can predict with a high degree of certainty what contract he will get come next spring, and he has nothing, zero, to prove to anyone in the NFL. From that perspective, jeopardizing those earnings by playing in an exhibition would be irrational.

College football is largely about and driven by money. Games run excruciatingly long due to TV contracts. We had a "Toyota Red Zone" for awhile, for crying out loud. Ads everywhere. Coaches making more than all of the humanities professors at a school combined. Schools reaping XX millions every year. It's a cheap/free farm system for the NFL. Given all of that, I have zero problem with Christian's choice here. His lifelong dream has been to play in the NFL. The only way for him to achieve it was to go to college that played big-time football. He paid his dues. Now his lifelong dream (I'll say that again for emphasis) is finally within reach. And now we are disappointed in him for doing everything possible and rational to fulfill that dream? Get over ourselves.

How do people feel about Tyrone McGraw from a few years ago? Didn't he "quit on the team" to go to medical school? So selfish, that guy.

For me, at least, this is the source of the disappointment:

"I wanted to get this out of the way so that it's not a distraction to the team. I want to focus, and I want my team to focus, on beating North Carolina. I'm thankful for the chance to get to play another game with my teammates and to work as hard as I can to make that victory possible."  -- Christian McCaffrey, 12/07/16

The person who wrote that was really inspiring to this Stanford fan.  So... what happened to that person?

[Hank 91]

There are few things easier than criticizing another's decision. I don't see the point in comparing McCaffrey to those who came before, because there isn't really a comparison that makes sense. Also, which do you think would have the bigger impact, Andrew Luck skipping the Fiesta Bowl or McCaffrey skipping the Sun Bowl? The relative importance of the two games can't be compared, just as Luck's importance can't be compared to McCaffrey. I'd argue that Christian McCaffrey is the greatest player in the history of Stanford football, but I bet the offense is just fine without him against North Carolina.

He's not letting his teammates down. In fact, I bet the people in that locker room get this more than any of us do. Most of them already have a Rose Bowl ring thanks in part to his efforts. More important than that, most of them have no opportunity to play in the NFL. In a sense, he'll be playing for them when he gets to the league next year. I made this comparison in an email to friends this morning. I like the fact that fate put me in the same freshman dorm as Cory Booker, and I like when his name comes up in conversation and I can mention that he's a friend of mine. If he's elected President one day, I'll actually feel as if a part of me is in the White House. I bet it's the same with McCaffrey's teammates, but to an even greater degree. Five or ten years from now when they're watching him on TV, they won't talk about the 2016 Sun Bowl, they'll tell stories about the 2016 Rose Bowl. I guarantee it.

[Hank 91]

There are few things easier than criticizing another's decision. I don't see the point in comparing McCaffrey to those who came before, because there isn't really a comparison that makes sense. Also, which do you think would have the bigger impact, Andrew Luck skipping the Fiesta Bowl or McCaffrey skipping the Sun Bowl? The relative importance of the two games can't be compared, just as Luck's importance can't be compared to McCaffrey. I'd argue that Christian McCaffrey is the greatest player in the history of Stanford football, but I bet the offense is just fine without him against North Carolina.

He's not letting his teammates down. In fact, I bet the people in that locker room get this more than any of us do. Most of them already have a Rose Bowl ring thanks in part to his efforts. More important than that, most of them have no opportunity to play in the NFL. In a sense, he'll be playing for them when he gets to the league next year. I made this comparison in an email to friends this morning. I like the fact that fate put me in the same freshman dorm as Cory Booker, and I like when his name comes up in conversation and I can mention that he's a friend of mine. If he's elected President one day, I'll actually feel as if a part of me is in the White House. I bet it's the same with McCaffrey's teammates, but to an even greater degree. Five or ten years from now when they're watching him on TV, they won't talk about the 2016 Sun Bowl, they'll tell stories about the 2016 Rose Bowl. I guarantee it.

[Hank 91]

There are few things easier than criticizing another's decision. I don't see the point in comparing McCaffrey to those who came before, because there isn't really a comparison that makes sense. Also, which do you think would have the bigger impact, Andrew Luck skipping the Fiesta Bowl or McCaffrey skipping the Sun Bowl? The relative importance of the two games can't be compared, just as Luck's importance can't be compared to McCaffrey. I'd argue that Christian McCaffrey is the greatest player in the history of Stanford football, but I bet the offense is just fine without him against North Carolina.

He's not letting his teammates down. In fact, I bet the people in that locker room get this more than any of us do. Most of them already have a Rose Bowl ring thanks in part to his efforts. More important than that, most of them have no opportunity to play in the NFL. In a sense, he'll be playing for them when he gets to the league next year. I made this comparison in an email to friends this morning. I like the fact that fate put me in the same freshman dorm as Cory Booker, and I like when his name comes up in conversation and I can mention that he's a friend of mine. If he's elected President one day, I'll actually feel as if a part of me is in the White House. I bet it's the same with McCaffrey's teammates, but to an even greater degree. Five or ten years from now when they're watching him on TV, they won't talk about the 2016 Sun Bowl, they'll tell stories about the 2016 Rose Bowl. I guarantee it.

[Hank 91]

There are few things easier than criticizing another's decision. I don't see the point in comparing McCaffrey to those who came before, because there isn't really a comparison that makes sense. Also, which do you think would have the bigger impact, Andrew Luck skipping the Fiesta Bowl or McCaffrey skipping the Sun Bowl? The relative importance of the two games can't be compared, just as Luck's importance can't be compared to McCaffrey. I'd argue that Christian McCaffrey is the greatest player in the history of Stanford football, but I bet the offense is just fine without him against North Carolina.

He's not letting his teammates down. In fact, I bet the people in that locker room get this more than any of us do. Most of them already have a Rose Bowl ring thanks in part to his efforts. More important than that, most of them have no opportunity to play in the NFL. In a sense, he'll be playing for them when he gets to the league next year. I made this comparison in an email to friends this morning. I like the fact that fate put me in the same freshman dorm as Cory Booker, and I like when his name comes up in conversation and I can mention that he's a friend of mine. If he's elected President one day, I'll actually feel as if a part of me is in the White House. I bet it's the same with McCaffrey's teammates, but to an even greater degree. Five or ten years from now when they're watching him on TV, they won't talk about the 2016 Sun Bowl, they'll tell stories about the 2016 Rose Bowl. I guarantee it.

[DC 86]

Yes running all over UNC(like everyone thinks he would have) would of improved his stock. Probably not much but it dominant performances always help.

And if he plays poorly against a porous NC defense it hurts his stock. And if he suffers an injury it dramatically hurts his stock. Considering the range of outcomes it is a rational decision.

[DC 86]

Yes running all over UNC(like everyone thinks he would have) would of improved his stock. Probably not much but it dominant performances always help.

And if he plays poorly against a porous NC defense it hurts his stock. And if he suffers an injury it dramatically hurts his stock. Considering the range of outcomes it is a rational decision.

[DC 86]

Yes running all over UNC(like everyone thinks he would have) would of improved his stock. Probably not much but it dominant performances always help.

And if he plays poorly against a porous NC defense it hurts his stock. And if he suffers an injury it dramatically hurts his stock. Considering the range of outcomes it is a rational decision.

[DC 86]

Yes running all over UNC(like everyone thinks he would have) would of improved his stock. Probably not much but it dominant performances always help.

And if he plays poorly against a porous NC defense it hurts his stock. And if he suffers an injury it dramatically hurts his stock. Considering the range of outcomes it is a rational decision.

[Spiny_Norman]

What is McCaffrey saving himself for - private workouts?  the NFL combine?  Wouldn't his potential future employers in the NFL give equal if not greater weight to McCaffrey playing a real game as part of his job interview or audition? 

[Spiny_Norman]

What is McCaffrey saving himself for - private workouts?  the NFL combine?  Wouldn't his potential future employers in the NFL give equal if not greater weight to McCaffrey playing a real game as part of his job interview or audition? 

[Spiny_Norman]

What is McCaffrey saving himself for - private workouts?  the NFL combine?  Wouldn't his potential future employers in the NFL give equal if not greater weight to McCaffrey playing a real game as part of his job interview or audition? 

[Spiny_Norman]

What is McCaffrey saving himself for - private workouts?  the NFL combine?  Wouldn't his potential future employers in the NFL give equal if not greater weight to McCaffrey playing a real game as part of his job interview or audition?