Aside from the 'good riddance' feeling, is Washington a Top 100 pick? Is Vernon? For as much as we've loved Olivier's skillset and physique, what the **** has he produced? I don't see him helping an NFL squad for 2 to 3 years which typically equates to 4th round.
Am I nuts here?
It's not an optimal long-term financial decision for B-Washington, but it's not horrible either. I can see him getting picked in Round 2ish. He'll move up the draft board as it gets closer to draft day. His transition and sacrifice to LT will be compared with Davin Joseph's at Oklahoma. I think he could have gotten himself a much better long-term deal if he balled out next year, but it's not horrendous.
Vernon's decision is not good. He could have really made himself a good amount of money next year. I have to wonder if he personally didn't think he could fall within the rules and might get suspended (team violation or whatever) next year. More likely, I just think all of these kids had preconceived plans before they even step foot on campus.
Lu, I think the comments from the Streeter/Forston camp earlier in the process this off-season told us a LOT...nothing that those of us following the program for a while couldn't tell you...but, it told us that these boys were out of here ASAP regardless of what they did here. It isn't the first group of players known to simply clock in and clock out during the ShanCoker Country Club Error.
I won't even hate on these players jumping early...go ahead and make that money, regardless of the amount you projectedly lose or make...heck, our program for the most part has been built on guys that strive to make it out of the ghetto and we've had countless guys go early, sometimes too early...the difference I see, the clock punchers have taken over. While the uber talented Michael Irvin's and Jerome Brown's worked their asses off, and the less talented Brett Romberg's and Marty Bibla's of the world equally worked their asses off, not only to be pros, but to be great Hurricanes at the same time.
But this new era of boys...simply put, they don't know how to work. That's not everyone...guys like Damien Berry, Jimmy Graham, amongst others, those boys worked while they were here to be everything they can be, but on the whole...clock punchers. I saw it while I was going to school, saw it during the Shannon regime...its not been an environment conducive to production...the competition aspect amongst players just doesn't exist. If it did, we wouldn't see these players being as complacent as they are.
Final Game in the Orange Bowl...48-0, clock strikes 0:00, confetti rains downs on the Orange Bowl, the crowd that is left, completely deflated, you got people crying in the stands, players walking off the field smiling and yucking it up.
That's these players man...that's them. I'll never forget that night...it is a night that became the definition of this team under Shannon and Coker...whenever I think of the Shannon-Coker Miami Hurricanes, that is what I think of, and the memory is more vivid with each passing year.
