Who loses more: Ed Oliver or Major Applewhite?

[Drnkyourmlkshk]

If you haven't seen the clip yet (maybe someone will post it) last night late in the 2nd quarter projected #1 overall NFL pick Houston's DT Ed Oliver who has been injured since Navy in week 7 was on the sideline cheering on his teammates.

Head coach Major Applewhite noticed Oliver was wearing a Houston Cougar Jacket designated for only active players on gameday. He said something to Oliver and then tried to take it off Oliver.
Olivers pulled away and went into full meltdown mode on the sidelines and had to be held back by assistants all the way to the locker room where he cursed at his coach into the tunnel. He never returned to the field after halftime.

Major Applewhite who is on the hot seat regardless of a 8-3 record has struggled with recruiting. Oliver is the first 5* to ever attend Houston U he was a Herman recruit.

Oliver a freak of nature who has taken on triple teams since high school. His ceiling is ridiculous and has a reputation of a great student and teammate. He is a NFL man against boys when healthy. He has nothing left to prove by playing through injury. He freaked out on his head coach on national TV.

Who loses more: Oliver in potential 1st round money or Applewhite in his head coaching job?

Btw Houston's AD has said publicly anything less than 10 wins with a AAC schedule is completely unacceptable.

 

[railbird]

no one loses nothing, it was incidental

 

[FairWarning]

Easily Applewhite. First-rounders are based on talent and will ignore this incident.

 

[kane]

Easily Applewhite. First-rounders are that based on talent and will ignore this incident.

I agree, I don't think it hurts Oliver at all, if I had a high pick and was thinking of taking him, last night's incident wouldn't deter me in the least. He's the best player on the team, and in front of his teammates his coach embarrassed him by making him remove the jacket. On the other hand, Applewhite imo looks like an idiot, so what if the guy was wearing a jacket for only the active players, the guy is cold so he put on a jacket, who cares. Applewhite comes off looking very petty and vindictive, I can understand the pressure he's under, and he's got his stud defensive player standing on the sidelines, I'm sure he's been very frustrated with Oliver not playing, but it is what it is and the coach in that spot needs to handle things better than he did. BTW, I'm sure there are plenty of incidents between the star player and the coach that we never see or hear about, last night was nothing more than a coach under pressure to win, and he directed his frustrations toward Oliver.

 

[Drnkyourmlkshk]

I think Applewhite is shown the door. They want Briles as the head coach anyway. All their talent was on defense and they hired the least defense friendly OC ever. Applewhite is being outrecruited by SMU in a new coach year and isn't friendly with the local press.
As for Oliver I think it bites him. He didn't play the bowl game last year if I remember correctly. He played 7 games this year and showed no commitment to playing every down. Hes not hurt thats why we saw Applewhite freak out. He declared for the draft while not even being listed OUT yet. I think hes top 10 but not number 1 anymore. There are some red flags here. Is he the best player in the
Draft? Probably but work ethic and character has to be questioned Id think.

 

[Patrick McIrish]

Yes, he's healthy but sitting to protect himself against injury. With his propensity for getting hurt I almost don't blame him.

He was running around before the game like a 10 year old at scout camp.

I wouldn't let him wear a school jacket either, those probably aren't for healthy players that are afraid to play.

Under sized for the next level and often injured, he'll be a bust whoever takes him.

BTW Houston won easily without his candy ass on the field.

We move on.

 

[railbird]

he is going 3rd or 4th, probably 4th now for not listening. once these kids don't want to play they should be kicked off the team

 

[kane]

Yes, he's healthy but sitting to protect himself against injury. With his propensity for getting hurt I almost don't blame him.

He was running around before the game like a 10 year old at scout camp.

I wouldn't let him wear a school jacket either, those probably aren't for healthy players that are afraid to play.

Under sized for the next level and often injured, he'll be a bust whoever takes him.

BTW Houston won easily without his candy ass on the field.

We move on.

Not allowing him to wear the jacket is one thing, going up to him like Applewhite did and embarrassing him in front of his teammates is something different. All the coach had to do was call Oliver over to him and calmly explain why he can't wear the jacket, but instead he chose to make a scene and embarrass the kid, Applewhite should have handled the situation better.

 

[kane]

Another thing, Oliver isn't the first guy to sit out to protect his draft status, Bosa is also doing the same thing at OSU. Everyone remembers Jaylen Smith playing in a meaningless bowl for NDU and tearing up his knee, instead of going high in the first round he went in the second round, and it cost him a lot of money. Did Brian Kelly or the school give Smith the money he lost by getting hurt? These kids are wising up and looking out for themselves, Major Applewhite doesn't give a fuck about Ed Oliver, he only cares about him because he can help win football games, once these kids graduate the school no longer cares about them, I have no problem with any college athlete sitting out games to protect their future, I've seen way too many of them get hurt and either ruin their careers or their draft stock.

 

[Patrick McIrish]

I think the message is if you're on the sidelines healthy because you're afraid of getting hurt you should bring your own jacket.

I'd have taken the school's colors off the guy too if I was coach......

In fact several players didn't want him wearing it either.

Never said I blamed the kid for being a pussy, he should what his heart is telling him, just don't wear a school jacket while you're hiding over on the sidelines.

 

[kane]

I think the message is if you're on the sidelines healthy because you're afraid of getting hurt you should bring your own jacket.

I'd have taken the school's colors off the guy too if I was coach......

In fact several players didn't want him wearing it either.

Never said I blamed the kid for being a pussy, he should what his heart is telling him, just don't wear a school jacket while you're hiding over on the sidelines.

Pat, I think you're missing my point. Applewhite could have handled it differently, he didn't have to show the kid up in front of the other players, he could have pulled Oliver aside and spoke to him, but rather than do it that way he chose to intentionally embarrass him. You've heard the term "keep it in house", Applewhite chose to go over to Oliver on national TV and in front of the team instead of handling it in a more quiet manner. Taking off the school colors is one thing, doing it in front of the team is something different, and IMO Applewhite didn't handle the situation the right way.

 

[Patrick McIrish]

Not saying he handled it right, frankly I don't think Applewhite gave a fuck at that point.

Probably felt like if anyone was embarrassed it was the university.......

Best player on the team was afraid to play so he wouldn't get hurt? What a great message to send out.

And after years of eating free food, free lodging, free books, free education, comes on the field in a national televised game and shows up the university?

Flaunt the rules in their faces because you're the star, you're bigger than the team?

If you're going to be healthy and sit out, do you really need to make a spectacle of yourself running all over the field like he did?

Then wear the team jacket and dare someone to say something?

Just handle your business quietly, no reason to disrespect the school and program by calling attention to yourself on a nationally televised broadcast?

Just saying in the eyes of a football coach probably the last thing he cared about was not embarrassing Oliver at that point.

And BTW others came to him and pointed it out, got the feeling no one in particular on that side of the field really appreciated what he was doing.

I'd have probably let the players taken it off him themselves in some old school justice.

A football team is mostly about more heart than talent, the few that have Sunday talent tend to lead by example......

This was a poor one in my opinion. Could have been handled better by both sides.

 

[John Kelly]

Appreciate the commentary from everyone involved.

I don't have a big opinion on the situation.

I need the Gophers and over tomorrow in Minneapolis.

 

[SlipperyPete]

Agree with the coach. If it was me, if a player doesnt want to play, he would be off the the team. Would not be allowed on the sidelines.

 

[TheGuesser]

Sadly, this is the new normal, where high draft choices will too often sit out. Seems to have started with Fournette a couple of years ago. I agree with Patty Mac. It shows lack of heart, and that's proven to be correct with Fournette. But I get the Jaylon Smith thing spooked some kids and their advisors also, so I can understand the other side, just don't like it.

 

[FairWarning]

Another thing, Oliver isn't the first guy to sit out to protect his draft status, Bosa is also doing the same thing at OSU. Everyone remembers Jaylen Smith playing in a meaningless bowl for NDU and tearing up his knee, instead of going high in the first round he went in the second round, and it cost him a lot of money. Did Brian Kelly or the school give Smith the money he lost by getting hurt? These kids are wising up and looking out for themselves, Major Applewhite doesn't give a fuck about Ed Oliver, he only cares about him because he can help win football games, once these kids graduate the school no longer cares about them, I have no problem with any college athlete sitting out games to protect their future, I've seen way too many of them get hurt and either ruin their careers or their draft stock.

The TE for Mich broke his leg around bowl time also, now on Denver (butt?). He also cost himself some money.

 

[kane]

The TE for Mich broke his leg around bowl time also, now on Denver (butt?). He also cost himself some money.

Yeah, Jake Butt is the guy you're thinking of. College football is a business, it's a sport to us, but it's just big business, and if a kid knows he's going high in the draft it makes total sense from a business perspective to sit games out. Why should Oliver or any other high draft pick risk his career playing meaningless games for free when he knows next year he's set to become a millionaire. Does it suck for fans, yes it does, obviously Cougar fans would rather him play, but from a strict business standpoint he's doing the right thing. I'll never blame a kid for making a smart business decision, and this trend will only keep growing imo.

 

[kane]

There's a growing list of players who are sitting out their teams bowl games to get ready for the draft, in addition to Oliver

Memphis RB Darrell Henderson
W Virg QB Will Grier
W Virg OL Yodny Cajuste
Iowa TE Noah Fant
LSU DB Greedy Williams
S Caro WR Deebo Samuel
NC St WR Kelvin Harmon
Ok St RB Justice Hill
Mich DT Rashan Gary
ASU WR N'Keal Harry

I'm sure there will be a few more

 

[John Kelly]

Why have rules if you're not going to enforce them?

 

[kane]

Why have rules if you're not going to enforce them?

What do you mean?

 

[John Kelly]

If you're going to have a rule about jackets on the sideline, then you need to enforce it.

Otherwise, why have the rule?

 

[FairWarning]

There's a growing list of players who are sitting out their teams bowl games to get ready for the draft, in addition to Oliver

Memphis RB Darrell Henderson
W Virg QB Will Grier
W Virg OL Yodny Cajuste
Iowa TE Noah Fant
LSU DB Greedy Williams
S Caro WR Deebo Samuel
NC St WR Kelvin Harmon
Ok St RB Justice Hill
Mich DT Rashan Gary
ASU WR N'Keal Harry

I'm sure there will be a few more

There’s been some talk about Gary shutting it down after Bosa left OSU.

 

[railbird]

The athletic directors need to kick kids off the team once they stop playing

 

[railbird]

Houston out athletes army with or without the jerk off. Rooting for cougars

 

[Patrick McIrish]

If you're going to have a rule about jackets on the sideline, then you need to enforce it.

Otherwise, why have the rule?

Exactly.

And in this case it showed him before the game, running around, almost prancing around the field like a wound up speed freak seemingly calling attention to himself.

Plenty of time for that sort of play, was it really necessary to do that on the field just prior to you deciding to puss out as a healthy scratch? A team leader?

And then break rules by wearing the school jacket? Pretty sure no one wanted your candy ass representing the school at that point.

Yes, athletes are allowed to sit but there is a right and wrong way to do everything, Oliver chose the wrong way.

 

[Patrick McIrish]

I think it's a joke anyway.

If you are worried about staying healthy at this level, what's going to happen with an extended schedule and playing against bigger, stronger and faster athletes?

And why the bowl game, why stop there? Why not sit the last game of the season as well, could get hurt then too.

Or just play half the games, maybe pick games against some weaker opponents? You might be safer and your play will stand out as well.

In fact why play your last season at all? Why risk an injury?

Accept the scholarship and all that comes with it, goof on the field before the games, wear the uniform yet refuse to play because you might get hurt.

And make damn sure the coach doesn't say anything to you about breaking team rules. Who the hell is he?

Fuck you Oliver, if I was a GM I wouldn't draft you if you played for free.

 

[FairWarning]

I think it's a joke anyway.

If you are worried about staying healthy at this level, what's going to happen with an extended schedule and playing against bigger, stronger and faster athletes?

And why the bowl game, why stop there? Why not sit the last game of the season as well, could get hurt then too.

Or just play half the games, maybe pick games against some weaker opponents? You might be safer and your play will stand out as well.

In fact why play your last season at all? Why risk an injury?

Accept the scholarship and all that comes with it, goof on the field before the games, wear the uniform yet refuse to play because you might get hurt.

And make damn sure the coach doesn't say anything to you about breaking team rules. Who the hell is he?

Fuck you Oliver, if I was a GM I wouldn't draft you if you played for free.

 

[FairWarning]

A better rule going forward for these players is not to let them on the field. I do understand the players position as many are not there for class, just to make it to the NFL.

 

[kane]

I think it's a joke anyway.

If you are worried about staying healthy at this level, what's going to happen with an extended schedule and playing against bigger, stronger and faster athletes?

And why the bowl game, why stop there? Why not sit the last game of the season as well, could get hurt then too.

Or just play half the games, maybe pick games against some weaker opponents? You might be safer and your play will stand out as well.

In fact why play your last season at all? Why risk an injury?

Accept the scholarship and all that comes with it, goof on the field before the games, wear the uniform yet refuse to play because you might get hurt.

And make damn sure the coach doesn't say anything to you about breaking team rules. Who the hell is he?

Fuck you Oliver, if I was a GM I wouldn't draft you if you played for free.

What about the dozen or so other players who are sitting? You would take all of them off your draft board? You better get used to it, cause it's only going to get worse, more and more kids won't want to risk an injury playing for free when they're about to become a millionaire. Go look up Jaylon Smith and Jake Butt, both of them played in meaningless games and both hurt their draft status due to an injury, these kids are making sound business decisions.

 

[FairWarning]

What about the dozen or so other players who are sitting? You would take all of them off your draft board? You better get used to it, cause it's only going to get worse, more and more kids won't want to risk an injury playing for free when they're about to become a millionaire. Go look up Jaylon Smith and Jake Butt, both of them played in meaningless games and both hurt their draft status due to an injury, these kids are making sound business decisions.

The coaches have no problem bailing on their recruits, some after a season for greener pastures.

 

[kane]

The coaches have no problem bailing on their recruits, some after a season for greener pastures.

Exactly! A coach gets a better offer from another school and he's gone, happens a lot this time of year, but god forbid a kid sit out a meaningless game to keep from injuring himself, and potentially costing himself a lot of money. Coaches that leave their schools to take another job are making a financial decision, a kid that chooses to sit out a game is also making a financial decision.

 

[Drnkyourmlkshk]

The bowls outside of the final 4 and you could make a case for small schools who need the revenue are a complete joke. They have no merit towards anything but a final way to make profit. I live and die with this sport for them to end the season the way they do is a joke.

Imagine if any other league on earth gave you the basis the NCAA does with bowls. First 62 of your teams aren't actually competing for a national championship regardless of anything. They have zero possibility of being in a position to play for it all.
However we will have 33 games that are stritcly exhibitions. They dont actually count towards your record. We will give you between 2 and 5 weeks to prepare for this said exhibition.

In that time you can fire, hire or have a entire staff resign. You can be coachless. Also we don't care if any of your players play or not that is completely up to them. Your programs staff can also go scout, recruit and sign as many players as you'd like while you prepare your team to play in said exhibition.

The NCAA is the biggest farce of any organization in the nation. If you think for one second they care about the athlete and his well being come December once they've inked programming revenue deals for upcoming seasons think again. There is zero reason any kid who's on the cusp of being paid should consider passing up the money.
The ncaa wouldn't for him that's for sure.

 

[railbird]

its 1 game for the rest of there life. they will take game to their grave and never forget it. nfl players? that's less than 1pct of players.

 

[FairWarning]

its 1 game for the rest of there life. they will take game to their grave and never forget it. nfl players? that's less than 1pct of players.

I’ll ask my friend about his fond Cherry Bowl memories. His NFL pension will have to suffice.

 

[railbird]

I’ll ask my friend about his fond Cherry Bowl memories. His NFL pension will have to suffice.

for 99 pct of players its the last game of their life, none will forget it

 

[railbird]

and many don't play not because of injury risk, but fear of losing draft stock.

 

[kane]

for 99 pct of players its the last game of their life, none will forget it

And those are the 99% that won't make it to the NFL so it's their last game, the other 1% that will make the NFL are the ones sitting out

 

[railbird]

And those are the 99% that won't make it to the NFL so it's their last game, the other 1% that will make the NFL are the ones sitting out

its not their idea, its their agent brain washing them, and now its a trend.

 

[railbird]

id like to see some of the bama pros sit out.

 

[FairWarning]

for 99 pct of players its the last game of their life, none will forget it

I agree, but those are not the ones sitting out.