The SEC Forum at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

I know this board is asleep but I have a question. Do you think Chubb and Michel made a mistake coming back? I do and yes, even if Georgia had won the NC. I think it also is a mistake for Harris coming back for Alabama.  Rbs only have a short life in the NFL. It makes no sense wasting one of those few years not getting paid imo. What do yall think?

do you think they were looking at the field of other RB's coming out and maybe thinking their odds were better next season?  I'm not suggesting that's what i think, i'm just asking if that is a practical strategy?

every one of them would have had a payday... that is for certain... they could easily break themselves next season and that is that... or, they could fall off the level they've been playing.  my personal opinion is yes... they all made a mistake. 

Did they make a mistake in terms of net earnings over their pro career?  I suspect it would play out about even.  And both got their degrees.

chubb, maybe. michel, no and harris i don't think so.

chubb would likely have been in similar position last draft, so he didn't necessarily improve except maybe a few spots. he was a top 5-10 back after end of season last year, and he's still top 5-10, so hindsight it's not really a good move, imo. but, he had a chance to go from the #5-6 back last year to the potential top back, which is arguably worth the risk. 

michel, though, wasn't in any of the top 10-15 rb mocks i could find at the end of last season (dec/early jan ones). but now he's in almost all top 5-10. definite improvement.

i think harris is in similar position to chubb last year. but i don't see the same amount of returning competitors for the top spot like we did last year (chubb, barkley, guice, scarburough, pettway, maybe a couple more). with love coming back, there's a clear one, and undoubtedly some will emerge, and i'm likely forgetting someone. but by and large, next year doesn't have a plethora of rb's crowding the top. at least i don't see it. so he, imo, has a better chance of moving from a #5-10 rb, to a potentially top 1-2 easier than chubb did last year.

I'm reading that Sony helped his draft position a lot in the last few games.  My opinion is that he likely will be the better more versatile NFL back.  Chubb's power in the NFL will be offset by safeties being, well, NFL safeties.  He will do fine with good blocking.  Michel showed his ability to plant a foot and change directions nicely in a few games late in the year.

At one point, I thought Chubb was better than Gurley, preinjury.

the concern i'd have if i were them is injury.. it's always floating around out there waiting to strike.  right now they'd sign as millionaires, but that isn't pre-drawn conclusion with them coming back due to threat of injury.

when you run like both those guys do, you're flirting with it every play you carry.  i hope they don't, because i love watching them run (when it isn't against my team), and i hope they do well in the retirement league when they ultimately leave UGA... but in my opinion they are taking an unneeded 'personal' risk- though their team will certainly benefit.  

This was the decision they made as juniors last year. They already made it through their Senior year without injury so that isn't the concern now, unless they have some non-football related injury prior to the draft. 

It's a cost analysis.  Yes RBs have a shelf life of roughly one contract.  

Chubb had to come back due to injury and will probably earn the same type money.  But he had to come back.

Sony improved and will likely make more money.  Good decision.

Harris needs to show more consistency.  By my memory, his runs were either over 20 yards or 2 yards or less.  My guess is due to lack of depth, his stock will improve unless some more guys show up out of nowhere.  He also won't shoulder the load like Derrick Henry so that shouldn't hurt him.  Probably a good decision