A junior moment: What would Kenny Rogers do?

By Darrell Laurant  |   Friday, January 26, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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Every January, redshirt junior football players across America are confronted with that age-old musical question: "Should I stay, or should I go?"

And the best across-the-board answer to that question might come from another classic song. As Kenny Rogers (the singer, not the pitcher) put it: "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."

Earlier this month, Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm decided to hold 'em. Most of the other talented juniors folded 'em.

Oddly, Brohm was one who might logically have been expected to fly the coop. Although he missed several 2006 games with a wrist injury (always a red flag to NFL teams) and had major reconstructive knee surgery the year before, he enjoyed a productive campaign and led the Cardinals to a 12-1 season and No. 6 national ranking. He's 6-foot-4 and has an accurate, if not necessarily spectacular, throwing arm.

The question Brohm had to be asking himself was whether it was worth risking yet another injury to try and ratchet up his position in the 2008 draft. At the time he made his decision, JaMarcus Russell of LSU and Colt Brennan of Hawaii had announced they were coming out (Brennan later changed his mind), joining Notre Dame's Brady Quinn, Houston's Kevin Kolb, Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith of Ohio State and Florida's Chris Leak in a draft rich in quarterbacks.

Still, new stars push their way forward every year, and there's no guarantee that Brohm will be the top QB picked next year. But at least he'll return with his three favorite receivers and the Cardinals' top two running backs, as well as under a new coach (Steve Kragthorpe) who is pass-oriented.

Brohm's teammate, 250-pound running back Michael Bush, broke his leg in the first game of his senior season and never returned. Yet he's coming out, ready or not.

A major factor in every such decision, of course, is the NFL Combine. Bush has proven he can play, and now he's hoping the combine will show that his leg has healed -- or is healing.

For some of those who declared, it was obviously a no-brainer -- Ted Ginn Jr., Adrian Peterson, Jarvis Moss, Marshawn Lynch. For others, their decision to test the waters was somewhat mystifying -- as with University of Virginia nose tackle Keenan Carter, who had all of 12 tackles and no sacks last season.

Then there were the cases that involved lots of yin and yang. Say you're Ohio State wideout Anthony Gonzalez. You can go back for your senior season, with Ginn gone, and be the marquee receiver. But then again, you won't have Troy Smith to get the ball to you.

Some defensive stars make less of an impact the better they get. Quite naturally, opposing teams often start avoiding the quicker cornerbacks and running away from the more active defensive ends. That might have been one reason Georgia defensive end Charles Johnson chose to try the draft, because his "bookend" -- senior Quentin Moses -- will be gone next year.

Meanwhile, money is always a consideration -- some college juniors decide to take the plunge simply because their families are in dire financial situations.

So should, say, Nebraska running back Brandon Jackson stay or go? After all, he wasn't a full-time starter for the Cornhuskers last fall. Would Sidney Rice be wise to fatten his resume a little more and not get into the same draft with Calvin Johnson and Dwayne Jarrett?

Nobody knows for sure. Except maybe Kenny Rogers.

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