Could this be the final appearance for Beanie Wells in “The Game”?
Chris Wells has owned the boys in the winged helmets. His freshman year? That beautiful spin and 52 yard run for a TD. Last season’s sophomore effort? Only 222 yards and 2 TD’s. What might he do for an encore? Who knows, but you can be sure the game plan will include a steady dose of the Wells.
Chris could have gotten the invite to the Heisman ceremony had he not lost several weeks to injury. Even still, he needs only 43 yards to pass the 1,000 yard mark for the season. Scouts are certainly drooling over the possibility of selecting Wells in the draft should he decide to leave school after this season. But this is the new Ohio State, a place where certain first round draft picks have spurned the draft for the opportunity to finish off their college career, unlike the 3 and out program that John Cooper built. There may be a new wrinkle.
With the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement expiring after the ‘09 season, there is a lot of talk about the potential for a strike, but also for a serious restructuring of rookie contracts. The words ‘rookie salary cap’ have been tossed around quite a bit, much like what exists in the NBA. Personally, I’m all for the rookie cap. But this year’s juniors will have much more to think about.
For James Laurinaitis, the decision seemed fairly easy. He wasn’t ready to leave college, and his family isn’t hurting financially. His good friend and teammate Malcolm Jenkins decided to come back, and in the back of his mind James knew that NFL riches would be his following his senior season. Chris Wells might not have the same assurance. The possibility of a work stoppage, or worse for Chris- the possibility of a salary cap could exist if he chooses to return to Columbus next year.
There will be those that question Beanie’s ability to stay healthy. Fair enough. They had those same questions about Adrian Peterson. I think that has worked out well for the Vikings. If Beanie comes out after this season he is without question a top 10 or 15 pick at worst. He will be handsomely rewarded without ever playing a down in the NFL. If he comes back to Ohio State…there are no guarentees.
What would you do?
Author: Rick
Rick is a co-founder and editor of WFNY. His love of Cleveland sports is surpassed only by his faith and love of his family. Follow him on Twitter- @rickwfny.Rick has written 743 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
Buy a $10M insurance policy and play one more year
I would somwhow find a way to fall to the second round so that I could be paired with Jenkins in the orange and brown
Would love to see him stay, but I wouldn’t bet my own money on it. I’m not sure of the financial background of Beanie, so I don’t know how that factors in. But then again, he’s 1 of 11 children, so…
Also, I am sure that after a scary injury, and being able to bounce back and get his stock back to where it was pre-injury… It’s probably best for him to go.
Hopefully, he goes for an all-time high of stiff-arming people to the turf this Saturday.
What would I do? Fumble 16 times against Michigan!
In all seriousness, he probably should also look at the team coming back next year. They’re taking some hits on defense, and their o-line is going to be going through some changes, no? I would think he wouldn’t want a Katzenmoyer effect to happen to him wherein his stock drops just a bit because of a decrease in talent around him.
I would buy a gun and drive around Columbus trying to shoot people
What’s Hart/Manningham’s excuse?
If I’m him I leave. He can’t risk getting hurt again. Go get your money Beanie.
@Scott – If only the Browns could get 1 of those guys… Too bad that’s too much to ask. I see a DE from somewhere like FSU being drafted to play LB again.
Long live the 3-4 Defense
As much as I love seeing him in a Buckeyes uniform, I wouldn’t fault him a bit for leaving. Man’s gotta get paid, and a career-threatening injury is always lurking around the corner for any athlete.
Rick, mention of Beanie’s 52-yard run put a smile on my face. Terrible quality, but here was my view from C-Deck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBG_1Bd3e_I
I would stay in school. NFL money is chump change compared to what you can make gambling.
#6 Scott:
Hart is made of paper mache.
Manningham is a D-bag.
Your point?
Beanie has repeatedly said he’s coming back for his senior year but we’ll see what’s what after the bowl game. It’s easy to say that in August.
Clearly, I would love to see him back in Columbus next year. But these decisions aren’t made in a vaccuum. I personally think regardless of the questions about his durability, he’s a top 10 pick without doubt. That’s a lot of money to pass up when the chances of a rookie salary cap in 2010 are very high.
Bottom line is that if Wells leaves, I could never blame him. Say what you want about OSU’s performances in big games, Beanie’s always showed up.
I’d bet my life that Wells is gone. Unless he gets a brutal NFL assessment… I’ve already seen him pegged by a good NFL report as a first rounder. Beanie – thanks for the memories. Two more great games, please! Good luck.