Monte Ball an NFL Hopeful Decides to Return To Wisconsin For His Senior Season!

[Deputy Nutz]

This is good news for Badger fans. Although it is a strange move considering Ball would have been a taken between rounds 1-3. It is also a bit of over kill in the Badgers backfield for 2012, Ball is surely the best back on the Badgers roster but they will be very deep with Ball, White, Gordon, and Lewis. Four guys that could all be starters in 2012.

[pbmax]

As a RB, he might last longer had he left, but I hope he enjoys his final year.

[LEWCWA]

dumb move imo...the guy has nothing left to prove and plenty to lose...

[Deputy Nutz]

He said he was better than a 3rd round pick. Apparently that is what the advisory board told him.

[Tarlam!]

He said he was better than a 3rd round pick. Apparently that is what the advisory board told him.

Then he should prove that in the NFL. 3 great NFL years and a big payday. Alternatively screw up his senior seasonor worse still, suffer an injury, get picked in the 5th. Bad advisers. RBs SHOULD come out early.

[channtheman]

If he isn't a first rounder, he should come back. If he improves to a first rounder after this year, he just gave himself at least a 5 year career in the NFL. Plenty of time to be set for life financially. Who was the other Wisconsin RB that left school a year early just a few years ago? He should have gone back to school. Just checked. It was Brian Calhoun. He did himself a disservice by entering a year early. He was a 3rd round pick in 2007 I think and is now out of the NFL already.

[mission]

If he isn't a first rounder, he should come back. If he improves to a first rounder after this year, he just gave himself at least a 5 year career in the NFL. Plenty of time to be set for life financially. Who was the other Wisconsin RB that left school a year early just a few years ago? He should have gone back to school. Just checked. It was Brian Calhoun. He did himself a disservice by entering a year early. He was a 3rd round pick in 2007 I think and is now out of the NFL already.

There's no such thing as a first round RB anymore. Sure, Richardsons and those kind of guys, but that's about it. Dumb move by Bell IMO-- he might love college and I hope that's true. If he's staying because he wants to be drafted higher then he's really gambling with bad odds/-EV.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I saw a list of RB prospects on ESPN yesterday, Ball wasn't in list of six. I am surprised, he is such a smart player, catches ball well, has some real juke.

I think James White will not sleep well tonight. Won't be surprised if he transfers.

[ND72]

If he isn't a first rounder, he should come back. If he improves to a first rounder after this year, he just gave himself at least a 5 year career in the NFL. Plenty of time to be set for life financially. Who was the other Wisconsin RB that left school a year early just a few years ago? He should have gone back to school. Just checked. It was Brian Calhoun. He did himself a disservice by entering a year early. He was a 3rd round pick in 2007 I think and is now out of the NFL already.

Did you know that Calhoun tore his scrotum his rookie year? That would end my life also.

[Patler]

Heard on the radio tonight that Ball was advised he likely would not get picked before the later half of 3rd round, and that scouts said he needed to add 5-10 lbs of muscle. Apparently he lost weight after last season, which was OK because it was "bad" weight, but now they want him to add some "good weight." Some suggested that if he did, he could be a second round pick in 2013.

If the scouts told him his body wasn't ready, perhaps not mature enough, staying in school is probably a good idea.

[ND72]

I think initially he is a 3rd rounder, but after pro days and combine he'd be a bottom 1st through 2nd rounder...just my opinion. I'm happy he is coming back, but really think he should have left. on the other hand, LeMichael James looked really good in GREEN...just sayin...

[Deputy Nutz]

I think he made the right move. he can take a policy out to insure himself, and really unless he blows out a knee or a shoulder he should be ok he will still be a prospect in the NFL. But the Advisory board is right, he is only 205 pounds, he adds ten solid pounds with his running style he should be a solid second round pick in 2013.

[Lurker64]

on the other hand, LeMichael James looked really good in GREEN...just sayin...

Hopefully you mean the color Oregon wears sometimes, since rumor has it that LMJ is going back to school after the DAB gave him like a 4th round grade.

[Bretsky]

A few weeks ago I thought Ball would be crazy to come back; I've changed my mind.
Consider the following:

The best eye candy on ABC, Erin Andrews, has run some nice stories about how Balll worked his ass off in last offseason
Ball was noticeably faster, more decisive, and more powerful from his sophomore to his junior season.
He'll do the same this offseason and while his stats will be nowhere near as good, he will improve a lot.

Ball is not a blazing speedster; after the combines I could have easily seen him falling to round fourth rnd this year.
Ball is a genuine good person; he likes school at the UW and wants get get his degree....a good thing.

Ball is not a first round pick in the world of you must be near superstar to go in round one if you are a RB NFL system
He wasn't going to be this year and he won't be a year from now.

But another offseason will be good for him to develop his skills so TT uses the last pick on him in the 2013 draft in rnd 2

He'll only score about 20-25TD's next year, but he can work further develop some skills that will make him more NFL ready while enjoying college, and getting one more year to chase all the gals at UW who look like Erin Andrews. He's the king on campus.

Let the Balllbuster go back to college and have fun

[Gunakor]

There's no such thing as a first round RB anymore. Sure, Richardsons and those kind of guys, but that's about it. Dumb move by Bell IMO-- he might love college and I hope that's true. If he's staying because he wants to be drafted higher then he's really gambling with bad odds/-EV.

He made a promise to his parents that he'd leave UW with a degree. He's on pace to get a degree in sociology next year. I'm sure that isn't the sole reason for his decision to stay, but it reportedly played at least a minor part in it.

[Bretsky]

He made a promise to his parents that he'd leave UW with a degree. He's on pace to get a degree in sociology next year. I'm sure that isn't the sole reason for his decision to stay, but it reportedly played at least a minor part in it.

Deep down most look for reasons to leave college; in the end Ball wanted to stay and was looking for reasons to stay.
The draft evaluation made this an easy call; he's one of the good guys and hopefully it works out.

[pbmax]

He made a promise to his parents that he'd leave UW with a degree. He's on pace to get a degree in sociology next year. I'm sure that isn't the sole reason for his decision to stay, but it reportedly played at least a minor part in it.

I heard on the radio that his whole family moved to the Madison area to be near him. Mom, Dad and younger sibling.

[pbmax]

Did you know that Calhoun tore his scrotum his rookie year? That would end my life also.

Hurts just to think about it.

Is that Clay Matthews as action figurine or as Stretch Armstrong in your avatar?

[ND72]

Hurts just to think about it.

Is that Clay Matthews as action figurine or as Stretch Armstrong in your avatar?

Clay Matthew McFarland Figure

[Tarlam!]

Clay Matthew McFarland Figure

I have got to get me one of those!

[Upnorth]

Does running behind that Oline discount some of his accomplishment in the eyes of scouts? I am not an avid follower but it seems like they are great run blockers in the few games i have seen. Some of the lanes he has had remind me of a bowling alley, the whole thing not just one lane. Also they seem very good at setting the edge. I have only seen 3 games this year on the other hand. . .

[Gunakor]

UW has outstanding run blockers every year. They are bred in a lab on a farm in northern Wisconsin. Or something. But that's where they all come from, and from Brent Moss to Monte Ball I can't remember a single year that we had poor run blocking.

Not many backs do very well at the NFL level without decent run blocking either so I don't see how scouts could hold that against him.

[Deputy Nutz]

Ball does everything right from a technique standpoint. He catches the ball out of the backfield, he makes the right reads in the zone blocking scheme 90% of the time, and can break tackles at the second level. His top end speed is what will be called into question by pro scouts. I don't know how much you can really improve on that regardless of weight gain or weight loss, it didn't help John Clay last year when he dropped 30 pounds and still ran a 5.0 forty time.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Clay Matthew McFarland Figure

McFarland toys are the sh!t. Great artist.

Agree with Ball coming back, he was an afterthought in the Heismann race and I bet he believes if he does better in that next season, it will help his draft stock even more.

I don't think White's going to transfer. I think he's gonna realize that he needs to step up his game. Ball showed him what an offseason of hard work will do.

[smuggler]

Ball does everything right from a technique standpoint. He catches the ball out of the backfield, he makes the right reads in the zone blocking scheme 90% of the time, and can break tackles at the second level. His top end speed is what will be called into question by pro scouts. I don't know how much you can really improve on that regardless of weight gain or weight loss, it didn't help John Clay last year when he dropped 30 pounds and still ran a 5.0 forty time.

This is true. Your body needs time to adapt to those changes. I know I lost a lot of weight one year for track and actually got slower. Clay runs faster than 5.0. Probably around 4.6

[Pugger]

Ball's ability to catch out of the backfield will be very attractive to NFL teams because this is a passing league.

[ND72]

I have got to get me one of those!

I actually saw at the Mall of America a "collection" box of Jennings, Rodgers, and matthews, but I already had the Jennings and Rodgers so I didn't get the box. Found the figure in the Wisconsin Dells Tanger Mall. Also got a Rodgers McFarlane in the Acme throwback in the same store...awesome!

[ND72]

Hopefully you mean the color Oregon wears sometimes, since rumor has it that LMJ is going back to school after the DAB gave him like a 4th round grade.

LMJ declared for draft today ;)

[Tarlam!]

I already had the Jennings and Rodgers so I didn't get the box.

Same here. But I can get it via Amazon. Unfortunatly, Amazon here isn't carrying Wooden or Grant.

[MJZiggy]

Same here. But I can get it via Amazon. Unfortunatly, Amazon here isn't carrying Wooden or Grant.

Who the hell is Wooden? That might explain why they're not carrying him.

[Tarlam!]

Who the hell is Wooden? That might explain why they're not carrying him.

Woodson, gimme some lattitude, it's nearly 3am here.

[Freak Out]

Prost!

[Tarlam!]

Prost!

Hahaha. Actually, I'm on the wagon, which has totally disrupted my inner clock.

[Bretsky]

I actually saw at the Mall of America a "collection" box of Jennings, Rodgers, and matthews, but I already had the Jennings and Rodgers so I didn't get the box. Found the figure in the Wisconsin Dells Tanger Mall. Also got a Rodgers McFarlane in the Acme throwback in the same store...awesome!

do you recall where at the Mall of America ? I am there right now and tomorrow I'll get dragged out to shop