Advice for Stafford & Moreno: Take the Money and Run

Matthew Stafford threw a touchdown pass to running back Knowshon Moreno in the closing minutes of Thursday’s Capital One Bowl to finish off a 24-12 Georgia win.  The touchdown might be the final great play either player makes in a Georgia Bulldogs uniform.

Because the NFL is calling, and both are likely to be top 20 picks in the NFL Draft if they choose to leave college early.

The alternative is playing for a team was preseason #1 and then underachieved for another season. Does wearing black uniforms and battling Florida for the SEC East title mean more than having the rest of your life set up? For some players (like Tim Tebow) I’d say stay in school, work on your game and enjoy playing on a national powerhouse.

While Georgia is no slouch, I can’t go to the extremes of calling them a powerhouse in college football either. A powerhouse starts the season #1 and ends it #1.

But this isn’t about Georgia at all. If Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno elect to return next season the Bulldogs will once again be a top 10 team with a shot at a national championship. If they leave then the Bulldogs must rebuild.

They should leave.

Stafford will be one of the top two quarterbacks taken alongside Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford. Moreno is in the same boat, fighting for the top spot with Ohio State’s Chris Wells.

When Moreno scored the game closing touchdown I have already mentioned I turned to the people in the room with me and said, “That’s it. He’s done with college.” I’m not sure if it had more to do with his small celebration and the look on his face or whether it was just a feeling I had.

But I think both Moreno and Stafford are gone, and they should be. Take the money and run boys.