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The word on Darren McFadden coming out of the draft is that he had touchdown-on-any-play capability. He was the kind of home run threat Al Davis loves. Johnson and McFadden were the two fastest backs at the NFL scouting combine, with Johnson timing 4.24 in the 40-yard dash and McFadden 4.33. Yet McFadden has only four runs of 20 or more yards in 22 NFL games and they all came in the same game _ a 21-carry, 164-yard effort in against Kansas City that included his longest run, a 50-yarder. McFadden’s longest run from scrimmage this season is 15 yards against Denver. This is surprising me because I felt McFadden was going to hold it down for the 6' backs but he has let me down. Head Coach Tom Cable thinks McFadden’s big runs from scrimmage have been held back in part because of his troubles with injuries, turf toe last season and arthroscopic knee surgery for a torn meniscus this year. Well we will see what next season brings for those Raiders.
Well I guess us OU supporters can't count on DeMarco Murray’s return to Oklahoma just yet. The junior, who previously said he was “pretty sure” he would return for his senior season, said he hadn’t made up his mind. A month ago, Murray said: “I like it here. I don’t want to end my career at OU with an 8-4 record or whatever, so I’m just trying to get better. And I just enjoy being here. I’m part of a great team here. I love the coaching staff. I love the camaraderie with my teammates.” Now after practice, he is quoted saying: “Whenever I said that, I was just in the moment and felt I need to come back. But after talking to coaches and things like that, they agree with me that I need to look at both sides and figure out what I’m going to do.” If he leaves I can't blame him but he will not be high as he would like if he leaves now. Of course, I may be saying this because of a bias opinion. One of the key factors will be how the offensive line is looking. “We’ve got some talent here in the O-line, but we knew there was work to be done after those five (linemen) left last year. We’ve got to look at it after the bowl game, see who’s going to stick around and who’s not.” Murray said he has consulted Williams and Sam Bradford -- teammates who chose to return to OU after being faced with their own decisions this time last year. Keep your fingers crossed.
An estimated eight to 10 juniors are submitting paperwork to the NFL draft advisory board for an evaluation at the next level, UF strength coach Mickey Marotti said Wednesday. Marotti helps gather information for players to make the best decision on whether to return for a senior season or enter the draft. Marotti said it is “hard to tell” whether juniors already have made decisions. CB Joe Haden, DE Carlos Dunlap, TE Aaron Hernandez and OLs Maurkice and Mike Pouncey are prime candidates to leave early. Other candidates for an evaluation include S Ahmad Black, S Major Wright, DT Lawrence Marsh, OL Carl Johnson, OL Marcus Gilbert and RB Chris Rainey, a redshirt sophomore. A potential NFL rookie salary cap could force many juniors to enter the league this year for guaranteed money.
Jahvid Best's season officially ended. Cal coach Jeff Tedford announced that Best, sidelined since Nov. 7 because of a concussion and lingering back injury, will not play in next week's Poinsettia Bowl against Utah. The tailback with electrifying speed, has submitted paperwork to the NFL draft advisory committee, seeking feedback on when he might be selected in April. The deadline to enter the draft is Jan. 15. Best could go as high as late in the first round if he decides to turn pro. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. lists Best as the 20th-best NFL prospect in the nation, and the No. 2 running back behind Clemson senior C.J. Spiller. Todd McShay doesn't project Best becoming a first-round pick. His stock could rise significantly if he shows NFL scouts he's healthy.
USC tailback Stafon Johnson, who suffered season-ending throat injuries in a September weightlifting accident, is expected to announce soon that he will make himself available for the NFL draft, a family source confirmed Saturday. Johnson's intent to turn pro was first reported last week by NFL.com. After the Trojans' first workout in preparation for the Emerald Bowl, Coach Pete Carroll said that he had spoken to Johnson and that the senior "hasn't decided that yet, officially." Johnson, who is in his fourth year at USC, could petition the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility because of the injury. Carroll said that an announcement by Johnson was imminent and that he will support whatever decision.
The Sooners played in the national championship game last year. They had the Heisman Trophy winner. They won their sixth Big 12 championship and set a handful of NCAA scoring records. Life was good. But with that Heisman winner (and a bunch of others) injured, OU is trying to crawl out of a recession. Will players care? Will recruits notice? "As far as players, I think we care about wherever we're going," DeMarco Murray said. "... I think we're gonna be there (as) just another game to showcase what we're about. But I think everyone's fired up to play." That's actually a pretty good argument. Show up and get embarrassed by the third- or fourth-best team in the Pac-10, and that only hammers an image of a program that already has endured a decade's worth of postseason meltdowns. Prepare right, play hard and win the game, and the bowl criticisms will slow, at least. As a OU supporter I feel that this is a good way to work for next season since they are so young. Honestly there are at least three measurables for OU in winning the Sun Bowl. 8-5 record versus 7-6 record. The latter would be the most losses ever under Bob Stoops and match his fewest wins. An 8-5 team that lost four games by a touchdown or less to ranked teams on the road, hammered its ranked rival 27-0 and won its bowl game is more likely to be ranked high to start 2010 than a team that finishes 7-6 and mails in its bowl trip. That should be fuel for the underclassmen. Just win a bowl. It seems like another lifetime, but OU's last bowl victory was the Holiday Bowl. Not the Fiesta. Not the Orange. Not the Sugar. Not the national championship. That came against the No. 6 team in the nation, Oregon, which was snubbed by the BCS. I just hope they all come to play because only three current Sooners have participated in a bowl win. Since English is hurt that leaves two players on the field who have tasted postseason win. Boomer Sooner!
Jake Locker with his dog, Ten, walked into the UW football offices and told head coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier a simple "I'm staying. With Locker back, the Huskies will be expected to break a seven-year bowl drought and again return to winning. But it seems pretty obvious he enjoys being a Husky, being close to his family in Ferndale, and felt he could use another year of college to prepare for the NFL, especially now that he is under the tutelage of Sarkisian and Nussmeier. Locker's decision will set in place the school's first Heisman campaign of any note since the days of Cody Pickett and Reggie Williams. Some are arguing is that Locker's decision will help his football career, but greatly reduce his earning potential. Had Locker come out this year and been one of the top-10 picks as predicted, he would have been looking at no less than $15 million of guaranteed money just for signing a contract. But many also believed he was doomed to suffer a fate similar to Mark Sanchez and struggle right out of the gate. As long as he doesn't get hurt and Washington is successful he will look smart.
There has been talk on the Big Ten expanding to 12 teams and two divisions like the SEC, Big 12 and ACC. It would create a Big Ten title game that could be worth $5 million or more to the league. The Big Ten Network would love to televise it, and the conference has a 51 percent ownership. Big Ten ADs didn't like seeing the SEC and Big 12 title games. Paterno lobbied at the Big Ten meetings in May, saying, "Everybody else is playing playoffs on television. You never see a Big Ten team mentioned. So I think that's a handicap." Paterno has mentioned Rutgers, Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Missouri has been rumored forever. Cincinnati and Louisville might be considered. Notre Dame won't happen. The school puts a premium on its independence.
Ohio State protects Terrelle Pryor off the field, too. The sophomore quarterback was not allowed to speak with reporters Monday during the Buckeyes’ media day for their upcoming Rose Bowl appearance. It follows a trend set by coach Jim Tressel, who likes to shield his underclassmen from the media as much as possible. Before Pryor’s biggest five games as a starter, he has been off limits to reporters. That includes this year’s showdown with Southern California, two games with rival Michigan and the Buckeyes’ two bowl games — last season before the Fiesta Bowl against Texas and leading up to this Rose Bowl. Tressel may not let Pryor speak to reporters very often because of the fallout from earlier this season when he wore a tribute to Michael Vick on his eyeblack during the season opener.
When the Cam Newton left Florida last January seeking to continue his college football career at a junior college, he wanted somewhere he could grow his passing skills. He did that and more this season at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. Newton is once again a target of major college football recruiters. Oklahoma is among the leaders. Newton's passing success caught everyone off guard. Although the 6-foot-6, 247-pound Newton abandoned running the ball. The junior college signing period begins Wednesday, and Newton has said wherever he goes, he will enroll for the spring semester. His other suitors are Arizona, Auburn, Kansas State, Mississippi State and North Carolina. Newton is the top-ranked junior college recruit — and the only five-star juco prospect in the country — according to Rivals.com.
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