NCAA Players Declared For The 2007 NFL Draft Or Returning To College - List By Bill Chackhes The Draftnik

Here is the list of players who have either declared for the draft or will return to school. The deadline is this Monday the 15th.
There is also an undecided list.

Declared for the draft
Jon Abbate, junior LB, Wake Forest
Jamaal Anderson, junior DL, Arkansas
Jon Beason, junior LB, Miami
Alan Branch, junior DT, Michigan
x-Michael Bush, senior RB, Louisville
Keenan Carter, junior DT, Virginia
Stanley Doughty, junior DT, South Carolina
x-Gabe Hall, senior OT, Texas Tech
Chris Henry, junior RB, Arizona
Chris Houston, junior CB, Arkansas
Calvin Johnson, junior WR, Georgia Tech
Charles Johnson, junior DE, Georgia
Rory Johnson, junior LB, Mississippi
Marshawn Lynch, junior RB, California
Robert Meachem, junior WR, Tennessee
Greg Olsen, junior TE, Miami
Darrelle Revis, junior CB, Pittsburgh
xx-Sidney Rice, redshirt soph. WR, S.C.
Gary Russell, junior RB, Minnesota
JaMarcus Russell, junior QB, LSU
x-Luke Smith-Anderson, senior TE, Idaho
Ramonce Taylor, junior RB/WR, Texas
Lawrence Timmons, junior LB, Fla. St.
Danny Ware, junior RB, Georgia
x-Chaz Williams, senior CB, La.-Monroe
Eric Wright, junior CB, UNLV

Returning to school
SirDarean Adams, junior LB/S, Mich. State
Kirk Barton, junior OT, Ohio State
Heath Benedict, junior OT, Newberry (S.C.)
Tommy Blake, junior DE, TCU
x-Zackary Bowman, senior CB, Nebraska
Cory Boyd, junior RB, South Carolina
Jasper Brinkley, junior LB, South Carolina
Gosder Cherilus, junior OT, B.C.
Bruce Davis, junior DE, UCLA
Jerome Felton, junior RB, Furman
C.J. Gaddis, junior CB, Clemson
Quentin Groves, junior DE, Auburn
Mike Jenkins, junior CB, South Florida
Steve Justice, junior C, Wake Forest
Jake Long, junior OT, Michigan
Frank Okam, junior DT, Texas
Paul Oliver, junior CB, Georgia

Undecided
Beau Bell, junior LB, UNLV
Ahmad Bradshaw, junior RB, Marshall
Colt Brennan, junior QB, Hawaii
Keenan Burton, junior WR, Kentucky
Andre Caldwell, junior WR, Florida
x-John Carlson, senior TE, Notre Dame
Antoine Cason, junior CB, Arizona
Dan Connor, junior OLB, Penn State
Fred Davis, junior TE, USC
Glenn Dorsey, junior DE, LSU
De'Cody Fagg, junior WR, Florida State
Andre Fluellen, junior DT, Florida State
xx-Jared Gaither, sophomore OT, Maryland
Ted Ginn Jr., junior WR, Ohio State
Anthony Gonzalez, junior WR, Ohio State
xx-Michael Hamlin, redshirt soph. DB, Clemson
Louis Holmes, junior DE, Arizona
Amarri Jackson, junior WR, South Florida
Dwayne Jarrett, junior WR, USC
Dwight Lowery, junior CB, San Jose State
Zach Miller, junior TE, Arizona State
Marcus Monk, junior WR, Arkansas
Dre Moore, junior DT, Maryland
Jarvis Moss, junior DE, Florida
Reggie Nelson, junior DB, Florida
Adrian Peterson, junior RB, Oklahoma
Antonio Pittman, junior RB, Ohio State
Barry Richardson, junior OT, Clemson
Martin Rucker, junior TE, Missouri
Glenn Sharpe, junior CB, Miami (Fla.)
Brandon Siler, junior ILB, Florida
Shannon Tevaga, junior OG, UCLA
xxx-Walter Thomas, junior DT, NW Miss. C.C.
xx-Mario Urrutia, redshirt soph. WR, Louisville
Philip Wheeler, junior LB, Georgia Tech
Trae Williams, junior CB, South Florida
x-Tom Zbikowski, senior S, Notre Dame

x - Seniors with one year of eligibility available
xx - Sophomore three years removed from high school
xxx - Junior college prospect with remaining eligibility

NFL 2006 TV RECAP - MORE THAN 220 MILLION AMERICANS WATCHED NFL GAMES

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
280 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
(212) 450-2000 * FAX (212) 681-7573
WWW.NFLMedia.com
Joe Browne, Executive Vice President-Communications
Greg Aiello, Vice President-Public Relations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NFL 1/9/07
NFL 2006 TV RECAP
VIEWERSHIP INCREASES FOR ALL TV PARTNERS

MORE THAN 220 MILLION AMERICANS WATCHED NFL GAMES

NFL RATES RECORD 66 PERCENT HIGHER THAN OTHER PRIMETIME PROGRAMMING

NFL GAMES ARE 3 OF TOP 7 NETWORK PROGRAMS;
TOP 5 AMONG MEN 18-49; TOP 16 CABLECASTS

Football fans across America continued to tune their televisions to NFL games in large and growing
numbers in 2006. According to Nielsen Media Research, 222 million Americans (up from 195.8
million in 2005) – or approximately three-quarters of the U.S. population – watched NFL games in
2006; and all NFL TV partners experienced increases in viewership for their NFL games.
In 2006 – the first year of new television contracts featuring “flexible scheduling” and earlier start
times for primetime games – viewership increased on all NFL TV partners for the first time since
2002.

INCREASED VIEWERSHIP ON ALL NFL TELEVISION PARTNERS
Network Average Viewers Increase From 2005
CBS 15.2 million +1%
FOX 16.6 million +5%
NBC 17.5 million +7%*
ESPN 12.3 million +41%**
NFL Network 4.1 million --
Source: NFL, Nielsen Media Research
*compared to ABC MNF in 2005
**compared to ESPN SNF in 2005

In addition, NFL viewership on broadcast television finished ahead of network primetime viewership
by its widest margin ever. NFL games on CBS, FOX and NBC averaged 16.3 million viewers – 66
percent higher than the average primetime viewership among the four major over-the-air
networks (9.8 million average on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC).
NFL VS. PRIMETIME VIEWERSHIP ON BROADCAST TV

NFL on Broadcast NFL
Broadcast Primetime % Advantage
2002 Avg. Viewers 15.8 million 10.3 million 52%
2003 Avg. Viewers 15.5 million 9.9 million 56%
2004 Avg. Viewers 15.4 million 9.8 million 57%
2005 Avg. Viewers 15.6 million 9.7 million 61%
2006 Avg. Viewers 16.3 million 9.8 million 66%

Source: NFL & Nielsen Media Research. NFL regular season on Broadcast television
(CBS, FOX & NBC…ABC prior to 2006). Broadcast primetime on BIG 4 networks (ABC, CBS,
NBC & FOX) all programs, NFL regular season dates used.

Consider these additional end-of-season facts:

• 2006 NFL national games on NBC, CBS (Sunday national & Thanksgiving) and FOX (Sunday
national & Thanksgiving) averaged a 12.1 rating which exceeds playoff broadcast averages for
other sports: 2006 NBA Playoffs (3.8 rating) & NBA Finals (8.5 rating) on ABC; 2006 MLB
Playoffs (6.0 rating) & 2006 World Series (10.1 rating) on FOX.

• NFL games account for 3 of the top 7 programs on network television this season (chart
below). In addition, NFL games account for the top seven (and 9 of the top 10) programs
among men 18-49 (chart below).

• ESPN NFL games accounted for the 16 most-watched basic cable programs in 2006 (chart
below).
• NFL Network concluded its inaugural Thursday and Saturday Night Football package with
each of its eight games ranking as the top-rated show of the day among all programs on cable
networks. The games averaged a 5.4 cable rating and (including fans who watched locally
over the air) 4.1 million viewers.

• NFL games were the top-ranked program locally a record 80 percent of the time – up from
69.3 percent in 2005 and surpassing the previous record of 73 percent set in 2003. That
means that eight of 10 times the NFL game drew higher local ratings than Dancing with the
Stars, CSI or any other popular TV show.

Following are the top network television programs nationally in average total viewers each week:
Network Program Viewers

1. FOX Sunday National Game 21.8 million
2. Desperate Housewives 20.7 million
3. Dancing With The Stars 20.5 million
4. CBS Sunday National Game 19.5 million
5. Dancing With The Stars Results 19.0 million
6. CSI 18.8 million
7. NBC Sunday Night Football 17.0 million*
8. Grey’s Anatomy 16.9 million
9. CSI: Miami 16.1 million
10. Deal Or No Deal 16.0 million
*does not include Kickoff or Christmas games

Following are this season’s top 10 programs on network television in a key demographic (avg. rating):
Men 18-49

Program Rating

1. FOX Sunday National Game 11.3
2. CBS Sunday National Game 9.7
3. NBC Sunday Night Football 9.1
4. FOX Sunday Single Game 7.9
5. CBS Sunday Single Game 7.2
6. The OT (FOX NFL Postgame) 6.8
7. FOX Sunday Regional Game 6.4
8. Heroes 6.1
9. NBC Sunday Night Pre-Kick 5.9
10. CBS Sunday Regional Game 5.8

Broadcast Notes:

Regional -- First window of a doubleheader

National -- Second window of a doubleheader

Single -- Only window on network not airing doubleheader that week.

Source: NFL, Nielsen Media Research, 9/7/06-12/31/06

Following are the 10 most-watched regular-season games in 2006:
Date Program (Game) Viewers

Dec. 3 FOX Sunday National (mostly Cowboys-Giants) 27.6 million
Nov. 26 FOX Sunday National (mostly Bears-Patriots) 24.2 million
Nov. 23 FOX Thanksgiving Day (Bucs-Cowboys) 23.8 million
Nov. 19 CBS Sunday National (mostly Colts-Cowboys) 23.4 million
Dec. 25 NBC Christmas Day (Eagles-Cowboys) 23.2 million
Sept. 10 FOX Sunday National (mostly Cowboys-Jaguars) 22.7 million
Sept. 10 NBC Sunday Night (Colts-Giants) 22.6 million
Oct. 8 FOX Sunday National (Cowboys-Eagles) 22.1 million
Oct. 29 CBS Sunday National (mostly Colts-Broncos) 21.97 million
Nov. 5 NBC Sunday Night (Colts-Patriots) 21.95 million
Source: NFL, Nielsen Media Research, 9/7/06-12/31/06

Following are the 10 most watched programs on basic cable in 2006:
Program, Date Viewers

1. ESPN Monday Night Football (Giants-Cowboys), 10/23 16.0 million
2. ESPN Monday Night Football (Falcons-Saints), 9/25 15.0 million
3. ESPN Monday Night Football (Bears-Cardinals), 10/16 14.23 million
4. ESPN Monday Night Football (Bengals-Colts), 12/18 14.22 million
5. ESPN Monday Night Football (Steelers-Jaguars), 9/18 13.3 million
6. ESPN Monday Night Football (Packers-Eagles), 10/2 12.9 million
7. ESPN Monday Night Football (Packers-Seahawks), 11/27 12.7 million
8. ESPN Monday Night Football (Vikings-Redskins), 9/11 12.6 million
9. ESPN Monday Night Football (Ravens-Broncos), 10/9 12.5 million
10. ESPN Monday Night Football (Patriots-Vikings), 10/30 11.9 million
Source: NFL, Nielsen Media Research, 9/7/06-12/31/06

AFC and NFC Conference Playoffs

From NFLmedia.com

Four games played by the top eight.
That is the quick rundown as the NFL takes the next step towards Super Bowl XLI with its Divisional Playoffs this
weekend that feature the top four seeds in the AFC and NFC conferences.
“The intensity rises,” says Baltimore Ravens quarterback STEVE MC NAIR, who has traveled this route before on the
way to a Super Bowl. “In the regular season, you can make up games. In the playoffs, you lose and you go home.”

In addition to the drama of the weekend due to its sudden-elimination import, there are numerous additional storylines:
• Three games are between teams now either tied in wins (Indianapolis-Baltimore) or separated by only one win
(Philadelphia-New Orleans and New England-San Diego).
• There are two 2006 regular-season rematches (Philadelphia-New Orleans and Seattle-Chicago).
• One game features the NFC’s top seeds of the past two seasons (Seattle, 2005; Chicago, 2006).
• Another game – New England-San Diego – pits a three-time Super-Bowl-winning quarterback – TOM BRADY –
against a QB making his first postseason start – PHILIP RIVERS.

The lineup for all this excitement:

NFL DIVISIONAL PL AYOFF WEEKEND

Saturday, January 13
AFC: 4:30 PM ET
Indianapolis (13-4) at Baltimore (13-3) (CBS-TV)

NFC: 8:00 PM ET
Philadelphia (11-6) at New Orleans (10-6) (FOX TV)

Sunday, January 14
NFC: 1:00 PM ET Seattle (10-7) at Chicago (13-3) (FOX-TV)

AFC: 4:30 PM ET New England (13-4) at San Diego (14-2) (CBS-TV)

Steve Jobs And Apple Show iPhone At Mac World

Apple Computer's chief executive, Steve Jobs, unveiled on Tuesday a new mobile phone that downloads and plays music as well as a set- top box that allows people to stream video from their computers to their televisions.

Jobs said Apple's iPhone would "reinvent" the telecommunications sector and "leapfrog" past the current generation of hard-to-use smart phones.

Cal-Sac State -01 - Steve From CAA Awards Committee

Cal-SacState-01
Originally uploaded by egbubba.

I recognize this guy on the left from serving on the awards committee of the California Alumni Association. Steve's his name. I always see him but he never says hello to me.

He seems to be one of the kind of African American men that don't want to be seen talking to other blacks in a meeting situation. I'm serious. I hate to say it, but everyone else I've served with talks to me except him. Just Steve.

Earl Robinson was a direct contrast to him by far; had no problem talking to me and let's face it -- there were only a handful of us on the CAA so what's wrong with talking? Nothing! Well, this is sure to change all that!

Disney World's Tigger Strikes Teen In The Face - Video

Well, you do have to see this. It seems whomever was playing Tigger at Waly Disney World in Florida had enough of this particular teenager and hauled off and hit him. I've seen it again and again. Disney can't have this kind of behavior from its characters.

Check it out:

Atlanta Falcons Hiring Louisville Cardunals Coach Bobby Petrino

Hopefully Falcons Owner Arthur Blank THINKS he has the right man for the job now...
see my comment at the end

From the NY Times.....
Louisville’s Petrino to Leave for the N.F.L. and the Falcons


By PETE THAMEL
Published: January 8, 2007

When Coach Bobby Petrino signed a 10-year contract extension last summer at Louisville, he insisted that it include a million-dollar buyout as a sign of his commitment to the university.
Skip to next paragraph
Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Petrino signed a 10-year contract extension last summer with Louisville, but decided to leave to take the head-coaching job with the Atlanta Falcons.
Division I-A

At the news conference announcing his extension, Petrino said that Louisville was the place where he and his family wanted to be.

“I want everyone to really believe it,” Petrino said in July.

But in what is becoming a familiar trend on the coaching carousel, it did not take long for him to have a change of heart. Louisville announced last night that Petrino was taking the head-coaching job with the Atlanta Falcons. He will replace Jim Mora, who was fired.
The Louisville sports information director, Kenny Klein, said in a telephone interview last night that Petrino informed the athletic director Tom Jurich and the Cardinals team of his decision yesterday.

Klein said that Jurich typically did not put buyouts in contracts, but Jurich did so at Petrino’s request. That was because until Petrino, 45, declared his undying love for the university this past summer, he had been regarded as a flirt in coaching circles.

In the last three years, he talked with Auburn, Louisiana State, Notre Dame and the Oakland Raiders about coaching vacancies. But all of that wanderlust appeared to dissipate with the comments that followed the signing of his 10-year, $25 million contract.

“I know I’ve said it, that this is where my family wants to be,” Petrino said. “This is where I want to be. I want everyone to really believe it."

His words were not unlike those of Nick Saban, who left the Dolphins last week to take the job at the University of Alabama despite multiple denials. Also, earlier this off-season, Dennis Erickson left Idaho for Arizona State despite saying that the Vandals job would be one he would be happy to retire from.

Petrino was 41-9 in his four seasons at Louisville, where he became known as one of the top offensive masterminds in college football. He led the Cardinals to the biggest win in the program’s history last week when they defeated Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl. They finished this season 12-1 and would have been considered a top contender for the national title in 2007 if the junior quarterback Brian Brohm and the junior tailback Michael Bush had returned for their senior years.

Instead, Louisville will be looking for a new coach. The top name on the list will most likely be Tulsa Coach Steve Kragthorpe, whom Jurich has long admired from afar.

“I certainly appreciate all the hard work he did in elevating this program to where it stands today,” Jurich said in a statement last night. “I wish him and his family all the best. We’re going to move quickly in hiring our next coach to keep our momentum going.”

It will be interesting to see how Petrino’s low-key personality meshes with N.F.L. life.

He could struggle with the media scrutiny and dealing with the egos of N.F.L. players. He’ll also have the challenge of trying to maximize the talents of quarterback Michael Vick, who despite his talent and promise, has not been able to win consistently in Atlanta.

Petrino’s hiring came as something of a shock in N.F.L. circles; his name had not come up as a possible candidate.

So no one knew this was coming?? I don't buy it! Somewhere someone had to know... I believe that when the other "usual" suspects were not called-or in the case of Bears D-Coordinator Ron Rivera, called back. you had to know something weird was going to happen. Not that Petrino isn't a good coach, Quite the opposite, he is a very good coach. but as stated above, will he "mesh" with the pro style of "getting things done"....