No surprise here. Go Bears.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/02/SPGOMNBUSE4.DTL
For the better part of the last year, Marshawn Lynch has escaped the questions as well as he has avoided linebackers.
The Cal junior tailback, however, finally gave in Tuesday, announcing that he has declared himself eligible for the NFL draft and ending the rampant speculation about the decision.
"The opportunity to play in the NFL is something that I have always dreamed of," he said. "Right now, it is just hitting me that my dreams are going to have the chance to come true."
The speculation grew as Lynch piled up numbers, accolades and praise from scouts. With all of the reasons to leave Berkeley mounting, he kept his head down and kept running.
His favorite response has been, "I ain't going anywhere," before winking and flashing his trademark gold grill.
After Cal's 45-10 win in the Holiday Bowl, he told reporters he was too cold to stand on the field and answer questions, but he joked with the crowd. Lynch grabbed a microphone and echoed their chant for, "One more year."
He has ducked, juked and spun away from the spotlight as often as he could. Amid a midseason push to re-enter the Heisman Trophy picture, he was blatant about his disregard for attention.
Asked how he would handle an invitation to the ceremony in New York, Lynch said, "If that happened, I'd tell them to FedEx it to me."
His talent won't allow him to break away anymore.
Lynch has the size (5-foot-11, 217 pounds), the speed (4.5 in the 40-yard dash) and the hands (30-plus catches) that make scouts drool. He combines a near-perfect mix of run-you-over power and run-around-you speed with vision that has improved as he has become a better student of the game.
He has made a more concerted effort to watch and understand opponents' videos this season and uses a checker board to simulate players and schemes with running backs coach Ron Gould.
It all added up to a season that received Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and All-America honors. Despite two sprained ankles and an offensive line that lost three players to the NFL, he rushed for 1,356 yards and 11 touchdowns. He finished as Cal's second all-time leading rusher with 3,230 yards and scored 35 touchdowns in 35 career games.
According to most draft gurus and NFL personnel guys, Lynch will be a top-10 pick and will be the second running back selected, behind Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson. One NFL scout said Lynch has "everything that excites you in a back."
That assessment came before most draft Web sites placed him in the "riser" category following a powerful display against Texas A&M and a gutsy performance against Washington. Lynch ran over the Aggies, who were deemed one of the most physical teams in one of the most physical conferences, and he carried Cal to go-ahead and game-winning touchdowns against the Huskies.
The overtime win against Washington was followed by his impromptu zigzagging ride across the Memorial Stadium field in a utility vehicle. It was one of many signs that Lynch was soaking up every moment in his final collegiate season.
"He's having more fun, but he's also just being himself more," said receiver Robert Jordan, who is Lynch's cousin.
The person he is hasn't always been easy to understand.
He plays a game played by 300-pounders who are trying to hurt one another, yet he's a self-professed "mama's boy," who calls his mother his "heart."
He doesn't like talking about himself, but he'll break into 10-minute soliloquies about each of his teammates.
And that's exactly the person his coaches and teammates have grown to love.
"Marshawn has had an outstanding career here and has been a key part of building this team into a nationally-competitive program," coach Jeff Tedford said. "We are going to miss him but support his decision. This has always been a goal and dream for him, and we are happy that he can now realize that dream."
Lynch the Bear
-- 2006 first team All-America, American Football Coaches Association
-- 2006 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year
-- Led conference in rushing (1,356 yds), TDs (15), all-purpose yards (1,785)
-- 35 TDs in 35 games
-- 6.6 yards per carry, career -- Has Cal record for 100-yard rushing games (17)
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/02/SPGOMNBUSE4.DTL
For the better part of the last year, Marshawn Lynch has escaped the questions as well as he has avoided linebackers.
The Cal junior tailback, however, finally gave in Tuesday, announcing that he has declared himself eligible for the NFL draft and ending the rampant speculation about the decision.
"The opportunity to play in the NFL is something that I have always dreamed of," he said. "Right now, it is just hitting me that my dreams are going to have the chance to come true."
The speculation grew as Lynch piled up numbers, accolades and praise from scouts. With all of the reasons to leave Berkeley mounting, he kept his head down and kept running.
His favorite response has been, "I ain't going anywhere," before winking and flashing his trademark gold grill.
After Cal's 45-10 win in the Holiday Bowl, he told reporters he was too cold to stand on the field and answer questions, but he joked with the crowd. Lynch grabbed a microphone and echoed their chant for, "One more year."
He has ducked, juked and spun away from the spotlight as often as he could. Amid a midseason push to re-enter the Heisman Trophy picture, he was blatant about his disregard for attention.
Asked how he would handle an invitation to the ceremony in New York, Lynch said, "If that happened, I'd tell them to FedEx it to me."
His talent won't allow him to break away anymore.
Lynch has the size (5-foot-11, 217 pounds), the speed (4.5 in the 40-yard dash) and the hands (30-plus catches) that make scouts drool. He combines a near-perfect mix of run-you-over power and run-around-you speed with vision that has improved as he has become a better student of the game.
He has made a more concerted effort to watch and understand opponents' videos this season and uses a checker board to simulate players and schemes with running backs coach Ron Gould.
It all added up to a season that received Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and All-America honors. Despite two sprained ankles and an offensive line that lost three players to the NFL, he rushed for 1,356 yards and 11 touchdowns. He finished as Cal's second all-time leading rusher with 3,230 yards and scored 35 touchdowns in 35 career games.
According to most draft gurus and NFL personnel guys, Lynch will be a top-10 pick and will be the second running back selected, behind Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson. One NFL scout said Lynch has "everything that excites you in a back."
That assessment came before most draft Web sites placed him in the "riser" category following a powerful display against Texas A&M and a gutsy performance against Washington. Lynch ran over the Aggies, who were deemed one of the most physical teams in one of the most physical conferences, and he carried Cal to go-ahead and game-winning touchdowns against the Huskies.
The overtime win against Washington was followed by his impromptu zigzagging ride across the Memorial Stadium field in a utility vehicle. It was one of many signs that Lynch was soaking up every moment in his final collegiate season.
"He's having more fun, but he's also just being himself more," said receiver Robert Jordan, who is Lynch's cousin.
The person he is hasn't always been easy to understand.
He plays a game played by 300-pounders who are trying to hurt one another, yet he's a self-professed "mama's boy," who calls his mother his "heart."
He doesn't like talking about himself, but he'll break into 10-minute soliloquies about each of his teammates.
And that's exactly the person his coaches and teammates have grown to love.
"Marshawn has had an outstanding career here and has been a key part of building this team into a nationally-competitive program," coach Jeff Tedford said. "We are going to miss him but support his decision. This has always been a goal and dream for him, and we are happy that he can now realize that dream."
Lynch the Bear
-- 2006 first team All-America, American Football Coaches Association
-- 2006 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year
-- Led conference in rushing (1,356 yds), TDs (15), all-purpose yards (1,785)
-- 35 TDs in 35 games
-- 6.6 yards per carry, career -- Has Cal record for 100-yard rushing games (17)
