The Future of Anthony Davis

Some think Anthony Davis may soon be signing something more

lucrative than hats and posters after the Scarlet-White Game.

The Sporting News has #75 Anthony Davis going as the #15 overall pick to the Houston Texans in the first round of the next NFL Draft.
There's more comment on that pick from Brian Bennett over at ESPN.com.

I say, "Hey, what's the rush? Who'd want to leave the Banks a year early for a few million dollars? Each of those years we spend [spent] at R.U. is [was] priceless."

(& speaking of priceless, check THIS out!)

Kenny Britt Is Meeting With the Jets & Giants

Here are some details: http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2009/04/former_rutgers_wr_kenny_britt.html

How great would it be to see Kenny move up the Turnpike to continue his career with one of New Jersey's two pro franchises? To move from high school in Bayonne to college in New Brunswick to the pros in East Rutherford? As we asked a few months ago, who needs Plaxico (or T.O. or Ocho Cinco or any of the other interchangable preening professional prima donnas) when you can get Kenny Britt?

Who needs Plaxico when you can get Kenny??

Somebody in the NFL is going to be lucky to add a great Scarlet Knight receiver to their roster next year. Kenny Britt has made his decision to leave Rutgers a year early and enter the pro draft.

Thanks for three great years On the Banks! No matter where you go (and let's hope it's not too far from home), you will always be a Scarlet Knight!

Ray Rice (number 39?) on the Ravens

It's strange to see a picture of Ray Rice wearing a number other than 27, and a helmet other than a scarlet one (he did wear a black jersey during one unmemorable game against West Virginia last November), but it's great to read in this article from today's Washington Post, "Small, Tough and 'Our Kind of Guy'," about how well he's impressing his coaches and teammates in the Baltimore Ravens' minicamp. There are glowing quotes about Ray from Ravens staffers Eric DeCosta, Craig Ver Steeg, Ozzie Newsome, and head coach John Harbaugh, who says, "I just think he's our kind of guy. . . . That's high character, and he's tough, rough, loves to play football. He's a playmaker, and he's not just a one-play playmaker. He's a durable playmaker." There's also one quote from Ray himself, "I would love to be a spark. I would love to be a guy who gets in the game, and there's not a letdown. I want to be in the game and oh shoot, the defense is on their heels." Those of us who remember seeing Ray come in as a freshman backup, have no doubt that he's capable of doing the same thing on the next level.

There's also a quote from Ray on ESPN.com about the way he looks at the running back who's currently the star of the Ravens' rushing offense, Willis McGahee:

"It's like a dream come true to have a guy like that in front of you," Rice said. "I'm definitely learning from him and watching the things that he does, from his footwork to how he carries himself."

It sounds a lot like the way that Ray Rice looked up to, learned from, and talked about Brian Leonard, doesn't it? It's a positive attitude that we fans of the Scarlet Knights know well, and it's one that should take him far. If I were Willis McGahee, I might be a little concerned for my job.

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The Ravens minicamp was also in the news this morning because of an on-field brawl between teammates during the minicamp, but Ray does not seem to be listed as one of those involved.

Eric Foster is an Indianapolis Colt

All-American Eric Foster will be joining a defense led by former Scarlet Knight Gary Brackett. It's still a crime that he wasn't chosen in the draft, but the Indianapolis Colts showed their good sense and taste by signing Eric as a free agent.
Congratulations to Eric and to the Colts!

Eric Foster & Pedro Sosa

Which undrafted star surprised you more? I'm expecting the news that numbers 56 and number 77 have both been picked up as free agents, but I'm still a little shocked that neither one of these Knights heard his name called over the weekend.
It's too bad they can't come back to play on the Banks of the Raritan. Because no matter where they're playing on Sundays, they'll never be appreciated more than they were on Saturdays (and a few memorable Thursdays) at Rutgers.

Jeremy Zuttah is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer

The third round of the NFL Draft just ended, and the one Scarlet Knight chosen was offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah.
Congratulations to the Buccaneers and to Jeremy. We look forward to applauding when they show your picture with all the other pro Knights on the scoreboard before each home game! Thanks for all your great play with the Knights during the last four years.

Ray Rice is a Baltimore Raven

Ray went in the second round of this evening's NFL Draft.

Ray Rice vs. Norfolk State, 15 Sept. 2007 (click to enlarge)

Congratulations to the Ravens and to Ray.

The perfect song verse for the Scarlet Knights taking the field in the Fall of 2008

Ray Rice, Ray's Mom, Mason Robinson, and shutterbugs
on the big screen at the Rogers Centre on January 5

Now I don't mind choppin' wood
And I don't care if the money's no good
You take what you need and you leave the rest
But they should never have taken the very best.

from"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"
by Robbie Robertson

This song appears prominently in the February 2008 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine. Eerily appropriate today, isn't it, as the very best Scarlet Knight leaves for the NFL and leaves the wood chopping to the rest of our very talented players?

Good Luck Ray,
and Go Knights!

Good Luck in the NFL Ray!

This news is just in:

Ray Rice, by declaring for the NFL draft as a junior, is the first player in the Greg Schiano era to leave Rutgers before his senior year, but who can really blame him? Will he ever have a better college game than the one that we had the absolute pleasure of watching up in Toronto on Saturday afternoon? Should he really risk missing his big payday because of a possible injury? Of course not. But we'll still miss him.

Good luck Ray! Thank you for everything!

Rice leaves Rutgers as the school's all-time leader in 100-yard games (25), 200-yard games (6), career rushing yards (4,926), career rushing attempts (910), career rushing touchdowns (49), single-season rushing yards (2,012 in 2007), single-season rushing touchdowns (24 in 2007), single-season rushing attempts (380 in 2007), single-game rushing yards (280 vs. Ball State, 2008 International Bowl), single-season scoring (150 points in 2007), single-season all-purpose yards (2,251 in 2007), consecutive 100-yard games (8 in 2007), longest rushing touchdown (90 vs. Ball State, 2008 International Bowl) and tied the school record for longest run from scrimmage (90 vs. Ball State, 2008 International Bowl).

from ScarletKnights.com

Now here's to hoping that he ends up playing for one of those teams in the Meadowlands so that we can continue to watch him every week on local TV, and occasionally in person.

Thank you for the last three years Ray! No matter where you go, you will always be a Scarlet Knight.

Saturday is Senior Day at Rutgers Stadium, but will a certain Junior be playing his last home game as well?

Ray Rice vs. Norfolk State, 15 Sept. 2007 (click to enlarge)

Tara Sullivan entitles her column in The Record today "RU's Rice Should Go to NFL."

. . . Rice owes Rutgers nothing. He's not going to get any bigger or faster by playing one more season, but he surely will get a lot more tackled. And with one recent NFL Players Association report putting the average career of an NFL running back at 2.3 years (the lowest among all position groups and well below the 3.2 overall average), why wouldn't Rice want to start out as fresh and healthy as possible?
As one NFL executive put it recently, "Rice should go before Schiano gets him killed."

All that being said, and knowing that I would have personally had a great deal of trouble delaying a multi-million-dollar payday to spend another year On The Banks, I'd love to see Ray Rice follow Brian Leonard's example and come back to Rutgers for his senior season. He could be in the first class to go to four straight bowl games, he could raise the sword to direct the band in the Alma Mater on his Senior Day like Brian did last November versus Syracuse, and he could take another run at the Heisman trophy and the few remaining all-time Big East rushing records. But if he doesn't ... if he does do the logical thing for a talented man of limited financial means and start his professional career a year early, we can't blame him. We met a man from New Rochelle at last Friday's Army game who was sure that Ray will begin earning a big paycheck as soon as possible just because of the neighborhood he's from (and from which he wants to help his family escape). In any decision Ray makes, he is balancing noble motives against noble motives.

Whether he comes back for the 2008 season at Rutgers Stadium or not, we should cheer heartily every time number 27 touches the ball on Saturday against Pittsburgh. Cheer as if it may be the last time that we're privileged to see the sight on Rutgers' home field.

All that being said, Don't Go Ray.

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VOTE FOR RAY FOR THE DOAK WALKER BY CLICKING HERE.

Vote for Ray for the Heisman Here.

Congratulations St. Louis!

You got the Player of the Draft in the second round yesterday!

Here's #23 at the end of his final game for the Knights on December 28, 2006.

And #63 Cameron Stephenson is going to the Steelers!
Click this photo (or any other photo in the Beat Visitor blog) for a large version.

I rooted for the Rams in the past, when they and I both lived in Los Angeles in the late 1960's, so if they give Brian Leonard the chance he deserves, I'll have no problem living up to my promise and rooting for the Rams again.

Go St. Louis!
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UPDATE:

And Go Pittsburgh! -- the Steelers picked up Cameron Stephenson in the 5th round today.

And Green Bay! -- Tight End & Student Section Favorite Clark Harris was picked by the Packers in the 7th round; but who is going to jump into the student section at the end of every game now that Clark's gone??

There are a lot of informative draft updates at the RU Ready blog.

I'm going to miss the Leonard Leap! (or First Do No Harm)

Nostalgic already for the days of number 23 on a Scarlet uniform, I just did a little browsing around the web for news on Brian Leonard and the upcoming NFL draft. I stumbled on this player page of stats on ESPN.com.
The statistic that jumped at me from this page was not the number of receiving yards, the rushing yards, or the touchdowns, but a Zero. Despite all his touches (678 rushing attempts and 207 receptions for 5,961 all-purpose yards and 45 touchdowns), and some risky and thrilling airborne maneuvers, he NEVER fumbled in his Rutgers career -- not once (though he did have a fumble recovery in his freshman year).

I'm going to have to root for whichever NFL team has the foresight to pick up this great back, even if it's a team I formerly hated.