COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Today was the deadline for college football players to declare for the NFL Draft.  As mentioned yesterday, USC’s QB Mark Sanchez is heading to the pros, and Florida’s QB Tim Tebow is staying.  But today put an answer to a few more question marks.  Georgia’s star QB Matt Stafford has declared he will enter the draft.  And he’ll be joined by his amazingly gifted running back, Knowshon Moreno.  These guys will be high pics.  Also on the NFL bus, Texas Tech’s speedy receiver Michael Crabtree (a big reason for their success this year), and Missouri’s all around incredible athlete Jeremy Maclin.  Maclin can do almost anything, and will be a gigantic asset to whomever selects him.

As for the scholars (those staying in school), you’ve got Texas’ QB and Heisman Finalist Colt McCoy, as well as Florida’s lightning fast running back Jeffrey Demps.  So it appears that Florida will be pretty much the same team heading into next year.  These past five years have really belonged to Florida’s athletic program, winning two football National Championships, as well as nabbing two basketball titles as well.  The money must be pouring in down in Gainsville.

NFL

And the Detroit Lions, after finishing the season 0-16, have finally decided on a new head coach.  The new captain of the worst team in football is… Jim Schwartz, the Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator.  Schwartz said he looks forward to the challenge of turning around a team that really can’t get any worse.  His first task:  Picking #1 in the NFL draft.  What position should he select to galvanize his team and its fan base.  Should he go with a quarterback, possibly Georgia’s Matt Stafford, or take a much needed offensive lineman to protect whomever they draft at QB.  Drafting a quarterback early worked out big time for the Atlanta Falcons, as Matt Ryan gave that offense a complete makeover.  Either way, you can bet Detroit fans will be judging Schwartz’s every move.

BASEBALL

The Atlanta Braves, who lost almost every good player they had this off-season, have signed the Dodgers Derek Lowe to a 4-year $60 million dollar contract.  To baseball experts, this seems like a panic move on Atlanta’s part.  First off, he’s getting up there for an athlete at 35 years old, and second that’s a gigantic contract for someone who can’t necessarily guarantee wins.  There’s a good chance that the Braves stadium could have some pretty sparse attendance next season.