skipping his 6th year of eligibility to enter the draft.

i dont think its a good decision at all, but o well.

1/5/2010 11:26:57 AM

On a positive note we get to see what Brandon Barnes can do.

1/5/2010 11:28:08 AM

Terrible decision. He needs to show that he can hold on to the ball.

1/5/2010 11:32:36 AM

Maybe he just wants to get his life started, in football or otherwise. Hard to kill a guy who has been around for five years and already graduated.

1/5/2010 11:33:07 AM

i never understood why eugene played so much this year when it seemed baker's production was so much better.

I'm sure someone will pull stats showing they were about the same, but from watching the games, it seemed like our offense moved alot better with Baker in the game. Sucks that he is leaving.

1/5/2010 11:33:25 AM

I think it's the right decision for him as much as he's been injury prone.

1/5/2010 11:33:51 AM

Good point made however on another forum. He is old... and RB's in the NFL don't have a long shelf life, so now or never might be the right decision.

1/5/2010 11:38:18 AM

it would be heartbreaking to see him go down with an ACL tear next season for State

hopefully he can get some money now and prove to be useful in the NFL

good luck Toney, you deserve the best after how hard you worked

1/5/2010 11:43:05 AM

Exactly, I completely understand him wanting to take a shot at the NFL now, while his legs are still working well enough to get him drafted.

History of injuries + productive season with a decent bit of coverage thanks to coming back from his injuries + already having spent 5 years here makes the decision seem fairly solid.

Good luck Toney!

1/5/2010 11:47:06 AM

Word. Agreed. Good luck Tony. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the Pack.

1/5/2010 11:58:26 AM

He got his diploma in December. So gg there.

1/5/2010 12:02:05 PM

Hate to see him go, but it's probably best for him. He could raise his stock next year, sure, or he could suffer a career-ending injury. As he's been injury prone already, this is probably the safer choice. He should be worth a second-day draft pick to a team that needs run help.

1/5/2010 12:06:32 PM

Quote :

"The rule of thumb for pro prospects is this: If your game relies purely on speed, come out. Every football player needs speed to some degree, but a receiver, running back and defensive back only has so many years of blazing speed in them. Any slippage in that top gear, and you're out of the league. Running backs can only take so many shots and should come out as soon as humanly possible. Everyone else should stay in school unless they're a sure-fire first or second round pick ... in a normal year. This isn't a normal year. The NFL is trying to figure out its collective bargaining agreement, and in it, there's almost certainly going to be a rookie salary cap for the 2011 NFL Draft. That means the $40 million first round contracts could become $5 million, or worse, so all the mid-level pro prospect who can leave are almost certainly going to take off. They'd be crazy not to."

1/5/2010 12:17:26 PM

Good decision for him personally, and I do not blame him. Mr. Baker has put in his time at NC State. I wish him well and hope that he becomes our 2nd running back in consecutive years to be drafted and on an NFL roster.

1/5/2010 12:19:40 PM

can't blame him at all.

good luck toney.

1/5/2010 12:27:50 PM

link: http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/8455/nc-states-baker-heads-to-nfl

surprised no one has asked for one yet

1/5/2010 12:41:53 PM

^^^^This why I am shocked that all of UNC's juniors are coming back.

[Edited on January 5, 2010 at 12:42 PM. Reason : s]

1/5/2010 12:42:34 PM

Quote :

"i dont think its a good decision at all, but o well."

Good thing you're not his advisor!

1/5/2010 12:50:49 PM

yeah he could probably really use the 'possible' income for his family, so as much as I think he should show more what he can do and come back another year I wish him luck.

1/5/2010 12:55:58 PM

Quote :

"I can't decide what's more impressive...that Baker scored 4.5 touchdowns per game, or the fact it was only good for 7TH in the ACC. Absolutely amazing! "

Quote :

"so if he averages 4.5 TDs a game and had 17 for his career, he only played in 3.78 games. "

lol

1/5/2010 1:09:01 PM

Kim S. Lackey again proving that women should stay out of sports talk

1/5/2010 1:10:56 PM

Quote :

"yeah he could probably really use the 'possible' income for his family, so as much as I think he should show more what he can do and come back another year I wish him luck."

What? He's not exactly coming from abject poverty.

1/5/2010 1:17:06 PM

^well, compared to what he would be making, he is.

1/5/2010 1:19:16 PM

you guys saying this is a bad idea are dead wrong

maybe a bad idea for what the team wants to accomplish next year but a great idea for him and

his future. after the year he had coming off a 2 year hiatus i think its a very wise move.

why risk getting injured again?

dont forget about James Washington either...he is lightning in a bottle and I hope he has a speedy

recovery.

1/5/2010 1:37:46 PM

why did i think Washington left the program? Was it another running back or am I just completely off base?

1/5/2010 1:38:59 PM

to my knowledge we havent had any RBs leave this year

1/5/2010 1:40:09 PM

only selfish assholes think its a bad idea when a player decides to leave early

1/5/2010 1:45:52 PM

^^^maybe bobby washington? but that was awhile ago

1/5/2010 2:44:55 PM

Quote :

"I think it's the right decision for him as much as he's been injury prone."

He was here five years people come on....and like others are saying RB has the shortest life of any position in the NFL. How many of you would go to college for six years and skip out on big money?

1/5/2010 2:53:24 PM

Good Luck and So Long, Toney Baker

1/5/2010 2:57:22 PM

is he really going to get drafted high enough to matter? what round is he projected to go?

1/5/2010 2:59:35 PM

the only person who posted anything negative about him leaving was a girl, so clearly her post doesn't count and we can all stop blasting "them" who disagree with his decision.

1/5/2010 3:02:35 PM

I wish Toney the best in moving on, maybe somebody in the NFL can help him with his fumblitis.

1/5/2010 3:03:33 PM

He had to go. Stay around any longer and he wouldn't even get a chance at a 2nd contract

Hopefully we pull a good RB in this class to help replace him

1/5/2010 3:05:14 PM

Good Luck and So Long...Sweet Prince

1/5/2010 3:10:49 PM

Quote :

"he wouldn't even get a chance at a 2nd contract"

What kind of contract are you talking about here?

1/5/2010 3:12:50 PM

1/5/2010 3:13:45 PM

Good luck to Toney. I hope he gets drafted and can make a roster next year.

As for him leaving, hopefully it will help us land Mustafa Greene now as the RB position should be wide open next year.

[Edited on January 5, 2010 at 3:15 PM. Reason : ^^^ TA??]

1/5/2010 3:15:18 PM

^^^He's saying Toney's age as a rookie would make him breakdown before he has a chance at a second contract.

1/5/2010 3:16:50 PM

Quote :

"maybe bobby washington? but that was awhile ago"

thats him and yes it was a while ago, my b.

1/5/2010 3:39:26 PM

Quote :

"skipping his 6th year of eligibility to enter the draft. i dont think its a good decision at all, but o well."

really?


who wants to spend 6 years in fucking college when you get 6 figures just for being on a NFL practice squad? of course it's a good idea. stop being selfish.

1/5/2010 4:03:44 PM

at first I was like 'oh, no'

but good luck TB! A solid decision indeed. I would love to see TB play in NFL in near future.

go pack!

[Edited on January 5, 2010 at 5:31 PM. Reason : .]

1/5/2010 5:30:43 PM

Quote :

"good luck Toney, you deserve the best after how hard you worked"

always supported him and hate to see him go, but i can't blame him at all. i just hope he gets a good shot at goin big

1/5/2010 6:33:03 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TA_McLendon

1/5/2010 11:27:55 PM

this is a dumb, dumb move. he could have really showcased his talents next year and upgraded his stock big time. maybe he just knows he can't last a full season without sustaining an injury of some kind.

1/5/2010 11:36:52 PM

Yeah I'm sure coming back and getting hurt playing for a 6-6 ACC team will help his status.

Or do some of you think we are going to go 10-3 and win the ACC like you did this year?

1/6/2010 1:18:36 AM

ITT packboozie insinuates shit that none of us have even hinted at. Same goes for most basketball threads

1/6/2010 1:28:04 AM

Dude there are plenty of posters that predicted outlandish shit like that before the season.....

1/6/2010 1:32:27 AM

I don't think he will do well. Like andre, injury will keep him off the field

1/6/2010 1:34:48 AM

man TA was so fucking good... his freshman year he was as good as any RB I had ever seen live in college. Right up there with Robert Edwards and better than Jamal Lewis

1/6/2010 1:46:07 AM