Two things caught my eye regarding UNC football today

Skip Seagraves was granted a sixth year of eligibility.  He broke a bone in his left foot and missed all but the first two games this season.  His return should be a big plus to the offensive line in 2005.

Jon Hamlett may or may not play in the Continental Tire Bowl due to an unloaded shotgun being found in his truck last week.  Apparently, this is a felony.  Dick Baddour said that it had been used for hunting, and Jon forgot to take it out of his truck.

So I picked up today's News & Observer, flipped to the sports section, and saw the headline in bold print:

McLENDON LEAVING PACK

I wasn't overjoyed, or excited.  I just kind of furrowed my brow and said, "huh," or, "I see," or "Well, that's news."

I wonder if he really believes he'll make it, or he's just frustrated by his career in college and wants to take any way out.  As a Carolina fan, I'm sort of glad we won't have to face him.  As an ACC fan, I'm disappointed for the competition in the conference.  As Caulton Tudor said in his column today, when T.A. wanted to be great, he could be great.  Or, he could just be a fumbler.  The banner on the top of the page has a picture of T.A. fumbling against the Carolina defense in the final seconds of this year's contest.  It's a celebration of a great defensive play, but it was also a poor play by McLendon.

What does this news mean to Tar Heel fans?

Well, instead of hearing, "If only T.A. wasn't hurt..." we'll get to hear, "If only T.A. hadn't left..." from our Raleigh brethren.

What does this news mean to State fans?

After the initial shock, it will probably be a good thing.  A chance to develop some backs like Bobby Washington and Reggie Davis.  Andre Brown will finally come to town.  Instead of putting everything on the back of someone who wasn't always reliable, they'll really get to see what they have.

I'll be interested to hear what HeelsBlog readers think, so post your comments.

And now, one final jab from me:

Draft Day, any NFL team's war room:

"It's the 18th round.  We need to grab someone.  Someone who can change the course of a game at any one moment.  Someone who can swing momentum in mere seconds.  We need...a fumbler!"