THIS AND THAT..........WEDNESDAY
For those pundits & Chiefs' fans who were oh so adamant about Kansas City needing either tackle Eugene Monroe or Andre Smith, please take note, neither have signed a contract. I was a big fan of Jason Smith & said if he fell to the #3 slot overall, the Chiefs should grab him. Smith hasn't missed a day of practice because of contract issues. Holding out deep into August will make their rookie year harder than it should have been. There will be conditioning issues to start with, compounded by so much catch-up in technique, scheme & timing, they may never start this season & if they do, their effectiveness would be severely limited.
Speaking of holdouts, Michael Crabtree's refusal to sign a deal with Frisco is beginning to smell like there's more than just money queering this deal. Either his agent, Eugene Parker, is leading him down a path that could be disastrous to a young wide receiver's development or could it be his surgically repaired foot isn't back 100%? There have been extensive rumors about Crabtree being a diva & he's been caught up in the "Darius Heyward-Bey got picked ahead of me" nightmare that has caused severe damage to his ego. Just because everybody and I mean everybody, had Crabtree going in front of Heyward-Bey, doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Sign your deal, get into camp, work your ass off, make the starting lineup & out produce Heyward-Bey, out stat Heyward-Bey & the money will come. Just because Crabtree would sign for as much or more, doesn't make him a better receiver than anybody, that's done on the field. Even if he signs today, he will have a big task in the Niner locker room making amends with his teammates who's patience for Crabtree's selfishness is paper-thin. Parker is an experienced agent with an extensive client list of A-list players, so why is he taking this tact with Niner management? And if the holdout is really Crabtree's doing, why hasn't an agent with his experience got Crabtree's head screwed on straight? I have always heard Crabtree has an entourage of relatives and hangers-on that are constantly in his ear. Maybe Parker should cut the cord between Crabtree & this group or else just walk away from the whole deal. Crabtree's attempt at top-5 money from the #10 slot, is screwing up the negotiations for #9 pick, B.J. Raji & #11 pick, Aaron Maybin, both unsigned at this time. Crabtree hasn't only annoyed Niner fans, management & teammates, but he's incurred the anger of both the Packers & Bills as well.
Virginia Tech suffered a real blow to their hopes in 2009. The Hokies' leading rusher from '08, Darren Evans, suffered a torn ACL in his left knee & will be sidelined for the year. Evans rusher for 1,265 yards & 11 touchdowns last season & was a major part of their offense. They open with Alabama, so Hokie coach Frank Beamer has precious little time to get Evan's backup ready to carry the load. Another big loss was suffered by Ohio State as starting outside linebacker, Tyler Moeller, will sit out this season. Moeller was on a family vacation in Florida two weeks ago when he fell, hitting his head on the floor. He was hospitalized until Monday with a head injury. Head coach Jim Tressel said Moeller will hopefully be back in 2010.
Kansas wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe is back in the good graces of Jayhawk coach Mark Mangino. He had been suspended for the entire spring, missing both workouts & the spring game. He wasn't even allowed to come to the football facility. It was thought the suspension was due to academic issues but now it appears it was a disciplinary problem that Briscoe has corrected. This young man is a future high 1st round pick in my opinion. He has size, speed, hands & is a very dangerous runner after the catch. His 92 receptions for 1,407 yards & 15 touchdown receptions were all school records. Paired with Kerry Meier, they are the best wide receiver tandem in the Big-12, maybe in the entire country. Remember, I'm a Mizzou fan, so it's hard for me to speak so highly of any Jayhawks, but it's the truth. I'd love to see Briscoe in a Chiefs uniform. I'm glad he got his priorities straight & was accepted back by his teammates.
Hail to the Gophers!. The University of Minnesota will open their brand new outdoor stadium, TCF Bank Stadium this September 12th vs Air Force. The Golden Gophers have been playing indoors at the Metro Dome since 1981. Why a team with such a natural advantage in climate wouldn't want to use it is completely beyond me. The same goes for the Vikings. Another real plus for the Minnesota football program, the 50,000 seat stadium is right on campus, not a half-hour drive away.
A reader asked me if I thought Notre Dame's Carlie Weis was #1 on the coaching hot seat. My answer is yes, Charlie had better win at least 9 games. Others in the same boat are Louisville's Steve Kragthorpe, Wisconsin's Bret Bielema & Texas A&M's Mike Sherman. I think the Irish will win 9 games, maybe even 10, but the others may have a much harder time fending off alumni who expected a lot more from this collective group of coaches.
Mark October 10th on your calender. That Saturday will go a long way toward determining who will win the Southeastern Conference. Alabama plays at Ole Miss & Florida travels to LSU for a night game.
As a Missouri fan my entire life, I've been conditioned to the highs & lows of their athletic department. Good, but seldom great for a few years, mediocre for one, rebuilding for two, you know.......Mizzou Sports. I must say, the rebuilding they've undertaken this season was preparing me for a 6-6 season, maybe 7-5. I admit I was shocked when I read on three major websites they thought the my Tigers would go to the Insight Bowl December 31st. Now I know there are like, 73 bowl games(actually it's 34), so there are certainly going to be surprise teams in those bowl games. But has Mizzou actually moved their program into that "reloading level" of college football hierarchy? You know, the level pundits speak of when they talk of USC, Oklahoma, Florida & Texas. Relax, I'm not naive enough to believe my Tigers are on the same plateau with those aforementioned teams, it's Mizzou football I've been conditioned to all these years, my expectations aren't unrealistic O.K.? But coach Gary Pinkel has said this is the fastest team he's ever had & even tho they're starting over at QB, TE, DE, LB(except 'Spoon) & their dreadful secondary, could it be they have recruited that well & they have really talented guys waiting in the wings? What a marvelous approach to building a program that would be, just like the big guys right? We'll see September 5th when they take on a veteran Illinois team who've taken their lumps at the hands of the Tigers. Then two weeks later, an ESPN Friday night game in Reno, vs the Wolfpack of Nevada, another '08 whippin' boy of the Tigers(69-17). Then 13 days later on a Thursday night ESPN telecast, they'll open their Big-12 season when the Nebraska Cornhuskers come calling in Columbia. Those 3 contests should define what the '09 Missouri Tigers will be. I'm hoping to be overwhelmed, but I'm not holding my breath.
Today's real name of the day: Rokevious Watkins, offensive tackle, South Carolina.
Speaking of holdouts, Michael Crabtree's refusal to sign a deal with Frisco is beginning to smell like there's more than just money queering this deal. Either his agent, Eugene Parker, is leading him down a path that could be disastrous to a young wide receiver's development or could it be his surgically repaired foot isn't back 100%? There have been extensive rumors about Crabtree being a diva & he's been caught up in the "Darius Heyward-Bey got picked ahead of me" nightmare that has caused severe damage to his ego. Just because everybody and I mean everybody, had Crabtree going in front of Heyward-Bey, doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Sign your deal, get into camp, work your ass off, make the starting lineup & out produce Heyward-Bey, out stat Heyward-Bey & the money will come. Just because Crabtree would sign for as much or more, doesn't make him a better receiver than anybody, that's done on the field. Even if he signs today, he will have a big task in the Niner locker room making amends with his teammates who's patience for Crabtree's selfishness is paper-thin. Parker is an experienced agent with an extensive client list of A-list players, so why is he taking this tact with Niner management? And if the holdout is really Crabtree's doing, why hasn't an agent with his experience got Crabtree's head screwed on straight? I have always heard Crabtree has an entourage of relatives and hangers-on that are constantly in his ear. Maybe Parker should cut the cord between Crabtree & this group or else just walk away from the whole deal. Crabtree's attempt at top-5 money from the #10 slot, is screwing up the negotiations for #9 pick, B.J. Raji & #11 pick, Aaron Maybin, both unsigned at this time. Crabtree hasn't only annoyed Niner fans, management & teammates, but he's incurred the anger of both the Packers & Bills as well.
Virginia Tech suffered a real blow to their hopes in 2009. The Hokies' leading rusher from '08, Darren Evans, suffered a torn ACL in his left knee & will be sidelined for the year. Evans rusher for 1,265 yards & 11 touchdowns last season & was a major part of their offense. They open with Alabama, so Hokie coach Frank Beamer has precious little time to get Evan's backup ready to carry the load. Another big loss was suffered by Ohio State as starting outside linebacker, Tyler Moeller, will sit out this season. Moeller was on a family vacation in Florida two weeks ago when he fell, hitting his head on the floor. He was hospitalized until Monday with a head injury. Head coach Jim Tressel said Moeller will hopefully be back in 2010.
Kansas wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe is back in the good graces of Jayhawk coach Mark Mangino. He had been suspended for the entire spring, missing both workouts & the spring game. He wasn't even allowed to come to the football facility. It was thought the suspension was due to academic issues but now it appears it was a disciplinary problem that Briscoe has corrected. This young man is a future high 1st round pick in my opinion. He has size, speed, hands & is a very dangerous runner after the catch. His 92 receptions for 1,407 yards & 15 touchdown receptions were all school records. Paired with Kerry Meier, they are the best wide receiver tandem in the Big-12, maybe in the entire country. Remember, I'm a Mizzou fan, so it's hard for me to speak so highly of any Jayhawks, but it's the truth. I'd love to see Briscoe in a Chiefs uniform. I'm glad he got his priorities straight & was accepted back by his teammates.
Hail to the Gophers!. The University of Minnesota will open their brand new outdoor stadium, TCF Bank Stadium this September 12th vs Air Force. The Golden Gophers have been playing indoors at the Metro Dome since 1981. Why a team with such a natural advantage in climate wouldn't want to use it is completely beyond me. The same goes for the Vikings. Another real plus for the Minnesota football program, the 50,000 seat stadium is right on campus, not a half-hour drive away.
A reader asked me if I thought Notre Dame's Carlie Weis was #1 on the coaching hot seat. My answer is yes, Charlie had better win at least 9 games. Others in the same boat are Louisville's Steve Kragthorpe, Wisconsin's Bret Bielema & Texas A&M's Mike Sherman. I think the Irish will win 9 games, maybe even 10, but the others may have a much harder time fending off alumni who expected a lot more from this collective group of coaches.
Mark October 10th on your calender. That Saturday will go a long way toward determining who will win the Southeastern Conference. Alabama plays at Ole Miss & Florida travels to LSU for a night game.
As a Missouri fan my entire life, I've been conditioned to the highs & lows of their athletic department. Good, but seldom great for a few years, mediocre for one, rebuilding for two, you know.......Mizzou Sports. I must say, the rebuilding they've undertaken this season was preparing me for a 6-6 season, maybe 7-5. I admit I was shocked when I read on three major websites they thought the my Tigers would go to the Insight Bowl December 31st. Now I know there are like, 73 bowl games(actually it's 34), so there are certainly going to be surprise teams in those bowl games. But has Mizzou actually moved their program into that "reloading level" of college football hierarchy? You know, the level pundits speak of when they talk of USC, Oklahoma, Florida & Texas. Relax, I'm not naive enough to believe my Tigers are on the same plateau with those aforementioned teams, it's Mizzou football I've been conditioned to all these years, my expectations aren't unrealistic O.K.? But coach Gary Pinkel has said this is the fastest team he's ever had & even tho they're starting over at QB, TE, DE, LB(except 'Spoon) & their dreadful secondary, could it be they have recruited that well & they have really talented guys waiting in the wings? What a marvelous approach to building a program that would be, just like the big guys right? We'll see September 5th when they take on a veteran Illinois team who've taken their lumps at the hands of the Tigers. Then two weeks later, an ESPN Friday night game in Reno, vs the Wolfpack of Nevada, another '08 whippin' boy of the Tigers(69-17). Then 13 days later on a Thursday night ESPN telecast, they'll open their Big-12 season when the Nebraska Cornhuskers come calling in Columbia. Those 3 contests should define what the '09 Missouri Tigers will be. I'm hoping to be overwhelmed, but I'm not holding my breath.
Today's real name of the day: Rokevious Watkins, offensive tackle, South Carolina.
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