NO TWEETS IN BOISE, VOLS LOSE A PAIR, HOF WRAP-UP & A FEW COMMENTS ON THE GAME
Boise State head coach Chris Peterson has made the Bronco football program "Tweet-Free" starting Sunday. He has forbidden his players to use the social network until the season is finished. Boise was ranked 5th in the initial USA Today/Coaches Poll released on Friday, the highest the school has ever been rated in a preseason poll. Peterson told his team before practice he wanted them to worry about their academics & football, not Twitter. Plus, if you've been paying attention at all, you'd know quite a few players at both the college & professional level have caused trouble & embarrassment for their teams by Tweeting something really stupid on Twitter. It has become a distraction in many cases & I think you'll see this Twitter embargo in more schools during the season.
The Achilles tendon curse has spread to Knoxville. Two starters for the Tennessee Volunteers have been sidelined for the season with Achilles tendon injuries. Coach Derek Dooley said stating defensive lineman Marlon Walls & Ben Martin would require surgery for the injuries. There have been an inordinate number of Achilles injuries this summer in college & the NFL.
So often major programs dodge each other during the non-conference season not wanting to smudge their record before entering conference competition. There have been several marquee non-conference matchups announced lately & Saturday brought another. The 2012 season will kickoff down in Arlington Texas at the Jones-Mahal with Alabama squaring off with Michigan. I rag on Jerry Jones, but since he opened his new stadium, he's booked several dandy college matchups. He also got the "Red River Shootout", the traditional Oklahoma-Texas game, moved over to his building from the Cotton Bowl. Jones hosted the OU-BYU opener last year & has a beauty scheduled on September 4th with TCU-Oregon State. Fed Ex Field is hosting Boise State-Virginia Tech on Labor Day night. I know these matchups are put together for big money, but isn't it nice to be able to see two teams of this caliber choosing to play each other instead of dodging such a game?
The Chiefs had their first full scrimmage on Saturday & if anyone had any doubt that moving training camp back to Missouri, think again. Missouri Western officials said 10,271 fans passed thru the turnstiles at Spratt Stadium, an all-time record for the venue. Chiefs' fans desperately want to get excited about their team but they've been fooled before. I didn't see any of it other than a few highlights posted on the team's official website. But we'll be in St. Joe next Sunday night so we can see 5 practices, provided Todd Haley doesn't move the team indoors, where the public is forbidden to watch. Rookie safety Eric Berry snagged an interception & Derrick Johnson was all over the field. Ryan Succop continues his accurate placekicking making all three tries from 38, 43 & 53 yards. I've yet to hear of him missing one.
It has become apparent the Pittsburgh Steelers are pretty excited about 2nd year defensive lineman Ziggy Hood. I read yet another story, this time in The Post-Gazette raving about the former Mizzou Tiger's training camp performance. Coaches & teammates alike think Hood has the stuff to become a superior defensive player.
Did you watch the 3+ hour Hall of Fame induction show last night? Here are a few thoughts I took away from the evening telecast:
John Randle's speech was short(4 minutes) & sweet. This former Viking great retired as the all-time sack leader for defensive tackles(137.5). He was small for the position, he was undrafted but he was always a force. Randle is known for his sense of humor & unique brand of banter on Sundays.
Dick LeBeau's rambling talk became somewhat tedious but with all 80 Steelers on the roster, their entire coaching staff & most of the front office present, it showed the type of respect the 72-year old commands. I was interested to hear LeBeau regularly shoots his age or less on the links. Trey Wingo mentioned he had accomplished this feat 38 times in 2010 alone, that's remarkable.
Russ Grimm basically read his short speech, it was nothing special except when he mentioned his first college coach, Jackie Sherrill, forced him to become an offensive lineman even when he resisted. Grimm said Sherrill looked him in the eye & made it very clear "you have no choice, you are no longer a linebacker, you're an interior offensive lineman." His Redskin O-line coach Joe Bugel told Grimm "there's no better feeling than moving a defensive player to a spot they don't want to be in." Grimm said "he was right, I loved playing on the offensive line."
Rickey Jackson rambled on for too long with a speech that was truly off the top of his head. Wearing a black hat, Jackson leaned lazily against the podium for his entire speech. His story of wanting to be on a hometown billboard that touted Pahoke, Florida as the "Birthplace of country singer Mel Tillis" was cute, but too long. The remarks Jackson made that hit home with the 22,000+ in attendance was when he warned the NFL & it's players to stop their bickering & get a new deal done. He reminded them the NFL is way more popular than any other professional sport & "only they can mess up such a great thing." He's right on that subject.
Jerry Rice was quite possibly the very best football player to ever grace the NFL. But sadly his induction speech was horrific, stuttering, stammering & mistake-filled, it was difficult to watch. His continued insistence the Hall of Fame should accept former Niners owner Eddie DiBartolo Jr.was embarrassing. DiBartolo was kicked out of the league for being involved with former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards in a bribery case. Nothing unlawful was ever connected to the Niners but I don't see him being voted to the Hall.
Floyd Little's speech was both inspirational & well delivered. I still don't think of Little as a Hall of Fame type performer, I'd much rather have seen Bronco fans celebrating Shannon Sharpe's induction.
Emmitt Smith's 24-minute speech was the best of the night by far. No notes, no teleprompter & he never missed a beat. The moment he shared with his former fullback, Daryl "Moose" Johnston, was the highlight. With tears streaming down his face, he told Johnston just what having him as his lead blocker all those years meant to him. Quite simply, Emmitt wouldn't have been standing up there last night without Johnston & he admitted it. He also mentioned every offensive linemen he ran behind & most of them were present. Emmitt completely omitted any mention of his time at the University of Florida. He said during halftime tonight, he forgot, I'm not buying it, he still holds a grudge against Steve Spurrier & the Gator program from the late 80's. Urban Meyer & many other Gator notables were present for his enshrinement & the school got nary a mention which I thought was regrettable.
A few thoughts on tonight's game:
It was typical 1st preseason game awful. Neither team looked in sync & it was pretty awful to watch. Two of the most hyped teams playing each other in a super-snore-a-thon. The big news out of Cincy was the signing of free agent wide receivers Terrell Owens, Matt Jones & Antonio Bryant plus the drafting of tight end Jermaine Gresham & wideouts Jordan Shipley & Dezmon Briscoe. Sadly the Cincinnati offensive line couldn't keep their quarterbacks protected. Cowboy rushers were either in their face or flushing them out of the pocket all night.This is definitely something to watch.
Two Bengal defenders that impressed me were 2nd year man Michael Johnson(3 solo tackles, 2 for loss & 2 sacks), an outside linebacker/defensive end & rookie defensive tackle, Geno Atkins(5 solo tackles & a sack). Johnson is a freak, nearly 6' 7" & 270 pounds with speed, strength, leaping ability & that quick first step you look for in a pass rusher. He didn't get much playing time as a rookie last season & I don't think he would've played at OLB tonight except that Rey Maualuga was injured forcing Johnson into service. This kid has awesome potential if he can learn the position. He is absolutely chisled, he's ultra quick too, he'll be a work in progress for probably another year but I see him making a major impact as a situational player on passing downs. Atkins came alive at last January's Senior Bowl working with NFL coaches. He looked even better tonight, this pair will make this defense better.
The Cowboys have one of the best tight ends in the game in Jason Witten, but tonight 2 rookies made quite a statement. Undrafted free agent tight ends John Phillips & Scott Sicko caught 9 passes good for 104 yards between them. Both looked the part, I was very high last April on Sicko, he turned down a free agent contract from Kansas City. Sadly, it was reported after the game, John Phillips suffered a torn ACL & will be placed on I.R.
Dallas left tackle Doug Free looked solid in his debut replacing Flozell Adams. He needs to be solid, watching his backup Alex Barron was ugly, he was run over & around. Felix Jones fumbled at the goaline, a problem he continues to have.
The Achilles tendon curse has spread to Knoxville. Two starters for the Tennessee Volunteers have been sidelined for the season with Achilles tendon injuries. Coach Derek Dooley said stating defensive lineman Marlon Walls & Ben Martin would require surgery for the injuries. There have been an inordinate number of Achilles injuries this summer in college & the NFL.
So often major programs dodge each other during the non-conference season not wanting to smudge their record before entering conference competition. There have been several marquee non-conference matchups announced lately & Saturday brought another. The 2012 season will kickoff down in Arlington Texas at the Jones-Mahal with Alabama squaring off with Michigan. I rag on Jerry Jones, but since he opened his new stadium, he's booked several dandy college matchups. He also got the "Red River Shootout", the traditional Oklahoma-Texas game, moved over to his building from the Cotton Bowl. Jones hosted the OU-BYU opener last year & has a beauty scheduled on September 4th with TCU-Oregon State. Fed Ex Field is hosting Boise State-Virginia Tech on Labor Day night. I know these matchups are put together for big money, but isn't it nice to be able to see two teams of this caliber choosing to play each other instead of dodging such a game?
The Chiefs had their first full scrimmage on Saturday & if anyone had any doubt that moving training camp back to Missouri, think again. Missouri Western officials said 10,271 fans passed thru the turnstiles at Spratt Stadium, an all-time record for the venue. Chiefs' fans desperately want to get excited about their team but they've been fooled before. I didn't see any of it other than a few highlights posted on the team's official website. But we'll be in St. Joe next Sunday night so we can see 5 practices, provided Todd Haley doesn't move the team indoors, where the public is forbidden to watch. Rookie safety Eric Berry snagged an interception & Derrick Johnson was all over the field. Ryan Succop continues his accurate placekicking making all three tries from 38, 43 & 53 yards. I've yet to hear of him missing one.
It has become apparent the Pittsburgh Steelers are pretty excited about 2nd year defensive lineman Ziggy Hood. I read yet another story, this time in The Post-Gazette raving about the former Mizzou Tiger's training camp performance. Coaches & teammates alike think Hood has the stuff to become a superior defensive player.
Did you watch the 3+ hour Hall of Fame induction show last night? Here are a few thoughts I took away from the evening telecast:
John Randle's speech was short(4 minutes) & sweet. This former Viking great retired as the all-time sack leader for defensive tackles(137.5). He was small for the position, he was undrafted but he was always a force. Randle is known for his sense of humor & unique brand of banter on Sundays.
Dick LeBeau's rambling talk became somewhat tedious but with all 80 Steelers on the roster, their entire coaching staff & most of the front office present, it showed the type of respect the 72-year old commands. I was interested to hear LeBeau regularly shoots his age or less on the links. Trey Wingo mentioned he had accomplished this feat 38 times in 2010 alone, that's remarkable.
Russ Grimm basically read his short speech, it was nothing special except when he mentioned his first college coach, Jackie Sherrill, forced him to become an offensive lineman even when he resisted. Grimm said Sherrill looked him in the eye & made it very clear "you have no choice, you are no longer a linebacker, you're an interior offensive lineman." His Redskin O-line coach Joe Bugel told Grimm "there's no better feeling than moving a defensive player to a spot they don't want to be in." Grimm said "he was right, I loved playing on the offensive line."
Rickey Jackson rambled on for too long with a speech that was truly off the top of his head. Wearing a black hat, Jackson leaned lazily against the podium for his entire speech. His story of wanting to be on a hometown billboard that touted Pahoke, Florida as the "Birthplace of country singer Mel Tillis" was cute, but too long. The remarks Jackson made that hit home with the 22,000+ in attendance was when he warned the NFL & it's players to stop their bickering & get a new deal done. He reminded them the NFL is way more popular than any other professional sport & "only they can mess up such a great thing." He's right on that subject.
Jerry Rice was quite possibly the very best football player to ever grace the NFL. But sadly his induction speech was horrific, stuttering, stammering & mistake-filled, it was difficult to watch. His continued insistence the Hall of Fame should accept former Niners owner Eddie DiBartolo Jr.was embarrassing. DiBartolo was kicked out of the league for being involved with former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards in a bribery case. Nothing unlawful was ever connected to the Niners but I don't see him being voted to the Hall.
Floyd Little's speech was both inspirational & well delivered. I still don't think of Little as a Hall of Fame type performer, I'd much rather have seen Bronco fans celebrating Shannon Sharpe's induction.
Emmitt Smith's 24-minute speech was the best of the night by far. No notes, no teleprompter & he never missed a beat. The moment he shared with his former fullback, Daryl "Moose" Johnston, was the highlight. With tears streaming down his face, he told Johnston just what having him as his lead blocker all those years meant to him. Quite simply, Emmitt wouldn't have been standing up there last night without Johnston & he admitted it. He also mentioned every offensive linemen he ran behind & most of them were present. Emmitt completely omitted any mention of his time at the University of Florida. He said during halftime tonight, he forgot, I'm not buying it, he still holds a grudge against Steve Spurrier & the Gator program from the late 80's. Urban Meyer & many other Gator notables were present for his enshrinement & the school got nary a mention which I thought was regrettable.
A few thoughts on tonight's game:
It was typical 1st preseason game awful. Neither team looked in sync & it was pretty awful to watch. Two of the most hyped teams playing each other in a super-snore-a-thon. The big news out of Cincy was the signing of free agent wide receivers Terrell Owens, Matt Jones & Antonio Bryant plus the drafting of tight end Jermaine Gresham & wideouts Jordan Shipley & Dezmon Briscoe. Sadly the Cincinnati offensive line couldn't keep their quarterbacks protected. Cowboy rushers were either in their face or flushing them out of the pocket all night.This is definitely something to watch.
Two Bengal defenders that impressed me were 2nd year man Michael Johnson(3 solo tackles, 2 for loss & 2 sacks), an outside linebacker/defensive end & rookie defensive tackle, Geno Atkins(5 solo tackles & a sack). Johnson is a freak, nearly 6' 7" & 270 pounds with speed, strength, leaping ability & that quick first step you look for in a pass rusher. He didn't get much playing time as a rookie last season & I don't think he would've played at OLB tonight except that Rey Maualuga was injured forcing Johnson into service. This kid has awesome potential if he can learn the position. He is absolutely chisled, he's ultra quick too, he'll be a work in progress for probably another year but I see him making a major impact as a situational player on passing downs. Atkins came alive at last January's Senior Bowl working with NFL coaches. He looked even better tonight, this pair will make this defense better.
The Cowboys have one of the best tight ends in the game in Jason Witten, but tonight 2 rookies made quite a statement. Undrafted free agent tight ends John Phillips & Scott Sicko caught 9 passes good for 104 yards between them. Both looked the part, I was very high last April on Sicko, he turned down a free agent contract from Kansas City. Sadly, it was reported after the game, John Phillips suffered a torn ACL & will be placed on I.R.
Dallas left tackle Doug Free looked solid in his debut replacing Flozell Adams. He needs to be solid, watching his backup Alex Barron was ugly, he was run over & around. Felix Jones fumbled at the goaline, a problem he continues to have.
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