HUSKERS LOSE WR, VINCE TEXTS AN APOLOGY & OSU PREZ IS CLUELESS
Nebraska took a big hit late yesterday when their leading receiver, senior Niles Paul, suffered a serious foot injury. Bo Pelini said he would miss up to a month. Paul also returns kickoffs for the Huskers. With or without Paul, Nebraska can still whip Colorado, it's the Big-12 Championship game next Saturday where he'll be missed.
Staying with Nebraska, how on earth is their kicker, Alex Henery, not included in the final three for the Lou Groza Award. It's given to college football's best kicker, supposedly. The finalists are Dan Bailey of Oklahoma State, Danny Hrapmann of Southern Miss & David Ruffer of Notre Dame. Let me state Henery's case. He is 15 of 16 in field goal attempts, missing only a 56-yarder, hasn't missed a PAT & averages 44.0 yards as a punter. He hasn't missed a field goal inside the 40-yardline in two seasons. Bailey & Ruffer have both missed two extra points. Hrapmann & Bailey have missed 4 field goal attempts apiece. In fact Ruffer has only attempted 15 field goals, he's made them all, but 2 PAT's that misfired don't count against a guy? You can watch Henery for years to come on Sundays.
The Chiefs' injury report hasn't been officially posted but here's who did what at Wednesday practice. Brandon Albert(hip) & Tony Moeaki(concussion) were in full pads, but didn't do much or run with the first team. Brandon Flowers(hamstring) & Jon McGraw(head & knee) were in attendance, but only did conditioning drills. Dexter McCluster(high ankle sprain) was back running with the 1st teamers.
Cleveland QB Colt McCoy has a high ankle sprain but is attempting to work thru it, good luck. He did not practice today. The Browns play Carolina Sunday, a game Jake Delhomme(Cajun for turnover) probably couldn't lose. I said probably.
Vince Young, placed on injured reserve yesterday because of a ruptured tendon in his throwing thumb, texted coach Jeff Fisher, apologizing for his behavior after Sunday's loss to Washington. Can't pick up a phone? How about being a man & giving that apology face to face? Texting? Pretty lame, but it shows a pattern of little accountability or leadership.
Josh sent a comment the other day & asked me if I would be willing to trade two #1 draft picks for Larry Fitzgerald. I would say no Josh, that's a huge price to pay when they already have Dewayne Bowe & a promising Tony Moeaki. Sure, Fitzgerald is maybe the best WR in the game, but two #1's is a lot. The Chiefs have so many other needs, I don't see them surrendering two #1 draft picks. They need a pass rushing bookend for Tamba Hali. They need help on both lines as well as a solid wide receiver to pair with Bowe. Scott Pioli needs to do a better job in identifying defensive line prospects, Tyson Jackson appears to be a bust while Brian Orakpo & Clay Mathews, both picked after Jackson, run roughshod over the NFL getting sacks & creating turnovers. Thanks for reading Josh.
Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach has filed suit against ESPN for what he perceives as dishonest & slanderous reporting on the Adam James story last fall. I wondered if this was ever going to happen. ESPN allowed college football analyst Craig James, Adam's daddy, to set the agenda in the network's coverage of his son's treatment at the hands of Leach. For several days I followed this story on ESPN, calling it dishonest & in several Texas newspapers, who told a completely different story. Two Dallas TV stations also filed stories early on that contradicted what James & others on ESPN were reporting. I'm not an attorney & have no clue as to the disposition of this case but I know when I see dishonest, biased reporting & this story fell into that category in my opinion.
If you need anymore proof of the "Big Conference mentality" look no further than Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee. He was asked last night about Boise State & TCU & whether they deserved a shot at the national title.
His response speaks volumes "I don't understand a lot of the X's & O's of college football but I know we do not play the 'Little Sisters of the Poor'. We play a great team every week, until those schools run the gauntlet we do, they don't deserve a shot at the National Championship." Really? Let's examine Ohio State's perceived 'gauntlet'. It includes Marshall, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Minnesota, Michigan & Penn State. These nine teams have a combined record of 44-55. I believe Boise & TCU could beat everyone of these teams as well. Ohio State played two top-25 ranked teams, Wisconsin(a loss) & Iowa(a win, but against a team with 4 losses). I sincerely wish Ohio State could face one of these "lesser" teams in a bowl game next month & they could prove, once & for all, how much better Ohio State, their program & their schedule is than Boise State or TCU.
"I was a president at an SEC school prior to being the president here at Ohio State & I can say it's like playing murders' row every week & is infinitely more difficult than the schedules the lesser conferences play" stated Gee. "Lesser" conferences? That tells you a lot about the big conference mentality. The fact that the deck is already stacked against the Mountain West & WAC in recruiting, contributions & budgets. The BCS pays the automatic qualifying schools almost 30% more for their bowl appearances than the non-automatic qualifying schools for the same game. The big conference presidents along with the bowl committees thought they had a flawless system, the BCS, for protecting themselves from schools like Boise & TCU, not wanting to share a dime of the bowl revenues or allowing them to crack the top-10. Unfortunately, these high IQ types didn't allow for the human factor in the BCS polling. Coaches & writers who watch Boise State & TCU know they are good teams, teams that can compete at college football's highest level. The truly honest ones give them credit for their ability. That's how Boise began the season ranked #5 & TCU at #10. They are reaping exactly what the Ohio States, Oklahomas & USCs have for years. Begin the season ranked in the top-10, voted on by humans, stay as close to 11-wins as possible & you'll get the big bucks of a BCS bowl bid. You don't have to play any tough out of conference games since you're already ranked in the top-10, don't risk wrecking your season playing a Boise or TCU, stick to the Marshalls & the Central Michigans, much safer. Get a friggin' 8-game playoff & do away with this nonsense. Every year we watch this crap & hope it will get better. It won't, not until enough of the right people band together to do it right.
Last January, Ohio State handled Oregon in the Rose Bowl 26-17 buy in 2006, #1 ranked Ohio State played #2 Florida in the BCS title game, Gators won in a rout, 41-14. In 2007, #1 ranked Ohio State played #2 LSU & lost 38-24. That was followed by a 24-21 loss to Texas in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl. Guess the Buckeyes were exhausted from running that gauntlet.
Staying with Nebraska, how on earth is their kicker, Alex Henery, not included in the final three for the Lou Groza Award. It's given to college football's best kicker, supposedly. The finalists are Dan Bailey of Oklahoma State, Danny Hrapmann of Southern Miss & David Ruffer of Notre Dame. Let me state Henery's case. He is 15 of 16 in field goal attempts, missing only a 56-yarder, hasn't missed a PAT & averages 44.0 yards as a punter. He hasn't missed a field goal inside the 40-yardline in two seasons. Bailey & Ruffer have both missed two extra points. Hrapmann & Bailey have missed 4 field goal attempts apiece. In fact Ruffer has only attempted 15 field goals, he's made them all, but 2 PAT's that misfired don't count against a guy? You can watch Henery for years to come on Sundays.
The Chiefs' injury report hasn't been officially posted but here's who did what at Wednesday practice. Brandon Albert(hip) & Tony Moeaki(concussion) were in full pads, but didn't do much or run with the first team. Brandon Flowers(hamstring) & Jon McGraw(head & knee) were in attendance, but only did conditioning drills. Dexter McCluster(high ankle sprain) was back running with the 1st teamers.
Cleveland QB Colt McCoy has a high ankle sprain but is attempting to work thru it, good luck. He did not practice today. The Browns play Carolina Sunday, a game Jake Delhomme(Cajun for turnover) probably couldn't lose. I said probably.
Vince Young, placed on injured reserve yesterday because of a ruptured tendon in his throwing thumb, texted coach Jeff Fisher, apologizing for his behavior after Sunday's loss to Washington. Can't pick up a phone? How about being a man & giving that apology face to face? Texting? Pretty lame, but it shows a pattern of little accountability or leadership.
Josh sent a comment the other day & asked me if I would be willing to trade two #1 draft picks for Larry Fitzgerald. I would say no Josh, that's a huge price to pay when they already have Dewayne Bowe & a promising Tony Moeaki. Sure, Fitzgerald is maybe the best WR in the game, but two #1's is a lot. The Chiefs have so many other needs, I don't see them surrendering two #1 draft picks. They need a pass rushing bookend for Tamba Hali. They need help on both lines as well as a solid wide receiver to pair with Bowe. Scott Pioli needs to do a better job in identifying defensive line prospects, Tyson Jackson appears to be a bust while Brian Orakpo & Clay Mathews, both picked after Jackson, run roughshod over the NFL getting sacks & creating turnovers. Thanks for reading Josh.
Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach has filed suit against ESPN for what he perceives as dishonest & slanderous reporting on the Adam James story last fall. I wondered if this was ever going to happen. ESPN allowed college football analyst Craig James, Adam's daddy, to set the agenda in the network's coverage of his son's treatment at the hands of Leach. For several days I followed this story on ESPN, calling it dishonest & in several Texas newspapers, who told a completely different story. Two Dallas TV stations also filed stories early on that contradicted what James & others on ESPN were reporting. I'm not an attorney & have no clue as to the disposition of this case but I know when I see dishonest, biased reporting & this story fell into that category in my opinion.
If you need anymore proof of the "Big Conference mentality" look no further than Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee. He was asked last night about Boise State & TCU & whether they deserved a shot at the national title.
His response speaks volumes "I don't understand a lot of the X's & O's of college football but I know we do not play the 'Little Sisters of the Poor'. We play a great team every week, until those schools run the gauntlet we do, they don't deserve a shot at the National Championship." Really? Let's examine Ohio State's perceived 'gauntlet'. It includes Marshall, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Minnesota, Michigan & Penn State. These nine teams have a combined record of 44-55. I believe Boise & TCU could beat everyone of these teams as well. Ohio State played two top-25 ranked teams, Wisconsin(a loss) & Iowa(a win, but against a team with 4 losses). I sincerely wish Ohio State could face one of these "lesser" teams in a bowl game next month & they could prove, once & for all, how much better Ohio State, their program & their schedule is than Boise State or TCU.
"I was a president at an SEC school prior to being the president here at Ohio State & I can say it's like playing murders' row every week & is infinitely more difficult than the schedules the lesser conferences play" stated Gee. "Lesser" conferences? That tells you a lot about the big conference mentality. The fact that the deck is already stacked against the Mountain West & WAC in recruiting, contributions & budgets. The BCS pays the automatic qualifying schools almost 30% more for their bowl appearances than the non-automatic qualifying schools for the same game. The big conference presidents along with the bowl committees thought they had a flawless system, the BCS, for protecting themselves from schools like Boise & TCU, not wanting to share a dime of the bowl revenues or allowing them to crack the top-10. Unfortunately, these high IQ types didn't allow for the human factor in the BCS polling. Coaches & writers who watch Boise State & TCU know they are good teams, teams that can compete at college football's highest level. The truly honest ones give them credit for their ability. That's how Boise began the season ranked #5 & TCU at #10. They are reaping exactly what the Ohio States, Oklahomas & USCs have for years. Begin the season ranked in the top-10, voted on by humans, stay as close to 11-wins as possible & you'll get the big bucks of a BCS bowl bid. You don't have to play any tough out of conference games since you're already ranked in the top-10, don't risk wrecking your season playing a Boise or TCU, stick to the Marshalls & the Central Michigans, much safer. Get a friggin' 8-game playoff & do away with this nonsense. Every year we watch this crap & hope it will get better. It won't, not until enough of the right people band together to do it right.
Last January, Ohio State handled Oregon in the Rose Bowl 26-17 buy in 2006, #1 ranked Ohio State played #2 Florida in the BCS title game, Gators won in a rout, 41-14. In 2007, #1 ranked Ohio State played #2 LSU & lost 38-24. That was followed by a 24-21 loss to Texas in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl. Guess the Buckeyes were exhausted from running that gauntlet.
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