Beyonce is one half of a power couple -- the other half is trying (very successfully) to get a sports agency up and running and increase its number of football clients. Beyonce's video appearance at the marquee college football game of the week is a savvy marketing move, especially if Beyonce was paid to make it.
Northwestern looks like a good bet. They probably should have beaten us last year, have most of their top players back, and get their two toughest games at home.
Also, anyone notice those odds for the Big 10's newest member to win the ACC? It looks like they may really be more putrid than anyone thought.
is that these men would not have been able to get the rental on their own, as you generally need to be 25 to rent a car. And so even if they paid the full amount (which I doubt is the case), they would still be receiving a benefit by virtue of their athlete-status by having someone do something for them that they could not do on their own.
With the right coaching and schemes (neither of which we have had for the past three years), a true freshmen CB can be a decent starter/contributor. Since Woodson, we have had a pretty continuous string of freshmen CBs who have played well and contributed and/or started, from Leon Hall to Markus Curry to Marlin Jackson to Donovan Warren. It could even be argued that Curry's, Jackson's, and Warren's freshmen years were among their best.
He does have a NC ring, albeit as an assistant, and so has been part of a program that has won one, and should know what it takes. He also does have multiple conference championship rings, and if you win enough of those, chances are you will play in the big one. He also has an undefeated regular season under his belt. So I do think there is some evidence suggesting that he has the potential for being a NC-caliber coach at UM. Did Chizik ever show anything prior to this year than Hoke? Other than that 1-11 season, of course?
Unless someone can make an argument that Chris Petersen is somehow different from Dan Hawkins, I'm not sure why we despair not getting him. Is there any evidence suggesting he would do better than Hawkins?
...Florida expects to get Percy Harvin back from migraines, and Tim Tebow back from missionary work. So I think the players each team gets healthy in time for the Bowl will be a wash.
should not need 5+ years to succeed. The reason our defense is bad is because of the youth. But there is no excuse for having such a young defense (and starting so many true freshmen and position switches) in year THREE.
Look at Illinois. First year in a new system and their two deep in the secondary does not exhibit that much more experience (or talent) than ours. Why has Vic Koennning come in and turned that unit around while ours has struggled? I think this is a pretty good example of how very good coaching can make a difference, and that good coaches do not need years and tons of 4 and 5 star experience and talent to put together a decent defense.
but I think it is valid to criticize RRod because this is his third year, and putting aside how bare the cupboard may have been when he arrived, if he and his defensive staff had paid sufficient enough attention to recruiting DBs, we would at least have some RS Sophomores or true Juniors as starting DBs. I think that is the problem most people have. In year 3, we should not be stuck with this amount of youth.
I think it is also a little naive to assume that the coaching staff is 100% blameless on the flamouts (Cissoko, Turner, Emilen, Smith). This staff recruited them, and for some reason has not had a great track record so far of developing 4-5 star talent on defense (add Campbell to the mix there). Maybe RRod, who coached hungry 2 and 3 stars with chips on their shoulders while at WVU, does not realize that 4 and 5 star guys sometime respond differently given the amount of adulation and coddling they are used to -- more and more, coaching top talent in CFB wouls seem to require more managing of egos that NFL coaches have to do, given the explosion of HS recruit worship that has taken place over the past 5 years. I think a lot of 4 and 5 star kids come in with a sense of entitlement and maybe not the work ethic they need. Motivating them is very different (and in some ways harder) than motivating a kid like Kovacs.
Casteel has coordinated a very good defense in the Big East. You know who else would have a very good defsne in the Big East right now? Michigan. We held UConn to well below their average point output. And we made them look bad.
Let's all be clear that there is a big difference in shutting down teams in the Big East, and shutting down legitimate offenses UM faces in the Big Ten. There is no evidence Casteel would be faring very good here at all.
Look at WVU's bowl games against legit (and not Big East) offenses. Casteel did not exactly shut teams down.
It has to be Marvin Robinson to the Deep Safety position. That is a very good sign. Robinson was buried behind Kovacs at the other safety position, given that Kovacs is one of our better players on defense and a likely starter the rest of his career. From all reports, Robinson is more athletic than Gordon and Vinopal, and so should provide some good competition at that position.
This game couldn't matter less to RichRod's future. If he wins, a nice feather in the cap, but if not, there is not much shame in losing to a highly ranked team, especially when that team is not one of the core rivals. Also what's with the hyperbole that he is gone if he loses against Iowa, Wisc and OSU. If you want to take a strong outrageous position, back it up with some analysis or reasoning.
is a joke. Thank goodness we are moving to 12 teams, two divisions, and a title game, if only to avoid a mediocre team having a legit chance at a Big Ten title.
They are just trying to think up a new angle to talk about the guy. The "shoelace" thing and his ridiculous numbers and success have been pretty thoroughly explored. There's not much more that could be said about him that has not been said.
Why is Cousins not on this list? I would put him higher than a lot of these other jokers. Other than Tolzien, he is the most accurate passer in the league, and he possesses decent speed and athletic ability for a pro-style pocket passer.
I am sure he can slow down Plax. Whoops. But seriously, just goes to show you that putting an elite player at the position he last played in high school is not necessarily a good thing.
By definition, when you lose the guy at the bottom of the depth chart at his position, no "step-up" is possible as nobody was below him to "step-up." Let's not fret.
seems reluctant to even acknowledge Turner's existence. Not a very good sign, unless he is some sort of Secret Weapon X they will spring upon unsuspecting offenses.
Carvin Johnson could contribute as a true freshmen at safety. The guy is the real deal.
He had no good faith basis for proposing any charge against Masoli or extracting such a plea based on the facts presented by the article, which, significantly, were not contradicted by the prosecutor when given the opportunity.
It is classic over-reaching: gee, I have no evidence to support charges so I will threaten the guy with significant jail time in exchange for a plea.
I mean, really -- does Temple even have a football team? How many people really knew that they had a team before this crack publication put it on par with UM's program?
I think when you break it down, you see why these two teams are finalists - cases can be made both ways, but in terms of pro sports tradition, neither has a huge upr hand.
Bruins vs. Red Wings is probably a wash. Both original six, tons of storied players, games, rivalries, etc. Red Wings with much more success over past decade or so, and maybe that gets them slight edge.
Celtics vs. Pistons. Hard to take on the most storied franchise in NBA history, even with the decent run in the 1990s. Edge: Celtics.
Lions vs. Patriots. Lions in business longer, but I don't think tradition is defined by longevity alone, and with Patriots being more successful (maybe a huge understatement), slight edge probably to the Patriots.
Red Sox vs Tigers. Probably a wash, with maybe the edge to Red Sox if only because they are still at Fenway providng a crucial and tangible link to tradition and history that is still alive every single home game. RIP Tigers Stadium. I miss you.
...the one at the combine. He ran himself out of being drafted and out of any sort of money by clocking the same time as Brandon Graham and other d-line propsects.
Woolfolk at least as the speed to be an elite corner whereas Donovan was barely as fast as an elite down lineman. Other than that, Woolfolk can't get anything but an incomplete given he played part of the year at safety and was not really tested all that much in other games.
I love Tate, but his greatest strength seems to be his greatest weakness, and that is his scrambling and improv abilities. Sometimes this worked, but more often than not, it resulted in him running around, losing the football, and getting dragged down behind the line of scrimmage. We tend to remember the great plays more vividly and so they are disproportionately represented in our memories of what he did for us. But given the importance of gaining positive yards on each play, and keeping TOs to a minimum, I think Denard may be better suited than Tate in the long run.
Hate to sound cynical, but no game is a lock other than maybe Illinois.
We barely beat Indiana last year and go to their stadium this year where they played OSU tough for a half or three quarters last year.
Name the last time we have stopped an offense with an accurate QB, and MSU has one.
Name the last time we were able to stop Purdue's offense. We play at their house.
Iowa and Wisc are both top teams in the Big Ten, although Iowa may be overrated a bit. Wisc was the only team other than PSU to really pound us last year (and should have beaten OSU) and they return something like 19 of 22 starters.
PSU has suffered a drop-off but they had no problem with us last year and we play them at their house.
OSU will be much better on offense than last year, and Tressel always loosnes up the play calling in the horseshoe. Pryor to Posey will probably connect deep at least once.
I live in Cambridge and have been wanting to go to Harvard Stadium for that game for a while. But the game is always on the same weekend as UM-OSU, and the past few years it has been at Harvard, it has been played at the exact same time even.
I have never understood Bradley's obsession with this guy and Ricardo Clark. But I'll give Borenstein credit for playing well today. We're probably also better off without the over-rated and out of form Gooch on the field. Bocanegra played very well in the middle. He's smarter with respect to positioning, etc. than Gooch, and right now is more mobile and stronger in the air, due to Gooch injury recovery.
If you look at the 59 second mark, Bradley appears to be offside by a step: he is behind one defender, and his shoulder and head and foot (visible through the front defenders legs) are behind the second defender -- from the angle where the ref was standing, you can at least see some sort of basis for the call. The ref's mistake was not deferring to his linesmen, who had definitive views from the ideal angle.
The Big East teams that were being mentioned a few months ago (Rutgers, Pitt, etc.) as possible new members are not even in the same stratosphere as Nebraska from a football perspective. It's not even close.
Threet was unable to make quick decisions, and was an inaccurate passer with a long wind-up (not as bad as Tebow). These seem to be issues if you are playing in an offense that relies on quick drops/decisionmaking, and delivering accurate short passes into tight spaces quickly. Maybe the article was not talking about the same Threet. That's the only thing I can think of; otherwise, it makes no sense.
I remember watching the 2008 Oklahoma Sooners (who run some similar passing spread schemes as we do), and what stood out to me was that one major reason they were so unstoppable is that all their WRs and TEs seemed to be 6-3 and taller, and just towered over the DBs, making it very easy for Bradford (not taking anything away from him) to get them the ball. As much as I was enamored with our tiny, quick slot guys, I was like, we need some kids like this. Conway has a chance to be just that.
This kid extends well, and uses his height to his advantage just like the stable of studs Oklahoma had that year.
We can't look at number of wins in a vacumn. In a normal year, 7 or 8 wins would be considered a success, but the Big Ten will be stronger next year than any year in recent memory. RichRod should not be punished for that. PSU, OSU, Wisc, and Iowa are all potential Top 10 teams. State will be better than last year (when they beat us), and we face a Top 25 team in our opener, and a game away at an arch-rival (ND) who will not be terrible. We also play at Purdue and we have not been able to stop their offense for the past two years -- not sure how a secondary full of true or redshirt freshmen are going to fare any better.
I should have made clear I was focusing on the alleged violations in football (and not basketball).
Also, I do not know how clear it is that (a) USC has an atmosphere where recruits understand pretty clearly that they will receive improper perks if they go there, and (b) how much the Bush stuff contributed to that culture. If these are true, then, yes, it can be argued that the Bush violations helped foster a potential competitive advantage.
Recent Comments
Why do you think RRod had the team spend so much extra time on stretching? Duh....
Beyonce is one half of a power couple -- the other half is trying (very successfully) to get a sports agency up and running and increase its number of football clients. Beyonce's video appearance at the marquee college football game of the week is a savvy marketing move, especially if Beyonce was paid to make it.
Northwestern looks like a good bet. They probably should have beaten us last year, have most of their top players back, and get their two toughest games at home.
Also, anyone notice those odds for the Big 10's newest member to win the ACC? It looks like they may really be more putrid than anyone thought.
Just made the edit -- thanks.
Thanks for the tip
is that these men would not have been able to get the rental on their own, as you generally need to be 25 to rent a car. And so even if they paid the full amount (which I doubt is the case), they would still be receiving a benefit by virtue of their athlete-status by having someone do something for them that they could not do on their own.
With the right coaching and schemes (neither of which we have had for the past three years), a true freshmen CB can be a decent starter/contributor. Since Woodson, we have had a pretty continuous string of freshmen CBs who have played well and contributed and/or started, from Leon Hall to Markus Curry to Marlin Jackson to Donovan Warren. It could even be argued that Curry's, Jackson's, and Warren's freshmen years were among their best.
He does have a NC ring, albeit as an assistant, and so has been part of a program that has won one, and should know what it takes. He also does have multiple conference championship rings, and if you win enough of those, chances are you will play in the big one. He also has an undefeated regular season under his belt. So I do think there is some evidence suggesting that he has the potential for being a NC-caliber coach at UM. Did Chizik ever show anything prior to this year than Hoke? Other than that 1-11 season, of course?
worked out pretty poorly for Oklahoma...
Unless someone can make an argument that Chris Petersen is somehow different from Dan Hawkins, I'm not sure why we despair not getting him. Is there any evidence suggesting he would do better than Hawkins?
...Florida expects to get Percy Harvin back from migraines, and Tim Tebow back from missionary work. So I think the players each team gets healthy in time for the Bowl will be a wash.
should not need 5+ years to succeed. The reason our defense is bad is because of the youth. But there is no excuse for having such a young defense (and starting so many true freshmen and position switches) in year THREE.
Look at Illinois. First year in a new system and their two deep in the secondary does not exhibit that much more experience (or talent) than ours. Why has Vic Koennning come in and turned that unit around while ours has struggled? I think this is a pretty good example of how very good coaching can make a difference, and that good coaches do not need years and tons of 4 and 5 star experience and talent to put together a decent defense.
but I think it is valid to criticize RRod because this is his third year, and putting aside how bare the cupboard may have been when he arrived, if he and his defensive staff had paid sufficient enough attention to recruiting DBs, we would at least have some RS Sophomores or true Juniors as starting DBs. I think that is the problem most people have. In year 3, we should not be stuck with this amount of youth.
I think it is also a little naive to assume that the coaching staff is 100% blameless on the flamouts (Cissoko, Turner, Emilen, Smith). This staff recruited them, and for some reason has not had a great track record so far of developing 4-5 star talent on defense (add Campbell to the mix there). Maybe RRod, who coached hungry 2 and 3 stars with chips on their shoulders while at WVU, does not realize that 4 and 5 star guys sometime respond differently given the amount of adulation and coddling they are used to -- more and more, coaching top talent in CFB wouls seem to require more managing of egos that NFL coaches have to do, given the explosion of HS recruit worship that has taken place over the past 5 years. I think a lot of 4 and 5 star kids come in with a sense of entitlement and maybe not the work ethic they need. Motivating them is very different (and in some ways harder) than motivating a kid like Kovacs.
Casteel has coordinated a very good defense in the Big East. You know who else would have a very good defsne in the Big East right now? Michigan. We held UConn to well below their average point output. And we made them look bad.
Let's all be clear that there is a big difference in shutting down teams in the Big East, and shutting down legitimate offenses UM faces in the Big Ten. There is no evidence Casteel would be faring very good here at all.
Look at WVU's bowl games against legit (and not Big East) offenses. Casteel did not exactly shut teams down.
It has to be Marvin Robinson to the Deep Safety position. That is a very good sign. Robinson was buried behind Kovacs at the other safety position, given that Kovacs is one of our better players on defense and a likely starter the rest of his career. From all reports, Robinson is more athletic than Gordon and Vinopal, and so should provide some good competition at that position.
This game couldn't matter less to RichRod's future. If he wins, a nice feather in the cap, but if not, there is not much shame in losing to a highly ranked team, especially when that team is not one of the core rivals. Also what's with the hyperbole that he is gone if he loses against Iowa, Wisc and OSU. If you want to take a strong outrageous position, back it up with some analysis or reasoning.
Just trying to demystify Denard and pump up his guys. And maybe take a slight dig. All part of the fun and games. Don't let it bother you.
is a joke. Thank goodness we are moving to 12 teams, two divisions, and a title game, if only to avoid a mediocre team having a legit chance at a Big Ten title.
...is far from the best thing in that commercial.
They are just trying to think up a new angle to talk about the guy. The "shoelace" thing and his ridiculous numbers and success have been pretty thoroughly explored. There's not much more that could be said about him that has not been said.
Why is Cousins not on this list? I would put him higher than a lot of these other jokers. Other than Tolzien, he is the most accurate passer in the league, and he possesses decent speed and athletic ability for a pro-style pocket passer.
is pretty good!
I am sure he can slow down Plax. Whoops. But seriously, just goes to show you that putting an elite player at the position he last played in high school is not necessarily a good thing.
Have you ever dislocated an ankle or other joint? It's not even close to a sprain.
to open the highlights by some guy named Ryan Mundy.
By definition, when you lose the guy at the bottom of the depth chart at his position, no "step-up" is possible as nobody was below him to "step-up." Let's not fret.
dunked on my friends and me in a game at the CCRB.
seems reluctant to even acknowledge Turner's existence. Not a very good sign, unless he is some sort of Secret Weapon X they will spring upon unsuspecting offenses.
Carvin Johnson could contribute as a true freshmen at safety. The guy is the real deal.
He had no good faith basis for proposing any charge against Masoli or extracting such a plea based on the facts presented by the article, which, significantly, were not contradicted by the prosecutor when given the opportunity.
It is classic over-reaching: gee, I have no evidence to support charges so I will threaten the guy with significant jail time in exchange for a plea.
...from some lowly prosecutor. Nothing new to see here people. Please move along.
...is the Lindsey Lohan of college football (minus the early career success).
I mean, really -- does Temple even have a football team? How many people really knew that they had a team before this crack publication put it on par with UM's program?
I think when you break it down, you see why these two teams are finalists - cases can be made both ways, but in terms of pro sports tradition, neither has a huge upr hand.
Bruins vs. Red Wings is probably a wash. Both original six, tons of storied players, games, rivalries, etc. Red Wings with much more success over past decade or so, and maybe that gets them slight edge.
Celtics vs. Pistons. Hard to take on the most storied franchise in NBA history, even with the decent run in the 1990s. Edge: Celtics.
Lions vs. Patriots. Lions in business longer, but I don't think tradition is defined by longevity alone, and with Patriots being more successful (maybe a huge understatement), slight edge probably to the Patriots.
Red Sox vs Tigers. Probably a wash, with maybe the edge to Red Sox if only because they are still at Fenway providng a crucial and tangible link to tradition and history that is still alive every single home game. RIP Tigers Stadium. I miss you.
Loved Tony Boles. Good luck to his son.
...the one at the combine. He ran himself out of being drafted and out of any sort of money by clocking the same time as Brandon Graham and other d-line propsects.
Woolfolk at least as the speed to be an elite corner whereas Donovan was barely as fast as an elite down lineman. Other than that, Woolfolk can't get anything but an incomplete given he played part of the year at safety and was not really tested all that much in other games.
I love Tate, but his greatest strength seems to be his greatest weakness, and that is his scrambling and improv abilities. Sometimes this worked, but more often than not, it resulted in him running around, losing the football, and getting dragged down behind the line of scrimmage. We tend to remember the great plays more vividly and so they are disproportionately represented in our memories of what he did for us. But given the importance of gaining positive yards on each play, and keeping TOs to a minimum, I think Denard may be better suited than Tate in the long run.
Hate to sound cynical, but no game is a lock other than maybe Illinois.
We barely beat Indiana last year and go to their stadium this year where they played OSU tough for a half or three quarters last year.
Name the last time we have stopped an offense with an accurate QB, and MSU has one.
Name the last time we were able to stop Purdue's offense. We play at their house.
Iowa and Wisc are both top teams in the Big Ten, although Iowa may be overrated a bit. Wisc was the only team other than PSU to really pound us last year (and should have beaten OSU) and they return something like 19 of 22 starters.
PSU has suffered a drop-off but they had no problem with us last year and we play them at their house.
OSU will be much better on offense than last year, and Tressel always loosnes up the play calling in the horseshoe. Pryor to Posey will probably connect deep at least once.
Improper time-keeping and tackling Desmond Howard in the end zone with the ball in the air heading towards him.
I live in Cambridge and have been wanting to go to Harvard Stadium for that game for a while. But the game is always on the same weekend as UM-OSU, and the past few years it has been at Harvard, it has been played at the exact same time even.
I have never understood Bradley's obsession with this guy and Ricardo Clark. But I'll give Borenstein credit for playing well today. We're probably also better off without the over-rated and out of form Gooch on the field. Bocanegra played very well in the middle. He's smarter with respect to positioning, etc. than Gooch, and right now is more mobile and stronger in the air, due to Gooch injury recovery.
1. Carter
2. Howard
3. Kolesar
4. Terrel
5. Edwards
If you look at the 59 second mark, Bradley appears to be offside by a step: he is behind one defender, and his shoulder and head and foot (visible through the front defenders legs) are behind the second defender -- from the angle where the ref was standing, you can at least see some sort of basis for the call. The ref's mistake was not deferring to his linesmen, who had definitive views from the ideal angle.
The guy saw something. We're going through. That's all that matters.
The Big East teams that were being mentioned a few months ago (Rutgers, Pitt, etc.) as possible new members are not even in the same stratosphere as Nebraska from a football perspective. It's not even close.