The Moron Who Poisined the Trees at Auburn

By Blaidd Drwg

I am trying to figure out which is the worst thing in this article about the poisoning of a couple famous oak trees at Auburn University:

– Someone was despicable enough to poison a perfectly healthy tree because it is on the campus of a football rival.
– Alabama has a law that allows this guy to be tried for the crime of desecration of a venerated object.
– Alabama considers a tree on a college campus a venerated object (how very un-Christian of them, something about false idols I believe).
– The moron who did this named his kids Bear and Crimson Tyde.

He should go to jail on the 4th one alone.

It’s Jake At Eight

by A.J. Coltrane

The Tennesse Titans traded up to draft Jake Locker with the 8th pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Locker was the second quarterback selected, much to the surprise of about everybody. To some degree this is Tennesse pushing the “reset button” on the Vince Young pick. Locker and Young both had mid-4.5 second speed in the 40 yard dash and are all-around great athletes. Young possesses the bigger body, the bigger arm, loopy mechanics, and a loopy head.

This should be a great fit for both Locker and the Titans. Mike Munchak is the Titans new coach. Munchak is a former offensive linemen. If the Titans maintain their run-oriented philosophy it will take some of the pressure off of the quarterback position — Jake will be able to sit and learn behind Kerry Collins, taking over either late this year or early next year.

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The Seahawks drafted Offensive Guard/Tackle James Carpenter of Alabama in round one. (The link is to a Seattle Times piece by Jerry Brewer. Brewer is *very* skeptical of the pick.) I think the pick is solid — Carpenter played Left Tackle at Alabama and was the #2 rated Guard in the draft, and the #6 Tackle — if Carpenter doesn’t work out at Tackle he can be moved inside to Guard and team up with Russell Okung on the left side. This would echo the Walter Jones/Steve Hutchinson line of the Super Bowl Seahawks.

Here’s the CBS.sports draft profile for the 6’4″, 325 lb, Carpenter:

All-SEC for both of his years starting at left tackle, Carpenter was a pivotal part of the offensive success the Tide had during the past two seasons. He might lack the quickness the NFL looks for on the blind side, but likely is athletic enough for right tackle and also projects well inside at guard. A steady, durable and reliable performer, don’t be surprised if Carpenter ends up as a quality starter somewhere in the NFL.
Positives: Impressive athlete. Excellent technique, decent knee bend and good hand placement. Can sink hips and generate power. Slides feet and extends arms well in pass protection. Has power in hands and can move defenders. Can run and hit second-level targets. Good ability to anchor, seal, trap and pull. Well-schooled in an NFL-style offense. Tough and durable, never missing a start.

Negatives: Lacks the elite foot quickness needed for the NFL left tackle position. Somewhat stiff in hips and hence doesn’t change directions well. Frame is good except legs are a bit long. Vulnerable to double moves, especially inside. Pass protection set is somewhat high. Can be late off snap, mostly with a lot of crowd noise. Dives too much.

Mel Kiper has projected the Seahawks will take head-case QB Ryan Mallet in the 2nd round. My suspicion is that Mallet may be the second coming of Ryan Leaf or Jeff George. If the draft plays out that way I’m not going to be too excited. I still think Charlie Whitehurst needs more of an opportunity to show he can play, or not play.

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The Browns traded out of the number six pick, effectively passing on Alabama WR Julio Jones. I like Jones a lot, I think he may prove to be the best WR in the draft. I think Colt McCoy was probably a little bummed about that development. Instead the Browns took massive Defensive Tackle Phil Taylor. Taylor supposedly has some issues with his work rate. The Browns need the help on the defensive line, but I’m still not enamored with the pick.

Late edit, Wow! Look what Cleveland got for trading out of the #6 slot! It’s two #1’s, one #2, and two #4’s:

To make the move, the Browns acquired Atlanta’s No. 27 overall pick and second- and fourth-round picks this year, in addition to Atlanta’s first- and fourth-round picks in 2012.

Cleveland fans should be ecstatic with that!

The Not So Big 10 Conference

By Blaidd Drwg

Remember a few months back when the president of THE Ohio State University was less than complementary about the non-AQ schools and was raving bout how good the Big 10 is. Well, let’s see how they did in their bowl games:

Wisconsin	19	TCU	21	Loss
Iowa	27	Missouri	24	Win
Illinois	38	Baylor	14	Win
Michigan St	7	Alabama	49	Loss
Penn St	24	Florida	37	Loss
Michigan	14	Mississippi St	52	Loss
Ohio St.	31	Arkansas	26	Win

ncf_u_tcubillboard_576_crop_340x234 — Hey, Ohio State, remember us?

The Big 10 managed to put 7 teams into bowl games this season, which isn’t as impressive as you would think as you just need to win 6 games to qualify and the Big 10 teams generally play 4 non-conference games, mostly against pretty weak opponents. In the 7 Bowl Games, the Big 10 is a less than stellar 3-4. Only one of those 3 wins was particularly convincing, with a 7-6 Illinois team beating a 7-6 Baylor team, although I will give Iowa credit for managing to beat a pretty good Missouri team. The 4 losses are the problem – Michigan, Penn St and Michigan State all got completely blown out in their bowl games, with the Spartans, co-Big 10 champs, being completely overmatched and run out of the building by an obviously superior Alabama team. Wisconsin ended up losing an epic game to TCU, one of the non-AQ schools that E. Gordon Gee believed should have not been playing in a game like the Rose Bowl. It wasn’t like Wisconsin came in not wanting to be at the game – it was looking like early on the game was going to be a shootout, only to have both teams make adjustments and play what I think might have been the best bowl game of this post season. It really makes me realize just how badly TCU got screwed in the poles and should probably be playing for a National Championship.

I would still love to see Ohio State step up and play Boise St or TCU on the road next season, just to prove that the big boys shouldn’t have anything handed to them on a silver platter. Instead, Ohio State’s only non-conference games that might be a challenge are going to be at Nebraska , and maybe, only because of the suspended players and coach, at Miami. Otherwise, I don’t think Toledo, Akron and Colorado will be too much of a bother for them.

What was that again?

by A.J. Coltrane

Sandy Barbour, California Director of Athletics was interviewed during the 2nd quarter of the Cal Bears – Washington Huskies football game on November 27. Cal has begun building a new stadium, here’s part of the reason why:

“…one of the priorities was very clear, that we needed to renovate Memorial Stadium, for safety reasons with the Heyward Fault running right down the middle of the stadium…”

What?!

The Ohio State University Whiners

By Blaidd Drwg

Let me be honest, I have never liked Ohio State. I think they are overrated every year because they are Ohio State and play in the Big Ten and I think it is a bit pretentious to call yourself “THE Ohio State University”, because, you know, I might get it confused with some other Ohio State.

Today, ESPN linked an article where Ohio State’s president dissed TCU and Boise State by saying that neither team belonged in the National Championship game. Here is a fine comment:

“Well, I don’t know enough about the Xs and Os of college football,” said Gee, formerly the president at West Virginia, Colorado, Brown and Vanderbilt universities. “I do know, having been both a Southeastern Conference president and a Big Ten president, that it’s like murderer’s row every week for these schools. We do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor. We play very fine schools on any given day.

Ok – Ohio States non-conference schedule over the last couple of seasons:

2010 – Marshall, Miami (FL), Ohio, Eastern Michigan
2009 – Navy, USC, Toledo, New Mexico St
2008 – Youngstown St, USC, Ohio, Troy
2007 – Youngstown St, Akron, Washington, Kent State
2006 – Northern Illinois, Texas, Cincinnati, Bowling Green

Looks like their non-conference schedule contains at least 2 games each year against teams that would be competitive with Little Sisters of the Poor. In that stretch, the Buckeyes have played 3 ranked non-conference opponents – USC in 2008 and 2009 (both losses) and Miami in 2010 (win). In the 20 games over the last 5 years, they haven’t exactly scheduled the toughest non-conference games.

As for the Big 10 Conference, there is nothing to suggest that they are great teams. The Big 10 has been around forever and has always been associated with great football, so I think their reputation is built greatly on that. How else would you explain Ohio St, Michigan, Michigan St, Penn St, etc. being ranked in the top 25 every pre-season only to see them have mediocre seasons (I call it the Notre Dame effect – they are ranked every year and get a shot at a BCS berth because they are ND, not because they have been dominant in the last 15 years). How overrated is the Big 10 – well let’s look at their bowl performance:

2006 – 2 wins, 5 losses
2007 – 3 wins, 5 losses
2008 – 0 wins, 6 losses
2009 – 4 wins, 3 losses

That, my friends, is a 32% winning percentage in bowl games. It might be hard to argue that Ohio State faces a murderer’s row every week when the combined win percentage of the teams they are playing in 2010 is a whopping 68-64.

I know that the BCS is all about money and the big schools don’t want anyone encroaching on their paydays (2 non-AQ schools means that 2 BCS conference schools have to go to a “lesser” bowl game with a much smaller payout), so here is my solution for Ohio State – if you are so good, how about you schedule Boise St. and TCU and play them both on the road next year. That should prove once and for all if those teams are deserving or not to play in the championship game. Besides, I would love to see THE Ohio State University get its ass kicked on the Smurf Turf up in Boise.

The Not Scottish Performances of the Week

By Blaidd Drwg

So who had the worst weekend of the Washington football teams:

Udub Huskies – they played like a puppy who has just been disciplined for peeing on the carpet in their 41 – 0 beat down by Stanford at home. They didn’t pass 100 yards of total offense until 3 minutes left in the game, had most of the fans leaving at halftime looking for anything that was more interesting, looked outmatched and outclassed, gave up a 51 yard run to the opposing QB on a fake handoff and were outgained 470 – 107 total yards. Jake Locker may have single handedly played himself right out of the first round in the 2011 draft with his putrid performance in front of 20 NFL scouts in this one. The Sled Dawgs have been a big disappointment all year for those who were drinking Sark’s cool-aid, but they still can make themselves bowl eligible by winning 3 out of their last 4. It is doable since they play @ Oregon (let’s face it, this one could get ugly), vs. UCLA (They have the same record as the Huskies and are actually a worse team), @ Cal (should be a winnable game, maybe) and @ Wazzu (heck, I think my HS football team could beat the Cougs). My prediction – the Pups get their act together and finish 6-6, saving Sark’s job; and if they lose to the Cougs somehow – Sark gets fired before he gets back to Seattle.

myers_father_01 — "Ay, the performances of the Washington Football teams this weekend were defintely not Scottish, so they were CRAP!"

Wazzu Cougars – They played like an old cat that is in need of being taken out back and shot in their 42 – 0 blowout at ASU. The Kittens were their own worst enemy, getting into the Red Zone 6 times (!) and not scoring once (!), turning the ball over 3 times and giving up 493 yards of offense. In all of this, they somehow managed to actually hold the ball slightly longer than ASU. Not that I think it would have made a difference, but it would have probably been a bit closer than the actual final if they managed to get a few points on the board. Let’s face it, WSU just plain sucks and will be lucky to end this season with more than one win (and that was a 1 point win against FCS Montana State), so this pasting really wasn’t much of a surprise.

Seattle Seahawks – Just a few days after being anointed the “best team in the NFC” by Tony Dungy, they go out an play like a bunch of canaries being chased by a cat in a 33 -3 embarrassment against the Oakland/LA/Oakland Raiders. The Chicks gave up 545 yards of offense and still couldn’t stop the Raiders despite the Black and Silver’s 11 penalties. If anyone thinks the Hawks are a good team, you haven’t been watching them. The offense, to put it nicely, is pathetic. The only way they stay in games is through defensive turnovers and special teams – if those two aspects of the game don’t come through for them, they don’t stand a chance. The really sad thing about this game is that the Hawks were only down 10 – 0 at the half and still never looked like they were in the game at that point.

My vote for this week’s inept performance – The Seachickens. No way should you ever give up 545 yards to a team in an NFL football game. On the bright side, they should still win their division as none of the other teams really seem like they are trying either.

Here come the Oregon Ducks

by Coltrane

Tim Floyd (former USC and NBA coach) has taken over the helm at UTEP.

Steve Lavin (former UCLA coach and ESPN broadcaster) is now at St. Johns.

The really interesting one to me was Tom Izzo of Michigan State denying that he had been contacted by Oregon.

Ernie Kent is gone. Oregon has hundreds of thousands of Phil Knight’s dollars. They have the Nike empire behind them. Expect them to make a huge splash with their next basketball head coach. It may not be Tom Izzo, but don’t be surprised when it’s a household name. Keep in mind that many basketball camps and AAU teams are affiliated with a brand of shoes and clothing, either “Nike” or somebody else — it’s a huge amount of exposure.

Ernie Kent wasn’t a bad coach, but if Oregon gets a really good, really well connected coach and Nike throws its weight behind him — look out.