While everybody back here in SEC territory is fretting over the GPOOE‘s™ sex life, Matt Stafford is getting on with his life.
This time, he paid somebody to lift the keg.
Personally speaking, if I were Mark Richt, I’d be handing out copies of this to every eighteen-year old I recruit.
Filed under Georgia Football
The Quad, in its preview of Tennessee, notes the passing of an era:
We all know that Fulmer’s departure turns the page on a meaningful period of Tennessee football. But it also marks the end of an era in the SEC as a whole. Fulmer was born and raised in Maryville, Tenn., 20 miles south of Knoxville, and was an offensive guard at U.T. from 1969 to 1971. With his firing, the SEC not only no longer has a coach serving at his alma mater, but none of the conference’s 12 coaches were even born in the state in which they currently coach…
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Filed under SEC Football
Junior may think he’s supposed to be the center of attention today, but it looks like the OBC still knows how to draw a crowd.
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UPDATE: Bonus groveling to the Gator Nation! The man knows how to work it, doesn’t he?
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UPDATE #2: Not quite on point, but too funny not to mention, here’s a bit from cocknfire’s live blogging of Spurrier at SEC Media Days today:
10:59 a.m. ET Addresses coaching changes “A few folks just left on their own. A few were asked to leave.” Didn’t lose any recruits after the bowl game. He sees this as a sign that many players still see South Carolina as a potential winner. He doesn’t say this, but it’s also possible they’re not real bright.
He’s a Gamecock fan, and I’ve always been a sucker for gallows humor.
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UPDATE #3: Leave it to Spurrier. Even when he apologizes, he has to be an ass about it.
“We made a mistake. I made a mistake,” Spurrier said. “Tim Tebow is not only the best quarterback in this league, but the best football player in the country. I believe he and Danny Wuerffel will go down maybe as the two best players to ever play college football.”
Danny Wuerffel? Really?
I can’t figure out who that grouping slights more, players like Herschel Walker, or Tebow.
One of my commenters yesterday mentioned Oklahoma’s offense yesterday, and in doing a little Internet digging on the subject, I came across this draft analysis of Sam Bradford that I thought was worth sharing.
First, on the issue of mechanics and footwork, the author reiterates some of the points that Tom Luginbill made:
… Most of the passes in the Sooner playbook are out of the shotgun formation. That brings us to perhaps the biggest concern that GMs have about not only Bradford but almost all of the college spread formation quarterbacks—what about his footwork? The QB is under center for nearly all plays in the NFL.
Traditionally, shotgun or spread offense rookie QBs struggle with the 3, 5 and 7 step drops fundamental to the NFL passing game. Many high pick shotgun/spread formation QBs have failed. Nearly always their downfall has been due to footwork/accuracy problems. It is nearly impossible to have NFL level accuracy by a quarterback that lacks consistent footwork. The passing windows are microscopic compared to those in college even in good conferences. Timing of the throw is critical and timing is determined by footwork.
But there’s another point he raises that’s noteworthy.
A second and nearly equally significant concern is the ability of Bradford to make pre-snap reads. An NFL quarterback must be able to read the defense before the snap to determine if the play needs to be changed or not. The Oklahoma system involves the team looking to the sideline to get the play. The reading of the D is done by the coaching staff in the booth, relayed to the sideline and given to the QB.
In the NFL, the QB must make the reads. Is the opponent going to blitz? Are they in zone, man or a combination coverage? Each of these possibilities requires different patterns and play calls. Many of the Big 12 QBs have never been responsible for making those reads. The problem is made more significant by the multiple defenses the NFL uses. While he had NFL quality receivers, they were not facing NFL quality defensive backs. These guys are bigger, faster, smarter, and hit a lot harder than any college conference defenses.
There’s an interesting lab experiment coming up in the NFL. Look at what Ryan and Flacco did this past season. Compare them to how Stafford and Sanchez handle the game this year. And then next year, see how Tebow, McCoy and Bradford – three quarterbacks likely to be the top rated group, all out of spread/shotgun attacks – adjust to the pro game. Or, if HeismanPundit’s on to something, how the pro game adjusts to them.
Filed under College Football, Strategery And Mechanics
By now, you’ve probably heard the news that Junior’s been shot down by another quarterback prospect, Jesse Scroggins, who’s evidently decided that being the fourth string quarterback at Southern Cal is a more attractive prospect than duking it out for first string at Tennessee.
There’s no need to panic, though. As the linked article notes, Plan D (I confess that I’m not exactly sure where in the alphabet UT is right now with quarterbacks) is an obscure JUCO kid out of California. There’s a Plan E, to boot, as the Tennessee boards are excited about Coach O extending an offer to a recruit who is currently committed to San Diego State.
You’d have to figure that the bar is being set low enough at this point for Junior to score one of the great recruiting successes of the modern era, but just in case these fall through too, I have a few other suggestions that might be worth considering.
Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments. After all, we’re here to help, right?
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UPDATE: While we’re on the subject of plans, what to make of this comment by Junior to Mike Slive?
“Any violation we created or committed was not done on purpose,” Kiffin said.
Translation: everything I’ve done so far has been purposeful, unless it’s going to get the program in trouble.
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UPDATE #2: Sigh.
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UPDATE #3: Plan D worked! Woo hoo!
Filed under Don't Mess With Lane Kiffin
Inside and outside of SEC Media Days, (college football) life goes on:
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