Still brat-free!
- Ivan Maisel confirms something I’ve always suspected: even Boise State fans wonder how their school would do in the SEC.
- Steve Spurrier thinks that one of the reasons for South Carolina’s disappointing performance is that he hasn’t been enough of a jerk. That should be an easy problem to remedy.
- “Over the years, Georgia coach Mark Richt has been “a little bit leery” — his words — about hiring assistants from the NFL.”
- This less-than-ringing endorsement of Les Miles’ and his staff’s coaching skills should sit well with LSU fans.
- Mike Leach, just visitin’.
- If the postseason field is too small, they tell us it screws the mid-major schools. Now they want to tell us that if the field is too big, it’ll screw the mid-majors.
- The high cost of losing: “An analysis of 51 public universities in the six largest athletic conferences found that schools paid $38.6 million in severance costs for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, compared with $18 million in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007.” Special nod to – you guessed it – Mike Hamilton, for having the largest severance expenses in the last three years combined.
- Another fine post at Shakin the Southland on defensive pass techniques.
- I dunno, there’s just something wrong about a member of the Bailey clan considering playing at Georgia Tech.
Get The Picture 
So much to say about Spurrier.
I hate to even type his name.
But give the man credit, he could be retired playing golf, a multimillionaire lifestyle. Instead, he is beating his brains out in Columbia? Second only to Starkville for armpit of the south. The man is a coach’s coach who loves the thrill of battle. And he is waiting for us Sept 11.
The Evil Genius discards the CEO role (another flawed failed philosophy) and is now in the trenches and in the faces of his players. Hmmm.
We hope and believe that Coach Mark Richt ( I love to type this name) also has a change back to direct hands-on intensity. Call it the “Saban” philosophy of staying in the faces and heads of every coach, unit, and player.
2010, the year of change.
Go You Hairy Richt Dawgs!
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This could be the year for Spurrier. Be sure that he spends all of spring & fall practices concentrating on one game (UGA). He still remembers 1966. This could also be the year of The DAWG. Time will tell.
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True, Mr. Tony B.
Why would anyone go to Columbia?
Answer: To get another shot at the Dawgs.
Yes, he circles the UGA every year on their calendar and rubs it in his players faces.
Just like we must circle the hated gators game every year, until we learn to beat them, beat them convincingly, beat them harshly, no mercy, smash their reptilian mouths up and down the field, and make a real rivalry out of it.
Yes, we must hope and believe this is our breakout year, 2010. New coaches, new players, new team, new toughness, new aggression.
No More Excuses.
Go You Hairy Lakatos Dawgs!
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And what a surprise–Spurrier is not sure if he wants Garcia to be the starter at QB next year.
http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/10057/spurrier-not-sold-on-garcia-as-his-starter
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If I were Gundy, I’d be nervous. I’m sure there are quite a few Cowboy boosters who’d like to see Leach on the sidelines in Stillwater.
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I cannot believe that Miles gave one of his players a release to Bama. That is lunacy, and, I guess shows his Big 10 roots. That generally does not happen around here, and I imagine that he will regret it until his firing.
Ohio St has an All-American offensive tackle who transferred from Michigan a couple of years ago. Can you imagine if Mettenberger transferred to UF and became an All-American? No, because we would never allow it.
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One possible reason Les may have given the release could have been because the kid’s dad was an assistant at McGill in Mobile, which has always been fertile LSU recruiting ground (maybe not so much McGill but certainly the Prichard high schools), thanks in part to Nick when he was at LSU.
Les already has enough work to do in Mobile with Nick and Chizik as it is without having the high schools coaches there irritated at him.
And if you give the release to Auburn, another division rival, how does Les defend against not giving the release to Alabama without reigniting the sensational sports news stories about the tension between Les and Nick?
Of course, another reason Les may have done it is because it was in the player’s best interest and was the right thing to do for the kid. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself on that one though. That would make it as if The Hat did something noble. I just don’t think I’m ready to handle that idea yet.
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That is why you simply have a university policy that says that you do not let kids transfer within the conference, in any sport, unless there are some very extraordinary circumstances (Jordan Howell after Jim Harrick).
That way, the decision is taken out of the coach’s hands and he doesn’t have to worry about looking like the bad guy.
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I wonder if LSU had any such policy in place. As you say, that would certainly help the head coach avoid being the bad guy.
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“Would Broncos fans be happier going 10-2 –- or 9-3 or 8-4 – in the SEC?”
Or to put it into words…
“Would Bronco fans be happier being LSU (9-4), Mississippi (9-4), or Georgia (8-5) – in the SEC?”
Hmmm, when you put it that way…
Of course I don’t think that a program from any smaller conference could just jump in and compete, year after year, in the SEC. That isn’t to say that they couldn’t catch lightning in a bottle one year with a starting 22 that matches up with the best in the conference/country and avoid injury so as to be the same legit contender no matter who was on the schedule each week. But, when people talk about how Team X would do in the SEC, the criticism is often that they would get beat up and worn down over the course of a season and they just don’t have a complete roster to whether that kind of abuse. Well, that may be true this year, or any given year, but when you are in the SEC for a couple of years and get to recruit as such Team X will likely have more success recruiting second a thrid stringers that can step in and play at that level. Afterall, Mississippi State and Arkansas have both made it to the SECCG…and if you can recruit kids to Starksville and Fayetteville then why not to a place like Boise?
(Keep in mind, with membership in a larger conference would come revenue from bowls and tv contracts…and with revenue would com facility upgrades that Boise couldn’t otherwise afford. That, too, would increase there ability to recruit and play with the bigger boys.)
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I dunno… if Boise State actually WAS in the SEC, talk about a recruiting disadvantage city-wise.
They wouldn’t be able to recruit better and more talented depth because which 4 and 5-star athlete in their right mind would want to play in Idaho??
Besides Boise being a sleepy backwater, I’m sure they are rather lacking in the co-ed department as well… facility upgrades can’t fix that.
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True, but no one would put them in the SEC…they would/could/should be a Pac10 team. If they were, they would have been MNCG material.
As for the recruiting…how different is Boise from Eugene, Corvallis, or Spokane?
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“One of the main reasons for this was there was still a premium on the invitations handed out by the NCAA selection committee. The 65 teams that got behind the velvet ropes and into this year’s party…”
I can’t stop laughing. This is just hilarious. A “premium?” Seriously? That velvet rope got stained by every type of fecal matter out there already. Going to 96 teams will just add another stain to the rope. Which animal is up this time, goat?
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Even though Notre Dame is not subject to a public records act request, from what I recall the Kevin White negotiated payout that Jack Swarbrick gets to give to Charlie Weiss and/or assistants may put Mike Hamilton in second place.
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Miles will be fired after this season. Their QB situation is a mess. JJ did terrible this spring and Lee loves throwing TD’s to the wrong team.
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Many people thought Miles was going to Mich before RichRod was hired in 2007.
The announcement of Miles as coach at Mich will probably happen before LSU fires him.
Does anyone think Rod will last at Mich?
He is history. What a joke. The fan base at Mich are trying to run him out of town.
Rod had a few good teams at WVA, ONLY because he had a QB from Alabama.
The South Rules!
Georgia Forever!
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