In for a penny…

C’mon, fess up.   How many of you thought “Alabama State” as soon as you heard this news?

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UPDATE:  Here’s a gem from the underlying story to Dyer’s dismissal.

According to a Jonesboro Sun report written by Matt Roberson (subscription required), the dismissal is likely related to a March traffic stop in White County. Dyer was pulled over by an Arkansas State Trooper who found marijuana and a gun in his vehicle. Video of the traffic stop was obtained by The Sun through a Freedom of Information Act filed by the Searcy Daily Citizen.

It is unclear who was in possession of the gun and marijuana, per the newspaper’s report. Trooper Royce Denney issued Dyer a speeding ticket and no charges were filed stemming from the discovery of the handgun or drugs. Per The Sun Denney is currently under investigation for his handling of the stop.

The Sun has details of conversations between Dyer and Denney caught on the officer’s in-car video camera. (It’s worth the $.99 one-day subscription fee.)

“You’ve got a career ahead of you, but you’re being a total dumb ass right now,” Denney apparently says to Dyer during the stop.

Envy and jealousy: the snark is strong with this one.

Granted, he’s gathering low-hanging fruit, but Jon Solomon’s piece on what a disappointment the addition of the 12th game to the college football schedule has turned out to be is an epic snarkfest.  And I do mean epic.  Here’s a sample:

“I would understand if the media misinterpreted the motive for the 12th game as a long-term fiscal fix, but I would be disappointed if athletics administrators saw it as anything but a short-term salve,” NCAA President Myles Brand wrote in 2005. “I believe most administrators and presidents understand that the decision is not a panacea for fiscal responsibility.”

No, that’s why a playoff is coming. But I digress.

**Sniff**.  That’s beautiful.

Something else to put on Emmert’s to-do list.

Quite frankly, this is getting ridiculous.

Alabama coach Nick Saban’s support staff has expanded to nine “analysts.” That’s up from six in 2011, three in 2010 and none before then.

Five of the analysts work with the offense: Kevin Garner, Jules Montinar, Jeff Norrid, Kelvin Sigler and Jody Wright. Norrid is back for a third year. Wright was the offensive graduate assistant two years ago and an offensive analyst last year. Sigler is the former head coach at Blount High School near Mobile.

Three analysts will work with the defense: Dean Altobelli, Russ Callaway and Wesley Neighbors. Altobelli and Callaway also were defensive analysts last year. Callaway is the son of former UAB head coach Neil Callaway, a former Alabama lineman and linebacker. Neighbors, a walk-on defensive back at Alabama (2008-10), is the son and grandson of former Alabama stars.

John Wozniak, most recently the running backs coach and co-special teams coordinator at UAB, is Alabama’s new special teams analyst.

Adding someone to your staff and calling him an “analyst” may not violate the letter of the rules, but it sure as hell does the spirit.  If all we get is crickets from the NCAA on this, expect it to become the next subject of college football’s arms race.

Musical palate cleanser: I can do anything.

Today’s musical offering is inspired by the quarterback Missouri hopes is ready to play when Georgia shows up for the Tigers’ SEC opener, for obvious reasons.

Sing along with James.

By the way, if I’m a Missouri running back, I’m asking for hazard pay.  The top three have all missed (or in Josey’s case, will miss) a season with injuries.  Gives new meaning to the phrase “breakout runner”.

“The gap in talent between Cam Newton and Barrett Trotter is larger than…”

If you liked Paul Myerberg’s preseason review of Missouri, you won’t be disappointed in what he writes about his No. 40, Auburn.  There’s plenty of interest, but this really caught my eye.

Last fall, Auburn went 6-1 in home games and 1-4 in true road games – 2-4 in all non-home games, counting the bowl win over Virginia. This marked the second time in its three years under Chizik that Auburn had won only a single road game during the regular season; in 2009, the Tigers went 1-3 on the road and 6-1 at home.

No Cam makes for a pretty Jekyll and Hyde kind of team, it seems.  Which could mean more trouble for the Dawgs on the Plains than we think, given last season’s lopsided win.

If you’re looking for a sunnier preseason look at Auburn, the Orlando Sentinel’s Matt Murschel pegs the Tigers at 16th.

The Montana Project, second update

Introducing yourself with a comment tucked away at 8:27 PM?  I don’t think so.

Let’s back up the truck and try that again, shall we?  Dawgnation, Hoppy.  Hoppy, Dawgnation.

Hey and Go Dawgs,
The MT Project was made for me. My name is Hoppy and I am and tried and true Dawgs fan. Born in Macon my dad was a UGA grad and raised me to bleed the red and black. Since then, I have live in Great Falls, MT for the past 25 years and have rooted for the Dawgs every year. I have converted and ex girlfriend, my best friend and my wife to be part of the “Dawg Nation”.
My man cave is Dawg-centric and I buy the College-Game Plan package for the soul purpose of watching the University of Georgia Bulldog games!
I will gladly don a Dawg helmet and ask 100 people if they know what I am wearing.
I am a teacher and I share a room with a video production class; filming it won’t be a problem.
Will you really send me a helmet to wear? Lets figure out a game and I will head to the largest sports bar in town (its a legit sports bar, not some hole in the wall, po-dunk MT bar you are envisioning) and make the project happen.
I really think we will be in the high 80′s/low 90′s of people who know the “G”! Like one of the posts says, “Everyone knows that ‘G’”.
On a side note, my wife is from Glasgow MT and their high school has adopted the “G” as their own. It drives me bat-shit crazy. If I went to that town and did this they would all say “Glasgow Scotties”. Maybe 15 would say Georgia.
Go Dawgs!

In case you haven’t figured it out by now, Hoppy is our man on the ground for the Project.  If you need more evidence of his bona fides, here’s a pic of him at the Colorado game with a mascot you may recognize.

On a second front, I can’t begin to say how impressed I am with the response we’ve received to my request for helmet support.  In addition to one offer to pay for the helmet in its entirety, I’ve also gotten two offers to supply Hoppy with helmets on loan.  You people are the bomb.