Branded

Jeebus.

Hey, there’s Steve Patterson’s favorite word!

“As a University of Texas alumnus I have long enjoyed the Texas-Oklahoma series and the great tradition it represents for Texas and Oklahoma fans,” said Steve Patterson, The University of Texas Men’s Athletics Director. “We look forward to working with AT&T representatives and the University of Oklahoma to generate excitement for the new name and brand, and continuing our relationships with the State Fair of Texas.”

Yeah, because a 109-year tradition between two of college football’s most storied programs at a famous neutral-site location isn’t really special unless you can refer to a shitty telecommunications company in the name.  First.

If they ever do something similar to the Cocktail Party, I’m losing it.  Unless they sell naming rights to a bourbon distiller, of course.

Advertisement

What is this “voluntary” summer thing you speak of?

Oh, look.  A new NCAA rule.

Summer used to be the sole domain of strength coaches as on-field football coaches were not allowed to have in-person coaching contact or even evaluation until fall camp began. In fact, workouts were not allowed to be called mandatory although they had become virtually that at most major college programs.

Now, teams can have eight hours per week during summer school that can be supervised by a coach. Two of those hours can be used for film review…

On the bright side, I guess you could say they’re slowly starting to dispense with the pretense.  All for the players’ good, of course.

Who needs logic to fight a union?

Shorter Ron Morris:  The NCAA possibly being moved by the threat of unionization to do a bunch of stuff I think would be good for college athletics is proof that college athletes don’t need a union.

Everything’s up for grabs.

If you sense a certain throw it up against the wall and see what sticks aspect to Georgia’s spring, I can’t say I blame you.  Jeremy Pruitt in particular seems to be indulging his inner mad scientist, moving players around like chess pieces.

Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who also coaches the secondary, said it’s all about getting players ready to play multiple positions.

“We’re still searching all the guys,” Pruitt said. “There’s some guys you see at corner, there’s some guys you see at safety. We’re just trying to figure it out.”

As for the depth chart changes, Pruitt said it all depends on the most recent practice.

“We’re trying to give everybody an opportunity,” Pruitt said. “The guys that perform the day before, the guys that get to go with the ones the next day. We have no starters, we’re going off of what kind of production you had the day before.”

And how long will all of this continue?

“Till the freshmen get here,” he said.

Actually, longer than that.

“When they get here, they’ll have an opportunity to compete, just like these other guys. And two weeks into fall camp we’ll get them into spots,” Pruitt said. “Maybe there’ll be some guys this spring that kind of take that step, where you say, Hey I know I can count on him. But right now we’re just a work in progress.”

He’s not alone.  Mike Bobo appears to be getting in on the act, too.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, but way too many downs, this spring, in my opinion, ” Bobo said after Thursday’s practice. “We’ve gotta get better. We’re not executing at a standard high enough to win, or beat anybody right now.”

In fact, Bobo went so far as to say incoming freshmen have a great chance to play this fall.

“We’re gonna have to have freshmen play for us this year. Play meaningful minutes. Some of them possibly start,” Bobo said. “Obviously at the tight end position, at the receiver position, at the running back position, and at the O-line. There’s not enough competition at those spots. But you go through that during spring. But we seem at a little bit lower numbers because of the injuries to the guys.”

The difference – and no doubt some of this can be attributed to one side of the staff being new and another part of this to all the injuries to offensive players – in those two quotes is that Pruitt sounds like a guy trying to figure out where best to deploy his talent and Bobo sounds like a coach worried about whether he’s got enough talent to deploy.  Those aren’t the tunes we thought we’d hear being warbled this season, but there’s still plenty of time to update the playlist.

Moved to respond

So how seriously is the NCAA taking CAPA’s trip to Congress in the wake of the NLRB ruling?  Seriously enough to compel its normally reticent spokesperson, Stacey Osburn, to, well, actually speak:

Stacey Osburn, director of public and media relations for the NCAA, said in a statement that Huma’s concern was “unwarranted.” A Northwestern official has said that the students were not employees and that unionization and collective bargaining were not the appropriate methods to address their concerns.

“The law is fairly clear and consistent with Northwestern’s position, so the NCAA has made no contacts with anyone in Congress attempting to ban the unionization of student-athletes,” Osburn said.

I wonder if Stacey got a bonus for that effort.  It’s almost above and beyond the call of duty.

Sometimes, stats do have a story to tell.

Top passing offenses last 2 years (by yards/attempt): Baylor (9.9), UGA (9.4), FSU (9.4), Bama (9.1), KSt (8.9).

— David Hale (@DavidHaleESPN) April 3, 2014

It’s when you break that down that it gets a little interesting.  In 2012, Georgia led the nation in yards per passing attempt, at 10.0 ypa.

Last season, Georgia’s 8.9 ypa was good for eleventh nationally.  “Aaron Murray threw past 20 yards only 9.6% of the time. His throws were focused more on the shorter zones, hitting the 6-10 yard range 23% of the time compared to an average 16.6%.”

Either Murray developed a noodle arm, or his game was affected by all the injuries to his receiving corps.  Which do you think?

Friday morning buffet

Plenty to sample…

• Here’s a shocker:  “But as the College Football Playoff’s selection committee wrapped up two days of meetings at the Gaylord Texan on Thursday, it’s clear that objectivity is a sticking point as the college football season draws closer.”
• Patrick Garbin tells us that over the last two decades, experience has nothing to do with the performance of Georgia’s offensive lines.  I think that’s supposed to relieve us.
• For some reason, Vanderbilt has decided to move its home game against Ole Miss to the Titans’ stadium, which seats 68,798.  That seems like an invitation for OM fans to come fill the place up.
• This doesn’t sound good:  “The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation of Florida State University into whether its handling of the Jameis Winston rape allegations violated Title IX laws…”
• How would you like it if Finebaum hosted a live show from Sanford Stadium?
• Texas paid $266,990 to a search firm to help find Charlie Strong.  I bet most of us would have offered to do the job for a tenth of that.
• Here’s a look at how much of a role conversion rates and big play potential on both offense and defense as well as field position played in determining the last ten BCS champs.
• Marc Weiszer takes stock of how Georgia’s new focus on special teams is going.
• Tramel Terry, on life as a new defensive back:  “Each day it’s getting better and better. I’m just trying to get all the little terms and get them out on the field instead of thinking so much. Other than that I’m fine. I’ve just got to work hard in the summer time and get my feet right. I feel like I’ll be fine and be ready to play this year.”

Dawg porn, short and sweet

Simplification of the defense, in two bites.

• Leonard Floyd, on playing some defensive end: “It’s a harder role, because I’m in the trenches more and in a three-point stance more than I was last year,” Floyd told reporters following Thursday’s two-hour practice. “Yet I don’t have to think as much. All I have to think about is rushing the quarterback.”
• Jeremy Pruitt, on the Star position:

“We’re gonna play with DBs at that spot,” Pruitt said. “We’re not gonna play with linebackers.”

Pruitt’s explanation was short and simple.

“To cover. We want to cover them,” he said. “It’s that simple. We want to be able to cover them.”

Mah goodness… I feel a tad flushed right now.  //hands flutter in front of face//

“I kind of get tired of it sometimes…”

Poor Ricardo Lewis.

With just 25 seconds remaining, Louis etched his name in Auburn lore on the contest’s final score — an incredible 73-yard touchdown catch-for-the-ages off a deflected pass — which helped Auburn walk away with a 43-38 victory.

Now the play follows him like a shadow.

“Every time I’m out (fans want me) to do the pose or ask me what was I thinking,” he said. “After I caught it I was getting the same response. I just smile and I tell them it was one in a million. A feeling like, I can’t replay the feeling that I felt at that time. I just embrace it. I didn’t know what to do.”

What he was thinking?  What he was thinking was some variation of “man, I’ve got to be the luckiest sumbitch on the planet right now”.

As for being tired of it, during the week leading up to the Auburn game, if Georgia’s coaches aren’t making the defense relive that play to the point of nausea, shame on them.

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/04/03/3038788/ricardo-louis-humbled-by-attention.html?sp=/99/210/#storylink=cpy

Brave Sir Mark

Um, about that Final Four presser…

The NCAA needs a strong leader now more than ever, someone with vision and backbone. So far, President Mark Emmert hasn’t shown any signs of having either.

Had Emmert held his state of the union Thursday, as has been the norm for years, he would have been front and center on a day when little else was going on. He would have had the chance to change the conversation, or at least mount a vigorous defense of his organization.

Instead, he’s not speaking until Sunday morning, a time slot that guarantees no one will hear a word.

Y’all enjoy the game!