Bobby Petrino, rumors and innuendo.
Posted on | April 5, 2012 | No Comments
Gossip, Gossip...
Bobby Petrino, rumors and innuendo.
I’m not a tremendous fan of blogging about on-field events in the SEC. It’s just one of those things. I didn’t love the Cam Newton scandal, and you will notice that my reportage of Harvey Updyke is something that didn’t happen. So when Bobby Petrino had a motorcycle accident? I did nothing.
I mean, he’s was going to be coaching right?
But with the news of today? This gets into the mean. This gets into the idiot commentariat going into a lather all because of something that seems to be on an administrator. Bobby Petrino had a woman on the back of his bike and she was not his wife.
That’s it. The Deadspins of the world are trying to make this into “Head Coach canoodling with someone half his age.” And I have to ask, who cares? Seriously? The politics of personal destruction disgusts me.
I mean, take a look at this. It’s the internet at its worst. And guess what? Nothing has been proven. Not to get all big time sportswriter moralizing? But little is more American than Innocent until Proven Guilty.
And nothing is more annoying than people leaving stupid comments and thinking they’re so funny. As someone who generally likes people and loves a nice piece of comedy? It’s just…exasperating.
So, what’s the lesson here? Same as all the other ones. Success in coaching major sports is almost directly tied to the sleaze levels that you’re willing to foist on yourselves. You’re innocent until proven guilty, unless you are tied with someone with a semblance of fame. And you will never find the next Dan Harmon if they spend time tossing off “trenchant bon mots” on an online guestbook.
Seriously. I think less of you if you’re finding this amusing. Even if the implications are proven right. You have emotional problems.
Update: So yeah. It’s all correct and the yellow journalism was proven right. Bobby Petrino’s been placed on administrative leave. Which essentially means, they’re looking for a way out of the contract. And beyond that? I regret nothing I said previously.
If you’re gonna troll someone? Funny > mean. And Bobby Petrino will coach Rutgers soon enough.
Update II: But the timing of this in light of recent events? There’s no factual tie, but there’s something to be speculated on in that.
SEC Draft Brakdown Part Two: Florida, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt
Posted on | March 31, 2012 | No Comments
I will insist on calling Jeff Demps Will. It may not matter as I do not follow track in any form or fashion.
SEC Draft Breakdown Part Two: Florida, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt
This does not have near the power as it could have. With the general tomfoolery from Janoris Jenkins and Janzen Jackson, two of the first two rounds were taken from the SEC before its time. And as before? There is no mention of prospects where the expectations are they won’t be drafted.
Apologies to Tim Fugger.
Florida
Chris Rainey (RB): He graduated at the perfect time. Slightly undersized, but infused with a great set of hands and pure badass American speed. The year after Darren Sproles is a nice time to be a small running back who can catch everything. 3rd round grade, but could sneak into Round 2.
Jaye Howard (DT): One of those classic archetypes is the hyped high school prospect who, while maintaining the physical gifts from high school, does not show much in college. But Howard had a strong senior year, and will be picked. But it doesn’t seem like he can add any more weight to the frame without becoming fat.
Tennessee
Malik Jackson (DE): He was the Volunteers lone major threat on the defensive line, and he just got better. Spectacular gifts as a defensive end, who actually has the frame to become a 3-4 defensive end. He’s just a little too stiff to be a Pro Bowl upside bro.
Tauren Poole (RB): There are several running backs who seem to be mid-round sleepers that can become potential starters. Among them is Tauren Poole. His physical gifts are great, he just had a young offensive line that gave him nothing last year. He could steal someones job right quick.
Vanderbilt
Casey Heyward (CB): Could we see an intelligent cornerback who lacks the most spectacular physical gifts get drafted in Day 2? Yes. Will he move to free safety? Maybe. Will he be a great fit there? Totes.
Chris Marve (MLB): Hyper-productive, but he lacks the superb physical gifts. He will either be a psychologist or have solid career. Vanderbilt always generates a strong linebacker corps. And we haven’t seen what he can do without an offensive line quite yet.
Tags: Casey heyward > Chris Marve > Chris Rainey > Jaye Howard > Malik Jackson > Rosin > Tauren Poole
SEC Draft Breakdown Part One: Georgia and South Carolina
Posted on | March 31, 2012 | No Comments
Stephon Gilmore is going to get that first round scratch.
SEC Draft Breakdown Part One: Georgia and South Carolina
While spring ball continues for most of the SEC? Yesterdays heroes of the Southeastern Conference are in the midst of their final preparations for the next level. Pro Days and interviews are all that stand between the future and the past. And I will tell you where I think these people will go.
One rule, if I assume they’re not going to be drafted? I’m leaving them for someone else. Arbitrary? Yes. Who the heck am I? Exactly! But please do read on.
Georgia
Cordy Glenn (OG): One of the best guards in the draft. It’s a position that allows him to play to his run blocking strengths and mitigate his weakness against the pass rush. If he’s the third guard off the board? I will sincerely be surprised.
Orson Charles (TE): The only major knock is that DUI. He knows he has to be on his best behavior, and then that happens. Will it hurt him? A little. But he wasn’t going to be a first round pick anyway.
Brandon Boykin (CB): Like Asher Allen, he’s a physical corner back with good athleticism. He’s also terribly undersized. Not a knock on his career. But he’ll find his way somewhere between Rounds 2-3.
Ben Jones (C): I would not be surprised if he falls to the weekend for one of those seemingly idiotic scouting reasons. He’s not a high upside athlete. He won’t become spectacular. All he is? Is a very good center.
Drew Butler (P): He has a leg strong enough that some team is willing to commit a draft pick and not be mocked for it. He may not be the first punter off the board? But he should be picked.
Blair Walsh (PK): A down season leaves his selection as a question. But in a year where we find most NFL kickers got tagged? A big leg whose had better seasons on the placekick is a definite end of the draft consideration.
DeAngelo Tyson (DT): A defensive tackle with solid size and a decent motor. He’ll probably find his way as an end of the draft 3-4 defensive end.
South Carolina
Stephon Gilmore (CB): I originally called him a knockoff version of Charles Woodson. But after a 40 time that kissed the 4.4 mark at the scouting combine and a quality shuttle run, it seems as if Gilmore has some physical upside to a nice skill set. He’s a sleeper top 15 pick.
Melvin Ingram (DE/OLB): There’s a certain phylum of pass-rushers who have a raw talent, good physical upside, and will likely be drafted somewhere between 8 and 32. On athleticism alone? Ingram is the best of this bunch.
Alshon Jeffrey (WR): Anyone who tells you they know how it’s going to go down is either a liar or a fool. He’s a player dogged by rumors and a junior season that was subpar at best and mystifying at worst. He has all the physical gifts in the world. Some team will draft him Round 2. But will he come out swinging or will he come out with pork sauce on his cheek?
Antonio Allen (SS): He’s one of the classic archetypes. The safety who will cause a receiver to think twice going over the middle, but does not have the best of instincts. The difference? He’s got some real playmaking skills. Give it a 50-50 shot to becoming Darren Sharper.
Travian Robertson (DT): He’s got the physical gifts that will cause a team to take a chance on him. He’s got the motor that will cause a team to make himself useful in a rotation. If he takes to the technique coaching? He could be something more.
Tags: Alshon Jeffrey > Antonio Allen > Brandon Boykin > Cordy Glenn > Melvin Ingram > Orson Charles > Rosin > Stephon Gilmore
Can Tyler Bray be redeemed?
Posted on | March 28, 2012 | No Comments
KIND of an idiot?
Can Tyler Bray be redeemed?
I’ve seen the best of Tyler Bray last season. He had his full coterie of receivers, and it didn’t matter that the offensive line couldn’t get a push going forward for Tauren Poole. They destroyed Cincinnati and I actually received the information that shows me that an active commentary base isn’t necessarily a good thing. (Love you Rocky Top.)
But Tyler Bray got hurt. And when he came back? The team wasn’t exactly clicking on all cylinders. Joker Phillips probably still has a job because of Tyler Bray’s final game of 2011. But at least he’s saying the right things.
And here’s the thing? If he swings toward leadership instead of cocky? He can go a long way this season. While I was no fan of their recruiting no offensive lineman for this season? They do have a line that still has another season of experience to grow on. And Marlin Lane has had flashes of brilliance.
I can’t believe I’ve gone 160 words without the most salient fact of all. Da’Rick Rogers and Justin Hunter return. If Hunter can return with 90% of the athleticism he showed in his abbreviated 2011? This is one of the best receivers in the SEC. And with Da’Rick Rogers? Bray’s going to unleash his proverbial dragon, whether or not Cordarrelle Patterson is worthy of the five star hype.
But can Tyler Bray be the one to lead Tennessee back to the promised land? Honestly? This is a team that’s more than likely built for 2013, and taking their seniors to Autzen. Not that their 2012 schedule is a bad thing. If Bray becomes what he aims to be? They’re 4-0 going into a road game with Georgia. And they’re 5-1 going into their two weeks against Alabama and at South Carolina.
But that being said? Bray has the tools. And he has the wide receiver talent. With good health and less immaturity? It’s not unreasonable to think this is a team that will get a January Florida Bowl game versus a Big Ten team.
And there’s more on the line if Bray stays through for his Senior year.
Tags: Cordarrelle Patterson > Da'Rick Rogers > Justin Hunter > Marlin Lane > Rosin > SEC Football > Tyler Bray
SEC News Update March 26th, 2012
Posted on | March 26, 2012 | No Comments
Marcus Lattimore is going to be beasting...soon enough.
SEC News Update March 26th, 2012
I know I’ve been gone a while, and for that I do sincerely apologize. Between basketball and searching for employment? I kind of took a couple of weeks off in March. But I’m back, as good as ever, and I’ll start with news briefs as to where the SEC 14 stand at right now.
Alabama: They literally just re-upped Nick Saban until 2020. They’re going to be good at football. Also evil. And the Home Depot is going to have to expand, y’all.
Arkansas: One of my favorite running backs of 2010 is back and feeling downright spry. A superstar Knile Davis will go a long way to help this team in yet another attempt to break the hegemony of Alabama and LSU in the SEC West.
Auburn: The hunt to replace Michael Dyer is on. Will the man who’s ten feet tall and rising find his way into stealing the carries that Onterio McCalebb is the favorite to get? I hope so. I enjoy the concept of Tre Mason.
Florida: There’s offensive issues that Brent Pease and his hipster fedora still need to fix. Jacoby Brissett has the edge at quarterback, but for one, he’s not running away with the job, and for two, neither quarterback seems ready after they were fed to the lions in their first starts.
Georgia: Isaiah Crowell had a decent if not inconsistent season in 2011. He didn’t really stand up to the pounding of SEC defenses. But Crowell is talking about raising his game another level in 2012. Though if Georgia’s defense improves in the second season under Todd Grantham? They may break the Alabama-LSU hegemony.
Kentucky: Will this finally be the year that John Calipari wins the championship? I’m not even going to make a crack about how exactly they’re going to rent it because ethics lol. But that offense Kentucky football had last year? Still a mess. They need this right now.
LSU: If spring practice is any indication, Zack Mettenberger’s going to be the dimension that LSU never had with Jarrett Lee or Jordan Jefferson. And if LSU swings back into the National Championship picture? The question the logical fan has to ask, why wasn’t he involved in 2011.
Mississippi State: The next big running back coming through Starkville? Nick Griffin. He was out with one of the seeming 20 ACL injuries that the Bulldogs had to deal with last year. And like Anthony Davis and Vick Ballard, he has the dimension that Dan Mullen seems to love.
Missouri: I honestly don’t know why there are people who think this is a contender in the East. They do return four linemen with starting experience, but after that? Not much. And their receiving corps has a combined 77 catches. Dorial Green-Beckham would help with all that. But James Franklin’s shoulder adds them a new question mark.
Ole Miss: Expectations are low after last season. But there seems to be a JUCO who can at least start the journey out of the wilderness. The name? Bo Wallace. He initially signed with Freeze at Arkansas State, but after throwing for ridiculous numbers at East Mississippi Community College? He’s ready to come at the SEC.
South Carolina: Steve Spurrier is shirtless. Also an old man. The real question though? Which tall bro replaces Alshon Jeffrey? My money is on K.J. Brent. He won’t get fat and have a terrible final season.
Tennessee: Same as when last we left them. They need to get healthy. They need to win 9 games. Plain and simple you guys.
Texas A&M: SEC fans are happy to have Texas A&M! What with their major offensive skill talent going pro and the defense being generally terrible last season, they could easily go like 3-9 next year! Mississippi State can finally get a non-Mississippi division win!
Vanderbilt: While Danny O’Brien allows himself to be recruited, the emerging name for the Commodores fan to know? Defensive end Walker May. He’s got that skill set to compensate for the loss of Tim Fugger.
Tags: Alshon Jeffrey > Anthony Davis > Bo Wallace > Brent Pease > Dan Mullen > Danny O'Brien > Dorial Green-Beckham > Isaiah Crowell > Jacoby Brissett > Jarrett Lee > Jeff Driskel > Jordan Jefferson > K.J. Brent > Knile Davis > Missouri's James Franklin > Nick Griffin > Onterio McCalebb > Rosin > SEC Football > Steve Spurrier > Todd Grantham > Tre Mason > Vick Ballard > Zack Mettenberger
Tuscaloosa Home Depot Celebrates all Alabama National Championships
Posted on | February 29, 2012 | 1 Comment
Tuscaloosa Home Depot Celebrates all Alabama National Championships
Is this weird? Absolutely. Will anyone in need of grout have a high potential to roll their eyes when they’re told that it’s in 1978? Most definitely. But is this awesome? You bet. For you see? The Tuscaloosa Home Depot has 14 aisles. Alabama claims 14 national championships.
And while I could go off on a tangent about how they’re a little greedy by claiming that the 1941 National Title belongs to them and that no two loss team should hold a claim for the title, I won’t. Tuscaloosa’s a football town. And this celebration? It’s pretentious in the best possible way.
Only question, what happens when Alabama gets the next one?
(H/T: Throw the Flag Blog for both post and picture. I read their terms of service. I’m afraid they’re gonna sue me now.)
The Five SEC Coaches Most Likely to be in a new Location next year.
Posted on | February 16, 2012 | No Comments
The Five SEC Coaches Most Likely to be in a new Location next year.
Suffice it to say? The Bleacher Report style headline is one of the vicissitudes of having a long off-season. But that being said? I went to the Coaches Hot Seat rankings on Coacheshotseat.com, and something kind of interested me. The SEC coaching family is rather veteran.
Even while adding Missouri and Texas A&M? Ten coaches are in going into year three at their schools. So while some conferences have lost the Howard Schnellenbergers of the world? The SEC has been pretty steady throughout the previous decade.
So where will new faces come in, and who will move to new places?I’ll give you the five most likely candidates. (Authors note? A list of three doesn’t a blog post make, as four and five are long odds at present in and of themselves.)
1. Derek Dooley, Tennessee
From a demolition to one of the Big East’s Champions to literally everything going wrong the week after. 2011 broke so badly to the point where a bowl might not be enough to get him to 2013 with gainful employment. Their schedule is soft enough that they could get to the Georgia game at 4-0. But as last year showed, this is a not a deep team. And heaven help them in Sal Sunseri’s value doesn’t go beyond recruiting.
2. Joker Phillips, Kentucky
The seat would be a lot hotter if they had not managed to win the football like substance that was their game against Tennessee last year. But a lot of their recent success has been the Bill Snyder method of scheduling. And when you go from Central Michigan to Missouri? Making a bowl becomes a lot more difficult. And if Joker doesn’t win 5? Joker’s as good as gone.
3. James Franklin, Vanderbilt
I know, I know. They’re building something here. Danny O’Brien’s gonna be like so much Jay Cutler for the smart kids. But between his youth, the fact that he won at Vanderbilt, and the fact that this is a rather frontloaded conference schedule? (South Carolina and at Georgia are a pretty likely 0-2 start in conference.) It’s a better than outside shot that another school would give him an intriguing offer.
4. Will Muschamp, Florida
Call this a Turner Gill scenario. You have a sloppy offense that’s been built by Urban Meyer at his most starchasing. Their quarterback is going to be someone that got smacked around by the teeth of the SEC last year. Like I said, this isn’t exactly a scenario I would bet my massive salary on, but a 5-7 record is more likely that appears.
5. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
Could Mississippi State go into the Alabama game unbeaten? Absolutely. Their toughest road game is at Kentucky, and Auburn is a team in transition. Sure, it’s the SEC West, and Dan Mullen has a tendency to struggle in the division. But a bowl assisted ten win season in Starkville is not impossible. And while a move is unlikely, the super coach of seasons past may have a better opportunity elsewhere.
Tags: Coaching Changes > Dan Mullen > Derek Dooley > James Franklin > Joker Phillips > Rosin > SEC Coaches > Will Muschamp
Danny O’ Brien Denied Transfer to Vanderbilt
Posted on | February 14, 2012 | No Comments
Danny O’ Brien Denied Transfer to Vanderbilt
Recruiting is a sordid business. You’re bound to do something unlikable. And unless the program is terrible, no coach is clean. (And even then there are some teams that will just cheat to get to 4-8.) And even if it doesn’t go well? Sometimes a seemingly random choice gets blocked for the reason of the coach being insufferable.
I would make a joke about Derek Dooley here, but the fact is that he lost to Kentucky in the ugliest manner possible. By this time next year even this reference will be a dated cheap shot.
So why the long preamble? Because Vanderbilt’s become a threat to another school. Danny O’Brien aims to be reunited with the offensive coordinator in James Franklin who made him the Freshman of the year before Randy Edsall rolled up on College Park and made a fun team terrible. And usually, when you have a player who wants to transfer, they have to leave the conference, and maybe they can’t play in the region, or with an upcoming non-conference opponent.
But here’s why it’s even more outlandish than the DeAnthony Arnett scandal gate. The last time Maryland and Vanderbilt played? 1987. When Mark McGwire bashed 49 homers, Robert Bork was denied entry into the Supreme Court, and Michael Jackson released his follow up to Thriller.
So what does it all mean?
Short answer, very little. The one thing a coach fears more than losses is a consistent stream of negative press. And considering he took a 9 win team and turned it into a two win team I would wager that Jordan Rodgers will have competition going into next season.
I would also wager that Derek Dooley would consider putting in a resume at College Park next season. Because no matter how bad it gets in Tennessee, it’s still worth three wins over the ACC.
Tags: Coaches are not Good People > James Franklin > Rosin > Signs of Legitimacy
