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Offensive Lineman J.T. Beasley Leaves Missouri Tigers Program

March 10th, 2010

The Missouri Tigers return four starters on the offensive line for the upcoming season—losing only right guard Kurtis Gregory from the 2009 unit.

Better yet, however, is what the Tigers possess beyond the starters.

Spring practices commenced on Tuesday, and one of the main story lines that will endure from now, throughout the coming months, and into the 2010 season will concern MU's depth among the front five.

But that depth took a hit on Tuesday when offensive guard J.T. Beasley decided to leave the program. Power Mizzou reported the news this afternoon after receiving confirmation from MU team spokesman Chad Moller.

The reason(s) for Beasley's decision were not disclosed.

A native of Dyersburg, Tenn., Beasley played sparingly last season as a sophomore after seeing action in six games in 2008, primarily at center.

He moved to guard during spring practices a year ago and was expected to use the coming weeks to initiate his efforts for locking down a backup role behind presumptive starting guards Austin Wuebbels and Jayson Palmgren.

Beasley's departure is a mystery, but it helps to partially clear up what is still a clouded picture regarding who will fill second-string roles on MU's offensive line in 2010.

With one less body to contend with, redshirt freshman Justin Britt, who has been praised by head coach Gary Pinkel, has instantly seen his chances of landing a job behind either Wuebbels and Palmgren improve.

And then there's incoming freshmen Nick Demien and Mitch Morse, both of whom could use their high-profile prep reputations to become a factor on the two-deep depth chart when they arrive on campus this summer.

Beasley is the second player to leave the MU program in the last month—and he may not be the last to defect before the upcoming season arrives.

Presuming all 23 members of the 2010 recruiting class will qualify academically, Missouri's current offseason roster consists of 88 scholarship players—three more than the NCAA will allow for the 2010 season.

If the program experiences no further attrition, coaches may exercise their right to pull scholarships so that the program meets the requirement.

Tailback Gilbert Moye announced on Feb. 8 that he was parting ways with the team, and he has plans to transfer at the end of the semester.

 

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Posted in Breaking News, College Football, JT Beasley, Missouri Tigers Football, NCAA

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NFL Combine: Sean Weatherspoon Speaks Loudly, Carries Big Stick

March 5th, 2010

There's talkative, and then there's Sean Weatherspoon.

Unequivocally his team's vocal leader the past few seasons, the Missouri linebacker never seems to run out of things to say. He wags his tongue, performs impromptu "American Idol" auditions on locker room tables, provides grateful reporters with priceless quotes, and always takes an opportunity to give a teammate a few choice words of criticism.

There's not much room for predictability when Weatherspoon opens his mouth, and his loquaciousness was clearly present at the recent NFL Combine.

However, so were his football skills.

Depending on what site you frequent, you'll receive varying opinions on his Combine impact, but a majority of the media that witnessed Weatherspoon's workouts agree the All-Big 12 linebacker has improved his draft prospects.

Reportedly flashing impressive athleticism and flexibility, Weatherspoon was a top performer in several drills, including the vertical leap (40 inches) and 40-yard dash (4.68). And that was after putting up 34 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press—more than most of the defensive linemen prospects at the Combine.

Now, in the wake of his impressive showing, Weatherspoon, who was considered a fringe first-round pick prior to the Combine, is shooting up draft boards and garnering new interest. In his latest mock draft, NFL.com writer Pat Kirwan has the Philadelphia Eagles selecting Weatherspoon with the No. 24 pick, and the Atlanta Falcons, despite their needs at defensive back and offensive line, have become enamored with the linebacker.

And then there's the Steelers, who may entertain the idea of taking Weatherspoon at No. 18. Linebacker is the Steelers' top priority, and should Alabama's Rolando McClain be unavailable, Weatherspoon could land in Pittsburgh, where he'd be reunited with former teammate Ziggy Hood.

Alas, not everyone thinks all is warm and fuzzy for Weatherspoon. Pro Football Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki wrote recently that Weatherspoon's mouth and robust personality turned off several NFL officials at the Combine, adding that the former Tiger was "criticized for worrying too much about his image and post-football career aspirations before he has accomplished anything in the National Football League."

Interesting. I guess we'll have to see how all this plays out come draft day. For footage of Weatherspoon's 40-yard dash, as well as drills performed by Jared Perry and Kurtis Gregory, visit Inside Missouri Football.

 

Other Notes

Columbia Daily Tribune MU football beat writer Dave Matter has put together some in-depth positional previews heading into spring practices, which begin on Mar. 9. Thus far, at his Behind The Stripes blog, Matter has covered cornerbacks, safeties, and linebackers.

Matter recently conducted a Q&A with MU head coach Gary Pinkel. Among other things, Pinkel noted that he and his staff are looking into ways to alter coverages on defense and better utilize the running game.

Stay tuned to Matter's coverage, as well as Power Mizzou, to find out what went down at Missouri's Pro Day on Thursday.

The Tribune also has a nice piece on MU women's basketball head coach Cindy Stein, who recently decided to step down after 12 seasons.

With a huge date against No. 2 Kansas looming at Mizzou Arena this weekend, Missouri is currently being tapped as a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament's East Region, according to ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi. 

For more news on Missouri men's basketball, check out the coverage of my fellow Examiner, Robert Givens.

The Tigers' official athletics Web site has a nice picture gallery of the new renovations at Simmons Field, home of MU baseball.

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Posted in Breaking News, College Football, Missouri Tigers Football, NCAA, Sean Weatherspoon

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2010 NFL Scouting Combine: Sean Weatherspoon Improved His Stock

March 5th, 2010

This review of the linebackers at the 2010 NFL Combine analyzes the players as they were officially listed entering the combine, making several players who could potentially make a position switch absent from this column.

However, there were quite a few stand-out performers, as well as some guys who "wowed" us in the wrong way.

Read on for the top-five finishes in all the major drills, along with some analysis on where some of the players stand going into the 2010 NFL Draft :

 

40-Yard Dash

1. Jamar Chaney—Mississippi State (4.54)

2. Dekoda Watson—Florida State (4.56)

3. Stevenson Sylvester—Utah (4.63)

4. Kavell Conner—Clemson (4.63)

5. Phillip Dillard—Nebraska (4.64)

Keaton Kristick, Cody Grimm, and Perry Riley all tied with Phillip Dillard for fifth place.

Jamar Chaney clocked in with the fastest time, running as fast as many of the running backs and showing the kind of sideline-to-sideline speed scouts drool over. Dekoda Watson did the same, finishing just .02 seconds slower.

A.J. Edds, who saw his stock rise with a solid Senior Bowl, ran an average time, but his speed would be considered adequate for playing the outside, which he is best suited for at the next level.

Kentucky's Micah Johnson has the worst time of all the linebackers, running a horrible 4.99, slower than some of the defensive tackles.

 

Bench Press

1. Donald Butler—Washington (35 reps)

2. Sean Weatherspoon—Missouri (34)

3. Micah Johnson—Kentucky (31)

4. Mike McLaughlin—Boston College (29)

5. Kion Wilson—South Florida (27)

Boris Lee and Keenan Clayton tied for fifth place.

Donald Butler took first place with an impressive 35 reps, while Sean Weatherspoon showed his impressive strength with 34.

Micah Johnson redeemed himself (somewhat) after running a horrible 40-time by being the only other linebacker to crack 30 reps on the bench press.

A.J. Edds came in second-to-last with a very weak showing on the bench press, cranking out just 16 reps. Harry Coleman hurt his already poor draft stock with a last-place finish, recording 13 reps.

 

Vertical Leap

1. Keenan Clayton—Oklahoma (41.5)

2. Simoni Lawrence—Minnesota (40.0)

3. Sean Weatherspoon—Missouri (40.0)

4. Dekoda Watson—Florida State (40.0)

5. Jason Beauchamp—UNLV (39.5)

Keenan Clayton out-jumped the next three guys by 1.5 inches to take the top spot, while Sean Weatherspoon continued his solid Combine by tying for second place in the vertical leap.

Dekoda Watson also continued to display his elite athleticism, notching 40 inches along with Weatherspoon and Simoni Lawrence.

Brandon Spikes was the most disappointing player to partake in this drill, tying Micah Johnson for last place with a 29-inch leap.

 

Broad Jump

1. Dekoda Watson—Florida State (11'2")

2. Sean Weatherspoon—Missouri (10'3")

3. Keaton Kristick—Oregon State (10')

4. Perry Riley—LSU (9'9")

5. Eric Norwood—South Carolina (9'7")

Dekoda Watson finished a stellar combine with the best broad jump, as he displayed his great speed, explosiveness, and athleticism in all the drills.

 

Overall

Dekoda Watson and Sean Weatherspoon were by far the most elite and consistent performers in this year's class of linebackers at the Combine.

The two finished neck-and-neck in all the major drills, although Weatherspoon arguably had the better Combine, finishing with 10 more reps than Watson in the bench press.

Jamar Chaney impressed scouts with his excellent speed in the 40-yard dash and has an elite vertical leap but was fairly average on the bench press.

Josh Hull and Micah Johnson were very disappointing, both running lower than a 4.9 in the 40-yard dash, while both had a vertical less than 34 inches.

Outside of Micah Johnson, Brandon Spikes may have hurt his stock the most. His vertical leap ranked dead last, he finished sixth out of six players in the three-cone drill, and he was second-to-last in the broad jump.

He was a borderline first-rounder, but will likely stick in the second round or later due to his mediocre athleticism.

 

For more NFL Draft and NFL Combine coverage, head over to NFL Soup.

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Posted in 2010 NFL Combine, Brandon Spikes, Football, Jamar Chaney, Missouri Tigers Football, NFL, Rankings/List, Sean Weatherspoon, dekoda watson, micah johnson, nfl draft, nfl scouting combine

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Missouri Tigers News and Notes: Danario Alexander, Teammates at Combine

February 26th, 2010

The NFL Combine kicked off Wednesday, and a quartet of Missouri Tigers will spend the next few days in Indianapolis in an attempt to impress NFL scouts leading up to the NFL Draft in April.

Here are a few notes on the Combine and other goings-on around Missouri athletics:

Dave Matter of the Columbia Daily Tribune has an excellent outline of each Missouri player's itinerary in Indianapolis .

Of the four, which includes Kurtis Gregory , Jared Perry , and Sean Weatherspoon , Danario Alexander is the only one expected to forgo participating in drills. As Matter noted , citing a report from Sports Illustrated last week, Alexander will need time to recover after undergoing surgery Feb. 16 on his troubled left knee to repair cartilage damage suffered during last month's Senior Bowl.

The surgery, which is now the fourth to be performed on the receiver's left knee since 2007, is also expected to keep Alexander from participating in Missouri's pro day on Mar. 4.

If there's one person who can surely sympathize with Alexander's situation, it's former teammate and current Cincinnati Bengals tight end Chase Coffman , who was unable to participate in last year's Combine because of a broken bone in his foot.

Geoff Hobson, a writer for the Bengals' official Web site, has an excellent piece that chronicles Coffman's rookie season, in which he was inactive for the first 12 games before missing the remainder of 2009 while on injured reserve following surgery to remove bone spurs from his ankle.

In hoops, the Tigers blew out Colorado , 92-63, at Mizzou Arena on Wednesday evening, but the victory may ultimately prove costly.

Junior forward Justin Safford landed oddly after converting a layup early in the first half, injuring his left knee. Safford, who is averaging 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds a game this season, did not return and is feared to have torn at least one ligament in the knee, according to Columbia Daily Tribune writer Steve Walentik. If an MRI proves that to be the case, Safford will likely miss the remainder of the season.

With March Madness around the corner, the beginning to the MU softball team's season has been lost in the shuffle somewhat.

Currently ranked No. 6 in the nation in the USA Today/NFCA poll , the Tigers (3-2) split a two-game series with No. 2 Arizona last weekend and now head to Columbus, Ga., for the NFCA Leadoff Classic (Feb. 26-28), where they'll encounter three teams ranked nationally, including No. 4 Michigan.

Meanwhile, the baseball team also recently got its season underway. The Tigers, picked to finish seventh in the Big 12, won two of three at last weekend's Cactus Classic in Tucson, Ariz., to begin the season. MU now travels to Auburn, Ala., for the Auburn Classic , where the Tigers will face unranked opponents Florida Atlantic, Boston College, and Auburn over the weekend.

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Posted in Big 12 Football, Breaking News, College Football, Danario Alexander, Missouri Tigers Football, NCAA

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College Football Previews: Pair of Missouri Tigers Projected for Huge Seasons

February 21st, 2010

If you can get past its ESPN.com-like propensity for loading up on annoying advertisements, Scout.com's College Football News is as entertaining as it gets for the knowledge-hungry fan.

Even though my modem shudders at the idea of having to sift through that sea of ads, I cannot nitpick too much.

CFN has been unabashed in its support of Missouri football the past few seasons, predicting the Tigers to finish last season with a record of 10-2, including a win over the Texas Longhorns.

Yeah, that didn't exactly work out, but despite MU's moderately disappointing season in 2009, the CFN staff seems to have at least stayed within shouting distance of the bandwagon.

CFN writer Richard Cirminiello recently compiled a list of his top 10 offensive and defensive players to watch during the 2010 season, and the Tigers figured prominently, featuring a player on each side of the ball.

Here's a bit of what Cirminiello had to say about MU quarterback Blaine Gabbert:

Beyond just the statistics, he has the raw physical gifts to become a special passer in the Big 12 if he continues to improve his reads and decision-making. At 6-5 and 240 pounds, he can make all the throws, moves surprisingly well for his size, and plays in an offense that’ll showcase all of those skills.

And when it came to defense, Cirminiello gushed over the emerging superstar that is defensive end Aldon Smith:

This is the classic example of the modest recruit, who works hard in the offseason, blooms a little late, and catches a lot of people by surprise in his first year. Without much warning, Smith shot up to 6-5 and 255 pounds and routinely busted through opposing offensive lines as a redshirt freshman.

And while you're at CFN, check out its breakdown of the schedules of the teams from every BCS conference. The staff gives each team a worst-case and best-case scenario for the 2010 season and opines that the Tigers could win as many as 10 games or lose as many as six. And the closest thing to a sure bet is that the Big 12 North will be decided with MU's visit to Lincoln on Oct. 30 to face Nebraska.

Photo credit: Columbia Missourian

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Posted in Aldon Smith, College Football, Missouri Tigers Football, NCAA, Preview/Prediction, blaine gabbert

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