Posts Tagged ‘standout quarterback’

Minnesota Vikings And Their Fans Are Counting On Favre Next Season

February 12th, 2010

Brett Favre came to Minnesota for his own personal reasons, but we accepted him as ours over the course of the 2009-10 season. Will he be here in 2010?

Probably not.

There will still be a ton of speculation from now through the end of August. In Minnesota, we have come accustomed to being called 'Loserville U.S.A.' over the past decade or so. Since the Minnesota Twins won their second World Series in 1991, Minnesota has been sad stuck in a sad state of mediocrity. When the Vikings lost to the Atlanta Falcons  in 1998, the Twin Cities were completely heart-broken. ESPN and the NFL Network have replayed the game over the past couple weeks multiple times. Anguish, pain, and having to live with the fact you may have had the best team in NFL history to never have won a Super Bowl is a tough thing to swallow.

It took eleven years to rebuild the hype and it was only here because of one man. KFAN and Clear Channel have decided to put up a billboard in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is begging for him to return to Minnesota. Its basic message is 'Vikings fans love you and want one more year'. After 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions during the regular season, he earned the respect of the league, his teammates, and 'Viking Country'.

That dreaded interception will be remembered for sometime in Minnesota and throughout the nation. Green Bay Packers fans were probably cheering their jealous asses off when Favre made the mistake in the final minute of regulation. I am pleading for Vikings fans to beg No. 4 to give it one more shot in purple. No matter how much pain you feel right now, it can not take away how much fun the season was up to this point.

Tavaris Jackson, Sage Rosenfels, and even a rookie standout quarterback in the NFL Draft are not going to get the Vikings back to the promise land next year. As it stands now, the Vikings will retain the majority of their roster heading into the 2010 season. Chester Taylor, Pat Williams, and of course Brett Favre are the biggest three question marks that need to be answered.

Just remember this over the course of the next seven months before we see another game. Wait, wait, wait.

Who cares about continuity or practice with one another? It didn't matter this season and won't next. If we need to wait until Labor Day weekend to find out whether Favre play again, wait. Green Bay made the mistake of moving forward. They could have easily been in that same position yesterday, but they decided to take another route. We don't have the luxury of an Aaron Rodgers waiting in the whims. We need to make next year, the year it happens.

If it doesn't work out, then you rebuild towards the future. Draft a quarterback this year, let him sit behind Favre and learn the ropes. Don't make the same mistake the Packers did. Don't press him, don't ask him, let him come to you when he is ready. I guarantee you, he will be out there throwing with those high school kids in Mississippi. It happens every summer and it will again. He can lead us to a victory. The offensive line will have one more year together, the receivers are all under contract, the coaches are under contract, and all we need is No. 4 to say "Okay!", one last time.

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Posted in Brad Childress, Brett Favre, Football, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, Opinion, Percy Harvin

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RB Gilbert Moye Leaves Team, Will to Transfer From Missouri

February 9th, 2010

The crowd that is Missouri's offensive backfield has become a little less dense.

Running back Gilbert Moye has left the team and will transfer from the university upon completion of the current semester, school officials confirmed to the Columbia Daily Tribune on Monday.

According to MU beat writer Dave Matter, a source close to Moye confirmed the news, as did team spokesman Chad Moeller, who told the paper Monday evening that the running back has, indeed, parted ways with the team.

Matter reported that Moye intends to transfer to a program from either the Southwestern Athletic Conference or Southland Conference—both of which are part of college football's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA—where he hopes to play his old high school position of quarterback.

Missouri will now enter next month's spring practices with three scholarship running backs on its roster, but that number may very well double entering preseason workouts. The trio of senior Derrick Washington, junior De'Vion Moore, and sophomore Kendial Lawrence will be joined in the fall by freshmen Marcus Murphy (DeSoto, Tx.), Henry Josey (Angleton, Tx.), and Greg White (DeQueen, Ark.), all of whom were part of MU's recent recruiting class.

Considering Moye's past in the MU program—which was laden with variety but light on production—his decision to leave should not be altogether surprising.

A former standout quarterback from Diboll High School in Texas, Moye was quickly converted to the safety position upon his arrival in Columbia in 2007 as one of the country's top-rated "athletes." After a redshirt season, he played in 11 games in 2008, with a significant portion of his time spent on MU's kickoff return unit. All the while, Moye was receiving plenty of reps in practice while learning from one of the best safeties in MU history—current Atlanta Falcon William Moore.

But along with the 2009 season came yet another position switch. In an attempt to utilize Moye's coveted blend of size, speed, and athleticism, the Missouri staff moved him to running back, where the 6'2", 220-pound native of Jasper, Texas, figured to challenge for a backup role.

However, with Washington and Moore entrenched as the team's top two backs, Moye struggled at times with inconsistency and fumbles during preseason workouts in August, resulting in him losing his No. 3 role to Lawrence.

Buried on the depth chart as MU's fourth option at running back, Moye was nearly invisible this past season, rushing for only 35 yards on six carries, all of which came versus Furman on Sept. 19.

 

Photo courtesy of Columbia Daily Tribune.

You can find this article and more at my page at Examiner.com.

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

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Tim Tebow and the Tennessee Titans: Just Crazy Enough To Work?

February 3rd, 2010

This week, as the monstrous spectacle that is the Super Bowl reaches its zenith, there is another story that's warming up, patiently awaiting its turn as the most talked-about NFL event.

Yes, the NFL draft is nearly upon us. Not the literal draft in April, of course. But all things related to it—the scouting combine, the workouts, the media frenzy, the mock drafts—are about to hit full steam.

One of the most intriguing stories is that of former Florida Gators great Tim Tebow.

Where, exactly, will the standout quarterback land? And that's if he even plays quarterback?

Much has been made of where he fits in at the next level. Some well-respected NFL minds—Jon Gruden and Tony Dungy come to mind—have him as a top 10 pick. Gruden even went so far as to say Tebow "could revolutionize the game."

Then there are other established folks who make their living talking football—ESPN's Mel Kiper being the most prominent—who see him as more of a utility player to be eventually converted to another position.

Time will tell, of course.

But suffice it to say that he's the type of player where it will all depend on where he lands. 

So what if the Tennessee Titans were so inclined to pick Tebow?

Considering Vince Young's career resurgence, Tebow's throwing would most likely be limited to Wildcat offense sets or gadget plays.

Then again, the Titans don't use that type of offense very often.

However, if he were to convert to, say, wide receiver or tight end, then things could get interesting for both parties. 

While it's true that Tennessee is adequately stocked at both positions, its run-first offense doesn't see receivers fighting for 90 catches a year.

Throw in the fact that Tebow doesn't have an ego, and it just might work. 

Another intriguing—and downright tantalizing—prospect is the one that has him in the backfield as an alternate H-back or, yes, option quarterback. If the latter were to happen, then you could think of him as the Reggie Bush of quarterbacks. 

He won't get the traditional prolific numbers of the position, but he'll be a game-changer, nonetheless.

If he were to be more of a runner, then that would open up options for the Titans, too— in the form of, well, the option. Opposing defenses would be forced to respect his throwing ability and constantly be on the lookout for gadget plays.

Again, the Reggie Bush comparison holds water in the sense that Tebow could potentially be an all-purpose player that is all over the field, impacting the game in ways that aren't necessarily jaw-dropping on the stat sheet.

So, at the end of the day, what do the Titans do? It's no secret that they're in sore need of defensive playmakers. However, it all depends on who's on the board when it's their time to pick. 

If their first choices are gone, do they settle and go with defense anyhow? Or do they pick Tebow on the count of him being too much talent to pass up, a la New Orleans in 2006?

There are still a little over two months—and two gazillion scenarios—to go, but Tebow as a Titan is definitely worth pondering. 

 

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Posted in Football, NFL, Preview/Prediction, Tennessee Titans, Vince Young

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Boo! Halloween Games Can Be Scary for Tennessee

October 30th, 2009

The defense South Carolina is bringing to Neyland Stadium for Saturday's game against Tennessee is frightening.

The Vols' recent Halloween football history is even scarier.

Tennessee has played a Halloween game only three times in the modern era of college football. Two of them have ended in road upsets.

To be fair, the Vols have won far more than they've lost (11-3) in their Halloween gridiron appearances, beginning with a 10-0 win at Nashville in 1903.

But forgive Vols fans if they automatically think "Steve Taneyhill" when Halloween comes to mind.

In 1992, Taneyhill—South Carolina's freshman quarterback—passed and taunted his way to a 25-24 win over Tennessee. He put the final nail into the coffin of the Vols' SEC championship hopes and brought about the end of the Johnny Majors era in Knoxville.

To be fair, Majors was probably on his way out anyway. With Majors sidelined by heart surgery, the Vols raced out of the gates in '92 under the direction of interim head coach and offensive coordinator Phil Fulmer. By the time the Halloween trip to Columbia rolled around, the Vols were coming off back-to-back losses to Arkansas and Alabama, and the winds of change were blowing.

South Carolina coach Sparky Woods was on the hot seat himself, after South Carolina began its first season in SEC play with an 0-5 record. But on that afternoon in Williams-Brice Stadium, the Gamecocks righted a season's worth of wrongs at the Vols' expense.

Woods, an East Tennessee native, felt slighted by Tennessee when the Vols didn't offer him a scholarship after a standout quarterback career at Oneida, TN, high school, just up the road from Knoxville. Instead, Woods played collegiate football at Carson-Newman College in nearby Jefferson City before going on to a successful coaching stint at Appalachian State.

On that beautiful Saturday afternoon, South Carolina coach Sparky Woods got his revenge, and Taneyhill made a name for himself and his long locks. The Gamecocks smacked No. 16 Tennessee in the mouth, winning 24-23: Their first victory over Tennessee since 1903, and their first win in the SEC.

Tennessee almost came back late, after Mose Phillips scored from midfield on a screen pass—running "through, around, over and underneath defenders from South Carolina," as legendary UT broadcaster John Ward described it, but came up short when James "Little Man" Stewart was stopped short of the goal line by S.C. linebacker Hank Campbell on a two-point conversion attempt.

For the Vols, the loss was eerily similar to a 1987 loss at Boston College.

That Halloween nightmare was also an upset, as the Eagles defeated No. 13 Tennessee 20-18.

And what a nightmare it was. Tennessee had a terrific start to the season spoiled by Alabama two weeks earlier, when the unranked Crimson Tide upset the No. 8 Vols 41-22. But after rebounding for a 29-15 win over Georgia Tech, Tennessee rolled into the Northeast ready to play its way back into the Top 10.

Instead, quarterback Jeff Frances was sidelined by an injury, Tennessee turned the ball over on three of its first four possessions, and gave up nearly 350 rushing yards to B.C., which jumped to a 20-3 lead. The Vols did get a couple of touchdowns from Reggie Cobb late, but it was too little to stave off the upset, as the Eagles earned their first victory over Tennessee since 1940.

Losses to unranked teams on the road in each of their last two Halloween appearances made Vols fans understandably nervous as South Carolina visited Neyland Stadium for a Halloween showdown in 1998. The Gamecocks were again unranked, while Tennessee was No. 3 and nursing hopes of its first national championship in nearly 50 years.

The ghosts of '87 and '92 wouldn't be resurrected on that day; junior quarterback Tee Martin made sure of that. Martin set an NCAA record with 23 consecutive pass completions as the Vols defeated the Gamecocks 49-14. It was one of the all-time greatest single-game performances by a Tennessee quarterback, as Martin finished 23 of 24 for 310 yards and four touchdowns.

A week later, Ohio State had gone down in defeat, and Tennessee was in position for a berth in the first-ever BCS Championship Game.

So it isn't all bad. In fact, there's more pleasant memories than ghoulish ones for Tennessee on Halloween football Saturdays. After a 48-0 setback at Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State) in 1910, the Vols wouldn't lose another Halloween game until that 1987 setback at Boston College, winning eight straight spook day appearances. And UT has never lost at home on Halloween, compiling a record of 6-0.

But as No. 21 South Carolina prepares to visit on Saturday, for Tennessee's first-ever Halloween game against a team ranked in the AP Top 25, the old memories of a certain freshman quarterback dancing on the sidelines as his team shocked the Vols will creep up on Tennessee fans as surely as high school pranksters will spend the evening rolling friends' lawns.

Will 1992 repeat itself? Or will the game take on shades of 1942, when the Vols slammed favored LSU 26-0 at Shields-Watkins Field on Halloween afternoon?

There's no need for ghosts or goblins inside Neyland Stadium on this night. This block party is haunted by Eric Berrys and Eric Norwoods. That should be plenty enough to strike fear into the hearts of Jonathan Crompton and Stephen Garcia. And if history is bound to repeat itself, may it take its cue from Halloween 1970, when Wake Forest ventured into Neyland Stadium and was thrashed, 41-7.

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Posted in College Football, NCAA, Tennessee Volunteers Football, history

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Oklahoma Midseason Report: O-Line Tops Sooners’ Second-Half Concerns

October 21st, 2009

There's a (purportedly) ancient Chinese blessing that goes something like: "May you living in interesting times."

After the way this season has gone, you'll have to excuse Sooner fans if they consider this a curse.

OU's 2009 campaign has brought with it plenty of interesting news, none of it good:

  • Mike Balogun—declared ineligible by NCAA;
  • Jermaine Gresham—torn meniscus in fall camp: out for the season;
  • Tom Wort—torn knee ligament in fall camp: out for the season;
  • Sam Bradford—separated shoulder in first game: missed three games;
  • Ryan Broyles—fractured shoulder blade in fourth game: missed one game;
  • Brian Simmons—undisclosed knee injury in fifth game: out for indeterminate period of time.

Then came the coup de grace in the Red River Shootout against Texas, when standout quarterback Bradford was felled yet again by the same shoulder injury en route to a 16-13 win for the Longhorns . Bradford's season may be finished, along with his OU career.

The first six games of the season proved that the Sooners boast one of the country's best defenses and an offense that—sans their Heisman winner—could be described kindly as a "work in progress." With OU sitting at 3-3, here's a look the state of the Sooners at the halfway mark.

 

Biggest Strength: Defensive Line

OU's defensive line has lived up to its lofty billing so far this season. Stud DT Gerald McCoy ranks among the best defensive players in the country. Jeremy Beal has continued to develop into a top-notch pass rusher and disruptive force up front. Auston English doesn't look too far off from his form of 2007.

The only quibble at this point would be depth. As part of the rotation at defensive end, Frank Alexander hasn't made the same impact this year that he did as a redshirt freshman in 2008. McCoy, in particular, has looked gassed on occasion late in games, suggesting he would benefit from some backups stepping in to give the big fella a break for at least a few snaps.

 

Glaring, Texas-Sized Weakness: Offensive Line

Even with OU losing four starters from last year's decorated offensive line, I—along with most of Sooner Nation—expected little drop-off when the talented newcomers stepped in. Instead, the replacements have struggled to develop any kind of cohesion, to the point that the coaching staff has yet to even settle on a definitive starting lineup or consistent rotation.

To be fair, injuries have ravaged this unit. Center Ben Habern missed almost all of preseason practice with a back injury, leading tight end Brody Eldridge to slide in for him with the first team in the opener against BYU. Starting left guard Brian Simmons went down in the fifth game of the year and may be lost for the season.

 

Worst Appendages: Hands

Drops have plagued the Sooner receiving corp all season. Defenders have bungled easy pick-six opportunities. Ball carriers have fumbled away the pigskin. Special teamers have muffed returns. The offensive linemen can't stop holding.

Some of these guys might be better off on the soccer pitch.

 

Pleasant Surprise: Brandon Caleb

Heading into the season, I had assumed Caleb would be an afterthought in the rotation at wide receiver. In the spring, speculation abounded that he would be moving to defensive back. Instead, the speedster has developed into a decent number two to Ryan Broyles. While the rest of the newcomers at receiver have disappointed, Caleb has exceeded expectations.

 

Unpleasant Surprise: Stephen Good

I don't know whose puppy Good kicked, but the highly touted sophomore o-lineman has affixed himself firmly in the doghouse. Good went from guaranteed starter to barely playing. He should have worked his way into the rotation by now if he was living up to the hype.

 

Biggest Enigma: DeJuan Miller

An impressive physical specimen , the sophomore Miller has caught the attention of OU's mouthiest Sunday morning quarterbacks, who wonder why he's not seeing more action. Apparently, the Oklahoma coaches aren't as enamored with the 6'4", 225-pound New Jersey native 's physical tools.

 

Sophomore Slump: Travis Lewis

On the heels of a breakout redshirt freshman year, Lewis doesn't seem to have hit his stride yet this season. Lewis isn't playing particularly badly. He just hasn't been as much of a factor as he was in '08. Maybe he's already thinking about playing on Sundays?

 

Troubling Trend: Penalties

The Sooners, particularly the offensive line, long ago crossed the line from "overly aggressive" to "undisciplined ." OU is getting dinged for 89.5 penalty yards per game, the most in the country. Even with all the other problems the Sooners have had this year, penalties have almost certainly cost OU at least one game this season. The Sooners simply aren't good enough this season to give away nearly 100 yards per game.

 

Sayonara: Sam Bradford

Slingin' Sam proved his toughness and cemented his legend in Sooner lore this season with his bid to get back on the field. The news that Bradford has been ruled out of Saturday's game against Kansas suggests that he may intend to play again this year.

If Bradford intends to go pro at the end of the season, he should feel no obligation to return in the second half. Of course, if he really wants to play again, OU fans would love to have him back.

Bradford has a news conference scheduled for Wednesday , at which point he is expected to announce his intentions for the rest of the season and beyond.

 

On the Spot: James Patton

Some drop-off in the performance of an offensive line that lost four of five starters from the previous year is understandable; not this much, though. Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson doesn't seem to think talent is an issue , so it's not like the Sooners don't have the raw materials.

Thus, Patton, OU's offensive line coach, needs to earn his money over the last six games. With half the season under their belts, OU's big uglies should start showing some cohesion. If not, it's tough to see the Sooner offense improving much in the second half.

 

Toughest Remaining Game: Texas Tech (Nov. 21)

All things being equal, Oklahoma State looks like the best team remaining on OU's schedule. The Sooners have owned the Cowboys in Norman under Stoops, though.

On the other hand, the Sooners' recent struggles outside the borders of Oklahoma have been well-documented. Take wild and woolly Lubbock, one of the biggest snake pits for visitors in the country. OU has lost two straight on the road to the Red Raiders, with Tech benefiting from questionable officiating decisions both times.

The media loves the mentor-student matchup between Bob Stoops and Mike Leach, so this one will almost certainly end up being a night game on national television. Winning a game like this could be huge for an OU team in transition.

 

Best-Case Scenario: Big 12 Champions

Obviously, Texas now appears to be in the drivers seat for the conference title. The Longhorns, however, have dropped the ball before.

If OU wins out, Texas would have to lose two more conference games to give the Sooners the Big 12 South crown. UT has road night games in the next two weeks versus Missouri and Oklahoma State, so two losses aren't out of the question. Unlikely, but still plausible.

 

Worst-Case Scenario: 5-7

Of Oklahoma's six remaining games, there is about a 0 percent chance the Sooners lose to sad-sack Kansas State, or Texas A&M.

That leaves road trips to Kansas, Nebraska and Texas Tech, as well as the home date with OSU. OU is a eight-point favorite over KU and should be giving points in at least two of the other three. Still, 0-4 isn't completely out of the question.

Projection: 8-4, Cotton Bowl

Assuming Bradford sits for the rest of the year, Landry Jones has shown the chops to steer OU to a solid finish. Combine bad breaks with a rough schedule, and eight wins is a pretty good season.

A chance to butt heads in the Cotton Bowl with an SEC squad such as LSU, or South Carolina would offer a good growing experience for the players returning in 2010, when the Sooners will try to kick off the next decade with a national championship.

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Posted in Bob Stoops, College Football, College Football Predictions, NCAA, Oklahoma Sooners Football, Preview/Prediction, Sam Bradford

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