SB Nation - DeAndre McDaniel

2009 ACC Football Blogger Awards

furrer4heisman — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:00:15 -0000

Last week the mainstream media had its fun handing out hardware for the 2009 ACC football season. I asked the best ACC bloggers around to submit their own ballots for postseason football awards. The results are after the jump. I'd like to give a big thanks to everyone who participated.

Blog	School
ACC/SEC Blog	ACC
On the B.Rink	ACC
Today's ACC Headlines	ACC
BC Interruption	Boston College
Block-C	Clemson
Shakin the Southland	Clemson
Blue Devil Nation	Duke
Scalp Em	Florida State
From the Rumble Seat	Georgia Tech
Testudo Times	Maryland
Turtle Waxing	Maryland
Anton Azucar	Miami
The Seventh Floor	Miami
Tar Heel Fan	North Carolina
Tar Heel Mania	North Carolina
Yet Another...	NC State
From Old Virginia	Virginia
Beer Control Offense	Virginia Tech
College Game Balls	Virginia Tech
Blogger So Dear	Wake Forest

Coach of the Year

Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson is the blogger's choice for 2009 ACC Coach of the Year. Johnson's Yellow Jackets quickly put the kibosh on the notion that the ACC would quickly catch up to his spread flexbone offense. Georgia Tech will participate in its first BCS game when it faces Iowa in the Orange Bowl.

Paul Johnson, GT - 11
Frank Spaziani, BC - 3
Dabo Swinney, CU - 3
Randy Shannon, MIA - 2
David Cutcliffe, DU - 1

Offensive Player of the Year

Clemson's C.J. Spiller was the overwhelming choice for the conference's offensive player of the year, according to the conference's bloggers. Spiller led the league in all-purpose yards with 2,512. He helped lead Clemson to its first appearance in the ACCCG.

C.J. Spiller, CU - 13
Ryan Williams, VT - 4
Josh Nesbitt, GT - 3

Defensive Player of the Year

In the closest vote, Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan took home defensive player of the year honors. Morgan was a terror at defensive end for the Yellow Jackets, leading the league in sacks with 12.5.

Derrick Morgan, GT - 7
Luke Kuechly, BC - 4
Robert Quinn, UNC - 4
DeAndre McDaniel, CU - 3
Nate Collins, UVA - 1
Quan Sturdivant, UNC - 1

Rookie of the Year

Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams was the near-unanimous vote for rookie of the year. The only two bloggers to not vote for Williams gave him their vote for offensive player of the year. Williams led the ACC in rushing yards with 1,538 and scored 19 touchdowns, both ACC freshman records.

Ryan Williams, VT - 18
Luke Kuechly, BC - 2

Saturday NFL Draft watch notes: Clemson/Georgia Tech

Mocking Dan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:45:09 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

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C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson: Spiller might not have optimal size, but he's a top player in every other regard. He's incredibly fast and runs away from just about everyone. His agility is world class and he showcases it in the running game and on special teams.

DeAndre McDaniel, SS, Clemson: Few safeties this season have played as well as McDaniels, a junior. He has eight interceptions, 78 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and two sacks. His size and athleticism is also impressive. He carries a second-round grade and should only get better.

Ricky Sapp, DE, Clemson: Sapp's production has been hot and cold his entire career. He was stellar in the middle part of the season, but struggled in the second half. He's a good 3-4 outside linebacker candidate because of his athleticism and projectable frame.

Jacoby Ford, WR, Clemson: In the right situation, Ford could be a dangerous player in the NFL. He's undersized, but would immediately be one of the fastest players in the league. He's an asset returning kicks and has good enough hands.

Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech: At times this season Dwyer has struggled, leading some to question his conditioning. Dwyer has still looked quick and agile through the hole, but is clearly at his best on the outside. He's hard to take down once he gets up to speed.

Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech: Morgan has shown all season that he's ready for the NFL. He enters today's game with 13 sacks and 19 tackles for loss. But he's much more than just a pass rusher. He's very good against the run and should be able to contribute as a rookie. He needs to improve his conditioning, but is a top 20 talent.

Morgan Burnett, FS, Georgia Tech: Burnett has played closer to the line of scrimmage this season, but still has four interceptions. He's a good all-around safety prospect and has good speed. For teams needing a free safety, Burnett could be a second-round steal, if he comes out.

Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech: The definition of an all-around wide receiver, Thomas can do it all. He's a big target at 6-foot-3 and 229 pounds and has good hands. But his blocking is what has gotten the attention of talent evaluators. He's a powerful player who maintains his assignment impressively.

Our 2009 ACC Blogger Awards Ballot

Brian @ BCI — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:45:24 -0000

More photos » by J. Pat Carter - AP

Miami head coach Randy Shannon is BC Interruption's ACC Coach of the Year. Sebastian the Ibis gives us his stamp of approval on this selection. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter)

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For the second straight year, the SBNation Virginia Tech blog Gobbler Country is hosting a blogger version of the postseason ACC Football Awards. Our ballot is below, and just in time for tomorrow night's ACC Championship Game.

Issues or comments on our ballot go to the comments section.

Coach of the Year - Randy Shannon (Miami Fla.)

With all due respect to Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson, Randy Shannon has our vote for ACC Coach of the Year. Shannon has the Hurricanes back on an upward trajectory, winning 2 more games each year in his first three seasons (5 in 2007, 7 in 2008 and 9 in 2009). Unlike Johnson, Shannon didn't exactly inherit a team that had all the right pieces to work in his system. After putting an end to the Patrick Nix / Robert Marve experiment and installing Mark Whipple as offensive coordinator, the Hurricanes have gone from a team that ranked 89th in total offense in 2008 to 35th in 2009. This year's Miami team is probably a overtime win over Clemson from a BCS bowl at-large berth. Finally, when considering voting for Randy Shannon over Paul Johnson, remember that this matchup was already played on the field with Miami coming away with the 33-17 victory.

Also considered: Frank Spaziani (Boston College), Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech)

Offensive Player of the Year - C.J. Spiller (Clemson)

Although probably not even a top 3 running back in the ACC (Ryan Williams, Jonathan Dwyer, even Montel Harris), Spiller gets the nod for Offensive Player of the Year. Spiller is equally good out of the backfield as he is in the receiving game, and is a game-changer on special teams. We'd go as far to say that Clemson probably doesn't sniff the ACC Championship Game this season without Spiller.

Also considered: Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech), Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech)

Defensive Player of the Year - Luke Kuechly (Boston College)

Call us homers ... but what this true freshman did at linebacker is truly remarkable. Not many true freshman get to start at linebacker in a BCS conference program, but Kuechly took his opportunity filling in for Mark Herzlich and Mike McLaughlin and hit a home run. Kuechly's 142 tackles placed him second in the country behind New Mexico's Carmen Messina. Kuechly also found the end zone for the first time in his career off a 28 yard INT return in a 31-10 win over Central Michigan. Kuechly also literally flew through the air on a Maryland 4th and 1 preventing the Terps from continuing a fourth quarter drive. There were certainly other impressive performances turned in by ACC defenders in 2009, but given the shoes he had to fill and the impact he had on the Eagles Top 25 defense, we give Kuechly the nod here.

Also considered: DeAndre McDaniel (Clemson), Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech)

Rookie of the Year - Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech)

While Kuechly could very well also be the pick here, we'll go with Ryan Williams of Virginia Tech. Williams knocked the ball out of the park filling in for the injured Darren Evans, rushing for 1,538 yards and finishing the regular season 3rd nationally in rushing yards behind Heisman Trophy candidate Toby Gerhart and UTEP's Donald Buckran. Williams rushed for over 100 yards in 9 out of the Hokies 12 games this year, turning in two breakout performances in the Hokies last two regular season games - 120 yards, 4 touchdowns vs. NC State and 183 yards, 4 touchdowns at Virginia. Williams 19 touchdowns on the ground led the conference and placed him tied for fourth nationally.

Also considered: Luke Kuechly (Boston College)

Q/A with Block-C

BirdGT — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:00:26 -0000

More photos » by Richard Shiro - AP

Clemson fans use Block-C as a cyber-shepherd to herd their minds and bodies. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)

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Winfield, before departing on his epic interstate journey, sent Block-C a set of questions. Willy Mac and Chili scribbled some answers down on used napkins and Fed-Exed them back to Winfield. Block-C sent us questions as well and here are our answers. Here are their responses to our questions:

1. Once again, we're gonna ask how many trick plays will Dabo call and how many of these plays will result in turnovers or points for GT (examples: 1, 2, and 3)
Well, the first trick play was an illegal one ya'll ran that should have been called on the field. Who thought CPJ was such a huge fan of The Little Giants? Great movie and I hear that he swears by it, even forcing players to stay extra after film sessions sometimes to watch it. So, in summation I don't know how Dabo runs a trick play for your team... uh... next video. That was Dabo's first game as our interim head coach and you can chalk that one up to first game jitters. We've seen plenty of trick plays, so surely Dabo & company aren't naïve enough to run something they've shown in the regular season against a defense as good as Tech's. I'd say zero as ball management and control will be key issues seeing as they led to our demise against Carolina.

2. Battle Royal in a steel cage. Mike Hogewood, Heather Dinich, John Swofford, Ron Cherry, Ted Valentine, Dean Smith, Jay Bilas, & Bill Curry all enter a steel cage. Who climbs the ladder and takes the ACC Personality Championship Title Belt?
Ok, you gentlemen just mashed three different types of matches up. You really swung for the fences with that one... shoulda hit the abort button. Being from Atlanta, the heart of traditional old school southern wrestling, you guys should honestly know better, be ye Tech nerd or lowly Lavonia-dwelling tire burner. How about this, we'll just make it a Hell in a Cell match? Can we agree to those terms? If we're going with those rules I'd have to choose Mike Hogewood. No one brings destruction like the Hog. He's also the new on air announcer for Ring of Honor. If we're going Battle Royal you gotta go with Swoff as he's squatty and a heel. He loves to fuck people over. He's from the Triangle so he knows the cheap tricks like blading and eye gouging. Ladder match would go to the high flying and nimble Heather Dinich. But all must pay the toll to the Hog first and foremost.

3.With the loss to South Carolina, is it killing any of the Clemson buzz to come to Tampa?
Of course it is. You guys know exactly what we're talking about. Nobody want's to see bumper stickers that say something to the effect of "SEC Dogshit Team 1, ACC Champion 0" you know? But again, every once in a while you have to drop one to little brother so it's not that big of a deal. They're going to crow for a year, then we'll beat them the next three or four times. It feels alright now that we're one week removed because it reminds you that they'll be going to a super shitty bowl game and we are playing for a chance to get a BCS bowl.

4. Willy and Chili, before the game...group hug and a case of beer to wash the wounds away?
Sure, but you better not be looking for an goose up the leg. We know how you Tech guys roll and we aren't into that stuff, thank you kindly good sirs. Also, you're gonna have to get the beer. Look man, we just had to pay the cell phone and cable, we're fresh out of money man. But hey, we're good for it. You know that right? We got you man. Don't worry. Next time man. We know we stiffed you on the last beer run too, but cmon, we're friends... we're good for it.

5. Read into your Clemson crystal ball. What is in Kyle Parker's future?
Seeing as he's way better in baseball and technically he's a junior in that sport, we seem him probably bolting for the money. He's going to be looking at a humongous payday in the MLB and he's a preseason collegiate All-American. Either way, we have a capable back up in Tahj Boyd. We'll have to go through the growing pains again, but this year he's been running the scout team and DeAndre McDaniel (our awesome safety) says that Tahj Boyd is the best quarterback in the ACC that the first string defense has faced this year. So... poot on you guys next year.

Thanks for the response Block-C. We hope you lose.

Previewing Clemson at South Carolina: Q & A with Shakin' the Southland

Gamecock Man — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:27:33 -0000

In an effort to prove that blogging can bring sworn enemies together on a plane of peace and amity, Shakin' the Southland and I got together for a little meeting of the minds to discuss the big game this weekend. (My answers to his questions are forthcoming.)

1. What are your thoughts on C. J. Spiller and the Heisman?

CJ Spiller may be the greatest all around player in Clemson history and has done everything that he can do to help this team win. Unfortunately, Clemson's loss to Maryland coupled with lacking rushing numbers really hurt Spiller's chances. I really wish that Spiller would have been able to pad his numbers with more carries against MTSU (4 carries 12 yards) and Coastal (5 carries 27 yards).

When you look at all Spiller has accomplished this season while being hurt for the majority of the season, his accomplishments from week to week are unbelievable. CJ is the best all-around player I have ever seen. Long and the short of it, CJ Spiller is deserving of the Heisman (and is the most valuable and most all-around complete player in the sport), but I unfortunately don't think that he will win the award.

2. Dabo Swinney has already managed to achieve the goal that so consistently eluded Tommy Bowden: Dabo has won an Atlantic Division title and a berth in the ACC Title Game. What is Dabo doing better than his predecessor, or is this season's success just attributable to the stars aligning?

Coach Swinney does quite a few things better than CTB did. First and foremost, this team is excited and ready each and every week. Bowden repeatedly made comments that his job was not to get the team excited to play football. Swinney has a more emotional fire, and challenges this team constantly. It is apparent to me that this Clemson team plays much harder under Swinney than it did for Bowden.

Second, Swinney has instilled a much more aggressive attitude for this team. Swinney removed OC Rob Spence and DC Vic Koenning and replaced them with Billy Napier and Kevin Steele. Spence's offense, which is rather complex, relied on a series of short passes and screens was replaced with a simplified offense designed to take shots and get the ball in playmakers' (Spiller and Ford) hands. After the UMd game, Swinney and Napier further simplified the Clemson offense and incorporated the TE's much more. Defensively, Clemson under Koenning played a lot of umbrella coverage and was not aggressive. Steele has shown multiple looks, installed more blitz packages, and plays a lot more man/man press coverage. Clemson's ability to create more pressure coupled with good secondary play has created lots of turnovers and 3 and out series for the Tiger defense.

Finally, I think that the players can relate much better to Swinney than Bowden. Swinney personally recruited a large portion of this team, and the players have a tight bond with Swinney (see Spiller turning down entry to the draft last season to return to CU for another season). Swinney is a little younger, more energetic, and looks to be more in-tune with the players.

3. Tell us a little about how this coaching staff has managed to put together an offense that is so much more consistently competent than last year's despite having to go with a freshman quarterback and without former tailback James Davis?

Freshman QB Kyle Parker has all the tools to be really good, he just lacks experience. KP now is better than Cullen Harper was at the end of last season. Also, Clemson has utilized a solid stable of backs (led by Spiller) throughout the season. While I don't know that Ellington/Harper are better than Davis, they certainly provide good depth at the RB position. In defense to both Harper and Davis, I do think that both players would be better if they were on this team as opposed to last season because this team is better fundamentally and strategically.

We wrote about differences we expected from the Spence offense to the Napier/Swinney offense in length before the season at http://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2009/08/dabospence-elaboration.html . I feel this prognosis is still correct. Clemson has a simpler offense this season. The offense tries to exploit defenses utilizing Clemson's best players. After the UMd game, CU further simplified things and incorporated the TE's more, as TE Michael Palmer is the best pass catcher and route runner on the team. Clemson is better up front than last season and is not afraid to stretch defenses with Jacoby Ford's speed. Consequently, I believe that this offense is better because it is more fundamentally sound, tougher, not as complex, and is more strategically focused than one year ago.

4. Clemson seems to be becoming DE U. What's the story there? How do you so consistently keep your roster stocked with such great ends?

Both Sapp and Bowers are from Bamberg and were highly rated coming out of HS. Goodman is from Florence. Clemson has done a great job identifying in-state talent and keeping these guys from leaving the state. Andre Branch (Richmond, Va) has provided some nice depth for us this year. Kevin Alexander has been a solid player his entire CU career both from the end position and at LB. Kourtnei Brown, a JR from Charlotte, is redshirting this season and will provide more depth for the next two seasons.

Clemson has drawn such talent to the school not only by utilizing talented recruiters (Swinney, Napier, Rumph for the guys mentioned above), but also by presenting past successes. Putting Gaines Adams and Phillip Merlin in the pros makes recruiting a lot easier.

5. How on earth did you manage to hold a pretty decent BC team to just over 50 yards? That's unbelievable! Can Clemson's D play like that against Carolina?

Clemson's defense is probably the best and hardest hitting out of Tigertown since Coach Ford's recruits were still competing. That being said, Clemson is fortunate to have a very good and aggressive defensive coordinator in Kevin Steele. Steele is great at putting together personnel and blitz packages that exploit and confuse offenses. This is the main reason for the early season success against BC. However, you need to also remember that BC opened with two inferior (Northeastern and Kent State ) opponents with a relatively young team and a QB controversy going into the Clemson game. Thus, Clemson had better (and more experienced) players, a fantastic strategy, and caught BC at the right time of the year.

South Carolina has not been consistent running the football all year. If the Gamecocks become one-dimensional, Clemson should be able to utilize its superior line to get to Garcia. I think that SC would be more successful running three-step timing routes than hoping Garcia can scramble and make things happen moving around inside and outside the pocket. Clemson has agile and very fast big men who have maintained containment for most of the season. Also, Clemson has some ball-hawks in the secondary, particularly DeAndre McDaniel. If Garcia gets sloppy with the ball, CU will make him pay.

I am a little concerned about Alshon Jeffery and Tori Gurley because of Clemson's aggressive defensive strategy. Both of these guys have a distinct height advantage over both Crezdon Butler and Chris Chancellor. If SC can get these guys on an island, I expect a few jump balls to be thrown in each player's (specifically Jeffery's) direction. Throwing these passes out of a 3-step drop will severely offset Clemson's advantage up front.

The one thing that Clemson has done well all year is make adjustments. Consequently, if South Carolina is going to have success offensively, I would expect to see it before half.

6. Tell us about what this rivalry means to Clemson fans from your point of view.

This rivalry is a big game for the simple fact that there is not a day that passes in this state that Clemson and South Carolina football are not discussed. I think fan's passion about this game has made it a little more important to Clemson's program over the past few years because coaches (Bowden nearly every year since '03 and Swinney last season) were fighting to retain their jobs, and a win over the in-state rival really helps this cause. This game is important for in-state recruiting and for the boosters, as players want to play for winners and boosters want to donate to winners.

Because each resident of the state is either a Clemson fan or a SC fan, everyone knows something about both teams. In fact, most fans make it a point to watch not only their own team's game each week but the rival's also. Such intimacy with the opponent increases the emotion involved all season long until the November rivalry game.

We have kind of gotten used to winning a lot of these games, but that does not change the fact that this one is important to everyone in the state. Coach Ford had a tough time getting over the '87 game, and every now and then you still see a "I Turned Danny In" bumper sticker. Cockfan still complains about the 2000 rendition and the numbers 63 and 17 mean something completely different to residents of this state than they do to the rest of the country. So this game is really an excuse for one side to talk trash to the other, and neither party wants to be on the losing end of that one.

7. Give us a prediction. How will the game go down, who will win, and how confident are you in your prognosis?

I think that this one will get off to a fast start. I fully expect USC to throw the book at Clemson's defense Saturday. I expect SC to do some things similar to what UVa did in the first half, with some single wing/wildcat plays, reverse passes, etc. I think this thing goes into half, knotted at 14 each. Steele makes necessary adjustments at half and CU wins 28-24. I look for a strong showing from the USC defense, but see Spiller, Ellington, and Harper wearing USC down and gashing this defense for large chunk of yards as the game progresses.

Clemson - UVA game film review

DrB — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:45:54 -0000

More photos » by Richard Shiro - AP

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Cavaliers vs Tigers boxscore

Cavaliers vs Tigers recap

This week's film review will be focused a little more on the defense and I will cover every offensive series but not in-depth. I see no big or very descriptive plays to pull out this week either, other than their trick plays. See the end for the summarizing thoughts. Please comment and ask questions on what you dont understand, these take a long time to do well. The goal here is to look for both good plays and bad technique. If theres anything that you would like to see or have explained, just ask. (edited with Tigernet videos)

1st play of the game on defense, UVA botches the handoff. That was on the RB, he never secured it.

Offensive drive, Clemson takes the ball on the 24. All zone runs from CJ. Diehl doesn't quite make the mesh point and fumbles, recovered by Austin. He's just not used to getting the ball. 4th and 2 call, shotgun set and Parker looks to throw on a bootleg. There was no one open and he runs it out of bounds. We ran the ball all the way down here, I would've spread the formation out to throw a dropback pass, or run inside.....but running inside seems to be the better call given that CJ ran the ball well. I would've gone for it instead of kicking however.

No points. Turnover at UVA 5.

Defensive drive: Rashawn Jackson pushes 3 guys forward for extra yardage. In a Nickel set, Gilchrist is in the nickelback and is late charging into a gap when the back comes to him, for a 1st down. Maye charges into the correct gap on 3rd down, but misses the tackle, goes for 3yds, but we still force a punt.

2nd CU Drive starts at the UVA 48. Harper gets nothing because McClain can't budge a guy. Deihl made a great block on the isolation play. Ford on a corner route and slipped for 17. Xavier Dye was open on a fly route in the endzone behind him. Parker hits Allen on a seam route for the TD. Parker looked off the FS to keep him still, but the FS should've made this play. Allen gives a salute, to the fans on the Hill and the military/ROTC guys in the endzone. He didnt even look at the UVA guys when he did it. Bullshit penalty. 7-0 CU. 4 plays 48 yards

Penalty forced Clemson to kick from our 30. UVA returns it 34 yards to our 45. Huge penalty from Ron Cherry's stellar crew.

Defensive drive from the CU 45. Can't stop the Wildcat against a terrible run offense. LBs out of position, not attacking gaps. I see a marginal hold on Bowers. Simpson is merely waiting on his blockers on delayed runs. Maye is held by the Guard on a 14 yd Power play to the CU 2, but he took that blocker head-on and shouldn't have. Still, he did try to turn his shoulder into him. McDaniel and Conner got their feet tangled up, and KA got handled by a RB. Weak KA, weak. Sewell walks into the endzone for the TD on a naked bootleg. Ricky Sapp was on that side and should've had containment, as should DeAndre McDaniel. The entire 2nd level bit on the play-action. 7-7, 6 plays 45 yards

Penalty set this up, but UVA had not been much of a Wildcat team that I'd seen earlier. They changed up their schemes on us and the Defense looked totally unprepared for it.

3rd CU drive starts at our 29. CJ takes a zone run for 14. Dalton Freeman forgets to snap the ball and we get a false start. Ford on a jailbreak/ruboff for a first down, then a comeback route for a first down. End of the 1st QTR. PA pass to Spiller on a wheel route for 26. This play was basically the same play we scored with against Georgia Tech earlier, but CJ was lined up at RB and there was play-action. Ford ran a Post to clear the underneath, and Ashe ran a Dig on the backside. CJ takes a zone with orbit motion for the score. 14-7, 6 plays 71 yards.

Defensive drive starts at the UVA 17. Goodman late on a tackle. Thompson and Goodman get penetration but cant run down Sewell. CLEAR holding call on Goodman there to make him a step late, right in front of Cherry. Screen is well played by Conner and Chavis for no gain. Zone Trap for 3 yard gain on Sapp. Sewell is caught by a backside blitz and throws off his back foot to a wide open receiver, Maye's man. Maye gets the late hit, and he deserved it. Another stupid penalty on Maye in consecutive weeks. UVA runs a Hanford Bunch set, Vic Hall is hit on a flanker screen, then throws back once the defense comes over to make the tackle on Hall. He had all the blockers. Overpursuit by the entire defense. Backside should've kept some containment by the End. Next play is an end-around pass to a wide open TE in the corner of the endzone. Nobody picked up the TE on his release after he initially blocked the DE. Secondary again bit on the initial motion. Chancellor went with the right guy, the LBs responsibility is run-first here. I think this is on the Free Safety. 14-14, 7 plays 83 yards

4th CU Drive starts at the CU 39. LB comes untouched around McClain and hits the mesh point, but doesnt know who to tackle. McClain apparently going to the DE with the RT headed to the OLB. I wonder what the hell McClain is thinking, in zone you block head-on when you are covered, you dont zone step right. Borderline late hit on Parker, not called. Marquan Jones catches a bubble, where has he been? Parker threads a needle into triple coverage on Palmer, great throw but a little late. Harper takes two Isolations for good yards. Ford gets an end-around, same play we ran against NC State last week. Good blocks by Palmer and Ellington downfield. Parker throws one away when the rush gets to him, but I thought everyone was covered when I saw it live. He might've been able to thread one in the back of the endzone. McClain again whipped on CJ's subsequent run that gets stopped. Dye can't get a foot down, incomplete. Throw was high. Jackson FG 17-14, 13 plays 57 yards

Antoine McClain is pissing me off. I don't think highly of Walker yet but McClain makes him look like a Pro Bowler.

Defensive drive starts from the 6. UVAs returner cant catch footballs, and didnt all day. Simpson hesitates going into his hole. Bowers holds and controls his blocker. On 3rd & 11 Vic Hall runs a great route and great throw for a 1st. Maye forces the fumble and Chancellor recovers at the 24.

5th CU drive at the 24. Parker blitzed and throws it away. Screen pass batted down, Parker didnt move his feet at all. He finds Ford in the endzone on the next play for 24 yards, deep post route. Parker was behind the LOS by a half yard. 24-14 CU, 3 plays 24 yards

Defensive drive starts from the UVA 20. 1:52 on the clock. They run one play, and let the clock run. On 2nd down we call timeout with 1:05 left. Dabo trying to get more? They run short for the 1st down. They want to run the clock off, but since we cant get off blocks and get tripped, they get 22 yards on one play with 40 seconds left and get a shot for the endzone. Burd drops a pass. Butler playing soft and they get out of bounds on an out/hitch. Conner gets through his hole too late and the back gets the 1st down. Brewer beaten on a return route for 13. Then they finally take their first timeout with 8 secs left. A wheel route to Simpson, Hall not there to help Maye. I think he should be but the post route kept him occupied long enough. Perfect throw and catch. 24-21 9 plays 80 yards

They weren't even trying to score, they wanted to run the clock out. We called timeout at 1:05 on the UVA 27. I know what Dabo is thinking, and don't blame him. We could get a punt return TD or good field position at midfield or better and put this game on ice. He has faith in his defense to stop them, they couldnt.

Halftime

Defense: Caught by tricks and misdirection. I thought we were more disciplined than that, but we overpursued, didnt get off blocks, lost containment on the edges, and had blown coverages by the Safeties. The Cavs deserve credit for doing things that they hadnt all year with trick plays, and they made a great catch at the end of the half. If they'd stuck with their conventional offense, i doubt they'd have scored twice.

UVA 230 yards, 114 passing 116 rushing

Offense: nothing much to complain about other than McClain's missed blocks. Very efficient for Parker, good running game, no drops. Spiller 9 carr, 39 yards, 3 rec 31 yards.

CU 224 yards, 152 passing, 72 rushing

3rd qtr

1st CU drive starts at CU 22. Zone read by Parker for 19. Spiller steps out on a flare route, looks hurt. Parker overthrows a deep post to Ford. Parker misses Spiller underneath, Spiller didnt seem to be looking for the ball to come to him. Parker had to throw it since they were running a twist into the gap, shouldve waited anotehr half second. Punt.

Spiller seemed totally unenthused with being out there after that flare route catch.

D: 3 & out, finally. I knew they wouldnt score again at this point.

2nd CU drive starts from the CU 34. Ellington is in at RB. Sprint-draw PA to Ford for 28 yards. Dye on an out for 13, his foot was down. Ron couldnt screw us. Ellington inside zone with orbit motion for 13, then hard running and good push by the left side for the TD. 31-21 CU 6 plays 66 yards

D: 3 & out. They go back to the Wildcat with Vic Hall, and we manage to jump into the gaps and get free from blocks off the corner. KA sacked Sewell, Conner NAILED Vic Hall within the 5 yd contact zone. Same situation that Maye got called a PI for last week.

3rd CU drive from our 40. Spiller back in. Rendrick bulldozes Dowling for a 1st down, where has that been? Harper 5 tough yards on an Iso. Cloy playing some RG here. Spiller stopped on some zone runs. Parker's pass to Ford in the back of the endzone is tipped by a Robber, or it would've been 6. Jackson FG 34-21, 9 plays 34 yards

D: 3 & out. Sack by Cumbie. End of 3rd quarter. Missed tackle on the completion to Burd, appeared to be McDaniel but Maye got over.

4th CU drive from our 33. 3 & out. Spiller on a sweep for 2, well defended. Taylor tackled shy of 1st down, Spiller knocked for loss on a Power. Looked like the RT in on this play missed Collins, who blew up the play. There were some backups in up front. Punt.

D: 3 & out. Good disciplined pursuit up front, good LB play. Andre Branch has a sack and lets him free, review shows him down. How Ron Cherry missed that I dont know, he was RIGHT behind him, not 3 yards away and looking at his feet. Again the booth ref isnt in on Ron's shenanigans.

5th CU drive from the UVA 40. Spiller zone for 1. Inside guys not moving anyone there. Hairston missed his man on a ruboff screen to Ford. Parker has ample time to find a receiver on 3rd & 4 PA, and doesnt see anyone. There was someone open on the backside but Parker never looked, but to the playside no one was really open. Jackson Missed 52yd FG.

I would've gone for this first down at their 35. I believe we could've made it if it was a little swing pass to Spiller.

Defensive drive from the UVA 35. Sapp is held, and Sewell finds a wheel route to Jones, matched on Gilchrist for 38. Rennie Moore sacks Sewell, intentional grounding call for loss of 17. Sewell is sacked on 3rd & 28, but Conner gets a personal foul on a helmet-to-helmet contact. I think its total bullshit. Conner is coming at Sewell, and he drops just before Conner gets there so it became helmet-chest contact. Conner's head hit Sewells shoulder pad and vice versa. Conner makes up for it by charging up the B gap and making a TFL, Gilchrist knocks a pass down in the seam on good coverage. Chancellor there in coverage on 4th down pass, and knocks it away. Turnover on downs.

6th CU drive, the offensive line has been shifted to more backups the last 3 drives, and thats the primary reason we can't run the football. Lambert doesnt feel like blocking on a screen, but they played it well. Punt.

Defensive drive from the UVA 32. Sapp and Maye finally get Sewell down for a sack after Maye missed him in the backfield, Burd gets a deep cross for a first down to our 41, Chavis misses a sack when he had him cleanly. Campbell and the nickelback both blitz and Campbell brings him down. Campbell knocks the next pass away from Vic Hall. Rennie Moore gets another sack, good jump and technique. Turnover on downs.

Clemson takes a knee. End of game

Summarizing thoughts

Defense didn't blitz as much as I expected early, they were on their heels. In the 2nd half I think we blitzed a little more, but it was predominantly better play by the defensive line getting off blocks and shooting the gaps. LBs played better, particulary Conner. Chancellor was excellent in coverage, and went unmentioned because of it. I knew Steele would shut it down in the 2nd half.

Bowers probably got in on 10-15 plays tops.

Offensively we just executed, theres not much to say. Route running was ok that I saw, blocking was good in the 3rd quarter but fell off in the 4th when we put in the backups. Jacoby Ford had a great day, he pretty much returned every kick and had 100+ yards receiving.

Kyle Parker didnt miss many throws at all, much better day for him in terms of efficiency.

Red zone issues remain.

I was just disappointed we didnt leave the 1st team OL in there to block for CJ and let him break one. I think he lost something after that flare pass, and he looked tired afterwards. The 2nd team had a noticable dropoff.

Special teams was sound, but not spectacular. We hit the EXTRA POINTS, but kickoff coverage was a bit lax a couple times. I'm surprised we didnt recover a kickoff fumble since their returner sucks.

FULL SCREEN VERSION

In the Treatment Room: Florida State's Christian Ponder Separates Shoulder in Loss to Clemson Tigers

TrueCubbie — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:42:13 -0000

More photos » by Mary Ann Chastain - AP

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In the 40-24 loss to the Clemons Tigers in Death Valley, the Seminoles may have lost more than the game. Late in the fourth quarter, Christian Ponder suffered a separated his throwing shoulder while forcing Clemson Safety DeAndre McDaniel out of bounds during his return of Ponder's fourth interception of the game. Ponder could have easily tried to tackle him high, dive at the turf or simply get out of the way. Instead, he decided to take McDaniel head on. Unfortunately, as soon as Ponder stood up after the hit, it was clear that he had injured his shoulder. The positioning of his arm on the sideline suggested that he was in pain.

In this edition of 'In the Treatment Room,' TNation takes a closer look at shoulder separations and what this might mean for Christian Ponder and the remainder of the Seminoles' season.

Unfortunately, the shoulder is one of the more complicated joints in the body, which is also why it is one of the most dynamic joints in the body. Think about all of the various directions you can move your shoulder and compare that to your knee or hip. The ability of the shoulder to have so much movement results from the multiple boney and muscular elements in that area as illustrated in this image:

Photo from here.

The three primary bones that make up the shoulder joint are the humerus (your upper arm), the clavicle (your collar bone) and the scapula (that triangular bone on your). We must also consider that sandwiched between all of that is your rib cage. The other important elements to note in the photo are the rotator cuff (which is composed of the tendons of the four muscles listed above) the bursa (which is a fluid filled sac that acts as a cushion) and the Acromioclavicular Joint (the is where a portion of the scapula and clavicle come together). Here are two other images of the shoulder that demonstrate the complexity of the joint and show the neurovascular tissues that run through that area:

Photos from here and here.

Typically, when athletes suffer a shoulder separation, it occurs at the Acromioclavicluar (AC) joint. The AC joint is a key part of the shoulder in that it allows rotation in three different planes: moving your arm out to your side (abduction and adduction), rotation of the clavicle and permitting your scapula to move away from your body. The joint is supported by two ligaments: AC ligament and Coracoclavicular. The upper portion (superior) of the AC ligament is the most important ligament in stabilizing the joint for daily activities. You can feel your AC joint by running your fingers out to the lateral edge of your clavicle. Lift your arm out to your side. Where you feel that flexion/rotation point is your AC joint.

A shoulder separation typically occurs when there is a direct blow to the shoulder, just like Ponder's hit, or falling on to an outstretched arm, like Lance Armstrong falling off his bike. Keep in mind that a shoulder separation and dislocation are two entirely different injuries. A dislocation occurs when the head of the humerus is forced out of the joint. This is the injury that athletes get their shoulder "popped back in." The separation occurs, as described above, at the acromioclavicular joint. The most common presenting sign of the separation is pain, which can be quite severe. Other signs of trauma to the shoulder may also be apparent.

If a shoulder separation is suspected, an X-ray is typically performed to help grade the injury and to identify and possible fractures.

Here is a normal shoulder x-ray:

Photo from here.

Here is an image of a separated shoulder:

Photo from here.

As you can see in the image on the bottom, there joint between the acromion and clavicle is...separated. There isn't that nice alignment that we see in the upper image.

AC Separations are graded based on the severity using the Rockwood Classification:

Grade I: A sprain without a complete tear of either ligament.

Grade II: Tear of the AC ligament with an intact coracoclavicular ligament. The end of the clavicle is not raised.

Grade III: The AC and Coracoclavicular ligaments are both torn. The end of the clavicle is raised 5mm.

Grade IV: The end of the clavicle is pushed behind the AC joint. There is usually a clear deformity at the end of the clavicle.

The treatment of a shoulder separation is dependent on the grade of the tear. As these injuries are quite painful, they are treated with NSAIDs (Motrin etc) and Narcotics and ice. With Type I injuries, a sling is typically used until range of motion exercises can be done without pain. Type II injuries usually require a sling for one to two weeks followed by rehabilitation. Some say that heavy lifting and contact sports should be avoided for 6-12 weeks after this kind of injury. But as we saw with Sam Bradford, he returned rather quickly...but re-injured his shoulder. If the ligament isn't allowed to completely heal, you can easily turn a Grade II sprain into a Grade III.

In general, Grade III and higher separations require surgery. Depending on the type of individual, some Grade III injuries may be managed medically. Surgery typically involves an open procedure (meaning not arthroscopic) to repair the damaged ligaments and structures. This can either be done with various devices screwed across the joint. Patients will remain in a sling for approximately 2 weeks, after which rehab will begin. If a non-absorbent screw is used, it will be removed 6 weeks after the original surgery.

Grade I and Grade II injuries usually do very well and recover to pre-injury ability. Some individuals do report chronic mild pain, but are typically not significant.

We don't have the full details of Ponder's injury yet. It will be likely that he gets an MRI to evaluate the extent of damage to the ligaments involved. Let's hope that it is only a Grade I or II sprain, avoiding surgery. Given Ponder's potential, one would hope that the athletic trainers and coaching staff will shut him down for the rest of the season. Forcing the issue with a shoulder separation can lead to disastrous results. Ask Oklahoma. If Ponder is able to return, Florida would likely be the first game that he would be available. With the potential that he has demonstrated and the trajectory that this offense has shown, let Ponder recover and look toward a better year next year.

What are your thoughts? Was last night Ponder's last game of the season? Should it be his last game?

The Conversation: Talking the Clemson Tigers with Shakin' The Southland.com

FSUncensored — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:56:17 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

C.J. Spiller has a chance to win major Heisman votes against FSU on national television Saturday night. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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This week our guest is Dr. B of Shakin The Southland.com We really like what these guys do and since it is one of the ACC blogs we recruited over to SBNation (parent network), I read them every day. Dr.B has some coaching or playing experience and if you enjoy our writeups on scheme and strategy, you'll really enjoy his work over there. I always feel like I learn something when I read their articles. Our answers to his questions there. Our questions first and their answers follow in the shaded text boxes.

We'll start with the program. What's going on with Clemson. Do you think Swinney has his ship on the right course? I've heard talks that the administration is concerned with improving Clemson academics, no matter the consequence to the athletic department. Is that true, and if so, does it change the way you evaluate Swinney?

There has been considerable press amongst the fans about certain bloggers and their opinion of the program and AD Terry Don Phillips' leadership of it. There have been some off-the-field issues among the staff and the higher-ups in the AD as well. Also, a fight on the field amongst the coaches that seems to have been overblown. But, I think these bloggers could've put their opinions and the facts they used out there in a better way. I dont necessarily disagree with them either however.

Academics has always been a battle with athletics here. The Admin wants us to be Top 20 (public) nationally and they have kinda skewed the relevant stats to get us up there in the Top 25 now. It means my degree is worth more, but I dont really care about the Top 20 goal. I would rather us be good at football, get our program established, and then tighten up academics. Theres no reason you can't do well at both, and I want Clemson to be great at both, but I think its easier to do with lower standards for football to start.

Leaving that aside, I think the AD has given Swinney considerable support in some areas. We've added many administrative/support positions to the staff with good people that were not here previously. That will help pay off long-term.

My opinion of Swinney and Napier is still wait-and-see. Tammy looked like chicken salad one week, and chicken shit the next against teams we should beat. See Miami and Maryland for examples of how it has continued. I just want to see a trend of us playing well against good AND bad teams to say he's not Tommy-lite.

I've said all along, he gets 3 full years from me to improve the program. Not 4 because he was from the old staff and he recruited these guys, but it takes time to overcome terrible coaching. I'll critique, but I won't call for his head til then.

I've been big on trying to get FSU fans to have realistic expectations for Florida State. For instance, I proffered that when operating at reasonably peak efficiency, FSU should expect to win the Atlantic 3 of 5 years (as for the championship game, that's a bit of a tossup unless I know which program FSU would face). All fan bases will have their nut jobs who think their team should be favored to win the MNC every year, but what do you think a reasonable goal for Clemson should be for a 5 year period?

I expect Clemson to compete for the division every year, to win it at least every other year, depending on graduation, losses, etc. In a 5 year period, I'd say we should win it 2-3 times and it should come down to the two of us. The other teams will sneak in every few years. I don't think 3 ACC titles in a decade for Clemson is asking too much.

We know we can recruit, especially with this all-star recruiting staff, and with the facilities improvements done and another endzone construction possible in a few years, that should get even better. FSU and Miami will always have an advantage in recruiting, but we can be consistently a Top 15 team in those recruiting rankings, and that means that we should be right there fighting for the division/ACC.

Continue reading for more, and some Hank!

I have to say I am quite impressed with your defense. Steele is an excellent coach and you've held everyone well under their season average. (Including Georgia Tech in Atlanta, considering the Yellow jackets scored on a punt return and a fake field goal pass play). FEI currently ranks you guys 6th, but pretty much on par with Bama, Florida, BC, Iowa, and UNC. In fact, they've held that lofty ranking for most of the year. Do you think they've improved as the season has progressed? Why/ Why not. And do you think they will continue to improve, stay the same, or take a step back? Also, since we'll be getting a new DC, probably from Alabama (Smart/ Sunseri), how has the implementation of the pattern reading gone?

We're still playing more man-free and 2-Man than matchup, but I expect this defense to be even better next year at pattern reading. Its really difficult to tell, with our DL eating up pretty much everyone we've faced, how good our secondary really is playing, but we still get alot of coverage sacks. WF's guys never got open. Maryland basically got 2 or 3 big plays on them and that was it. BC, well....that was the most horrible offensive performance i've ever seen. Andy Dalton (TCU) was probably the most efficient QB we faced, and his receivers were great at catching the ball. Jacory Harris is very good, but I think our defense did well to limit him. Still 280 of UM's 400+yards came on 10 plays. Even had we lost that game, I don't think I'd have blamed the secondary coverage, they really ate us up running the ball more than anything.

DL has gotten better inside, more than at End. The inside guys use their hands really well and Jenkins can be unstoppable if properly motivated. They got a bit sloppy against Coastal Carolina at times, but I have been nothing less than ecstatic about our line play this season.

Our LBs have been the weakness. They are fast but dont play with great instincts, and overpursue, and take angles that get them blocked out on plays. Maye is a mean and extremely fast player at MIKE, but sometimes he does the stupidest things and runs right into a blocker square, instead of driving the shoulder into his chest.

Our safeties are both going to be All-Americans next year if DeAndre McDaniel doesnt leave for the NFL. I really Rashard Hall could be that good, the other two play a lot but arent as good as he is, he never misses assignments. They could take better angles at times on run plays, but otherwise they are outstanding.

Overall, opposing drives here and there this year have gotten scores almost entirely because the D took a drive off when it came to tackling.

Perhaps overlooked because of their poor start and the excellent play of the defense and a top ten special teams unit, the offense has really improved, from something like 65th best a few weeks ago to 34th as of the last measurement. With a Freshman quarterback, how have they done it? I know the line played poorly early in the year, as did Parker, but what has been the major catalyst behind this improvement, or has it been a combination? Has there been a new approach?

The changes post Maryland: Attack the underneath with backs and TEs, use less motion, not change personnel as often, and throw fewer screens and passes to the WRs.

At Maryland and prior, it was Jacoby Ford and our young WRs as the focus. For Wake and afterward, we've hit TE Michael Palmer over the middle and CJ Spiller in the backfield/flats much more. Last week we tried shifting back to the WRs and it showed in poor execution (Spiller was kept out to heal his turf toe, and Palmer had a concussion).

The OL has improved a little, but I'm not thrilled with their run blocking at all. I would not say they are the reason we've done better offensively. Pass blocking, aside from one half against GT's Derrick Morgan, has been very good. Parker is progressing, but still does stupid things that you'd expect from a freshman, at times. We've done our best against man/man coverage teams, not so well against zone.

I've only been to Clemson once (the game Bobby threw to save Tommy's job in 2003). Top row, sandals and shorts, 35 degree weather, pneumonia, etc. That place is louder than the Swamp. I've never been to LSU, however, and I know you have. Which Death Valley is louder?

I wrote this http://clempsonfootball.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-gameday-at-lsu-is-like-from-eyes.html over the summer on the old site to describe what LSU is like. I love our Valley, but given the football success at LSU and the much-more-raucous student section, on average I would say LSU is louder. They'll go nuts playing Tulane; Clemson doesnt go nuts playing Furman. Now, Clemson is capable of being louder by a good bit, when our fans are into it. Its kind of hard to get so totally into Noon games, and thats all we seem to get. Since we haven't had a meaningful night game in Death Valley lately, this saturday should really be rocking.

Thanks again to Dr.B and Shakin The Southland.com Make sure to head over there later for our answers to their questions.

ACC Blogger's Roundtable- Week

FSUncensored — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:45:14 -0000

This week's round table is hosted by FromTheRumbleSeat.com, our friends from GTech. FSU44 provides our answers!

1. Alright fellas, this is your turn to apologize to the Boston College Eagles who went to Hell and back and have now arrived as the 3rd team for the ACC (and only team in the Atlantic) to be bowl eligible. You know you were snickering in the preseason. Also, give a high five to Mark Herzlich for finishing his last treatment of chemo.

We're sorry. The Eagles play great defense and have also done a nice job avoiding GTech and Miami in the Coastal. Nice job Mark!

2. An Orange Bowl victory over a Boise/ TCU or an Orange Bowl victory over a Penn State/ Cincy team - which means more for the conference? Is there even a difference?

Not a big difference, but if the ACC champ does beat Boise/TCU, the media will just use that as proof that the non-BCS team was overrated. So, beating No. 1 in the Big East or No. 1/2 in the Big Ten is probably better.

3. Enough with the CJ Spillers, the Christian Ponders, and the Jacory Harrises. We wanna talk defense. Who is the defensive POTY thus far in the ACC?

DeAndre McDaniel, Derrick Morgan, Allen Bailey, in that order.

4. Recently, Bird compared the Atlantic to the Big 12 North.Is this a fair comparison? The Coastal is currently 8-2 against the Atlantic. There are still 8 interdivision games left. Can the Atlantic redeem itself this season?

No, the Atlantic won't redeem itself, but several of the Atlantic's losses, e.g. FSU to Miami and Clemson to GT, could have easily gone the other way. The gap at the top of each Conference (if you can find the top of the Atlantic) probably isn't as great as the results indicate.

5. Tailgating is essential to all things football. In Atlanta, the tailgating game of choice is cornhole. What is your game of choice to pass the time?

Beirut, aka Beer Pong. In order to deal with FSU's "defense," some of us in Tallahassee have switched out the beer for liquor.

6. Let's cut to the chase. There are two kinds of people: sheep and sharks. Sharks are winners and they don't look back 'cause they don't have necks. Necks are for sheep. Is your team full of sharks or is your team full of sheep?

FSU has sharks on offense, and on defense, a mixture of Sharks who were never taught how to swim properly and Sheep who have no idea they are Baaaing all over the field.

7. Create a cocktail in the spirit of your school and explain it to us. Non-edible ingredients are allowed and encouraged.

In a chilled shotglass, pour half Goldschlager every time the offense scores a touchdown-- Every time the defense allows a touchdown, fill the other half with Aftershock. Drink and repeat, and pray that you are 1) still standing by the end of the game, and b) that your last shot is only half full.

ACC Blogger Rountable Week Whatever: Apologies to BC, But the Atlantic Is Terrible

Ben Broman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:43:40 -0000

1. Alright fellas, this is your turn to apologize to the Boston College Eagles who went to Hell and back and have now arrived as the 3rd team for the ACC (and only team in the Atlantic) to be bowl eligible. You know you were snickering in the preseason. Also, give a high five to Mark Herzlich for finishing his last treatment of chemo.

Herzlich, considered yourself high-fived.

Actually, I wasn't laughing that much at BC - these guys always seem to roll out solid seasons no matter who's on the team...it's kind of scary. I also thought NCSt was getting a bit too much love. Unfortunately, I thought Maryland was getting too little, so my predictions are basically just crappy guesses.

Anyway, I didn't think BC would be bowl eligible this quickly or be this good, so, to BC Interruption: Sorry.

2. An Orange Bowl victory over a Boise/ TCU or an Orange Bowl victory over a Penn State/ Cincy team - which means more for the conference? Is there even a difference?

A win over Penn State or Cincy does so much more. I'm of the belief that TCU and Boise State are great teams, and beating them might actually be more of a challenge than beating Cincinnati or Penn State, but much less good comes from that in terms of national perception. Beat TCU and Boise, and the critics will simply say they haven't played any really good teams (or played them too early in the season) and didn't belong in a BCS game. They can't, or at least won't, say that about another BCS opponent.

3. Enough with the CJ Spillers, the Christian Ponders, and the Jacory Harrises. We wanna talk defense. Who is the defensive POTY thus far in the ACC?

The defensive player of the year is always a controversial award, in my opinion, because it's tough to compare the contributions of a defensive end to the contributions of a linebacker to the contributions of a cornerback - they're measured in different ways, different stats are more important, and sometimes the best of them won't have much of a direct impact at all. That's not quite true for the offensive side: yardage and TDs tend to be the most important, and while the number of them can change depending on the position, there are well established standards as to what's good, what's outstanding, and so forth, that don't really exist defensively.

All that said, I'm going with Derrick Morgan. I can't really justify why, but that's my feeling. His stats are impressive, and whenever I watch GT, I always hear his name called a ton, even moreso than DeAndre McDaniel for Clemson, who was my second choice.

4. Recently, Bird compared the Atlantic to the Big 12 North.Is this a fair comparison? The Coastal is currently 8-2 against the Atlantic. There are still 8 interdivision games left. Can the Atlantic redeem itself this season?

Looking at the remaining eight games, I can't say I feel confident. Best case, the Atlantic goes 4-4, and that's a bit of a stretch to me. It's clear the Atlantic is miles worse than the Coastal this year, but they still don't come close to the B12N. The difference is astronomical: in the South, there's a legit four teams that could end up ranked, one of whom is a national title contender. In the North, there's...well, there's Kansas State, leading the conference at 5-4 and got destroyed by the 4th place team in the other conference.

The Atlantic isn't that bad yet: Clemson had a good win over Miami, and BC's been solid. We're not great, but we aren't that pathetic.

5. Tailgating is essential to all things football. In Atlanta, the tailgating game of choice is cornhole. What is your game of choice to pass the time?

Call me old-fashioned, but I don't play too many games when I tailgate. When I do, it's normally the time-tested tradition of throwing the pigskin around in the parking lot, usually hitting anywhere between three and seven cars in about 12 minutes (hey, I'm eating a hotdog at the same time, and the cars are moving!).

6. Let's cut to the chase. There are two kinds of people: sheep and sharks. Sharks are winners and they don't look back 'cause they don't have necks. Necks are for sheep. Is your team full of sharks or is your team full of sheep?

Sheep. There was a story, I don't know if it's true or not, that after the Duke loss - one of the worst losses in the Ralph Friedgen era and the marker that that era is finally coming to its end - all the guys were on the bus ride back and somebody cracked a joke, causing the entire team to start laughing. Friedgen stands up at the front of the bus and shouts "What's so funny?", throwing in a few expletives in for good measure. After a three second awkward silence, the bus erupts in laughter.

Yeah, we're sheep.

7. Create a cocktail in the spirit of your school and explain it to us. Non-edible ingredients are allowed and encouraged.

I'm not really a cocktail guy, but if I was, there'd have to be Old Bay in it - this is Maryland after all, dammit.

Basically, just take a strong liquor - we're watching this team play football, remember - throw some Old Bay in there, a healthy dose of argument and inability to get shit done. Hey, you said non-edible, you never said it had to be tangible.