SB Nation - D.J. Swearinger

Denver Broncos News: Horse Tracks - 6/17/13

Tim Lynch — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:00:06 -0000

Optimistic Broncos still have a fundamental question to answer - Denver Post
Scan the Broncos roster, their division brethren and their offseason moves, and there is a lot to like about whats to come when the team reconvenes for training camp next month.

Jon Heath Sports Media: Broncos' DT Kevin Vickerson Encourages Kids to Tackle Properly
On Friday, former Detroit Lions and Hall of Fame defensive back Lem Barney spoke at the Sound Mind Sound Body Football Academy.

Denver Broncos News & Blogs

Broncos Will Keep Busy During Time Off | DenverBroncos.com
Although Broncos players will spend their time off until training camp doing a variety of different things, the one constant is that everyone will stay busy.

Kickin' it with Kiz: Ball will roll for Broncos - The Denver Post
Bad move. It was downright stupid for the Broncos to let running back Willis McGahee go.

Broncos' receiving corps poses balanced attack - The Denver Post
Peyton Manning is part owner of the NBA Memphis Grizzlies and point guard of the Broncos offense.

Dads, Super Bowls, and HOF Speeches | Bronco Planet
One of my favorite moments of Super Bowl XXXII between the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos was late in the game when the camera zoomed in on Jack Elway in the box.

NFL News and Blogs

Darrius Heyward-Bey to get more looks with Colts than with Raiders - SBNation.com
Darrius Heyward-Bey could be in for a big 2013 season now that he's with a wide-open Colts offense.

Ryan Broyles is biggest surprise at Lions minicamp - SBNation.com
Despite two ACL injuries in 13 months, Broyles could be ready for a breakout season in 2013.

Perry Fewell thinks defenses will stop read-option in 2013 - SBNation.com
The read-option may intimidate some coaches, but don't count Fewell among those nervous to combat it.

D.J. Swearinger will contribute for Texans early on - SBNation.com
D.J. Swearinger is turning heads in offseason workouts, and coach Gary Kubiak thinks he can be a major contributor in his rookie season.

Alex Green emerges as Packers starting RB - SBNation.com
Green Bay Packers running back Alex Green gets the benefit of the doubt and the starting job, but he could be on notice heading into training camp with two promising rookies in waiting.

NFL Quarterbacks as TV Dads - SBNation.com
It's Father's Day! Celebrate with two of your favorite pastimes coming together for one very special moment.

NFP Sunday Blitz | National Football Post
Monte Kiffin shares the secrets of a coaching tree; best father-son coaching combos and a whirl around the league.

NFL news roundup: Bengals on 'Hard Knocks', Victor Cruz wants to get paid

James Brady — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:07:07 -0000

The Cincinnati Bengals will be the next team to be featured on HBO's Hard Knocks, as reported early Saturday. While many teams around the league are wary of the documentary, the Bengals are likely to announce soon their involvement with the show. This would be their second appearance: they were featured in 2009 as well.

Cincy Jungle examined why the Bengals might have accepted the opportunity to be on the show a second time:

In accepting NFL Films' offer for the second time in the last five years, the Bengals appear to be expressing confidence in the ability and focus of their young players.

Here's what else you might have missed from Saturday:

Green finished minicamp as starter

Green Bay Packers running back Alex Green was put on notice when the team drafted Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin in the 2013 NFL Draft, but Green is being given a chance to show that he really wasn't healthy in 2012. Green started and finished the Packers' minicamp as the starter, and he will likely enter training camp in the same role in late July.

Cruz wants some serious bank

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz signed his restricted free agent tender on Friday, but only because he wanted to meet a deadline. He still wants a new contract, and it was reported on Saturday that Cruz was looking for no less than an average of $9 million per season. That's an awful lot of money for a slot receiver.

That said, as noted at Big Blue View, the Giants could be risking a disastrous situation next season, one in which both Cruz and No. 1 receiver Hakeem Nicks would hit free agency at the same time:

The Giants currently have slightly more than $3.3 million in salary cap space for 2013, including the Cruz tender. If Cruz and the Giants are unable to come to a deal it looks like they will head into next offseason with both Cruz and Hakeem Nicks eligible to head into free agency.

Houston thinks Swearinger will contribute early

This year saw one of the best draft classes at safety in some time. D.J. Swearinger was among that class, going at No. 57 overall (second round) to the Houston Texans. Swearinger might have been a first-round pick in a weaker class, and he was considered a future starter in the lead-up to the draft. Now news out of Houston's minicamp is that Swearinger is impressing and could see a lot of playing time early on, especially given Ed Reed's injuries.

Giants confident they can stop the read option

The Philadelphia Eagles brought in Chip Kelly as their new head coach, and he plans on running plenty of read option plays with Michael Vick as the quarterback. New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said on Saturday that he isn't worried about the read option, and that his team will have no trouble defending it. He likened it to the wildcat offense, which took the NFL by storm but has since faded away.

More from SB Nation:

• Bengals picked for "Hard Knocks"

• Pats’ Gronkowski schedules back surgery

• Watch NFL rookies interviewing each other

• Matt Barkley, media critic | Falcons pool party | #Lookit

• NFL Huddle: McGahee's exit, Chargers doc fired and more

NFL news roundup: Bengals on Hard Knocks, Victor Cruz has big demands

Adam Stites — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:45:35 -0000

For the second time in five years, the Cincinnati Bengals will be the featured team on HBO's Hard Knocks, a documentary-style show that takes fans inside the training camp of an NFL team. The Bengals previously hosted HBO in 2009, drawing the highest-ratings the show had earned with any team to that point.

More on the Bengals: Cincy Jungle

In recent seasons, the show has struggled to find interested teams, as many teams are wary that the invasion of cameras could be a distraction and that the airing of meetings could be a disadvantage.

Cruz wants $9 million per year

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz is reportedly looking for a big payday with the team, to the tune of $9 million per season. After signing his first-round tender, Cruz is under contract for the 2013 season but is set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2014, as is Hakeem Nicks. Without much room on the salary cap, $9 million per year is a tough bill for the Giants to pick up without making significant cuts on the roster.

Fewell ready for read option

The Philadelphia Eagles will be a team to watch in 2013 with head coach Chip Kelly at the helm, as he attempts to brings his up-tempo Oregon offense to the NFL, but Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell isn't concerned. In fact, he thinks the read option will be stamped out before the Eagles even get started, as Fewell said that defensive coordinators will be able to stop the offense by the time the fall comes.

Sam Spiegelman of Big Blue View recapped Fewell's comments on the read option:

"I think the college system has kind of taken hold in the National Football League. We have a lot of quarterbacks that have the ability to run and do that and I know that is coming into our league. It will be interesting to see," Fewell said during the recently-concluded mini-camp.

"I look at that offense kind of like the Wildcat. The Wildcat took us by storm and then until you can see it, understand it; then you can defend it."

Swearinger impressing early

A second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans believe that defensive back D.J. Swearinger will be an important player for the team sooner rather than later after an impressive start in minicamp. Head coach Gary Kubiak said he expects Swearinger to be a "big contributor early" after taking first-team reps in OTAs and minicamp.

More from SB Nation:

• Hall of Famer predicts the end of the NFL

• Uffsides: Matt Stover on Ravens legacy, Belichick's evolution

• Watch NFL rookies interviewing each other

• Matt Barkley, media critic | Falcons pool party | #Lookit

• NFL Huddle: McGahee's exit, Chargers doc fired and more

D.J. Swearinger will contribute for Texans early on

Jon Benne — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 18:47:36 -0000

Houston Texans safety D.J. Swearinger continues to impress his coaches and teammates at offseason workouts. With veteran free agent Ed Reed rehabbing his surgically-repaired hip, Swearinger has been taking most of the first-team reps in OTAs and minicamp.

The rookie hasn't disappointed yet, leading head coach Gary Kubiak to hint hat he could play a big role in his first year: "He's very smart in picking things up with what we're doing ... We're excited for him to be a part of our team. I think he's going to be a big contributor early."

More Texans coverage at Battle Red Blog

The Texans drafted Swearinger with the 57th overall pick in the NFL Draft after a standout career at South Carolina. Over four years, he started 33 games. In his senior year, he recorded 79 tackles, two interceptions, nine passes defended and two forced fumbles.

With Reed's recovery going slowly (he's not expected to be ready for training camp), Swearinger will have even more opportunities to prove himself in July and August.

More from SB Nation:

• Hall of Famer predicts the end of the NFL

• Uffsides: Matt Stover on Ravens legacy, Belichick's evolution

• Watch NFL rookies interviewing each other

• Matt Barkley, media critic | Falcons pool party | #Lookit

• NFL Huddle: McGahee's exit, Chargers doc fired and more

Houston Texans Newswire: The Saga of David Quessenberry's Truck

Bayless Parsley — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:00:10 -0000

Houston Texans News

The Saga of David Quessenberry's Truck

Four days ago, Texans rookie right tackle David Quessenberry informed the world that his cherished white F-350 had been stolen.

Keep an eye out for my truck Houston. Last seen at spring hill suites by Reliant Stadium. Plate # BA5 3454 twitter.com/DavidQberry/st...
— David Quessenberry (@DavidQberry) June 8, 2013

He was SuperSad about it.

I hope we can catch the AssHole who stole my truck. nothing would make me happier. It's an 06 white F350 king ranch edition plate-BA5 3454.
— David Quessenberry (@DavidQberry) June 8, 2013

On Wednesday, Quessenberry announced that the truck had been found. Ironically, it was in fact being used as a boarder during its four-day absence.

The truck is found!!! It was just north of the boarder and was being used to smuggle people across the Boarder.
— David Quessenberry (@DavidQberry) June 12, 2013

There was even a car chase!

After a little police chase the car thief/ smugglers were brought to justice. Big THANK YOU to the police of Kingsville! You guys are great!
— David Quessenberry (@DavidQberry) June 12, 2013

I've never been in a car chase, but I'm sure I would be sweating the entire time if it ever happened. Think of the stress. Especially down near the border, where it's pretty hot during the summer months. I also imagine that there are not many showers along the undocumented route from Mexico to the United States.

I think we all know where this is heading.

No way Quessenberry still owns that F-350 come Monday.

*****

Lestar Jean Fights For The No. 3 Spot.

Something I did not realize was that despite having two fewer catches than Keshawn Martin in 2012, Lestar Jean pulled in nearly twice the number of receiving yards. We're not talking much here - six grabs for 151 yards, over a third of which he got off that touchdown catch against the Tennessee Titans - but it's something.

*****

Gary Kubiak Is High On The Rookies.

A little Thursday Morning Hyperbole for you:

"I think our young guys have probably come as far this offseason as we've ever had a group of young guys come," [Kubiak] said.

Also, D.J. Swearinger sometimes likes to skip, as in around, something that I actually do from time to time as a way of moving faster without having to actually run or jog:

Swearinger is very active at practice, often talking to teammates and he's been flying around. At one point on Wednesday, he even sort of skipped back to the defensive huddle. There's just always a little something extra with Swearinger.

*****

Around the NFL

Former Gambler Jim Kelly Recovering From Surgery For Cancer.

Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly is recovering at home from surgery to remove cancerous cells from his upper jaw. He is described as being in good spirits as he awaits the results of some bone tests. Kelly is synonymous with those old Buffalo Bills teams, but no one in Houston should harbor any ill will towards the guy. After all, he wasn't even playing that day.

*****

Cortland Finnegan: My Least Favorite Player In The NFL.

Former St. Louis Rams safety Craig Dahl revealed Wednesday that his old team was able to pick up tendencies from the San Francisco 49ers' offense last season, and that this had helped St. Louis diagnose plays before they developed. No coincidence that St. Louis had more success against San Francisco in 2012 than any other team. Dahl has since signed with the team, and he's glad to hear those problems are being fixed.

Someone who is not as happy to hear that is Cortland Finnegan.

@profootballtalk Craig Dahl is lame and weak for that glad he with another squad we know how he play thanks for the tips we know who 2 go at
— Cortland Finnegan (@CortFinnegan) June 12, 2013

If you were on Twitter and saw that, what would you do?

Is it a) this?

@cortfinnegan remember when Andre beat the shit out of you
— thaer qasem (@thaerbear89) June 12, 2013

b) this?

.@cortfinnegan you're lame, you are the only person who would celebrate after getting a beat down by @johnson80 hahaha you're all talk.
— . (@iDazerr) June 13, 2013

c) this?

@slimdrey @cortfinnegan @profootballtalk didn't Andre Johnson beat your ass already for talking too much?
— CEO Wiz (@gwiz1) June 13, 2013

d) this?

@cortfinnegan lame and weak m.youtube.com/watch?v=SBT6My...
— Matt Momeni (@momoneymatt) June 13, 2013

Or e) all of the above?

All Day Andre OWNS NFL's 'Biggest Bitch' (via WorstFan)

*****

There Are Ten NFL Players Whose Names Are On The Back Of These New LGBT Pride T-Shirts.

They're for sale at the NFL Players' Association online shop for just $24.99. You'd think they would have opted for $24.98.

Connor Barwin wears no. 98, and you know he's going to support this movement. Chris Kluwe is also repping it, unsurprisingly. Brendon Ayanbadejo is an obvious choice as well. And yet I see none for Chris Culliver. Will keep hitting the refresh button, I suppose.

*****

Speaking Of Pride...

Roger Goodell can top the kind you're thinking about. He knows a symbol that represents way more than pride. This symbol represents "strength, courage, pride and respect." (Emphasis mine.) Goodell also sees this symbol as a unifying force.

Clearly, he's talking about the name "Redskins."

Clearly this term conveys respect.

The commish wrote a letter on June 5 to those ten U.S. Congressmen who had asked the Washington Redskins to change their name. On Wednesday, the Indian Country Today Media Network posted an excerpt online:

"The Washington Redskins name has thus from its origin represented a positive meaning distinct from any disparagement that could be viewed in some other context," Goodell writes in the letter. "For the team's millions of fans and customers, who represent one of America's most ethnically and geographically diverse fan bases, the name is a unifying force that stands for strength, courage, pride and respect."

By the way, an Inuit chief told Goodell previously that it's totally cool for the Washington Redskins to keep their name. So there's really no argument. That's probably the logic Lamar High School uses.

Retweet if you're proud of the #LamarRedskins!
— Lamar Redskins (@LamarRedskins) December 23, 2012

The private school literally right next door to Lamar, St. John's, used to be called the Rebels when I was a kid. They eventually changed the name, because Rebels was too controversial.

2013 Houston Texans OTAs: Quotes From Day Eight

Tim — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:30:06 -0000

The eighth OTA for your Houston Texans now belongs to the ages. As always, the team's official site has a full transcript of the post-practice quote goodness; here's a link. Below for your immediate perusal are some of the more interesting things said.

Gary Kubiak:

(on S D.J. Swearinger) "He’s an impressive young man because he acts like he’s been doing it for a while. But we knew that when we studied him coming out in college. He looks like a player that you could see very, very quickly for us on the field. Very confident."

(on how far WR DeVier Posey has come in his rehab) "He’s doing great but he can only do so much. He’s doing everything he can do. The old ‘ahead of schedule,’ that applies here. But remember, we’re making a decision on him at the end of camp because of the PUP and those type of things. He’s doing everything he can. He’s going to come back and he’s going to play for us next year. How early is the question."

Brandon Brooks:

(on looking quicker and if he feels quicker) "Just being a younger guy last year, you kind of feel your way around until you know concretely what’s going on. I got a pretty good understanding of the playbook so I can just go out there and play instead of having to think. That’s where you’d see me playing a little slower last year."

(on having veterans on the offensive line as role models) "The first thing I did when I came back was get with Wade (Smith) and just let him know that I am completely serious about this and that I would appreciate it if yourself, Chris Myers and Duane would took me under their wing and they did that. When we would meet in the offseason, I would go an extra 30-45 minutes with them, so I would know what they would see along with what the coach sees, so we could all be on the same page."

Danieal Manning:

(on the entire team attending tomorrow’s Firefighter Memorial and that not every team would necessarily come to it) "This is why they’re one of a kind. You don’t have guys like this. You want to have an organization, you want to have a community in a city that’s like this. We’re expecting maybe 50,000 or 60,000 people here and I think that’s great. We’re pushing time up and nobody’s complaining about being here early in the morning because we know what this really is about. It could have been anyone’s family member, so you always want to be able to show support in that way."

(on it not taking long for the team to decide on going to the Firefighter Memorial) "It doesn’t take any time to just go there. You should want to do that. We’re all supposed to all treat each other right and do the right thing, so that’s what we should do."

Matt Schaub:

(on what sticks out to him about WR DeAndre Hopkins) "What we do every day is not too big to him. He comes out, he’s learning. He’s gotten a lot thrown at him but he’s like a sponge. He’s absorbing as much information as he can. He’s listening, he’s taking instruction and he’s really applying it to what he’s doing on the field. The more he grasps, the more his playmaking ability; what he can do with the football in his hands will take over. It’s impressive to watch his progress as we move through OTAs."

(on the importance of timing with receivers re-emphasizes the need to be out at OTAs) "Absolutely. This time period is huge for us because for veterans, it lets us get back into the groove, get back into what we’re doing, drill work and just seeing things and play. For these young guys; how we practice, how we prepare, how we meet, how we go about our business, so when camp comes, we can just go."

(on WR Alan Bonner’s progress) "He’s doing well. He’s making plays, he’s doing what we’re asking. He’s doing a lot. We’re doing a lot more than he’s probably every had to do in his past and position. He’s understanding his adjustments and what we’re asking him to do. So the more he can grasp and understand, the more he can just let his athleticism and playmaking ability take over so then he won’t have to think as much on the field."

(on how often he sits down with WR DeAndre Hopkins) "We definitely have a lot of that. It’s hard to find that time right now because of all the meeting time we have as a group. We have a lot of time this summer to go back and watch film, watch last year, talk through things, let him understand what we’re trying to get done with certain routes."

2013 NFL Power Rankings Countdown: #8 Houston Texans

Tim Lynch — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 18:00:10 -0000

We are breaking into the elite of both conferences now, with Houston being right there. Gary Kubiak has done an excellent job lifting this franchise out of its expansion roots; turning them into a dangerously complete team.

That said, they still have much to prove in the playoffs before they become an automatic Top 5 in my power rankings. By the end of the 2013 season, I believe it will come down to three teams in the AFC for the Super Bowl title shot; New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and these Houston Texans.

8. Houston Texans (2012 Record: 12-4)

I'm not sure what it is about Houston, but their good football teams always seem to end up bridesmaids. I'm thinking back to the Houston Oiler days from both the 1970's and 1990's and how they always seemed to be second or third best in the conference. The Texans now appear to have the same jibe to them. Great talent, but just can't seem to break through to the upper crust of the AFC.

The Texans felt they needed another offensive threat opposite Andre Johnson, so they picked up DeAndre Hopkins in the first round. Add that to Owen Daniels and Matt Schaub should have a stellar regular season. The regular season isn't the problem for the Texans though, as they have been unable to break through the AFC powerhouses in the playoffs.

Personally, I think they make it to the AFC Championship game finally this year as the AFC North powerhouses look like they are finally going to end up falling back to Earth - regardless of where they rank in this pre-season post. The Texans, however, will realize their peak just in time to be buzz-sawed by the Denver Broncos who will undoubtedly complete the revenge tour in heroic fashion. At least that's my, ah, unbiased opinion.

Previous: 9. New Orleans Saints Next: 7. Seattle Seahawks

Full Power Ranking List
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Poll

Are the Texans too high or too low here?

Too High

23 votes

Too Low

159 votes

Just Right

117 votes

299 votes | Poll has closed

2013 South Carolina football's 10 things to know: The Clowney effect

Bill C. — Fri, 31 May 2013 13:04:36 -0000

Confused? Check out the glossary here.

1. Never mind the West Virginia Effect

South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is better at his position than any other player in college football is at theirs. That goes for Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, USC receiver Marqise Lee, Notre Dame tackle Stephon Tuitt, BYU outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, or anybody else. A boom-or-bust player as a freshman in 2011, Clowney not only lived up to the hype of being the No. 1 recruit in the country in 2012, he did so in a way that dooms almost every future No. 1 recruit to bust status by comparison.

Clowney was not only incredible at his position in 2012, he was incredible in a human-highlight-reel kind of way. And he saved his best highlights for the end of the season, so that everybody in the college football universe would brightly remember them long into the offseason. First, he recorded 4.5 sacks versus Clemson...

...and then he erased Michigan running back Vincent Smith from existence.

Every year, we witness the West Virginia Effect, in which a team that looks amazing in its bowl game gets increasingly ridiculous hype as the long, arduous offseason plods along. You forget about the shortcomings the given team had during the regular season, and you just remember the perfect final act. It's human nature, really. You could also call it the Nebraska Effect if you so choose. Louisville seems like the most likely ~~victim~~ candidate for the West Virginia Effect in 2013 (Clemson's also in the conversation), but in taking a gander at The Sporting News' preseason top 25 that was released this week, I think we can add another effect to the list: The Clowney Effect.

Issue: South Carolina returns only one of its top five running backs, and the ground game was really only above-average at best, even when Marcus Lattimore was healthy.

Response: Jadeveon Clowney.

Issue: South Carolina also returns only one of its top four receiving targets from a passing game that was explosive but not incredibly efficient.

Response: Jadeveon Clowney.

Issue: South Carolina must also replace its top five linebackers, not to mention stud safety D.J. Swearinger and stud end Devin Taylor from a defense that was perilously thin last year.

Response: Jadeveon Clowney.

Now, if any single defensive player could carry a good team to greatness, it's Clowney. But he alone is not going to mask the other issues South Carolina had last year. To live up to even Top 10 hype, much less Top 3 hype, the Gamecocks are going to need some freshmen and sophomores to rather quickly come up big, and that's always a scary proposition.

The schedule is strangely navigable, yes, and the ceiling is high; but it's difficult for me to see this team as a reliable threat to reach the BCS title game.

2. Escape from Glen Mason Territory

It really did take Steve Spurrier a little while to re-establish himself at the college level. He returned to the SEC in 2005, engineered enough of an improvement to get the Gamecocks back to a bowl game for the first time in four seasons, then basically stagnated for the next four years. Despite his reputation as one of the most innovative, interesting offensive coaches of the last 25 years, his early South Carolina teams just weren't very good on offense. (And even now, after three straight years of high-quality ball, the offense still lags behind the defense by a decent margin.) He lost either five or six games in each of his first six seasons in Columbia.

If not for his résumé, Spurrier could have been an interesting Glen Mason Territory candidate.

Beginning in 2010, however, the Gamecocks turned a corner. Improvement didn't show up in the win column until 2011, but they have ranked 14th, 20th, and 13th in the F/+ rankings over the last three years, they won the 2010 SEC East title, and they have gone 11-2 in each of the last two years. Granted, South Carolina fans probably didn't expect that it would take Spurrier six seasons to establish such a high level of play, but he has now.

2012 Schedule & Results

Record: 11-2 \| Adj. Record: 11-2 \| Final F/+ Rk: 13
Date	Opponent	Score	W-L	Adj. Score	Adj. W-L
30-Aug	at Vanderbilt	17-13	W	29.1 - 16.8	W
8-Sep	East Carolina	48-10	W	32.8 - 26.2	W
15-Sep	UAB	49-6	W	38.5 - 10.2	W
22-Sep	Missouri	31-10	W	39.6 - 24.8	W
29-Sep	at Kentucky	38-17	W	30.6 - 19.4	W
6-Oct	Georgia	35-7	W	36.1 - 9.9	W
13-Oct	at LSU	21-23	L	23.2 - 28.7	L
20-Oct	at Florida	11-44	L	15.5 - 12.2	W
27-Oct	Tennessee	38-35	W	31.3 - 28.9	W
10-Nov	Arkansas	38-20	W	28.9 - 26.9	W
17-Nov	Wofford	24-7	W	20.6 - 29.5	L
24-Nov	at Clemson	27-17	W	27.4 - 23.0	W
1-Jan	vs. Michigan	33-28	W	46.0 - 18.1	W

Category	Offense	Rk	Defense	Rk
Points Per Game	31.5	44	18.2	13
Adj. Points Per Game	30.7	48	21.1	14

3. Wearing down

South Carolina was done no favors by the Injury Bug in 2012. Star running back Marcus Lattimore was lost for the season with a torn-up knee in the ninth game of the year, backup running back Brandon Wilds never saw the field at all, and quarterback Connor Shaw missed two games and was less than 100 percent for others. Clowney and Swearinger both missed time, and only three of the top eight defensive backs played in all 13 games. And some combination of injury and poor depth had South Carolina playing pretty average football down the stretch.

Adj. Points Per Game (first 8 games): SC 30.7, Opponent 18.5 (+12.2)
Adj. Points Per Game (next 4 games): SC 27.1, Opponent 27.1 (+0.0)

Granted, this slump didn't impact South Carolina's record -- the Gamecocks avoided upsets against Tennessee (a late UT comeback fell short), Arkansas, and Wofford (7-7 heading into Q4) and still beat Clemson on the road. And after some time to heal, the Gamecocks played quite well in the Outback Bowl versus Michigan (and they needed to -- Michigan played well, too).

Even if it was due mostly to injuries, the late-season regression is a bit of a red flag for 2013 simply because of the number of key players the defense must replace. The linebacking corps is starting from scratch, and the secondary is without its anchor, Swearinger. A similar run of injuries could be devastating this time around, though odds are perhaps in favor of South Carolina avoiding a similar run of injuries.

Offense

Category	Yards/ Game Rk	S&P+ Rk	Success Rt. Rk	PPP+ Rk
OVERALL	84	44	57	41
RUSHING	91	65	65	67
PASSING	58	38	51	32
Standard Downs		83	93	79
Passing Downs		11	14	12
Redzone		51	46	53

Q1 Rk	72	1st Down Rk	62
Q2 Rk	68	2nd Down Rk	50
Q3 Rk	17	3rd Down Rk	10
Q4 Rk	6

Quarterback

Note: players in bold below are 2013 returnees. Players in italics are questionable with injury/suspension.

Player

Ht, Wt

2013
Year

Rivals

Comp

Att

Yards

Comp
Rate

INT

Sacks

Sack Rate

Yards/
Att.

Connor Shaw

6'1, 204

Sr.

*** (5.7)

154

228

1,956

67.5%

9.9%

7.1

Dylan Thompson

6'3, 212

Jr.

** (5.4)

127

1,027

52.0%

9.3%

6.6

Seth Strickland

66.7%

0.0%

16.0

Brendan Nosovitch

6'1, 223

RSFr.

*** (5.6)

Connor Mitch

6'3, 210

Fr.

**** (5.8)

4. Shaw vs. Thompson

In February at Football Study Hall, I wrote a long piece about quarterbacks and the charting data we had compiled in 2012. For me, one of the most interesting takeaways from the piece was just how different the South Carolina offense was when Connor Shaw and Dylan Thompson were behind center.

Nobody threw deep more frequently in this sample than South Carolina's Connor Shaw. […] With Conner Shaw in the game, South Carolina goes either very short or very long; with Dylan Thompson, there's a lot more intermediate passing.

When healthy, Shaw is a dangerous dual-threat quarterback. Shaw is an effective runner, and South Carolina happily pecks away at you with six-yard gains, sucking you in and eventually leaving you vulnerable to big gains downfield. With Thompson in the game, however, the offense changes. Thompson is far from immobile, but he doesn't run nearly as much as Shaw (pass-attempts-to-carries ratio: Shaw 2.38, Thompson 6.67), and South Carolina takes on more of a pro-style look, with running backs doing the running and the quarterback throwing intermediate passes.

The offense is also less effective when Thompson is in, of course.

Adj. Points Per Game (with Shaw): 30.9
Adj. Points Per Game (with Thompson): 27.2

Shaw is the starter as long as he can fend off injuries, but in Thompson, South Carolina does appear to have a backup that can at least fend off major regression. And in 2014, it will be interesting to see if a couple of more highly touted youngsters can challenge Thompson for the starting role.

One note, however: Both quarterbacks take far too many sacks, especially on standard downs. Shaw was particularly good at bailing himself out on passing downs, but the Gamecocks were far below average on standard downs and fell into too many second- and third-and-longs overall.

Running Back

Player	Pos.	Ht, Wt	2013 Year	Rivals	Rushes	Yards	Yards/ Carry	Hlt Yds/ Carry	TD	Adj. POE
Marcus Lattimore	RB				143	662	4.6	4.4	11	-2.2
Brandon Wilds (2011)	RB	6'2, 218	So.	*** (5.5)	107	486	4.5	N/A	3	-4.7
Connor Shaw	QB	6'1, 204	Sr.	*** (5.7)	106	586	5.5	4.2	3	+8.0
Kenny Miles	RB				104	359	3.5	2.8	2	-11.5
Mike Davis	RB	5'9, 215	So.	**** (5.9)	52	275	5.3	8.5	2	+2.0
Dylan Thompson	QB	6'3, 212	Jr.	** (5.4)	21	130	6.2	5.2	1	+3.3
Bruce Ellington	WR	5'9, 197	Jr.	NR	5	28	5.6	8.5	0	-0.1
Shon Carson	RB	5'8, 219	So.	*** (5.7)
Kendric Salley	RB	5'9, 215	RSFr.	*** (5.6)
David Williams	RB	6'1, 192	Fr.	**** (5.8)

5. Mike Davis might decide this team's fate

When healthy, Marcus Lattimore always passes the eyeball test. He just looks like a future all-pro running back. But even before injuries, Lattimore didn't post irreplaceable numbers in 2011 or 2012. He was lost for the season with an awful knee injury for two straight years, and in neither season did South Carolina's numbers suffer without him.

Even if a back is replaceable, you still need to find someone to actually replace him. Kenny Miles is also gone, and Brandon Wilds didn't exactly light the world on fire in 2011; after an interesting freshman season, Mike Davis entered spring 2013 with a chance to seize control of the starting running back job, and it appears he did just that.

Davis' upside is high. He had a nice recruiting pedigree, and he easily showed more explosiveness than any other South Carolina back last year. If the Gamecocks are able to lean on him and set up both keepers by Shaw and downfield passing to Bruce Ellington, Damiere Byrd, and company, they should put more than enough points on the board to roll through most of their 2013 schedule. The offensive line, decent to good last year, returns six players with starting experience and is big and mean in the middle. Davis should be able to take advantage of the running lanes the line generates.

Mike Davis. Curtis Wilson, USA Today.

Receiving Corps

Player

Pos.

Ht, Wt

2013
Year

Rivals

Targets

Catches

Yards

Catch Rate

Yds/
Target

Target
Rate

%SD

Real Yds/
Target

RYPR

Ace Sanders

531

61.6%

7.3

20.9%

54.8%

7.0

80.8

Bruce Ellington

5'9, 197

Jr.

600

70.2%

10.5

16.3%

64.9%

10.6

91.3

Justice Cunningham

324

74.2%

10.5

8.9%

51.6%

10.3

49.3

Marcus Lattimore

173

86.7%

5.8

8.6%

46.7%

5.8

26.3

Rory Anderson

6'5, 218

Jr.

*** (5.6)

271

50.0%

9.7

8.0%

53.6%

9.7

41.2

Damiere Byrd

5'9, 168

Jr.

**** (5.8)

366

60.9%

15.9

6.6%

52.2%

15.8

55.7

Kenny Miles

190

87.0%

8.3

6.6%

52.2%

8.0

28.9

Nick Jones

5'7, 171

Jr.

*** (5.6)

197

60.0%

9.9

5.7%

50.0%

9.0

30.0

D.L. Moore

139

40.0%

7.0

5.7%

65.0%

7.5

21.1

Shaq Roland

6'1, 182

So.

**** (5.8)

27.8%

4.4

5.1%

55.6%

4.5

12.2

DeAngelo Smith

28.6%

6.6

2.0%

57.1%

6.4

7.0

K.J. Brent

6'4, 185

So.

*** (5.7)

100.0%

9.3

0.9%

33.3%

11.2

4.3

Jerell Adams

6'6, 224

So.

**** (5.8)

80.0%

18.0

1.4%

60.0%

18.0

13.7

Shamier Jeffery

6'1, 204

So.

*** (5.7)

Jody Fuller

5'11, 211

RSFr.

**** (5.8)

Kwinton Smith

6'4, 206

RSFr.

*** (5.7)

Offensive Line

Category	Adj. Line Yds	Std. Downs LY/carry	Pass. Downs LY/carry	Opp. Rate	Power Success Rate	Stuff Rate	Adj. Sack Rate	Std. Downs Sack Rt.	Pass. Downs Sack Rt.
Team	107.0	2.67	3.80	36.4%	65.4%	19.6%	63.8	8.0%	11.4%
Rank	36	98	13	88	75	75	113	111	115

Player	Pos.	Ht, Wt	2013 Year	Rivals	Career Starts/Honors/Notes
T.J. Johnson	C				53 career starts; 2012 2nd All-SEC
A.J. Cann	LG	6'4, 310	Jr.	**** (5.8)	25 career starts
Ronald Patrick	RG	6'2, 315	Sr.	*** (5.5)	13 career starts
Brandon Shell	RT	6'6, 321	So.	**** (5.9)	10 career starts
Mike Matulis	LT	6'5, 264	Jr.	*** (5.7)	10 career starts
Corey Robinson	LT	6'8, 338	Jr.	*** (5.6)	9 career starts
Cody Gibson	RT	6'7, 284	Jr.	*** (5.6)	6 career starts
Kyle Harris	C				1 career start
Will Sport	RG	6'5, 289	So.	*** (5.5)
Kaleb Broome	RG
Cody Waldrop	C	6'2, 312	RSFr.	*** (5.7)
Clayton Stadnik	C	6'3, 283	RSFr.	*** (5.5)
Mason Zandi	LT	6'9, 287	RSFr.	** (5.4)
Brock Stadnik	LG	6'5, 291	Fr.	**** (5.8)
D.J. Park	RG	6'4, 335	Fr.	**** (5.8)
Na'Ty Rodgers	OL	6'5, 278	Fr.	**** (5.8)

Defense

Category	Yards/ Game Rk	S&P+ Rk	Success Rt. Rk	PPP+ Rk
OVERALL	11	9	13	9
RUSHING	17	12	14	13
PASSING	21	10	13	10
Standard Downs		8	7	10
Passing Downs		15	22	14
Redzone		11	12	11

Q1 Rk	6	1st Down Rk	10
Q2 Rk	34	2nd Down Rk	20
Q3 Rk	4	3rd Down Rk	10
Q4 Rk	47

6. Hmm, I wonder why opponents tended to run a lot on passing downs…

Opponents played things straight on standard downs against South Carolina, running and passing with expected frequency. But on passing downs, they ran almost five percent more frequently than the national average. It's almost as if the Gamecocks had a pass rush opponents wanted to avoid or something.

Again, most of Jadeveon Clowney's help from last year is gone. Of the eight other players who sacked the quarterback at least twice in 2012, only two return. But the Clowney Effect makes it difficult to worry about that. End Chaz Sutton, who made nearly one-third of his tackles behind the line, does return; so does active, scary tackle Kelcy Quarles. Injuries could cause a pretty stark drop-off on the line, but the starting four should be as intimidating as almost any in the country.

7. Finish

One other hint that depth may have been an issue in 2012: South Carolina's defense was quite a bit worse in the second and fourth quarter than in the first and third. Again, this is a red flag considering how much South Carolina must replace from last year's two-deep. The second string on the defensive line will be extremely young, as will all strings at linebacker.

Defensive Line

Category	Adj. Line Yds	Std. Downs LY/carry	Pass. Downs LY/carry	Opp. Rate	Power Success Rate	Stuff Rate	Adj. Sack Rate	Std. Downs Sack Rt.	Pass. Downs Sack Rt.
Team	107.8	2.44	3.45	34.6%	66.7%	22.6%	178.3	7.3%	13.8%
Rank	33	10	86	19	50	22	2	9	2

Name	Pos	Ht, Wt	2013 Year	Rivals	GP	Tackles	% of Team	TFL	Sacks	Int	PBU	FF	FR
Jadeveon Clowney	DE	6'6, 272	Jr.	***** (6.1)	12	47.0	6.7%	23.5	13	0	2	3	1
Devin Taylor	DE				13	36.0	5.2%	8.5	3	0	6	0	1
Byron Jerideau	DT				13	32.5	4.7%	5.5	2.5	0	0	0	0
Kelcy Quaries	DT	6'4, 293	Jr.	**** (5.9)	12	30.5	4.4%	8	3.5	0	0	0	0
Chaz Sutton	DE	6'5, 256	Jr.	**** (5.9)	13	23.0	3.3%	7	5	0	1	2	0
Aldrick Fordham	DE				13	18.0	2.6%	6.5	5.5	0	0	2	0
J.T. Surratt	DT	6'2, 311	Jr.	** (5.4)	10	11.5	1.6%	2.5	0.5	0	0	0	0
Gerald Dixon, Jr.	DT	6'3, 318	So.	*** (5.5)	12	6.5	0.9%	0	0	1	1	0	0
Phillip Dukes	DT	6'3, 315	So.	**** (5.8)	5	3.0	0.4%	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mason Harris	DE	6'3, 215	So.	*** (5.6)	6	3.0	0.4%	0	0	0	0	0	0
Darius English	DE	6'6, 225	RSFr.	*** (5.7)	2	2.5	0.4%	0.5	0	0	0	0	0
Gerald Dixon	DE	6'2, 275	So.	*** (5.7)	4	2.0	0.3%	1	1	0	0	0	0
Deon Green	DT	6'4, 283	So.	*** (5.6)
Kelsey Griffin	DT	6'2, 282	Fr.	**** (5.9)

Linebackers

Name	Pos	Ht, Wt	2013 Year	Rivals	GP	Tackles	% of Team	TFL	Sacks	Int	PBU	FF	FR
Shaq Wilson	WLB				13	65.5	9.4%	4.5	2	2	1	2	1
Reginald Bowens	MLB				13	47.5	6.8%	1.5	1	0	1	3	2
DeVonte Holloman	SPUR				13	47.0	6.7%	8	2	3	4	2	0
Quin Smith	WLB				12	37.5	5.4%	4	2	0	0	0	0
Damario Jeffery	MLB				13	20.0	2.9%	3.5	0	0	1	0	0
Jordan Diggs	SPUR	6'0, 197	RSFr.	**** (5.8)	2	4.5	0.6%	1	0	0	0	0	0
Sharrod Golightly	SPUR	5'10, 179	Jr.	*** (5.6)	8	3.0	0.4%	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kaiwan Lewis	MLB	6'0, 221	So.	*** (5.7)	11	2.5	0.4%	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cedrick Cooper	WLB	6'2, 215	So.	*** (5.6)	11	1.0	0.1%	0	0	0	0	0	0
Marcquis Roberts	WLB	6'1, 215	So.	*** (5.7)
Kelvin Rainey	WLB	6'3, 228	RSFr.	*** (5.7)
T.J. Holloman	MLB	6'2, 215	RSFr.	*** (5.6)
Larenz Bryant	LB	6'1, 215	Fr.	**** (5.9)
Skai Moore	LB	6'2, 210	Fr.	**** (5.8)

8. How do you avoid regression?

South Carolina's defensive line was as aggressive as they come, but it was only good, not great, against the run. The Gamecocks did rank just 33rd in Adj. Line Yards, showing some lapses on passing downs rushing (draw plays and scrambles against an ears-pinned-back pass rush) and defending short-yardage situations at something less than an elite level. But a fantastic set of experienced linebackers cleaned up messes and allowed the line to remain aggressive.

Can a unit made up almost entirely of freshmen, redshirt freshmen, and sophomores play at the same level? Probably not. And if the linebackers are struggling at times, South Carolina could find itself falling victim to even more passing downs rushes and short passes that go for longer gains. You might be able to make South Carolina pay for its aggressiveness a bit more in 2013.

Secondary

Name

Pos

Ht, Wt

2013
Year

Rivals

Tackles

% of Team

TFL

Sacks

Int

PBU

D.J. Swearinger

70.5

10.1%

Brison Williams

5'11, 205

Jr.

*** (5.7)

47.5

6.8%

1.5

Jimmy Legree

6'0, 185

Sr.

*** (5.5)

39.5

5.7%

Victor Hampton

5'10, 197

Jr.

**** (5.9)

31.5

4.5%

Akeem Auguste

15.0

2.1%

T.J. Gurley

5'10, 183

So.

*** (5.6)

10.5

1.5%

Ahmad Christian

5'10, 189

So.

*** (5.7)

7.5

1.1%

Kadetrix Marcus

6'1, 185

Jr.

*** (5.7)

4.5

0.6%

Sidney Rhodes

5'10, 167

Jr.

4.0

0.6%

Chaz Elder

6'2, 194

RSFr.

**** (5.8)

0.0

0.0%

Rico McWilliams

5'11, 178

RSFr.

*** (5.7)

0.0

0.0%

Kyle Fleetwood

5'11, 214

RSFr.

*** (5.7)

0.0

0.0%

Chris Moody

6'1, 210

RSFr.

*** (5.6)

0.0

0.0%

Ronnie Martin

5'11, 173

Jr.

*** (5.7)

0.0

0.0%

Pharoh Cooper

5'11, 190

Fr.

**** (5.8)

Special Teams

Punter	Ht, Wt	2013 Year	Punts	Avg	TB	FC	I20	FC/I20 Ratio
Tyler Hull	6'2, 212	Jr.	54	39.4	5	22	12	63.0%
Patrick Fish	6'0, 194	Jr.	3	35.0	0	2	1	100.0%

Kicker	Ht, Wt	2013 Year	Kickoffs	Avg	TB	TB%
Adam Yates			62	62.5	33	53.2%
Landon Ard	5'9, 189	So.	13	62.2	3	23.1%

Place-Kicker	Ht, Wt	2013 Year	PAT	FG (0-39)	Pct	FG (40+)	Pct
Adam Yates			49-49	8-11	72.7%	3-6	50.0%

Returner	Pos.	Ht, Wt	2013 Year	Returns	Avg.	TD
Bruce Ellington	KR	5'9, 197	Jr.	18	22.6	0
Damiere Byrd	KR	5'9, 168	Jr.	2	11.0	0
Akeem Auguste	KR			2	28.0	0
Ace Sanders	PR			28	15.3	2

Category	Rk
Special Teams F/+	86
Net Punting	78
Net Kickoffs	47
Touchback Pct	25
Field Goal Pct	86
Kick Returns Avg	62
Punt Returns Avg	10

9. Ace Sanders was terrifying

Does Ace Sanders have bones? Because it certainly seemed like he was carrying at least 170 pounds of muscle on his 175-pound frame. With the ball in his hands, Sanders was full of piss, vinegar, and a little more piss, showing an unfair combination of agility and strength that was good for South Carolina's passing game and great for South Carolina's return game and field position battles. Bruce Ellington exceeded Sanders' capabilities in the passing game at times; can he (or anybody else) approximate what Sanders brought to the table in punt returns?

Punting and place-kicking made this a pretty average special teams unit overall; special teams becomes an outright liability if Sanders' production cannot be at least somewhat replicated.

2013 Schedule & Projection Factors

2013 Schedule
Date	Opponent	Proj. Rk
31-Aug	North Carolina	32
7-Sep	at Georgia	9
14-Sep	Vanderbilt	49
28-Sep	at Central Florida	54
5-Oct	Kentucky	90
12-Oct	at Arkansas	37
19-Oct	at Tennessee	44
26-Oct	at Missouri	39
2-Nov	Mississippi State	51
16-Nov	Florida	4
23-Nov	Coastal Carolina	NR
30-Nov	Clemson	21

Five-Year F/+ Rk	20
Two-Year Recruiting Rk	16
TO Margin/Adj. TO Margin*	+4 / +12.1
TO Luck/Game	-3.1
Approx. Ret. Starters (Off. / Def.)	12 (7, 5)
Yds/Pt Margin**	-5.4

10. Wait, just two Top 20 opponents? Is that right? And no November road games?

To an extent, I think I understand what The Sporting News saw in ranking South Carolina No. 3 in the country. Connor Shaw is a strong "if healthy" quarterback (even though it doesn't seem he's actually healthy that much). The Carolina run game could be in good hands with Mike Davis. A secondary that was banged up last year now has quite a bit of experience. Jadeveon Clowney is Jadeveon Clowney. And perhaps most importantly, the schedule is strangely manageable. South Carolina will play only four teams currently projected in the Top 35, and three must visit Columbia.

If South Carolina is ever going to make a run toward the national title game, it will probably be in 2013, with a manageable schedule and Clowney still in uniform. But I just don't trust the Gamecocks enough to predict that. The early trip to Georgia will test a defense that is still breaking in new pieces, and I don't see South Carolina surviving a three-week October road trip against three competent, potentially interesting teams (Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri) without at least one upset loss. I certainly see the Gamecocks winning double-digit games for the third straight year -- and for a school that had done so only once before 2011, that is a feat that shouldn't be taken for granted -- but I don't see them threatening for the national title.

Of course, if Mike Davis is the real deal, and the linebackers hold up against Georgia on September 7, I might be changing my tune...

More from SB Nation:

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Houston Texans Newswire: Earl Campbell Is Your Skoal Brother

Bayless Parsley — Thu, 30 May 2013 17:32:56 -0000

Houston Texans News

First Thing's First

Did Earl Campbell play for the Texans? No. Do 99 percent of Texans fans love Earl Campbell? I would say yes. Maybe only 98 percent. But it's most of us.

Thanks to CBS Sports' Josh Katzowitz for letting the world know today that this commercial existed:

Earl Campbell for Skoal 1980 (via robatsea2009)

And this one, too:

Earl Campbell for Skoal (via koltman17)

Putting a lip in before an NFL practice? Sure, sounds like a great idea.

From now on, all of my readers will be known as my "Skoal Brothers."

*****

Ed Reed: Fashionably Late

We now know with certainty what we've all pretty much assumed since news broke of Ed Reed's janky hip: he won't be around the team in any capacity until the mandatory three-day minicamp that begins June 11. This will cause a major sad face for the Jungle Boi himself, D.J. Swearinger, a self-professed idolater when it comes to Reed, one of the few teammates with whom he said he has not yet been able to chat.

Let's all hope that Reed's superior football intellect will allow him to imbibe the intricacies of Wade's defensive scheme like Will Hunting reading a textbook about the evolution of the market economy in the Southern colonies.

[Great Movie Scenes] Good Will Hunting - Bar Scene (via BiSONN16)

Reed is in Atlanta right now, continuing to rehab his hip after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum. He'll be heading to Washington, D.C. next week for a reunion with his former Baltimore Ravens teammates, slapping palms with Barry O. and catching up with another one of Swearinger's childhood idols, Ray Lewis.

I can just picture the scene:

Ray Lewis: "So you chillin' in the ATL right now, right? I know you ain't been to Houston yet. I read that Battle Red Blog, you know. Sometimes I forget you even on the Texans!"

Ed Reed: "Nah man, it ain't like that. It's #BattleReed all day these days. But yeah, I never told nobody about my hip ‘til after I signed. And the doctor sure didn't find nothin'."

Reed, Lewis, John Harbaugh and Ozzie Newsome: (snickering)

Lewis: "Man. The Texans. By the way, Ed, did I ever tell you my ATL story?"

Reed: "Nah, man. The last time I asked, you said something about ‘statute of limitations.'"

Lewis: "Oh yeah. Maybe I best hold off on that story ‘til I check with my lawyer."

*****

Takes One To Know One

You can just taste the empathy coming out of Gary Kubiak's mouth when he talks about his backup quarterback, T.J. Yates:

"T.J.'s career has been interesting because it was like, ‘Boom!' - so many great things happened (at the end of his rookie year) and his confidence was sky-high," Kubiak said. "Then you come back your second year and play the preseason but not play but about 20 snaps in the regular season, and it seemed like nothing went right in those 20 snaps. That's part of being a backup quarterback."

Seems like an excellent time to bring back this classic inspirational video:

Why not TJ Yates? (via MrSkillability)

It was a lot more inspirational before those three picks at Baltimore.

Reed, Lewis, Harbaugh and Newsome: (snickering)

*****

Alan. Don't Look. But Coach, Kubes, Is, Totally, Checking, You, Out.

I really just like this CSN headline about sixth-round draft pick Alan Bonner:

"Bonner notices, enjoys attention from Kubiak"

That's all.

Except for the fact that Lestar Jean is apparently making a case for why he deserves a spot more than the new kid.

@hammerstexans Jean has been more consistent and looked good this week. Bonner still has work to do but he makes see why they drafted him.
— PDS (@PatDStat) May 30, 2013

*****

Brandon Harris Back In Action; Lestar Clearly Has Spent Time Abroad.

Cornerback Brandon Harris was back on the field Wednesday for the first time since his run in with DeAndre Hopkins' knee last week.

Also, CSN's Dave Zangaro has noticed that Lestar Jean always wears pants during OTAs, no matter how hot it is outside. This is exactly how it is with almost everyone I have ever met in Africa, the Balkans, Latin America and the Middle East. (Europeans, too, but at least their men can confidently rock the Capris, along with the Sanchez-style headbands.) This has never made sense to me, and now I view Lestar as someone who doesn't make sense to me.

I hope this bullet helps dispel all those "this guy's writing sounds like a teenie bopper's diary" notions that have been circulating in the comments as of late. That is, like, so annoying, ya know?

*****

Your Daily Dose of Motivation From My Two Favorite Members Of The Texans' D.

First, J.J. Watt, from a one-on-one with #coolmom Steph Stradley:

"Fight temptation. I think if you are trying to be really healthy and take care of yourself, you have to fight temptation. There's so many temptations in the world from eating poorly to wanting to hit the snooze button a couple of extra times, wanting to lay on the couch instead of workout. You got to have to fight temptation, you have to have that drive and desire to get up and go out there and do it. It is so easy to make excuses to put it off until tomorrow. But to be great, to do what you want to do, to accomplish what you want to accomplish, you have to have discipline, you have to have mental toughness, and to have the ability to go out there and get it done.

There's nobody out there but you to do it, so you need to look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself what you want to accomplish. Then just go out there an do it."

And you know my boy Swag is always trying to pick me up and remind me who is the real king of the jungle:

#HUNTMODE.

*****

Your Honest Answer Of The Day Belongs To Ben Tate.

Refreshing to see players actually acknowledge the importance of a contract year:

RB Ben Tate on 2013 season: "It’s a big one. It’s the last year of my contract. Every year’s a big year, though." #Texans
— Nick Scurfield (@NickScurfield) May 29, 2013

No need to try and sugarcoat it with, "Every year's a big year, though."

This obviously reminded me of how Tate responded after Foster signed his huge contract before last season:

"I'm going to keep riding the wave, working hard every single day to get better," Tate said according to Robertson. "I feel like I'm one of the better running backs in the league right now, definitely (in the) top 10. Adrian's getting paid the big bucks, but you know what? My time is coming. ...

"I like Arian," Tate continued. "We get along. Why should I be jealous of him for doing well? I've always been taught not to be a hater. Why should I hate on Arian for doing what he was supposed to do when he got a chance? I got hurt. He had the whole year to make big things happen. He took advantage of his big opportunity. When I get my opportunity, I've got to do the same thing."

I really hope he didn't actually say "Adrian," as he was quoted as saying.

We feel you, Ben. Arian Foster's calf feels you, too. Don't mess it up.

*****

Around the NFL

Remember The Other Simms Son?

Everyone from Texas remembers that time NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Phil Simms had a son who was also destined to be an NFL star quarterback.

The Play (OU-Texas 2001) (via dubzilla)

That didn't really work out.

Phil Simms has another son, though, who also plays quarterback. His name is Matt, and he briefly started at Tennessee in 2010. Desmond Howard tweeted during that season that Simms was one of the worst quarterbacks in the SEC. That caused Phil to try to fight him. This was pretty much the last we heard of Matt Simms, until now.

If you're Greg McElroy, you've got to be thinking to yourself, "Damn, Tim Tebow must really suck if even I started over him last year, and I am about to lose my third string spot to Matt Freaking Simms."

I mean, the guy doesn't even have his photo uploaded on his NFL.com player bio page. Can't lose your job to that guy.

*****

E.J. Not Being Handed Anything In Buffalo.

E.J. Manuel has already informed the world of how smart he is, declaring that the Buffalo Bills' playbook is simpler than what he had to learn as a quarterback at Florida State. He is still third on the depth chart, despite being the only QB taken in the first round.

No knock against Florida State, but this must simply mean that Kevin Kolb is a member of Mensa, and Tarvaris Jackson DVR's Jeopardy! every day.

*****

I Had Never Heard of John Moffitt Until Now. But Now I Will Never Forget John Moffitt.

That's what happens when you play in the NFL and get arrested for public urination.

If you read what happened, you see how fortunate Moffitt - described in the police report as one of two "very large males" running away from the scene - is to have not been charged with evading arrest. I just want to know why this Seattle Seahawks guard had been banned from "all Kemper Freeman properties" to begin with. That seems like something the Seattle Post Intelligencer reporters should have dug into and explained to the curious readers at home.

This happened in June. The best part is that Moffitt got arrested again two months later for trespassing on another Kemper Freeman property, and that, as a "very large male," it took two sets of handcuffs to contain him:

"Once outside, two pairs of handcuffs were placed on Moffitt due to his large size and a recent shoulder injury," a police report states. "Both sets of handcuffs were checked for tightness, and all were double locked."

Having a hard time painting a mental picture of what this looks like. Did they cuff one set to the other?

Thank God they were all double locked.

Excellent off-season, Seattle. You don't see any news involving urine and Matt Schaub's Texans, no matter what the context.

*****

Gronk Ready For Yet Another Surgery.

How much do you love Aaron Hernandez right now if you're a New England Patriots fan? Your star tight end Rob Gronkowski finally gets his broken forearm ready to heal when the news drops that the rumors were true: Gronk is headed for back surgery this June.

No matter how mild the Patriots, the media or Drew Rosenhaus try to make something like this sound, back surgery of any kind is something I automatically label as serious.

If you're a Patriots fan, it may be time to start thinking about a future that involves a lot of former New York Giants tight end Jake Ballard as well. He spent the entire 2012 season on New England's injured reserve, learning the playbook and rehabbing his knee. Could be his time.

*****

While We're All Still Here

Props To My Boy Zim On His 3-HR Day

The guy who lived two doors down from me in my freshman dorm at Virginia hit three home runs in his first three at bats yesterday.

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Finally, I get to brag on Zim, instead of the other way around. It really gets old seeing him talking to the media about how he knows that really awesome writer for Battle Red Blog.

#Wahoowa, of course.

Countdown to Kickoff: #99 Kelcy Quarles

Connor Tapp — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:00:07 -0000

Kelcy Quarles

Junior Defensive Tackle
6'4", 298 lbs.
Greenwood (S.C.) High School

Recruitment:
Class of 2010 (enrolled in 2011)
4 stars
151st player overall, 13th defensive tackle

Collegiate career:
If it seems like rising junior Kelcy Quarles has been with the South Carolina program for a long time, it's because he has been. The big defensive tackle originally signed a National Letter of Intent to play with the Gamecocks in February of 2010 but spent a year at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia to get his academics in order before enrolling in 2011.

Quarles contributed right away as a true freshman, participating in 12 of the Gamecocks' 13 games in 2011 and, for the season's final 6 games, overtook then-junior Aldrick Fordham for the starting interior defensive line position alongside Travian Robertson.

In 2012, Quarles entered the season as the clear starter at defensive tackle and appeared to be on pace for an All-SEC type of season before a shoulder injury sidelined him during a grueling three-game stretch at LSU and Florida and at home against Tennessee.

2012 Stats:
38 tackles
8 tackles for loss
3.5 sacks
0 forced fumbles
0 interceptions

Expectations for 2013:
Quarles will once again enter the season as the unquestioned starter at defensive tackle alongside another newcomer (Byron Jerideau in 2012, likely J.T. Surratt in 2013). As long as he can stay healthy, he should once again be a leader on a veteran South Carolina defensive line. Barring injury, he could make a run at All-SEC honors, potentially launching him into a decision to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.

Trivia:
Quarles attended Greenwood High School with 2013 NFL Draftees D.J. Swearinger and Sam Montgomery. (That defense must have been ridiculous.) He also took up yoga at the suggestion of former defensive line coach Brad Lawing.

Possible Todd Ellis play-by-play call:
"Aaron Murray, Kelcy has no quarrels with you. But you've got to LET. HIM. EAT!!!"

SB Nation - D.J. Swearinger

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3. Wearing down

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4. Shaw vs. Thompson

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6. Hmm, I wonder why opponents tended to run a lot on passing downs…

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Countdown to Kickoff: #99 Kelcy Quarles