SB Nation - Manuel Johnson

SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable -- Week 6

TB — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:02:31 -0000

This week's Roundtable is hosted by Husker Mike at Corn Nation. Excellent questions this week, and I'm sorry we didn't get our answers posted in time for the recap.

1. I'm sure everybody had preseason predictions for their team. Now that we're a few games in, revise your predictions with your best and worst case scenarios (being reasonable on both sides), and then revising your prediction for the season result.

TB: My preseason prediction for K-State was 6-6, with a 3-5 conference record. The overall record projection should be adjusted downward at least one game because of the loss to Louisiana in the non-conference schedule. I think 3-5 is still attainable in conference after the win over Iowa State. We have home games against Colorado and Texas A&M remaining. Neither will be easy wins -- nothing will come easy for this team this year -- but neither of those teams is very good.

BracketCat: Well, I sipped the Kool-Aid a little bit back in August and said 7-5 (+/- 1), but that was before Brandon Harold and a host of other players got hurt. At this point, things definitely are shaping up for a 5-7/6-6 type season, but there's no denying that considerable progress has been made over last year, even if the record ends up the same. And I still think if things continue to progress for the next month as they have over the last month, we could jump up and bite somebody nobody thinks we will (hopefully, the Jayhawks) and maybe squeak out that seventh win after all.

2. In 2010, the Big 12 will send it's 7th place team to play in a new bowl game to be played at Yankee Stadium, replacing the Independence Bowl in Shreveport. What's your take on this move? Is it a good move for players? Is it a good move for the conference? Is it a good move for fans?

TB: From a media standpoint, this is probably a good move. It's the biggest city in the country, which could provide some extra exposure for the conference. Certainly it's better than some non-descript town along I-20 in northwest Louisiana in this area.

I have no idea whether this is good for the players or not. They get to play in Yankee Stadium, which may or may not be cool to them. I would think that playing somewhere like The Rose Bowl would be a bigger deal, but Yankee Stadium is almost certainly better than whatever crappy stadium Shreveport had for them.

For fans, this has its positives and negatives. I've never been, but it seems to me that you either love or hate New York City. My wife, a very sensible person, did not enjoy it at all. With a lot of schools in the Big 12 sporting fairly rural fanbases that consider $7 an outrageous sum to spend on a beer at a sporting event, this may not be good. The City is big, crowded and expensive, and those from that don't like cities will probably hate it. I'd probably go once if K-State was playing, but whether I would return would depend on my experience that first time.

BracketCat: I'm cool with it. For the seventh-place team, it will feel like Christmas and New Year's rolled into one. I mean, let's not pretend that Shreveport is any kind of attractive destination for fans. Yeah, New York might be a little more expensive to get to, but at least you can fly into a major airport and there are plenty of places to stay. I might be a little biased because my aunt lives just across the way in New Jersey and I'd have a free place to crash, but with our luck, we'd probably get rematched against my uncle's team (Rutgers), and have to face a hostile Yankee Stadium and get plowed again. The big benefit will be to the conference; a bowl game in ESPN's backyard can't hurt our media profile at all.

3. Oklahoma is now 2-2, with one of those victories coming against a winless 1-AA team. Will all be well in Soonerland once Sam Bradford returns?

TB: No. Oklahoma has reached the point where it expects to contend for a national title every year, and that hope is gone this season. The Sooners' worst year since 1999 was 2005 when they lost two games in the non-conference (sound familiar?). If OU loses to UT in Dallas in a few weeks, the season will officially be over, because even the Big 12 title will be off the table. At that point, I wouldn't be surprised to see an official "mail-it-in" effort from OU over the rest of the year. An 8-4 record would not be surprising at all.

BracketCat: No, because they're still without Mike Balogun, Ryan Broyles, Juaquin Iglesias, Manuel Johnson, Jermaine Gresham, Phil Loadholt and three other starting offensive linemen from last year. Even before the season, I thought OU might lose at Miami, to Texas, at Kansas, at Nebraska and/or at Texas Tech. Now that the BYU loss has been added to the ledger, and the Sooners have shown a severe lack of mental fortitude in dealing with the adversity that has been slung at them, a 7-5 "collapse" is a realistic possibility, given how balanced the rest of the conference is.

4. This week, Missouri and Nebraska face off on an ESPN Thursday night broadcast at 8 pm. Last Thursday, Colorado lost to West Virginia. Missouri and Colorado both have played Friday night road games. What's your take on non-Saturday games?

TB: I've laid this out pretty extensively in the past, but the short answer is that they're a terrible idea for K-State as home games. When your school is in a town of 45,000 people, and the nearest population centers are Topeka (50 miles, 120,000 people), Kansas City (120 miles, 2 million people) and Wichita (120 miles, ~400,000 people), you're not going to draw a good crowd for a game on Thursday or Friday. If it's a road game, it might not be a bad idea, but it doesn't work in Manhattan. I will be shocked if you ever see a Thursday game in Manhattan.

BracketCat: Four words: Louisville on a Wednesday. Four more words: I f***in' hate 'em. And I am glad Bill Snyder never will consent to playing another one. They're great to watch other people like Colorado flop in, but I despise watching my team do the same.

5. It seems everybody is in agreement that the bottom three teams in the North are the bottom three teams in the conference. Is the gap growing, and which of these teams is going to break out of the cellar first. Or is it hopeless?

TB: The gap is pretty wide, but it's clearly grown over time. Are the bottom three teams in the North in 2009 appreciably worse than the bottom three teams in the North were in 1998? Yes, given that MU and CU were 8-4 that year and were clearly the third and fourth best teams in the North. This year, K-State, Iowa State and Colorado are likely to range from 2-10 to 5-7 (at best). That's clearly a step back.

On the other hand, I'd hold off on announcing those three teams as the undisputed worst in the conference. This week's result against Arkansas makes clear that Texas A&M is not nearly as improved as we thought. The loss of Robert Griffin also likely relegates Baylor to the level of the ignominious three from the North.

Finally, no, nothing is hopeless. If a team with 500 losses can hire an assistant coach from Iowa and come within one quarter of playing for a national title 10 years later, nothing is hopeless. If you're old enough, think back to KU under Terry Allen and MU under Larry Smith. Did any of those fans have any hope of achieving anything resembling the success they've had recently? If they say they did, ask them if they still thought that while K-State was beating them 64-0 and 66-0, respectively.

BracketCat: I think the gap is narrowing, actually, and for two reasons. One, Baylor and Texas A&M appear to be more at our ("our" being CU/ISU/KSU) level than at any other. Two, I see week-to-week improvement in Iowa State and Kansas State. These teams are playing solid ball; they just lack depth and talent. Colorado, not so much, but that's the only truly putrid team we have. As for breaking out of the cellar, I have to be a homer and say us since we're already 1-0 in the North and get CU at home. First past the post, baby!

6. Rank all of the division 1 football conferences from top to bottom. Not just the BCS conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big 10/11, Big East, Pac 10, SEC), but the others (MAC, Conference USA, WAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt) as well. Who's the strongest conference, and who's the pretender?

TB: I punt. I'll take a page out of T. Kyle King's book and just avoid the conference wars.

BracketCat: 1. SEC -- "King of the Hill" for all eternity now that ESPN has become its pimp.
2. Big 12 -- Overrated, but still better then the others. Texas is a stud; rest of the conference is more balanced than last year. Ties the SEC with six ranked teams.
3. Pac-10 -- USC is not as good as previous years; Cal is a fraud; Oregon got bitchslapped by Boise State. But Stanford is pretty good and there is a lot of balance.
4. Big Ten -- Solid, but unspectacular. Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State all have given reason to believe they're not worthy of Top 25 status, and Indiana and Purdue are beyond awful.
5. Mountain West -- Yeah, I put 'em here. Should have three ranked teams and deserves a BCS bid more than the Big East. Colorado State is pretty good, too.
T6. ACC -- Other than Miami and Virginia Tech, still a wallowing puddle of mediocrity and suckyness. Virginia might be the worst BCS team with a single win. Oh, wait, forgot about Duke.
T6. Big East -- Cincinnati and the seven dwarves. Still not buying USF, because FSU is awful. WVU, Pittsburgh and Rutgers haven't done shit. Louisville and Syracuse are just plain bad.
8. WAC -- Not just Boise State. Fresno State remains a dangerous program and Nevada looked pretty damn solid against Missouri.
9. Conference USA -- Houston's obliteration at the hands of UTEP knocked them out of 8th place. Tulsa is way down and ECU is solid, but getting no media love.
T10. MAC -- Normally would have sole possession of 10th, but Ball State went from first to worst, Buffalo has returned to its old ways and there is no premier program this year other than Central Michigan, and even it looks a little down from the last two seasons. If not for Toledo destroying Colorado, would anyone even notice the MAC's existence this season?
T10. Sun Belt -- Probably going to be here until the end of time. Welcoming Western Kentucky to the ranks sure didn't help.

7. PowerPoll time. Rank 'em 1 to 12 based on who you think would be the victor on a neutral field.

TB:

1. Texas -- Nothing to add here.
2. Missouri -- By simple attrition, the Tigers move up to this spot. We'll see if they deserve it against Nebraska on Thursday.
3. Nebraska -- Justified in my mind, because Nebraska narrowly lost to a Virginia Tech team that spanked the Miami team that beat Oklahoma. Comparative box scores don't tell the whole story, but for now their resume trumps the Sooners'.
4. Oklahoma -- Failed their big test in Oklahoma and it will be interesting to see if they bounce back or mail in the rest of the season. Get the nod over the No. 5 team because they've played a much better schedule and have been overwhelmingly good in their two wins.
5. KU -- If you're feeling slighted as a KU fan, you'll have your chance against all four of the teams in front of you. As of now, the resume is not as impressive as those teams.
6. Oklahoma State -- Nobody behind them was overly impressive, so the Pokes stay here.
7. Texas Tech -- Not overly impressive against New Mexico, but the team in front of them was far worse, so they move up a spot. Something has happened to that defense since the game in Austin.
8. Texas A&M -- Was annihilated by Arkansas, but nobody behind them did enough to justify a bigger drop.
9. K-State -- No, beating Iowa State is not really that impressive, but I can't justify any of the other bottom-dwellers here, so the Cats land at No. 9.
10. Iowa State -- Not really based on anything. They were slightly better than Baylor in beating Kent State, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
11. Baylor -- Proved they can still win a game without Griffin. The problem is that the opponent was Kent State.
12. Colorado -- Gashed by West Virginia in a game that wasn't really as close as it looked. Without a doubt, K-State's best shot at another win this year is when CU visits Manhattan.

BracketCat: So if things hold pat, it's Kansas State vs. Texas for the Big 12 Championship, right? LOL!

1. Texas
2. Kansas
3. Missouri
4. Nebraska
5. Oklahoma
6. Texas Tech
7. Oklahoma State
8. Texas A&M
9. Baylor
10. Kansas State
11. Iowa State
12. Colorado

Fun Football Facts From 2008: Baylor Bears

ccmachine — Tue, 12 May 2009 04:13:58 -0000

Going into conference play Oklahoma’s offense had been unstoppable. In the first four games of the season the Sooners had scored 199 points and in the conference opener Baylor didn’t have an answer either. Oklahoma jumped on the Bears with four first quarter touchdowns and then coasted to an easy 49-17 win. Here are a few fun facts about the game that you may have forgotten.

The Baylor crowd of 37,145 would be the smallest crowd OU would play in front of all season.

Oklahoma improved to 18-0 against Baylor and 8-0 in Waco.

With its 28 points in the first quarter, Oklahoma equaled its second-highest total for a quarter against Big 12 opponents. OU has reached the plateau three times: Baylor (2000), Texas (2000) and Texas A&M (2003). The highest total was OU’s 35 points in the second quarter in its 77-0 win over Texas A&M in 2003.

OU had four different players record rushing touchdowns as Sam Bradford, Chris Brown, Mossis Madu and DeMarco Murray each crossed the goal line throughout the game.

With two passing TDs on the day, Sam Bradford moved into second all-time on the Oklahoma career passing TDs list, jumping his position coach, Josh Heupel, with 54 career TDs through the air.

Oklahoma WR Juaquin Iglesias moved to second on the OU all-time career receiving yards list with six catches for 133 yards, giving the senior 2,112 career yards. Iglesias grabbed the spot from former Sooner Antwone Savage (1999-02), who had 2,009 yards.

Oklahoma needed just 70 seconds to get on the board as Sam Bradford hooked up with Manuel Johnson with a 53-yard touchdown pass with 13:50 remaining in the first. The score marked the earliest of the season for the Sooners.

Fullback Matt Clapp doubled his career rushing yardage with seven yards on two carries.

Six different Sooners crossed the goal line in Waco.

The Oklahoma offense topped the 400-yard mark for the third time in five games with 594 yards.

The Valley Ranch Review: More Quick Hits from Yesterday’s Mini-Camp

Aaron Novinger — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:28:07 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips, left, shakes hands with team owner Jerry Jones during minicamp.

Browse more photos »

The Ranch Report has a great re-cap of yesterday's practice. A few highlights from their good coverage.

During stretching, FB Asaph Schwapp looked to be one of camp's most flexible players and made an acrobatic catch from Stephen McGee.
K David Buehler was seen participating in tackling drills and actually got to QB Rudy Carpenter. Buehler warmed up with the DBs and said he may be covering punts for the team.
Mini-camp observer, Michael Irvin, offered some pointers to Ogletree before moving on to help out WRs Manuel Johnson and Julian Hawkins.
The near-500lb. combo of T Robert Brewster and OG Travis Bright were working as the two-man wedge on kick returns, and ended up drilling Manuel Johnson.
McGee had nifty footwork and throws well on the run but Rudy Carpenter looks to have the the bigger arm. His deep passes had more power behind them than McGee's.
OC Jason Garrett was getting on the rookies yelling at them to pick up the tempo and for McGee to be more accurate after a low pass.
LBs Jason Williams and Stephen Hodge showed their speed. Both guys looked great in coverage and Hodge stripped TE Rodney Hannah of the ball after a catch and took off with it, to the delight of the rest of the players.

Although OL Robert Brewster could play guard, he is now slotted to learn RT.

Of the four Clemson players drafted last weekend, FoxSports writes that Cowboys' S Michael Hamlin will have the biggest impact.

In Dallas, he immediately steps into the backup strong safety role behind fifth-year pro Gerald Sensabaugh coincidentally, cousin to Clemson backup corner Coty Sensabaugh. Gerald, it should be noted, was signed to only a one-year deal, and Jacksonville made no effort to try to re-sign him. Hamlins greatest competition initially for the backup spot will be another 5th-round pick, Cincinnatis DeAngelo Smith, who played corner in college.

A lot of folks thought Hamlin projected as a situational player in their scheme, but Dallas employs the same ?quarters secondary coverage that Clemson used under Vic Koenning, so there should be an instant comfort there. Plus, if he simply doesnt bite on half the play-action passes, hell be beloved in comparison to the positions predecessor, Roy Williams.

In one year, it could be an all-Hamlin secondary, with Michael playing alongside free safety Ken Hamlin (no relation).

Here is the schedule for today and tomorrow's practice times:

Saturday, May 2

10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Practice

12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Locker room open to media

2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Practice

3:50 p.m. Wade Phillips available

Sunday, May 3

10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Practice

12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. Locker room open to media

Cowboys Rookie Camp: Get to Know the Players

Dave Halprin — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:00:14 -0000

Today marks another step along the path to the start of the 2009 NFL season. Sure, we're still a long way away from seeing real NFL games, but the Dallas Cowboys will get their first look at all their draft picks in this weekend's mini-camp, starting today. The 12 rookie draft picks will be on hand, plus a group of undrafted free agents and some first-year veterans.

The mothership has an article about it here. Since we drafted so many guys and added UDFA's (plus some forgotten vets that will be participating), I thought I'd produce a guide to getting to know everybody. I've included some links to bios, video highlights, and good articles for the guys who will be hitting the field this weekend.

Check it out after the jump.


#58 - ILB	#59 - OLB	#18 - K/ST
Jason Williams Bio	Brandon Williams Bio	David Buehler Bio
Video Highlights	Video Highlights	Video Highlights
Video Interview 4/30	Article	Article

#36 - S	#79 - T/G	#55 - S/LB
Michael Hamlin Bio	Robert Brewster Bio	Stephen Hodge Bio
Video Highlights	Video Highlights	Video Highlights
Article	Article	Video Interview 4/30

#31 - CB/S	#7 - QB	#89 - TE
DeAngelo Smith Bio	Stephen McGee Bio	John Phillips Bio
Video Highlights	Video Highlights	Video Highlights
Video Interview 4/30	Video Interview 4/30	Article

#57 - OLB	#87 - WR	#33 - CB
Victor Butler Bio	Manuel Johnson Bio	Mike Mickens Bio
Video Highlights	Video Highlights	Video Highlights
Article	Article	Article

Undrafted Free Agents
G Travis Bright, BYU
QB Rudy Carpenter, Arizona State
WR Julian Hawkins, Boise State
TE/LS Jamar Hunt, Texas-El Paso
G Greg Isdaner, West Virginia
WR Kevin Ogletree, Virginia
FB Asaph Schwapp, Notre Dame
T Michael Turkovich, Notre Dame

Veterans
FB Julius Crosslin, Oklahoma State
DE Marcus Dixon, Hampton
G Ryan Gibbons, Northeastern
TE Rodney Hannah, Houston
RB Keon Lattimore, Maryland
LB Steve Octavien, Nebraska
C Matt Spanos, Southern Cal
DT Casey Tyler, Portland State

The Valley Ranch Review: Demarcus Ware Won’t Worry and More Rookie Stuff

Aaron Novinger — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:00:22 -0000

Todd Archer checks up on the Demarcus Ware contract situation. The all-everything OLB doesn't sound too worried. Ware joked about the $20 million and $41 million respectively guaranteed to all-pro defenders James Harrison and Albert Haynesworth.

"I feel like it's somewhere in there," Ware said. "It's not 51. It might not be 100. It's somewhere between the two. Maybe it's 94."

[snip]

"I'm not frustrated because at the end of the day I know I can play," said Ware, who led the league with 20 sacks in 2008. "Like I say, I'm a Ferrari. The only thing I do is appreciate. It's on them to get it done."

Todd Archer at the DMN blog on players that will be attending the upcoming rookie camp besides the draft picks.

Those without a full season will be on hand, mostly guys from last year's practice squad. They are: tight end Rodney Hannah, center Ryan Gibbons, defensive lineman Marcus Dixon, fullback Julius Crosslin and offensive lineman Matt Spanos.

Been wondering about the backup NT, besides Junior Siavii? Maybe Marcus Dixon is in the mix.

Of the vets, I'm looking forward to seeing Dixon. Jerry Jones talked him up the last few times we spoke, saying he might be able to get in the mix as a backup nose tackle.

Will there be even more competition at inside linebacker? Coach Phillips suggested that sixth-round pick Stephen Hodge will get some looks there.

"We'll have to see," Phillips said. "Obviously, he hasn't played linebacker. But he played safety and made a lot of tackles. He came up a lot and made a lot of plays and obviously was a real good safety. We see him as an inside 'backer and we'll just have to get a feel for if he can do both."

Hat tip to CowboyHornedFrogs for his FanPost on Hodge.

Gilmer, Texas native, Manuel Johnson, talks to KTTB radio about being drafted by the Cowboys. Topics discussed are Jerry Jones' explanation to him of why they didn't draft him earlier (a focus on defense), his chances of climbing up the wide receiver depth chart in Big D, and how being picked by the Cowboys was worth waiting into the seventh-round.

It's easy for us couch-sitters to be skeptical about every draft pick for every team. But you gotta love what being drafted means to the young men and their families. Here's a local news story that covered draft day at the home of Cowboys rookie safety Michael Hamlin.

Jason Witten and his foundation are continuing to fight domestic violence. He recently spoke at a benefit luncheon for the Texas Advocacy Program.

Mickey Spagnola reports on the Cowboys' allotted dollars for this year's rookie class.

The combined first-year cap charge for those 12 players can't exceed $4.639 million. That amount ranks 16^th in the NFL, and represents the total salary cap hit in 2009 (base salary plus prorated signing bonus) for all first-year players, which includes the rookie free agents who will officially be signed on Thursday.

The Sooners NFL Draft Recap

dishingoutdimes — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:38:53 -0000

More photos » by Jerry S. Mendoza - AP

Detroit Lions' tight end Brandon Pettigrew, left, safety Louis Delmas, center, of Western Michigan, and quarterback Matthew Stafford, of Georgia, sport looks of concern about being drafted by the Lions during a news conference at the Lions' headquarters on Sunday, April 26, 2009, in Allen Park, Mich. [I made that up]. (AP Photo/Jerry S. Mendoza)

Browse more photos »

No Sooners are going to the 0-16 Detroit Lions, but it seems like the Minnesota Vikings have a thing for the Oklahoma Sooners. They drafted Adrian Peterson in 2007. They drafted Rufus Alexander last year. And now it appears they have two Sooners on their summer roster - Phil Loadholt and Jon Cooper. It should be noted that Brad Childress, Vikings head coach, visited Norman a couple of times personally. I had that in one of my notebooks, but I'm not going to dig it up now.

In any event here's how it breaks down:

Phil Loadholt: drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 22nd pick in the 2nd round, 54th pick overall.

Juaquin Iglesias: drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 3rd round with the 99th overall pick.

Nic Harris: drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 5th round with the 147th overall pick.

Duke Robinson: drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 5th round with the 163rd overall pick.

Manuel Johnson: drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 7th round with the 229th overall pick.

Jon Cooper: signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings.

Brandon Walker: signed as a free agent with the Houston Texans.

Lendy Holmes: signed as a free agent with the Washington Redskins (h/t to Woodrow Wilson).

Quentin Chaney: signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Rams (h/t to Woodrow Wilson).

So in total, 5 Sooners were drafted and 2 more were signed as free agents. Here's a good summary quote from soonersports.com:

Oklahoma continued several notable streaks in the 2009 NFL Draft. At least one Sooner was selected for the 47th consecutive Draft (1963-2009) and for the 41st time in the first seven rounds (1969-2009). For the 12th-straight year (1998-2009), a Sooner was selected in the first three rounds.

OU has supplied 339 players all-time in the NFL Draft (fourth-highest total of all schools). Despite its relative youth when compared with other coach staffs, the Sooner staff has done remarkably well at preparing players for the next level. This group of coaches can boast more than 66 players (41 drafted) who entered the NFL.

Personally, I'm shocked that Duke Robinson fell to the 5th round with his work ethic and talent level. He was often widely considered to be one of, if not our best, linemen.

I'm not really too surprised by anything else. Players still out there that might catch on with free agent contracts include Branndon Braxton and Mike Knall.

Cowboys Draft 2009: Quick Snapshot of the 12 Picks

Dave Halprin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:01:31 -0000

Quick wrap-up of the Dallas Cowboys 2009 Draft.

Later tonight, Raf will post his breakdown on the players we drafted so be sure to come back to read that.

The Cowboys went with the "Death Match" strategy proposed in this earlier post. After drafting 12 players on the second day, training camp is going to turn into a death match between all these rookies and some veterans who have been on the edges of the roster, and possibly a couple of semi-regulars.

I won't even try to offer analysis of the skills and value of most of these picks. Many of them I haven't seen play a down of football, so I can't give them a true evaluation. I'll leave that to the draftniks. But you can get an idea of what their roles may be should they make the team and who they'll be battling in camp for roster spots.

Jason Williams, ILB, Western Illinois - This guy looks like a replacement for Kevin Burnett. Small but very active and athletic, he should battle for the nickel ILB spot. Bobby Carpenter could be in trouble.

Robert Brewster, T/G, Ball State - Played tackle but the talk is he might be better sliding inside to guard at the NFL level. He'll battle for a backup spot along the line and could replace a player like Pat McQuistan.

Stephen McGee, QB, Texas A&M - If you draft a QB when you have a confirmed starter and a competent backup, you must see something special in him. Otherwise, you can find a third QB in a lot of places and not in the fourth round. We'll see.

Victor Butler, OLB, Oregon State - With this pick and the following one, Greg Ellis is sure to be whining soon. The Cowboys had Ware, Spencer and Ellis as the options at OLB, which was dangerously thin. Now they have Butler to compete.

Brandon Williams, OLB, Texas Tech - See above.

DeAngelo Smith, CB, Cincinnati - We needed some more bodies in the secondary behind the starters. There's talk Smith could be better suited to safety. He could also end up being a punt returner on special teams.

Michael Hamlin, S, Clemson - It was no secret the Cowboys needed depth at safety, behind Ken Hamlin and Gerald Sensabaugh we had very little. Pat Watkins and Courtney Brown now have competition.

David Buehler, K, USC - Kind of a surprise, but I guess with 12 picks you can take a chance like this. Nick Folk is a money kicker on FG's, but is far below average on kickoffs. Buehler could battle Folk but more likely would have to stick as a kickoff specialists. Yes, teams do use kickoff specialists sometimes; it's not a totally nutty idea. Buehler is also a good athlete and might be able to do some other things, so that might help his cause.

Stephen Hodge, S, TCU - A big safety, he could add depth and could possibly play a hybrid S/LB position in the dime defenses. Similar to what we tried with Roy Williams.

John Phillips, TE, Virginia - It's a rule that Dallas has to draft a TE every year.

Mike Mickens, CB, Cincinnati - Huge value at corner. I have no idea why he dropped, but he was expected to go much sooner. Did the knee scare teams off? Alan Ball doesn't like this draft at all.

Manuel Johnson, WR, Oklahoma - Well, they had to draft a receiver at some point.

This draft isn't flashy and I don't see anybody here who could immediately challenge the starters for time, but two or three may be playing significant roles in rotations as nickel and dime defenders. The Cowboys also concentrated on special teams and decided they needed an infusion of new blood, especially with the departure of Keith Davis and Kevin Burnett. Some of these guys are special teams aces. Another binding characteristic - good guys, character guys.

What are your thoughts? Stick around, later Raf will have his breakdown up.

Fun Football Facts From 2008: TCU

ccmachine — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:41:05 -0000

Oklahoma’s offensive machine rolled through UT Chattanooga, Cincinnati and Washington without any signs of slowing down. Next up was TCU and a 20 game home winning streak that started after the Sooners loss to the Frogs in 2005 was on the line. No. 25 TCU boasted the nation’s top rushing defense and while they sold out to limit Oklahoma’s rushing attack to just 25 yards they no answer for Sam Bradford and the OU passing attack and Oklahoma moved on without a challenge, 35-10. Here are a few fun facts about the game that you may have forgotten.

• OU’s victory marked its 21st-straight home win, which tied for second-longest in program history and the longest under Bob Stoops.

• The Sooners improved to 29-11 against ranked opponents under Stoops. Oklahoma moves to 57-2 in Norman under Stoops.

• With four turnovers against TCU, the OU defense had forced seven turnovers in the past two games.

• Bradford’s 411 passing yards was the third-most all-time by a Sooner quarterback. He became only the second OU quarterback to throw for over 400 yards in a game. Current OU quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel accomplished the feat twice in ‘99 (Louisville - 429, Baylor - 420).

• Bradford’s 202 first-quarter passing yards set an OU record for passing yards in the opening quarter by a Sooner quarterback. Bradford eclipsed Jason White’s 184 first-quarter passing yards against Baylor in 2003.

• Bradford became the second player in OU history to throw for over 300 yards in three consecutive contests. Heupel is the only other Sooner QB to accomplish the feat, doing so three times in his Oklahoma career.

•Johnson set an Oklahoma record for receiving yards in a contest, becoming OU’s first player to eclipse 200 receiving yards in a game. Johnson recorded 206 yards on five catches and three TDs. Oklahoma’s previous best was 190 yards by Mark Clayton against Texas 2003.

• Johnson became the second OU player to record three touchdowns of 55 yards of more in a contest, joining Antonio Perkins, who broke an NCAA record against UCLA in 2003 with punt return TDs of 84, 74 and 65.

Sooners in the NFL Draft

dishingoutdimes — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:43:11 -0000

Despite Oklahoma making the national championship and graduating/losing 9 starters, and 6 backups, none of them are really projected as a first round pick right now (per ESPN). this is pretty shocking, especially with the talented offensive line that OU had. Before the season ended, many people thought that Phil Loadholt or Duke Robinson might be able to sneak into the first round. Anyways, we're going to examine some guys here and give a little capsule on what each might expect in the draft. Enjoy!

Duke Robinson - OG

6'5" 329, 40 Time: 5.32 sec, 225lb Bench Reps: 20, Vertical Jump: 31.5", Broad Jump: 8'3", 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.90 sec, 3-cone: 8.09 sec. (Most of those are OU Pro Day results)

Duke is widely regarded as the top guard on the board. He will probably be the first guard off the board. He didn't do a whole lot other than the 40 at the combine (perhaps he hurt his stock a little there), but his measurables at the pro day all looked pretty good and most of the NFL teams had scouts there. And at the pro day, all the scouts loved his build. He projects as one of the top interior linemen in the draft and will probably work best on a team that has a power rushing attack. No doubt he'll get drafted. If all the teams pass on him for one round, expect him to go in the first 5-7 picks in the second round. "During his last two seasons, Robinson had 229 knockdown blocks and had a key block on 29 touchdowns" --NFL Draft Scout. I don't know if he'll be a pro bowler, but I expect him to be successful in the NFL.

Phil Loadholt - OT

6'8" 332, 40 Time: 5.45 sec, 225lb Bench Reps: 26, Vertical Jump: 29", Broad Jump: 8'9", 20 Yard Shuttle: 5.06 sec, 3-cone: 8.18 sec. (Most of those are OU Pro Day results)

Phil Loadholt has the size to have a huge impact as an offensive tackle in the NFL. He probably projects to a right tackle, but is a bit too tall for guard. The Bears and the Vikings have expressed interest in Loadholt already. Despite extremely long arms he had 26 bench press reps which is great. He's a better run blocker than pass blocker. "He has the size, strength, and flexibility to be a dominant drive blocker in the running game. He had pass blocking challenges at the Senior Bowl that validated concerns about his ability to stay at left tackle in the NFL" --NFL Draft Scout. Look for Loadholt to perhaps move to right tackle to fit in at the NFL. Given the pass blocking concerns he might drop to mid to late 2nd round. Anything after the 40-45th pick I would consider a steal though.

Juaquin Iglesias - WR

6'1" 210, 40 Time: 4.50 sec, 225lb Bench Reps: DNP, Vertical Jump: 34.5", Broad Jump: 9'8", 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.40 sec, 3-cone: 7.22 sec. (Most of those are Combine results)

Depending on how the draft is going, I would expect Iglesias to go somewhere in the 2nd to 3rd round. For being a "hands guy" who should be reliable to catch just about anything, he has a decent amount of speed. I think his fastest 40 time was in the neighborhood of 4.45. Overall he has good measurables. In pads he has a surprising quickness and he has a feel for getting open in the coverages (just ask Sam Bradford). At the OU pro day he dropped his first pass and his last pass but caught everything in between. NFL Draft Scout said it was "like watching Velcro". In any event, I think Iglesias could be one of those guys who is never an elite NFL receiver but a solid guy who catches a few passes a game for decent yardage and would be a good threat out of the slot.

Nic Harris S/OLB

6'3" 234, 40 Time: 4.84 sec, 225lb Bench Reps: 15, Vertical Jump: 31.5", Broad Jump: 9'1", 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.37 sec, 3-cone: 7.05 sec. (Most of those are Combine results)

Nic Harris is a great athlete, but he's one of those guys that it may be difficult to find a position for in the NFL. At safety, he is a bit too big. He's very fluid in coverage but may not be able to keep up with the speed at the NFL level. At linebacker, he's a bit undersized and might not be able to fight off blocks or work too well close to the line. So, he's kind of a tweener. It's a shame, because I think he has the athleticism and talent to make a big impact. If the right team with the right scheme drafts him, he might work out okay. I think he'd work better in a 4-3 defense, but could work in some sort of hybrid 3-3-5 defense where he can slide down to LB to make it a 3-4 in running situations. Gil Brandt from NFL.com raved that his backpedal was just about as fast as his 40, so it would be a shame to waste his coverage skills. He's projected in the 5th round right now.

Those are the guys who are projected to be definitely drafted. Here's how the rest shake out:

Possible Late Round (7th) or Free Agent:

Brandon Walker, OG: Don't know all that much about Brandon, other than that there's a lot of guys who are projected ahead of him. I don't think he really separated from the pack at pro day or the combine. I don't think he'll go in the draft, but could get invited to a camp.
Branndon Braxton, OT: See Brandon Walker.
Jon Cooper, C: He's a really talented player. Some may say he's a bit undersized for the NFL but he weighed in at 290. He quarterbacked OU's amazing offensive line and I think he could actually surprise in the NFL. Could be a steal as a 7th rounder or a camp invitee.
Manuel Johnson, WR: He's smaller at 5'11" and only about 190 so that immediately raises some flags for NFL scouts. He doesn't have a great 40 time and he only really broke out last year with solid stats. Despite all that, he's a solid receiver with good game speed, agility and fluidity and reliable hands. It's possible he'll go late in the draft depending on how quickly receivers go earlier on.
Lendy Holmes, FS: He hurt himself with a 40 time around 4.7. Unlike Harris, he doesn't have the size to be a tweener at linebacker. His 40 time is disappointing since I always considered him as faster than that. Still, he's been a playmaker during his time at OU and started out as a corner. His coverage skills and talent might be able to overcome some scouts who will frown on some of his combine measurables.
Mike Knall, P: Overall he was a solid punter in his time at OU but never did anything really special to make you say, "well that guy could play in the NFL". Punters aren't a dime a dozen so even if he isn't drafted he could get an invite to a camp.
Quentin Chaney, WR: He's got the size at 6-4 208. However he got way less playing time than Johnson or Iglesias. I don't think he'll be drafted but because of his size and his pedigree (OU), I could see him getting invited to a camp.

OU Football Spring Preview Part One: Who Is and Isn't Back, Exciting New Players

dishingoutdimes — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:29:16 -0000

Isn't that a beautiful sight? Owen Field filled to capacity, waiting to watch the OU football team take the field. I know we are in the middle of two remarkable basketball seasons (men's and women's), but it's time to start previewing the football team as the Red-White game will be approaching, and Spring practice has already started. Now, with the tournament starting soon, these may not be regular installments, but I will link to previous versions of these previews in the latest preview that I post. Eventually, when I end, there should be a series of links at the top of that post, and you can explore all of my spring previews.

Here's how it will work: I will post articles throughout the offseason (starting now and lasting possibly through May), and eventually we should have a nice overall view of how the football team is shaping up.

In order to go anywhere with this preview, first we need to understand what pieces will be missing from last year. This will be the "logistical" part of the preview - who is and is not back, who redshirted last year, etc. etc.

All the good stuff after the jump...

Who We Lost

Regular Starters: OT Phil Loadholt, OG Duke Robinson, OG Brandon Walker, C Jon Cooper, WR Juaquin Iglesias, WR Manuel Johnson, S Nic Harris, S Lendy Holmes, P Mike Knall.

Role Players/Backups: OL Branndon Braxton, WR Quentin Chaney, DT Cory Bennett, DB Brett Bowers, DE Alan Davis, QB Joey Halzle.

Obviously, what jumps out is that we lost almost our entire starting offensive line, our two starting wide receivers and our two starting safeties. We'll delve more into this when I talk about how we're going to fill the holes in our team from last year and graduations. However, I'll offer a few thoughts on these issues:

First, wide receivers are relatively easy to replace. It's not like in the Stoops era that OU has had an absolutely incredible stable of wideouts. On the contrary, I would argue we have had a stable of running backs, and a ton of really solid wideouts. Even 2 and 3 star recruits at WR pan out to be solid for the Sooners. Quentin Chaney was a 3 star recruit. Juaquin Iglesias was a 2 star recruit. Plus, we have some pretty solid guys waiting in the wings. Like I said, more on that in a later issue.

We have some awesome recruits waiting to compete for the safety spots. That's not really a concern. In fact our defense is loaded. All of that in later issues. Most concerning about these losses is the offensive line. It's not easy to replace such a bulky, athletic and talented offensive line overnight. It's probably the most unheralded position on the field except maybe the punter, but I think our offensive line was the big reason why our offense put up such astronomical numbers last season. Bradford rarely got touched, and we could pick apart defenses.

Last Year's Redshirts

We had a few redshirts last year (19 to be exact). Here they are:

DB Derrick Bradley, RB Jermie Calhoun, LB Daniel Franklin, OL Ben Habern, DB Lamar Harris, LB Dylan Hughley, DB Joseph Ibiloye, LB Emmanuel Jones, OT Jarvis Jones, QB Landry Jones, DE David King, OL Brian Lepak, DT Stacy McGee, TE Josh New, QB Ben Sherrard, TE James Toms, DT Casey Walker, DE R.J. Washington, K Tress Way.

New Players To Watch

Obviously we know about what we're getting from guys who were on the field regularly. But there's some new recruits or redshirts from last year who you should keep an eye on, especially in the spring game:

DE R.J. Washington - This guy was a 5 star recruit coming out of Keller, Texas. He was redshirted last year, but everyone was real excited about him. I'm not sure how much of the field he'll see with really only one DE graduating, but I would expect to see him become a part of the rotation. Here's some YouTube highlights.

WR's Jameel Owens and DeJuan Miller - Both of these guys were recruited last year as well. They both have good size. Owens is 6'3" 210 and Miller is 6'5" 200. While Ryan Broyles will be one of the obvious starters, and upperclassmen Adron Tennell and Brandon Caleb will be given every opportunity to win the other spot, I would expect to see both of these guys challenge for significant playing time and/or a starting spot. They were both 4 star recruits, so both of them have the talent to be big impact receivers. I would expect one of them to step up big time and impress.

S Quinton Carter - He isn't really new, but I would love to see him step up. In the playing time he did get, he was sort of a spark plug. He hits hard and would play well as a strong safety I think. We're going to need a centerfielder out there with a little bit more range and fluid hips in and out of turns, but I liked what I saw of Carter last year. Here are some samples of his work:

Ben Habern, Stephen Good and Jarvis Jones - All of these offensive lineman were highly rated in recruiting services. Jarvis Jones was a starter at LSU as a freshman before he transferred to OU. They all have the size to be successful in Division 1 college football, but will their skills transfer? If so, our offensive line could be almost as good as it was last year, which was basically untouchable.

RB Jermie Calhoun and RB Justin Johnson - Both of these guys were 5 star running back recruits last year. With Murray, Brown and Madu, they didn't get any playing time last year. However, they are both obviously very talented, and the majority of the buzz has been about Calhoun (he hasn't seen the field at all, he was redshirted). With the possibility of Mossis Madu moving to WR, that could open up the possibility of one of these guys sliding into 3rd down back or quality depth back role. I'm particularly excited to see Calhoun finally.

If a lot of those guys step up and help fill in major roles vacated by departing players, I think we'll be close to last year's level of competitiveness. We are returning a lot of starters, especially on defense.

The next spring preview issue should involve the major holes that have opened up, and the players that we should expect to step up and fill in these roles.