SB Nation - Juaquin Iglesias

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

A Few Gators Like Rubbing Salt In The Wound

dishingoutdimes — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:38:48 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Who could take a shot at this lovable guy? Apparently, the Florida Gators. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

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I'm sure, by now, that you have all heard of Florida Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes claiming that OU is a dirty team. This came out over the past month. In case you haven't here's some quotes from a Tim Griffin ESPN Big 12 Blog Post:

Spikes told the Orlando Sentinel that he thinks the Sooners are a dirty team. When the Sentinel asked Spikes about the dirtiest players on his own team, Spikes instead mentioned his experiences with the Gators' opponent in the BCS national title game. "Compared to Oklahoma, you won't find anyone [as dirty]," Spikes told the Sentinel.

Very interesting. Especially since stuff like this happened:

By the way, Mr. Tebow received a taunting penalty for that. The Gators thought the Sooners were a bit mouthy, but it certainly seems like it was a two way street. I don't blame either team for getting up for the game and doing a bit of talking. That makes it more interesting! But talking trash doesn't mean a team is "dirty". But if Mr. Spikes wants to talk about being "dirty", he should look in the mirror after throwing a punch following a legal block:

I bring all of this up because another Gator player started talking about the Sooners recently, and all of that is after the jump! (click link below)

Florida safety Ahmad Black recalled his 4th quarter interception off Sam Bradford:

He said he got a lot of enjoyment out of seeing the look on Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford’s face after he made that interception.

"I saw it a couple times (on tape)," Black said. "I just like looking at Sam Bradford’s face. I fast-forward through the pick and just look at him."

In case all of you can't remember, Black basically ripped the ball out of Juaquin Iglesias' hands. But never mind that, Black was focused on Bradford's reaction. If he wants to sit in his room and replay the interception with glee, that's fine, but I have no idea why he needed to go on the record about something like that.

I haven't seen anything like this from the Sooner players (i.e. taking cheap shots at Gators players), but they were asked about Spikes' comments. They mostly took the high road.

Meanwhile, both teams seem to want another shot at each other. Florida:

Several Gators said they are eagerly anticipating a chance that the Gators and Sooners could meet up in a bowl game and maybe in the 2010 national title game in Pasadena, Calif.

"That's going to be fun if we play them," Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap told the Sentinel.

And Oklahoma:

Whatever the impetus behind the comments, it certainly adds to the anticipation of a potential rematch in Pasadena, Calif.

"That might be something to get something started," Clayton said.

That is something that I do agree with Gators players on. A rematch would be spectacular. I think it would be very heated and intense, and it could be one of the most entertaining games in awhile. For now, I say let the Gators keep talking, and the Sooners can lay back and wait for their chance.

2009 OU Football Preview/Big 12 Predictions

ccmachine — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:29:36 -0000

We’ve put out individual position-by-position breakdowns for the 2009 Oklahoma football team but in an effort to collaborate with all the SBN Big 12 blogs we’re going to run one more overview of the team, make our conference predictions and then share a few thoughts on some questions being passed around to the Big 12 sites. Feel free to chime in with your own thoughts.

Offense: The Sooners are loaded at every skill position and if the offensive line is just average then they shouldn’t be too far off from last year’s 51.1 point per game average. Quarterback Sam Bradford makes his bid for a second consecutive Heisman Trophy with two 1,000 yard rushers from last season in DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown to keep opposing defenses honest.

When it comes time to go to the air there may not be a more accurate passer in America than Bradford. He’s got college football’s best tight end in Jermaine Gresham and while Manny Johnson, Juaquin Iglesias and Quentin Chaney are all gone from last year’s squad a new crop of talented receivers has emerged. We saw in `08 what Ryan Broyles is capable of and Adron Tennell has stepped up in camp along with JUCO transfer Cameron Kenny to turn the heads of coaches and players by providing some of those coveted, "Wow!!!" moments.

Obviously the glaring concern for Oklahoma’s offense is along the line. While some are suggesting that four new starters equates to gloom and doom for OU’s high octane offense and others tend to be overly optimistic I think that the answer probably is somewhere in between. Led by returning starter Trent Williams, this new unit gives up a little size to last year’s line (averaging 305lbs) but should be quicker on their feet allowing offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson more freedom to pull from both sides and also move the pocket. Oklahoma doesn’t have to have the biggest line to repeat the success from `08, they just need a solid unit that can do their job. With OU’s quick strike offense an average line can take them a long way. Should they gel quickly and prove to be above average then records will fall in `09.

Defense: The greatest improvement we may see in `09 from any one unit is along the special teams but the second should be in the performance of the defense. In 2009 OU was #1 in the country in turnover margin (+23) and with 8 returning starters the potential is there to duplicate that performance.

Led by All-American Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma’s defensive line doesn’t look to be pushed around by anyone. One time All-Conference defensive end is healthy again and is looking to return to the form we saw in 2007. Also in the rotation at end are Jeremy Beal, who led the team in sacks last year, and Frank Alexander who may be having the best camp of all the defensive ends. How do you pick just two starters from that trio?

The linebacking corps returns intact in `09 as well. The same group that helped Oklahoma’s defense rank a respectable 20^th in the nation against the run in `08 will be another year experienced going into this season. Travis Lewis led the team in tackles last year as a freshman with 144 total tackles and could actually see those numbers grow this year with the defensive line clearing the way.

Like the line for the offensive unit the secondary is where we find the question marks on the defense. Corners Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson will match up well with any receiver in the conference but the safety spots could be a bit unproven. Quinton Carter started a couple of games last season but played in a total of twelve where he gained a reputation of being a hard hitter who thrives on dislodging the ball from the person carrying it. Sam Proctor is the new strong safety and has more special teams experience than anything else and will have to quickly learn on the job.

Special Teams – The return game (both punts and kickoffs) is set with a quartet of guys (Dominique Franks, DeMarco Murray, Ryan Broyles and Cameron Kenny) who have game breaking speed the Sooners should be every bit as dangerous in the return game as they were last season if not more so.

The problems with Oklahoma’s special teams last season came in the kicking game and defending the returns. Both of those seem to have changed in `09. Jimmy Stevens appears to have found a more powerful and accurate leg while also finding himself on the Groza watch list and the personnel changes last year on kickoff coverage sent a clear message as it also sent players to the bench.

Predicted Final Big 12 Standings

*North*	*South*
Kansas	Oklahoma
Nebraska	Texas
Missouri	Oklahoma State
Colorado	Texas Tech
Kansas State	Baylor
Iowa State	Texas A&M

Roundtable Questions

Who wins the Big 12 North? See Above

Who wins the Big 12 South? See Above

How many Big 12 teams will be bowl eligable? Nine – Baylor, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech

Which conference team do you think will show the most improvement from last season (in record only)? Baylor

Who is your Non-QB conference player of the year? Kansas wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe.

Do you believe any Big 12 coaches will be gone (fired or hired elsewhere) after this season? Colorado’s Dan Hawkins is the only coach who is on the hot seat in my opinion and I don’t see any of the other coaches moving on.

What would you prefer as the Big 12's 3rd "best" bowl game? The Holiday or Alamo? Definitely the Holiday Bowl by location only.

Better D-Lineman, Suh or McCoy? McCoy plays on the better defense but Suh is the better player.

Better Wide Receiver, Bryant or Briscoe? Both are extremely talented but Briscoe seems unstoppable at times.

Predict the worst non-conference loss (an upset) that the Big 12 will suffer. September 25^th – Missouri at Nevada

Predict the MNC participants and champion. Oklahoma vs. Virginia Tech – Sooners win number 8

2009 OU Football Preview: Receivers/Tight Ends

ccmachine — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:50:27 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

Mossis Madu is hoping to find more playing time as a slot receiver in `09. ,

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Juaquin Iglesias, Quentin Chaney and Manny Johnson are all gone which leaves Adron Tennell as Oklahoma’s lone senior receiver and Ryan Broyles as OU’s leading receiver. Much like the offensive line the situation isn’t a dire as it may seem on the surface. Oklahoma is still very deep and talented at the receiver position they just lack experience. Broyles is a proven game breaker and Tennell had a terrific spring. Behind them are some young guys in Jameel Owens and Dejuan Miller who were both highly recruited and experienced some game action last season. Also, the x-factor in Oklahoma’s receivers in JUCO transfer Cameron Kenny who is supposed to bring the same game breaking ability that Broyles provides. He wasn’t on campus for the spring but we should get a feeling for him shortly after summer workouts begin. Also, the biggest move in the spring was Mossis Madu jumping from running back to receiver.

At the tight end spot there isn’t a team in the country that has an advantage over the Sooners. Jermaine Gresham is literally an unstoppable force because of his size and speed. He’s too quick for a linebacker to cover and too big for a defensive back to cover which creates a constant mismatch giving Sam Bradford a target that will almost always be open.

Receivers

#85 Ryan Broyles, So – Last season Broyles set the record for receiving yards by a Sooner freshman and tied in catches. In his first game, against Cincinnati, he recorded 7 catches for 141 yards. Broyles caught touchdown passes against Washington, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

#8 Brandon Caleb, Jr – Caught 4 passes for 52 yards in `08.

#6 Cameron Kenny, Jr – Was ranked as the #3 JUCO receiver and #16 JUCO player in the country last year by Rivals.

#17 Mossis Madu, Jr – Madu moves to the slot position after spending the last two years as a reserve running back. In last season’s Big 12 Championship Game he ran for 114 yards and scored three touchdowns while filling in for DeMarco Murray. Madu caught 12 passes last season for 84 yards.

#24 Dejuan Miller, So – Played in six games in `08. Caught 2 passes for 14 yards.

#4 Jameel Owens, So – Owens saw action in 9 games as a true freshman last season. He caught 4 passes for 44 yards.

#80 Adron Tennell, Sr – Played in 12 games in `08 and recorded 9 receptions for 68 yards.

Tight End

#83 Brody Eldridge, Sr – Split time between fullback and tight end in `08. Caught 4 passes for 24 yards and 1 touchdown.

#18 Jermaine Gresham, Sr – Was an All Big 12 first team player by the coaches last season and second team All American by the AP. Ranked second on the team in receptions (66) and in receiving yards (950). His 950 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns were both the most ever in a season by a Sooner tight end.

#82 James Hannah, So – Was a reserve in `08 and only caught one pass.

#88 Eric Mensik, Jr – Played in 4 games in `08.

#47 Trent Ratterree, So – Recorded no stats in `08.

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.

Sooner Rookies Make Good First NFL Impression

ccmachine — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:53:37 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

7 months ago: Minnesota Vikings tackle Phil Loadholt, left, a second-round draft pick, goes through drills during the Vikings' minicamp Friday, May 1, 2009, in Eden Prairie, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Phil Loadholt had his first workout with the Minnesota Vikings over the weekend and apparently made a huge splash as the biggest man on the Vikings roster. According to a quote in the Star Tribune, Vikings coach Brad Childress was very upbeat about Loadholt’s potential.

"You can't miss him," Childress said when asked about Loadholt after the team's first rookie minicamp workout Friday.

"I told these guys here, 'That's a big man.' Great reach. Athletic. Got good feet. With his reach and that length, it's hard [for defenders] to get away from that guy."

Loadholt is competing with Ryan Cook for the starting right tackle spot but Childress says that he believes him to be versatile enough to play both tackle spots.

Also making a good first impression was Juaquin Iglesias who according to a Chicago Sun Times report is competing for an open receiver spot.

The reports are positive regarding Iglesias as well. He stood out for how well he’s put together at around 6-foot-2 212-pounds and he showed good quickness coming out of his breaks in the route running he was doing, and showed great hands catching numerous balls in practice.

Coach Smith stated “I liked what our receivers did, Juaquin Iglesias and Johnny Knox. Both have a lot of upside and can run well.”

At the Buffalo Bills’ rookie camp Nic Harris made a play where people took notice and is adjusting to playing linebacker. SBN’s Buffalo Rumblings has this snippet about Harris.

Defensively fifth-round pick Nic Harris had a pass breakup on a play that was going to tight end Travis McCall. Harris shadowed the tight end well in coverage and got his hand in the passing lane to prevent the completion.

"I'm just trying to make plays," said Harris. "Right now just being an athletic guy, being brought down to the linebacker position. I played a little bit at OU, not necessarily linebacker, but covering receivers and stuff like that. Kind of with the scheme right now it's an every down linebacker. It's new, but I'm learning on the curve."

The Other Guys

The only thing I could dig up on Duke Robinson is that he’ll wear #72 for the Panthers. Dishingoutdimes reported to us that Manny Johnson was not among the injured in the collapse of the Cowboys’ training facility. Although the rookie camp was cut short due to the tragedy Johnson was able to receive some pointers from former Dallas All-Pro receiver Michael Irvin.

The Weekend Bears Den - 5/3/09

ChiFan13 — Sun, 03 May 2009 05:00:13 -0000

....where we still hate Rajon Rondo.

In The Den

Chicago Tribune

The Bears bits section by Vaughn McClure. Freeman is expected to learn from Lance Briggs, Johnny Knox (who worked in the slot) was the first person Lovie mentioned as outstanding.

David Haugh details D.J. Moore's tough journey to the NFL.

Dan Pompei reports that some of the Bears draft rumors were just rumors and nothing more.

According to Bob Verdi, three Chicago GM's are on a hot streak: Jerry Angelo, John Paxson (huh?), and Dale Tallon.

Chicago Sun-Times

Brad Biggs writes about the Freeman learning from Briggs story.

All of the WR draft selections have been promised is an open competition.

Daily Herald

Juaquin Iglesias is excited to work with Jay Cutler.

Bob LeGere talks about Iglesias's and Knox's great workouts.

Official Chicago Bears Site

Two former Northwestern players are trying to make the Bears squad.

Jarron Gilbert looked impressive during Friday's practice.

Derek Kinder is hellbent on showing his knee is no longer a problem.

Poll: Iglesias or Harvin?

Dane Noble — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:28:25 -0000

Poll

Which WR Will Have the Better Rookie Season?

Juaquin Iglesias, Bears

440 votes

Percy Harvin, Vikings

192 votes

632 votes | Poll has closed

April 28th Sooner Sports Notebook

dishingoutdimes — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:33:46 -0000

It's a pretty quiet time in OU sports, so we'll take a look at lots of different sports headlines first. Track 'Em Tigers, the Auburn blog, has come up with an interesting list of things that should make a comeback in college football. What do you think?

The big play that everyone's been talking about lately is Jacoby Ellsbury's (Red Sox) straight steal of home. Here's the video, pretty amazing stuff.

Everyone's also been talking about the NFL Draft. Here's a recap that I put together yesterday regarding where various Sooners were drafted, and which ones have signed free agent contracts.

The Tulsa World blog makes a point about the 2007 Fiesta Bowl Reunion that is going on in Minnesota right now:

The Minnesota Vikings already had two would-be heroes from that epic night in Glendale, Ariz.: Adrian Peterson, who scored the overtime touchdown to temporarily put the Sooners ahead, and Marcus Walker, whose pick 6 also temporarily put OU ahead with a minute left in regulation.

Then came Sunday night, when the Vikes added undrafted rookie free agents Ian Johnson and Vinny Perretta from Boise State. Johnson, remember, scored the Statue of Liberty game-winner in OT, one play after Perretta's halfback touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal pulled the Broncos within 42-41.

Asked if he would talk any smack, Johnson replied:

"I don’t think I’m going to do that," Johnson told the Statesman. "(Peterson) is a little well-respected and he’s a little bit bigger than me now."

Smart guy. And now, on to all the notes...

In The News

Sports Illustrated offers some reasons why Duke Robinson fell to the 5th round in the draft, but still comes away as a steal.
Jay Cutler is already texting buddies with his new target, Juaquin Iglesias.
Speaking of Iglesias, he's pretty excited to be a Chicago Bear.
Lendy Holmes signed a free agent contract with the Redskins and feels like he got slighted by not being drafted. He'll be playing with a chip on his shoulder while he competes for a roster spot.
Oklahoma has added quite a few names recently to Tim Griffin's top 40 players in the Big 12 list. Gerald McCoy checks in at number 7. Travis Lewis is at number 9. DeMarco Murray is at number 11. Trent Williams is at number 14.
The Big 12 was the conference with the second most number of draft picks (7) in the first round. This broke the record of Big 12 conference first round selections. The previous record was 6 in 2003.
Meanwhile, the 2010 draft class from Oklahoma has the potential to be even better than this year's.
Spring football review from the Tulsa World.
Blake Griffin starts looking forward to his future in the NBA.

Around The Big 12

Enter Mike Leach, who is never afraid to speak his mind, has said all sorts of things related to the NFL Draft that make you wonder if he's just in a grumpy mood. Exhibit A: Saying that the A&M coaches didn't like Stephen McGee very much. Coach Leach better watch out or A&M will pass Tech in the standings this year. Exhibit B: Saying that Michael Crabtree has been more successful than Eric Mangini because the Browns soured on taking Crabtree with the 5th pick. He then floated the idea that the Browns will still finish with a bad record. Ironically enough, the Browns then wound up picking up Graham Harrell in free agency.
Speaking on non-drafted Big 12 quarterbacks, Chase Daniel signed a free agent contract with the Washington Redskins.
Baylor left tackle Jason Smith was drafted 2nd overall, the highest such mark for a Baylor player. He'll be playing for the Rams.
Iowa State didn't have a draft choice for the first time since 2004.
Quan Cosby hasn't caught on with a team yet. Pretty surprising given how much trouble he gave the Sooners. I would expect him to get invited to a camp.
Clone Chronicles discusses the impact of Craig Brackins' return.
Bring on the Cats discusses divisional realignment in the Big 12. It's an interesting article, and right now they seem opposed to the idea. This was one of the things I was planning on looking at in a football preview piece.
I am The 12th Man discusses Stephen McGee and other draft day thoughts.
Double T Nation gives a good recap of the ongoing Mike Leach saga.

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.