SB Nation User Blog: Gamecock Man

Happy Fourth of July from Garnet and Black Attack

Gamecock Man — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:37:38 -0000

I'll have to admit that the Fourth of July inspires mixed feelings in me. On the one hand, I believe that the ideals that inspired this country's revolutionary period and their legacy have proven to be a viable political philosophy we've known in terms of producing a great amount of freedom for a great number of people. That's true both here and abroad; numerous nations have staged their own revolutions against oppressive regimes while invoking the rhetoric of liberal republicanism. On the other hand, I am often distressed by the failure of the U. S. to live up to the extraordinary promise embodied in its Declaration of Independence, both throughout its history and today. In short, I find disturbing our nation's history of failing to extend the rights that Thomas Jefferson--himself a brilliant and profoundly striking example of the nation's contradictory impulses--wrote so eloquently about in the Declaration to the various marginalized segments of our populace. I'm also often dismayed by our tendency to countenance overseas imperial acts that also contradict principles that we deeply hold.

However, I think the Fourth is an appropriate moment to remind ourselves that the legacy of the Founding Fathers insures us of a number of important rights, perhaps most importantly the right to government by consent of the governed. Indeed, my right to question the nation's history in the way that I just did hinges upon this right. Remember the words of Jefferson in the Declaration:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Has the history of the U. S. always lived up to the promise embodied in these words? I would say no. Does human nature even suggest that it would be possible to do so? Probably not. At any rate, these words continue to compel us because they inspire us to continue to work for a better nation. Indeed, they entitle us to do so. Not all political organizations have ensured such a right. We should be happy that we live under one that does. The promise insured by such rights is enough to make me happy I'm a citizen of this nation.

I could write all day about this, but in the service of my time and yours, I'll keep it short: Happy Fourth of July. And go read the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Remind yourself of the debt we owe to these documents.

More USC Previews from Team Speed Kills

Gamecock Man — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 03:52:29 -0000

More USC Previews from Team Speed Kills

In this one, I answer a few questions from our old buddy C&F. Also check out the stuff Year 2 has on whether Spurrier has over or underachieved here; the statistical analyses he uses are quite informative.

Thursday News and Notes: More Preview Action

Gamecock Man — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:06:44 -0000

There's not a whole lot going on today, so I direct you to two fine preview pieces: those of Leftover Hot Dog and Team Speed Kills. TSK has actually been doing Carolina previews all week, so be sure to check out all the columns C&F and Year 2 have up for you. I should go ahead and say that I disagree slightly with some of their predictions on how our season will go, but since I'm doing some guest blogging with them tomorrow in which I provide my rebuttal, I'll wait until then to reveal my thoughts.

Wednesday News and Notes: Corey Robinson Commits, Jasper Signs with Vikes, Jackie Bradley Rakes 'Em In

Gamecock Man — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:33:10 -0000

North Carolina OL Corey Robinson has committed with the Gamecocks. Robinson wasn't yet receiving any offers, although he had garnered some interest from the North Carolina schools, including UNC. This might be cause for concern for those that pay close attention to recruiting rankings, but I would suggest withholding judgment just yet. Robinson appears to have phenomenal physical tools. He apparently had some great workouts, and may have been on the verge of becoming a hot commodity. If that's the case, we did well to get to him early. He'll have to work on his lower body strength and some technique issues (scouting reports say he has trouble playing low), but this looks to be a guy that can become a good SEC lineman. Welcome aboard.

A couple of other tidbits:

Who is Better?: Stephen Garcia, Jordan Jefferson, Joe Cox, or Ryan Mallett?

Gamecock Man — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:46:22 -0000

This is a question that could really matter this year. This is the middle of the SEC and if any of these teams want to challenge the big boys, these QBs have to perform.

Poll

Who is better?

Tuesday News and Notes: Alshon Jeffery Makes the Grade, More Preview Action, and More

Gamecock Man — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:12:22 -0000

Alshon Jeffery has made the grade and will be eligible to join the team in the fall if he passes his summer classes. That's good news for us, as we really need the added depth at receiver.

As far as previews go, this one on the entire SEC is pretty good. I'd say it's a little harsh on us, but I can see where its coming from. It's take on us is that we're 8-5 best case and 5-7 worst case. I'd say that's a little low for the high; I could see us winning 9 or 10. I'd say that's accurate for the low. We'll likely play in a lot of close games this year, and if they all go against us, things could get ugly record-wise. A few others things seemed off in the preview, such as rating Stephen Garcia a C and our linebackers a B (lower than Vanderbilt! I think a lot of people forget that Rodney Paulk has a good bit of experience, meaning that losing Jasper shouldn't kill us), but overall a good read.

A few other tidbits:

Backing the Pack updates us on the Nate Irving situation. Apparently Irving may make it back at some point this season, although he'll likely be out for our game. That's good for us and for Irving's pro prospects.

Bobby Petrino has kicked Arkansas LB Khiry Battle off the team after Battle was charged with DUI. Battle wasn't a starter but was a part of the rotation; he played in 10 games last year and recorded 5 tackles. Don't drink and drive, kids.

Garnet and Black Attack Previews USC-NC State

Gamecock Man — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:32:33 -0000

Garnet and Black Attack Previews USC-NC State

Welcome! This column is a few weeks old, but I'd love to hear some reasoned dissent from State fans. The second part is here.

Post-Spring Previews: South Carolina State

Gamecock Man — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:44:00 -0000

The Gamecocks finally get a breather when FCS South Carolina State Bulldogs travel to Columbia. This isn't to say that coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough's (a former RB coach under Lou Holtz at USC during the heady Outback Bowl dynasty) Bulldogs aren't a good team. SC State is coming off a MEAC championship season in which they went 10-3 and made the FCS playoffs for the first time in 26 seasons. With many players returning from that outfit, they've been voted number 17 in an FCS preseason poll. This is a team to watch in the FCS ranks, and it's even a team that could conceivably pull off an upset against us if we play particularly poorly. That said, this is still an FCS team, and while it's going to be a good one, it's still not as good as the Appalachian States and Woffords of the world. Keep in mind that, despite being competetive in 2007 and conference champs in 2008, we beat SC State 38-3 in 2007 (and we played awfully that night) and Clemson beat them 54-0 last year. We have sizeable talent advantages in all areas and should win as long as we play at least reasonably well. Therefore, I'm not going to go over comparisons position by position; my prediction is that we win by 4-5 touchdowns. I would like to take a moment after the jump to point out a few things to watch for when we take on the Bulldogs.

SC State senior RB William Ford is the centerpiece of this offense. Ford has been voted preaseason FCS All America and is considered a minor NFL prospect. He ran for 1499 yards last year. While a little on the small side for the NFL and the FBS at 5'9 / 188, Ford has great speed, clocking in a low 40 time of 4.32. This guy can break off a big run against us if he gets loose. He also runs relatively well inside for his size, although his typical Saturday in a MEAC showdown doesn't include butting heads with the likes of Nate Pepper, Eric Norwood, and Rodney Paulk, so I wouldn't expect him to get much inside yardage against us.
The QB projects to be junior Malcolm Long. Long--who missed a few games due to injury--played OK but not great last season. Sophomore DeWain Clark played well while filling in for Long, so he may also be an option.
As it often is for FCS teams, kicking was a problem for SC State. PK Blake Erickson missed six extra points on the year and Pough only let him attempt five field goals.
If you're curious to learn more about these guys, someone actually used to have a blog dedicated to all things SC State, including football. It's Bulldog Nation News. Check it out. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated in a while.

Monday News and Notes: Preview Action

Gamecock Man — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:13:30 -0000

South Carolina is getting a little action on the blogs today. Team Speed Kills's Year 2 previews the Gamecocks here; the post is the first in a series on our guys. Year 2 predictably focuses on our QB issues. What he says is pretty promising: if Stephen Garcia comes through, we have the talent in place elsewhere on the offense to weather the players we lost.

In response to this column, Get the Picture asks why the league is so devoid of good quarterbacks outside of Jevan Snead and Tim Tebow. It's a valid question. A Team Speed Kills poll asks whether Joe Cox, Garcia, Jordan Jefferson, or Ryan Mallet will be the league's third-best signal caller. To say that all of these quarterbacks (outside of Mallet, I would say, who was highly recruited and will probably thrive under Bobby Petrino) have major question marks would be an understatement. The SEC may be a great football conference, but it's certainly not full of great quarterbacks right now.

Kyle King at Dawg Sports gets in on the action as well, calling us one team he expects to see decline in 2009. I'm not sure I understand what he means by "decline," as his write-up on us suggests that he expects us to have another six- or seven-win year, which would be status quo, not decline. He also expects Ole Miss to have a lower win total this year than last year. I can buy not believing the top-10 hype Ole Miss is receiving, but if you take a look at their schedule, you'll see a team that should easily win eight or nine games again.

The last bit of news for the day is that NC State linebacker Nate Irving broke his leg over the weekend in a car accident. That certainly won't hurt us come opening night in Raleigh, as Irving is one of the 'Pack's best defensive players, but I think we should all wish Irving a speedy recovery. First of all, Irving is an NFL talent and needs to get on the field to prove himself. Second of all, It's not as much fun beating a team when they're down.

Keys to Success in 2009: Number 3, Stephen Garcia

Gamecock Man — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:13:01 -0000

If you look at any preseason preview on the web or in a supermarket mag, you'll see one constant question in what people are saying about South Carolina: can Stephen Garcia be the quarterback that Steve Spurrier has been looking for in his time in Columbia? CFN, in exemplary fashion, calls Garcia the team's best offensive player and has this to say about him:

He's the leader of the offense and Spurrier's future is tied in to how the multi-faceted playmaker progresses. He can't press and he can't try to win games all by himself, but he has the potential to get hot and carry the team through some rough patches now and then.

That pretty much sums it up. Spurrier, whose offense requires an efficient signal caller to work the way it did at Florida, has been unable to find what he needs in his time here. Blake Mitchell, Syvelle Newton, and Chris Smelley had their good days, but none was ever able to bring this team to the next level, and Mitchell and Smelley were notable for their Jekyll-and-Hyde like stretches, for being able to throw for 300 yards one Saturday and four interceptions the next. In dismay, Spurrier has tended to shuffle quarterbacks when the going has gotten rough, usually with poor results. This time, though, Spurrier has to rely on Garcia. With the extremely green Reid McCollum the only other viable option, Spurrier has no other choice. It's Garcia or bust, probably for 2010 and 11, too. That means that if Spurrier wants follow through on his promise to bring an SEC East title to Columbia and to revive his legacy as one of college football's great offensive minds, he needs Garcia to perform.

Luckily for Spurrier, Garcia appears to be just what the doctor ordered. He has the best arm of any of the quarterbacks we've had during the Spurrier tenure, and his mobility gives him an overall skill set rivaled only by Newton. Garcia's troubles in the action he saw last year can be partially attributed to poor protection, to his lack of knowledge of the offense, and his overall tendency to make the kinds of mistakes that freshmen quarterbacks make. For example, his failure to deal adequately with LSU's blitz by audibling to running or quick-release passing plays in the second half probably cost us that game. Granted, Garcia deserves the blame for his lack of experience; he wasn't a true freshman, but rather someone that played like one because he missed so much practice time due to off-field issues. To his credit, though, he appears to be a changed man. He's gotten his act together off the field and has shown a dedication to learning the ropes that payed off with good performances in the spring. Will Garcia be Tim Tebow this fall? Almost certainly not. But I do think we've seen indications that suggest he'll be good, perhaps the best quarterback we've had in Spurrier's time here. And in 2010 and 11, the sky may be the limit.

For these reasons, I don't think of Garcia as being the most pressing question mark going into the fall. If you want to define "key to success" as simply what's most essential to success, then yeah, Garcia is probably our biggest key. The quarterback would be on most teams, even without the kinds of question marks our recent track record point to.However, I'm trying to think both in terms of what's most essential and what's most pressing in terms of doubts coming into the season, and to be honest, I actually have a lot of faith in Garcia performing to expectations this year. Am I overconfident about him? Maybe. But right now, I see in Garcia someone that has the tools and--finally--the will to succeed.