Expect Merrill Hodge to call in sick tomorrow.

For those who watched MNF, there were so many moments that made Longhorn fans smile.  You were reminded why the CBS affiliate in Austin used to choose to air Titans games rather than Texans games when given the choice.  Who knows if Vince will ever be in a Super Bowl, but we do know that every time he plays the Texans IN HOUSTON, that might as well be his Super Bowl.  The icing on the cake tonight was to see the other Longhorns perform well and seemingly elevate their games and feed off of Vince.  (How did UT send a FULLBACK to the NFL again?)  ESPN's closing shot was VY hugging Studdard (a Texan) at midfield. 

I'm happy to root for the Texans 14 games per season.  Tonight after the game I was curious how the SB Nation blogs for the Titans (musiccitymiracles.com) and the Texans (battleredblog.com) were reacting to the outcome.  It amazed me how many members on the Texans blog spoke negatively of VY and when comparing the two blogs, MCM mirrored BON in a way, in that their equivalent of Peter reached out to the Texans blog earlier this week, offering to answer any questions they may have about all things Titans this season.  I feel sorry for any BON members who are diehard Texans fans, because the SB Nation blog available to you (BRB) is a pretty poor option.  BRB mirrors more of an Aggie approach.  The thread which began as an olive branch of sorts was capped off with this Texans fan's statement:

Do you find...

the symmetry between what the Texans can do to the Titans’ season and what Steve McNair’s girlfriend did to his nap frighteningly similar?

Yay, sports.

by MDC on Nov 20, 2009 9:32 PM CST via mobile reply actions   7 recs

Notice it received 7 recs and has yet to be moderated.  In fact, the site's moderator endorses the statement.

Be thankful for what we have here at BON.  And that VY is not a Texan.


There's plenty more.  Here's the whole thread:
http://www.battleredblog.com/2009/11/18/1163098/ask-music-city-miracles

Colt McCoy added a possible Heisman highlight to his resume Saturday against rival Oklahoma.  Late in the first half, trailing 6-3, McCoy and the Longhorns looked to capitalize off a Sooners special teams miscue, giving Texas the ball in Crimson and Cream territory with a little over three minutes to go before halftime.   Showing a flash of what had helped earn him a trip to New York City one season before, McCoy weaved his way through defenders, traversing 27 yards.  But as he fought for the final yardage and began his descent toward the turf, the ball appeared to be stripped loose and recovered by Oklahoma. 

McCoy and the Texas offense remained on the field and remained hopeful as replay officials reviewed the play. The video confirmed the call on the field.  Another turnover.  The Sooner lead was still intact.  The Texas quarterback made his way to the sidelines but just prior to stepping off the field, he had one more message to give.  Not to his teammates.  Not to the coaching staff.  Nor to the opponents.   With his helmet in hand, McCoy paused and then looked up to the heavens as he has done before.  The difference this time?  A stern-faced McCoy had a message for God.





Those who have followed McCoy over the years will make the educated guess that the senior signal caller's message to the heavens pertained to recognizing that this was another challenge that he would ultimately answer and grow stronger from.  But for the rest of us who don't read lips, we can speculate that perhaps this was something else.  While his run would not be his defining Heisman moment, perhaps his skyward message was.

In 2008, Tim Tebow was praised for making  "the promise."  Days prior to Saturday's game at the State Fair, a developing storyline was that while McCoy and Sam Bradford enjoy a close relationship, the same could not be said for McCoy and the country's slightly more famous God-fearing dual-threat.  With 2:17 remaining in the first half, McCoy gave his own statement to an audience of one. 

It's long been speculated that when McCoy enters the NFL, he'll have an even bigger platform to spread the Word of God, and there would be no better and effective way of doing so than having God move in with him as roommates.  (Colt would pay most the bills, but God apparently said he'd handle the water.)  These past few years it has been realized there is no better way to get media exposure than to be the literal roommate of McCoy.  With Jordan Shipley out of town, Colt and God had a trial run as co-tenants sharing a room, but the relationship was strained as God mistakenly packed his Tim Tebow pajamas.  Saturday's fumble appeared to be the final straw, as the quarterback muttered a few words before stepping off the field.  God, having already given his 30-days written notice, had no choice but to help guide the Longhorns on 13-7 second half run. 

In lieu of a plaque, it will be written in stone.

I know this doesn't get much publicity, so incase you don't know, Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley are roommates.  Well, burried in today's updated ESPN.com story on Sam Bradford's injury is the fact that McCoy was shacking up with Bradford this summer. 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4452318

"Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy, who finished second to Bradford in the Heisman Trophy balloting last year, said Monday he sent Bradford a get-well text message. The two became friends during the Heisman festivities last December and then while rooming together at the Manning Camp for high school players over the summer."

(Until now, I believe Shipley was under the impression that McCoy was either just on a cruise with the McCoy family or at a lot of funerals this summer.)

Statesman reports that BOTH of the grand juries (one dealing with the boating charge, the other with the driving charge) have found a lack of evidence against Cedric, leaving prosecutors with no choice to but to drop both cases.

For those not familiar with the legal process, this says a great deal about the weakness of the cases brought against Cedric (and perhaps speaks as much to how law enforcement handled the two incidents).  A grand jury is a pre-trial stage.  (Not to be confused with an actual jury that would sit during a trial and offer a final verdict.)  It is often joked that a prosecutor could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich of wrong doing...it is just that easy to show probable cause and move forward to a trial. In both instances involving Cedric, the prosecution failed to establish this otherwise basic step.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/longhorns/entries/2008/09/25/benson_charges.html

This may open a few more doors for Cedric.

With regards to other Horns receiving some rare positive press,  ESPN has added two more items to the Vince Young saga with a little less negative light.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?page=hotread2/merrill 

and

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3608511

And of course that third Longhorn who baffles the press (Ricky Williams), rushed for just shy of 100 yards against the Patriots last week but was overshadowed by Ronnie Brown's break out.

From the Statesman:

"Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis will make $425,000 this coming season, the same salary as new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

Davis’ raise is nearly $75,000 more than he made for 2007."

Continue reading this post »

In sad news that went unnoticed this past year, the OU community lost a friend as the Hartman Football Newsletter can no longer be found online.  HFN held itself out to be "America's Leading Authority on Football" dating all the way back to the publication's inception in 1994.  To be the leading authority of football is impressive stuff.  But 1994?  I'd understand maybe if someone who covers and writes about curling since 1994 claimed to be the leading authority, but football?  That can't be right.  Every year since BON's inception (circa 2005), I have reposted a few minor corrections that the HFN editor managed to overlook.

Continue reading this post »

Imus said it.  Mike Nifong kind of said it.  This has been the month of individuals making national appologies subsequent to being under scrutiny for their comments.  Well, this also happens to be the month in which the NFL Draft will be taking place, so let's look at one more person who may want to appologize.

It was one year ago at this time that Vince Young was being placed under a microscope and his draft status debated by the masses.  Columnist Jason Whitlock perhaps had the most to say in a rant published on ESPN.com's Page 2.  Whitlock has since been informed by ESPN that his services are no longer needed (though without the hubub Imus' departure received).  Looking back at the piece, perhaps it is time Whitlock said "I'm sorry."

Continue reading this post »

Ford, Campbell, Clemens, and Williams.  All were Players-of-the-Year in their respective sports.  Four years after retiring its first ever basketball jersey number, The University of Texas will find itself in a position next season to retire another.

Continue reading this post »