SB Nation User Blog: dcrockett17

Chase Coffman to Injured Reserve

dcrockett17 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:41:13 -0000

Chase Coffman to Injured Reserve

Michael David Smith reports that the Bengals have placed former Tiger TE Chase Coffman on IR with bone spurs in his ankle. H/T to CincyJungle.com.

Coffman has not been active for a game so far this season after suffering ankle and foot problems.

Clausen Declares Himself Eligible for the Draft

dcrockett17 — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:16:59 -0000

Clausen Declares Himself Eligible for the Draft

Regardless of whether Seattle is interested in Clausen, his and Golden Tate's entries into the draft are unqualified goods--at least at this point. Seattle will be armed with what projects to be one #8-12 pick and another in the 20s. For those to really pay off Seattle needs a deep rather than top-heavy first round.

Mizzou to the Texas Bowl?

dcrockett17 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:29:17 -0000

Mizzou to the Texas Bowl?

Stewart Mandel (SI) is projecting that the Insight Bowl will select Iowa State to play against Minnesota in Tempe. (The number of snowbirds and "native" Arizonans with ties to IA and MN may be what is so gosh-darned attractive to the Fiesta/Insight Bowl committee donchuhknow.) Meanwhile he projects Missouri to the Texas Bowl to play Navy.

If that indeed happens, after the sting of the glove-slap to our collective pride wears off, once again we will probably have been done a backhanded favor. As invested as we are in Texas high school football, we should probably never cry about playing there if we are stuck in a lower-tier bowl. We gain nothing by going to Tempe that we don't get by going to Houston.

Besides, I don't have the NFL Network.

KU Audibled Out of a Run on Final Drive

dcrockett17 — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:24:41 -0000

KU Audibled Out of a Run on Final Drive

Evidently, the OC saw single coverage on Briscoe and went for it. I don't think that's a bad call. The coverage looked good but Reesing didn't even give Briscoe a chance with a massive overthrow. The bigger play was on 2nd down when Briscoe slipped on a 5 or 6 yard reception that would have at least allowed KU to run the clock down and punt.

I do not get the second guessing over KU's decision to pass in that situation. It's who they are, and it worked deliciously in the first quarter. Apparently though, Briscoe wasn't all that thrilled with the play-calling. He gave the "I would have run, but I just work here" response when asked.

What makes me nervous about Border War '09

dcrockett17 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:46:51 -0000

First, the caveat...

We don't suck. We have better top-to-bottom talent than KU, and that's even accounting for the fact that I do ~~likes~~ ahem... hates me some Darrell Stuckey. Bastard.

KU sucks. It's not like they have been playing possum the past 7 games, getting their asses handed to them just to lull MU into a false sense of security about their suckitude.

At least some of these kids have quit on Mangino and he's not getting them back for one game. For all the hand-wringing about how Mangino-gate never happens if he wins, the fact is Kansas is not only losing but looking bad doing it.

And yet, this game has me far more nervous than K-State did--even coming off the Baylor debacle. Why, you ask?

I really like this team this year. I refuse to label them a disappointment, because they are not. But heavens to Murgatroyd, they distract easily. If college teams could have official sponsors, this team's sponsor would be Ritalin. It's the same m.o. every game. They have a team poised for the kill shot. Then out of nowhere it's, "Ooooo... shiny!" They lose focus and struggle to get it back. Then, they pop a Danario Alexander pill to help restore focus.

It's not a matter of fire, desire, heart, want to, or insert your preferred cliche. It's really a matter of maturity. It improves with experience but it's a bumpy ride--not a smooth one. When we were 19 and 20 we couldn't concentrate for three hours straight without faltering either. We only think we could.

So, what worries me about Border War '09 has nothing to do with our talent or KU's talent. Rather, it is the question of when the distractable moment will occur and how long it lasts. Eleven games into the season and I still have no feel for it. I know it's coming but I don't know when or how long it will last. This week as much as any other there is so much to distract: new uniforms, a "better" bowl invitation, the final regular season game, playing at Arrowhead. And that's without even getting into the possibility that the Tigers may take for granted that KU has gone fishin'. (If you're Pinkel aren't you tempted to just use tape of last year's KU team?) I have a feel for what Pinkel will do this week. He will say all the right things to the press and to his kids. The leaders will say the right things to the press. But I have no feel whatsoever when our "Oooo... shiny!" moment will happen--and neither do you.

After all that, there is the fat man. Say what you will but he's no dummy. You know he will call on all the evil spirits that animate his lifeless corpse to take away Missouri's Ritalin pill--Danario Alexander. Coach or no coach though, nobody on that team is trying to go out losing seven straight games. The Beakers will be ready to play--or kill a lot of innocent people on the way into and out of Kansas City. Either way...

Thinking About Rebuilding: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

dcrockett17 — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:09:50 -0000

This seemed a bit long to add as a comment on the post-game thread following the Minneapolis beat down. Not that most of us didn't know we are in full rebuild mode, but it is officially time to remove the blue-tinted shades for this season and put them in store for the off-season.

IMHO, here are the major questions facing Seattle this off-season concerning rebuilding, after the jump.

1. Do we even have the right guy to do the kind of rebuild we need?

Up to this point, I see Ruskell's off-seasons as caught betwixt and between rebuilding and trying to win now. Even though the biggest accidents happen in the middle of the road, I have some sympathy for his approach. He could not flat-out rebuild with Holmgren still on the team. And more importantly, in the NFL (unlike the NBA) if you are even close to playoff caliber you scratch and claw to get to the tournament, because anything can happen in a series of one game series.

Seattle squeezed a few playoff runs out of an aging core (and coach) in a weak division. We put off rebuilding and now the piper must be paid. If we are looking at two more seasons of paying the piper, minimum--and let's be honest that's what we're looking at--two years from now I want to see a serious Super Bowl contender. A core is in place on defense that could potentially anchor a SB contender. It needs cultivation but the unit has talent. The offense on the other hand...

Ruskell is a tough call. This isn't Cleveland, where you look at the talent on that roster and wonder how they squandered all those high draft picks. But, has Ruskell done enough to conclude that Seattle is heading in the right direction. If not, what are the realistic options?

2. Assuming Ruskell is the guy to get it done, how will he do it?

As John alludes to in the post-game post, Seattle needs a QB in the worst way--and a serious upgrade at multiple positions on the offensive line. These are the most difficult positions to evaluate and upgrade. Assuming that Ruskell is the GM heading into the off-season, the market for QBs include basically no sure things either in the draft or the free agent market. It's going to take some creativity, some foresight, and some luck to remake Seattle's QB position and upgrade the offensive line. Are creativity and foresight the attributes that come to mind when you think of Tim Ruskell?

3. What to do with Matt Hasselbeck?

I think it would be foolish for Seattle to begin the 2010 season counting on Matt Hasselbeck to get through 16 games. However, what that implies for the roster is still somewhat unclear. Should Seattle draft a close-to-ready youngster, start Hasselbeck and wait for the inevitable injury, much in the way Detroit has done with Matthew Stafford? If so, whom? Is Ruskell willing to ask Matt to play that role? Or, should Seattle look to sign an established and perhaps undervalued starter, like Jason Campbell? If Ruskell would consider Campbell he almost certainly would consider Jeff Garcia.

Former Tiger Justin Gage breaks bones in his back

dcrockett17 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:20:47 -0000

Former Tiger Justin Gage breaks bones in his back

Former Mizzou Tiger WR and hoopster, and current Tennessee Titan WR, Justin Gage apparently broke bones in his back on a catch during the Titan's last game against San Francisco.

He is likely to miss at least one game. The tone of the article did not make the injury sound career-threatening. Let's hope that's the case. Get well soon Justin!

[Promoted for Front Page Friday. Get well soon, indeed.]

"Anatomy of 'No Gain' Missouri's Running Game Against Nebraska"

dcrockett17 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:00:26 -0000

"Anatomy of 'No Gain' Missouri's Running Game Against Nebraska"

For all you Ndamukong Suh lovers out there, RPT over at the University of Missouri's excellent, RockMNation, provides an excellent--possibly Morganworthy--breakdown of a single running play in the Nebraska Missouri game. It was one of several blown completely to smithereens by "King Kong" Suh. It is written as a rejoinder to the hand-wringing that has surfaced about running out of the spread since the loss.

It's worth noting that the principles involved in the play, Suh, Missouri's OG Kurtis Gregory and RB Derrick Washington, were each 2nd team All Big 12 in 2008. It's also worth mentioning that Missouri ran on this line with impunity in Lincoln last year with the same personnel. So, Suh makes it look easy against pretty talented guys who will most likely also play on Sundays.

Stafon Johnson survives surgery but USC career likely over

dcrockett17 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:02:30 -0000

Stafon Johnson survives surgery but USC career likely over

Stafon Johnson is expected to fully recover from a crushed neck and larynx, but his Trojan career is most likely finished.

The mea culpas roll in from Rivals

dcrockett17 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:52:48 -0000

This one from David Fox at Rivals.com

Blaine Gabbert

Missouri will contend in the Big 12 North. Raise your hand if you automatically ceded the Big 12 North to Nebraska or Kansas. Don't be ashamed. I was one of those people, too. I thought the departures of Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman and coordinator Dave Christensen would be too much for the offense to overcome. That was way too hasty an assessment. Mizzou looks just fine with its new personnel. At 6 feet 5 and 240 pounds, Blaine Gabbert certainly looks more like a big-time quarterback than Daniel, and he put up Daniel-like numbers in a rout of Illinois on Saturday: 25-of-33 for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Danario Alexander and Jared Perry look as if they can be playmakers at wide receiver to replace Maclin. Illinois may be headed for another losing season under Ron Zook, but I'm not going to hold that against Mizzou. With the Nebraska game at home and the Kansas game on a neutral field, Missouri will contend for its third straight North title.

Come on man. You're better than that. Ceding a division title to Kansas is one thing, but Nebraska? NU's questions coming into the season are not just as substantial as Missouri's? I'm told Rivals.com has a wonderful database of current and incoming talent. You might want to check it out buddy.

Anywho, the Big XII conference is getting some heavy petting following a very good opening weekend highlighted by Ok. State's comfortable, if penalty-marred, home win over Georgia. This bit of "damning with faint praise" comes from Olin Buchanan.

The Big 12 can play defense, too. Last season, the Big 12 was a league of explosive offense and exasperated defenses. Nine Big 12 teams ranked 74th or worse in the nation in scoring defense, and all but Texas allowed more than 24 points per game. But if the first week is any indication, defense is making a comeback. In nine of the 11 games played so far, Big 12 opponents were held to less than 20 points. Some of those weren't surprising - Northern Colorado wasn't expected to score at will against Kansas and North Dakota wasn't expected to put up big numbers against Texas Tech. But Missouri beat Illinois 37-9, Texas A&M beat New Mexico 41-6, Oklahoma State topped Georgia 24-10 and Oklahoma allowed BYU just two touchdowns in a 14-13 loss. In fact, the highest point total allowed was in Baylor's 24-21 victory over Wake Forest. Last season, Baylor gave up 41 points in a loss to Wake.

Sigh. I don't care to play any sort of "disrespect card" about the Big XII. (The debate over conference supremacy is mostly silly, and generally rules out the most likely outcome that no conference is "best" in any meaningful sense.) Rather, what got under my skin about this bullet point, and by extension this interminable and inherently flawed debate, is that the assorted punditry insists on giving credence to nonsensical starting points like "Big XII teams can't defend" while using as evidence uninformative statistics like scoring defense.