2009 Off-Season Roundup
The News Stories You Need To Know ... Feb. 13
By
Phil Guidry
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Feb. 9 Roundup
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Jan. 26 Roundup
A previous edition of the News Roundup
mentioned a CBS Sports report about a party allegedly thrown for two
former Nebraska football players. Some potentially offensive
statements about the party were posted on a Facebook page, and among
the Huskers mentioned in the report was Andy Christensen. Head coach
Bo Pelini addressed the subject: "I know for a fact that Andy
Christensen was not involved, was not having a party, was not going
to a party this weekend, because whatever was posted on his Facebook
page... was inappropriate. Our football team will not be going to
such a party, and Andy Christensen had nothing to do with what was
posted on that Facebook page."
Now that that's cleared up...
Lane Kiffin's tenure at Tennessee has
been brief but spectacular so far, hasn't it? His latest gem came
when discussing Memphis-area wide receiver Marlon Brown, who spurned
the Vols for Georgia. "The statement that I made (when I was hired)
was that we were going to put a fence around the state of Tennessee.
Basically every kid that we offered that we continued to recruit
in-state through this process was signed, except for Marlon...
Marlon called (the night before signing day) and said that he loved
it here, but his grandmother wouldn't let him come. I don't know
what you do about that." Well, Coach, that's one surefire way to win
the hearts and minds of high school players all over the South: take
shots at their elderly family members.
The economic crisis is affecting
everyone, even "The U." Instead of flying to road games against UCF in
Orlando and South Florida in Tampa, the University of Miami will take
charter buses instead. This is a good business decision, unless it
starts to cramp Miami's style. The image of the Canes dressed in combat
fatigues stepping off a Greyhound after four hours doesn't have the same
intimidating feel.
195 days and counting...
Nebraska
Miami
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29125320/
2009 Off-Season Roundup
The News Stories You Need To Know ... Feb. 12
By
Phil Guidry
-
Feb. 9 Roundup
-
Jan. 26 Roundup
As
the college football world sifts through the aftermath of the annual
blue chip press conference and ballcap fashion show otherwise known as
National Signing Day, Lane Kiffin is still on the apology tour. At last
check he had apologized to Urban Meyer for wrongly accusing him of
cheating, to the University of Florida for besmirching its pristine
reputation and even to a high school in Pahokee, Fla, for insinuating
that they might pull letter-of-intent shenanigans and that there would
be fax machine problems. Clearly Kiffin doesn't understand the rule of
law in the South: you can call a man a cheater, sully a man's integrity,
even steal a man's recruits, but don't you ever - ever - insult a
school's ability to work its fax machine. That's a reason to duel right
there.
* Oh, and... they're still FAXING letters of intent? Glad to hear that
the recruiting process in 2009 is still at the mercy of 1974 technology.
I'm sure the coaches were nervously pacing in their offices, anxiously
awaiting both some five-star signatures and the latest twists in the
Watergate scandal.
* Speaking of the besmirched Gators... no, Jon Gruden isn't coaching
there, or anywhere else for that matter. But from the sounds of an
interview he gave with the Orlando Sentinel, you'd swear he was. "(Tim
Tebow) can play quarterback in the NFL... this guy is totally different.
He's got Rich Gannon, Drew Brees, that kind of makeup as a team guy.
What he said after the Ole Miss game, I said, 'That's my favorite
football player I've ever seen in my whole life.' I said, 'I want
Florida to win every game that kid plays from now on.'" Upon hearing
those comments, the runners-up in the "Gruden's favorite player" race
used their dejected teardrops to shine their 2003 Super Bowl rings.
* After Utah was denied a shot at the Gators in the national title game,
that state's senate adopted a resolution to send to President Obama
urging the NCAA to abandon the BCS in favor of a playoff system. They
contend that the system is unfair and would make it impossible for, say,
a repeat occurrence of 1984, when BYU came from the outside lane to win
the national championship. It's a nice idea, but if you're seeking
legitimacy for a BCS-busting title bid, here's a hint: bringing up the
1984 national champion Cougars - who beat a 6-5 Michigan team in the
Holiday Bowl that year - may not give you the street cred you seek.
* A guy who has earned some street cred is Texas Tech head coach Mike
Leach. So you can't blame the school for getting nervous that the Mad
Scientist of Lubbock is a hot coaching commodity. Athletic Director
Gerald Myers reportedly told one of Leach's agents, "We want you as his
agent to stop shopping Coach Leach everywhere and him not saying
anything to deny that he's looking for another job." Yeah... if only
Mike Leach could find it in himself to speak freely and say whatever is
on his mind. Wouldn't that be something.
* Cal speedster Jahvid Best is expected to miss spring football drills
after a pair of surgeries. He is also going to skip track to focus on
rehab and preparing for a return to the football field. And the
protesters in Berkeley are rehabbing their hackysack ACLs and preparing
for a return to the endangered trees outside Memorial Stadium.
* One of Best's esteemed predecessors at Berkeley, Marshawn Lynch, may
be a productive NFL tailback, but he believes better things are ahead.
He told the Sporting News, "I am going to go down in history for
something. I'm not sure yet, but it will be something good." Nice, but
when it comes to fulfilling that prophecy, suiting up for the Buffalo
Bills makes for an added degree of difficulty.
* Bryce Brown, the heralded prospect from Wichita, Kansas, may go down
in history for something too: he's reportedly considering skipping
college altogether to play in the Canadian Football League. His manager
Brian Butler said, "If they were talking about any amount of real money,
I'd guarantee it... We're not playing around. I can promise you that.
I'm not scared at all to do anything, and Bryce isn't either. Hey, he'll
hurt your feelings. He's not worried about your feelings. He's worried
about what's right and what's wrong." Then the decision is clear:
because obviously going to the C.F.L. in a cash grab is right and going
to college is wrong. Also... high school football stars have managers
now? Oh, to go back to the simpler, nobler days when all they wanted was
to be guaranteed to keep their jersey number and a new Cadillac.
* Wait a second, that purity isn't all gone. South Carolina snatched
blue chipper Alshon Jeffery away from the "other" USC partly by
guaranteeing he could keep his #2 jersey. One problem: the Gamecock #2
is retired after being worn by Sterling Sharpe. And Sharpe was none too
pleased with Steve Spurrier requesting to take the jersey down from the
rafters: "I don't see how in the world they would audition or petition
for me to give it back. I haven't done anything to add to those numbers,
but I definitely didn't do anything to warrant having it taken down and
having someone else wear it... if it happens, I will go through a
mourning period. My guts will definitely be ripped out." Yeah, but guts
getting ripped out is nothing compared to what will happen to the Old
Ball Coach if he doesn't win this year.
* Bo Pelini is feeling some pressure of his own to win at Nebraska, and
this isn't going to help: a party involving some current and former
Cornhusker players was accompanied by the following Facebook posting:
"ANDY'S FREE, HUNTER'S F----, AND YOU'RE A HOE PARTY CUZ ANDY'S GETS HIS
ANKLET OFF AND HUNTER GETS HIS ON," apparently referring to former
lineman Andy Christensen and former tight end Hunter Teafatiller, both
of whom have dealt with off-the-field incidents. But that's not all: the
post described the party thusly: "DRESS: MALES: REGULAR NIGHTLIFE ATTIRE
FEMALES: DRESS TO F--- YOU'RE FUTURE EX." If those posts are any
indication, the biggest challenge for Pelini's squad is not restoring
the Black Shirts, or a brutal conference schedule, but rather... the
English language.
* The English language is not a problem for Troy Aikman. The
accomplished NFL analyst and Hall of Famer recently earned his degree
from UCLA. Even at age 42, he may have been the best quarterback on
campus.
* UCLA's crosstown rival, USC, made a national television appearance
this week that had nothing to do with a top-five recruiting class or a
former Heisman winning tailback getting into trouble. The Spirit of
Troy, the school's marching band, performed with Radiohead at the Grammy
Awards. In a related story, the rest of the Pac-10 hopes the Karma
Police are coming for the Trojans.
* 201 days and counting...
Story links:
Gruden
on Tebow
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-sportsgruden08020809feb08,0,171394.story
Utah/BCS
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/9201488/Utah-lawmakers-call-for-football-playoff-system
Bryce Brown
http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/bryce-brown-to-the-cfl
Spurrier/Sharpe
http://www.thestate.com/594/story/675442.html
Mike Leach
http://www.fanhouse.com/news/ncaafb/documents-detail-talks-between-texas/333124
Nebraska Facebook
http://mike-freeman.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6264363/13392166
Jahvid Best
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/07/SPG015P9R6.DTL
Marshawn Lynch
http://today.sportingnews.com/sportingnewstoday/20090204/?pg=3&pm=1&u1=friend
Troy Aikman
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ucla-basketball-fyi8-2009feb08,0,786593.story
Radiohead/USC
http://theenvelope.latimes.com/entertainment/env-best-worst-2009-grammys-pg,0,6718408.photogallery?index=18