By
Pete Fiutak
Fire over your questions to me at
pete@collegefootballnews.com. I might not be able to answer them
all, but I promise they're all read. Any e-mails sent to this
address may be published or edited unless requested otherwise.
(Please put ASK CFN in the subject line, and PLEASE keep the
questions short ... it makes my life easier.)
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Part 1 of this
week's ASK CFN - Michael Crabtree's speed, Bo Pelini and
Nebraska, and more
Would you rather have a
coach who wins the BIG ones but loses one they shouldn't
(Carroll), or a coach who loses the BIG one but seldom slips up
on the ones the team should win (Tressel)? Fans of both programs
must go nuts every year, with neither being too happy, but is it
better to get to the NC and lose or blow yourself out of
contention with a conference misstep? Would you trade either
straight up for Urban Meyer? – TC
A: I changed my
answer on this four times before finally settling on this: I
think I’d rather be in Carroll’s position at the immediate
moment. Remember, though, that before this current graduating
class of Buckeyes, Ohio State was known for being a big game
killer under Tressel. It was able to beat Texas in Austin, owned
the Fiesta Bowl, and came up with the epic national title win
over Miami. Every team slips up here and there in the non-big
games (except for Ohio State), but USC has that BIG GAME
reputation that’s impossible to get. Florida has it now, too,
but I wouldn’t trade Carroll for Meyer. I’m not sure I’d mess
with Meyer for Tressel at Ohio State, even with Meyer’s Ohio
roots and the current run of success. Tressel is every bit as
good a recruiter, he has helped continue and better the NFL
talent factory, and the success is hard to argue with even with
the big game losses.
The SEC is ‘so powerful’
because their bowl games are all home games. How the hell can
you have a national championship in Florida with FLORIDA being
the team that plays in the NCG? Or how can you have Alabama
playing in the Superdome, damn near a home game for them as
well?? If Florida had play Penn State or Alabama had to go to
Ohio State, then my guess, is that the SEC wouldn’t be all that
damn ‘powerful’. Anyone can play in warm weather in their own
backyard. How well can you play when your team plays on a
neutral site? – JH
A: I don’t know if I really buy
into that any more than I buy into the argument that the Big Ten
can’t beat USC in the Rose Bowl because it’s in Pasadena. If the
2009 BCS Championship was played in The Swamp, I’d have a beef,
but a field is a field is a field. Oklahoma didn’t lose to
Florida because the game was played in Miami. Sometimes, the
home field belief can backfire because the opposing team takes
on a nasty mentality and it comes out roaring. Who outside of
Morgantown picked West Virginia to beat Georgia in the 2006
Sugar Bowl when it was played in the Georgia Dome? Florida lost
to Michigan in the 2008 Capital One Bowl in Orlando. And, of
course, Alabama lost that game to Utah in the Superdome that you
referenced.
Where
do you think Devin Moore from Wyoming will end up in the draft,
or if he'll even get drafted? I think some team will end
up with a steal if they take a chance on him. He wasn't
invited to the combine but put up numbers of 4.43 and 4.41
seconds in the 40; a 35-inch vertical leap; a 10-foot long jump;
short-shuttle runs of 4.22 and 4.29 seconds; a 7.14-second cone
drill; and 27 reps on the 225-pound bench press. Those are
pretty respectable, plus he's a high character player who'll do
anything necessary. What are your thoughts? – AB
A: Moore held a private workout in Indianapolis when the
scouts and all the NFL types were there. It was a bold move that
paid off big-time. He’s not a first day guy, but he proved that
he’s an elite athlete who could be used in a variety of ways.
Some offensive coordinator is going to fall in love with him and
I think he could be a fourth down playmaker for someone. He
won’t excite the fan base when he’s picked, but I think he’ll be
a productive all-around playmaker if he’s used the right way.
hey just a word or
two wvu does not have a real hard way to go but any team can be
beaten at any time all teams plays teams that some one thinks
are not good lets get the sport back in the game and quick
crying that some one team is the one that stops the world lets
have fun again and root for your team and i will root for
mine but i know that money talks and sports personal have to
keep things going to keep a job go wvu -
tc
A: Uncle Leo?
What
schools, after equalizing for talent, best prepares players for the NFL
in terms of knowledge of the game, fundamentals and good solid
character-(i.e. stay out of trouble, coachable, good teammates etc.).
Put another way, assuming there was a great talent who was identical in
every way except the school he came from--What school would most scouts
prefer him to come from? – tt
A: Take a guess? While there
are always a few issues here and there, no one gets the NFL scouts’ eye
like USC and Ohio State. When you bring in the top notch, five-star
recruits year after year after year, you’re going to obviously have a
slew of NFL players. However, those two schools go above and beyond when
it comes to taking NFL prospects and making them NFL players. James
Laurinaitis excluded, take a look at the Ohio State Combine numbers over
the years. That place does a phenomenal job of training its athletes,
that’s what it sells, and that’s what helps bring in the talent to keep
the cycle going. USC pro days are legendary. The competition at that
place to get jobs means that if you’re a star there, you’re going to be
in the NFL.
Beyond those two, underneath the radar a bit, the
NFL types love Wisconsin offensive linemen. They’re all big, they’re all
ready, and they all produce at a steady, solid level. Again, success
brings success. If you’re known for being a place that develops talent,
you’ll get the top high school talent who want to be in the NFL. If
you’re a Florida State defensive lineman or if you play on the Penn
State defensive front seven, you’re going to be given a hard look by the
NFL scouts.
Make the preseason calls
Stader, Franklin, TN …
Undefeated
Teams/1: Over or Under
A:
Over.
Florida/1 loss: Over or Under
A: Actually, set the line at 1.5, but I’ll go with the under at 1,
at least until the national title game.
USC/ 1 loss: Over/Under
A: Again, set it at 1.5. USC will lose a game, beat Ohio State in
the Rose Bowl, and then it’ll whine about not playing for the national
title. Set the over/under at 584 on the number of USC fans who’ll now
call me biased, and set the number at plus/minus 383 on the Trojan fans
who'll blame me for USC not playing in the title game.
Ohio State/1 loss: Over/Under
A: Over.
Texas/1 loss: Over/Under
A: Over.
LSU/2 losses: Over/Under
A: Ooooooh. Over.
Notre Dame/3 losses: Over or Under
A: Can we count the bowl game? The schedule is SO bad. I think
they’ll lose three games, but I’ll go with the over.
Alabama/3 losses: Over or Under
A: Under.
Michigan/5 losses: Over or Under
A: Under.
Tennessee/5 losses: Over or Under
A: Under.
ACC Bowl Teams/5 losses: Over or Under
A: Under
BCS Coaches Fired/Retired/6: Over or Under
A: Over. Easily.
SEC Bowl Wins/7: Over or Under
A: Under.
Tim Tebow Draft Position/32nd overall: Over or Under
A: Under. He’ll go in the top 25 when all is said and done.
What are your thoughts on
how he did and whether Jarett Dillard improved his status or hurt it? I
noticed that he topped both the vertical and broad jumps, which for a
guy his size is pretty impressive. I also saw that he turned in a decent
40 time. While it wasn't blazing by any means, it was good and coupled
with his leaping ability I think he would make an excellent mid round
pick. Just wondering what your thoughts were on his workout? I didn't
get to see how he caught the ball, but I hope he did okay in that too.
– CD
A: There aren’t any
question marks about his hands, which is a nice place to start. The 4.53
wasn’t awful, but it would’ve been nice if he was a bit faster for his
5-10 size. The leaping ability guaranteed a top 120 selection. If you
can jump 42.5”, offensive coordinators will want you. Basically, he has
the college production, and now he proved he’s an athlete, too. He’ll
shine bright as someone’s No. 3 target.
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Part 1 of this
week's ASK CFN - Michael Crabtree's speed, Bo Pelini and Nebraska, and
more
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