Cougar Power and other Monday Thoughts
Monday Monday....
I also can't believe I forgot to do this...but MEGA PROPS to the 3rd most popular basketball team in the state of Nebraska, the fighting Huskers, for their loss to that mighty powerhouse Southern Illinois Edwardsville.
http://www.siue.edu/ATHLETIC/MBB/20062007/1111.html
The mighty Cougars held the Hicks to 29% shooting, en route to a 54-50 shocker that I'm sure sent ripples throughout the nation. Actually, I'm shocked SIUE could concentrate with their big season opener against Harris Stowe on the 18th, but they shook off the temptation of looking ahead, and beat the worst team in the Big 12 on their home floor. Don't get me wrong, Nebraska fan (and I mean that literally in the singular tense) will tell you that injuries have decimated the program, despite efforts to find extra players in local bars, pubs and parking lots. However, we here at Behind Enemy Lines know that Doc Sadler is one of the premier coaching talents in the country, and will turn the Hicks into conference contenders in the very near future. (ie - sometime before 2038). When does NU play Manhattan or San Francisco is what I want to know.
Speaking of Husker basketball, Nebraska's psudo team, the #19 Creighton Bluejays, have started a bit sluggish in the early exhibition season as well. The greatest small-school team on earth, backed by the greatest fans in college basketball (is the sign up yet?) get set to play mighty Mississippi Valley State tonight. The Delta Devils, coming off a 72-49 bitchslapping to that college basketball power that is Ole Miss, head into Omaha tonight facing not only a tanked up raucous crowed, but also the Creighton mystique and tradition that instills fear into all bottom-dwelling, barely Division 1 teams that venture into town. Creighton is led by (insert random white kid from Iowa), and returns (insert slow hairy white guy who looks like a taller version of Ron Jeremy) to dominate down low. The Jays' backcourt is anchored by guards (insert 5'10 guards as well as cheesy boo-hoo story about how nobody ever wanted them.) Dana Altman, the Tom Osborne of basketball, says the Delta Devils could surprise, and his team will have to play an excellent game to keep pace.
Blah blah blah blah blah. Wake me up when somebody exciting comes to town...like Bradley or Missouri State.
* Lots of knee-jerk anger this weekend over my alleged bone-headed prediction that the Huskers will return to their mediocre ways next season. Let the record be clear right here and now...as much as I absolutely loathe you people...as much as I hate your very core and spit on the ground you walk on...I'm not so bored as to go into your depth chart and break everything down player by player. You may think I'm that bored...but I'm not. However, to throw you idiots a bone, I will attempt, in my own way...to break down the shitty mediocrity in waiting that is the 2007 Huskers. Stand back...I am a professional.
Jay Moore - Gone
Barry Cryer - Gone
Ola Dagunduro - Gone
Adam Carriker - Gone
Stewart Bradley - Gone
(still with me?)
Corey McKeon - Back but most overrated linebacker since Bo Ruud
Bo Ruud - Back but most overrated linebacker since Corey McKeon. (I'm not saying "Ruuud", I'm saying "Succckkkssss")
Andre Jones - Back and isn't very good
Tierre Green - Back and isn't very good
Andrew Shanle - Gone (and wasn't very good)
Courtney Grixby - Back and isn't very good.
What seems to be the issue here? According to your depth chart you return 5 guys on defense next year. 4 of which are part of the worst secondary in college football. Did I miss something? I know this is hard for you kool-aid chugging freaks to understand, but I'll put this as plainly as I can: The best part of your defense..the guys who are actually decent...are leaving. The guys who suck...will be back. (And no, I didn't list Octavian because he's not on the depth chart as a starter right now, and he has the physical elasticity of my 85 year old grandmother. Dude could hurt himself tying his shoes.)
On offense, 4 of 5 cogs of a mediocre line are back, as is Brandon Jackson and the rest of the smoke-and-mirror club-by-committee. Your tight end is gone, as is your QB of 2 years. Which leads all your hopes and dreams on wonderboy. Yes, his pedigree is quite impressive as many have you told me back in the summer. Big, strong, nearly beat USC. (should fit right in). But he was also a second stringer who quit on his team right before the season. I'm not sure if that qualifies as a cancer, but you can figure that out among yourselves. I hope for your sake he lives up to the hype, because as you all know..it takes a true genius to run the mathematical exquisiteness of a Bill Clownahan run offense.
Let's keep going on your future. In case you didn't notice, K-State is rapidly getting better. Missouri plays NU at home next year and returns 17 of 22 starters. Colorado has nowhere to go but up with a quality coach, and Mangino and company ass-pasted Nebraska in Lawrence a year ago. Couple that with a trip to probable ACC Champion Wake Forest, a home game against a USC team that will probably play for the National Title, and a trip to Austin, where a pretty good Texas team will love to paste yet another Big 12 North team.
Those of you banking on the Ming dynasty coming out of a championship season might want to rethink your positions as you insert that IV of Mountain Berry Punch into your veins. Either way, the bandwagon has already pulled out of the station, and is already getting into mid-dynasty form...even before anything of real merit has been accomplished. Sugar highs will do that to ya.
There, that ought to keep you squealing at me for a little while longer.
PS - Ohio State over Michigan. USC over Notre Dame. Ohio State over USC in the National Title game. (Because somebody asked)
posted by A J at 12:28 PM
16 Comments:
wow, for not caring and being annoyed, you sure have a lot of information!!
Yeah, it's real hard to bring up that depth chart. I almost had to click my mouse twice.
I'm bushed now.
*sigh*
Sounds a lot like the pre-season posts, AJ. Remember things like "Nebraska was 107th in the nation in rushing last year and lost Cory Ross"? Notice how the Huskers are running the ball like a different team this year? It's possibly because it IS a different year.
Teams aren't the same year to year -- even less the same than in the free-agent filled NFL. Kids get a lot better from year to year. Some kids leave, some kids get hurt.
For every reason you have that the Huskers will be worse, I can give you one for how they will be better.
All we know for sure is 5 wins 2 years ago, 8 wins last year, 9+ wins this year. It seems like a good trend. I hope it continues.
You were pretty off on your pre-season predictions for how the Big 12 north would shape up (who could have predicted ISU to be so bad?), you might want to hold off on predicting next year.
One thing I will agree with, the schedule is certainly not any easier. Although maybe Wake Forest goes back to sucking, who knows?
Hicky McHickerson (avoiding a "pussy anonymous moniker" -- but not really).
P.S. Do you really have to pick on the Husker basketball team? You hate the football fans for always thinking the team is great and having such high expectations, why do you hate us few big red basketball fans who support a team that has never done anything and is a long way from doing anything in the future? That just sounds like sour grapes that the football team won.
Come on man...why wouldn't I bash the basketball team? Aren't they Huskers too? Don't you guys claim to be the greatest fans on earth? If you were, you'd fill the Devaney Center win or lose, and there wouldn't be 17,000 Husker fans in blue filling the Qwest Center tonight.
And thank you for the identification. I really don't care either way..but it makes it easier to answer your questions and such.
JP hated my guts for months..but he finally figured out my motives and my intentions. Just stick with it and you'll get it. You actually can argue about sports...despise teams and fans...and yet still not be a horrible horrible person.
And yes..my pre-season predictions were TERRIBLE. However, I just threw them out there because...well, because I could. That's why I'm amazed at why people get THAT mad at me. I'm not some big-time published writer at SI or something.
I'm just a guy who likes to write, who can type fast, and is surrounded by inspiration. My 2,000 hits a day doesn't mean much...but I guess some people do take it a bit seriously.
I mean this in all sincerety...despite the language...despite the themes and tone...this may be a hate filled blog...but it's not personal.
If it was, I'd go attacking players and such. (not literally, but personally).
Jesus, I've had beers with Matt Davison for God's sake...and I'm a Missouri fan....how much more evidence do you need about how seriously I take all this?
just some food for thought.
Thanks for stopping by. I apprecaite comments, positive and negative.
PS - JP's still a dick though.
Lets all email Jim Rose and every husker fan and ask him if he thinks Freeman is still sorry he choose KSU over the Nubbies? Or if Huggins should have wanted to coach at NU
Josh Freeman
Jim, I wear my Rose colored sun glasses at night, stated that he couldn’t believe that Josh chose K-State over NU and that it was a big mistake (paraphrasing from 810 WHB radio interview).
Hypothetically, here are a couple of comparative scenarios….
{{A}} [2006] Josh goes to NU and redshirts. [2007] As a redshirt freshman, is backup for wonder boy (sorry, I don’t know what his name is). [2008] As a redshirt sophomore, starts his first game and by the end of the year makes a lot of progress. [2009] As a redshirt junior, has a breakout year and is gets 5th in the Heisman voting. Would like to go pro but after 2 seasons would only get drafted in the late 2nd round or early 3rd. [2010] As a senior has a great 3rd season and becomes a 1st round draft pick. (EASY, I said hypothetically)
{{B}} [2006] Josh goes to KSU and starts the last 8 games. Gets Big XII freshman of the year. [2007] Josh and Colt are the top Big XII QB’s and get Heisman votes. [2008] As a true junior, Josh has a great year and gets 3rd in the Heisman voting. Goes pro and is a first round draft pick.
2010 vs. 2008, you do the math. I’m not saying Josh is a 1st round draft pick I’m just saying he has the potential. With 5 freshman starting on offense, K-State should continue to get better.
Arrogance = Jim Rose
Josh Freeman = smart move, and we’ll see who ends up ranked higher in 2008…
And yes, I’ve got my ‘purple’ colored sun glasses on but Josh is pretty tough and he works very hard to get better. His goals are pretty high and they don’t end in college.
Well, I agree you shouldn't just like the basketball team because they're bad. It's just that it seems too easy I guess.
Anyway, on to more football banter. I don't think this tells the whole story, but I guess the schedule this year isn't really that bad: http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/2006/Inte...games_past.pdf
Sure, there were still 2 teams from bad conferences and 1 AA team, but even adjusting for that it would seem that the schedule is among the top half at the worst. Yes, that #11 ranking will drop to #30-ish after the Colorado game, but it should go back up some after the Big12 championship game.
Hicky McHickerson
ISU coaching vacancy has links to Nebraska.
A couple of names have been mentioned.
Jay Norvell (NU O-coord)
Bo Pelini (LSU D-coord)
I guess Barney Cotton isn't in the running.... Barney doesn't have a good track record for head coaches.
Hickey and JP...you will get me to agree. IF, and that's a big IF..Keller is the real deal, you will have a serious offensive machine next year. They key for you will be if you can get anybody to take heat off of Purify. If teams start keying on him..and I don't mean ISU or Mizzou..I mean GOOD defenses...he's going to have some problems.
Part of his plus side now is that he's a relative unknown and doesn't get the respect he probably needs. (A&M single covered him the whoel game...hell, even Pinkel wasn't that dumb)
But alas..your defense is what will kill you in the long run. (Unless Thenarse (sp) or The other young kid back there get some looks by Cosgrove).
Hicky, I also find it ironic that people bitched about both Mizzou and NU's schedule this year..yet both are in the top 3 in the league in SOS.
Guess ya gotta play out the whole year for the numbers to mean anything.
Let the record show, the above comment was actual football discussion, not tainted with hate or rage. Just pure football talk by fans of different teams.
It can happen. It can be done.
:)
JP (aka NFL talent scout via dancing with the 'stars')
I looked up the current 2-deep for NU and there are (7) 2-star, (20) 3-star, (11) 4-star, and (2) 5-star players. (27) vs. (13).... so the coaches don't require you to be a 4-star player to get on the field?????
JP said - "What scares you pussies about Rivals and recruiting boards? Is it that you think Nebraska kids will be excluded from the program? Is the pride of St. Edwards, Scott Shanle, playing safety, that much more important than winning?"
I'll just let your words speak for themself on that one.
Then, you named a list of (20) potential NFL players that Can't-a-han recruited. There were (10) 3-star, (7) 4-star, and (1) 5-star from your list. [(2) were n/r??]
Doing the math, 26% of the 3-star (10/38), 39% of the 4-star (7/18), and 33% of the 5-star players (1/3) that Billy has brought in made your list.
Again, thanks for making my point that you don't have to be a 4-star player to have NFL "potential".
Please let me know what your definition of potential is, because I looked at your list... How many of those guys will get drafted on the 1st day??? Things that make you go hmmmmm.
Amazingly, I do agree with you that NU could be better next year but I still have them going 8-4. And since wonder-boy is one and done, what happens in 2008???
That's right, 8-4 and another Alamo Bowl.
God bless Stinky P and God bless Billy Can't-a-han. The gift that keeps on giving.
Damn, Bart is just running it. Fun argument to watch guys..keep it up. (I'm learning a lot)
:)
You guys should do a radio show. It's very entertaining.
AJ --
Even Can't-a-han agrees with you that NU is just average (aka parity across the land)....
http://catzone.cjonline.com/stories/111406/cat_kuksu.shtml
The upset Kansas State handed Texas was the second triumph for the maligned North Division on Saturday against rivals from the South. Hours earlier, Nebraska scored with 21 seconds remaining to pull out a 28-27 victory at Texas A&M, which clinched the Huskers' first division title since 1999.
"This conference, there's such great parity now, and there's great parity across college football now, so it doesn't come as a surprise or a shock to me," said Nebraska coach Bill Callahan.
"Kansas State's defense has been very good, and I said that the week we were playing 'em. To do what they did, that's great. We said last year (divisional superiority) was cyclical, and there's now evidence to back that up."
Like squirrels to nuts, is Rivals to retards.
How many "can't miss", have Rivals and the like missed?
Experts said Ryan Leaf over Peyton Manning, and these experts got to watch them play for four years. Rivals and the like watch film, and go to position camps, so how much can you really learn about Buford watching him at a camp for one week?
Wait a second, JP has said the reason we didn't win with Frank was because of bad recruiting, so once we get done with Frank's recruits (this season), we should be much better. So that would mean 11-2, 12-1, right? I mean if Frank went 10-3 with his rotten recruits, then Callahan will surely go at least 11-2 with his heaven sent talent.
Dam bowling ball keeps getting stuck in the return, how you doing over there Bart?
(Some talk about the explosive offense Nebraska could have in 2007. Remember no team is out of a game as long as Cosgrove is the defensive coordinator.)
They just had to put up the kiddie bumbers up for me..
I need 18 pins in my final two frames to break 100.
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