Here we go again. The best time of the year starts today and goes until the end of March, when basketball ends. Falcon sports simply makes me happy--no other way to put it. I love that team, and it is a great diversion for me--even when the roller coaster his the bottom of the hill. I know it is only a game...but it is a passion for me. I love college football and basketball.
In case you wonder, yes, I know there were MAC games last night. I didn't get this done. OK? Here are my fearless picks for the MAC race.
I swear, this is what I was going to say:
East:
As part of an annual exercise in humility, each year I go through each game and predict how I think we will do. It was easy early on, when we had a number of walk overs. Last year, things didn't go so well. And yes--at the end of the season there will be a post that tells the sad story of how I did. Here we go....
| 9/01/07 | at Minnesota  | Minneapolis, Minn. | LOSE |
| 09/08/07 | at Michigan State | East Lansing, Mich. | LOSE |
| 09/22/07 | vs. Temple | Bowling Green, Ohio | WIN |
| 09/29/07 | vs. Western Kentucky | Bowling Green, Ohio | WIN |
| 10/06/07 | at Boston College | Boston, Mass. | LOSE |
| 10/13/07 | at Miami | Oxford, Ohio | LOSE |
| 10/20/07 | at Kent State | Kent, Ohio | LOSE |
| 10/27/07 | vs. Ohio | Bowling Green, Ohio | WIN |
| 11/02/07 | vs. Akron | Bowling Green, Ohio | LOSE |
| 11/09/07 | at Eastern Michigan | Ypsilanti, Mich. | WIN |
| 11/17/07 | at Buffalo | Buffalo, N.Y. | WIN |
| 11/23/07 | vs. Toledo | Bowling Green, Ohio | WIN |
So Brian, at Mgoblog had a really good idea. Normally, pre-season polls blow. But, our effort was to post a poll, have everyone take a shot at it, and then re-evaluate. Which I have done. I looked at the comments people posted, and made the following adjustments.
I downgraded Georgia and Hawaii. I was convinced that in the predatory SEC, Georgia's youthful team will not be able to maintain a top rating. I think I originally had them higher because I like their coach and program, but accept that I was probably a little blinded. Now, as for Hawaii, they're going to lose once, somewhere, despite having the easiest schedule in the country. And with one loss, they only cling to the Top 25.
I considered downgrading South Carolina, where I was out of step with the mainstream, but I decided not to. I like what the OBC has going on down there. He's a snake in the weeds.
I am not downgrading LSU, despite being called a "fruitcake." I understand USC might win the NFC North. When they face LSU in the title game, an SEC-tested, Les Miles coached LSU team will beat USC by dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and by matching USC in team speed. Much like Florida did last year.
Now, OSU is probably overrated, but, on the other hand, I think Tressel will have that team ready to go.
Rip away.
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU | -- |
| 2 | Southern Cal | -- |
| 3 | Texas | -- |
| 4 | Oklahoma | -- |
| 5 | Michigan | -- |
| 6 | West Virginia | -- |
| 7 | Virginia Tech | -- |
| 8 | Florida State | -- |
| 9 | Louisville | -- |
| 10 | South Carolina | -- |
| 11 | Ohio State |  1 |
| 12 | Penn State | 1 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 1 |
| 14 | Florida | 2 |
| 15 | Oregon | 2 |
| 16 | Missouri | 2 |
| 17 | Georgia |  6 |
| 18 | Texas A&M | 1 |
| 19 | UCLA | 1 |
| 20 | Alabama | 1 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 1 |
| 22 | TCU | 1 |
| 23 | Nebraska | 1 |
| 24 | Hawaii | 9 |
| 25 | Oregon State | 1 |
My favorite thing of the year...the weekly pressers. As always, my wise-ass and uninformed comments follow in orange.
HEAD COACH Gregg Brandon
Q. Looking at the depth chart, did (DE Joe) Schaefer and (NG Orlando) Barrow emerge at the end of camp to take the starting spots?
A. Well, Joe Schaefer was on the verge of starting last year and tore his knee up before we even played a game, so he just bounced back from that injury and has won the starting spot. Orlando had a really nice off season and really got himself into great shape while doing a nice job at the inside tackle spot. He's definitely a guy that's going to get a lot of snaps in there.
Q. Will this give you more depth on the defensive line?
A. Yes, definitely. We will have Sean O'Drobinak, D.J. Young, Michael Ream; really, there are 10 guys across the front that I think can play.
Q. A couple seasons ago when you had those eight or 10 guys that you could rotate. You were very successful with that, and then for a while you haven't had that.
A. That's correct. I think we have that again; we just need to keep them healthy.
Q. Speaking of healthy is Freddie Barnes going to make the trip and is Keston Cheathem on the depth chart?
A. Keston is still working on that shoulder that he separated, but he did practice yesterday although he was limited. Freddie went yesterday full-go, and I think toward the end of practice he was kind of tired and fatigued, just because he's not used to all the running. He hasn't done it in a while. Freddie will be on the bus (leaving BG for the airport), definitely.
Nice to see that Freddie isn't going to walk to the airport. We are shallow at WR, so without him, we are in trouble. He showed flashes as a WR, and I hope his skills have continued to improve.
| |  |
Who asked this question?
Q. With (Minnesota's) Spread Coast Offense is P.J. Mahone going to be seeing some playing time?
A. I think that spread stuff is an illusion. I think they're going to line up two tight ends and pound us. If I was him that's what I would be doing. That's what they're built for up there - their tight ends are good players. Amir Pinnix is a good back and his back-up is fast! I think they're going to line up and run zone and stretch and play action.
Q. It seems like every year the team opens with a team that has a pretty good running game. Do you feel you are more ready this year than you have been in the past couple years?
A. It doesn't really make any difference (who we play). We have to be ready. We have to get ready to do what we need to do to win the game, and not really pay much attention to whoever we open the season against.
Q. Does an early-season game against Minnesota benefit you more than playing them in maybe week five or week six?
A. Definitely. It is the same with Michigan State, but we still have Boston College in week six. We are going to be matching up with some big, physical teams. Any time a team goes into the Big Ten to play, those teams are going to wear you out.
OK.
Q. Have you made a decision on who will start the season at quarterback?
A. Yes, Tyler Sheehan will start. He became an accurate passer and the type of thrower that I need to run the offense and be able to complete passes in our system. He manages things very well for us, knows the system and is able to spread the ball around. If the first guy is not there he is able to use his reads and his feet and arm to get us to the secondary guy or third guy. He's still learning and he is by no means a finished product. He's getting better and better every day; he's grown in the system and understands it better. I think Coach (Mick) McCall has done a great job with him and hopefully it will pay dividends through the course of the year.
This is, of course, the worst kept secret in the MAC. I blogged on this yesterday. Clearly, Coach wants to throw. We had the best running in the MAC last year and were 4-8.
Q. Is there any thoughts of putting Anthony {Turner} on the field and running?
A. Absolutely, Anthony Turner is still in the mix. It's important for him to understand that. He can still help us win football games. He's a great running threat from the quarterback position and Anthony can do some things throwing the football but we will still utilize him in that regard as well.
Well, this will get the Nation in a furor. Football fans hate having 2 QBs. They prefer having a clear starter so they can bitch about why the backup isn't in. No, really. Anyway, I don't have any problem with a situational use of AT. Skinny the playbook in the redzone, he can still run or pass. I think he could score for us and not have to throw longer passes, which he does not do well, apparently. We did something very similar with PJ Pope in the shotgun and it was unstoppable.
Q. Is Willie Geter your number-one running back right now?
A. Well, Geter is going to start the game because he's earned it by having a great camp, but we have to play all those guys. Eric Ransom is back to full strength and he's practiced the last couple days and seems to be full throttle from his hamstring. Chris Bullock is definitely in the mix too. He's proven that he can make yards running the football. All those guys, particularly Geter and Ransom, give us a good threat throwing the ball either out of the back field or putting them in the slot. Our challenge is to get two of the three on the field at the same time because with that kind of speed on the field it gives you different dimensions.
Q. They're running behind a pretty solid offensive line.
A. No question. Our five starters are definitely experienced and bring a lot of game experience to the table. I've always believed that if you have a good offensive line you can do a lot of things offensively. It's just like last year; when we ran the ball we were able to move the ball around and when you have that ability it gives you a chance to win some games.
Q. At the end of last season you said you needed an explosive running threat. Is that when you went out and got Geter?
A. I told my coaches we need (a player similar to former NIU running back) Garrett Wolfe and that's when they found Geter. Geter wasn't very highly recruited because he's not a very big guy, but he's a very powerful kid. A lot of teams didn't want to take a chance on him because of his size. He benches two and a quarter about fifteen times and he's quick as a hiccup. He's in Coach (John) Hunter's office all the time watching game films studying and asking questions. He just loves to play the game.
More or less in a Blade article we cited a couple of days ago. Run, Willie, Run.
After a long winter and a long hot summer, Falcon football is almost back. The Falcon Nation looks on in, shall we say, nervous optimism. More punditry and predictions later in the week. Now, let's look at how we lining up to enter the season.
The earlier post mentioned that Tyler Sheehan has replaced Anthony Turner. At no time have I seen either of these players lead our offense consistently and effectively. I always believed Turner would win the job, and can only conclude that Sheehan has looked that much better in practice. Also, I don't think Coach Brandon is as big a fan of the runspread as Urban Meyer is. He prefers the passspread from Brandon I-III.
So Sheehan gets the nod. A couple hopes. That he performs and puts the QB deal behind the team. That he can complete 60% of his passes, go upfield, and limit his turnovers.
The other BIG BIG news is a RB, where Willie Geter, true FR from Miami, FL, has vaulted to the starter, over last year's starter Chris Bullock and JUCO transfer hypeboy Eric Ransom. For the record, it is Bullock #2, Ransom #3, though he has not been healthy. We are very deep at RB.
WR--I just don't see the depth there. Dan Macon left RB and moved to WR and is instantly on the two deep. The starters are Partridge (stud), Barnes (athlete yet to prove at WR), Marques Parks (believed decent but unknown), and Ty Pronty, who was a backup in the Spring Game to a FR, Kelvin Davis who short armed a pass and left school.
Second string at WR is the highly touted Zach Charles, (fast) but not a shown pass catcher, Macon, totally untested Derek Brighton and Calvin Wiley.
TE is Jimmy Sheidler, even though it isn't a position we use much, and the FB is Pete Winovich. Don't use that much, either.
On the line--we're pretty good and stable. Nystrom, Steffy, Lichtensteiger (3 time All MAC), Curtis and Huselman go L-R. This and RB are the proven strong points of the attack.
On to defense. The line is anchored by Diryal Briggs, a true stud, and 3 questions. At the other E is r-JR Joe Schaefer, who was injured during the Spring. Then, at tackle, there is former TE Sean O'Drobinak and R-FR Orlando Barrow, who vaulted past Michael Ream. This does not look like an Rx for success.
I was worried about LB, because we seemed to be moving people there willynilly--a sure sign that we don't have confidence in the guys recruited to play there.
That all seems to have ended. Now, Dozier, Haneline and Hargrove go across, with Dozier moving to the middle. I like the starters, much better than before. Don't know about depth. Hope they stay healthy.
D-backfield. We remain really young here, but they played a whole season, and there is talent. At corner, Antonio Smith and Kenny Lewis are good-very good players. At Safety, Jerrett Sanderson and Jahmal Brown are also promising and getting better. I'm worried about depth at corner--those backups get lots of snaps with today's WR-laden attacks. Tarell Lewis might be OK, and Roger Williams, well, I don't know anything about him, other than founding Rhode Island. No real major changes.
Finally, our JUCO transfer kickers better make the kicking game better, or this team will not pass .500.
More later this week, just to say, I can be as optimistic as the next guy. We remain very young. 23 of 44 players are Soph or Junior. We lose only four starters off the depth chart, and one is Winovich. Next season will be our year.
Via the Blade (photo, too), Ryan the Vowelmeister has the story. Sheehan to start for Falcons. They say that he has come on over the course of the Spring and Fall and is better suited to lead the team than AT. Ryan also traces the tragedy that is AT....but for now Sheehan is the man.
A fuller review of game notes is on the way tonight. Let us just say this. I was an AT supporter, but I don't see the team practice. My only hope is that Sheehan holds the job, so the team will know for this season who the QB is. And, so we can win some games this year. We must be able to pass accurately and downfield, too.
He just lets us live here. Ryan from the Blade (I would use his last name, but I don't feel like typing it--too many frickin vowels), is back, this time with a story on true Fr. wunderkind Willie Geter, who is drawing comparisons (from our coach) to Garret Wolfe. He was all-Florida 1st team but was recruited only by us, Akron and South Florida due to size. Get this anecdote from his HS Coach: "I put Willie on a little sweep and he cut it outside and then he cut it back in," Zaccheo said. "The safety [highly ranked nationally] looked at Willie and kind of licked his chops, and Willie proceeded to plant that kid in the ground and leave cleat marks on his chest."
Nice. Like to hear that. As we had heard through the grapevine, Willie passed Bullock and Ransom to the starting position. I also hear he can play slot, much as PJ Pope did, providing a strong disincentive not to blitz your LBs, lest you get a quick elusive back running around in your spread out secondary.
Finally, Ryan says Coach will name the starting QB early next week, but that Sheehan takes first team snaps most of the time. This is a topic for another day, but I just think that Coach prefers a throwing QB over a running QB. Let's just hope he can move the team.
For picking LSU ahead of USC.
A technicality saves me from a whack ballot, which I did get once last year.
Defense for my pick comes later.
Ryan is back with the latest from Falcons training camp. The bulk of the story is a thumb-sucker on new DC Mike Ward being rewarded for loyalty...and, we hope for making himself a better coach since he was passed over for the job the first time. But time will tell. As always, the real stuff is in the notes. INJURY REPORT: Receiver Freddie Barnes is practicing limitedly after injuring his ankle a couple of weeks ago, but he should be back for the Sept. 1 game at Minnesota. Fellow receiver Keston Cheathem is still bothered by a separated shoulder and spent yesterday's practice running up and down the steps at Doyt Perry Stadium. "I don't know if we'll have him for Minnesota," Brandon said. "That's touch and go right now."
So, that's the real news. Now, for uniformed commentary and speculation....
Two things on Dan Macon. I feel kind of bad for him. He came in as a LB/RB. In fact, I think we had the idea he was a better defensive player. But, we need depth at RB, and he goes there and plays behind PJ Pope and BJ Lane. Then, he takes a mid career redshirt so when his day comes, he gets two years.
The first of those was supposed to be last year. Sadly, he wasn't healthy, then Chris Bullock emerged, and he made a limited contribution. This year, we bring in Eric Ransom from JUCO, and it looks bad, and now that Willie Geter (true FR) is going all whoa-nellie in camp, he falls even farther down.
So he moves to WR. I hope he can make a contribution, because I think he has been hurt just by some bad timing, and being behind some really good players.
Now, as for WR, I think one thing is clear. We brought in JUCO WRs, we're moving Macon to WR....I think what many of us feared at WR was true. We don't have much there, beyond Corey Partridge. The spread requires an absolute butt load of WR, and we don't seem to have the depth we need to move the ball. (We had some young guys leave over the years rather than sit behind our other wawesome receivers.)
So here begins the story of Louis Orr at Bowling Green, as the new coach begins his quest to rebuild the Falcon program. The first challenge is scheduling...always a challenge in the MAC and with our small arena. Last year, Coach Dakich's schedule received some criticism for being way too easy...I actually like this year's schedule. Here is why:
Fri., 9...........Cincinnati Tournament (Cincinnati, Ohio) & (AZZ says W. Carolina)
Sat., 10..........Cincinnati Tournament (Cincinnati, Ohio) & (AZZ says Belmont)
Sun., 11..........Cincinnati Tournament (Cincinnati, Ohio) & (AZZ says UC)
Sat., 17..........MOREHEAD STATE
Sat., 24..........TEMPLE
Tue., 27..........at Furman
DECEMBER
Sat., 1...........at Oakland
Wed., 5 / Thu., 6.at Northern Colorado
Tue., 18..........ILLINOIS STATE
Sat., 22..........at Indiana State
Sat., 29..........EASTERN ILLINOIS
JANUARY
Wed., 2...........DUQUESNE
Sat., 5...........OHIO *
Sat., 12..........at Kent State *
Thu., 17..........BUFFALO *
Sun., 20..........at Akron *
Wed., 23..........MIAMI *
Sun., 27..........NORTHERN ILLINOIS *
Wed., 30..........at Ball State *
FEBRUARY
Sat., 2...........at Western Michigan *
Wed., 6...........CENTRAL MICHIGAN *
Sun., 10..........TOLEDO *
Wed., 13..........at Eastern Michigan *
Sat., 16..........AKRON *
Tue., 19..........at Ohio *
Sat., 23..........Bracket Buster (road game)
MARCH
Sat., 1...........KENT STATE *
Tue., 4...........at Buffalo *
Sun., 9...........at Miami *
Wed., 12..........MAC Tournament First Round ^
Thu., 13..........MAC Tournament Quarterfinals ^
Fri., 14..........MAC Tournament Semifinals ^
Sat., 15..........MAC Tournament Championship ^
Charles Sharon would seem to be the big winner of the night. He caught three passes for 54 yards and his first catch of the evening, a leaping grab along the Tampa sideline in the second quarter, made an impression on Del Rio. “That’s the one thing that stuck out,” Del Rio said. Sharon was the Jaguars’ star of spring drills and he’s making a move to become the team’s star receiver of the preseason, too. It’s a move that could land him a roster spot, or maybe even more. “He’s making plays,” quarterback Byron Leftwich said of Sharon. “Chuck got this swagger about him.”
He had a big night last night....here is what Jaguars.com had to say....
Yes, he does have that swagger about him. We know that. It would be great if he made the team.
In Cleveland, Steve Sanders caught 3 passes for 40 yards, including a 24 yarder during the Quinn-led rally in the 4th. He did catch one and fumble, though he got the ball back. He is a long shot to make the team.
This provides some perspective on those teams we had. In addition to a QB who got NFL looks, we were throwing to three WRs (Magner, Sharon, Sanders), each of whom got serious time in an NFL camp. Plus, PJ Pope continues on as well with Green Bay. I am sure no BG offense ever walked onto the field with five position players who ended up in NFL camps.
So, when Gregg Brandon doesn't look like as good a coach as he did before, ask yourself this: who would?
Two football nuggets.....
First, I note in the Phil Steele College Football Preview (The Bible), the only conference ranked worse than the MAC is the Sun Belt. And I note that in the USA Today poll, no MAC team got even one vote, despite several MAC coaches possessing a vote. Just sayin'.
Second, the BG News staff is now blogging. Just sayin'.
You know college football is coming when the pre-season blog poll comes out. Love doing this--it is an absolute blast. Here is my draft pre-season poll. Comment as you like.
Here's the drill. After Wed the 22nd, there will be a spirited (no doubt) debate on mgoblog about who is over-rated and under-rated. A new adjusted poll will come out on the 29th, based on those arguments. Then, it is time to play football.
A few comments. Like LSU a bunch, and I doubt that USC can close the door, so that explains #1. OSU will exceed expectations, and Florida will disappoint. Other than that, here you go.
Final note: I just can't pick WVU and Louisville as high as some people do. They're just....WVU and Louisville.
| Rank | Team | Delta |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU | 25 |
| 2 | Southern Cal | 24 |
| 3 | Texas | 23 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 22 |
| 5 | Michigan | 21 |
| 6 | West Virginia | 20 |
| 7 | Virginia Tech | 19 |
| 8 | Florida State | 18 |
| 9 | Louisville | 17 |
| 10 | South Carolina | 16 |
| 11 | Georgia | 15 |
| 12 | Ohio State | 14 |
| 13 | Penn State | 13 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 12 |
| 15 | Hawaii | 11 |
| 16 | Florida | 10 |
| 17 | Oregon | 9 |
| 18 | Missouri | 8 |
| 19 | Texas A&M | 7 |
| 20 | UCLA | 6 |
| 21 | Alabama | 5 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 4 |
| 23 | TCU | 3 |
| 24 | Nebraska | 2 |
| 25 | Arizona State | 1 |
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