Home Football Power 5 Autonomy

Power 5 Autonomy

119

Obviously it’s good for these schools and players to get away from the NCAA (worst. institution. ever.), but this is going to quickly result in paying players at the biggest schools in these power 5 conferences. This will be done under the guise of helping student athletes, equality, and other populist rhetoric, but the real story here is that the most powerful schools were threatened by the TV contacts over the last few years leveling out the playing field. Now they need new rules to override that. After all, they can’t have lowly OSU raking in 25mil a year, with which they might be able to compete for a conference title once a decade.

The timing of all this is no coincidence.

The NCAA were the old status-quo gatekeepers. Now the status quo is more disguised under “autonomy”, a pleasant word that makes it sound like everyone has a say and there is no overseer. But make no mistake, we are now guaranteed Ohio State, USC, et al will continue to buy their way into big games. Cool. I don’t know about you guys, but I am so drawn to this word “autonomy”. It really makes me think Oregon State has some power to make their own rules. /Sarc

Also, what does this do for education, which was already hyper-inflated (i.e. a Harvard student from 1950 is not nearly the same intelligence as one from 2014) to have dumb, multimillionaire jocks dominating campus with their cars, off campus mansions, etc. I’m a few years ahead of myself with that, but it is the direction we’re headed. Why? Good question. If equality was the actual goal, the way to make it happen is through scholarship reform. Such as (a) limiting the number of scholarships for top 25 programs (b) limiting how many athletes a school can sign from a given State/area, etc. Yes it punishes success, but if that success is founded on nothing more than serendipitous location, do we really care? Reducing scholarships for top teams makes them feel the pain of lower tier schools. But the goal is not parity; it’s to maintain the status quo. We know ESPN, the SEC, et al are all behind keeping things as is, and there is no better way than giving their conferences the ability to make rules.

Bill Snyder realizes this, as he ironically speaks about it on said ESPN.

You could say ESPN and boosters have now taken over for the NCAA.  I might not watch a single game this year. Last year I watched only OSU games and noting else, but I don’t want to support this train wreck of a sport in any way. The fan is now faced with a moral dilemma whether to support their team or support the machine. We cannot do the former without the latter.

119 COMMENTS

  1. Fuck ’em. I was tapering off on college football, and find more enjoyment here than I do watching Riley’s painfully successful quest for mediocrity. I have been down on the trend of NCAA football and ESPN programming…was into OSU football (only) for a while, but the song remains the same.

    I thought this year would be the last I watched; a senior QB, and experienced D with some potential game changers in my opinion (Grimble, Nelson)…I still see an 8-game win cap and next year a return to an inexperienced qb, a lightly experienced, overrated LB corps, and more of the same.

    I’ll keep reading here for insights and laughs, but I won’t be watching much and probably not at all next year.

  2. Eggers says D dominated today:

    http://portlandtribune.com/pt/12-sports/229674-93190-defense-leaders-lead-the-way-in-beavers-camp

    Angry, you’ll enjoy the bit about Ward running over Marable…

    AND, has Riley been reading this site, where “Nall for LB” has been posted by many of us for several weeks?!?

    “”I just want to get it right with Ryan,” Riley said. “I’m going to try him out at few places. I don’t think he wants to hear this, but his best spot might be linebacker.”

    Will Nall play this year? “If I was saying right now? Yes,” Riley said.

    AND, Garret MAY call plays this season, still undecided…good Christ what’s gotten into Mike? What’s next – using timeouts in the first half?

    • That’s the second time Eggers has mentioned Garrett calling plays, first it was “expected to call plays” and now it is “We’ve talked about it…” with both Riley and Garrett preparing to do the job.

      An interesting situation and likely a combination of Garrett’s enthusiasm and Riley either feeling a little heat or just ready for a change. Hopefully it is a good sign and an indicator of Garrett’s focus and drive, maybe he can pull Riley along. I think the D is gonna be OK this year, the O has been my question and this could be part of the answer.

      As said before, if Riley doesn’t call plays maybe he’ll pay attention to clock management and being involved on the sideline. He is such a competitive guy (we’ve been told), surely he’ll put the time to good use………..right?

  3. It took me two reads, but I finally understand what you’re writing. You’re right. But you should have led with this:

    ESPN and boosters have now taken over for the NCAA.

    You probably could have ended with just that… and a couple other networks.

  4. Already jumping off topic, but saw this article about 6’10” Portland HS basketball player and pitcher ,Drew Eubanks, visiting OSU last Friday. Scrimmaged with Tres Tinkle and the Thompson boys as well as a few current players. Sounds like Tinkle is a man of his word, going hard after local talent. He’s trying to sell these guys as the start of something really big at OSU. Sounds like Eubanks will possibly announce his school choice this month some time.

    https://oregonstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1667657

  5. Question:

    Does this mean the Power 5 are claiming they’re something other than tax exempt entities?

    Yeah… you can’t have it both ways dummies.

    • There are many who think this is nothing but football related, and the NCAA will retain their oversight in most other sports. This is mostly because D1 football is the only college sport where the champions are not sanctioned by the NCAA. Those who would tell us all this claim the AFCA has all the power and wields it for their own benefit instead of the respective benefits of their schools… those who are the NCAA.

      Riley is on the AFCA board of trustees.

    • I’m also trying to understand where we’re supposed to think this is some deep insight:
      “I spend all the money I get from my scholarship check on rent and food, and really nothing else….”

      Okay?

      You get no school debt, and on top of that you get room and board? My sympathy mechanism must be broken. Is there something else a college student needs in order to survive? Since we hear all the time how playing these sports is a full time job (it isn’t), then doesn’t the job plus school plus eating and sleeping take up 24 hours a day?

      I know I worked 30-35 hours a day (year round), took an average of 16 hours per term, ate ramen and whatever I could get at the canned foods outlet… and crashed just about every night. Then I still had some debt, not much, but some. I guess I could have taken the money I earned by not playing a game (instead working to enrich my apparently non-NCAA corrupt bosses?) and spent it every weekend getting bombed or buying 400 pairs of shoes. I could have deferred my debt in order to “be a college student” instead… whatever that means.

      I suppose this is what athletes want? They see all the stupids out there who do, in fact, defer their debt just so they can have a good time while at school, and they want to be a part of the irresponsible group? Is my sympathy supposed to be wasted on this behavior?

      • They also get a chance to be on national tv and make the nfl. Boo hoo.

        This is why it’s populist rhetoric. It seems unfair but it’s not. It’s actually more unfair to the student paying their way through school out of pocket, et al.

        The players are exploited. But if you want to fix that properly remove these guys from college all together and form a minor league/pay league for the NFL and let the colleges go back to pure amateurism.

        • I agree with the semi-pro concept. I even agree with Buzz Bissinger’s idea that current schools simply lease their identities and facilities to stand-alone ownership entities for football. That way players can make a salary within a league. The haves would complain because then you get into a more egalitarian structure as far as labor is concerned (e.g. a player draft and salary caps). And true student athletes would get screwed where their pay does not meet the true cost of an education, like at private schools. But them’s the breaks. You want to play football, or you want to go to school. That’s going to be your choice soon enough.

          And that’s if football makes it through the next couple decades.

        • And let’s not forget these athletes get perks after school for having name recognition and connections with alums and former players… and, of course, having zero debt going into their post-grad lives. Beyond opportunities galore in the job market and not being stifled by debt, they get to return to school now and again and get the royal treatment and attend games and rub more elbows with more people… opening more doors.

          I think it’s fair they get all this as a part of their compensation. They worked for it with this being the known outcome. I think it’s unfair that they want more than this and supposed adults are enabling them by crying foul with every decision the NCAA makes.

  6. The Cavanaugh Shuffle continues:

    “”I’ve been thinking about it. I didn’t sleep great last night. We want to see it and put the guys in the best spots. I would just like to have that progress a little bit. We always have to have that versatility, because you never know what’s gonna happen. We want to see how it looks, and if that’s their best spots—Stanton at right tackle, (Andrews) at left tackle—then we’ll flip it.” – Offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh on giving Andrews reps at left tackle”

    http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2014/08/oregon_state_beavers_fall_camp_4.html

    Grimble is going to be a playmaker and hopefully game changer. And he has another year left, correct? There’s some intriguing young talent to line up next to him, particularly next year.

  7. OL looks to be a mess right now. Hamlett now has a knee problem in addition to his foot. Bays out with back problem. Stanton not winning the job, now trying Andrews at LT.

  8. You said it perfectly, Angry.

    I used to like college sports for there being some semblance of student-athlete and amateurism. Now the NFL and NBA seem to be the “pure” leagues since they’re openly all about money, and there’s no farce.

  9. The NCAA ruling will not change much of anything. It will certainly codify what has been lurking under the surface for many years. If we could compare the decision to the season’s of the year, this is like checking the weather in September while pretending you are in January. Not to pick on poor shlubs but does anyone here think Kyle Peko and Demarlon Morris were ever recruited as students? This story has repeated and rinsed for decades. Pro sports are highly scripted and highly entertaining. Pure football is played at high school and jc levels. At that level you see radically different systems from team to team with mistakes and success jumbled together. You see experimentation and individual growth. It is like looking directly at sperm and eggs as opposed to looking at Kanye and Kim in the NFL.

  10. Don’t buy the hype. While those who say the SA is a dead concept are completely wrong and bordering on obscenely ignorant, they’re still wrong. This is a play by muckrakers, coaches and admin to take that little tiny sub-section of SAs they want to highlight then dominate the discussion with allegories.

    It’s. Just. Bunk.

    http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/hoopshaven/2013/09/30/column-myths-shroud-facts-in-stipend-debate/

    http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/hoopshaven/2013/09/28/fast-cash-the-student-athlete-stipend-debate/

    • The one caveat about needs based spending is one thing. But that can be done without a stipend through co-op shopping by the schools. Nobody should go without basic necessities. So schools should be able to provide those. But gas money? I couldn’t afford a car, let alone insurance or *gasp* gas money. I know well how to make a good bike from parts… and fix it. And, as was noted, it’s just a tool for abuse and mismanagement.

  11. So there was some good news today. Hamlett is back and practicing with a bone bruise on foot.

    Connor Hamlett's injury was a foot bruise; he said after practice he is at 100 percent now but is being eased back because it's still early.— Warner Strausbaugh (@WStrausbaugh) August 9, 2014

    But as soon as the injury God gives us one player back, He taketh another….

    Caleb Smith helped off field and is being checked out by trainer…looks like left knee or leg #gtsports— Kevin Hampton (@HamptonKevin) August 9, 2014

  12. Here was the injury update, before Smith went down

    Injury update: Hamlett, Bays, Cavanaugh practicing. Bolden, Hunt, Dockery, Seumalo, Alexander OUT. Haskins in shorts (mandatory acclimation)— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) August 9, 2014

      • Thanks, bone. An advantage of this site is the input from fans, like yourself and silver, et al, who are able to attend practices.

        Your observation about Smith is more informative, and I believe more accurate than this from Gina, “…Smith appeared to hurt his left ankle” and “… came up limping and received attention from the trainers, but didn’t appear to get the leg wrapped or iced.”
        I’m inclined to think a thigh injury is less likely to have a long term affect than an ankle tweak (or worse).

  13. A name to look out for is Dwyane Williams, freshman corner. Making a lot of play and getting meaningful reps with hunt sidelined.

  14. Hunter Jarmon, who was moved to slot earlier this week is getting the first team reps tonight who were given to Gilmore previous practices.

  15. First time seeing the some package on defense. Scott and Nelson at the corner, Murphy the nickel back, and Zach Robinson and Zimmerman at safety.

  16. I caught part of this afternoon’s practice session (couldn’t stay for the whole thing). I agree with Bone about Dwyane Williams, freshman corner. In the one-on-one drills (one receiver covered by one defender on a pass play), Williams broke up a number of passes and had a pick. More important, Williams was competing very hard on every play. He was consistently getting up into the receivers early, and then stripping them after the ball arrived. He’s not big (listed at 5’9″ and 168 lbs) but he plays with an unusual amount of attitude and grit for a true freshman in his first week of practice.

    A few other impressions from what I saw this afternoon:

    – Chris Brown has very good balance: he got knocked around a few times on run and pass plays and managed to stay on his feet (including one hit out of bounds where a defender tried to grab CB’s shoulder pads and throw him to the ground, and CB just spun around and stayed on his feet). CB made some nice catches and runs today, and I think he improved in the off-season. I’m hoping he gets more of a chance. In contrast, I don’t think Storm Woods improved much if at all during the off-season. Looked like the Storm Woods as last year.

    – Xavier Hawkins is not ready for prime time yet: I saw him at least three catchable balls today, maybe more. Maybe just a bad day for Xavier. Coaches seemed to be giving him plenty of chances, but he didn’t shine today.

    – Jalen Grimble is a handful: There weren’t that many opportunities to see Grimble go “live” again the OSU O-line, but every one I saw favored Grimble. To be specific, it seemed like Grimble had his way against Sean Harlow (who was playing right guard for the first string O-line) every time they lined up against each other. Grimble seems strong, athletic, and quick off the ball. If he stays healthy, he’s going to be a force inside for OSU.

    – Jordan Villamin is improving, and has potential: Villamin seems to have decent hands, as well as very good size. He made a number of catches today. Watching him in drills, he seems to be listening to Coach Brennan, and to be a coachable kid.

    – Speaking of Coach Brennan, it was interesting to watch the interaction between Coach Brennan and the new OC, John Garrett. Watching Coach Brennan over the past couple of seasons, it seemed to me that Coach Brennan was the only guy coaching up the wide receivers. Today, for part of the practice, Garrett came over, got actively involved, and kind of took over (Brennan seemed to back off and let Garrett control the drill). Garrett was getting up into the face of a few of the receivers, telling one of the younger guys (I forget which one — might have been Guyton) that “this is the audition” and that he had to show more if he wanted to get playing time. Garrett comes across as a very intense guy. Brennan is intense, too, but in a friendlier way (a bit less critical and judgmental, a bit more encouraging, especially to the younger guys).

    – Richard Mullaney: RM dropped a number of catchable balls today (although he also caught quite a few balls — RM seemed to be Mannion’s favorite target in today’s practice, so he got a lot of balls). Maybe he was just having an off day, but it seemed to me that RM has not improved much since last season. I liked RM last season as a possession guy with good hands who could be relied on to make tough catches in traffic or under pressure. I was hoping he’d turn into more this year, but didn’t see evidence of that today. Again, maybe just an off day for RM.

    – Garrett Owens has a strong leg: I saw Owens hit one field goal from around the 45 yard line (so a 55-yarder) with room to spare. Looks like he may be serious competition for TRomaine.

    – Kammy Delp is a big, strong freshman: Delp is listed at 6’3″ and 346. And he looks all of that. Delp was standing next to Siale Hautau at one point (SH is listed at 6’1″ and 350). I didn’t get a chance to see Delp take any reps in “live” drills. I look forward to doing that.

    – Jacob Wark is going to help at tight end: JW was targeted a lot today, and made some nice catches. Mannion seems to like him as a receiver.

    – Speaking of Mannion — it seemed to me that Mannion was getting increasingly frustrated as the practice proceeded, especially during the “live” drills. The patchwork O-line was not doing a good job of protecting Mannion or giving him much time or room to throw. The receivers dropped a number of balls. Some of the young guys were out of position before the snap (requiring Mannion to move them around before starting the play). In the face of all this, I saw Mannion on several occasions throw his hands up in the air after a botched play, or shake his head. I also saw Mannion talking with the coaches after some of these plays and waving his hands around. I must say this left kind of a negative impression on me — and I don’t remember Mannion acting this way in the past couple of years. Maybe the young guys — and the O-line — are screwing up worse than usual. Or maybe Mannion is feeling some new pressure with his senior season fast approaching and the OSU offense looking ragged at this point.

    – Obum Gwachum: I watched Obum during a few of the “live” plays. He lines up far outside, and then uses his speed to get upfield fast. This might work one or two times a game against teams that are unprepared for him. So maybe, in some obvious passing situations, Obum might prove somewhat disruptive and useful, and maybe even get a sack or two. But I think he’s going to end up being kind of a novelty act at DE — only to be used a few times a game. Perhaps he’ll be more useful on special teams.

    – Overall impression: Isaac S. needs to get healthy soon. The O-line is just plain bad right now. I think the return of a healthy Isaac could make a big difference. Fingers crossed that Isaac comes back soon.

    • Thanks for the report. Bad news about Mullaney and pretty much as expected regarding Boom.

      This Isaac thing is really key and Gina revised her earlier report to add that Riley said Isaac will, “have his foot re-examined on Aug. 19 to see if he would be “able to do more work.” More work? At this point it would not be surprising to see him miss at least the first three games; heck of a way to start his season if his first action is vs USC!

    • Re: Chris Brown

      There was a play on his junior tape where he ran through the A gap and was grabbed high, by the pads and spun to the ground… or so it looked. He was parallel to the ground and spinning and should have gone down. I mean he was extremely limbo low while spinning. Without missing a step he regained his balance and was up and running down the field again. It was sort of a rubber band looking moment and one where I thought he was going to be really good in the future. That’s a talent you can’t really learn or work on to be that good.

      • Yes, that’s more or less what it looked like on Saturday. Few guys have balance like that — it’s a great asset for a running back. And Chris Brown has it.

    • Thanks for the report. Good to hear about Dwyane Williams. If you do manage to catch a future practice, would be interesting to see if LBs Willis or Liuchan stand out. Maybe they’ll get some ST time this year?

      It will also be interesting to see what the coaching staff will do if Woods and Mullaney are progressing. Will the likes of Villamin or Brown get more opportunities.

      Also, everyone consistently says Bolden if fast, but not Cooks-fast. Do either Villamin or Hawkins have exceptional, difference-making speed?

  17. It’s often ruminated in here about the external readership of blogs, or this one in particular. For example, it’s seems certain that the Oregonian’s beat reporters, or certain columnists like Canzano, not only check in regularly but draw inspiration for themes. Coaches, probably not; players, maybe, who knows. But check this out from Saturday’s Wall Street Journal article by Kevin Clark talking about NFL scouts, specfically his dialogue with Buffalo GM Doug Whaley: “For instance, Whaley said scouts peruse college fan message boards to get a better read on a player, and comb through social media for information that could give them a leg up that they wouldn’t have before this current era of tecnology.”

    • The only guy I know for a fact who reads the blog is Bob D.

      I have good reason to believe Riley reads it from time to time. Canzano likely reads it. Eggers and I have spoken through email…he seemed alarmed to find the blog but said he’d read it more. We know from the past guest posts that players read it.

      I’m getting 2-8k hits per day, so someone is reading it. When I’m prolific and calling people out there are more readers. We’re coming up to that time of year.

    • When he declared? Wasn’t this his story for his whole time at OSU… and long before?

      I thought everyone knew this stuff. I actually thought the story was written three yeasr ago. But it seems to be a story that has always been known.

    • His tape from Junior season looks solid. Most importantly, he already understands the fundamentals of tackling. And on the plays where the handler should have shaken him off, he was able to slow the play enough for his teammates to rally. I like the look of this kid.

      • I would disagree that he has solid tackling form based on the couple minutes of film that I watched. He overruns the offensive player and tackles with his head behind the player. Those arms tackles will get shredded in the pac-12. He has nice athleticism and instincts though based on the small sample size. If he learns to square up and tackle (hope Bray helps there), he will be a nice OLB.

  18. Prepare yourselves…….this may be the funniest thing you’ve ever read on this blog.

    Kyle Peko is watching today's OSU practice.— Connor Letourneau (@ConnOregonian) August 11, 2014

    Chatted with Kyle Peko. He expects to be practicing next Monday. Had to take bowling and yoga classes, which he has As in.— Connor Letourneau (@ConnOregonian) August 11, 2014

    Are you fucking kidding me? An athlete who has been playing football each year after high school had to take yoga and bowling in order to become eligible to play football for OSU this year? No mention of an English class? Or maybe that’s just how poor Peko’s English is, and he confuses the words “bowling” and “yoga” for “English”

    • That’s one thing that confuses me about SAs. I think they should be granted PE elective credits for their efforts. When I went back to college after the Navy, I was granted PE credits and a couple other miscellaneous credits toward the extra major I was finishing. I think that should be standard. If these kids are expected to be SAs in the true sense, then the physical activities (sports) they participate in should count as a part of their college experience, including credit toward school. I’d go so far as to say that their experiences watching film and training should be counted as credit also. I know it all needs to be done with standard parameters and oversight by qualified instructors. But there’s zero reason that can’t be done with everyone in place already.

      • If it requires testing, then I don’t see a downside to this idea. Don’t we as fans, and don’t coaches, want these kids to know their stuff? We can complain all day long about their abilities to execute said stuff. But if they know (and are reinforced in what they know) their stuff, then aren’t we that much closer to the learning experience… if not within it?

        • I took “rest and relaxation” while at OSU, and don’t remember any testing. I basically showed up and slept on the floor for each class and received an ‘A’ for my lack of effort. So why would they bother to test SA’s? If showing up and putting in the work, shouldn’t that be enough to get a single PE credit?

          • I also think intramural sports should be granted this consideration. So much of the SA experience is overblown because they claim they still have to train and exercise beyond their team duties. But I have never gone to Dixon and found the place empty. Many of us have exercise regimens beyond our normal daily lives… which, I guess, would make them a part of our normal daily lives. I don’t have sympathy for that SA who spends a couple extra hours lifting and conditioning and perfecting their skills because everyone who is conscious about their bodies does the same thing. Yeah… I could go get three part time jobs to supplement my partial academic scholarship and pay for school. But I also needed time to unwind by keeping myself fit and playing games.

        • I would completely sign on for changes in this venue in this way. The practical and applied sciences alone can graduate these kids into even more complex studies. Who knows better the applied kinesiology than someone who is rehabbing a knee or ankle or shoulder? Play on that to make it required study and understanding and testing. I think nutrition is also something these kids can understand and for which they can gain credits. There’s so much they learn that the regular student has no access to… for which they get no credit. I’m not saying they have to live it. Kids are kids and will do stupid stuff always. But if they’re seriously taught this info and given credit for learning all of, then I see nothing wrong with the process.

    • A little more detail from Conner:

      http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2014/08/defensive_tackle_kyle_peko_exp.html

      Sounds encouraging. The English class had already been passed, but he needed 2 more credits to qualify because he didn’t have many credits from his Juco days. Not sure why his counselors didn’t have him take the 2 PE classes in the early summer session, along with the English class. Sounds like some major failing all around trying to get this kid eligible. How did these 2 lone credits slip by EVERYBODY’s radar?

      • Major fail by somebody. The details are what differentiate good from great, and this seems to be endemic to our football program.

        • and this is the 2nd fail, considering the OSU advisers had already told him to take the wrong English class back in spring. You’d think they would have caught the fact that he was 2 credits shy at that time, or during the early summer term when he took the 2nd english class. There’s no reason he should be having to take bowling and yoga in the late summer session to become eligible.

        • Fails all around. I would say OSU, Peko, and the football program in that order.

          Academic advisors making these mistakes is embarrassing for the university. Keeping students from falling into traps like this is the reason that they exist.

          The football program’s failing is trusting that OSU gave good advice to Peko. Obviously a bad assumption per recent history. But it’s sad that it should have to double check the so-called experts.

  19. Just read an article about Mariota on ESPN. Was surprised that he went back to Hawaii for the summer. As far as I know, OSU QBs stay in Corvallis all summer and do ‘voluntary’ activities, like weight training and running plays together. They usually say this helps them build chemistry with their receivers.

    Any chance that Mariota went back to Hawaii to have knee surgery to reduce the threat of discovery by the media? Having off season surgery would likely have created a distraction and may have impacted his NFL stock as well as the hype surrounding the ducks in general. Would be the type of move I would expect from UO. Oviously just a conspiracy theory that could probably be easily debunked.

    • I’d rather see them do sprints. Bear crawls are worthless as either conditioning or discipline. Make them run until it’s obvious they can’t run anymore.

        • And all you hear is people whining while they bag it. If they’re running sprints, you don’t hear the whining… unless you’re letting them jog. Maybe bear crawls are embarrassing and awkward. But they’re not tough. I had one coach (n hoops) who would make us do bear crawls and duck walks when he tried to discipline us. After two practices I went up to him and told him to cut the crap and make us run until we bled. The crawls and walks were just bullshit and whine-fests, and half the team just complained about doing them and started hating the coach for doing it. When, on the third day, he made us do sprints until he thought nobody was bagging it, the whining stopped. And mistakes started disappearing.

          Even now in my dilapidated condition as an old man I would much rather do bear crawls than sprints. Bear crawls are just silly. Sprints are real. But I was competitive to the hilt back then. So I saw sprints as an opportunity to beat others. Even while I was doing them and trying to beat the next guy, I knew who was bagging it. And the coach knew the same while he looked on from the side. Only once did I say “more” when we were asked if we needed more incentive to not make mistakes. And that was after the first sprint session. The coach “got it” really quickly.

          • And I only make that allegory because I wasn’t a D1 athlete. If one thing is easy for me and another hard, then I can only imagine what they are for an athlete on that level.

          • Sprints are too easy to sandbag, thus the less amount of whining. If you try to wussy it through bearcrawls, you’re no longer crawling and you’re just on all fours in the grass.

          • BS… sprints are sprints. A mind-numb coach knows what speed is sufficient to constitute effort. A semi-decent coach knows to look at the players after the fact to see who really gave effort.

            Bear crawls are easy-peasy shit. So long as everyone bags it and whines the whole time (or makes grunting noises), nobody has any gauge of what effort was expended on weak exercises like that. Hell, make them drop and do 20. Bear crawls can be done all day.

  20. Nice quote from Guyton in Oregonian feature. Concise sales pitch for the program as a whole.

    “The whole thing about this, it’s a pro-style offense and that’s what’s usually run in the NFL. Just like every kid, my dream is to play in the NFL. And if you notice, most of the kids that come out of Oregon State and go to the NFL, they stay there longer than anyone else because they’re already used to how NFL players play. With Mike Riley, I looked at how long he’d be here as coach. And I know he’s going to be here all the years that I’m here.”

    http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2014/08/oregon_state_beavers_wide_rece_2.html

    • Even more:

      “2. Cooking with Cooks: Brandin Cooks became the only consistent bright spot during Monday’s session as he bobbed and weaved through defenses all practice for huge gains in nearly every situation. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Cooks may have picked up at least 150 receiving yards and multiple touchdowns Monday.

      Cooks said he’s more used to the rain than “those Southern guys” after playing for Oregon State where sporadic showers are the norm in Corvallis, Ore. so the elements never fazed him. I’m thinking more along the lines of he’s just that good.

      The explosive Cooks beat second-rounder Stanley Jean-Baptiste in seven-on-seven drills on a 40-yard TD from Ryan Griffin. Cooks’ most blazing score occurred during team drills when he took a screen pass 70 yards to the house going from coast to coast as Keenan Lewis gave chase all for naught.”

      http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2014/08/showers_dampen_performance_in.html

  21. FYI, Roberto Nelson signs to play in Italy. Where his matador defense style is acceptable lol.

    Still, Nelson was only asked to work out for three teams before going unselected in June’s NBA draft. He joined the Charlotte Hornets’ Las Vegas Summer League team last month, averaging 2.5 points and 1.5 assists in five appearances.

    No mention of how many turnovers, flails or opponents baskets given up.

    http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2014/08/former_oregon_state_beavers_st_6.html

      • Seriously. It’s not Russia. Gets a chance to play pro ball and travel Europe in his spare time. Great experience for a guy his age. Looks like he’s located midway between Milan and Venice, and just a short train ride from Florence.

      • No kidding! And Brescia is right next to Lago di Garda, a huge resort area for the European elites and socialites. I’d be getting a Eurail pass and hopping on and off trains all over the place.

    • Especially with Mannion at QB. If our running game is good enough to get single coverage on receivers that will be a huge success. Of course with the O-line that might not happen.

    • I think Woods is overthinking his running and his “dancing” is tentativeness that stems from concussion issues and poor blocking that he hasn’t trusted. I don’t expect a “breakout” year for him and think he should be third string/pass catching specialist behind Ward/Brown.

      With his ability to get to the second level, I think Brown would force defenses to respect the run and therefore make the passing game more effective.

      • early on in his career, Storm used to hit the hole pretty hard and with a little speed, to pick up some positive yards. after the concussion last year, he really became tentative and avoided contact, often falling down as soon as he made first contact. can’t say i blame a guy for not wanting another concussion, but if that continues, maybe it’s time to hand over the reigns and become a specialist like you say.

      • I’m with you, ObjC. Ward, Brown AND Ty Anderson could make up a decent rushing package. For me, Woods seems “a legend in his own mind” and still a fragile presence on the playing field.

        All that said, the O-line remains a big question.

      • Yeah I’m selling Woods as anything more than a backup. I think he could play a good role as a third down back who can catch it out of the backfield. He just doesn’t look like the type of runner we need.Ward is a good Senior back, he doesn’t do anything great, but he does everything good, blocking, catching, and running. But I believe Brown provides the best running game. I don’t know if he is measuring up on blocking or catching.

        I worry that the line is not adequate enough to make holes. I think they maybe too bulky to create lanes. But if they are able create a push then Brown would be the best alternative to getting to the secondary level. That in turn would free up the pass rush and give the receivers more time to get open.

        I also wonder if the receivers are going to be able to get open, by creating enough separation, now if Mannion can be super accurate then maybe he can squeeze it in, but that is not going to work against good defenses.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here