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Mike Leach Fired by Texas Tech

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And Angry’s mind wanders…

With a tarnished reputation, they could probably get him on the cheap right now, too. Any chance we fire Langsdorf and hire Leach as OC? That would catapult the program and be a wise move…not sure what Danny’s contract status is and knowing how OSU handles money I doubt it’s an option.

DL Issues in 2011

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Again we’re looking at massive replacements on the DL starting in 2011. Next season should see adequate depth and marginal talent, but at the end of the season the Beavers will graduate 6 seniors and all 4 starting defensive linemen.

LaGrone-Sr*, Olander-Sr*, Paea-Sr*, Miller-Sr*, Hunt-Sr, Hull-Sr, Frahm-Jr, Henry-Fr, Rosa-Fr, Masanini-So

That means in 2011, our starting DEs will be Frahm (God help us) and Henry.  Masaini at DT looks promising, but who plays next to him? Note the lack of two quality starting DEs and the lack of depth at DL. Doesn’t it always seem there’s one glaring hole on  Riley’s teams? Does he not have a recruiting/depth chart that says “need x number of position y”? I mean, NCAA football 2005 had that feature, you’d think a coach would.

Kreb Brothers Leave Team (woo hoo), Ashton Jefferson Kicked Off

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I was on Christmas vacation when this happened so it wasn’t discussed. Needless to say, I am thrilled, for if the Kreb brothers are starting on your team, you are not going to the Rose Bowl. There’s this notion in Beaver-land that if Riley turns a stone he finds a hidden gem. Not true. Most of the time he finds what you’d expect.

The following excerpt is from Cliff Kirkpatrick:

LAS VEGAS – Two Oregon State football players decided to leave the program right before the team left for the Las Vegas Bowl, coach Mike Riley said Saturday.

Another didn’t make the trip.

The Krebs brothers, receiver Kaulin and linebacker Kameron, plan to transfer to another school. Both are redshirt freshmen who haven’t played in a game.

“It was a surprise, but they are doing it for an opportunity (to play),” Riley said.

The only thing I’ll disagree about is the comment that they didn’t play in a game. I’m sure I saw the flowing-locks-o’-red LB missing tackles in a game early in the season, and I know I saw him on special teams at least once, too. Oh well, here’s a toast to these two leaving the team and freeing up scholarships.

Speaking of which, Ashton Jefferson, the RB out of Texas, is rumored to have been kicked off the team for violations in Las Vegas. Word is that he smoked weed. Many Beav fans liked Jefferson and compared him to ex-Viking Robert Smith. Those comparisons are unfounded. Smith was a gliding, graceful runner with sprinter speed. Jefferson is similar in that he had long strides, but that’s where the comparisons should have ended. Again, this will free up another scholarship, and hopefully we can replace Jefferson (who was a reach) with more refined talent.

Can We Please Fire Mark Banker?

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No, nobody will fire Mark Banker because Mike Riley is too nice of a guy, so we have to cross our fingers and hope that another school takes him off our hands. Christmas just passed, but it’s not too early to think about an early 2010 gift, right?

Most fans complain of Banker’s inability to scheme against the spread (gap cancellation? more like gap creation) . It’s true, he’s horrible in his career against spread offenses, but another equally consistent problem is the secondary. It’s nothing new to note and write about the DBs refusal to turn their heads and make a play on the ball. I asked Cliff Kirkpatrick why nobody grills Banker on this point, and he told me he did ask Banker, and Mark said that a DB is faster when running without looking. Flat out, that kind of logic boarders on mental retardation.

1. What good is running fast if you’re not breaking up the pass?

2. The WR slows down to look for the ball as well.

3. There’s a reason nobody else in college football teaches Banker’s technique.

But Banker’s problems go even deeper. We saw Collins and Dockery miss tackle after tackle in the CW and versus BYU. They were constantly out of position with their bodies’ flailing at the defender. Steve Sanner, the recruiting guru over at rivals.com, tells me he loved Dockery on signing day. Three words: orange-colored glasses. Oh, and dating back to Keith Pankey’s flail at Toby Gerhart in 2008 and more recently with Keaton Kristick’s meltdown at USC, it seems the cancer that is being out of position and flailing has infected the linebacker corp as well. The guy is simply done here. He’s got his head up his ass dreaming of a head coaching gig; he’s said as much. Mike Riley won’t do it, though. He’ll do the family thing to the detriment of the program. This is another chance to replace a coach with a great coach/recruiter that will be missed…unless we’re “poached”, and cross your fingers that we are.

Pathetic Effort by the Beavers

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1. This team is flat, lacks leadership, and blew an opportunity for a top 15 finish.

2. Jordan Bishop drops every pass thrown to him. Not just in this game, but all year. He’s like Catchings part 2.

3. Why was Johnny Hekker on award lists? I don’t want to hear this guy is good ever again. He’s the worst punter in the conference by far.

4. Banker’s defense looks like a joke yet again.

5. BYU was practicing for a week before the Beavers. They didn’t take this game seriously.

6. Another national embarrassment. It’s guys like Mark May, Lou Holtz, and Rese Davis who you have to impress. They’re laughing at the Beavers.

7. Expect more of this national embarrassment next season. The Beavers never rise to the occasion when they’re the only game on primetime.