There’s a sentiment in sports that if you like a team, you inherently like every player on said team. In an ideal world I’d like to agree, but the fact remains there are many personalities, playing styles, and ability on a roster and some are not going to jell well. For me it’s these guys:

Kevin Frahm–can’t stop the run, can’t rush the passer, looks over-matched versus division 2 schools (e.g. PSU). Hate the hair.

Keith Pankey–will never forgive this guy for the angle he took on Toby Gerhart in 2008. It was apropos, though, and Pankey’s career has essentially been that one play on repeat. He can’t tackle or cover yet he continues to start. Let me guess, Mike Riley knows more than me. Uh huh.

Ryan McCants–I haven’t completely given up on him, but I’m as close as you can get. Fumble problems, hesitant running, and the early Steven Jackson comparisons/hype (via Angie Machado) have made this guy a bust.

Wilder McAndrews–hate this guy. Never saw the logic in handing a broken-wristed guy a scholie. Luckily Riley’s patience is shot as well and he’ll be off the team soon.

Kreb Brothers–red-headed maladroits. Both are leaving the program. Yay.

Suaesi Tuimaunei–burned more than a Santa Barbara forest. Has no control over his body. Slow. No redeeming qualities. Found a niche on special teams, keep him there.

Unga Brothers–can’t get into these guys. I know a lot of people rave about them, but meh, I see mediocrity and more slowness.

Rueben Robinson–early, but I don’t like what I’ve seen.

Sean Martin–unimpressed with this guy’s game film. Played slow. Haven’t seen him in a game yet so the verdict is out, but it doesn’t look promising.

Kevin Cummings–I have nothing against this kid, haven’t seen any game film, etc. I just don’t like his measurables and the fact that he looks 40 years old in his Rivals photo. As of right now I don’t like him. That could change.

Malcolm Marable–hate this recruit. We’re chasing the little guys now looking for another James/Quiz. First it was Tremaine Thompson, now Marable. Seen this guy in person and he lacks speed, size, and shiftiness. Just a real reach.

So there you have it. The players above all exact ennui in me. Surely you have some of your own and want to vent, so go ahead.

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.

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.

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.