July 1st, 2008 Keith Godfrey
Did Mike Barwis inexplainably give rise to the major increase in focus by writers into college football’s strength and conditioning programs. All the rage used to be on the kind of crap people like Urban Meyer could come up with or what play Charlie Weis’ fupa might call next. Now, everyone I turn its strength and conditioning this, strength and conditioning that. Heck even Terrelle Pryor wore a ‘diaper’ in the name of finding injuries before they happen.
There are some more slightly awkward. Such as Keith Wells
Like, zoinks Scoob, when did the Buckeyes sign FloJo?
I digress.
I’m interested in what the next fad will be in college football. The interest used to be the cool coach (Pete Carroll), the next offensive genius (Meyer, Rodriguez), the classy stand up guy (Tressel), the fupa (you know who).
Schools are in an arms race to have the greatest facilities and recruits are as interested in those facilities as they are playing time. It seems weird to me. I suppose increased preparedness leads to the increased likelihood of early playing time. Something tells me there is more to it. The steroids era.
Everywhere you turn the crackdown on steroids, methamphetamines, etc., has become all the rage. Now don’t get me wrong as it still takes a lot of work to get that big and strong; however, having an unfair anabolic advantage does it make it easier to get to the end result. This kids nowadays need the same results as were seen before but without the addition of drugs into their body. Does anyone else see the connection between the crackdown and the rise in interest? Seems obvious to me.
Posted in Recruiting, Sports and Politics | 1 Comment »
March 20th, 2008 Keith Godfrey
The saga that was the recruitment of Terrelle Pryor has finally come to a close; thankfully. Yes, I fully realize I continued to add fuel to the fire sharing my thoughts but I don’t live in a glass house so stones be a tossin’.
I’m glad young Mr. Pryor chose the Buckeyes. I think I am just as excited about Rich Rod not having him as I am getting to (enjoy) watch him play his collegiate ball. But with all of this said let us put a few things to bed.
* Terrelle Pryor is not guaranteed to lead the Buckeyes to a national title in his first year or any year for that matter. Folks, he hasn’t played a down of college football. Ever heard of Xavier Lee? Exactly.
* He’s 18 years old and I find it unfair to call him a prima donna, attention seeker, or potential trouble maker. Yes, his extended recruitment may have given the appearances of these issues, however, I have this eerie feeling that this is going to be more the norm; that is increased (and near ridiculous) amounts of exposure on kids who haven’t even attended their Senior Prom. Let’s see what type of man Terrelle becomes before we ostracize him to the land of number 13. Actually I think he has an inmate number now.
* Michigan fan … shuddup. Seriously, shut up. I know, I know … winningest program of all time, I get it. But lately your sore loser pout has grown to astronomical proportions. Terrelle didn’t sign with Ohio State because his scores weren’t good enough to get into Michigan and should he wind up being a classless jerk he would wind up being one under Rodriguez or Tress. Your incestuous incessant yapping and whining is putting you on par with Cubs fans (and by the way, I like the Cubbies). Its as if Steve Bartman swooped in and carried Pryor to Columbus. Christ, get over it.
With all of that said here are my current pre-Spring football predictions for the outcome of the Big Ten.
- Ohio State
- Wisconsin
- Penn State
- Illinois
- Michigan State
- Michigan
- Purdue
- Iowa
- Northwestern
- Minnesota
- Indiana
Oh, and Notre Dame will continue to suck it up and what a blessing it is to watch.
Posted in Big Ten, Michigan, Ohio State, Recruiting | No Comments »
February 4th, 2008 Keith Godfrey
It seems as if these guys …..
will be obtaining the services of this guy ….
At least that is what is being reported at SI.com and that he will most likely announce this on Wednesday according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The whole Terrelle Pryor thing has been exhausting. Back and forth, up and down. Even what is being reported now could be different come noon on Wednesday. I don’t think it will but it is possible. Of the schools still in contention the Buckeyes have been after him the longest and he’s apparently close with many Buckeye recruits.
If the Buckeyes land Pryor and either Josh Jenkins or Brandon Harris they most likely catapult to the #1 recruiting class in the country. The committment coming today from DE Keith Wells of Gainesville, GA definitely helped that possibility along.
I used to think recruiting rankings were a bunch of hooey. My thoughts on that had been wavering some recently. And then I read this article by Stewart Mandel regarding recruiting ratings. It goes a long way in explaining why SEC teams appear to be on the rise, USC 6 year run of dominance, Ohio State’s over-achievement, and Michigan’s underachievement. It’s amazing when you can see it all in print from well respected sources.
Finally, my readership in January wasn’t nearly as high as I had hoped. I know it will take some time to build this up. At the last site I blogged at I was achieving readership of 2-3,000 per week; last month I achieved under 1,000 here at blogsmonroe.
So I ask this, what areas of collegiate sports would you like to see me hit on. I know, there are probably many of you that wish I wouldn’t be so critical of Michigan but that’s not always going to be possible. I have been pretty good by my standards so far.
So fill me in, let me know how I can make this better … for all of us!
And finally, thanks to all of those who have commented. With the exception of you, Don. Your comment is still up for debate.
Posted in Recruiting | 1 Comment »
January 30th, 2008 Keith Godfrey
This guy is everywhere! And with a week left until Signing Day I am sure the news on Terrelle Pryor is only going to grow exponentially. Now, we hear that he may wait until after Signing Day to make a decision. Oi vey!
Want to make things more confusing … from the same newspaper I read that news is a link to a story that says he is leaning towards being a Buckeye.
If you’re wondering what in the world the big deal is with this guy … well …. click here and observe.
What makes the sweepstakes even higher is this is the first head-to-head match up between Rich Rodriguez and Jim Tressel.
The question in my head is … if somehow Mike Belotti lures this kid off to Oregon is it a draw between Rich and Jim? Or, is it a victory for Jim because it really puts Rich up a creek?
What?! If I am going to be subjected to reading numerous stories about this for a week or more I might as well create one of my own.
Posted in Recruiting | No Comments »