Washington Waddler

It’s commits like this that tell me the heart beat of the college game hasn’t yet flat-lined. For all the NIL zombies, there’s still a few out there wanting to live the dream.

As much as I’ll miss knowing he’s on the team, I have to admit I admire the possibility of a ‘giving back’ by Cam in his choice to play for the coach who stuck by him. It’s a feel good ending for a guy who knows what it means to never give up. And anyway, there’s a touch of familiarity for Cam in getting to segue from the Oregon Duck to Miami’s sort of whatever it is kind of looks like a Duck? Nothing but the best pal!

It’s not easy being forced into the role of a bi-polar fan

The worst thing you can see from a first-year in any field is being afraid to make mistakes. What matters is seeing where they went wrong, making the necessary adjustment and learning that that will always be the key to achieving their goal.

Right. I guess one could look at Brandon Buckner and Bradyn Swinson as the canaries in the coal mine.

I certainly fall in the O-fricken category as well when it comes to ink. Tats were either the unintentional byproduct of a hard night’s drinking (Jimmy Buffett?), or on old sailor’s who’d try to convince you what the smudge on their sagging bicep use to look like. But I agree (and even admire) that tattoos have for younger generations evolved into a form of self expression that can encompass all the passions and longings of the human soul - somewhat akin to what many ancient cultures around the globe have been doing for centuries. And anyway, look at the bright side. Dan’s tat didn’t end up trying to attach a pair of Duck Lips to the mug of a bulldog.

Stars can dazzle and get in the way of what’s important: the heart and desire of the player behind those stars. The evidence suggests Mario was more about the dazzle, and while the jury is still out on Dan, it feels like his focus is on stars that go to work.

Yet again, you can’t help but consider what effect Tony Stubblefield had on both recruiting and player development. While he’s not killing it yet at DePaul, he did recruit 2022’s 3rd highest rated high school shooter in Zion Cruz. Dana is our coach, but he needs top level recruiting and input from his assistants.

Chip who?

The money interests (media markets, professional sports leagues, over-payed head coaches, agents, boosters, et al) that influence college football athletics have, over time, quit on the young people they should feel responsible towards, and morphed into a single purpose: that of diminishing the value and importance of the role of education in the student-athlete equation, and replacing it with the sole goal of becoming nothing more than a feeding tube to the professional ranks. With that purpose in mind, you can’t allow an archaic value system that prizes celebrating the joy and athletic excellence of being a part of the American dream of higher education stand in the way of cashing in on determining whose number one.

Pretty common for high schoolers to make uninformed statements about things they know nothing about: no life experience. Wait and see following a Eugene visit. I’m not a big fan of immature media darlings — no matter how talented they are — who are still heavily influenced by mom. That’s a whole lot of ego massaging to do while still trying to deliver the message as to whose in charge. Big balancing act with high potential to distract from what’s important — the team. On the other hand, 46 of the best programs have offered, and no one is backing down. Life is a risk.

There will always be an element of doubt to any situation requiring referee choice (was the helmet lowered intentionally or not?). The grounds upon which a flagrant (as opposed to a common) PI foul would have to rest on the referee’s decision as to wether or not there was a choice being made by the DB to intentionally accept the less costly alternative of a yardage penalty as opposed to the potential for a touchdown, which the play situation should clearly indicate.

When I saw their bowl game on the schedule, my first response was, “oh good, I hope they lose.” Then, I thought about the bigger picture of a PAC 12 win, and I thought, “oh good, I hope Texas burns their kennel to the ground.”

Agree. He’s learning to see and apply his athleticism and length to the disciplined requirements of each play. You just love to see someone as raw as he’s been beginning to put it together. He has the potential to be a monster. Now, if he could just master the art of intercepting? (I know, that’s why they’re DB’s and not WR’s) On a related note, I’m no longer tolerant of flagrant and intentional pass interference calls on DB’s who have been smoked and are just trying to save a TD. I think it was Franklin on two occasions where an NC DB just ran into him? (I recall the look on his face - the smirk - as if he’d just gotten away with murder) There needs to be a price paid by any DB for flagrant pass interference that reflects the value of what has been denied the opposing offense. Common PI should remain a yardage penalty, but flagrant PI should move the ball to the spot of the foul (if not the 10 yard line), and the offender given a warning after which another flagrant removes him from the game, and the 1st half of the next game. Just my opinion.

Give him a half healthy ankle, and Bo becomes unstoppable with the game on the line. What a competitor!

Who flipped the switch? Hope the D is on the same circuit!

Okay, but this invites the opposing view, so I’ll play devil’s advocate in order to help move this conversation forward and towards a relevant solution. Yes, games will often be tougher and further away without the comforts of home, but that’s the price you must pay if you expect to play for a contending team in a relevant league that contends for national championships year in and year out. Yes, you can choose to stay behind and play in the comfort zone of a league now being considered by national media as an afterthought, and take the chance (like a mid-major in basketball) that you’ll win the league championship every year and get their one invite to the play-offs. Or, you can step up and into the big leagues and have a real shot at realizing your dreams. What’ll it be? Something like this is what USC/UCLA coaches will be stuffing in the ears of elite SouCal recruits. What do we do, and what do we say to counter that?

In addition to a stronger run game in 2023 that could make the power/read formations out of the Tempro pistol more dynamic and formidable, it’s fun to consider how Franklin and Jurion Dickey could create mismatches both on deep and mid routes if defenses are forced into cover 1.

Bellotti would disagree. It’s his contention that we actually lost decibels as the result of the increased seating which forced the south side roof to be raised, thereby diminishing the rebound effect.

Program fit has always been a major theme in recruiting. But, because of the increased mobility and independence afforded players by the portal and NIL - outside of talent - fit now becomes just about the only thing of importance that can bond a recruit to your program. Since coaches can no longer count on the rules to make a player tow-the-line while the maturation process takes place, it has become increasingly important to create a clear vision in the minds of recruits of what they can expect from a program’s culture once they’ve become a part of it - an image that has the potential to hold a player in place much as the old rules once did. DL appears to be ahead of the curve in understanding this new emphasis in the recruiting wars.

That’s why paying more attention to sites like Rivals, as opposed to 247, seems to give a more accurate * picture. Without knowing exactly their criteria, they appear to take into consideration the environment in which a player performs as much as the player’s performance.

The inmates are in charge of the asylum? Perhaps an unfair assessment of both the mental/emotional stability of portal candidates and the environment they are about to embark upon; however, athletics — American style — has long been a charter member of a cultural betrayal by those who should know better, but no longer have the desire or courage to maintain responsibility for institutions we all care for and rely upon. Ever since the 60’s: let the kids run the show. I’ve washed my hands of it.

Can’t say it any better than he said it himself, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Where ever you are Mike, don’t ever stop keeping them surprised and guessing. We miss you.

You have to buy the groceries if you’re going to cook the meal . . . now that’s good stuff! Let’s buy him a big shopping cart.

Programs that are beginning to feel desperate take risks. Feels a bit like Arizona State rolling the dice on Herm Edwards, or Washington spinning the wheel on Rick Neuheisel. Might work; might not. Like Edwards, Sanders has a self-serving mouth; like Neuweasel, he appears to be a narcissist who respects only what serves his own interests. A bit of advice to him as he enters the P5 picture: don’t try to play the game beforehand in the media. No one in the PAC 12 is going to be the slightest bit intimidated. You’re going to be just another celeb among many: get in line.