Tuesday - Google Reader Links

Monday Bits and Pieces

Before we start, I have to admit it is getting a little lonely around here. Remember when DXP had a bunch of lively contributors? What the hell happened? I heard from Sammy Vegas this weekend and he will be returning shortly. What about T. and/or A. Rose? You guys game for some pieces this off-season? Oh and Dr. D if you can take a break from the "Fornication Vacation" you'll always have a spot too. Just let me know guys.

· The LJS is reporting that Joe Rudolph is perhaps the leading candidate for the TE coaching vacancy. Rudolph played for Wisconsin (while Callahan coached there) and earned first team All-Big Ten honors twice and helped the Badgers win the Big Ten and Rose Bowl as a senior. In the NFL, he spent two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and two with the San Francisco 49ers before injuries cut his career short in 1998. Rudolph is currently a member of the Ohio State strength and conditioning staff, but was formerly a GA with the Buckeyes who assisted with the offensive line.

· The Day 4 NFL Combine results are posted and Brandon Jackson seems to have had a pretty decent day. He won’t be happy with his 4.57 time in the forty, but he did show good explosiveness and change of direction with a 4.14 time in his 20-yard shuttle. Jackson also posted a 37’ inch vertical 10’2” broad jump. I’m still thinking he is a 3rd or 4th round pick.

· The Seattle Seahawks have tagged former Husker Josh Brown as their franchise player. Brown is the only kicker among this season’s seven franchise players. He led the league with four game-winning FGs in 2006 and is quickly becoming the leagues top clutch kicker. By rule the Seahawks will be forced to pay Brown just more than $2 million.

· Finally, we see what serves as a Texas-sized celebration around these parts. Apparently this is a group of Longhorn fans throwing down after the win over OU. I don’t think we really need to worry about that whole “Keep Austin Weird” movement.

Greatest. Headline. Ever

Leave it to the Onion to bust out Bears Lead Rex Grossman To Super Bowl

"All season long, the Bears have shown that they can win, even in the presence of Rex Grossman."

Well played.

Oh, and go check out this post from Saurian Sagacity on the geographic distribution of talent in college football. It is a pretty decent piece of analysis and certainly explains some of the barriers impacting the Nebraska coaching staff.

And don't miss Mr. Irrelevant's look at the year that was the hotness of Erin Andrews. How on earth did I miss the pic of the Iowa kid groping her?

Quick Hits

The girls are a tribute to FSU's big Emerald Bowl win. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

· Speaking of which, EDSBS has a piece which traces the origins of the Seminoles' recent demise.

· In Cotton Bowl news, Auburn is taking a more business-like approach to this year’s bowl game.

· Husker Mike examines the apparent fan apathy surrounding Nebraska’s trip to Dallas. I’ve noticed this too, but can’t put my finger on the reason.

· The Blue Gray Sky has an interesting look at Nebraska coaching “legend” Bo Pelini. It is a nice treatment of his work with LSU.

· Finally, stop what you are doing and go out and buy Blindside by Michael Lewis. I received it as a Christmas gift (thanks Dad), and read it in virtually one sitting. It will also give you a better understanding of webgems like this.

College Football Blog Awards - The I Wanna Talk About Me Free for All

The I Wanna Talk About Me Free for All

"The I Wanna Talk About Me Free for All is designed primarily to spread the love in case it doesn't naturally happen some other way and to serve as the season's Round Up of Round Ups. Each blogger, no matter who they are, must identify their three best posts of the year."

Ok, so here is where I had to nominate my three "best" posts of the year. I didn't get any help from my loyal readers, and I assume that was because it was impossible to pick just three. As a result, I selected three that were either really fun to write, brought on a lot of commentary from others, or received a "hey, I enjoyed that piece", from people I respected.

Here goes nothing:

What's Eating at Coach Callahan?

Husker Urban Legends Part I

NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse

College Football Blog Awards: Blogger Championship Series

I am continuing my nominations for the first annual College Football Blogger Awards.

Readers note: Nominating blogs is open to everyone, not just CFB bloggers. To nominate blogs for any of the categories, simply go to the Nomination Page and appoint your blogs of choice.

Blogger Championship Series

...it's just like that other BCS except completely different. We'll be handing out Best Blog awards for each of the BCS conferences, plus one for mid-major coverage (including all independents other than Notre Dame), and one for more general, national coverage blogs. After long debate we decided to put Notre Dame blogs in with the Big East, as the "non-BCS" category is supposed to be an award for mid-majors, which Notre Dame is certainly not. Since ND shares bowl affiliations with the Big East and plays the rest of their sports there, it seemed the logical choice.

ACC: Eagle In Atlanta - Makes reading about Boston College entertaining. Not an easy task my friends.

Big 12: BON - If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, BON should feel more than a little flattered. Perhaps the most frequently emulated blog in CFB (see my formatting for these very awards).

Big East: Card Chronicle - One of my new favorites, this blog covers Louisville in great depth.

Big 10: MGoBlog - Perhaps the most competitive conference for blogs, but Brian is still the king.

Pac 10: Bruins Nation - This UCLA blog seems to be updated constantly with outstanding Bruin coverage making it the best out West.

SEC: EDSBS - Another competitive conference, but another easy choice.

Mid-Major: SMQ - Somewhat unfair to put this USM fan in with this group, but SMQ is damn good at what he does.

College Football Blog Awards: The Best Community Interaction Award

I am continuing my nominations for the first annual College Football Blogger Awards.

Readers note: Nominating blogs is open to everyone, not just CFB bloggers. To nominate blogs for any of the categories, simply go to the Nomination Page and appoint your blogs of choice.

The Best Community Interaction Award

FOR: The blog with the best community interaction.

CRITERIA: A regular solicitation of input from readers and utilization of reader-produced content.

Double Extra Point Nominees:

BON The guys at Burnt Orange Nation do a great job of getting readers involved and have fostered a solid sense of community.

MGoBlog Brian's writing has a way of bringing about a lot of comments. The discussion tends to be enjoyable and fairly civil outside of one week a year.

College Football Blog Awards: The LOL, MSM Award

I am continuing my nominations for the first annual College Football Blogger Awards.

Readers note: Nominating blogs is open to everyone, not just CFB bloggers. To nominate blogs for any of the categories, simply go to the Nomination Page and appoint your blogs of choice.

The LOL, MSM Award

FOR: The blog best keeping tabs on the man and calling out all of the injustices in the college football world.

CRITERIA: Consistently ahead-of-the-curve on controversial issues in college football.

Double Extra Point Nominees:

The Wiz: A great site overall, he took Rule 3-2-5-e by the horns prior to the season and never let it go.

The Corporate Headquarters of the San Antonio Gunslingers: LD gets the nod primarily for his take on "the narrative", which served as my introduction to the concept. Also keeps the Gameday crew honest with his weekly recaps.

College Football Blog Awards: The New Blog on the Block Award

I am continuing my nominations for the first annual College Football Blogger Awards.

Readers note: Nominating blogs is open to everyone, not just CFB bloggers. To nominate blogs for any of the categories, simply go to the Nomination Page and appoint your blogs of choice.

The New Blog on the Block Award

FOR: The best new college football blog.

CRITERIA: Must have launched sometime after last year's national championship game. Transitioning to a new blog or affiliating with a network mid-stream doesn't count.

Double Extra Point Nominees:

Corn From a Jar: Not just a clever name, this has quickly become another fantastic Tennessee blog.

Tightwad Hill: This Cal blog is still in its infancy, but is already putting out some good stuff. As Exhibit A - check out their stance on recruiting, which echoes some of the reasons I won't be covering it here until signing day.

College Football Blog Awards: The Brady Quinn Award

I am continuing my nominations for the first annual College Football Blogger Awards.

Readers note: Nominating blogs is open to everyone, not just CFB bloggers. To nominate blogs for any of the categories, simply go to the Nomination Page and appoint your blogs of choice.

The Brady Quinn Award

FOR: The prettiest blog, the best layout and design.

CRITERIA: An aesthetic appeal, whether from a stylish banner, a pleasing layout, or an eye-catching incorporation of blog technology.

Double Extra Point Nominees:

College Football Resource: Although I've always liked the old-school feel of CFR's banner logo, this one is more about functionality. CFR houses the preeminent collection of links and resources to guide the lazy blogger. He should be rewarded for that if nothing else.

Rocky Top Talk Again the banners and graphics are always fresh and pleasing to the eyes. In addition, Joel's animated BCS race is state-of-the-art.

College Football Blog Award Nominations: The Keith Jackson Circa 1995 Award

I am continuing my nominations for the first annual College Football Blogger Awards.

Readers note: Nominating blogs is open to everyone, not just CFB bloggers. To nominate blogs for any of the categories, simply go to the Nomination Page and appoint your blogs of choice.

The Keith Jackson Circa 1995 Award

FOR: The blog with the most consistently expressive and excellent writing.

CRITERIA: Mechanical competency, yes, but the ability to turn a devastatingly funny phrase or write something compelling is probably more important. This isn't an award for copy editing; it's an award for kickin' prose.

Double Extra Point Nominees:

SMQ: This nomination is a no-brainer, and I'd expect it to be nearly unanimous. SMQ is perhaps the most detailed blogger on the planet. What shouldn't be lost in that detail, however, is the beauty of his voice and his ability to articulate that which is often difficult for others to make lucid.

Hey Jenny Slater: Doug's snarky humor permeates his well-developed voice. He writes on a number of topics and does so eloquently. His take on the Alabama coaching search was both spot on, and well-written:

I know I've been harsh on Alabama here, and I don't mean to sound that way; I like Alabama, I definitely fall on the crimson side of the Bama-Auburn rivalry, and I'm one of those people who just thinks there's something somehow better about college football when the Tide is good. But good Lord, people, it's time to man up and realize that after Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione, the Mike Price debacle, and not one but two major NCAA violations, the reconstruction of Alabama into a national powerhouse is not a three-year job. It may not even be a five-year job. Hire someone who has that kind of patience, and then do him a favor by having that same kind of patience with him.

Blue Gray Sky: I've never been able to put my finger on the ingredient that makes BGS such an enjoyable read. All I know is that I hate Notre Dame, but I read this blog on a regular basis. I have a sneaky suspicion it is the prose that lures me back.

College Football Blog Award Nominees: The Sports Fans Don't Cry Award

I am continuing my nominations for the first annual College Football Blogger Awards.

Readers note: Nominating blogs is open to everyone, not just CFB bloggers. To nominate blogs for any of the categories, simply go to the Nomination Page and appoint your blogs of choice.

The Sports Fans Don't Cry Award

FOR: The blog that has suffered through its chosen team's dismal season with the most dignity.

CRITERIA: Continued engagement in the face of crippling, misery-inducing defeat. A stiff-upper lip and sane reaction to everything crumbling to dust.

Double Extra Point Nominees:

Tomahawk Nation: Major props to this Florida State blogger for just sticking the season out. I sat through some Chris Rix laughers during my time at FSU, but nothing like this. Bonus points for actually having a countdown thingie to the Emerald Bowl (Wow!). His support is truly unyielding.

Section Six: Things were also rough for this NC State Blog. As if Coach Man-tits wasn't enough, the Wolfpack went and lost to Akron. But Section Six kept a tremendous sense of humor through it all. My highlight of the season was this gem from the 2nd half of the Maryland game live blog:

[1:59PM] Let's go for-ward! Clap clap clap-clap-clap.

Brilliant.

College Football Blog Award Nominees: The Trev Alberts Quits To Do Construction Award

I am beginning to select my nominations for the first annual College Football Blogger Awards. My nominees for each award will be laid out in a series of posts.

Readers note: Nominating blogs is open to everyone, not just CFB bloggers. To nominate blogs for any of the categories, simply go to the Nomination Page and appoint your blogs of choice.

The Trev Alberts Quits To Do Construction Award

FOR: comic relief; overall hilarity.

CRITERIA: The funniest college football blog.

Double Extra Point Nominees:

EDSBS: Theirs is a biting, stinging comedy just as likely to produce a wince, as a guffaw. If something funny is happening in college football, EDSBS is touching on it in inappropriate ways.

M Zone: These guys are "I wish I had thought of that" funny. Sophomoric and cheeky in all the right ways. Also a major reason I am thankful not to be an Ohio State fan.

Deep South Sports: Erik doesn't get nearly the respect he deserves for consistent chortle-producing posts. Earned a spot amongst my favorites with the Top Wives of the SEC, and hasn't let me down since.

*I'm anxious to hear feedback about my selections and don't forget to nominate your own candidates.

College Football Blogger Award Nominees: Dr. Z Award

I am beginning to select my nominations for the first annual College Football Blogger Awards. My nominees for each award will be laid out in a series of posts.

Readers note: Nominating blogs is open to everyone, not just CFB bloggers. To nominate blogs for any of the categories, simply go to the Nomination Page and appoint your blogs of choice.

The Dr. Z Award

FOR: Cogent, interesting analysis.

CRITERIA: Emphasis placed on statistical manipulation, well researched pieces that reveal something new, and/or solid argumentative pieces that function as the authoritative last word on a subject.

Double Extra Point Nominees:

MGoBlog: If ever a category was designed with Brian in mind, it is this one. If you aren't already reading this site everyday, please start doing so. For a sample of his argumentative style, why not start with his efforts at a playoff system. In addition, his postgame analysis pieces put the rest of us to shame. We're talking play-by-play breakdowns with an attention to detail rarely seen outside of the most-crippling OCD cases.

SMQ: Another can't miss daily read. Might actually be the updates that I await most anxiously. The posts are long and informative, not unlike a Howard Zinn speech, and I never come away disappointed.

*I'm anxious to hear feedback about my selections and don't forget to nominate your own candidates.

A Case of the Mondays

I'm still getting caught up on grading, but here is a quick peak around the blogosphere.

· Every Game Counts has an interesting piece written by Rice head coach Todd Graham. It is a pretty good account of how he helped turn the Owl program around this year.

· Heisman Pundit has a first-hand account live blog from the Heisman trophy presentation at the Downtown Athletic Club. I missed the ceremony so this was a nice wrap up for me.

· The House Rock Built announced his 2006 All-Hairmericans. Frantz Hardy and Stewart Bradley both made the squad. And deservedly so.

· North Carolina blog Carolina March is carrying out a mock BCS playoff. He will be having other bloggers predict and describe the action. Should be pretty cool to check back on.

· And finally, don’t miss the “Devil Walk” at Tift County High School in Georgia. I’m serious, don’t miss it.

Awards Season

It is that time of year, when the games wind down and the hardware is handed out. Here is a sample of some of the honors being bestowed among the college football sect.

· First, SMQ is doling out his yearly awards. Today brings us The Edwards-Fitzgerald Award, which is:

Presented to the best player at whom to throw the ball as high as possible as often as possible. In the tradition of the most eye-opening of the new breed of big play receiver as acrobatic, boxing out, rebounding power forward, the winner of the venerable Edwards-Fitzgerald is one whose hands and lank in traffic mark him as uncoverable highlight reel out of defensive coordinators' nightmares.

One of the nominees is our own Maurice Purify. I’m not one to condone ballot-stuffing or voting shenanigans of any kind for that matter, but last I checked poor Mo only had one vote. The poll is on the top right of the site.

· Notre Dame blog The House Rock Built is compiling a 2006 All-Hairmerican team. I already took the liberty of nominating Stewart Bradley and Frantz Hardy. Cross your fingers.

· The Wiz is still taking votes for the Cheapest Shot of the Year and has videos of the nominees to boot. When Shawn Crable’s hit on Troy Smith is the cleanest of the bunch, you know it is a bumper crop of bush league beat-downs.

· Heisman Pundit predicts how the Top 10 voting will fall for Saturday’s Heisman coronation. You can also get your Heisman fill from StiffArmTrophy.com, which attempts to project the winner by tracking the votes of actual voters. It is a pretty cool site, that would like to remind you that it is in no way affiliated with the Heisman Trophy or the Downtown Athletic Club.

· Finally, the University Daily Kansan has released its Big 12 football All-Name team. Nebraska placed 3 players on the list. The surprise inclusion? Jay Moore. Come again? The Daily Kansan is really bad at this game.

Blog-o-rhythm Is Gonna Get You

A look at the best of the college football coverage this week.

· The greatest thing to come out of the recent coaching carousel is clearly this newspeak term from the folks at Husker Board (click pic to enlarge).

The Husker Nation is an absolute PR machine on Pelini’s behalf. With the help of our fanbase Bo P. seems to become the insta-candidate for every job that opens up (HT – EDSBS).

· Big Red Network draws the ire of ISU fans with their Chizik won’t save Cyclones post. Scoring Chizik was a coup, but I’ll save judgment until seeing who he brings in to coach their underachieving offense.

· Nebraska blog The Woodshed Network has put together an impressive NU-OU game page. Nice work.

· SMQ takes an interesting look at Oklahoma’s wacky 2006 season. This doesn’t make me feel better about our chances on Saturday.

· CFR’s Pundit Roundup returns. As always it is the lazyman’s dream with a ton of content all in one place.

· The Sporting News’ Tom Dienhart asks some interesting questions.

· Finally, this one is for my buddy Marc, an Ole Miss grad. Apparently this is what passes for “scoring” these days at the infamous Grove (HT – Deep South Sports).



True to form this fella looks to be sporting the time-honored haircut that I like to call the “SEC sweep” or the “Alabama quarterback cut”. WTF is up with that?

Thursday Quick Hits

• The BlogPoll Roundtable Roundup is up at Hey Jenny Slater. Doug went all out and created a cornucopia of college football blog-pinions. He also showed one of my responses some pretty good props.

• Incredible Victory Chain of the Year:

Temple beat
Bowling Green who beat
Buffalo who beat
Kent St who beat
Akron who beat
North Carolina St who beat
Boston College who beat
Brigham Young who beat
Tulsa who beat
Navy who beat
Stanford who beat
Washington who beat
UCLA who beat
Oregon St who beat
Southern Cal who beat
Arkansas

I guess I do have Arkansas overrated. (HT to SMQ)

• Here is a sad, but sensational video of parents brawling at a pee-wee football game in Corpus Christi, TX. For the good of humanity these parents should be sterilized and their children taken away from them.

Catching Up - Dry White Toast Edition

· Here are the highlights from the Missouri game. As I watch these again, I can’t help but be impressed with the youth we played on the offensive line, with a freshman, three sophomores and a junior taking the majority of the snaps.



· In BlogPoll news my vote once again garnered Mr. Numb Existence recognition for most closely resembling the poll at large. MGoBlog's Brian had this to say:

“Mr. Numb Existence is once again Double Extra Point for the third time this season. The voting equivalent of dry white toast, it should come as no surprise that DEP is a Nebraska blog.”

· Burnt Orange Nation takes a look under the hood of Rutgers. This was nice to see as I now know a lot more about the Scarlet Knights headed into tonight’s big game.

· A piece in the Denver Post (thanks Dad) says the Big 12 must change its ways or risk slipping into obscurity. You have to admit the South has certainly been flexing its muscles as of late. In fact, over the last three seasons the North’s record against teams from the South is 13-41. But look at the all-time Big 12 Championship Games:

1996 (3) Nebraska 27 Texas 37
1997 (2) Nebraska 54 (14) Texas A&M 15
1998 (2) Kansas St 33 (10) Texas A&M 36
1999 (2) Nebraska 22 (12) Texas 6
2000 (8) Kansas St 24 (1) Oklahoma 27
2001 (9) Colorado 39 (3) Texas 37
2002 (12) Colorado 7 (8) Oklahoma 29
2003 (15) Kansas State 35 (1) Oklahoma 7
2004 Colorado 3 (2) Oklahoma 42
2005 Colorado 3 (2) Texas 70

So in overall conference championships the South leads just 6-4. Outside of horrific recent performances by Colorado, that doesn’t really seem like a conference in peril to me. At least not yet.

· Finally, Dan McCarney stepped down as coach of the Iowa State Cyclones last night. McCarney compiled a record of just 25-61 against Big 12 competition during his tenure. In demonstrating their Husker-centrism many Nebraska fans are already mentioning Bo Pelini and Frank Solich as possible replacements. Um, you do realize there are viable coaches out there who didn’t coach at NU, right?

Quick Hits - Humpday Edition

Youth Movement

There seems to be a push by many in the Husker fanbase to play more of the young players on the roster. Specifically, folks seem to be ready to see more of Ricky Thenarse and Major Culbert in the secondary. I admit that I’ve had these thoughts as well, but I’ve wondered WHEN we should play them? Certainly this week isn’t the right time to throw them into the fire, and really the rest of the schedule doesn’t seem to be favorable either (unless God forbid, we lose out).

In line with this, I recently ran across this discussion in the Miami Herald, which highlights the 17 true freshman that have played for Florida State this season.

General Robert Neyland, the former coach at Tennessee used to subscribe to the maxim that for “Every sophomore you start, you're going to lose a game.” That was before the days of freshman eligibility, but perhaps the same could be said of freshman today.

The Miami Herald piece quotes an Atlanta Journal Constitution study that found that 21 teams in the Associated Press Top 25 do not start a player who was in high school a year ago. In addition, the newspaper reviewed the starting lineups of all 65 teams that belong to the six leagues who automatically send their champions to the BCS bowls and found that:

“The 37 teams that don't start a freshman entered the weekend with an average record of 5-2. The 28 teams that start at least one are barely above .500. (Games against non-power leagues account for the extra wins.)”

As Bobby Bowden states:

"People are winning with freshmen, but they're also getting beat with freshmen. There is something to that."

So perhaps our staff isn’t “stubborn”, “playing favorites”, or “poor at getting young players ready to play”. Maybe they are just attending to old adages that still ring true today.

Restoration Projects

ESPN’s Bill Curry examines a group of coaches attempting to revive storied programs, including our own Bill Callahan. Also in the group are Karl Dorrell of UCLA, Tyrone Willingham of Washington and Mike Shula of Alabama. Of this group, Curry says:

“Each is seeking to revive a storied tradition while dealing with distractions his predecessors never faced. One reason for the increased degree of difficulty in this era -- and indeed one of the major distractions -- is that every loss in the world of traditional powers is considered catastrophic.”

Certainly Curry makes a good point and the article is a worthwhile read. However, you can use whatever adjective you want to describe the OSU loss, but at the very least it was “unexpected”.

Falling Stars

Monday Callahan announced that TE Justin Tomerlin had been dismissed from the team for a violation of team policies and regulations. Tomerlin was a 4-star recruit, who never found a way to contribute for the Huskers. He becomes the 8th member of the 2005 recruiting class (which was ranked #5 nationally) to leave the team for various reasons. While some may argue that this is an exceptionally high attrition rate, my gut tells me this is about par for the course as far as recruiting classes go.

2005 Recruiting Class

Bryan Wilson – Playing in Nickel/Dime packages
Barry Turner – Back up DE
Justin Tomerlin – Dismissed Oct. 2006
Frantz Hardy – Starting WR
Tyrell Spain – Back up DB, ST
Ndamukong Suh – Back up DT
Chris Brooks – Reserve WR (Redshirting in ’06?)
Brock Pasteur - Transferred
Jordan Picou – Back up OL
Ola Dagunduro – Starting DT
Steve Octavien – Back up LB
Zac Taylor – Starting QB
Cody Glenn – Back up IB
Barry Cryer - Starting DT
Jeff Souder – Transferred to UNO
Dontrell Moore – Academic casualty
Robert Rands – Switched to Track
Marlon Lucky – Back up IB
Zach Potter – Back up DE
Leon Jackson – Left team Fall ‘06
Jordan Congdon – Starting K
Zack Bowman - Starting CB (out with ACL)
Jacob Hickman – Back up OL
Rodney Picou – Academic casualty
Phillip Dillard – Back up LB (out with ACL)
David Harvey – Back up DE?
Craig Roark – Back up DT
Harrison Beck – Transferred to NCST
Nick Covey – Back up LB (out with ACL?)