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2017: Ranking Every NFL Quarterback 1-32
7 years ago
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Oregon/LSU Pre-game Notes
1. This game will be decided by Oregon’s interior offensive lineman versus LSU’s young defensive tackles. For anyone who watched the BCS title game you’ll know that Nick Fairly’s ability to penetrate the interior of Oregon’s offensive line caused the Ducks a ton of problems in the run game and made them one dimensional. To Oregon’s advantage Auburn’s shaky secondary gave up a large number of yards to Darron Thomas and company but Chip Kelly perhaps stuck with the run a little too long. LSU is pretty young at DT and as far as we know doesn’t have anyone who is at the level (yet . . . true freshman Anthony Johnson may turn in to a Nick Fairly type player but I am not expecting it in his first college game). Oregon is replacing 3 offensive line starters yes however the only truly green player on the line will be Hroniss Grasu who has earned the starting center position after a very tough fall competition with both Hamani Stevens and Kerrington Armstrong. Most folks are pointing to having to replace Jeff Maehl as Oregon’s biggest question mark but I think replacing Jordan Holmes is bigger. Because Oregon takes virtually every snap from the shotgun Grasu is going to need to concentrate on getting off the snaps correctly every time while still dealing with some very talented young defensive tackles.
2. I see both Jarrett Lee and Terrance Mitchell being challenged early. Despite all the memories many fans around the nation have of Jarrett Lee throwing 7 pick sixes as a freshman he was a fairly accurate thrower in his junior year. 89 passes with only 1 interception shows that he can be an accurate thrower. He won’t be asked to throw the ball 40 times to win, what he we will be asked to is make 7-10 key throws throughout the course of a game to extend drives. I think Oregon will try to sell out to the run early and this will give Jarrett Lee a chance to go deep with a play action attempt perhaps on the first or second drive. Look for LSU to test Terrance Mitchell early as Cliff Harris will not be playing. If Jarrett Lee can throw at the 65% completion rate on say 24 attempts I think that LSU will likely win the game.
3.Who do the intangibles favor? LSU played their last game in Dallas so the whole “huge video screen” factor should not be a problem for them, could it distract Oregon? I think the turf favors Oregon a bit as LSU doesn’t often play on that surface but LSU played there last year in the Cotton Bowl so it is mitigated a bit. Fan wise I am expecting a more than 2 to 1 advantage for LSU, the stadium will be loud the beer will be flowing and you can expect 50K+ crazy LSU fans to do their best to disrupt the Oregon offense. Oregon has been no stranger to controversy over the last few seasons so I am not expecting the Willie Lyles/Kiki Alonzo/ Cliff Harris dramas to really have any effect on the team. LSU however has kept their nose surprisingly clean the last few years before the bar brawl. Will they be able to handle the media scrutiny and will Lee be accepted as a team leader in place of Jefferson? Finally will the roof be open? Oregon’s players are not used the humidity so I think they’d prefer a closed roof situation while LSU would prefer it to be open and for it to be a muggy night.
4.27 Points. If the winner of this game has 27 points or more I’d expect that winner to be Oregon. If it is less than I see LSU winning. The Tigers will try to eat up clock and ideally get an early lead and kill clock. Oregon’s habit of slow starts on offense before bowl games and early season games versus decent (ie non New Mexico) could cost them yet again in this game. Going back to Kelly’s time as an OC the Ducks have struggled in the first half on offense in games with long layoffs before them. LSU has the best defense that Oregon has likely faced in Kelly’s time so if the Ducks aren’t crisp on offense early it is going to put some massive pressure on Oregon’s defense to keep the score close until the offense can find it’s rhythm. In the end I think Les Miles finds a way to win this won in a game that will remind many of the BCS Title Game. LSU 24-UO 22.
2. I see both Jarrett Lee and Terrance Mitchell being challenged early. Despite all the memories many fans around the nation have of Jarrett Lee throwing 7 pick sixes as a freshman he was a fairly accurate thrower in his junior year. 89 passes with only 1 interception shows that he can be an accurate thrower. He won’t be asked to throw the ball 40 times to win, what he we will be asked to is make 7-10 key throws throughout the course of a game to extend drives. I think Oregon will try to sell out to the run early and this will give Jarrett Lee a chance to go deep with a play action attempt perhaps on the first or second drive. Look for LSU to test Terrance Mitchell early as Cliff Harris will not be playing. If Jarrett Lee can throw at the 65% completion rate on say 24 attempts I think that LSU will likely win the game.
3.Who do the intangibles favor? LSU played their last game in Dallas so the whole “huge video screen” factor should not be a problem for them, could it distract Oregon? I think the turf favors Oregon a bit as LSU doesn’t often play on that surface but LSU played there last year in the Cotton Bowl so it is mitigated a bit. Fan wise I am expecting a more than 2 to 1 advantage for LSU, the stadium will be loud the beer will be flowing and you can expect 50K+ crazy LSU fans to do their best to disrupt the Oregon offense. Oregon has been no stranger to controversy over the last few seasons so I am not expecting the Willie Lyles/Kiki Alonzo/ Cliff Harris dramas to really have any effect on the team. LSU however has kept their nose surprisingly clean the last few years before the bar brawl. Will they be able to handle the media scrutiny and will Lee be accepted as a team leader in place of Jefferson? Finally will the roof be open? Oregon’s players are not used the humidity so I think they’d prefer a closed roof situation while LSU would prefer it to be open and for it to be a muggy night.
4.27 Points. If the winner of this game has 27 points or more I’d expect that winner to be Oregon. If it is less than I see LSU winning. The Tigers will try to eat up clock and ideally get an early lead and kill clock. Oregon’s habit of slow starts on offense before bowl games and early season games versus decent (ie non New Mexico) could cost them yet again in this game. Going back to Kelly’s time as an OC the Ducks have struggled in the first half on offense in games with long layoffs before them. LSU has the best defense that Oregon has likely faced in Kelly’s time so if the Ducks aren’t crisp on offense early it is going to put some massive pressure on Oregon’s defense to keep the score close until the offense can find it’s rhythm. In the end I think Les Miles finds a way to win this won in a game that will remind many of the BCS Title Game. LSU 24-UO 22.
Friday, August 26, 2011
2011 Predictions
Will the champion of the first season as the Pac 12 have the same champion as the final season of the Pac 10? Will any team not named USC emerge from the South to become a Top 25 team? What coaches are we not going to see on the sidelines in 2012? Here are my best guesses:
North:
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UW
4. Cal
5. WSU
6. OSU
South:
1. USC
2. Utah
3. ASU
4. UA
5. CU
6. UCLA
Champion in a blowout UO over Utah at Autzen Stadium.
Pac 12 Offensive POY: Andrew Luck
Pac 12 Defensive POY: Shayne Skov
Freshman of the Year: George Farmer USC
Breakout Star: Markus Wheaton OSU
Coach of the Year: Kyle Whittingham
Hot Trend for 2012: At least two new coaches in the South
Trending Up: WSU
Trending Down: UA
Bowling: UO, Stanford, UW, Cal, Utah, ASU
Don't be shocked if: Utah "wins" the South win 4 conference losses
Team I could be very wrong on: OSU
Call me crazy but : One of either Mike Stoops or Rick Neuheisal don't survive October
Fairly certain: Only one Pac 12 team will play in a BCS bowl and it will be Oregon in the Rose Bowl
You heard it here first: Stanford beats Oregon but loses two other games in league play
North:
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UW
4. Cal
5. WSU
6. OSU
South:
1. USC
2. Utah
3. ASU
4. UA
5. CU
6. UCLA
Champion in a blowout UO over Utah at Autzen Stadium.
Pac 12 Offensive POY: Andrew Luck
Pac 12 Defensive POY: Shayne Skov
Freshman of the Year: George Farmer USC
Breakout Star: Markus Wheaton OSU
Coach of the Year: Kyle Whittingham
Hot Trend for 2012: At least two new coaches in the South
Trending Up: WSU
Trending Down: UA
Bowling: UO, Stanford, UW, Cal, Utah, ASU
Don't be shocked if: Utah "wins" the South win 4 conference losses
Team I could be very wrong on: OSU
Call me crazy but : One of either Mike Stoops or Rick Neuheisal don't survive October
Fairly certain: Only one Pac 12 team will play in a BCS bowl and it will be Oregon in the Rose Bowl
You heard it here first: Stanford beats Oregon but loses two other games in league play
Monday, August 22, 2011
Lache and the LSU Brawl
Despite what local fish wrap scribe John Canzano may say I don’t see a groundswell of Oregon fans “turning on” Lache Seastrunk. Who could blame the kid for moving on? For one he was caught in the middle of the Willie Lyles saga through no fault of his own getting dragged through the mud by the media. Secondly, his grandma who raised him is ill, third he was buried on the depth chart as low as 6th according to some observers and finally he was homesick. I hold no ill will towards the kid, to slam a kid over transferring is classless and anyone who did that should take a long look in the mirror. As for how this effects the on the field play I see it as being a non-factor in the short term though could have an effect long term on depth. Since Oregon will most likely sign 1 if not 2 highly rated running back recruits this year I think the Ducks will be fine in the long term as well.
As for the bar brawlers down at LSU I am not naïve to think that this doesn’t happen all over the country all the time. I do however think that this may indeed cause Jordan Jefferson to eventually get suspended and possibly get kicked off the team for it as more facts and witnesses come out. You can’t physically assault members of the armed services to the point of hospitalization and not face major scrutiny from the public and from law enforcement starting quarterback for a SEC team or not. On the field I think this is big if Miles does the unexpected and pulls Jefferson. From all accounts that guy is much improved when it comes to throwing (really how could he not after last year) and if he can show early that he can throw accurately Oregon then needs to respect the pass and can’t bring 8-9 man fronts to stop the run. If Jarrett Lee were to play LSU will be one dimensional, I don’t know enough about the JC kid to know if he can be a dual action QB but asking him to start his first game in Cowboys Stadium is a whole lot of pressure. If Oregon can get early points on LSU and force an abandonment of the run LSU will have problems winning. I don’t feel confident breaking down this game until we know who is actually playing. I am assuming that Cliff and Kiko Alonzo will both be out for Oregon, no idea yet about LSU if anyone takes the fall.
As for the bar brawlers down at LSU I am not naïve to think that this doesn’t happen all over the country all the time. I do however think that this may indeed cause Jordan Jefferson to eventually get suspended and possibly get kicked off the team for it as more facts and witnesses come out. You can’t physically assault members of the armed services to the point of hospitalization and not face major scrutiny from the public and from law enforcement starting quarterback for a SEC team or not. On the field I think this is big if Miles does the unexpected and pulls Jefferson. From all accounts that guy is much improved when it comes to throwing (really how could he not after last year) and if he can show early that he can throw accurately Oregon then needs to respect the pass and can’t bring 8-9 man fronts to stop the run. If Jarrett Lee were to play LSU will be one dimensional, I don’t know enough about the JC kid to know if he can be a dual action QB but asking him to start his first game in Cowboys Stadium is a whole lot of pressure. If Oregon can get early points on LSU and force an abandonment of the run LSU will have problems winning. I don’t feel confident breaking down this game until we know who is actually playing. I am assuming that Cliff and Kiko Alonzo will both be out for Oregon, no idea yet about LSU if anyone takes the fall.
Friday, July 08, 2011
Pre-Camp Pac 12 Projections
Since USC is not eligible to play in the Pac 12 Champ game if they win the South then the second place team will play in the title game. Here are my early projections. A lot can happen between now and the start of the season with injuries, academic casualties and late transfers (Jeremiah Masoli anyone?).
Pac 12 North:
1. Stanford
2. Oregon
3. UW
4. Cal
5. WSU
6. OSU
Pac 12 South:
1. USC*
2. Utah
3. ASU
4. UA
5. UCLA
6. Colorado
Champ game I like Stanford over Utah played down on The Farm.
Pac 12 North:
1. Stanford
2. Oregon
3. UW
4. Cal
5. WSU
6. OSU
Pac 12 South:
1. USC*
2. Utah
3. ASU
4. UA
5. UCLA
6. Colorado
Champ game I like Stanford over Utah played down on The Farm.
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