Well, we gave it a good effort to end the season but came up short. A 6-7 record is better than last year but leaves HUGE amounts of room for improvement. As I said before, pass D and guts on offense are things that, I believe, we need to improve if we're going to rise to the levels of UT and OU - or Kansas, I guess...
For the time being, I'm going to be ratcheting back to posting about once a week. I'm going to be pretty busy doing extra flying at work coming up and, well, the football season is over. There'll be some good stuff to write about here and there, so once a week will probably suffice.
I hope everyone is doing well in this, 2008. Talk to all of you soon.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
Flashback: 2002 Fiesta Bowl
So, this freakin' writers' strike is killing me. I'm deprived of my normal shows, "Chuck" and "Journeyman" (and my wife's "Grey's Anatomy", sorry), and I decided to TiVo the replay of the 2002 Fiesta Bowl between CU and Oregon. We lost this game at the worst time for me - I was newly dating a recently-graduated Oregon Duck (my wife) - and we didn't look very good at all beyond the first drive.
A few things I noted from the game's first couple of quarters (it was over in the 2nd, basically):
- Oregon had Maurice Morris AND Onterrio "The Whizzinator" Smith as their RBs. Not a bad pair. Morris had enough brains to stay off the whacky tobacky and is still in the NFL as Shaun Alexander's able backup. Onterrio Smith is probably one of those telemarketers that show up as "unavailable" on your caller ID screens trying to sell you nutritional supplements or used Barbie dolls or something. He showed some good promise - even after calling himself "S.O.D" (Steal of the Draft) - as a 4th-round pick to my Vikings. He would have been the starter if he stayed off the whacky...
- Joey Harrington actually looked GOOD. I see why he was the big pick. Too bad he didn't pan out as well in the NFL. It's unfortunate.
- I forgot about Bobby Pesavento.
- Why are so few CU players in the NFL? It's kinda like Nebraska (stay with me here). The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. No stars but a good team. The draft is a topic for another day.
Anyway, just some things I noticed watching the game. Hope the new year (and the workweek) is treating everyone well. Take care and talk to you all soon!
A few things I noted from the game's first couple of quarters (it was over in the 2nd, basically):
- Oregon had Maurice Morris AND Onterrio "The Whizzinator" Smith as their RBs. Not a bad pair. Morris had enough brains to stay off the whacky tobacky and is still in the NFL as Shaun Alexander's able backup. Onterrio Smith is probably one of those telemarketers that show up as "unavailable" on your caller ID screens trying to sell you nutritional supplements or used Barbie dolls or something. He showed some good promise - even after calling himself "S.O.D" (Steal of the Draft) - as a 4th-round pick to my Vikings. He would have been the starter if he stayed off the whacky...
- Joey Harrington actually looked GOOD. I see why he was the big pick. Too bad he didn't pan out as well in the NFL. It's unfortunate.
- I forgot about Bobby Pesavento.
- Why are so few CU players in the NFL? It's kinda like Nebraska (stay with me here). The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. No stars but a good team. The draft is a topic for another day.
Anyway, just some things I noticed watching the game. Hope the new year (and the workweek) is treating everyone well. Take care and talk to you all soon!
Neuheisel: Prescient or Just Lucky?
I've noticed that a few readers have quite the passion for Mr. Neuheisel. As you probably already read, as well, he received the head coaching position at UCLA. This was much to his delight, as he is an alumnus and for assistant coach for the team. I want to congratulate Rick on the promotion.
However, I have to wonder if something bigger is going on here inside Mr. Neuheisel's brain. Rick was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens - a team coached by Brian Billick, the former offensive coordinator of my favorite pro team, the Minnesota Vikings. Billick was the OC for the 1998 Minnesota Vikings that should have TROUNCED the Atlanta Falcons and Jamal Anderson in the NFC Championship...but Dennis Green got outcoached by Dan Reeves and got beat at home. My Vikes would have gone on to plow the Broncos into the ground that year, as Randy Moss was a ROCK STAR at the time...BUT, I digress...The fact of the matter is that Billick was considered (and considers himself) an offensive genius with the Vikings and the Ravens. Therefore, he called all the plays for the Ravens. That makes me wonder why they had an OC to begin with? Dress rehearsal? My Vikings have a similar setup with Darrell Bevell. Brad Childress used to be the OC at Philly and still calls the plays in Minnie. Bevell is relegated to "running the offense". Whatever that means. Either way, the job couldn't have been that great for Rick Neuheisel. I'm guessing it was a little boring and demeaning living under the shadow and ego of Brian "I'm not going anywhere next year" Billick. Good move for Rick.
However, Billick didn't seem to know that the ax was about to fall on his (and everyone else's) head. He made a rather grand proclamation during a press conference that, despite his 9-game losing streak, he was not planning to be fired and that most people should shed the notion.
On Black Monday, he and the whole staffed were tossed...less than a week after Neuheisel jumped ship and took the offer at UCLA. Makes me wonder if, while he coveted the UCLA job, he didn't know that, somehow, the ship was sinking in Baltimore and he was tethered to it. It seemed that even Billick didn't know.
So, question. Rick Neuheisel: Lucky or wise? You decide.
However, I have to wonder if something bigger is going on here inside Mr. Neuheisel's brain. Rick was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens - a team coached by Brian Billick, the former offensive coordinator of my favorite pro team, the Minnesota Vikings. Billick was the OC for the 1998 Minnesota Vikings that should have TROUNCED the Atlanta Falcons and Jamal Anderson in the NFC Championship...but Dennis Green got outcoached by Dan Reeves and got beat at home. My Vikes would have gone on to plow the Broncos into the ground that year, as Randy Moss was a ROCK STAR at the time...BUT, I digress...The fact of the matter is that Billick was considered (and considers himself) an offensive genius with the Vikings and the Ravens. Therefore, he called all the plays for the Ravens. That makes me wonder why they had an OC to begin with? Dress rehearsal? My Vikings have a similar setup with Darrell Bevell. Brad Childress used to be the OC at Philly and still calls the plays in Minnie. Bevell is relegated to "running the offense". Whatever that means. Either way, the job couldn't have been that great for Rick Neuheisel. I'm guessing it was a little boring and demeaning living under the shadow and ego of Brian "I'm not going anywhere next year" Billick. Good move for Rick.
However, Billick didn't seem to know that the ax was about to fall on his (and everyone else's) head. He made a rather grand proclamation during a press conference that, despite his 9-game losing streak, he was not planning to be fired and that most people should shed the notion.
On Black Monday, he and the whole staffed were tossed...less than a week after Neuheisel jumped ship and took the offer at UCLA. Makes me wonder if, while he coveted the UCLA job, he didn't know that, somehow, the ship was sinking in Baltimore and he was tethered to it. It seemed that even Billick didn't know.
So, question. Rick Neuheisel: Lucky or wise? You decide.
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