Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. My whole "I'm going to eat healthy" thing was completely destroyed by the meal I had yesterday, but what is Easter without some great family food, right? Welcome to today's Monday Morning Linebacker. Today's picture is of oft-maligned (at least by the fans) OLB Bo Ruud. Some people arent very high on him, despite the fact he was All-Conference last year. I understand some of the complaints, but in my opinion you can't hate on a guy who always finds himself around the ball, even if he does seem slower than a fat chick on a treadmill. Football players are football players, and I've always thought that making plays should be the litmust test of a player, not how fast his 40 time is. Although it would be nice to see him take a pick to the house next year instead of running out of gas halfway there (like he did against Missouri last year).
First off, let me comment on the huge verbal we got from Elkhorn lineman Trevor Robinsion. The Huskers are quickly assembling what may be one of the top offensive line clases of the past decade. Now, I've always been a little skeptical of recruiting rankings. Seeing so many 5 star sure things (Harrison Beck) turn into duds while at the same time seeing quieter signings develop into stars (Zac Taylor) has led me to believe that college football fans tend to put a little too much stock in these rankings. But if you think that's going to stop me from being excited about a potential group of road pavers on the O-line a couple of years down the road, your wrong. I am just as giddy as every other Husker fan after hearing the news. The average size of our three linemen commits-Robinson, Dan Hoch, and Baker Steinkuhler- comes out to roughly 6'6" 300 pounds...just wait till these guys get on NU's weight program. My hope is that these guys will start working the phones after this summer's camp circuit to persuade other recruits to join the program. When a team gets momentum like the Huskers have now (3 of the top 100 national recruits already, according to Rivals), it gets other kids' attention. If your a stud QB or RB prospect, wouldnt the chance to play behind a line roughly the size of the Appalachian mountains entice you to come to NU? Yea, I thought so. Lets hope Robinson and Company get on the phones.
In an article by Steve Sipple over on Husker Extra, the Joey Ganz show was apparently in full effect during a recent scrimmage. Apparently the longtime backup directed three touchdown drives, two of them coming against the Blackshirts. Now, I understand the excitement behind the article. Any time our offense is clicking, everybody is optimistic that the drop-off from Taylor will be minimal. In all honest, I think this will be the case. But if there is one thing sportswriters love, its a quarterback controversy. Especially now, when there is little to write about other than the under-achieving NU baseball team. They are looking for any and every angle they haven't already covered, so stoking the QB competition fire is a way for them to make sure their articles are read. Let me point out that I'm not ripping on Sipple, I'm just making an observation. The same thing is happening in places like Tallahassee and Norman right now. That said, I think people have to keep in mind that Callahan runs a very complicated system, and Keller ran the scout team last fall, meaning that even with the bowl practice reps he got in December, he is still waaaaay behind Ganz in terms of knowing the offense. I plan on writing about both of them in the future, but right now, let's just sit back and be confident that no matter what, we've some talented guys behind center.
Speaking of QB controversies, there seems to be one brewing down at Texas Tech. The incumbent, Graham Harrell, is apparently facing some competition from a kid named Taylor Potts. I don't know much about this guy other than the fact that he is a redshirt freshmen who's name is way too similar to that of Tony Potts, a douchebag who works on Entertainment Tonight and dresses like a backstreet boy. What made me feel inclined to write about this is the fact that Mike Leach, the "offensive mastermind", has always had problems having a guy start for two years in a row. Usually they have a guy in their system for three years, throw him out there for one season, and then move onto the next guy. I thought that Harrell (a talented kid who did well last year with 4,500 yards and 38 TDs) would break that streak. I'm either wrong (the more likely scenario), or Leach is just trying to stir up some healthy competition. At this point, does it really matter though? Either way, whoever is the starter is going to rack up 4,000 yards and 30+ touchdowns. If I were Tech, I might be more focused on finding a defensive coordinator who can actually stop people.
Over on CSTV's website, Bob Holtzman talks about USC's talented wide reciever corps. After the departure of uber-wideout Dwayne Jarrett along with under-appreciated but extremely talented Steve Smith, some thought there might be a drop-off in production in the passing game for the Trojans. As this article points out, we were fools for our wishful thinking. The four recievers who are going to pick up the slack (Patrick Turner, Vidal Hazelton, David Ausberry, and Travon Patterson) were all All Americans in high school, and to make it even worse for our Husker secondary, they are tall as well. Both Turner and Ausberry are 6'5", with Hazelton measuring 6"3" and the tiny Travon measuring a mere 5'11". This accumulation of talent doesnt bode well for Husker fans, most of whom still have nightmares from Jarrett's performance against the Blackshirts. I was at that game, and to be honest, it was as if we weren't even covering the guy......but that wasn't the last time a reciever victimized our secondary, as we all know. Every time I flash back to that game in Los Angeles, I react about the same way Peter Griffin does after smoking crack. That said, I'm thinking that a year of seasoning for our corners, as well as heavily improved safety play (thanks to Asante and Thenarse) should slow the Trojan juggernaut.
In another Steve Sipple article over on Husker Extra, the leadership training the Husker seniors are getting is described. Apparently, a six-session course has been undertaken by the seniors in which they are trained how to develop as leaders and "understand the dynamics of good leadership." First off, let me say that I think this is a good idea in spirit. There are a lot of people on football teams who have no idea what constitutes leadership, nor do they know how it should be expressed. Anybody who's ever been on a football team knows that there is always at least one jackass who trys to yell and make speeches in an effort to be a leader. The funny thing is, it is rarely if ever this guy who is considered a leader. He is usually the guy others roll their eyes at or make fun of. And it's not because he isn't a good teammate or because of a lack of effort. It's because leaders, the ones who are actually looked to for inspiration by others, carry themselves differently. They know that you dont need to yell just for the sake of yelling. Every player responds to different types of leadership. Some want to be yelled at, to be vocally encouraged. If that's the case, they will gravitate toward the Corey McKeons, the loud playmaker who is always fired up.
Others, on the other hand, look to guys like Bo Ruud, who is quiet most of the time but when Saturday afternoon rolls around turns into a warrior who is making plays all over the field. There are other guys who lead by example, whether it be on the field or in the weightroom. An example that comes to mind personally is a kid named Ryan Lynch. I played with him at Bethel. He was about 5'6", 200 pounds. Not much athletic ability, and he never played a meaningful down during his time there. But every day in the weightroom, that kid inspired those around him to work harder. There would be days I didn't feel like doing the last wall sit (which I liken to torture), but he called me out on it and made me better. Leadership, in my opinion, isn't something that can be learned or taught. It's something, like respect, that grows over time. As players find their roles in the program, they will realize who the leaders are and who is not. It's not always the star players. Sometimes it's the kid with more heart than anyone else who urges you to keep going.
In more news on the national front, the Golden Gophers spring game was effectively ruined because of the arrest of three players who are suspected of rape. I think it is important to note that they have since been released pending investigation, so don't jump to conclusions about their guilt. Now, to be completely honest, I'm extremely anti-Gopher football. My reason? The local media always casts them as contenders for the Big 10 championship, and every year they finish around .500. It gets really old hearing about them when they haven't done anything worthwhile in years. That said, I feel badly for new coach Tim Brewster and the rest of the team. There were some legitimate feelings of optimism and enthusiasm around the program, and a lot of it was tempered by the announcment of the three arrests. I think Brewster (who was a recruiting ace at Texas) is the right guy for the job, and with the addition of a stadium that doesnt suck in 2009, there is a chance he could revive this program. But this definitley set him back.
My Non-Football Thoughts this week
1) Fergie can stop making music any time she feels like it. Both her and Gwen Stefani have a gift when it comes to making music that we can't get out of our heads, but unlike Fergie, Gwen has talent. Oh, and if I have to hear one more Fergie song where she spells out the chorus, I'm going to rip my f---ing radio right out of my car. I already know how to spell delicious and glamorous, I dont need her telling me how. I keep hoping that her jet has a mid-air collision with Sean Paul's, that way we can be rid of both of them.
2) Minnesota sucks. And I dont mean the football team....well, actually they arent that good either, but I'm talking about the weather. Despite the fact that it is mid-April, we continue to be averaging highs in the mid-30s (with windchills in the teens). And this is after a 81 degree day a couple weeks ago. This makes my hometown of Soldier Iowa seem balmy by comparison.
3) College is good and bad. Good because I love being able to wake up at 10 if I really wanted to. Bad because I'm real sick and tired of writing papers about stuff like Family Interactions (which has nothing to do with my major or potential career). I think the last semester of a college senior is one of the most ambivalent times of a person's life.
