Post #100 - The End is the Beginning is the End

"But it only lasted a year. And that's good because that's how you establish a cult." - A Mighty Wind

Ten months ago, after attending the KSU/Baylor game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, I decided to sign up for a Blogger account and share my thoughts with whoever would care to read them. Nearly ten-thousand visits by over five-thousand readers later, I feel like it's time to say...

I'm moving up.

A while back, TB from 'Bring on the Cats' approached me about contributing to his site. I really liked his blog, and I was a regular reader, so it was a very flattering offer. However, after pouring a lot of hours into this site, I wasn't ready to give it up. I had started to establish a consistent readership, and I felt like 'Chronicles' was coming into its own.

However, after the ESPN article linking to 'The Ron Prince Translator', I've seen a spike in my readership to the point where I'm getting a couple of hundred readers a week. Sure, that's probably pretty tame by most blog's standards, but to me, that was a lot. I started feeling a lot of pressure to put stuff out every day (or every couple of days), and as I have a pretty stressful job, a new house, and a wonderful wife and dog that deserve my time and attention, trying to run this site by myself has become less fun and more hassle. In the earlier days, updating the site two or three times a week wasn't a big deal because only a handful of people visited every day. Now, when you try to keep a consistent base coming back, that just doesn't cut it.

I've always felt that quality is more important than quantity, so I don't want to let folks down by just writing crap for the sake of writing. To me, the most important aspect of any good blog is to have a significant amount of content from a variety of contributors. There's always a better vibe coming from a site where multiple viewpoints are put forth, and here, you're only getting my thoughts, and admittedly, not very often. I'd rather be a part of a community than be by myself on an island.

Wow, that was kind of deep. Maybe not. Screw it.

'Bring on the Cats' is a part of SB Nation, which is a community of blogs covering a variety of professional and college teams. Some of the bloggers over there are established, and they take their content to a whole new level. There's a lot of information, insight, and good humor. Hopefully, I can contribute some of the latter because I'm really lacking on the former...

So, to me, moving over to TB's site is a step up. It's a bigger site, a better site, and I feel like it's a step towards legitimacy. To most people, that might sound kind of stupid, but for a guy who always loved to write, but was consistently told by his high school English teacher that he wasn't really all that good, it's much cheaper than therapy for a crushed dream.

Thank you all so much for coming to this site in the past ten months to share in my journey as a K-State fan. This particular chapter is over, but I'm looking forward to moving on to the next challenge at a better site with writers that I truly admire and respect. I sincerly appreciate your time and positive comments here and elsewhere.

I hope to see you all over at 'Bring on the Cats'. This site will remain up for a while for the sake of posterity, so if you feel like perusing the archives, feel free. However, there won't be any new content. If you want that, head on over to SB Nation, where I'll be spouting off bad jokes, worse puns, and linking to more obscure YouTube Videos.

Happy trails, Wildcat fans. I'll see you on the flip side.

Every Man a Wildcat.

- PJ

To Kellis Robinett...

So, Jayhawk alum, KSU struggles at home vs. FCS competition, huh?

Eh? What?

Slight tip of the cap to D. Scott Fritchen of GoPowercat.com for providing this bit of bulletin board material for this weekend's game (courtesy of Kellis Robinett, writer for the Idaho State Journal):

The [Montana State] Bobcats get Kansas State first, and the Wildcats typically struggle against FCS opponents at home. They had to survive a two-point conversion try from Illinois State to win by one two years ago. That’s the game I see Montana State winning.

Uh, Kellis, what are you talking about?

Yes, I'll admit that two years ago, in Ron Prince's first game as a head coach, KSU struggled to beat Illinois State at home. However, that was two years ago. We have, like, a whole new team, Kellis. Our coach has more experience, and we've replenished depth and speed that was lacking from that team in 2006. Most of all, we don't have players running into each other on the field because they don't know what in the Hell they're doing.

Also, it doesn't hurt that we've got a potential number one draft pick THIS YEAR.

Seriously, dude. What are you smoking? What kind of idiot would predict Montana State to beat KSU?

Oh, wait. You're a KU grad. Ah, that explains it.

Here's my prediction, Kellis:

KSU: 56
Montana State: 0

A snoozer. A laugher. And proof that you deserve to write for a shit newspaper in nowhere Idaho.

Also, to prove that Kellis isn't the only moron that covers FCS football poorly, I bring to you Will Holden of the Blue & Gold MSU Bobcats Blog:

Of course, [Jonathan Beasley] was the one who sealed my ended my beloved Buffaloes chances at a Big 12 title, bleek as they may have been, in 1999 - one of the glory years for the Big 12. But I’d also like to add that in 2001 Beasley, in his senior season, was on the receiving end in of a 16-6 CU thrasing. Sorry Coach, you were on the tracks when the Buffalo train was rumbling through on its way to a Big 12 championship. We won’t talk about how that season ended…

Jesus Christ. Seriously? You guys get paid for this?

Newsflash: Jonathan Beasley graduated in 2000. KSU won the North that year. Ell Roberson was the quarterback in 2001.

Is the Montana/Idaho area where we send all of the guys who graduated from journalism school with a D- average? Were you high during that entire season? What the Hell?

You know, maybe this guy will be the next to chime in. His contribution to the dialogue would be as good as these two bozos:



- PJ

The Totally Late North Texas Game Recap

Yes, I realize that the game took place a few days ago.

Yes, I realize that everyone and their mom has already talked about it.

Yes, I was out of town the last few days for the Labor Day holiday, and I didn't have time to write this up.

For those of you who had the always lovely experience of listening to the game in 'Wyatt-vision' (what most KSU fans call listening to broadcaster Wyatt Thompson on the radio), I'll do my best to share some of my thoughts on the game, as I attended in person.

First of all, Josh Freeman is a golden god. I can't even begin to express how much this kid has improved this year. Sure, his stats from the game paint a pretty picture (18-24, 232 passing yards, 3 passing TD's, 2 rushing TD's), but what you can't see in a box score or hear on the radio is how crisp and refined his game was. Sure, over the last couple of years, we've seen Josh unleash that beast of a right arm, but after watching him Saturday, it's like he's found a way to take a sawed-off shotgun and turn it into a high-powered sniper rifle. He was finding the open man, hitting his receivers in stride, and making great tosses on the run. Everything that you 'hoped' Josh would become seemingly has.

Second, Lamark Brown is a goddamn man-man beast. He's freaking huge. And, apparently, sometime between the Spring Game and the season opener, he learned how to catch the ball. He showed increased confidence, better route running, and a knack for catching the ball with his hands and THEN bringing the ball to his body. Those are all things that he didn't do last year as a true freshman. However, as a true sophomore, he still has plenty of time to become the dominate destroyer of defensive backs that we all know he can be.

True fact: Lamark Brown drug a North Texas CB at least two yards hopping on one leg. I shit you not. If you don't believe me, go to KStateSports.com and watch the highlights.

There was a lot of trepidation going into this game in terms of how the new and inexperienced running backs would perform. While Keithen Valentine and Logan Dold didn't floor anyone with amazing atheticism and jaw-dropping skill, they did show a knack for being patient runners that follow their blocks and make timely cuts to the open hole. They're just a couple of git-er-done north/south runners that will churn up yards and keep the defense honest as Josh torches the defense with a deep stable of wideouts.

And, man, how about those wide receivers? I've already drooled over Lamark Brown, but gee golly, Brandon Banks and Aubrey Quarles did not dissapoint. In fact, for their first game at the Division 1 level, they entirely exceeded expectations. Quarles showed great hands, solid speed, and solid route-running ability. Banks, damn, where do I start? First of all, the guy is about as tall as the end tables that my wife bought this weekend, but he's faster than a small European sports car. Also, like Quarles and Brown, he showed that he had great hands. Most of all, on Freeman's most impressive touchdown pass, he saw that Josh was scrambling from pressure, broke his route, and caught a frozen rope in the front corner of the endzone in stride. Awesome.

Honestly, this passing attack is one of the most exciting things I've seen at KSU since Ell Roberson and Darren Sproles broke dozens of ankles in Bill Snyder's option offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, most of the criticisms that you've seen in print and heard on the radio are accurate; there wasn't a lot of pressure on the quarterback, and the defense wasn't creating turnovers. Sure, Ian Campbell and Eric Childs were disruptive in the backfield, and Brandon Balkcom did a fine job, but they are a light defensive line, and they did most of their damage when the excellent coverage from the defensive backs bought them a few seconds to break the pocket down. Now, it didn't help that North Texas didn't really drop back into five and seven step drops. Most of the time, the QB received the snap from the shotgun, and he released it quickly to a high-percentage target close to the line of scrimmage. The defense was designed to keep the receivers in front of them, and it was effective. There weren't any big plays given up.

Speaking of the coverage and lack of big plays, how nice is it to have Josh Moore back? Is he not the most talented defensive back at K-State since Terence Newman or what? Sure, he may not have the speed that Terence did, but he's a sure tackler, and his coverage and ball-skills are great. You won't find him out of position very often, if at all.

Also, I'll have to admit that I was very impressed with Blair Irvin back there as well. He's a lot like Josh Moore; he doesn't have world-class speed, but he's plenty fast, and he had good cover skills as well. He was constantly on his man, and he was always looking for the ball, while in control, any time that it was in the air. He was very solid.

The linebackers, especially Antwon Moore, looked very fast, and to use a cliche, they swarmed. The open field tacking was subpar, but the nice thing was that the defense is so fast that once the guy is tripped up, he will only go so far before another player is wrapping up and tacking him to the ground.

From a special teams perspective, Deon Murphy was, well, Deon Murphy. He had a great return early in the game, but as the night went on, he suffered from some 'Dante Hall' syndrome where he fell in love with juking and jiving at the point of fielding the punt, and he ultimately didn't go anywhere. If he would have just ran forward, he may have had fifty more total return yards on the night. Otherwise, he was, and always is, electric.

Brooks Rossman was solid. Honestly, he only kicked a short field goal and some extra points, but he's reliable as always. George Pierson, the new punter from the Junior College ranks, was impressive as well. He wasn't Tim Reyer, but really, that wasn't the expectation. He'll be very servicable this year. He kind of gets the ball off slowly, and he does need to work on that. Faster teams in the Big 12 will take advantage of that.

At this point, I may be ranting, but for the most part, this team is very exciting to watch, and I look forward to the rest of the season. There are things that need to be addressed, but I don't see why this can't be a bowl team. For those who think that this team will finish dead last in the North, I think you might want to look elsewhere. The 2008 Wildcats seem poised to make my previous predictions come true.

I mean, Hell, no matter what happens, it can't get any worse than what Texas A&M is already going through right?

The Official Football Season Prediction (2008)

Well, considering that certain friends of mine like to get on my case about saying, "I told you so," when one of my predictions comes true (KU did lose at Toledo, Missouri lost at Troy) without officially putting it on paper (or the Internet), I figured that it wouldn't be an awful idea to predict K-State's record for the upcoming season.

While most may read this and think it's a 'rosy' outlook, others may see it and think it's a pretty conservative estimate. Regardless, this is my best guess as to how the season will go. What I'm giving you is my honest assessment and prediction.

Without further ado, here is my game by game prediction for KSU this upcoming season...




8/30/2008: North Texas

The Wildcats open their season at home against the North Texas Mean Green. Now, I said that I wouldn't pick on their players in my last post, and I won't, but I will pick on the school by saying that you can't call the color green mean. It can't be mean. It can't even be agitated or annoyed. It's green. That's all it is.

That said, the Wildcats should win this one handily.

Verdict: Win


9/6/2008: Montana State

I'm not going to say a damn thing about this game. They are a FCS team.

For those of you who don't know what FCS stands for, it means "Football Championship Subdivision". If you don't know what that is, just know that Kansas State should mop the floor (or fieldturf) with them.

Verdict: Win


9/17/2008: @ Louisville

Louisville is also coming off of a disappointing season, one in which Louisville had a worse defense than Kansas State. More importantly, two new coordinators, and a myriad of offseason issues, have depleted depth across the team and taken focus off of positive momentum going into Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe's second season.

While this is a home game, I can't help but think that if Kansas State is healthy, they'll win this game. This is a game that most fans will probably split evenly on in terms of a prediction, but I'm going to go with the 'Cats on this one.

Verdict: Win


9/27/2008: UL-Lafayette

This is yet another God-awful Sun Belt team to destroy for a guaranteed win.

Verdict: Win


10/4/2008: Texas Tech

Big things may be brewing this year in Lubbock. Texas Tech may have the best QB in the Mike Leach era leading their charge, and the defense looks to improve.

Some folks think that this is a trap game for Tech, and KSU, who will be opening conference play at home for the first time since John Adams was President, has a chance to hold serve at home, especially if they have a 4-0 start behind their backs.

The optimist in me says that this is possible, but the realist in me says that we will struggle against the mighty Tech offense. Maybe, after facing two pass happy teams in North Texas and Louisvile, KSU will be ready for Graham Harrell. However, I'm not willing to predict a win in writing.

Verdict: Loss


10/11/2008: @ Texas A&M

Mike Sherman is the only coach that ever lost with Brett Favre.

Let me repeat that: Mike Sherman is the only coach that ever lost with Brett Favre.

Seriously, A&M, if you've got more money, more tradition, and (what I consider to be) the best fans in college football, this is the best you can do? First, you go out and hire Mark Turgeon (stupid) as your basketball coach, and then you go and get Mike Sherman?

Jesus. I'm not the brightest crayon in the box, but I'm not THAT fucking stupid.

Verdict: Win


10/18/2008: @ Colorado

This is one of the hardest games for me to predict. While I don't buy Colorado being a better football team in 2008, they are always tough in Boulder, and Dan Hawkins is a decent coach (even though I think he's batshit crazy), and there is some talent there.

Just because I think KSU will struggle to win on the road in the Big 12 this year, and it's tough to beat Colorado three years in a row, I'll go ahead and mark this one down as a loss.

Verdict: Loss


10/25/2008: Oklahoma

Just pray that we don't get raped and pillaged.

No, seriously. Sooners rape and pillage. You may want to lock your doors.


Verdict: Loss


11/01/2008: @ Kansas

Let's be clear; I think KU's 2007 season was a fluke. They only beat ONE team ranked in the Top 25 (at the end of the season). While I'll give them credit for beating Virginia Tech, anyone outside of Lawrence and Kansas City will completely admit that Missouri deserved to play in that game WAAAAAAAAYYYYYY more than KU did because, let's be honest, Missouri was a better team.

That said, KU isn't a bad football team. I don't think they're as great as they think they are, but they are a bowl quality team, and they are tough at home. K-State has placed added emphasis to the game this year, but I still think this team is another year away from beating good teams on the road, and Kansas is no exception.

Yes, it pained me to type that. Almost as much as this...

Verdict: Loss


11/08/2008: @ Missouri

Honestly, I have MU as my National Championship pick this year, and I think they are going to tear up the Big 12. KSU, while improved, just won't be able to topple Chase Daniel, Chase Coffman, Jeremy Maclin, and the 10-of-11 returning defensive starters.

My only hope is that the game is close enough to be a 'moral victory'. The two following games will define the 2008 season, so a demoralizing loss would really, really suck here.


Verdict: Loss


11/15/2008: Nebraska

Aside from Mike Sherman, Bo Pelini is the worst coaching hire of the offseason.

Yes, wandering Nebraska fans, I said it. You hired a boob; a stupid, whiny, jackass.

You know what, Bo? Bill Snyder is, was, and always will be ten times the coach you are, and he is one-hundred times the man you are too. Never, in all of his years, did Bill Snyder go up to a Nebraska coach after a game where they kicked his ass and whine about it. He took it like a man, built his program, and turned around and made you look like the fraud you are.

I can't wait to watch Lincoln burn like Rome while you play your fiddle, Nero.

You jackass.

K-State wins this game, and you can take all of those commerative coins those lunatics made in your image, and you can buy yourself some class.


Verdict: Win


11/22/2008: Iowa State

Captain Caveman (Gene Chizik) and his merry band of Birdclones will descend upon Manhattan after another tough year.

This year, like the last time they came to Manhattan, they'll lose.

Why? Because. That's why.

And if KSU doesn't win this game, I'll be the first guy calling for someone's ass. Losing to Iowa State, at home, is unacceptable under any circumstance. You might as well lose to Montana State, because a loss to ISU is that embarassing.


Verdict: Win


So, after tallying up the results, I've got KSU at 7-5 (3-5). Given the difficulty in the schedule, and the influx of new players, I just can't go with anything more. Sure, there may be some games that the Wildcat's steal, and there may be some that won't go their way, but all-in-all, I think this will be a winning season that, hopefully, sets the table for a big year in 2009.

There you have it. Feel free to come back and call me out on this later.

Except for the stuff about Pelini. Even if Nebraska wins that game, he's still an asshole.

- PJ

The Road

As I sit here in the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, waiting for a flight that leaves in about an hour and a half, I'm beginning to empathize with most of Kansas State's typical non-conference opponents.

Most of the time, KSU will schedule what most would term an 'easy win', and they'll go out and find a pretty bad non-conference opponent that will offer little to no challenge in the upcoming game. For example, North Texas, this week's opponent, finished with a 2-10 record last season. Even worse, they ranked dead last nationally in scoring defense (45.1 points per game), 115th in the nation in total defense (486 yards per game), and they ranked worse than 100th in the country in seven other categories as well.

Let's just say that they are a pretty bad football team, and KSU doesn't really have much to worry about this weekend. Agreed?

That said, it's easy for me to kind of feel sorry for them, or any other team that hops on a plane, bus, train, or whatever to get to their destination...only to get your ass kicked once you get there.

As a guy who travels a bit for his job (less than some, more than others), I can speak from experience when I say that it's not a lot of fun to hop on a cramped plane for a couple of hours, sleep in a hotel bed, miss the girlfriend (or wife in my case), and generally put your life on hold for a few days. Sure, you work, or in North Texas' case, you play the game, so, you have a job to do, so that helps you keep your focus. Hopefully, if you enjoy your job, it's not a complete drag. However, no matter how much you love your job, or playing football, it's a total pain in the ass to travel. It just is.

Sometimes, when you're on the road, things don't go your way. A plane is delayed. Your hotel sucks. The foreign bed you're sleeping on smells like a mothball filled closet that hasn't been opened in a few decades. Having a bad day at work, or getting your ass kicked in a football game, will undoubtedly amplify all of the things that suck about traveling.

I'm not saying that all of the things that make traveling awful are an excuse for not giving your all at your job or during the game. Far from it. However, it makes me less inclined to be mean to opposing fans and/or opponents. Every insult you throw their way, or every rude gesture that you put out there, well, it just makes the whole experience worse.

Now, I'm not saying that fans shouldn't get rowdy, nor should they politely golf clap so the opposing team doesn't get their feelings hurt, but before you tell a North Texas player that they suck (because they are going to get their asses kicked), just take a minute and think about what it would feel like if you hopped on a plane, slept in a hotel on a shitty bed, only to hear perfect strangers tell you that you suck after busting your butt in a losing effort.

Maybe I'm getting softer as I get older, but I just don't want these North Texas players to leave Manhattan with a memory like that. Let them at least know that we appreciate their coming to Manhattan, and let them leave with a little dignity.

Anyway, that's all. Just some incoherent rambling from Terminal 2.

I need to get going if I want to get a latte before I board. I think it was about a mile back from the gate, so hopefully I'll make it back in time before my flight leaves.

Warning: This video has harsh language.



- PJ

The Ron Prince Translator (1.2)

It's game week, and you know what that means...

There's a fresh installment of the "Ron Prince Translator" coming right at you.

This week our fearless leader exercised some brevity, so there's not a whole lot to translate, but I'll try and work with what little we have.

Enjoy!

Opening statement...

“We’re excited to get the 2008 season started. The people in this organization have planned really well in the offseason. They have worked with purpose and I think we’ve had a lot of talk about it – things that have happened in the past and things we’d like to do this year. So now we’ve got a chance to finally demonstrate exactly what it is we’ve been working towards. In the areas that we felt we needed improvement in, we think we’ve done something about it. But really at this point, the only thing left to do is to go out and deliver on the field and we get a chance to finally do that. It feels like it’s been a long off season. I’ve tried to put a lot of work into it to understand exactly where we are.

“I think we’ve got some areas where we’ve improved on offense, particularly players have improved. That’s very much a positive for us. Particularly (Josh) Freeman, (Jeron) Mastrud, (Nick) Stringer, Lamark Brown, and Zach Kendall are our veteran players that we feel like have really improved and that’s a positive for us. On defense, (Brandon) Balkcom, (Eric) Childs, and the two Moores – Josh and Antwon – we feel we have really improved as players and we’re really hopeful there. (Brooks) Rossman and (Josh) Cherry both improved as kick off people. So for all these players, their improvement is critical to what we want to accomplish, but ultimately, as we’ve discussed many times with them, now we have to demonstrate that on the field on game days.

“Some impressive newcomers, (Logan) Dold and (Keithen) Valentine, (Aubrey) Quarles and (Edward) Prince have done a really nice job. I’m real impressed with those players. I think they’ll be fine players for us here in the short term and in the long term.

“Defensively, (Brandon) Harold, (Olu) Hall, (Blair) Irvin, (Hansen) Sekona, and (Ulla) Pomele were here in he spring, but they’re impressive newcomers. There is a list of players who can go out and play the way we like to play. From the special-teams standpoint, George Pierson has done a real nice job. I’ve been very impressed with how he’s come to work.

“I’m very concerned with the game against North Texas. I think this is a very good team. If you really look at it objectively and understand from just a schematic standpoint, they return four offensive line starters. We all understand how important that can be as the continuity we try to put together. They’ve moved one of their better tight ends over to the offensive line as well. They return a running back that averaged almost five yards per carry. They return a quarterback that threw for almost 2,400 yards, and he did that as a true freshman. They also return a veteran wide receiver crew that includes four of their top five receivers from a year ago, and one of the nation’s best. So, from an offensive standpoint, they have a lot of fire power, lots of players who return and are very confirmed in their system, and I think they’ll be very challenging to deal with.

“From a defensive standpoint, they have an experienced secondary returning. They’ve also added a couple of defensive players to their front – a couple from the junior college ranks – to a group that has quite of few guys. They’re not all starters, but they’re returning. I think really the x-factor in that whole equation on defense might be the return of the defensive coordinator who had North Texas’ defense ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation when he coached there in a previous stint. So we believe this will be a challenging match up for us and we expect to play well.”

TRANSLATION: God. I can’t wait to beat the shit out of some low-level D1 team so you guys will have something to talk about other than last season’s collapse and the gazillion JUCO players that I signed.

Wait, did I just insinuate that North Texas is a low-level team? I didn’t mean that. North Texas is a great team. They’re a tough team. They deserve all of our attention, and they command our respect.

Did I leave any other clichés out? We good?


On Deon Murphy’s change in classification...

“I was given notice and pulled aside that, after looking at his record, they noticed that he has another year of competition that he had not used. It would be terrific if I get another year with him. He’s a very good player and he loves football. He and I have spoken about it and we are just going to focus on the season that we have here in front of us for right now. We’ll worry about next year when next year gets here. I have no clue how this happened. It was the people that work in the compliance office, they found it out and I was just notified.”

TRANSLATION: I found out the other day. For those of you who saw a bald man, approximately in his late thirties, doing naked cartwheels along Kimball Avenue around that time, I apologize. I was overcome with ‘the spirit’.


On senior wide receiver Ernie Pierce...

“I think we’ve had high expectations for Ernie since he arrived. He’s gone a little under the radar for most people but I think we’ve been very confirmed that he has had good practices and done some nice things. We were ready for his level to increase and improve, and it has. The players that I mentioned, some of them may have been household names and some of them may have come out of no where, but Ernie has been right there and been steady. Now we just need him to demonstrate it in the games and I think he is prepared and excited to do that.”

TRANSLATION: Ernie. Pierce. Yes, he’s real. I swear.


On being confirmed on the defensive side of the ball...

“We are very confirmed on how we want to play. We have been that way for some time now and I believe we have put ourselves in a position to be able to play that way. We want to play fast and do some things with the way the ball moves these days, we want to be able to defend it better. I think anyone who is around our program understand the importance of our defense effort this year. I’m sure there will be things we need to make adjustments to both during games and in between games. The truth, is to accomplish our goals, we need to play better defensively and we are hoping to start that this weekend, but we know we have to get into games and make those adjustments.

“Offensively and in the kicking game, we expect to do well and it is one of those things where you put the time in and we have players returning, but that doesn’t mean the other team is just going to advocate that to you. You have to go out and earn it. In the kicking game, we have to do things to really change the game because everyone is very confirmed on offense and defense and how they want to do it. With the players we try to recruit and the style we want to play, the kicking game is a big part of that. Most coaches will tell you that but we really try to live it.”

TRANSLATION: I’m the only coach in the country who says ‘confirmed’. You’re impressed aren’t you? Admit it.


On defensive line and depth chart...

“At defense end we are about four deep at this time, which is a positive. We like what is going on at nose tackle. We feel very positive about that. We try to be very multiple and the truth is that some of those players listed at defensive end could play in a variety of places, but you have to have a starting point.”

TRANSLATION: We finally have more than one guy over three bills on the line. So, hopefully, this year, you won’t see the opposing team’s center body slam a 260 lb. nose tackle into the ground, while the guards maul our undersized linebackers like rabid bears at a campsite.

- PJ