2013 NCAA Football Thread

[MacAttack]

Having watched Winston's interview, yes, that's English. Not everyone speaks English in the same dialect as white Americans.

Talk about using the word "dialect" quite liberally. By the way, I am not a white American and English is my second language (Spanish is my first language). I find it deplorable that they cannot speak one of the many accepted English dialects, particularly at a minimum one from where they are from. I have an easier time understanding black Nigerians and South Africans are trying to communicate than Mr. Jameis Winston. I generally don't have to assume what they are saying.

Anyway, I'm stepping of my soap box now. I won't fix the relationship of American Intercollegiate Athletics with their respective academic institutions with my rants on CFC any time soon .

 

[ummmm........]

I wanted to avoid this conversation entirely, but now that there is another voice of reason I suppose I'll interject. I hate listening to athletes give interviews, so I haven't listened to Winston's. I was editing the Alabama/UT-Chattanooga game this week -- busy holiday season -- and they had an interview with former Alabama and current Falcons offensive lineman Mike Johnson. He was perfectly articulate, but when he wasn't looking at the interviewer he was scanning the top row of the stadium. The effect was that he appeared to be developmentally challenged and couldn't focus his eyes. It irritated the hell out of me. And recall that the offensive linemen are the smartest players on the field . . .

But OTOH it's unfair that these athletes are expected to be media-ready as early as they are athletically ready, so I have no problem with Winston, no matter what he sounded like. What I will tell you instead is that when I saw reports of Bonner's tweet, the first thing I thought of was my high school English teacher who was always scolding athletes for their um's and uh's. The second thing I thought was that Bonner raised a QB, which is a position that needs to be media-ready . . .

If any of you read that she was commenting on a black QB rather than a QB, or any other player that had been schooled by any FBS media relations team, the racial issue lies with you, not her . . .

 

[MacAttack]

Just so there is no question, I am not singling out black collegiate football athletes, I am singling out academically unqualified football athletes (regardless of their demographic) or otherwise high school graduates that under any other circumstance (not a football player) would not have been admitted. They are attending a school, taking up a classroom seat from a deserving, paying, qualified person who may have not been admitted on the fact that there was no more room.

 

[ummmm........]

I understood. You were the voice of reason I was referring to actually

But I don't think unqualified athletes really take up classroom spots for other students. If you have a student that is so marginal that an athlete may take his spot just because he/she's an athlete, I say hurrah! Let's give the spot to the person that shown some initiative outside the classroom. The fact that universities are the only career path for a lot of these athletes even though their goals don't require a college degree is something the system needs to address, not the athlete . . .

EDIT: Third AFCA Saban rule, potentially limiting overall staff . . .

 

[Light Cleric]

I understood. You were the voice of reason I was referring to actually

But I don't think unqualified athletes really take up classroom spots for other students. If you have a student that is so marginal that an athlete may take his spot just because he/she's an athlete, I say hurrah! Let's give the spot to the person that shown some initiative outside the classroom. The fact that universities are the only career path for a lot of these athletes even though their goals don't require a college degree is something the system needs to address, not the athlete . . .

EDIT: Third AFCA Saban rule, potentially limiting overall staff . . .

I agree, it is not always a clear-cut case because in the end there may end up being room for both students. It's also important for these kids that might bust to finish school but unfortunately the NCAA has seen more and more underclassmen declare in spite of the rookie wage scale. I like to point to Tyrann Matthieu. He eventually got kicked out of LSU after too many violations and got arrested again for smoking pot after he'd been kicked out. How did he get things turned around? His old college football friends/teammates including Patrick Peterson helped him out and he's been a great fit in Arizona with those friends mentoring him and really gotten things straightened out. He might have just ended up as another bum on the street without those people to help him out.

Also, I think even professional athlete and coach interviews are a waste of time. There's almost nothing good that can ever come out of one. Best case scenario they read the standard stock answers and bore you, worst case they say something dumb or something that gets misconstrued and run with. I'd say maybe 1% of the time you get someone who can be candid and still not say dumb things(Belichick trolls the media 99% of the time but 1% he opens up and says some really insightful things). This is why I like J.J. Watt even as a complete outsider to the Texans, he's always so genuine goofing around with the fans and teammates dude but will also bust his butt on the field and let you know how he feels in interviews.

This is also why I hate sideline reporters and think they should all be liminated(except maybe Jay Glazer because actually does give you useful reporting sometimes).

 

[downtown]

Just so there is no question, I am not singling out black collegiate football athletes, I am singling out academically unqualified football athletes (regardless of their demographic) or otherwise high school graduates that under any other circumstance (not a football player) would not have been admitted. They are attending a school, taking up a classroom seat from a deserving, paying, qualified person who may have not been admitted on the fact that there was no more room.

Again, just so we're clear, that does not include Winston. Winston got into Stanford. His academic profile is probably in the top 25, 30% of all students at Florida State.

Also, if you're concerned about that, the SEC is probably the single biggest obstacle to enforcing stronger academic standards among major FBS conferences, and they're probably the biggest culprit in allowing academically marginal students into classrooms.

 

[Azale]

If any of you read that she was commenting on a black QB rather than a QB, or any other player that had been schooled by any FBS media relations team, the racial issue lies with you, not her . . .

lol ok, did you get that directly from the deflecting obvious racism handbook or is that a paraphrase?

imo, it was SEC butthurt first, racism second. The usual pecking order for southerners.

 

[JollyRoger]

If a football player is taking your spot at Florida State, you've got bigger problems.

 

[ummmm........]

lol ok, did you get that directly from the deflecting obvious racism handbook or is that a paraphrase?

imo, it was SEC butthurt first, racism second. The usual pecking order for southerners.

atonthehead

If a football player is taking your spot at Florida State, you've got bigger problems.

lol . . .

 

[ummmm........]

The plot thins. Luke Del Rio is leaving Alabama. That brings the number of QBs on campus with a reasonable shot at the starting job down to five, plus the possibility of Coker coming over from FSU in the summer.

Del Rio was an invited walk on, so it doesn't even free up a scholarship. Despite his walk on status, he received a lot of praise from coaches over the past year and was the only true freshman QB to make the travel roster . . .

 

[JollyRoger]

Another Texas Tech QB leaves, settling the starting job for next year.

 

[MacAttack]

Texas Tech is getting a decent 3 star QB recruit in Patrick Mahomes. Dual threat, we'll see what KK can do with him. Not all is lost with Brewer leaving. May be better off.

 

[ummmm........]

Ninety-four underclassmen have declared for the draft. I'm going to go out on a limb and say they're not all going to go in the first round . . .

 

[ummmm........]

Charlie Strong starting it off right with his eleven points. I got kicked off my football team for wearing an earring . . .

 

[ummmm........]

Now maybe Sunseri's not leaving after all . . .

Either way, with Pagan and Hubbard going this will be the first year under Saban that a non-RB has declared early for the draft and failed to go in the first round. Hubbard has already finished his undergraduate degree, while Pagan has not . . .

EDIT: Looks like it's Stanford DC Derek Mason for Vandy. That's good I suppose

Jim Grobe is supposedly interested in the UAB job. How the mighty have fallen . . .

 

[ummmm........]

SEC player map . . .

Alvin Kamara transferring from Alabama . . .

 

[ummmm........]

Luke Del Rio lands at Oregon State, unsurprisingly . . .

Alabama 5* corner and January enrollee Tony Brown arrested for failure to obey and resisting arrest. Those kids today . . .

UAB's new head coach is Jacksonville State's Bill Clark. Clark was only at Jax State for one year, but he improved them from a 6-5 team to an 11-4 team that made the FCS quarterfinals. Plus he's a defensive guy, which is good. Sad to see such a promising career get sucked into the black hole that is UAB football

EDIT: Oh, and it's weigh in day at the senior bowl, which is always fun. Alabama punter Cody Mandell somehow managed to shrink an inch and a quarter from when he graduated high school . . .

 

[dgfred]

They must have let him keep his cleats on for his HS height .

Need those good-sized punters .

 

[ummmm........]

Talk about pricing fans out of the game. CFB playoffs will be more of a Super Bowl atmosphere . . .

 

[Azale]

That is truly lame.