DJ GoodwinPhil Steele Awards Tigers Lombardi Trophy (Speed Cycle)
“I really don’t think anyone is going to challenge Missouri in the North.”
--Phil Steele
Pretty interesting KU football article from the UDK with lots of KU bashing from Steele. Honestly, I'm not even sure if the Jayhawk football program should even bother to field a team this year.
Also, this site from the article entertained me: http://preseason.stassen.com/
Weekend Scraps: Facilities and ADs
Indoor Facilities | The Oklahoman had a comparison of Big 12 indoor facilities. KSU largest in the nation?
http://newsok.com/article/3257394
Another Big 12 Preview | Quick and dirty, the internet way.
http://newsok.com/article/3257394
Anderson Nears Completion | KUsports.com has full piece on the new football facility with photos and video. One question as I look at the seating in the main meeting room. Are those fancy student desks big enough for the linemen? http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/jun/15/final_countdown/?football
Q&A With the ADs | The Dallas Morning News caught of few of the athletic directors at an AD convention in Dallas last week. Good questions about a playoff and a possible Big 12 Network.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/061508dnsponacda.37f8fe6.html
Big 12 Teams Looking For Answers | The Columbia Tribune put together a list of personnel holes that Big 12 football teams will be trying to fill this season. A pretty good rundown on some priority spots for the conference.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Jun/20080615Spor002.asp
Know the Enemy: Texas Tech
Something to keep in mind if you start drinking with these guys on 10/25:
Saw it at discotech.
The All-Mangino Team (Open Thread)
Mark Mangino has put a few years in now, so I think it's time we take a look at the all-time best "Fighting Mangino's" at KU. This is not a a definitive list, so help me out by clicking on the comments.
QB -- Todd Reesing
Consideration: Bill Whittemore Great Moments: Jason Swanson, Brian Luke
RB -- Jon Cornish
RB -- Brandon McAnderson
Consideration: Clark Green Future: Jake Sharp Great Moments: John Randle
WR -- Mark Simmons
WR -- Marcus Henry
WR -- Brandon Rideau
WR -- Dexton Fields
Consideration: Charles Gordon (FR), Brian Murph, Jr. Great Moments: Aqib Talib Future: Dezmon Briscoe
TE -- Derek Fine
Consideration: Lyonel Anderson
T -- Anthony Collins
T -- Adrian Jones
G -- Ryan Cantrell
G -- Adrian Mayes or Chet Hartley
C -- Joe Vaughan
Consideration: David Ochoa, Danny Lewis, Cesar Rodriguez
This is a tough call. I feel good about the tackles and center, but I need some help on the guards.
DE -- Charlton Keith
DE -- Jermail Ashley
Consideration: David McMillan
DT -- James McClinton
DT -- Wayne Wilder
Consideration: Tim Allen, Travis Watkins, Eric Butler
LB -- Nick Reid
LB -- Joe Mortenson
LB -- James Holt
Consideration: Kevin Kane, Mike Rivera, Banks Floodman, Gabe Toomey, Brandon Perkins, Eric Washington
CB -- Aqib Talib
CB -- Charles Gordon
Consideration: Chris Harris, Theo Baines
S -- Rodney Harris
S -- Darrell Stuckey
Consideration + Future: Justin Thornton
KU Football Schedule - 2008 and Beyond
This week we've added a new link to the left with the KU Football Schedule. Not too big of a deal, but the future schedules are there as well for a quick resource for Hawk Digest readers. Right now, just the non-cons are there, but we'll get the conference schedules in later.
Sound and the Fury: Charles Gordon for the Ring?
Aqib Talib, B-Mac, Anthony Collins and Todd Reesing all look like locks to have their names on the ring of honor? Will Charles Gordon?
Excellent question, but you may need to throw James McClinton into the mix. What about Nick Reid and Bill Whittemore? Heck, Mark Williams doesn't even has his name up there. The LJW world discussed the issue indirectly in an article last December. It definitely provides a solid debate point for who's on the list:
... could help any of the three secure a spot someday in the Memorial Stadium Ring of Honor, which currently has the names of 15 greats around the north bowl of the stadium. Being an AP All-American is not a requirement nor an automatic ticket. But it certainly gives each of them a great case.
Of course, any announcement or ceremony likely would be years down the road.
Collins, Talib and McClinton boosted the number of Mark Mangino-bred players to be recognized by the AP to five. Cornerback Charles Gordon was a third-team All-American in 2004, and linebacker Nick Reid made the third team in 2005.
Charles was a star on two bowl teams, but obviously missed out on the big year. I'd say looking at his KU resume (why doesn't the KU site list a final year on the player bios*), Charles deserves the honor. The freshman receiving records (57 rec, 769 yds) are pretty big, but it could be close as CG's highest honor mentioned in the LJW article was third team All-American. My gut feeling is that Charles will make it, but he could really help himself by becoming a standout in the NFL. A pretty good debate though -- I'd love to hear your comments. Also, if you have questions for Sound and the Fury, e-mail HawkDigest with your query. You might be famous.
*I actually pretty much know why. They probably export these bios for the print media guide.
Haselhorst and Webb Departure: The Impact
Todd Haselhorst battles in the 2008 Spring Game | www.annependleton.com
Deep Impact?
Losing both Todd Haselhorst and Anthony Webb strikes an odd chord as they happen to play the only two positions that lost starters on the Blue Steel defense. With the daily barrage of articles and blogs labeling KU overrated and primed for a big fall in 2008, fans of the KU gridiron have no interest in losing players from the two-deep. It's reported that Haselhorst is hanging it up due to health concerns and that is certainly understandable. Still, it hurts to see the big man go. Personally, it may be that I just was hoping for a breakthrough senior season after a career filled with injuries. Ever since Todd walked into that Big Blue Monday in Overland Park with Mike Rivera as two highly-touted local recruits back in 2004, I was pretty much a fan. Todd played as a true freshman and really showed quite a bit that first year. I was always rooting for a big-time comeback, but it doesn't always work out that way. Still, there's much more to life than football, so on behalf of all Jayhawk fans, we wish you the best.
Impact: Rivals is showing Jamal Greene and Richard Johnson Jr. as the starters, but I have a hard time believing Caleb Blakesly will not earn a starting position after playing so much in 2007. That trio is solid, but you can also throw Patrick Dorsey into the mix and incoming recruit Darius Parish who is built ready to play at 6-3/325/5.08 forty. Losing the experience and depth hurts but in the long run it just means more playing time for some youngsters. If they perform, we will not notice that much of a drop-off.
The Anthony Webb Situation
You can argue this one many ways. Anthony Webb came in as recruit with high expectations and played as a true freshman in 2006. He's been criticized on the boards for his technique and he certainly had some struggles that first year, but he also had some big moments with a couple of INTs vs KSU on Senior Day. However, he didn't earn any points last year with fans for his fielding of the ball on punt returns. Still, with his natural talent, it seemed like it was too bad for him to be working as a #2. With Harper in for one more year, it seemed like he would be in the mix to battle for that starting spot. Maybe it was never meant to be, but I feel like he could have stuck to it that he really did have the potential to be a solid Big 12 corner. Good luck to Anthony as well and we'll always remember him for returning that INT for the TD against K-State.
Impact: As long as Kendrick Harper stays healthy, it shouldn't factor in too much. Isiah Barfield will see some serious time this year and I suspect Ryan Murphy will get into the mix as well.
Todd Haselhorst and Anthony Webb Gonzo
Quick shot: Todd Haselhorst (health reasons) and Anthony Webb (team violations?) are no longer with the KU football team:
Tuesday Recycler: Mike Rivera + Dawg Sports Joins the Choir
Future Leader | The boys at the LJW put up a nice piece on Mike "God of Thunder" Rivera this morning. We all saw the leadership conference a few weeks ago and what can I say -- Rivera is exactly the kind of student athlete that we are after for KU football.
“I’m definitely trying to get everybody involved,” Rivera said. “It’s a lot of fun. We do a lot of good things. It’s definitely important to do well academically and in the community. It says a lot about a person. If you don’t do well off the field, chances are you’re not going to do well on the field.”
http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/jun/10/ku_linebacker_uses_football_means_end/#comments
Dawg Sports Hates KU | Another "fresh" take: http://www.dawgsports.com/2008/6/9/549099/which-four-college-footbal
... without so much as a single regular-season win against a legitimate quality opponent in 2007.
But they were all great the week before we played them. The qualifier helps ... no regular season wins. V-Tech and bowl games don't count anymore.
and the ‘Hawks are apt to discover that the Sunshine State is a mite more hot and humid in Tampa in September than it is in Miami in January.
That's a new one. Now we can't win when it's too hot. Will it really be hotter in September in Florida than it is January? I'm confused, I thought Florida was in Australia.
This program hasn’t been to a bowl game in an even-numbered year since 1992, hasn’t posted back-to-back seasons above .500 since 1995 ...
Hee Hee ... now channeling Field House Drinker.
Required Reading | The Cap-Journal caught up with Mark Mangino and Bill Self in Topeka and as they offered kind words on Otto Schnellbacher. There's some good stuff from Fambrough in there. Here's a quote from Mangino that gives a little clue about plans inside the new facility:
"He was one of the all-time greats and his name will forever be part of the Ring of Honor," Mangino said of the shrine in Memorial Stadium recognizing KU's football greats. "When we move into our new complex, we'll have a mini ring of honor there. We'll make sure his memory lives on."
Weekend Scraps: David McMillan, SB Nation and Jersey #3
Keegan Likes The D | Tom Keegan output a little rundown on the expectations for the 2008 D minus James McClinton and Aqib Talib. Here's a quote from Mike Rivera:
"Linebacker's the heart, baby. It's been that way for a long time. It was last year, and it was the year before. We learned well from Banks (Floodman), Kevin (Kane) and Nick (Reid)."
Talking NCAA 09 on the Huddle | This thread has a link to the player rankings plus it tipped me off to the KU official site listing Jocques Crawford as #3. High expectations indeed.
SB Nation-Unsportsmanlike Conduct | C'mon, you're running stats and schedule feeds into each of your sites. How can I compete with that?
David McMillan Website | Saw this on the grid. Some nice KU memories in the photo album. Go there.
KU Scholarship Offers | According to recruitingplanet.com, the following recruits received offers over the weekend:
OH -- CB Bradley McDougald
TX -- DE Brayden Burnett
KS -- DE/TE Kevin Young
AR -- WR Neal Barlow
TX -- RB Kendial Lawrence
Yippee! Another Great Anti-KU Site!
Check out the blog. Powered by WordPress. You had me fooled. I was thinking Blogger all the way.
http://www.kucheats.com/comics.html
And just to keep our enemies organized, remember our old friends at:
http://www.ihateku.com/index.htm
This is a good case study on the subtle differences between Mizzou and KSU fans.
