While we've been out......

Dan Radakovich signed a five year contract extension, senior Osahon Tongo left the team (graduation & a job in the real world), Cooper Taylor's medical redshirt was approved, & LB Julian Burnett hit the weight room......

That's full on beast mode! If that doesn't fire you up there's a short in the system. Hopefully we'll have the computer back tomorrow & we'll have things back to normal......

Real Life Interuptus......

Between my Mac blowing up & the not so paying job I was crushed today. Some news coming tomorrow.....

The Friday Five.....

We're preparing for tomorrow's tilt with Ghana's Black Stars as only true Americans can: listening to this while drinking whiskey and searching the interweb for a Captain America suit. Full on patriotic fervor at the Barrel today. But enough futbol, on to football:

• just wanted to put Joshua Nesbitt's feats of strength into perspective for everyone. UNC LB Bruce Carter is being touted by ESPN's Bruce Feldman as the #1 "workout warrior" in this year's class. Impressive stuff & the 240 pound linebacker is quite the force. In fact, Carter just broke his own record for a LB at Carolina by power cleaning 376#. So let's see, Carolina has a LB that power cleans 376 while our QB power cleans 350 (and could do more but they won't let him). So when Nesbitt busts through the hole & into the second level on the midline, there's a pretty good chance somebody is gonna' get punished by #9 in white & gold. I've always said he looks like a LB.....
• Uh oh for the Fridge. His biggest ally is now at NC State which leaves him, coming off a miserable 2-10 season, hanging in the wind. That's a lot of man just hanging out there exposed.....I'd really like to see Freidgen back doing what he does best: running an offense. Let's just hope it's not for someone we play regularly.....
• Former Jacket Gary Guyton gettin' paid by Belichek & Co. Good for him.....
• An interesting look over at SEC blog Team Speed Kills on average star rankings for recruits at SEC schools. Bama, Florida, & even LSU have cashed in on their recruiting haul in the last ten years with National Championships. Seems our friends in Athens may be squandering some talent if you believe the recruiting services. That could well end up being the issue with Richt's whole "Dream Team" approach this year: if you get those guys you better win & win big or you're setting yourself up for a huge letdown & a disappointed fan base down the line.....
• the AJC's Doug Roberson continues his position-by-position look at Tech with a post on our safeties. If there's one thing we have it's a load of talent at safety. Right now there are five guys in the mix to start for only two slots: Jarrard Tarrant, Cooper Taylor, Mario Edwards, Jemea Thomas & Isaiah Johnson. And that doesn't include highly touted incoming freshman Fred Holton. Any of those five are excellent options. I will tell you that I see Tarrant as more of a nickel back as he's got great ball skills but is not the most physical player. We've got experience in Taylor & Edwards & a ton of raw ability in Thomas & Johnson. However the battle shakes out, we're in very good shape at safety both this year & in the near future.
• In the "back-handed compliments department" noted Mutt homer & AJC recruiting writer Chip Towers opines: "Based on its commitments so far, Tech’s 2011 class would appear to be par with its recruiting of previous years. So far all the Jackets’ commitments are all three-star-rated recruits or less. But all that could change very quickly if the Jackets land some of the targets they’re in on. In addition to five-stars Steward and Grant, Tech already knows it will get a visit this summer from 5-star running back James Wilder Jr. of Tampa. Five-star cornerback Doran Grant of Akron, Ohio, list the Yellow jackets among his favorite. They also lead for four-star DE Stephon Tuitt of Monroe and are in on several other highly-touted prospects. Before it’s over this could be a very non-traditional class for the defending ACC champs." (my highlight). So if we ever get ANY talent at all we might be dangerous.........[sarcasm button off]
• In the "Kiss of Death" category, sweet Heather says we're going to beat Georgia up in Athens this season. I appreciate her flawed logic (Murray will be seasoned after 10 games) but it will come down to much more than just our superiority at QB. Let's hope she's right. We're really doomed if Lee Corso picks us.......
• And while we're speaking of Heather, she thinks Josh Nesbitt is the 8th best player in the ACC this year. It's a stretch to think there are seven better players in the ACC this year than Joshua. There's certainly no one more important to his team. Keep doubting.....
• Finally, while we'd like to go back to the Orange Bowl this year (particularly now that it is the Reese's Orange Bowl) we have to think a trip to El Paso would be at the very least interesting. Oh, snap, the Hyundai Sun Bowl!!!! We could even take the Hyundai over to Ciudad Juarez & take in a few drug killings & general mayhem. That right there is a bowl trip......A tip of the cap to Senor Swofford & the ACC for lining up that affiliation.......

Enjoy the weekend & remember, USA, USA, USA.......and to our Ghanian friends.....we're comin' for you, bitches........

Wednesday Grab Bag.....

I'm in a patriotic fervor after yesterday's World Cup win.....

A mish-mash of thoughts as I am finally caught up on my reading & able to process information at a reasonable speed. At this rate, there may even be some original content up on the Barrel this week......

• The #8 ranked player in the country, LB Curtis Grant of Richmond, Virginia spent yesterday on campus with the coaching staff & his cousin, recent commit Darren Waller. Hopefully we'll get an official visit in the Fall. RB James Wilder will also visit in the near future. First time I can ever remember having two top ten national recruits on campus.
• There's a certain amount of attrition expected after a coaching change & Mike London & Virginia are experiencing this right now. Five Cavaliers have recently left the program & depth may be an issue this season. I like London's bravado when he says, "I got enough to get through...they're a group of guys right there that you can win with". What can he win with that group, a horseshoe tournament? Sure as hell not the ACC. At least not yet. London has hit the recruiting trail hard and the Cavs have 14 commits for next year.
• Wake Forest comes in at #71 in Pre-Snap Read's college football countdown. I too expect a tougher year than normal for the Deacons. I wonder if Wake fans really appreciate the job Jim Grobe is doing, leading them to their first winning decade since the 1940's. The coach at Wake then? One "Peahead" Walker. Don't make 'em like ol' Peahead anymore....As long as we're talking names, how about Wake DE Gelo Orange (that's pronounced "jello"). A tip of the hat for to Momma & Daddy Orange for the locutionary stylings. But to sum everything up, it might be a long year for Wake as they lose a four-year starting QB, three offensive linemen, & both defensive tackles off a pretty average defense. Those losses combined with the fact that they will be starting a QB named Skylar spell a long season in my book. Skylar? Really? Shouldn't he be at UVA on the sailing team?
• Barrel favorite Heather Dinich sits down with Tech director of player development (aka strength & conditioning coach) Neal Peduzzi for an insightful chat. I didn't really need confirmation that Josh Nesbitt is stupid strong but it's nice to know. The Julian Burnett thing is astounding. 435# THREE TIMES!!! He's 220 pounds. Beast mode. Burnett is a guy searching for an identity in our new 3-4 defense but with his strength & nose for the ball I can't help but think he'll find the field somewhere this year. He's one of my favorites & I can't help rooting for "the Buzzsaw".
• A nice write-up on recent commit OL Shaq Mason. At 16 the young man has a bright future ahead of him. It's great to see our staff is able to recognize talent regardless of the number of stars by their name. FYI, after camping at Tech, Mason went to Tennessee with his team & blew up the Vol's camp. The only reason he didn't have any offers was there wasn't any film on him out there. Mason reminds me a lot of current guard Omoregie Uzzi who I expect to have an All-ACC type season this year.
• A couple posts from Chris Brown on the spread offense over at Smart Football. Our offense certainly evolved from the single wing & the video is pretty interesting. Plus it's option football set to the 1812 Overture. If that doesn't move you then Viagra is in order. Baylor coach Art Briles also brings up some good points as to our recent offensive success and the spread: "I definitely think it will continue to change, but I also think it’s here to stay. I think the game has become a lot faster from the standpoint of putting people in space and letting them make plays. I don’t think that we’ll consistently see people lining up with a full house backfield, handing the ball to a guy who’s running downfield. I think that part of the game is definitely valuable. You can have some advantages doing that today, because people don’t recruit defensively to stop teams that pound the ball at you. (my highlight) But I don’t think the spread offenses are going anywhere for a while." Good stuff from a great blog.....

Hell Yes!!!!!!!

Once again a clutch effort. A well deserved win for the boys in red, white, & blue. A class finish by Donovan at the end to prove his mettle. Bocanegra & Demerit deserve credit in back while Altidore continues to assert himself up top. And what service from Tim Howard toward the end of the game. On to the round of 16.......

Finally, Somebody Gets It........

A fantastic post over at Brophy Football on how Norm Parker & the Iowa defense held the spread option in check in the Orange Bowl. We take exception to the term "annihilation", after all, they didn't pitch a shut out & we were only down seven in the fourth quarter. But the fact remains the Iowa defense stifled our offense as well as anyone has since CPJ came to Tech. And it all came down to two simple factors: 1) execution, & 2) winning match-ups. It's not magic or witchcraft or anything fancy. Iowa executed their defensive plan better than we executed our offensive one. Plain & simple. Just watch their positioning & how they are able to shed/avoid blocks. Good stuff here, particularly the end-zone camera shots. It's not particularly fun to watch as a Tech fan but this should hopefully help settle the debate on why/how we were beaten......As has been the case in football for years, whomever executes better wins and that night in Miami was no exception.....(h/t: Senator Blutarsky)

Random Ideas Flying Through the Interweb......

Some articles & postulations that appeared as shiny objects to us & caught our attention during this, the longest hour of the off-season. 78 days until toe meets leather......

• Paul Johnson makes a cameo appearance over at EDSBS as Doug Gillett ponders the pre-season top 25. The Jackets come in at #19 in an average of ten pre-season polls. Pretty fare in my book and yes, that's exactly what Coach is thinking......
• Former Tech WR & QB Damarius Bilbo has landed with Todd France & is working on becoming a sports agent. I will continue to wonder why he never made a bigger impact while at Tech.....
• Paul Myerberg of the New York Times & Pre-Snap Read is breaking down all 120 FBS schools in order of strength. To say his reports are exhaustive & detailed would be an understatement. No better way to get a brief snap shot of every team in college football before the season begins. It's like those couple of cocktails you have before you head out for a night on the town; you must lay down a solid foundation.....Maryland & our old pal Ralph Friedgen are under Myerberg's watchful eye here. It struck my eye that the Terps currently have 37 former players in the NFL; that's a lot of talent moving through a program with little to show for it in the trophy case. And for the record, the worst moment of the last Indiana Jones movie was its conception. Way to bankrupt great childhood memories with that steaming turd.....And one more thing: the ACC Atlantic is a big fat joke.....
• The Outland Trophy, the top award for interior linemen in college football, has released its watch list for 2010 & senior center Sean Bedford is amongst those who shall be watched. We were tempted to type "former walk-on & rocket scientist" Sean Bedford but didn't for two reasons: 1) everyone knows the story by now, & 2) it somehow seems to slight Bedford as a football player. He's a damn fine center & the key cog on our offensive line. It's terrific he gets recognized for his brain power & effort (we've certainly never been accused of having the former) but it's about time people recognize #79 for what he is: a terrific football player.
• Doug Roberson of the AJC is on vacation but has begun to break the Jacket squad down by position. Here's his look at the defensive line. We agree that the line is "a fairly big question mark, arguably the biggest on the team." There's little debate that much of our success this year will come down to defensive line play. We can probably cobble something together at NT will Walls, Barnes, Lanier & true freshman Shawn Green. But we're very thin at DE. After the two starters (Peters & Cross) it's all question marks. Hall is done on the Flats after his arrest is what I'm hearing, Dieke isn't an option, & Cummings has a future but needs to continue to bulk up. That leaves Ben Anderson, who should be ready but is recovering from ACL reconstruction & true freshman Denzel McCoy as our second unit DE's. Hopefully those guys will be ready. The more we think about it the more I believe that McCoy has a chance to play this year. So yes, the defensive line is a question mark. I still think Peters has a break-out year & ends up an All-ACC player in 2010.....
• T Kyle King of Dawg Sports looks at Five College Teams that Won't be as Good as Advertised in 2010. Both Tech & Georgia make King's list & for the most part he's right on. We're not as concerned with the defense this year - hell, they can't be any worse after not forcing a single punt in five games last season. But turnovers can increase & we do see somewhat of a regression to the mean. 9-3 keeps sticking in our head......
• Finally, this little pile of dung on Calvin Johnson's lack of production. Something's not adding up? Maybe it's your logic, genius! Maybe he hasn't broken out because the Lions have an offensive line that doubles as a subway turnstile & he's the only offensive weapon on a terrible team. He wishes he was getting double covered. If you're looking to blame someone might I suggest Matt Millen...."not enough support"? Ya' think? Impose his will? How the fuck is he going to impose his will if they can't get him the ball? Wait, let me close my eyes....I see it, Calvin imposing his will as he beats the triple team down the seam only to watch Stafford get sacked or throw a pick. I fart in your general direction......

We now begin preparations for our upcoming battle with Algeria........

If you have a bad wheel.....

then you might want to work the upper body. Seems like that's the plan this summer for Jacket defensive lineman Ben Anderson. Anderson, who has been rehabbing an ACL he tore against Duke last season, obviously has kept himself in pretty good shape & is looking to contribute along the defensive line in this his final season. 'Round here we call this "country strong".......

The Saturday Seven.....

Wow. Just wow. A terrible half of futbol followed by a brilliant second stanza. I'll say they same thing I say after a close Tech game: don't put yourself in a position, as a team, to let the referee decide the game. We did that yesterday with an atrocious first half. That being said, I can think of several ACC schools who might do well to recruit the guy who tackled Michael Bradley on our disallowed goal. Some shameful shit there, not giving us that goal. And somewhere, Ron Cherry is smiling....As is frequently the case, we bring you several bonus links today:

• A nice piece by Southern Pigskin's B.J. Bennett on Joshua Nesbitt. Hopefully people outside of Tech will begin to realize what a great player Nesbitt has become. Woodrow Dantzler's career rushing mark & rushing yards in a season record will both fall to #9 this year, making him the greatest running QB in ACC history. Not bad for a kid known for his arm coming out of high school.
• Many folks expect big things this season for LB A.T. Barnes. With the change-over from the 4-3 to the 3-4, Barnes will play the "Sam" linebacker spot, a position which fit his natural abilities very well. There's never been a question about Barnes' physical tools; he's a fantastic athlete. But his focus & mental preparation have been an issue while at Tech. Hopefully our new defense will let him play more & think less.....
• A Q&A session with A-back Roddy Jones. He's primed for a big season this year & will be a key cog in our spread option attack. The triple option is his favorite play. Imagine that? Nice to see he also thinks highly of the Albicelestes, who we both favor to win the World Cup. Great minds think alike......
• ESPN's Heather Dinich sat down with DE Jason Peters for a quick chat. Peters will be a break-out performer this season with the switch to the 3-4. He's a much more natural 3-4 DE and was incredibly disruptive during spring drills. A highly touted recruit out of high school, I expect Peters to live up to his advanced billing this year with an All-ACC caliber performance.
• Think we're in Bud Foster's head? Evidently, he took losing to us last year personally (insert appropriate whine about "chop" block here). All the man talks about is stopping the spread option. That's well & good but it's not going to happen. So do us all a favor & spend a little time game planning for Boise State on Labor Day weekend. We need the win for the ACC. I so wish I could make a CPJ zombie video for Bud......

Now on to some Jackets plying their trade in the professional ranks:

• Some press for Jaguars LB Darryl Smith, one of my all-time favorite Jackets. Just as he did while on the Flats, Smith continues to excel in relative anonymity, doing whatever is asked of him & more. Maybe he'll finally start to get the recognition he deserves.
• Jonathan Dwyer has officially signed with the Steelers, and is now a millionaire. While not what any of us (including Dwyer) hoped for or expected before the draft, $1.3 million is a lot of chedda. Spend (or save) it wisely, my man.
• Another Barrel favorite, Michael Johnson, has changed positions & is playing strong-side LB for Mike Zimmer & the Bengals. After a relatively quiet rookie campaign, it looks as if Johnson is in line for more action this season. We can only wonder what havoc he would have wreaked in Al Groh's 3-4 defense at the "Jack" position. Would have been fun to watch......
• Finally, former Tech WR Kelly Campbell is back in the CFL. Maybe a year of clean living & solid production will get him another shot in the NFL.

Enjoy the weekend & happy Father's Day......

We temporarily interrupt this blog.....

so that Frank & I can watch the United States' Men's National Team get all medieval on Slovenia. Depending on how many beers we drink for breakfast the Friday Five may or may not be up today. In the meantime, the dulcet vocal stylings of Andres Cantor, which we hope to hear many times in reference to the good ol' USA this morning.......

Let's just get this out of the way now.......

We've jokingly gotten much mileage out of our friends up 316 way & their seeming inability to obey traffic laws & decorum. Now the shoe's on the other lead foot. Damnit, our insufferable air of vehicular & traffic superiority has taken a drastic hit. We're quite sure Senator Blutarsky has something pithy in store for us this morning..........What is it with football players in this state not being able to keep their licenses up to date?

Not too bad.....

College Football News just came out with their annual look at the Jackets & I must say I'm pretty impressed. Sure, they missed a few details but overall I think it's a pretty accurate accounting of the Yellow Jackets. Richard Cirminiello offers a preview of the season & then breaks down the offense & defense. Don't pay too much attention to the depth chart, it's got a few holes.

What they got right in the Preview:

• The key is defense, we'll get our points. Jefferson is indeed our best defender & Nesbitt is the key to the offense. Yes, the schedule is very tough. As far as what determines a successful season, I'll agree that nine wins, with our division & schedule, would be a success. My caveat: one of those nine wins must be against the Mutts. The UNC game is key to set the tone for the rest of the season. Go on the road & beat them & we're likely undefeated heading into the tilt with Clemson....

What they missed in the Preview:

• It's great to have Cooper Taylor back but he's not the key to our success. We're so deep at safety he might not even start. The success of the 3-4 hinges on quality nose tackle play. Logan Walls, TJ Barnes, & perhaps true freshman Shawn Green will be the guys to watch this season. If they can hold the point of attack & demand a double team we'll have a much improved defense. Those guys, & the play of the defensive line as a whole, will determine our success.

For a national writer who doesn't cover the Jackets & obsess about them as we do, I was impressed with the breakdown. Some light reading until we begin to crank out the heavy breakdowns closer to the season.....

Tech Lands Commitment #8 ......

Just a couple of days after impressing coaches at our elite camp & receiving an offer, North Cobb athlete Darren Waller became the 8th commitment for the Jacket's class of 2011. Waller, who measured in on Saturday at almost 6'5" & 204 pounds, has been electronically timed at 4.4 in the fourty and impressed coaches with his raw talent & athletic ability during the camp on Saturday. Waller will be listed at safety as of right now but could play WR or even linebacker, depending on our needs & how he develops once in school.

Waller is a great fit for us & just the type of player we should be going after: a high caliber athlete whose game needs polish & refinement. With our staff, we can turn athletes like Waller into tremendous football players. Watching highlights of Waller, you can see the speed is there but his angles to the ball are often poor & he needs to be more physical. These are easy teaching points for our staff. What you can't teach is 6'5" & a 4.4 fourty. In short, the young man is far from a finished product & has a tremendous upside as a player at Tech.

Waller is commitment #8 for 2011 & I expect the only safety we'll take now that Brian Randolph has committed to Tennessee. The number right now for next year stands at 22 by my count after Jake Skole's departure for MLB. Of note also is that Waller is a cousin of Tech target Curtis Grant, the #8 overall player for 2011 according to Rivals. Grant will be taking a visit to the Flats this summer.

A Rose by Any Other Name Still Smells Like Poo-Poo...

With the minor shifting around in conference allegiances we've experienced over the last week, several conference names are now (still) out of date. We humbly submit the following names for football conferences. We feel they more truly reflect the conferences' inner souls:

Big 12 becomes the Franco/Oklahoma Alliance
Having Texas in your league is like having an alliance with France. Its only a matter of time before it's "Fuck you, we don't give a shit, we're going to do what ever the hell we want" time for the other guy, in this case France or its stand-in, Texas.

PAC-10 becomes College Football Blunt-tacular
From Arizona State's smoking hot coeds to UW's Trustafarians. From Cal/Berkeley's Nuevo-Marxists to Colorado's Cork Footed Ski Dude's, this conference loves them some ganga.

Big Ten becomes Stalag 12
Dear Big Ten Fan, just when you thought it couldn't get worse than a late November road trip to State College, Pennsylvania or Iowa City, Iowa, we give you Lincoln, Nebraska. P.S. not only will it be ball breaking cold in the winter, but it will also be 90 plus in the summer with frequent and devastating tornado's......

SEC to Team America Super Awesome Top 12
USC, Texas and Ohio State would be lucky to win two games in-conference, that's a fact. You know how hard it is to go into Starkville and Oxford to open conference play after playing University of Louisiana-Lafayette, University of Louisiana-Monroe, Troy and Appalachian State? Plus every few years you gotta face Vanderbilt and Kentucky.....

ACC to You Ain't From 'Round Here Conference
No sir, we're from the United States of America. Duke, UVA, Georgia Tech, Miami, & the ACC as a whole is full of small academic schools populated with the sons and daughters of Rustbelt Refugees, Jerseynaughts come south, Pakistani Pre-meds, Indian Engineering Students, Taiwanese Architects, Korean English-As-A-Second-Language students, and a freak fringe fresh from DRAGONCON.

MWC to Cousin Eddie's Desert Mining and Industrial Waste Storage Systems of America
It doesn't matter how good the football is, few want to visit, and no one wants to be associated with these guys.

Big East becomes the Red Bull College Football Conference
They need the sponsorship, plus it ties them to a league with more exposure, the MLS.

Feel free to add your suggestions......

Dubious Rankings of Questionable Validity.....

Well it seems like the expansion brouhaha might actually die down for a bit so we thought we'd engage it the time honored tradition of every football blogger: ranking things. Yes, it's that time, that wonderful moment where we begin to quantify & qualify what we think about teams & players around the college football universe. We'll of course end up by ranking the ACC teams but that's a ways away. After all, we've got to fill 81 days before toe meets leather. So today it's ACC quarterbacks.

A brief note on ACC quarterback play in 2010. First, the position is both very deep & experienced; the league returns eight of twelve starters & another two QB's with more than fleeting game experience (Verica & Robinson). In fact, one might argue that any of five players has a legitimate shot to be the All-ACC QB at the end of 2010: Ponder, Nesbitt, Harris, Wilson, & Taylor. Hell, you could argue that any one of those guys could be a darkhorse Heisman contender. That might be wishful thinking but each has a shot to make a lasting mark on the ACC this season. That's not just depth but quality depth. It's one of the best years I can remember for quarterbacks in the ACC. Here's my ranking of ACC QB's heading into the season:

1. Christian Ponder (SR), FSU: I'd love to put Nesbitt at the top but Ponder is more deserving & is the better QB. In fact, before injuring himself & missing the last three games of 2009, Ponder was almost single-handedly winning games for a FSU team that played almost no defense. In 9 games last year, Ponder threw for 2717 yds with 14 TD's & 7 interceptions, completing a gaudy 69% of his passes. He also ran for 318 yards & offers that dimension when needed. Simply put, he's the best QB in a very strong year for ACC QB's. While we're not sure about all the Heisman hype, we are glad that the only time we might face him this year is in the ACC Championship game. The fact that Bobby Bowden won't be whistlin' showtunes through the headset during critical offensive possessions may also help......
2. Josh Nesbitt (SR), Georgia Tech: the returning 1st team All-ACC quarterback who led his team to the ACC Championship & Orange Bowl last year, Nesbitt may be the most important player on any team in the conference as the trigger man for the spread option. Critics of my pick will go on & on about his 48% completion rate last year and blunderbuss of an arm. My response is simple: he plays in a run first system & is THE KEY to the league's highest scoring offense. He ran for over 1000 yards last year (1037) & accounted for 28 touchdowns (18 rushing, 10 passing). And some will argue (Frank is a leading proponent of this school of thought) that all of Nesbitt's pitches should be considered simply short passes. Sure, it's a hometown pick. If you don't like it, take it up with Mr. Nesbitt. Think there's a tougher, more determined player in the ACC?
3. Tyrod Taylor (SR), Virginia Poly: it seems like yesterday the heir apparent to Michael Vick was just stepping on campus in Blacksburg. Well three years later Taylor has finally developed into an efficient, dual threat quarterback. Taylor had a fine season last year, ranking 13th nationally in QB rating at 149.39, & throwing for 2311 yards & 13 TD's versus 5 interceptions. He also ran for 370 yards. His game saving heave against Nebraska, where he scrambled around to buy time for himself & his receivers, was a thing of beauty. Taylor is a very good QB but the biggest thing holding him (and Virginia Tech as a whole) back is offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring. With the focus this year on the tremendous backfield due of Ryan Williams & Darren Evans, VT would be wise to take advantage of defenses loading up to stop the run by allowing Taylor more freedom to operate. Taylor has also shown the under-appreciated ability to stay away from pitbulls, McDonald's & under-age women, something other VT QB's from his neck of the woods failed at......
4. Russell Wilson (JR), North Carolina State: this will make Pack fans howl (drumroll....I'll be here all week) but I can't place Wilson any higher until his team wins more consistently. I realize the problem wasn't really the offense last season and sure the numbers are terrific: 3027 yards with 31 TD's & 11 interceptions in 2009. Can't argue with those numbers other than to point out that they came against some very poor defenses (FSU, Gardner-Webb, Murray St., Maryland). Wilson may top the list by the end of the season but I'd like to see better performances against elite defenses before he moves up.
5. Jacory Harris (JR), Miami: if this was a fashion show/swagger award Harris would top the list without any competition. Easily the most pimp-tastic of all ACC signal callers. A sartorial wonder, if you will..... But pimpin' ain't easy & neither is playing QB. The arrival of offensive coordinator Mark Whipple saw Harris take a giant lap forward as his vertical passing game suited the tall & lanky QB. Harris completed 59.6% of his passes last year for 3352 yards & 24 TD's (17 INT's), a fine year for a true sophomore. And it's certainly likely that Harris will improve with another year under Whipple. But for Harris to really take a leap forward he's got to improve his mental toughness. First off, anyone that watched a Miami game can easily see the kid doesn't like contact. Of any kind. Pop Harris a couple times & you can see how it effects his game. It was readily visible against both Clemson & Wisconsin in their bowl game last year; Harris became flustered after taking repeated hits. Miami could be very good this year but Harris will have to toughen up for then to be a top 10 team nationally. If you wanna' keep yo' corner, you gotta' stay strong....
6. Kyle Parker, (JR), Clemson: assuming he sticks around & foregoes baseball for another year, Parker has a chance to grow into an elite ACC QB. Parker's numbers as a sophomore last year (55.6%, 2526, 20-12) are very similar to Christian Ponder's as a sophomore. Good company. Parker possesses all the physical tools but will have to improve his decision making if he's to continue on to be a top-flight ACC QB. And for the record, a QB's performance is certainly helped and or hindered by many factors (offensive line, skill personnel, & play-calling are three crucial factors); Parker will need to overcome challenges in all those areas if he's to improve on last year. The Napier/Swinney offensive brain trust is still a work in progress (estimated completion time, 2098....)
7. Sean Renfree, (SO), Duke: the former Tech signee has found a comfortable home in Durham under the wing of one of college football's best QB tutors, David Cutcliffe. Renfree missed spring ball as he recovers from a torn ACL but got valuable snaps last season & showed he could handle himself against ACC competition. The fact that Duke returns three very good receivers in Austin Kelly, Connor Vernon, & Donovan Varner should also help Renfree in his transition to starter. Duke will throw the ball & Renfree is smart enough & a good enough athlete to have a career path similar to the recently departed Thaddeus Lewis.
8. Bryn Renner (r-FR), UNC: so here's my first big departure from the norm: Renner will beat out incumbent TJ Yates & end up starting for Carolina this year. He certainly looked the much better player in their spring game this year. After three mediocre years Butch Davis is pretty sure of what he's got in Yates. My hunch is he goes with Renner, a strong armed youngster with a much higher upside that Yates. There will be growing pains but that terrific defense can mask enough of them until Renner gets comfortable under center. You're wasting Little, Pianalto, Boyd & Highsmith if you play Yates at QB. The strong supporting cast will help ease the transition.
9. Dave Shinskie (SO), Boston College: ahh yes, the 27 year-old sophomore. Chris Weinke he is not. So Shinskie is back with Marscovetra & Rettig on his heels, pushing for playing time. I expect after his long baseball hiatus that it was quite the adjustment for Shinskie last year. That year of learning should help. But there's not too much upside here. The arm is okay but he's immobile & threw almost as many interceptions (14) as TD's(15). Montel Harris & a very good offensive line will carry the load for the Eagles.
10. TJ Yates (SR), Carolina: see Bryn Renner above. If Butch Davis & the Heels want to have to kind of year they are capable of they need to keep Captain Checkdown, Master of the Three Yard Dump-Off, one TJ Yates, off the field. Sure he's experienced: at mediocrity. The rest of ACC is hoping to see Yates under center in September. I really hope that's the case on the 18th....
11. Tajh Boyd (r-FR), Clemson: Boyd will be the man if Parker heads off to join the Rockies. Boyd has a world of talent; good feet & an electric arm being his biggest two assets. What he lacks is what many young QB's do; quality decision making skills & an understanding of the offense he is running. This will come in time but if Clemson has to start him this season there will be some significant growing pains.
12. Jammarr Robinson (JR), Maryland: well we know he's fast & can run. After that, it's pretty much guesswork. At one point I would have ranked him higher based simply on the Freidgen factor but no longer. It really seems like Ralph could give a shit right now. He's even losing weight. Clearly his priorities right now are all messed up. So Robinson hangs out at the bottom until we see what he brings to the party (Russian hookers are always a good choice & would vault his ranking up significantly).
13. Skylar Jones (JR), Wake Forest: a QB named Skylar? Well, seems like Ted Stachitas has been bypassed in the QB race up in Winston-Salem. Shame, any man whose name invokes images of mustachioed '70's porn stars should be starting in the ACC. Alas, I digress. We'll see the Deacons & Grobe throw less & option more with Riley Skinner's departure. I don't expect too much from Jones.....
14. Marc Verica (SR), UVA: the only time this guy has ever played worth a shit was when he beat us 2008. Go figure. Mike London is rebuilding & Verica must be the best option in an obviously bare cupboard. There's little upside here & if he beats Tech again I'll do something drastic......

While we were out......

all hell continued to break loose in the topsy-turvy world of college football expansion. Looks like this whole mess will be sorted out by the end of the week. Just hope & pray John Swofford doesn't get too involved. A couple significant developments regarding Tech over the weekend:

• Defensive end Robert Hall has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested last week following a domestic altercation with his live-in girlfriend, women's basketball player Bridgette Ardossi. Not good, not good at all. What's this mean in football terms? Hall would have been a back-up DE this year & likely seen some playing time, albeit it nothing significant. We'll make our Fulmer Cup debut later on this afternoon....
• Tech held it's invite only football camp on Saturday & picked up a couple of new commitments from the festivities. Hillgrove's Jabari Hunt-Days (6'2", 225), brother of incoming freshman QB Synjyn Days, committed on the spot when offered by CPJ. Hunt-Days had recently been blowing up the combine circuit & will play linebacker at Tech. Offensive guard Shaq Mason (6'1", 305) of Columbia, Tennessee also committed on Saturday. Mason looks like a prototype guard for our offense & is certainly very well put together for a 16 year old. That's correct, he's 16! Love to get solid O-line commits. Also of note: Tech leads for Monroe Area DE Stephon Tuitt, Rivals #59 prospect in the country. Tuitt's teammate, DE Kendarious Whitehead, a 2012 recruit, also had a great time at the camp over the weekend. Two new offers also went out, athlete Darren Waller from North Cobb & LB David Helton of the Baylor (sic)School were offered spots for 2011.

Now to recover from Pensacola.......

VIVA HATE!

Things are pretty dead in the world of college football right now. Fortunately for those who need to fill their hate quotient during the dog days of summer, the world brings us futbol, or soccer, and with futbol comes angry Scotsman, and it doesn't get more hate filled than that.

As they say in Scotland "we may not win the world cup, but neither will England". With the Scots once again failing to reach the World Cup, the enterprising Scots have chosen a proxy. That's right, the Scots would rather root for a bunch of Franco Phonic Mohomidites than England. That's like UGA fans buying Texas gear last year, only if Texas was populated with Franco Phonic Mohomidites, and not monosyllabic rednecks.

This entire article was an excuse to highlight the brilliance and integrity of British journalism.

Headed Toward The Land of Jorts......

A long drive down to Pensacola ahead today on what may turn out to be one of the craziest days ever in college football. Expansion here we come.....Something tells me I'll be checking Twitter a lot. Before I head to my cousin's wedding (a fine Tech man....) a few links to ruminate on:

• Not a link but an observation: my cousin has chosen his bride wisely: All Hail the Football Off-Season Wedding!!! Only infidels get married during the Fall........
• As we reported here seemingly eons ago, former Tech linemen Joe Gilbert & Clyde Yandell have transferred to Georgia State. They've recently been joined by Bama transfer Star Jackson & Auburn transfer Bailey Woods. We'll anxiously watch State this season & pull for Bill Curry & his merry band of cast-offs. At least we know Gilbert is good for a minimum of two false starts every game......(a cheap shot but true).
• Not sure how the logic stands up but FSU blog Tomahawk Nation says Tech is highly attractive to TV viewers. Must be our "gimmick" offense.
• Al Groh looks at home in Atlanta. Certainly did when we saw him this week at the OL/DL camp & Skill camp. Groh-mentum.....Catch It......
• We'll be honoring our 1990 National Championship team the weekend of the Miami game. We'll have details as they are released but it will be great to see that group of guys together again.
• Current Raven & former Jacket Dawan Landry got paid this week. great to see he's come back so well from a serious neck injury. Could this be the 3rd year in a row that Tech has a Super Bowl champion? Ravens have a shot.....
• A fantastic piece on perhaps the finest college football coach ever, Robert Lee "Bobby" Dodd. If you don't know much about him take the time to follow the link & find out about a man who spent 56 years at Tech & never had a contract. How times have changed. Something tells me all this expansion brouhaha would have Coach Dodd in a fit, particularly the thought of us going back to the SEC.....
• What would make Dodd smile from ear-to-ear are Tech's APR scores this season. For the third consecutive year, the football team increased it's score, finishing the 2008-9 season at 993, the fourth highest in the BCS. As Tech fans we can certainly be extremely proud of this and many congratulations are in order.
• Coach Johnson shared his thoughts on a variety of subject's at this week's Peach State Pigskin Preview. Subjects for CPJ ran the gamut from conference expansion & the image of the ACC to where he thinks the Jackets need to improve this season. Nothing ground-breaking but always good to know what the head man is thinking.....
• Jake Skole got paid yesterday. Best of luck with the Rangers......
• Phil Steele says we have the 27th toughest schedule in the nation this year. Can't argue with UNC, VPISU, Clemson, & UGA on the road. Pretty rough slate. Miami at #8, Duke at #9, FSU at #11, NC State at #14 & UNC at #24 all rank ahead of us as far as ACC teams. Not so sure about NC State or UNC's schedules being any more difficult than ours but we do know whomever is making the schedule at Duke isn't doing Cutcliffe & Co. any favors. At least they get Bama at home (give the points). Georgia comes in at #44 so the next time a Mutt touts their vaunted SEC schedule you have your ammo.....
• It's not too surprising for Michigan to deny admittance to a 5-star recruit. But when FSU says no thanks something must be fishy.......
• What happens after a few beers & one too many Dukes of Hazzard episodes:

The story here.....

Nick Marshall goes all Arlen Specter.......

Once a silent commitment to play DB at Tech, Marshall has flipped to the dark-side & is now headed to UGA. You can thank his high school coach, Wilcox County's Mark Ledford, for swaying him to the Mutts. Marshall would have been a great get for us & a feather in the cap of CPJ & staff, even at DB. Instead we'll get a couple days of doom & gloom about our "poor recruiting" and the inevitable failure of our program on message boards. While Marshall is a fine player, we'll be okay without him; this has happened before & will happen again. We move on.......

Surely You Jest......

What the hell is this? Inane drivel at best. Are you kidding me? Bleacher Report has stooped to new lows. What a joke. We'll keep our response simple (and NSFW).

How Are You Spending the Summer....????

We stumbled upon how incoming freshman linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu is spending his summer: pulling sleds, running with a 75# vest on, & lifting a LOT of weight.....

Makes you feel pretty good about his dedication to the sport & Tech. Love the shirt.....

Someone in North Carolina.....

I had no idea Colombo boss Carmine Persico lives at Georgia Tech......

Has a sense of humor. Or really hates the ACC. Turns out that all the dorms at the Butner Federal Correctional Facility are named for ACC schools. Bernie Madoff & noted spy Jonathan Pollard live in Clemson. Former Colombo family mob boss Carmine Persico is in Georgia Tech. So, we're the mob unit. A little cache there. Better than housing child molesters & terrorists. Which brings us to the question: where do the child molesters & terrorists live? What ACC school represents such despicable folks? (h/t Jason Kirk at The Falcoholic)

We Hardly Even Knew Ya'.......

Congratulations to football signee Jake Skole and his family as Jake was chosen last night by the Texas Rangers with the 15th pick in this year's MLB draft. Skole, who was scheduled to begin school this Fall & play safety for the Jackets, looks to be headed toward baseball and we can't blame him as he's got plenty of incentive; last year's 15th pick in the draft, Alex White (Cleveland Indians) was given a $2.25 million signing bonus. That's a lot of chedda'. Good on you, Jake, & we'll pull for you in the majors.

As to how this effects us football-wise, we'll be fine. With two other safeties in this class (Isaiah Johnson & Fred Holton) we have plenty of depth at that position. By my count, with Skole's departure, we should have 23 scholarships for next season. I do expect us to now take a safety which had been a question mark before. Kell High's Brian Randolph is the top prospect on our board & it looks to be a two team race between us & Tennessee.

ESSSEEEECCEEEE Speed......

Usain Bolt wouldn't even be the fastest Dawg this year!!!!

Oh my God! We're doomed. How can we ever compete with Georgia, the fastest football team ever? I mean, these guys are faster than most NFL teams! They have 10 guys that run UNDER a 4.4 forty. That's more than any NFL team. Hell, only three athletes at the NFL Combine this year ran under a 4.4. Vance Cuff is so fast you can't even see him? Hell, there's a 225 pound linebacker in Athens that runs a 4.29! We need these guys as our next 4X100 Olympic relay team. Usain Bolt would have no chance........

I couldn't resist. Everyone reports ridiculous 40 times and we're aware of that. It's all relative. But a little grounding is necessary here. Let's keep it real. No wonder Mark Richt is "on the hot seat". You should win the SEC at the very least every year with that much speed........

If you're interested in what a neutral party thinks of our rival, Doc Saturday has some thoughts here. We tend to agree.....

(side note: Mr. Washington & Mr. Charles do look like freaks of nature. Not looking forward to dealing with them in November)

The Friday Five.....

At least, but not limited to, five random observations of dubious origin. It's Cinco de Friday!!! Lots on the buffet today:

• A nice piece on CPJ by Mark Bradley. This statement certainly struck close to home: "All their lives Tech people are outnumbered by Georgia backers, and Georgia backers aren’t just many — they’re loud. Tech people feel no need to apologize for the Institute’s academics or starting salaries in the real world, but they have over the decades developed an inferiority complex regarding football." I won't go so far as to say inferiority complex; after all we have four National Titles & they have one (and our last one is 10 years more recent). But the constant barking & losing eight of the last nine has certainly gotten old. Easy on the Robert Lee Dodd comparisons. We adore CPJ but there will only ever be one Bobby Dodd.
• Everyone's favorite ESPN blogger, Heather Dinich, asks if Tech can win another National Title? The answer is of course yes. We CAN win a BCS championship. Is it imminent? Maybe not yet, but we're certainly trending that way. Even Senator Blutarsky feels for us where Dinich is concerned. And we agree with his sentiments regarding balance versus efficiency and recruiting. But the bottom line is we can win it all. To suggest otherwise after playing in a BCS game last year is ridiculous. Will we win it all & when is a far more reasonable question.
• Speaking of Dinich, she's ranking the ACC's top 25 players & has Anthony Allen at #23. Pretty fair for a guy who only carried the ball 50-something times last year & is switching positions (although he did lead the nation wth a ridiculous 9.7 yards per carry). We'll lay even money that Allen will be ranked more highly after his big year this year. Somewhere around 1350 yards & 12 TD's sounds about right to us.....
• Tech ranked 40th nationally in licensed merchandise sold in the 2nd quarter of 2009-10. UNC, FSU, Miami, & Virginia all ranked ahead of us as far as ACC schools. Not too bad considering our size & strict licensing guidelines.
• Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops weighs in on players leaving early for the NFL. Very interesting thoughts from someone right in the middle of the issue. While it may be somewhat self-serving (for both Stoops & myself), I for one agree with the "don't play for a discount" idea. Of course 1st or 2nd round money isn't a discount in my world....
• A super interview with former Tech head man Pepper Rodgers. A bit before our time but many we know speak very highly of Coach Rodgers. That 1952 team is widely regarded as our best ever. It's great to get a sense of our history....
• Clemson defensive tackle Jamie Cumbie, a key part of the Tiger's defensive line rotation, has been dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules; beating the hell out of some poor guy in the middle of the street. Looks like Cumbie might be in line for some jail time with the injuries he inflicted on the victim. We love the line from the police report, "striking him in the face with his fists without his consent". I guess suicide by defensive tackle is legal in Kakerlina. Who knew?
• Former Tech recruit Dontae Aycock, he of the "don't go to Auburn this weekend" fame, is looking to land at South Florida after being given the heave-ho by Auburn. Aycock had terrific potential as an option QB but seems to have lost his way. Maybe going home to Tampa will help.....
• Finally, I'm as guilty as anyone of propagating expansion hype/talk/supposition. But we've reached the point where it all sounds like this to us:

Light the Fuse.....

Looks like the PAC-10 went all preemptive strike on everyone's ass & has offered membership to six Big-12 teams, according to Orangebloods.com's Chip Brown. We're not sure if all is in order but the info comes from a: 1) heretofore very credible source, 2) is very specific, 3) falls in line with Cal chancellor Robert Birgenau's statement yesterday that the Pac-10 was discussing something that could "revolutionize college football" in their meetings over the weekend, & 4) we spoke to a source who works for Rivals & they said the source is generally right on. Looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.....must be a super-conference. Maybe we're jumping the shark. Or maybe the info is right on. Either way, makes for some good supposition & interesting discussion.

Take a Deep Breath & Count to Ten......

Colorado has decided to honor the "20th anniversary of their national championship team" when they play UGA in Boulder this year. Meh.....They won a championship in 1990? For cheating, maybe. Lest anyone forget......

Did Jim Joyce call that game?

May you suffer another 100 years of Dan Hawkins.....

Times Announced for Tech's 1st Three Games

The ACC has just released the schedule for the entire conference for first three games of the season & Paul Johnson is a happy man. Tech plays South Carolina State at 1pm, then travels to Kansas for a noon start (televised on Fox Sports Net) followed by a trip to UNC for another noon game which will air on Raycom. The thought of Doc Walker slobbering all over UNC defense is making me nauseous. As we predicted earlier this off-season, looks like a lot of early games for Tech this year. Here's the pdf for those interested. Ten of the ACC's thirteen guaranteed nationally televised contests occur in the first three weeks. Translation, that's a strong out-of-conference schedule.

Recruiting Rankings.....

Monroe Area's Stephon Tuitt

For those who follow such things, the first recruiting rankings of the year are out with the publication of the Rivals 100 & ESPN 150. Several Tech targets appear in both lists including B-Back James Wilder (long shot), DE Ray Drew (not coming, see The Hill), Doran Grant (long shot), Jeff Pagan (we're in the mix, he'll decommit from Florida), James Vaughters (Stanford leads) & Stephon Tuitt (we lead). Let's be very clear about something, this is progress for us in recruiting. Even two years ago we wouldn't have been on these guys radars. We may not win the battles this year, but another big season will help us snag a few of these elite guys. Surprisingly absent from both lists is Gainesville's A.J. Johnson, a high priority Tech target.

The Change to the 3-4.....

Rivals' Tom Dienhart looks at teams changing to the 3-4, including Tech, UGA, & Cincinnati. It's becoming clear that in the age of the spread offense a versatile defense that requires less substitutions is preferable to many teams, hence the 3-4. The disguise factor is also important; just as with the triple option, where it's tough for teams to recognize where the ball is, the 3-4 allows a defense to bring pressure from varying points at varying times, confusing the offense. It's all about flexibilty these days & keeping a base unit on the field is important. As we've said all along, finding a solid nose tackle will be key.....

We were here in Atlanta the whole time......

We're waiting for that loud knock on the door followed by "open up, Police". Not really words anyone wants to hear. But we swear we didn't do it. We were in Atlanta the entire time. In fact, it couldn't have been us. Because we want only one thing from Ron Dayne: Joe Hamilton's Heisman Trophy. We don't need his computers, or jewelry, or anything else that belongs to Mr. Dayne. All we want is what doesn't belong to him, the 1999 Heisman Trophy. That's Joe Hamilton's. We were at the movies. Or carwash. We plead the Sgt. Schultz on this one.....

You thought we had it bad.....

The state of athletics at the University of Kansas is well, a shambles. The Jayhawks have the highest paid AD in the country ($4 million per) and all that cash has bought them what? A ticket scalping scandal, the firing of their most successful head football coach, a blackmail scheme, & campus ruffians. Many thanks to Doc Saturday for chronicling all that. So the natives might be a bit restless when we head out to Lawrence on September 11th for our game. This probably won't calm their nerves: kick-off is at 11am local time. That's right, an 11 in the morning kick. And you thought we had it bad with noon Raycom games? Who the hell schedules an 11am kick, you ask? Well, Fox does, as FSN will carry the game across the country. So kick for those staying in Atlanta will be noon. But back to Kansas. Toe meets leather at 11 in the morning. That can only mean two things:

1) Kansas fans really don't give a shit about football & thus any tailgating/pre-game activity is unnecessary. See below for a rollicking Kansas tailgate.....

Way to throw down, gang.....

2) We'll simply stay up all night drinking & then make it to the game. We'll be a peach to sit with at that point. What else is a fella' to do?

So bring an alarm clock or your big-boy liver to Lawrence this September......

Preach it......

A bit busy at the day job today so we'll cheat & simply offer up the spread option version of the Sermon on the Mount. Take heed....