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......