 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
| BIG GREEN MACHINE OPENING KICKOFF COUNTDOWN CLOCK.... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Purchase Michigan State Spartans Football tickets now! Get Pittsburgh Panthers tickets, Northwestern Wildcats tickets, Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, and the Indiana Hoosiers tickets. Don't forget to purchase College Bowl tickets - including the Fiesta Bowl tickets!
Previous Polls: Mar 29 - Apr 17 Who would you rather gig with? Drew Naymick
29% Mar 22 - 28 Where will you watch MSU in Sweet 16? In Atlanta
3.81% 105 Total Votes Mar 15 - Mar 21 Which longshot will make it furthest in the men's NCAAs? W. Kentucky
29.63% 54 Total Votes Feb 29 - Mar 14 The Enlightened
Poll Semi finals
(39) 28.89% 135 Total Votes Feb 11 - 28 Who is the best player for MSU hoops so far this year? Kalin Lucas
56.18% 178 Total Votes Feb 1 - Feb 10 What will
be MSU's final reg. season M-hoops record be? 128 Total Votes Dec 29 - Jan 31 Your expectations for the '08 recruiting class Top 10 -
0.61% 326 Total Votes Dec 25 - Dec 28 Biggest advantage for MSU over BC? Rush offense
46.07% 89 Total Votes Dec 3 - Dec 24 Best thing about Orlando? Champs Bowl
30.46% 174 Total
Votes Nov 17 - Dec 2 The Enlightened
Poll A (47) 12.14%
387 Total Votes Nov 14 - Nov 17 Would you go see MSU play at the Motor City Bowl? Yes (111)
81.62% 136 Total Votes Oct 28 - Nov 13 Will MSU win another game? Yes (221)
61.22% 361 Total Votes Oct 21 - 27 What is the biggest key to victory over Iowa? Ringer/Caulcrick
- 150+ rushing yds combined 37.82% 156 Total Votes Oct 14- 20 Who is MSU's
MVP so far? 184 Total Votes Oct 7 - 14 Grade MD on the season so far? A (12) 4.69%
256 Total Votes Sep 30 - Oct 6 Other than MSU, who is the biggest surprise in the NCAA? California
(3) 1.99% 151 Total Votes Sept 23 - 30 Now how many wins will MSU get this year? 7 (102) 32.90%
310 Total Votes Sept 17 - 22 How many rushing yards can the MSU defense hold ND to? 50-100 (62)
43.06% 144 Total Votes * correct answer: 117 yds Sept 14 - 16 Compare Wannstedt's moustache: who is he mimicking? Ugly She-Man
32.09% 134 Total Votes Sept 9 - 13 How many points will Pitt score on MSU? 15-17 (32)
23.19% 138 Total Votes Sept 2 - Sept 8 What was more sweet? watching Appalachian St beat scUM? 63.49% watching
MSU crush UAB? 36.51% 189 Total Votes Aug 27 - Sept 1 How many yards will MSU run vs UAB? 101-125 (0)
0.00% correct answer:
298 yds. 116 Total Votes Aug 9 - Aug 26 What position is the key to MSU success this year? OL (51) 22.67% 225 Total Votes
Big 10 Sport Blogs Illinois Indiana Iowa Michigan MSU Minnesota Northwestern Notre
Dame Ohio
State Penn
State Purdue Wisconsin Big Ten
Blogs Other Football Blogs StantonForHeisman.com Spartan Links Green
and White College Sports Links BCSFootball.org Other Links ES
Links Page |
MSU in the Movies/TV (2008 May 9)--Emails are pouring in... the ES has some more additions... thanks and keep it up! Screw Home Improvement. How many times have you seen MSU recognized in the Movies and on TV? The ES can name a few, off the top. Any ideas? Send the ES an email or post your findings on the message board at right, and I'll add to this listing (no, Spartacus doesn't count. Actual mention or viewing of Michigan State University in film or tv shows): Farenheit 9/11 (2004). And of course that fat pig (Michael Moore) in “Fahrenheit 911” giving MSU a bad name by wearing his green block “S” hat in a few scenes. Grounded For Life (2004/3). Lily, the young readhead bitch of a high schooler, wears a Michigan State shirt throughout the show. George Lopez Show (2003). George is wearing an authentic Magic Johnson "33" cursive State jersey to kick off a kick ass episode. American Wedding (2003). Horny boys finally leave Grand Rapids and get to college... at Michigan State. One Hour Photo (2002). Robin Williams, obsessed with a suburban family, is watching the 1995 MSU/Minny game. American Pie (1999). Numerous mentions of Michigan State throughout the movie, which takes place in Grand Rapids. To Die For (1995). Matt Dillon is sitting on the couch watching college basketball (Michigan State game) and drinking a beer waiting for Nicole Kidman to walk in the door. Heat (1995). MSU Hockey game shown when Robert DeNiro’s character kills Van Sandt in his home. Analyze This (1995). Robert DeNiro barks out, "hey, did you catch the Michigan State game?" Indian Summer (1993). A group of childhood friends, now in their thirties, reunite at Camp Tamakwa. Unca Lou's (Alan Arkin) MSU boxing trophy makes an appearance. When Harry Met Sally (1989). Billy Crystal tells Sally - Meg Ryan - that his date, who "went to Michigan State", painfully reminded him of his ex-wife. Evil Dead 1 or 2 (1987). Opening scene where the hot chick is sitting there in a cut off Michigan State shirt before she is massacred. A classic, cult flick. Stand By Me (1985). Look at the bedroom shots involving John Cusak's young character, the one who died. He has a GREAT old MSU flag hanging on the bedroom wall. Beautiful old 50s era MSU flag very prominently placed in two shots. The Big Chill (1983). Friends return to Michigan for friends funeral, and bitch at the tv as they watch their Wolverines lose to Michigan State in football. They take there agressions out on a pickup game in the backyard. Where the Boys Are (1960). Midwestern boys go to Ft Lauderdale to find girls on the beach... This time, they're from Michigan State. Starring George Hamilton. APR Count is Out: MSU No Penalties, Purdue loses scholarship; questions for NCAA (2008 May 6)--As the ES reported last week, MSU will not be hit with any penalties for academic performance of any of its teams. The only Big Ten team to be hit with a penalty is Purdue, which had an 894 in men's basketball and will lose one scholarship. However, the NCAA has some explaining to do, as 5 Big Ten's mens teams did not make the 925 minimums, yet 4 were given waivers. Why the inconsistencies? Minny, OSU, and Indy all also were below 925 in men's hoops, and Purdue was also a 920 in football - the only team below the cutline. The NCAA in the coming days will be peppered with questions about how they determined penalties. Stay tuned. 2007-2008 Athletic Team Cohort APRs
* no penalty;
no reason given ES Preseason '08 consensus poll: Give it up for UGA/OSU (2008 May 3)--Where is MSU? Nowhere to be seen... but, both Georgia and Ohio St at this point are the consensus 2008 top picks for the BCS title. Stuart Mandel of SI.com puts MSU in his "on the cusp" rankings... ES ranks 1-25 pts, and 26 for each team not ranked in each poll, then averages them; the rankings are from lowest score at #1 to highest score at #25. Polls considered are SI.com, NCchamps.net, ESPN.com, Scout.com, Rivals.com... #1t, Ohio
St, 2.0, (2) Others receiving votes (barely): Boston Coll, S. Carolina, UConn, PItt, Alabama, Cincy, Boise St, Florida St, Wake Forest, Ball St, Fresno St MSU slips ahead of APR cutline, gridders won't lose scholarships (2008 May 1)--From what the ES understands, the MSU men's football team will NOT lose any NCAA scholarships, as the most recent cohort coming to school has moved the APR ahead of the 925 cutline to... 926. One less thing for the Doctor to worry about. Every Spartan team was ahead of the 925 cutline, so it won't experience any penalties (though football was the closest). It will be interesting to see how the rest of the Big Ten and other NCAA teams fare when penalties are announced on May 6. Lake The Posts Digs MSU (2008 Apr 29)--I've spent so much time in school, I completely missed the OUTSTANDING WRITEUP by Lake The Posts last year on his trip following Northwestern to MSU. Of course, we helped by allowing his 'Cats to beat us Spartys. Also, it can't help to impress a guy from a city where his major college is about 25th on the sports scene (note the hard-on jealousy for the "unbiased sports reporting of the LSJ" and the MSU band's version of the NU fight song "that's how it is supposed to sound."). All in all, however, an amazingly IMPRESSIVE writeup by LTP - he rates his Mich St experience a 9 of 10. MSU May Lose Football Scholarships (2008 Apr 24)--Michigan State is in danger of losing 1 or 2 football scholarships for failing to meet the minimum criteria of the NCAA's academic progress rate (APR). Recently, Kansas announced it was losing two scholarships to its football program beginning this fall; Kansas won the Orange Bowl last year, and now they receive an NCAA penalty. Ohio State lost a men's hoops scholarship due to the APR. This is the real thing, sports fans. Last year's APR for Michigan State was a 922, which is below the NCAA's threshold of 925. However, all NCAA institutions were granted relief for "squad size adjustments," which takes into account the differences in squad sizes between teams. This year, squad size adjustments will not be considered, thus placing MSU's program at potential risk of losing scholarships. Who cares you say? Did Devin Thomas's departure hurt MSU's APR? Yes. He cost MSU one point in the school's APR. He would have been academically eligible to return, but leaving the institution (if he is not enrolled) will cost MSU one point in the 2007-2008 cohort. That point could prove critical this year if MSU can't manage to leap the 925 mark. If Devin returns to school to finish his degree, MSU will gain a point… but it wouldn't benefit MSU until he graduates. Thomas' decision does not have the only impact on MSU. Several gridders left MSU without graduating and/or academically ineligible. If it was both, they would cost MSU two APR points. NCAA calls these atheltes "0-for-2s." The ES doesn't have access to the grade reports for the gridders, but consider the four players suspended for the Champs Bowl Game: red-shirt freshman offensive guard Abre Leggins, senior wide receiver Terry Love, senior defensive end Jonal Saint-Dic and sophomore wide receiver/cornerback T.J. Williams. Leggins is still on the roster (so, he is must be enrolled), so he's safe. But, I'm not sure if Love or Saint-Dic ever graduated… they no longer have eligibility, but if they didn't graduate, each will cost MSU an APR point. As for Williams... he was kicked off the team, and he's an 0-for-2. That's an OOUCH, with two O's. As for Thomas' decision… here is a potential #1 draft choice; he showed how good he was on the field last year. He has millions of greenbacks waiting for him… you support his decision, but, he could also stay enrolled at MSU and take courses - Devin, like it or not, you will need a degree when your playing career is over. What the hell is the Academic Progress Rate (APR)? APR is calculated term-by-term. To calculate the APR, every student athlete is tracked by eligibility and retention, two factors that help predict graduation. Those who do well in the classroom and stay in school earn two points. Those who pass but do not return to school earn one point. If a student-athlete fails academically and leaves school, their team loses two points. If a student-athlete returns to school later and graduates, the school earns one bonus point. The team's APR is calculated by dividing the total points earned in a year by the total points possible. Based on current data, an APR score of 925 (out of 1,000) for any college athletic team translates to an approximate 60 percent Graduation Success Rate. If a program fails to rach 925, penalties kick in, most specifically, a reducation in scholarships. An APR of 900 is the cut score for historical penalties. This benchmark of 900 APR translates to an approximate 45 percent Graduation Success Rate. Below are last year's APR for football and men's basketball, typically two of the sports with historically the lowest grade point averages or graduation rates, along with baseball. This report is based on academic progress rate (APR) information submitted by member institutions for the 2003-04, 2004-05, and 2005 - 2006. Notably, without the squad size adjustment last year, in Division I, a whopping 44 percent of men's basketball teams, 40 percent of football teams and 35 percent of baseball teams would have posted APRs below 925 and lost scholarships. 2006-2007 Athletic Team Cohort APRs
* - possible
historical sanctions. Where does the ES weigh in on this? I wouldn't be surprised if MORE institutions from non-BCS schools were on the penalties list than BCS schools. Maybe APR actually makes things worse, making a fair playing field even more of a misnomer. Non-BCS institutions have less resources to improve their athletes' education, and will cheat or enroll the students in weak majors to keep them eligible to graduation. Lots of questions right now, and the NCAA hasn't tested this out… institutions are their own lab rats. We shall see, shan't we? A better
question... so athletes graduate; but WHAT DO THEY LEARN? The NCAA punted
on this one, and they shanked it. Spring Game Answers (2008 Apr 19)--There was no rain today, shoot the weatherman. Beautiful skies, 70 degrees and sunny. 27,000 estimated spring game crowd. And, that was perfect for the passing game. The defensive line stopped the run on both sides, the receivers caught lots of passes, and the Green team won, 23-21. More details? See the Q&A below. The answers: 1. Defensive backfield: Otis Wiley picked off Hoyer with a late INT. But, the defensive backs gave up 4 TDs through the air, and several long balls (including 55 and 58 yard receptions). More work needs to be done, here. 2. Linebackers: Eric Gordon led the white team with 11 tackles, 2 for loss, and a pass broken up. Greg Jones and Brandon Denson combined for 11 tackles and 2 for loss to lead the green team. And, there was only 15 yards rushing on 39 attempts by both the Green and White. The linebackers played great. 3. Wideouts: Surprisingly positive outing for the wide receiver - quarterback combinations. Mark Dell caught 6 passes for 120 yards to lead the day; Blair White caught 4 for 87 yards; BJ Cunningham caught 6 balls for 97yards and 1 TD; Chris D Rucker caught 3 passes for 90 yards and 2 TDs (the other Rucker, Chris L, caught 2 passes); Hoyer was 13-22 for 208 yards and 3 TDs; Cousins 12-19 for 196; Foles 10-15 for 102. The passing game was the biggest surprise of the day... wow, efficient and good. 4. Where is the beef? Solidly on defense. There is no beef on offense. Defensive line played well, has pressure all day in the offensive backfield; the offensive line could't run block worth a crap, with the longest run of just 9 yards by either team the whole game lone. DL = beef; OL = bust. 5. How is Trevor Anderson? He played OK; had 4 tackles. Will Nick Foles be our backup QB? Yes; he played about even as Cousins, and with his size that gives Foles the advantage. Is Greg Jones really THAT good? Damn straight, he played great. Is this BJ Cunningham kid our go-to receiver? He played better than expected, with a great 43-yard TD... but Mark Dell played even better. Said Dantonio: "I thought, overall, it was a real good game. Both teams battled back and forth. I thought the young receivers stepped up and did a real good job, so did both of our quarterbacks. Blair White did a great job, I think people underestimate him. I think the receivers did a great job altogether... We have to continue to solidify the offensive line, get production from the wide-outs and continue to grow at the back-up quarterback position. I think we punted pretty well and we kicked pretty well. We are trying to lay a foundation here and August is around the corner and we'll assess that as we get there."
Your Official
Spartan Spring Game Weather Forecast: (2008 Apr 19)--OK, Spartan fans. It is Spring Game day.... and the potential for rain has moved to 4 pm. Leave your rain gear at home, head out to Spartan Stadium, and enjoy your Spartoonies Spring 2008 Style! Game time -- 1:30 p.m. Top Questions for Spring Game (2008 Apr 17)--The ES poses these questions for the Spring Game. You be the judge: 1. Will the defensive backfield be any good? REALLY? Experience doesn't translate to good... can these guys finally stop the big play? 2. Are the linebackers really that good and deep? OK, we know they are fast and young... but can they plug a hole or hit the corners? 3. Can anyone catch a pass or three? 4. Where's the beef? How is the beef? Can we pass and run block on offense/can we penetrate and make a pass rush on defense? 5. How is Trevor Anderson? Will Nick Foles be our backup QB? Is Greg Jones really THAT good? Is this BJ Cunningham kid our go-to receiver? Forecast for Spring Game: RAIN (2008 Apr 17)--It's been beautiful weather the past three years for the annual Spring Game, but it looks like rain this Saturday folks. Mark Dantonio will put his squad through the final workout of the 2008 spring campaign, and it has been fairly impressive so far. Bring your ponchos and watch the guys suit up and knock each other's blocks off. Game time starts in Spartan Stadium at 1:30 pm; there will be a kids clinic prior to the event, beginning at 10 am at the grass practice fields behind the Duffy; and at 11:30, there will be an autograph session with a ticket for free hot dog and drink for the kids. Notable: the Spartan Ticket Office is selling 100 press box seats at $50 each for the Spring Game. with proceeds to the George Webster Scholarship Fund. Check out www.msuspartans.com for more info. When the spring game concludes, mosey on over to Old College Field to see our Spartoonies take on the Yellow Bellies in a baseball doubleheader. Spring Scrimmage #2: Defense Rules Again (2008 Apr 13)--It's awfully quiet around East Lansing these days, as the snow melts and the rainy showers (hopefully) bring May flowers. But, other than cool baseball and softball games, the one other big event on the Big Green campus is MSU Football. The Spartans plowed through their second scrimmage of the spring on Saturday, and they did it outside in the cold and rain. Again, the defense showed its prowess, winning 46-40 in Dantonio's modified scoring system. But, more importantly, the defense is making the plays needed to help this team step up a notch this fall. Senior DE Brandon Long had a pair of sacks, sophomore LB Greg Jones had a team-high nine tackles, junior LB Adam Decker hae six tackles (three for loss), and converted wideout to LB Ryan Allison had nine tackles. It is DAMN GOOD TO SEE LINEBACKERS LEADING THE TEAM IN TACKLES INSTEAD OF DEFENSIVE BACKS. Speaking of DBs, Otis Wiley made a spectacular pick of a Brian Hoyer pass. On offense, Brian Hoyer ws 10-18 for 63 yards and one INT. Our backup QB right now looks to be Nick Foles, who was 11-18 for 82 yards; Kirk Cousins of Holland, MI, was 5-8 for 28 yards. Leading the team in receiving was Mark Dell with three catches for 20 yards. And, on the ground, freshman Andre Anderson had a 97-yard TD run to lead the way (14 carries, 98 yards -- so the other 13 carries he gained one yard; sounds like a stalling offensive line to me). The offensive line right now is a work in progress -- and is missing the Big O (Roland Martin) who sprained his ankle and will sit the rest of the spring. Javon Ringer is also being held out of spring ball. He's our stud. Notably, DB Chris Rucker is also being tried out at wide receiver; he had four catches yesterday. If you read some of Joe Rexrode's blog, he is noting that the speed of the defense is clear and away the story of the spring. Matter of fact, the depth of our speedy LB corps may really start to pay dividends this fall. Our starting LBs today would be: EricGordon (outside), Greg Jones (middle), and Brandon Denson (outside). Add Adam Decker, Jon Misch, and Ryan Allison -- and you have depth. Also, Rexrode notes the outstanding play of the defensive backfield... with Wiley, Roderick Jenrette, Kendall Davis-Clark, and Ashton Henderson helping on run support... but, let's concentrate on having these guys turn their heads on deep balls and not getting burned! Antonio Jeremiah, Brandon Long, and Trever Anderson all were solid in rushing the passer and pitching tents in the offensive backfield. THREE CHEERS FOR DEFENSE! Alaskan Spartan Builds Karma Kegerator In Honor of MSU Sweet 16 Run
"ES – I’m a longtime faithful of your board, living up here in Alaska now. I thought if anyone would appreciate my latest little project, it’d be you. Check out the photo of “Sparty The Kegerator,” which sits in my garage in Wasilla , Alaska . All told, he was built to dispense golden goodness for a total of $250, including the graphics. I like to think that since the first pour of beer from Sparty was during their first round game against Temple , they continue to win in the tourney because I’m bringing them immense karma from the 49th State! It isn’t quite like sitting in Crunchy’s with your buddies, but it’s the next best thing this far away! If you are ever in the neighborhood and want to have a pull from Sparty, give me a ring!
Casey Ressler"
Note: MSU advances to its 7th Sweet 16 in the last 11 years. We Kicked Their Ass, 65-54... Sweet 16 AGAIN, Baby (2008 Mar 22)--Tom Izzo certainly is a genius. If you EVER EVER don't include MSU at least in your Sweet 16 bracket, you're an idiot. MSU did it again, with an outstanding defensive team performance in a dominating, 65-54 victory over higher-rated Pitt tonight. MSU was the better team all night long, and with 21 pts from Neitzel, 14 from Suton, and 19 from Lucas, they could do no wrong, A few things: Neitzel rocked, he hit all the big shots, 5-9 from 3pt range; Lucas drove and dished, he looked amazing; and, Suton was typical tourney-Suton: just the garbage man, cleaning up and scoring ugly... but these three played GREAT defensively. just fantastic, ALL GAME LONG! Most amazing: Drew Neitzel acting as Micahel Jordan, with a between the legs shake and bake move, step back and draining a tear-drop 3pointer with a hand in his face, in the second half. Brought a tear to the eye. Best coaching move: was Izzo puttting in Idong Ibok for a good 15+ minutes tonight... Ibok looked like he had oven mittens on all night -- he had his hand on everything in sight, but couldn't hold the ball. But, Ibok was GREAT defensively with his big bod and long arms, completely shutting down the interior. Add Ibok to Naymick and Pitt had no choice but to settle for long range jump shots that didn't fall. GO GREEN! Bring on the Sweet 16. Caution... we are very, very good! #4 Pitt 3-pt fave over #5 MSU (2008 Mar 21)--According to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Pittsburgh is favored by 3 points over the Spartans in Saturday night's regional stint in the South bracket. Also in the Big Ten: Wisconsin is favored by 5 over Kansas State, and Xavier is favored by 3.5 over Purdue. Tipoff: 9:10 pm on Saturday. You gotta love this stat: "Under head coach Tom Izzo, Michigan State has a spectacular 11-2 record in the second game of a weekend in NCAA Tournament play. The Spartans' only two losses have come when playing a top seed in an opponent's home state, falling to No. 1 Texas at the 2003 South Region Final in San Antonio and losing to No. 1 North Carolina in the 2007 second round in Winston-Salem, N.C. " #5 Spartans Handle #12 Temple, 72-61 (2008 Mar 20)--MSU beat Temple, 72-61, in the first round of the NCAA Tourney. It will play the winner of #4 Pitt/#13 Oral Roberts at 9 pm on Saturday. MSU took care of business today with a complete team effort and stifling defense, with Raymar Morgan's 15 points more than making up for a poor shooting day by Drew Neitzel (5 pts on 2-10 FGs). Neitzel, however, made up for his shooting woes with excellent defense and floor management. The
Enlightened Bracket for 2008 (click to enlarge) PS - you want a detailed analysis of MSU v Temple? Christ, visit spartansweblog. No humor, but my god it has detail on top of chi-squared analysis... and of course, the oft-endorsed "offensive/defensive efficiency numbers." However, why not just use Assist:TO ratio... it's less cumbersome and is accurate to MSU's problems.
|
Where the hell is Bob Organ? (2008 May 8)--Hey, Bob Organ... what the hell are you doing? Christ, the former Spartan all-WORLD tight end, well, the ES misses him on the field. I'm just wondering, what is he up to? MSU vs Cal Kickoff: 8 pm EST, ABC-TV national (2008 May 4)--The Spartans' opening game of the 2008 season at Cal will kickoff at 8 pm EST, or 5 pm on the west coast, on August 30. It will be televised by ABC television nationally. That is... EXTENDO-GATE action, and the ES will be in Berkeley for the long tailgate, and after talking with Chock yesterday, the ES will celebrate the victory with a late night at the Riptide in San Francisco... It's gonna be a LONG day.
Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable: Spartan Spring Wrap Up (2008 Apr 27)---So, after receiving the invite from the Black Shoes Diaries and the Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable for a rehash of Spring Ball, the Enlightened Spartan jumped on the hotline and dialed into the Spartan coaches of the last 20 years to come together in East Lansing to make their own assessment of the Spartans' chances this fall, the job of Mark Dantonio ("the Doctor"), and the mood around the program. The ES sat back, and just took notes. April 23, 2008 In attendance: MSU Trustee George Perles (GP), Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban (NS), Alabama Tight End/Special Teams Coach Bobby Williams (BW), Retiree and WSU/Hawaii Coach Wanna-Be John L Smith (JLS), The Enlightened Spartan (ES). GP: ES, whaddre we doin' here? No food, no beer? I wuz told you'd have a plate of Hungarian goulash waiting for me. ES: Sorry, coach. I thought we were going to talk football, gridiron, and stuff. GP: This is the stuff. Gimme food, beer. Then we can talk. ES: Can you address the injuries out of spring ball, coach? GP, NS, BW, JLS: What injuries? ES: Sorry…. Doctor, can you address the injuries? MD: Well, it's typical spring ball, you're gonna get a few guys banged up. But, we expect to be healthy and in great shape by the fall. NS: DAMMIT MARK! It's me here, your old coach. CHRIST ALMIGHTY be specific. We're all Spartans. Shit, quit it with your understated talk. Bobby, make him talk. BW: Mark, you heard the man. Please don't make him angry. Can you name some of the injuries? Pretty please, with sugar on top? MD: First off, Nick, I would appreciate it if you didn't take the Lord's name in vain. But, in the name of full disclosure - this is a closed meeting - I will provide some details. As you all know, we held Javon Ringer had minor shoulder surgery in the offseason and didn't participate in contact drills. He'll be 100%. The "Big O", or as you all know him better as Roland Martin, he had surgery to remove a bone spur from his ankle. The surgery was successful and we are hopeful he will be able to participate in full conditioning this summer and keep the pizza off his plate. We moved DE Michael Jordan to the offensive tackle position, and he hurt his foot this spring. Oren Wilson hurt his calf, but it isn't as serious as we thought. Both should be fine and 100% this fall. There were some minor bumps and bruises -- cornerback Ross Weaver nicked his shoulder, Kendell Davis-Clark was roughed up a bit… but they played in the Spring game and are fine. We had a few receivers banged up: freshman receiver David Williams had a great spring game a year ago, but couldn't play last week because of a shoulder injury. Wideout Deon Curry hurt his back, and quarterback Connor Dixon - who we will probably move to receiver this fall, also hurt his shoulder. All these guys we expect to be 100% this fall. JLS: Having your quarterback at receiver? FANTASTIC! Now, that's my cowboy style of offense… just get em out there and fire away! That's a positive move there, Doctor. NS: You are a knucklehead, John L. That's really the reason why you got fired - putting MSU's best player, Drew Stanton, on special teams as a freshman… and he never really recovered. Shit, he's at the Lions and still is hurt. You need to keep your quarterbacks healthy, coach. BW: Yeah, you tell him, boss. JLS: You know what? I don't care much for you or your kind, Nick. Just like the media, always thinking you have the right answers. Slot your QB out there and throw him the ball, I say. MD: Well, we have a lot of talent out there at QB, and we could use Connor's versatility, so he'll no longer suit up under center. He is a receiver from now on. And, no, we won't be throwing the ball to our QBs any time soon. I have to agree with Nick on that. ES: OK, the pizza is here guys. And, the special plate of goulash just for you, George. Enjoy. I've brewed up some of my own homebrew to wash it down. Eat, drink, and be merry. GP: Damn, reminds me of my Lithuanian childhood - goulash and pork chops and steak and pancakes and… what's for dessert? ES: Doctor - next question: how's the offense? Who's battling? The run game looked shitty in the spring game. MD: Well, I guess that's one way you can put it. Without Roland on the line, and without Ringer, the teams struggled a bit with the run game. The way I look at it, the defense played outstanding up front. We missed some assignments on the offense up front, but the defense really teed off and was in the backfield during the game. But, throughout the spring we have been playing with lineups to try to add depth along the offensive front. That is one of the battles. We're bringing Michael Jordan off the defense and inserting him on the offense at a tight end; that's one battle - we need to replace Kellen Davis with some new talent. Sophomore Charlie Gantt is also battling for the TE spot. Rocco Cironi has really been a pleasant surprise and though he doesn't have a lot of experience, he looks to have solidified a spot on the front line. The one real open spot seems to be at offensive guard - Mike Bacon, a senior, has earned the spot, but Brendon Moss is pushing him. Of course, everyone is going to focus on the quarterback, and what happens if Brian Hoyer goes down? Right now, Nick Foles looks to be the backup - he had a productive spring. GP: Mark, I saw that Foles kid. Why don't you put him on the offensive line? I wish I had a quarterback that big… 6-5, 235-pounds? And, he's from Texas? Hmmm. Texas Barbeque… Yum. JLS: There you go - see, I'm not the only one who thinks you can play your QBs in other positions. NS: That's why you're a fool, John L. George was just kidding, and you can't even figure that out. You're an idiot. MD: You're full of laughs, George. But, Kirk Cousins also played well and we have three very capable quarterbacks. The other competitions are in the backfield and at receiver. With Devin Thomas gone to the NFL, we have some big shoes to fill. But, this time last year, noone - not even Devin - thought he would have such a great year. Just goes to show you far hard work and dedication will help you over the summer. NS: Hard work - that's right. Whip them into shape. Kick their asses. MD: So, watch BJ Cunningham, a dynamic freshman, compete for one wideout position. And, both Deon Curry and Mark Dell will both see lots of action this fall. All these guys are tall, lanky, and can compete for the ball. Blair White is another guy, he has explosive speed. NS: Shit, but Blair dropped how many passes in the Champs Bowl vs. Boston College? You don't use him all year, and then you through three long balls to the guy… all for drops? If I was there, I'd have cut him from the team by halftime. BW: Yeah, you tell him coach. GP: Coach Dantonio, Nick certainly has a point. If a guy can't squeeze the ball, and he's a receiver… why keep him? JLS: That's why you should have lots of receivers. If he drops one, then throw it to another guy on the next down. So what if he drops a pass? Keep throwing it. MD: White has made some mistakes, but he has really worked on his hands over the past year and as you saw in the spring game, he can haul them in. We need that type of speed. Brian Hoyer returns after a pretty solid year last year and he is looking to avenge his poor performance in the Champs Bowl. And, giving the ball to Javon Ringer should take a lot of pressure off him - we are blessed to have a young man like Javon, who is a good student and just a great young man, to have the talent and dedication to help lead this team. He will have a great year. Finally, Andre Anderson had an exceptional spring for us at running back, and he is pushing AJ Jimmerson to back up Javon Ringer. But, I think you will see Javon getting the vast majority of the carries this fall. And, he wants it. ES: That's a pretty indepth report on offense coach. Can you summarize this a bit more for our readers with a report on the defense? BW: Hey, ES, let the man talk if he has things to say. NS: Did I tell you to speak, Bobby? BW: Sorry, coach Saban. GP: I like defense like a nicely broiled steak and heap of potatoes. Hows the REAL side of the ball doing so far, Doctor? MD: The defense looks fairly well set with depth at linebacker and in the backfield. We may actually be able to cover someone deep this year and stop giving up the big play. NS: Who are you fooling coach? The secondary looked like swiss cheese in the spring game. MD: That certainly was a surprise for us as a staff, and it is something we are looking to correct. There were mental breakdowns and a step out of position here or there… and as I've said, it is a game of inches. Still, we have the experience and depth to be competitive in the defensive backfield. NS: Last time that happened was when I was coach and you were coaching the defense, Mark. Man, those were good times.. but I had more fun winning down at LSU. MD: You're right, we can be competitive with all-world hitter Otis Wiley at safety and Kendall Davis Clark as seniors, and Ross Weaver and Roderick Jenrette as juniors. All played well and grew in the spring. Our linebackers continue to grow, and we experimented by moving wide receiver Ryan Allison to LB… surprisingly, he played extremely well, though at 205 he is a bit light. Our starters at LB will be Greg Jones - who was named as a freshman All America last year - Eric Gordon, and Adam Decker. Add Jon Misch and you have all these guys returning with lots of experience. GP: Where's the beef? MD: I'm glad you asked. The defensive line is interesting so far. We're bringing in Trevor Anderson, who I coached down at Cincinnati, and he had a great spring at defensive end. As you know, he had to sit out last year, but as a freshman he was the leading sack master for me in Cincinnati. Brandon Long has improved and is at the other end. Along the line is where there are battles: Oren Wilson and Antonio Jeremiah are both competing for the nose tackle spot… you will see lots of both of them this year. And, Justin Kershaw is slotted at defensive tackle and is being pushed by both Ryan Wheat and Dwayne Holmes. I'd like to see more out of the defensive line and they just need to get stronger and make better reads. But, in the spring game, these guys were consistently in the backfield - and that is encouraging. GP: Sounds like you are pretty confident in your defense this year. I like the competition along the defensive line - that can only help. But, maybe you need to feed them more and get them into the weight room? 220-245-290-260. That seems a bit light. NS: Damn, I wish I had that type of enthusiasm for my defense down at 'Bama this year. Light? You want your defense to be all roly-polys like you, George. With all due respect, its all about the speed. JLS: Defense? What the hell is that? You're spending too much time on that. I say throw them out there like crazed dogs and let them throw their bodies at the opposing teams. The key is scoring more than your opponent… and that means a wide open offense, boys. NS: Again, one wonders how you ever got this far. Let the idiot talk and he removes all doubt. ES: OK, Doctor: who will we know about this fall that we never heard of? MD: This is Michigan State, so we don't produce many "household name" guys. Players to watch that could get some notoriety, well one would be Trevor Anderson; he'll be our new "sackmaster." Watch Greg Jones at linebacker… he will have an even better year, now that he's bigger, stronger, and faster. BJ Cunningham and Mark Dell will catch a lot of passes this year for the green and white. And, watch Otis Wiley: he has All America written all over him at the safety spot this year... he is ready to make that leap. NS: It's all about the defense, I like it. Take that to the bank, John L. GP: That's right, John L.: "defense wins championships." You shoulda learned that in Coaching 101. No wonder you're looking for west coast jobs. JLS: That's it. I'M OUTTA HERE! ES: OK, you've heard it all so far. Let's talk about the mood of the team around East Lansing. NS: This is your area, ES. Should we gear up the tailgate party for a conference title run or do you get the impression there are going to be a lot of empty seats in Spartan Stadium this year? ES: For the first time in years, people are talking about Michigan State's defense more than its offense. But, my God, Nick, this is Spartan country. It's why you left, isn't it? Not even you could bring us to the promised land. Tailgate party: YES. Conference title run: NO. Empty seats? NO. We're a glutton for punishment from each of you. If you added up all your records, we'd be at 50% wins and 50% losses since you took over at MSU, George, in 1983. But, since you took over Nick in 1995, we've sold out almost every game since even with average records, with the exception of the disastrous year under your leadership, Bobby. BW: Sorry 'bout that. I tried. ES: It makes me want to cry, I'm so happy. Things are looking up after a year ago, finally winning some games late in the year. The fact that the Spartans each of their six games by a TD or less bodes well for their competitiveness… Clearly, there's hope that we've finally picked the right guy, Doctor. You're doing a great job repairing the Spartan psyche, but we want to see some consistency and more improvement. GP: ES, you crybaby -- I'd cut you in a heartbeat. Weren't no sissies on my teams. But, thanks for the grub, anyways. Mark - You GOTTA BEAT MICHIGAN. I don't care what you do, but you need to find a way to get things done. NS: Improve that secondary, coach. It's the long ball from Michigan that's beat you the last few years. Have those guys defend better, turn around and knock the ball out. Put some pressure on the QB. Suck it up late in games. SUCK IT UP! ES: And, for once, there is a lot of talk about next year's recruiting class already, and the fact that some recruiting services already have the Spartans with six 4-star recruits. That's a big wow. Things must be working. There is cautious optimism in East Lansing. See you all in California! NS: Sorry, Bobby and I have a big game at Clemson that day, but we'll be watching the ESPN highlights. GP: I'll be there with you to root you on Mark. MD: Thanks for the roundtable, ES. And, thanks for all your support. See you in California! Justin Boren: Most Loved Man in state of Michigan (2008 Apr 24)--Wow. You knew it would happen; Rich Rodriguez is driving his Yellow Bellies away in droves. Starting offensive lineman Justin Boren has officially transferred from scUM and enrolled at Ohio State. HOORAY! If Appy State's victory over scUM wasn't enough, this is yet one more sign of the college football nation loving hating Michigan. Congrats, Justin Boren. You are now the most loved man in Michigan. THANK YOU! MSUAA in San Francisco Report: MSU-Cal Preview (2008 Apr 20)--Here's a report from the MSU Alumni Chapter in San Francisco on the early excitement for the MSU-Cal game. Note that there are nearly 15,000 Spartan alumni in the Bay Area, and is should make for one helluva game out in Berkely on August 30. Let's kick some Golden Bear arse! (Thanks to Smig for sharing the emails) "You are receiving this email because you got tickets from the first 150 that our SF Bay area Alumni Club were allocated. The tickets are gone but we hope to get another batch once we pay for these. There will be a tailgate party and pep rally for the game - more to come on these later. Our President, will be getting more details from East Lansing and sharing those with us in the coming months. Once we get the tickets, we will be mailing them out to you at the address provided to us (if you didn't put one in paypal, send it to me and I will get it on our master list). We expect the tickets to come in a few months." Cal's Tightwad Hill - Ahem (click to enlarge)
(2008 Apr 19)--On one side of California's Memorial Stadium, you have the most beautiful view of the San Francisco Bay Area, stretching from the Richmond Bridge north of the Golden Gate bridge, through to the Oakland bridge, all the way down to San Jose. But... the better view is the OTHER side of Memorial Stadium, where the cheap-asses hang out (or used to hang out when the ES attended Cal games back in the late 70s/early 80s). Also known as "Tightwad Hill," this is where the beer drinking and pot smoking takes place in the upper, upper deck. Tree Lovers Celebrate 1 Year Anniversary at Cal's Memorial Stadium (2008 Apr 19)--However, there are also the tree-huggers who have been living in the trees alongside Memorial Stadium (Save the Oaks at the Stadium) for most of 2007 and 2008... They just celebrated their one year anniversary. The ES hopes they can make it another 5 months so we can heckle and congratulate them for their dedication when we arrive on Aug. 30. The Tennessee fans were wowed last year.... Looks like the tree lovers are winning their battle to stop the athletics expansion project and keep the old grove oaks... Athletics or trees??? You be the judge. California vs Michigan blog? MSU-UNC Set for Ford Field in BigTen ACC Challenge (2008 Apr 17)--Very cool again, MSU will play one of its regular season hoops games in Ford Field, this time against North Carolina in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Mark Hollis fought hard to move the game from what would have been a MSU road trip (it was MSU's turn to travel to ACC country), and instead have the game at Ford Field. They'll probably have a fantastic halftime show to boot, celebrating the legacy of the two historic programs...
300 + 2007 Spartans = Cool Wallpaper (2007 August 21)--Click below on the very cool wallpaper the ES received yesterday in an email from TM (Rbokie24). It widens out to 1800 pixels... very slick.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
