virtualkelly

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Baker's Mizzou defense had only two weak, late-game collapses, contributing to Mizzou's only two losses, putting the offense into stressful, forced, error-prone situations. He now has a job with one of those two teams. Can't make this stuff up.
Fantasy team involvement is endemic and epidemic, just look at the internet sports blog writers and their commenters. The Michigan scandal needs to play-out, to see how much a similar one-man-banding mindset had to do with this -- unilaterally -- or not. Nonetheless, one must consider that in the age of NIL and portal if the whole team should suffer the fate of a team indiscretion, i.e., lost Natty. If you get PAID, you're no longer an innocent in the Big-Boy World. There are no kids here anymore.
I'm late to this discussion but I did read BenFred on SLPD's site this morning. He basically asked why Baker would go back to work for the coach and school who/that fired him to do a rebuild when he's already well paid, successful and in better position for an eventual HC job accordingly. Drink took him in, promoted him and they are close. Baker might go, but it would be counter-intuitive. Would you work for someone who fired you, even for a bit more money? I would think few would. And coaches don't aspire, ultimately, for assistant jobs, even at LSU. It would be taking a big chance unnecessarily.
I fear coaches are too zero-sum in their preparations for these games. They are so burdened with giving the other team something unexpected that they don't do the very key things that got them there in the first place. In all the SEC bowl games this year, this seemed the case... with the possible exception of LSU, who continued to trust in their offense.
The kid needs to bulk up or he will get broken in the SEC. He looked thin and effeminate. He was also a ball hog unnecessarily, which will make him him deemed untrustworthy among teammates if combined with his noticeable blame-throwing (see Milroe). Otherwise, he seems to have good instincts and a lever for an arm -- for a freshman. He needs to mature over the summer.
Extinction is the end result. The game has deviated from the very reasons for which it was being played (and which it was being viewed). The injected place-filler models are indeed "unsustainable", unstable given all parameters involved now that the fundamental emotion has been modulated. We're in the 3rd quarter; the game will soon be over. It will all be professional -- until that too goes extinct. Enjoy it while it lasts before it goes away entirely. It's just History -- with a capital "H".
ESPN is also obfuscating about their bad, season-long takes as well. They're now writing stories based on opposing teams' takes on their rivals getting stomped last night and today, as if justifying their own lofty placements based upon beating them narrowly. It's crazy. What networks will do for viewers -- and double-down dummies like Kanell will do for cred.
This wasn't a beautiful game, except for the fabulous defense, of course. But it showed the type of 4th-quarter veracity that had been missing in earlier key losses. Mizzou struggled to pull together a winning 4th quarter against LSU and Georgia -- finishing it out -- while coming just -- this -- close. This Ohio State game was the last piece of that puzzle: finishing strong and pulling out the win in the end. In many ways, it was the best piece. Kudos to the Tigers from Missouri.
The kid is amazing. I can't wait to see what he does at the next level -- if he so chooses.
The real stars were the defense. With a slow game, we often forget who makes that happen. The Mizzou defense played lights-out.
Not the easiest first half to watch, but the job got done. Congratulations Mizzou on a great year!
Whether he's playing or not misses the point. If players opt out or choose to play, either way, fine. But being coy about it is drama designed to selfishly draw attention to themselves or to throw off the other team's preparation, showing feckless sportsmanship -- tacit fear. So both are smarmy.
Of Rattler: "If he’s the Missouri quarterback, the Tigers win that game against Georgia." That's a silly comment. Cook had no problem beating SCar... simply because... he outscored them. These bloggers....
Lock has needed maturity, coaching and some luck -- and out of Denver. On a second one-year deal with the Seahawks, he's likely to seek a starting opportunity elsewhere, and that performance was keen resume stuff. After three quarters of vanilla-for-backup play-calling, Lock did what Geno could not: throw the long ball on a rope with his cannon arm (and block on running plays). Amazing thing to witness. Best MNF game this year, and certainly Prime games this whole season.
What's vague here is that Lock ran a Montana-esque 92-yard touchdown drive with less than 2 minutes to the game, including two long dimes. Plus, he hit a key block on a rushing TD earlier in the game as well -- yes, block. Amazing performance against one of the league's best teams no doubt about it.
@ CaptainReb101... Yeah, your punter was just named an SEC player of the week for the egg bowl game. No kidding. Think about that a minute. No, sorry, Ole Miss is not better than Mizzou; anyone beyond most legacy-homer-site-readers see that, and that includes the committee. Can't make this stuff up... punter as player of the week... LOL... kills me.
"Here’s what Cubelic had to say about every [sic] SEC team in the final week of the regular season:" Seven teams, not all.
"Ole Miss punter Fraser Masin shared the honor with Brown after a strong performance against rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl." Pretty sad statement about Ole Miss's game if the punter wins a player of the week award. And all those Ole Miss folks claiming to be ahead of Mizzou in the SoS/eye test... who beat an essentially equal team (Arkansas) very handily... well... no.
@ Unclenutzz ... You need to look up what word salad means. The conferences are now even more driven by media revenue. As examples: 1) Regarding conference re-alignment and TV, Texas entering the SEC is sitting in the country's second most populous state -- and having two top ten markets -- will have an impact on recruiting and TV exposure in the SEC. The old stalwart brands will become "blurred" cannon-fodder amidst the money-grab from TV on the upper side, and players on the bottom side. Only Florida and Texas can keenly compete in this scenario. Yet they're fortunately recruiting beds as well, so that brings up... 2) The portal, to mention that as well, is deleting the brand-name team's positional team-depth, so that will not bode well for teams that historically could bank players in relief and as stars. Players want to play after their red-shirt. This is already happening. 3) NIL, specifically, is spreading around the number-one motivator in society, money, so kids (parents) can be more selective and/or more local in their mindset about a kid's future.
@ FSU-SwampBeatdown ... You're trying to brag about FSU's performance against UF? Funny.
... I must amend that this thought applies more to the committee than the assistant coaches, GAs and/or interns who fill out the coaches polls.
@Dawglb ... If it wasn't a rhetorical question, Tennessee serves the same purpose for the SEC that Penn St serves for the B1G, Louisville for the ACC and K-State for the Big-12: 1) it bolsters the SoS argument of the committee's higher placements -- rightly or wrongly -- until it auto-corrects, and 2) they were successful last year so this logic is saleable in the meantime. It's a flawed system wrapped in subjective metrics. Alas.
Missouri and Alabama could likely flip places in the AP and/or CFP. It will only be for a week, but there are a number of dynamics that would lend itself to this notion. Alabama will not defeat Georgia in the SECCG, so this could be its highest position this year.
"Deff a down year for the sec as only 9 teams bowl Eligible" @gatorfan8115... One would have to assume this is not a new normal. With the vast changes in the college game's money structure (NIL and TV) and conference re-alignment, the SEC will likely become a blur of what it used to be. We are only seeing the first signs, regrettably.
"There is no SEC east next year." @JTF... There is no SEC west next year (either). The glass is half full.
@TigerFanPA... Regarding your Mizzou take, Cook and Burden, both being underclassmen, will both be back for Mizzou. Productive seniors, like Schrader, are indeed an issue. Problem solved once, it's likely solved twice, part of an Occam's razor notion. It's interesting that commenter's personal overreactions are deemed righteous, while other's similar overreactions are not. Such is the psychological-Stockholm nature of the internet.
Very nice. That makes a major correction. Good job, Wildcats.