South Beach, Tattoos, NFL Prospect Updates
An entry filled with random tidbits of information from the last two days in Miami.
January 1, 2008
By Case Keefer
I spent New Year’s Eve on South Beach and definitely wasn’t the only one with that plan. As tempting as Dwyane Wade and Kevin Federline’s party or Kim Kardashian’s mansion bash was, I passed on the opportunities and engaged in a more quiet evening at an overpriced Italian restaurant and on the beach.
South Beach was just how I pictured it: Majestic, overcrowded, exciting and filled with dudes with greased back hair and half-buttoned solid-colored shirts. But I have nothing to complain about because it was far and away the best place I’ve ever celebrated the end of a year. All of the football players had a midnight curfew and there were no reported abuses of that rule.
I also got to watch the majority of the Chick-fil-A Bowl. I thought it was a great performance by Auburn. New offensive coordinator Tony Franklin’s spread offense is going to fit like a glove for the Tigers, who have all the key personnel. If Kodi Burns can develop any kind of passing consistency during the next seven months, Auburn will be the team to beat in the SEC West next season.
It hasn’t been the picturesque New Year’s Day. Although the weather is still muggy, the sky was grey all day and off-and-on showers prevented my planned poolside blogging session. Luckily, there were no 8 a.m. press conferences this morning. But there are still plenty of leftovers from the last two days to fill you in on:
TALIB TO RETURN PUNTS
This was widely reported early in the week but I thought I should make a note that it has been confirmed by Kansas coach Mark Mangino. Junior All-American cornerback Aqib Talib will return punts in the Orange Bowl.
Mangino said the switch was out of necessity. Not that he needed to provide any explanation because it was obvious.
Sophomore wide receiver Raimond Pendleton started the year as the punt returner and showed flashes of brilliance. He returned a punt for a touchdown in the Central Michigan game and averaged 12.1 yards per return before pulling Chuck Knoblauch. Like the infamous second baseman who forgot how to throw the ball to first base late in his career, Pendleton just couldn’t field a punt anymore. He either cowered away from the ball or muffed it for two straight games before sophomore cornerback Anthony Webb took over his duties in the Baylor game.
Webb had his own problems. He refused to call a fair catch no matter how dire the circumstances were. That made for scary moments after hits on Webb and even more frightening statistics. Webb finished the season with 19 punt returns for 16 total yards.
With Talib back fielding the punts, Kansas has a proven playmaker whom Mangino trusts more than anyone.
“Certainly, he’s a talented guy and a dangerous guy back there,” Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said. “It definitely gets your attention.”
NFL UPDATE
When All-American junior tackle Anthony Collins said he and Aqib Talib may make a decision together regarding whether or not they will return to school or play in the NFL next season, many people didn’t take him seriously.
But Talib confirmed Collins’ statements. Talib said he would first to talk to his coaches and family and then consult with Collins. Talib and Collins both submitted a request for their draft grade but haven’t heard back yet. Not surprisingly, Talib offered little insight to reporters on what way he, or Collins, was leaning.
“We’ll see after the game,” Talib said. “I’ll fly back to Kansas or fly back to Texas and I’ve got a decision to make. And I don’t have that long to make that decision, we’ll worry about it after the game.”
Virginia Tech junior cornerback Brandon Flowers, a second team All American, and junior cornerback Victor “Macho” Harris have the same decision to make regarding their future. Flowers said he received his draft grade and was projected as a second round pick. Flowers and Harris both said they weren’t letting it distract them from Orange Bowl preparation.
ORE SUSPENDED
Before the Hokies left for Miami, Beamer announced that starting running back Brandon Ore would be suspended for the first quarter of the Orange Bowl.
Ore, who has started all 13 games for the Hokies, violated team rules. Starting in his place will be sophomore running back Kenny Lewis, Jr. Lewis has 53 carries for 209 yards and four touchdowns this season. Since Lewis is relatively unknown, he described his running style to reporters.
“I’m a slasher,” Lewis said. “You have those pounders out there and I might get lucky and knock someone over, but I’m a slasher and when I hit that hole no one is catching me.”
THE HOKIE LUNCH PAIL
The Virginia Tech lunch pail means so much to defensive coordinator Bud Foster that he has a tattoo of it. According to Foster, it means just as much to everyone associated with the program.
“The lunch pail stands for accountability, responsibility, commitment, sacrifice,” Foster said, “all of those things it takes to be a good football player.”
The legend of the lunch pail started when Foster became the Hokie defensive coordinator in 1995. He and a former coach wanted to bring a workman-like attitude to the defense and found an old beat up lunch pail to symbolize their commitment to that brand of football.
At first, players put their goals in the pail before the season. But it has grown to contain more than that, according to Foster. The names of the 32 victims that were killed in the Virginia Tech massacre last April fill the lunch pail this season. In addition, cornerback Victor Harris said the Hokies stashed something significant from every road victory in the lunch pail.
Virginia Tech players and coaches do not tell anyone the exact contents of the pail or who is keeping it. At least one Kansas player seemed fascinated by the tradition.
“”I think that’s awesome,” Kansas senior tackle Caesar Rodriguez said. “That’s what every team should go by, it’s just going out there and working hard.”
AWKWARD FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Foster admitted he had mixed emotions going into the Orange Bowl. He said he was excited for the opportunity to win a BCS bowl game, the Hokies are 0-2 in BCS bowls in the BCS-era. But he said it also meant the end of an era in Blacksburg, Va.
That’s because Virginia Tech has been anchored by standout linebackers Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall for the past three seasons. Adibi and Hall, both seniors, will be playing their final game at Dolphin Stadium. Both will be high selections in the 2008 NFL Draft.
But Foster gave a surprising answer when asked what his first memory of Vince Hall was.
“My first impression of Vince was fat,” Foster said. “He came in at about 260 pounds but now he’s 230.”
“But as they developed at the college level, they became two of the best football players I’ve coached.”
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That’s it for today. I’ve got to get into position to watch my beloved Georgia Bulldogs face off against the Hawaii Warriors in the Sugar Bowl. Hawaii is going to score its points and not necessarily because of the NCAA’s all-time passing leader, Colt Brennan. I think the Warrior’s receivers are the overlooked strength of this team. A nucleus of Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullen and Jason Rivers is good enough for almost any program in the nation. But Georgia can score with the best of them and the Hawaii defense hasn’t seen anything like the UGA ground attack. Expect big games from all three Bulldog running backs: Knowshon Moreno, Thomas Brown and Kregg Lumpkin.
PREDICTION: Georgia 45, Hawaii 34
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"watch my beloved Georgia Bulldogs"
what an arsehole!!!
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