Bling
02-11-2009, 01:23 PM
The talk of the college football world has been National Signing Day, which is just fine with Florida State. The more that fans obsess over the players (they've never seen) who will be the future saviors of their programs, the less they're talking about the Seminoles dismissing wide receiver Preston Parker. The junior was charged with a DUI after Tallahassee police found him asleep in his car at a McDonald's drive-thru, and Parker later admitted smoking marijuana. Drugs aren't funny, but the potential metaphors for the once-dominant FSU football program are: most Nole fans would agree that this is symbolic of a program that has been asleep at the wheel for several years now. Down I-75, Gator fans might say that this was yet another FSU student preparing for their future career under the Golden Arches.
* And when it comes to raising expectations, former Georgia QB Matthew Stafford actually wants to play for the Detroit Lions. No, seriously. He told Dan Patrick - quit laughing, this is a real story - that he wants to play in Motown: "I think in the end that's a heck of an honor, and that's something I'd definitely love to be able to associate with my name and maybe turn that franchise around." He was then reputed to have added, "And even if we can't, I’m sure I'll be able to turn my bank account around."
* A program that hopes to compete for those national titles is Tennessee, whose Human Resources department has been quite busy processing all the new coaching hires. The new guy in charge, Lane Kiffin, is learning some harsh facts of life about recruiting in the SEC: "You go in behind some of these coaches and hear the things that a coach has said about you, and it blows me away. I would think that you're confident enough to sell your product instead of worrying about us so much. It's surprising, especially since we haven't been here very long. We didn't win very many games last year. I wouldn't think people were very worried about us, but it sure seems like they are." See, Lane, it's not so much that they're worried about you stealing their recruits, they're worried about you stealing their assistants (assistants usually being more expensive than recruits but not always).
* Nobody has mined the Sunshine State for talent like Florida, but the NFL apparently isn't as impressed with the Gators' spread offense. One AFC scout, after voicing concerns about Percy Harvin's route-running skills, said of the left-handed signal caller about whom jean-shorted fans are already writing folk songs, "(Tim) Tebow is a thrower, not a passer. We need to see (him) make read progressions." In a related story, apparently that AFC scout wasn't Thom Brenneman.
* And when it comes to raising expectations, former Georgia QB Matthew Stafford actually wants to play for the Detroit Lions. No, seriously. He told Dan Patrick - quit laughing, this is a real story - that he wants to play in Motown: "I think in the end that's a heck of an honor, and that's something I'd definitely love to be able to associate with my name and maybe turn that franchise around." He was then reputed to have added, "And even if we can't, I’m sure I'll be able to turn my bank account around."
* A program that hopes to compete for those national titles is Tennessee, whose Human Resources department has been quite busy processing all the new coaching hires. The new guy in charge, Lane Kiffin, is learning some harsh facts of life about recruiting in the SEC: "You go in behind some of these coaches and hear the things that a coach has said about you, and it blows me away. I would think that you're confident enough to sell your product instead of worrying about us so much. It's surprising, especially since we haven't been here very long. We didn't win very many games last year. I wouldn't think people were very worried about us, but it sure seems like they are." See, Lane, it's not so much that they're worried about you stealing their recruits, they're worried about you stealing their assistants (assistants usually being more expensive than recruits but not always).
* Nobody has mined the Sunshine State for talent like Florida, but the NFL apparently isn't as impressed with the Gators' spread offense. One AFC scout, after voicing concerns about Percy Harvin's route-running skills, said of the left-handed signal caller about whom jean-shorted fans are already writing folk songs, "(Tim) Tebow is a thrower, not a passer. We need to see (him) make read progressions." In a related story, apparently that AFC scout wasn't Thom Brenneman.