August 26, 2009

Well I'm back as I've promised to deliver the good word and some freshness....lets not delay...

THE HOT LIST:

1. Husker Practice Report
2. Big 12 Preview: Kansas
3. Headlines

1. Husker Practice report continues today as Cody Green is now asserting himself as the backup to Zac Lee. Shawn Watson interviewed yesterday stating that as of right now Green has made good plays and is managing the offense effectively right now. Washington isn't too far behind and Shawn declared that he wouldn't announce a legit backup until this weekend. That gives Latravis some time to catch up. I hope that Washington does elevate his game some more and steals the number 2 job from Cody. I think the value of having Green redshirt this season is huge to the stability of the QB position in the future. Lee will return for his senior year....so why would we want Green to sit behind him all season and not redshirt. I think you do the right thing now and redshirt him...give him some more time to developed as a QB. I understand Shawn's mentality on choosing a legit backup...he's looking out for the success of the team and if Zac goes down he wants to have the best backup ready to go in and run the offense in stride. Either way I feel that a redshirt season for Cody Green is very very important to his development into our future starter....we'll just have to keep our eyes open and see how the backup race plays out.

2. I continue my Big 12 Preview with hopes to finish it up next week before the start of the season as I glance at the Kansas Jayhawks today. KU two seasons ago went on a magical run that I think won't be duplicated anytime soon especially with Nebraska continuing to make a rise back to national prominence. 12-1 is season that KU fans will always remember...too bad they couldn't have beaten Missouri to go undefeated and get to the title game....either way last year was an official wake up call on what its like to play big boys in your schedule instead of Baylor, A&M, and OSU when they tangled with OU, Texas, and Texas Tech last season...3 games they all lost. This season they play the same 3 big dogs in the Big 12 South although Tech lost some luster with losing Crabtree and Harrell. KU return arguably the best offense in the Big 12 is QB Reesing back who threw for 3888 yards and 32 TD's. He's poised to have a big senior campaign and go out as one of the most successful QB's to ever play at KU. To throw to he returns Dezmon Briscoe who caught 1400 yards and 15 TD's in the air in 2008...clearly Todd's #1 target next to Kerry Meier...the converted QB led the team in receptions last season. Jake Sharp the talented "white boy" RB returns after rushing for 888 yards and 12 TD's on the ground. The biggest question marks have to come at LB this season. KU lost Holt, Rivera, and Mortensen who each had 90+ tackles last season individually. That's a lot of tackling that is now missed. KU will go to a 4-2-5 defense this year to utilize an extra DB to strengthen their defense. It's an interesting move because teams like West Virginia have been very successful running this style of defense. The problem comes with learning the fine parts of this defense in season 1 which Nebraska has seen first hand that sometimes you'll make big plays and sometimes you'll give up big plays....both are a possibility for KU. The schedule opens with games against Northern Colorado, UTEP, Duke, and Southern Miss which pending any nightmare performances gives KU 4 easy wins to start the year. The Big 12 schedule busts open with ISU, at Colorado, OU, and at Tech...which I see them going 2-2 with a possibility going 1-3 losing to Colorado on the road...especially if the Buffs come to play in that game....the next four start at K-State, Nebraska, at Texas, and Missouri at Arrowhead....I think they go 2-2 in this stretch as well beating K-State and Missouri but not Texas and not Nebraska as I feel the Husker's win the Big 12 North this season and will have more solid defensive play than KU.
2009 Prediction: 7-5 with losses to Colorado, OU, Tech, Nebraska, and Texas
They are going bowling this season but most likely to a mid-tier game like they played in last season against a slow 10 school.

3. Headlines jump out today as former Nebraska DB Eric Warfield is now facing jail time as he was convicted of his 4th DUI last week. He now looks at 1 to 3 years in prison...he is currently at the Nebraska Department of Corrections evaluation center awaiting the start of his sentence. It just comes to show that drinking and driving will do you NOTHING in life...it's just stupid...get smart...get a DD....and avoid the hassle of going to jail, paying a fine, and losing your license for GOOD. It just comes to show that we as human beings still make mistakes and that we need to take care of those professional athletes that beat the hell out of their bodies for years for our enjoyment may need physical therapy and psychological counseling to maintain healthy lives after they have retired from the NFL. We shouldn't turn our backs against those that gave so much of themselves for years just for entertainment.

Coming back again tomorrow before retiring for the weekend.