dew1679666265

Hey you just landed former Baylor commit and 9th best safety prospect Ahmad Dixon and should be landing Blake Sims (who just decommited from Bama.... :banghead: ) anyday now. Sims was promised by the Vols staff he would play QB, but ultimately Sims will end up at WR or DB. So don't get too greedy now, dew. :grin: If there's one thing this staff can do, it's recruit. They can coach em up, it appears, but man can they recruit. We've finally got a visit from the #1 receiver in Georgia, Da'Rick Rogers. Along with Markeith Ambles and Matt Milton, we've got a nice group of receivers coming in. With only Tyler Bray and Matt Simms (Phil's son and Chris' little brother) currently coming to UT, we could use another QB, though. :wink:

He'll probably head to ND (which makes The Voice of Reason's comment even more entertaining) or Ohio State. I hope Robert Woods and George Uko head to UCLA. I know he was considering UT at one point, but don't remember the specifics before he committed to USC. He probably will end up at ND, but maybe Jesse Scroggins will reconsider his USC commit now. He'd be a nice pickup for UT as well.

Prater can feel free to come to Tennessee anytime he wants.

Yeah, it's really not that shocking. Fisher may get canned next year anyway if the Titans don't make a deep run into the playoffs and USC would pay him richly - and he'd have more security than he does now with an old, impatient owner. He's also got very strong ties with USC still. I could see him going to USC with the thought that he'd wait it out until the Cowboys job or something came open and he'd go for it.

Won't they have to at least pretend to adhere to the Rooney Rule? Would it matter that they tried to interview Leslie Frazier but he declined? Chris Mortensen is saying the same thing about it being a done deal. Anyone else want to start the Saban to USC rumors with me. The top 3 candidates are supposed to be Mike Riley, Jeff Fisher and Jack Del Rio. Holy crap. I figured with Carroll leaving now Lane Kiffin hadn't proven he could build a program so my teams wouldn't be poached of a coach. I hadn't considered Fisher to USC though.

I've actually seen Amano as a bit of a weak link in the Titans' line the last couple of years. It could just be that the Titan line is so good, but as you said Amano has given up 3-4 of 8 total sacks in 2008. I think Amano would be a really nice backup who can play both center and both guard spots, but am not crazy about him as a starter. He likely would be cheap, though, (if the Titans don't resign him, I think Fisher likes him) and might be an improvement over somebody like Omiyale for the Bears. I've wanted Leroy Harris to start at guard for a while now, though he'll likely be the replacement for Mawae at center going into next year. Amano gave up 3-4 in the 2 years (2 in 2008, and either 1 or 2 this year depending on the website). Sorry for the confusion. And yes, Amano is the weak link in the Titans line, but that is more of a factor of a great OL. Everything I've read from Titans fans say, "he's solid, never going to be a pro-bowler though". I think the Titans will re-sign Mawae and let Harris play LG. Ah, I misunderstood you on that stat then. Amano is a nice player and, as I said, he could well be better than a couple of your interior linemen immediately. I would agree with the assessment that he's solid, but not likely to be a pro bowler. They may well re-sign Mawae, but he's showing significant signs of aging as he's about to turn 40. I'd rather just start Harris, but this isn't the right thread for that discussion.

I've actually seen Amano as a bit of a weak link in the Titans' line the last couple of years. It could just be that the Titan line is so good, but as you said Amano has given up 3-4 of 8 total sacks in 2008. I think Amano would be a really nice backup who can play both center and both guard spots, but am not crazy about him as a starter. He likely would be cheap, though, (if the Titans don't resign him, I think Fisher likes him) and might be an improvement over somebody like Omiyale for the Bears. I've wanted Leroy Harris to start at guard for a while now, though he'll likely be the replacement for Mawae at center going into next year. I'm pretty sure the way RFAs work is that if Baltimore tenders him an offer, then whoever signs him must give up the appropriate compensation. There are three levels, I believe, of compensation, with the first being a 1st and 3rd, the second being a 3rd and the third being nothing. I'm going completely off memory here, so I may be wrong on that.

I'm not sure how the uncapped year thing changes any of those guys. I don't know if the site took that into account or not. Not sure what type of linemen the Bears normally target, but the guys who I think are the best on that list are probably McNeill, Gaither, Evans and Penn. Yanda and Ramirez are interesting developmental guys. I'd say there's an opening at guard and tackle. Chris Williams has to be penciled in as a starting LT. Roberto Garza and Josh Beekman are decent guards but they can sit on the bench for one of these superior free agents (plus, Beekman is the center of the future and could move in 2010 itself). Evans is, in my opinion, the best on that list. Logan Mankins should be on your list of the best. Also, Penn is an RFA. I like Mankins as well, even though he seems so much older than all the other guys. I know he's only 28 and, thus, only a year or two older than most of those guys, but he seems so much older. He's a very good lineman, though. And yeah, both Penn and Gaither are RFAs according to that list, but both are very talented young linemen. If either becomes available, the Bears would do well to fill either tackle spot with him. There are a few names the Bears can go after and sign without necessarily breaking the bank but still being able to improve the line immensely (not all of the free agents are going to re-sign). It's especially imperative to sign one since the Bears have no day one picks and Jerry Angelo seemingly prefers signing free agent linemen to drafting them. The good thing about the current crop of FA olinemen is that many are young enough that you can get 5-6 years out of them before they really start to decline. This isn't a bunch of 30+ linemen who are likely to decline quickly.

I'm not sure how the uncapped year thing changes any of those guys. I don't know if the site took that into account or not. Not sure what type of linemen the Bears normally target, but the guys who I think are the best on that list are probably McNeill, Gaither, Evans and Penn. Yanda and Ramirez are interesting developmental guys. I'd say there's an opening at guard and tackle. Chris Williams has to be penciled in as a starting LT. Roberto Garza and Josh Beekman are decent guards but they can sit on the bench for one of these superior free agents (plus, Beekman is the center of the future and could move in 2010 itself). Evans is, in my opinion, the best on that list. Logan Mankins should be on your list of the best. Also, Penn is an RFA. I like Mankins as well, even though he seems so much older than all the other guys. I know he's only 28 and, thus, only a year or two older than most of those guys, but he seems so much older. He's a very good lineman, though. And yeah, both Penn and Gaither are RFAs according to that list, but both are very talented young linemen. If either becomes available, the Bears would do well to fill either tackle spot with him.

That's a stunner since he's only been there a year. He's been there longer, he's just been head coach for only one season. Yeah, but the fact that he's been "groomed" for that position for 2-3 years before taking it made me think they'd give him a couple years or so actually in control. Since Holmgren was the guy who brought him in, though, I guess it makes sense that the new regime let him go.

Doesn't Boise return nearly everybody? If so, they ought to be on that list somewhere. boise st also ought to be ranked higher than #4 in both polls to end the year, but as usual the non-bcs conferences get ignored by everyone. Yeah, them not having a shot at the title is one thing, but then #4 in the polls is just ridiculous. Yeah, I had a link about this on the last page. It's surprising to me as Leavitt was the guy who built USF into what it is now. Of course, the same could be said of Leach and Texas Tech.

I'm not sure how the uncapped year thing changes any of those guys. I don't know if the site took that into account or not. Not sure what type of linemen the Bears normally target, but the guys who I think are the best on that list are probably McNeill, Gaither, Evans and Penn. Yanda and Ramirez are interesting developmental guys.

Doesn't Boise return nearly everybody? If so, they ought to be on that list somewhere.

That's a stunner since he's only been there a year.

Free agent offensive linemen: Jahri Evans (27) Logan Mankins (28) Marcus McNeill (26) Willie Colon (27) Jared Gaither RFA (24) Donald Penn (27) Jermon Bushrod RFA (26) Daryn Colledge (28) Kevin Mawae (39) Chad Clifton (34) Eugene Amano (28) David Baas (28) Khalif Barnes (28) Alex Barron (27) Mike Brisiel (27) Jeromey Clary RFA (26) Nick Cole (26) Ryan Cook (27) Tyson Clabo (29) Harvey Dahl (29) Mike Gandy (31) Cornell Green (34) Rex Hadnot (28) Ben Hamilton (33) Justin Hartwig (31) Stephon Heyer RFA (26) Richie Incognito (27) Jon Jansen (34) Charlie Johnson (26) Nick Kaczur (31) Chris Kuper (27) Deuce Lutui (27) Stephen Neal (33) Rudy Niswanger (27) Chester Pitts (31) Manuel Ramirez RFA (27) Rob Sims (26) Chris Spencer (28) Jason Spitz (27) Adam Terry (28) Jeremy Trueblood (27) Bobbie Williams (33) Marshal Yanda (25) Obviously not all these guys will hit the market, but there are some real nice linemen on that list. Football's Future, where this list came from, also has write ups on a number of these guys.

He played a lot better in the second half. In the first half he wasn't particularly good overall, but you saw some flashes of his talent. In the second half, those flashes happened a lot more often and it appeared he was seeing the defense a lot better too.

A new job with high potential has opened up:

I know it is, but how about getting tougher schedules? Next year is a start with Virginia Tech, but that's not enough. It takes two sides to agree to a game. Boise can't just call up Florida or Alabama and say "Hey guys, we're coming to play you next year on Sept 4". There was a story earlier in the year (can be read here) about how Boise was calling a bunch of schools that had an open game the same weekend Boise did asking to play one game at the other team's place (no return trip necessary) and they were getting turned down left and right. Given the culture in NCAA Football, I understand why they have such trouble finding teams to play them. What does it benefit teams to host Boise State? You beat them, and it's just a WAC pretender. You lose, and you're totally out of the BCS Championship picture. It's almost a no-win situation. I'm not saying it should be that way, just that it is that way. Yeah, the current system gives no real opportunity for a non-marquee team to do anything concerning a BCS title. Teams like Boise, TCU, etc. are criticized constantly for not playing tougher teams, but they have no choice in the matter. There is absolutely no incentive whatsoever for a marquee school to play Boise, TCU, Utah, BYU or any other legit mid-major team. And as long as we have the BCS in place, there won't be a reason. Yet another reason for a playoff system . . .

There's a reason there is no NCAA Championship in football..... Yep, something boring might happen like the best teams in the nation playing each other. We only want marquee names playing for the title.

There's a reason there is no NCAA Championship in football..... That crystal football says otherwise. BTB, tell Boise State to get in a tougher conference. It's as simple as that. They also probably had two at least equal, if not better, wins than Bama did (Oregon and TCU). Fresno was also a very nice win. Bowling Green and Idaho weren't pushovers this year. And they try to play more good out of conference teams, but the BCS setup gives no reason for teams to play Boise. And to be honest, even though Bama very much earned the win over Texas, the crystal ball doesn't mean much. All it means is that Bama won the game that was set up by sports writers and computers. The two best teams in the nation were not playing in the title game.

Thx man. Trust me, when Bama was going through the "Mike's" period of Shula/Price/Dubose, I never thought Bama would ever see this moment again. I knew you had a shot when you hired Saban. Didn't think it'd come this quickly, though.

There's really no reason Boise State shouldn't have a shot at the title. They might be the best team in the nation.

JoPa is awesome.

Congrats RedFlash.

If this was posted and I didn't see it, I apologize.