She's Just A Charmer, Oh No

Well, it's been a while and for that, I apologize. Instead of original, well thought out...thought, I'm gonna copy and paste an email conversation I had this afternoon with my Uncle Jim. As always, he's from Arkansas, and an SEC fan:

From Jim To Lance on 9/10/09 @ 11:22 a.m.
Curious to know your thoughts on several fronts
1) Sam Bradford, are they really that much better with him? It seemed to me OU should be able to handle a team like BYU with their 3rd string QB.
2) How about all the ballyhood about BYU and Boise State? Ridiculous, we may finally see the explosion of the BCS!
3) Colt obviously had a good game, they look tough.
4) Have you seen the number 1 offense in the nation? Yes, it is my mighty Hogs...and yes I want to celebrate when I can even though it was against a D-2 school. Mallett was 17-22 passing and set some records. It is so unusual for us to have a true passing QB! It will be interesting at what point he decides to try the NFL. At 6'7" he should be the real deal. They say his footwork is his achilles (no pun intended) and Petrino is obviously the guy to teach him.
5) How bout them ole miss rebels? They sure looked like a HDN team to me. The qb struggled and the running game was run left, run right. This might just be fun to watch them implode. It couldn't happen to a better guy...we'll just have to see.
6) Back to my Hogs, they have a bye week this week and then we get them at home against Georgia. Even before OSU beat them, I felt like we would beat them. I CANNOT wait until we go to Oxford.
7) Speaking of OSU...they are good and very well may be very good. Depending on Bradford, they could win the South easily and the Texas game will be a classic no matter who wins.
8) Lastly, can the Rangers do it? I'm pulling for them more this year than I ever have.
9) ACU number 2 in the nation? Awesome, their coach has got to start getting some attention. It was interesting with the TV game, the coach of NW Missouri has been there for 30 some odd years. When you think about it, as a coach that would be a pretty nice gig, rather than take a chance of climbing up and down the proverbial ladder of college football coaching.
10) What are your thoughts about Barkley? Pretty amazing kid and it seems it is not all hype. I wonder what Mustain is thinking? Mustain should have done what Jevan Snead did. Commited to Florida first, found out Tebow was signing, went to Texas and saw real clearly Colt had the job locked down and then found a school that could use him. I think SC will beat OSU pretty handily although Tressel is like 26-1 in the horseshoe.*


My response to Jim @ 12:57 p.m.
Glad to hear your thoughts, it's always fun to talk college football. I'll just number the points and comment accordingly.
1) It's always great to see 0u lose, but I have mixed feelings about the Bradford injury. He seems like a nice guy (did you see the gameday feature with him and Colt?) and Texas proved last year that they could beat them with him playing, but at the same time, it has to be good for UT if he misses extended time. I do feel bad for him though. The injury I'm most shocked about is the one to their tight end. I heard about it a month or so ago, and at the time it seemed like he would only be out for a few games, but he had surg and is done for the season! Even though I feel for 0u about the same way you feel for HDN, I do feel bad for both those guys. They could have left school last year and been high draft picks, but came back for one more shot, and sustained injuries before week two. As far as 0u as a team, everyone said their biggest question mark was their O-line, and apparently it came to fruition. Not saying that the guy who hit Bradford would not have with last years group, but it does make you wonder. Alright, enough about them, time to move on...
2) I love the fact that BSU and BYU are looking legit with early wins over BCS schools. I'll be rooting for them (and TCU, and Utah) to continue to do well, and hopefully at least one will finish undefeated so that the BCS takes another hit.
3) I only saw a few highlights of the Texas game, because it was on pyy-per-view,. but they did look good from what I witnessed. From what I've read/saw, it was a good thing that they gave up 20 points to ULM because you just know Muschamp will be all over the D for underperforming, so he'll keep the fire going hopefully. Also, Colt threw a pick so that should keep him from getting too comfortable after one game.
4) Congrats on the big win! I'm glad a quarterback from the Great State Of Texas can come in and give y'all something you haven't witnessed since...umm...when did you last have a throwing QB? Speaking of Texas QB's, another UT transfer is starting in D1 for Tulsa. GJ Kinne went to UT out of high school and left after a year, so that makes to D1 starters from Texas who Colt has sent packing. Best of luck to both of them, though. Also, the best (from last year, statistically speaking) QB is from Abilene Wylie and currently plays for the Houston Cougars, and was coached in HS by an ACU grad.
5) I don't really like or dislike ole miss, but i do hope Snead plays well, so I was a bit surprised that they took so long to get going against Memphis. I do have the sneaking suspision, though, that they maaayyy not live up to their preseason expectations, so we'll see.
6) I watched most of the OSU/UGA game, and yes, the Hogs have a great shot at beating the Dawgs.
7) Even before last weekend, the UT/OSU game was the one that had me most worried, with the exception of the RRS. Now, uummm, yeah. Lets say that I'm not exactly looking forward to Stillwater on Halloween.
8) Yeah, I'm glad the Rangers are giving me a reason to watch baseball in September. I tivo almost all the games, and they're a fun team to watch. They have great young talent in the field (Kinsler, Andrus, Borbon, Cruz, Davis) and FINALLY have some good young pitchers in the mix. I worry about the playoffs this year, but if they hold on to their team, they can contend for the next decade. Awesome.
9) Yeah, I'm excited about ACU. They started to improve during my time there, but in the years since, have really taken off. It's great to see them get a little exposure. I don't know if Thompsen, their HC is looking to leave for a bigger job, but he is an ACU grad, so those ties may keep him there a little while at least. The NWMOST coach is a little like the coach at UMHB in Belton. He hasn't been there for 30 years-UMHB only started football a decade ago or so, but he's been there since the start, and have turned down multiple offers from bigger schools because he has a nice thing going in a town he's been in for quite a while. I think there's something to be said for that, just being content where you are and not always following the money and fame. Certainly, it takes a special breed to be a D1, or NFL head coach, but it's also special to be a DII or DIII coach who enjoys long-term success and doesn't leave at the first opportunity because he's happy with where he's at.
10) Barkley seems like the real deal. Say what you want about USC, but they put guys in the pros, and they know talent when they see it. I wonder what Mustain's thinking now? He probably would have been the starter at UA had he waited out the coaching change, as Mallett probably wouldn't have transfered if Mustain were still there, now he's behind a true freshman. Bummer. Also, who was it that beat OSU in the Shoe? Dang, I can't remember. Hmmmm??

Response @ 2:01 p.m.
1) No I didn't see the gameday feature, I wish I would have and ditto on your sentiments. Great insight on the O-line, I never thought of that one.
2) Ditto on the BCS
3) Nuff said
4) Texas, the vast breeding ground for quarterbacks and unless I'm missing it, none of them are starting in the NFL. That is strange isn't it?
5) I read one article about Ole Miss this year and it was specific to Nutt. It said Nutt's team's in the past underperforms when ranked high and overperforms when they are rated low. That is the most true statement about Nutt's record I've ever read. That is what frustrated me more than anything in his 10 year span. Payton and I both will relish the day Ole Miss figures that out and he'll have another coaching job lined up.
6) Ditto
7) It will be better than Tech/Texas last year. By the way I understand Graham Harrell's brother is a qb for ACU. I still cannot believe he didn't get drafted. I really thought he might be something to watch.
8) Since I've never, ever been much a baseball fan nor a Ranger fan, I'm please a Texas team is making a show of it. How long has it been since the Rangers or Astro's played the championship much less a division championship? Diotto
9) Go Wildcats! Good words.
10) Simply put, a good college game, great atmosphere and interesting to watch. Barkley's appearance is interesting, seems like the typical surfer California kid unlike the latino Sanchez and dark headed Leinart. How about Sanchez and Stafford. You have to either feel sorry for them and excited for them at the same time. Petey's reaction to Sanchez leaving is interesting looking back. Of course one could argue Petey's record in the pros was less than desirable. Kind of like another coach that spent less than a year in the NFL. No DOUBT about putting guys in the pro's! They should just call it Pro U.

Lastly, have you caught any of the hard knocks re the Bengals on HBO? To say I'm a fan of the bengals would be like me saying I'm an Ole Miss fan, but it has been interesting. Tank Johnson and Roy Williams are both with the Bengals, weird in that they both were a star on their helmet last year. Marvin Lewis seems like a good coach and it is always fun to get a glimpse of head coaches. I told Jill not long ago, I would LOVE to be able to spend one week with an NFL team just to observe everything they do. It would be awesome as it would to do the same with a college team. What do you think Petey's practices are like as opposed to Petrino or Meyer's and then compare to a Stoops or Brown's? Fascninating. Don't forget to watch Auburn any chance you get. Talk to you later.

Another Response from me @ 3:27 p.m.:
4) That's because they're still in college. Wait a few years.
7) He was second-string in their TV game a few weeks ago, but got a lot of playing time. I don't know if that's the plan for the season, or if they are still waiting/hoping for one of their two QB's to separate from the other. Fun fact-Harrell and Colt's younger bro, Chase, are roomies at ACU.
8) The Stros actually made it to the World Series in 2005, but got swept by the White Sox, though every game was close. The Rangers have not made the playoffs since 1999, and have won exactly ONE playoff game in franchise history-their first ever game against the Yankees in 1996.
10) I have watched Hard Knocks. Love it. For some crazy reason, Ochocinco has become, in my opinon, a more likeable person because of the show. He's weird and crazy, but at the same time a pretty funny dude. I also like it because the running back from ACU, Bernard Scott, is getting some face time, so that's fun.
I'd love to compare the practice habits of various NFL and college coaches. I think the most entertaining would have to be Carroll at USC. Every now and then I come across a video of him and his players singing or pulling practical jokes on one another. Just seems like a cool environment to be in as a player.

Jim to Me @ 4:41 p.m.
My sincere apologies for the bad spelling. On this particular email I use the spell check never works and the font is teeny tiny. If I say so myself, my spelling was actually my strong suit in school. I was just reading back over my messages and see where you must think I'm stupid Arkie that can't spell. Oh well, you already thought that, but anyway disregard the bad spelling.

My final response @ 6:39 p.m.
HA, shows you what I know, I didn't notice anything wrong!

Me be in grajewit skool,
Lance

I'll leave you with this video, which I can't stop laughing at, courtesy of si.com:


*Comments copyright Jimbo Jimmy Agan, 2009, Jonesboro, Arkansas