Unverified Voracity 8/8

More strategery can be found over at Football Outsiders, which continues its killer series on football strategy with a look at man coverage.

T-Minus 25? 26? Whatever. Football is coming. Scout keeps the interview train rolling: the last part of that one with Lloyd Carr; and disturbing talking from Pat Massey. Disturbing? Witness:

The bottom line is Coach Herrmann put us in a position to succeed, and as players we just didn't execute. I think that was just do mostly to fundamentals. Guys missing tackles and takings bad pursuit angles. I don't think it should matter what defense we're playing.

Hello 1998. I am to kill you.

Now. A large portion of that is the selfless (and meaningless) fall-on-your-own-sword thing you get all the time. Everyone blames themselves.At what point do you look at your chronic inability to stop a quarterback intent on crossing the line of scrimmage as a schematic problem? Say... eight years? I say eight years. What's that, Donovan, you do, too? Excellent, we are all in agreement.

Also, Draft Showcase continues its Wolverine showcase with a really accurate assessment of Jason Avant and his NFL potential.

A deep shudder reverberated throughout my body when I saw the belly of the beast on Henry Abbots's excellent NBA blog True Hoop. He excerpts an SI Extra article($) about Stephen A. Smith's new show:

When ESPN's Shapiro, looking to improve the network's NBA coverage, brought up his name at a production meeting in July 2003, he was shocked by the negative reaction. "We wanted a game changer. Charles Barkley is a game changer," says Shapiro. "We brought up Stephen A. Smith. There were 28 people in the room, and they were all vehement: 'No way, never, never!' I said, 'We've gotta get this guy in here.'"

Well now, doesn't ESPN make more sense?

Abbot also points out this unamused NY Post article(AR, use bugmenot). Money quote:

You kinda feel sorry for Smith, that ESPN would appoint someone to do this to himself in such full and endless view. But ESPN has chosen Smith as a first-string, all-day, every-day noise-maker, sports expert and TV star. Why? Got me. Sure, ESPN isn't into sports that much, anymore, and, apparently, neither is Smith, but still . .

Yes, the audience is chanting "Spring-ER! Spring-ER!" RIGHT AT THIS VERY MOMENT.

Mas Tom Brady: Cold Hard Football Facts is on the anti-Manning warpath and IBFC takes the opportunity to join in. Boston.com has yet more on the Man.

You've probably heard about the big Native American smackfest going on between the NCAA and a few of its member schools, most specifically Florida State. I didn't comment earlier because I don't really have much outrage to offer.

One thing I see a lot of that bugs me is a comparison between the mascots of Notre Dame and the various schools that employ Indians. As I've mentioned before, I spent a good hunk of time in Ireland a few years ago. One of my roommates was a man we called Patsy. Patsy remains to this day my favorite person ever, an Irish marine biologist from Donegal who would ominously threaten me to drink a fifth Guinness at the end of the night. Once I asked him what he thought of the Fightin' Irish, and this is what he said (please read this in the most over-the-top mental brogue you can summon):

What, the little bugger with the [pantomime of Irish logo]? Oh, he's class. Queensbury rules, right?

At this point he pretended to box with me. The point? No one in Ireland cares. (Also: goddammit I love Ireland.) Since there is at least a subset of Native Americans who do care, and I believe the issue is one of rudeness, that's not a valid comparison.

The best opinion on the situation that I've seen belongs to Sun Sports sportscaster Whit Watson, who brings up a lot of excellent points on his new blog.

Every blogger's favorite newspaper has an article on Ed Hinkel, who is the anti-TO in more ways than one. He like, likes NASCAR. Freaky. That other paper, oh what's the name, oh yes, The New York Times, has an article on Purdue DC Brock Spack(AR). In classic New York Times fashion, its headline:

A Veteran Purdue Defense Wears the Rugged Image of Its Coach

Don't go changing, NYT. (Also, this item gives me an excuse to link to this again: OMG Warren St. John is DREAMY.)