Griffin set a standard that this year's Sooners haven't met
2/9/2010 6:57:59 AM
Blake Griffin returns to the Lloyd Noble Center tonight, and the Oklahoma Sooners will be reminded how much they miss their superstar. It's fitting that Texas Tech coach Pat Knight will be in the building. He's the one who best captured Griffin's dominance when he called him "The Terminator" and his Red Raiders a bunch of "Sarah Connors."
OU coach Jeff Capel captured Griffin's essence at practice Monday, saying: "Maybe some people look and just see the finished product of how he was here, and how he dominated. A lot of people don't pay attention to the things that he did to prepare for that.
"There was such a huge difference in him from a freshman to a sophomore. A big part of that was how he worked. It wasn't just work in the summer. It was every day. You could count on him every day being the first guy out here. You could count on him every day of him being the last guy to leave. You could count on him every day that no matter what was going on at practice, he was going to go hard.
"That didn't mean he was going to be great every day, but he was going to give effort. He had a personal pride about him that transcended anything that was going on outside, or with off-the-court issues. His focus was on getting better and trying to do things necessary for us to win, for us to be a good basketball team."
That's where this year's Sooners really miss Griffin. It's not so much in their limited offensive production in the low post, especially compared to the ridiculous numbers Griffin used to put up. It's more pronounced when you show up for practice and the first player you see on the court is walk-on Beau Gerber. That's great for Gerber, and a sign of how dedicated a member of the program he is. But if you think about it, that's not so great for the rest of the team.
Shouldn't any of OU's three McDonald's All-Americans be the first to arrive? Willie Warren saw firsthand what Griffin's manic dedication did for him and his basketball future. Tommy Mason-Griffin and Tiny Gallon weren't around to witness that, but surely they've heard about it by now. Countless times, I would imagine.
Capel said of Griffin: "He's one of those guys that understood from the first day he got here that you have an opportunity to learn and get better every day if you allow yourself to."
The coach was asked if he hoped Griffin could have an effect on this year's Sooners during his return home. His answer, in part: "In order to soak stuff up, you have to be receptive to it. So I don't know."
The Sooners miss the big fella, obviously. Any team would miss that kind of production.
But it goes much deeper than the 30 double-doubles and umpteen national player of the year awards that Griffin amassed during his historic 2008-09 season.
-- Guerin Emig
Tisdale touched this life, and so many others
2/8/2010 8:13:26 AM
We should begin every week with a Wayman Tisdale story. This one is told by Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel...
"I was in Portland last Tuesday doing some recruiting and I met this guy. He came up to me and started telling me a story about how Wayman got him his first record deal.
"When he was playing in the NBA, Wayman's team was in New York playing the Knicks. Wayman went over to a club and this guy was playing. Wayman went up to him and introduced himself and told him, 'When the season's over with, I'm gonna fly you out to Phoenix. You're too good to be playing in clubs.'
"When the season was over, the guy got a call. Wayman flew him out. And he was one of the first guys signed to that record label, Hidden Beach Recordings.
"He talked about how Wayman touched him, and now he's doing that. He's done that with a young group of musicians.
"Anytime you come across a person like that, you can't help but be changed and touched in some way."
-- Guerin Emig
Sam Bradford's professional career is under way
2/5/2010 6:36:00 PM
It's a busy week for Sam Bradford.
The former Oklahoma quarterback has taken a break from rehabbing his injured shoulder and his throwing program in Florida and has begun his professional career in earnest.
He's already signed various endorsement deals, including one with Gatorade that he promoted in Miami this week during the week-long lead-up to the Super Bowl.
(Check out these accompanying photos, courtesy of Gatorade, and the link: www.gatorade.com/media/?p=128)
Bradford, who's projected as a top-five pick in the upcoming NFL draft, also did a handful of national radio interviews with Dan Patrick and Jim Rome.
Here's an excerpt from Sam's interview with Patrick. The entire interview can be heard at www.danpatrick.com.
Dan Patrick: How are you health wise?
Sam Bradford: "Really good, the shoulder feels great. I throw three days a week, and (the) doctor says it looks great. I am ahead of schedule.”
DP: Is the shoulder injury recurring?
SB: "No, it should not be. They went in and reconstructed the AC joint, and from everything I've heard, after the rehab is finished, it should be stronger than it was before I got hurt.”
DP: If there was a national title game for Oklahoma, would you have played?
SB: "Probably not. I mean, I had surgery halfway through the season. There is no way I could have made that game.”
DP: If I you were throwing right now, if I said throw it as far as you can, how far?
SB: "I don’t know. Right now, I’m on a throwing program. My last throwing session was throwing 30 balls for 50 yards. . . . I could throw it as far as I need to throw it."
DP: What’s it like when you watch those mock drafts and you see your name? It doesn’t take long when it gets to your name. If it's Buffalo, the Redskins, the Rams — are you checking out real estate is any areas?
SB: "No, I am not checking out real estate. I try to not pay too much attention to it. . . . I don't think anyone who has done a mock draft has ever sat in a draft room. I am just focused on my shoulder.”
DP: When you go into those interviews, what do you think is the first thing they are going to ask you?
SB: "I don’t know. I got a question this morning ... if I could be a tree, what kind of tree would I be?”
DP: You seem like a nice guy. Are you competitive?
SB: "Extremely. I probably could have beaten you in H-O-R-S-E, but that's not a challenge for today. That's not for today.”
DP: You played high school basketball. Were you good?
SB: "I did. I was pretty good.”
DP: Could of you have played college?
SB: "I think so."
DP: Where? Oklahoma?
SB: "Uh, I don't know if I could have made it. If I put all my efforts into basketball, possibly.”
DP: The difference between you and Blake Griffin, besides size?
SB: I think I'm more athletic than Blake (laughs). No, Blake, he's a tremendous basketball player. He loves to dunk. I saw probably more highlights than SportsCenter will ever see playing in AAU with him."
DP: Do you feel like you are still the Oklahoma quarterback?
SB: "No, I have kind of moved past that.”
DP: Sometimes it's hard to let it go?
SB: I let it go.
DP: If you look at the other quarterbacks who got the attention, if it was Tebow or Colt McCoy, how can you not nit-pick what they do when it comes to comparing you to other quarterbacks around the country? . . . What does Tim Tebow do better, what does Colt McCoy do better.
SB: "I think we all have our own playing styles, and everyone is different. Something my dad taught me a long time ago is that you never compete with anyone else, you always compete with yourself. That's something I tried to do every day my three and half years at Oklahoma, then I could get better every day, and I felt like if I got better, then it was a good day."
DP: Why do you think you should be the No. 1 quarterback taken (in the NFL Draft)? These are some of the questions you'll get. I’m gonna spend $50 million on you, so tell me.
SB: "I think I am extremely accurate, extremely competitive. I don’t think you are going to meet anyone who works harder than me.”
DP: Could you start right away for me?
SB: "I want to earn the position. If I have the opportunity to compete for a starting job . . . . "
DP: Before I let you go, you are working for Gatorade so you're getting paid like a professional now. What exactly are you doing?
SB: "Today, we were down in the Gatorade Performance Lab. They put us through some tests, hooked us up to the heart rate monitor, the DO22's monitored our breathing and they put us on a stationary bike. The whole reason behind that is they've got a new series out right now, the G-Series. There are three different drinks, one for before, one for during, and one for after your workouts. I came down just to check it out. I'm training right now, and incorporating hydration like that, it's important learning what to put in your body to maximize my performance on the field.”
DP: Could you beat up Jimmy Clausen?
SB: "Ha-ha. No comment.”
— John E. Hoover
Coming soon to your elementary school: Lane Kiffin
2/5/2010 4:35:51 PM
That Lake Kiffin sure can recruit.
The erstwhile Oakland Raiders coach and in-and-out Tennessee coach, now peddling his wares at USC, reportedly has the first verbal commitment of the class of 2015.
That's not a typo.
David Sills, a 13-year-old quarterback who can't sign a letter of intent until three years into the next presidential term (or, three years after the end of time, if you believe the Aztecs), has apparently promised Kiffin that he's going to USC.
Of course, no one knows if Kiffin will be at USC in 2015. Or 2011, for that matter.
But ESPN.com reported the story of Sills' lifelong dream to play quarterback at USC and Kiffin's interest in a kid who's three years from a driver's license and still has birthday parties at the skating rink.
Steve Clarkson is a quarterback guru — he's worked with 2010 Sooner five-star recruit Blake Bell, as well as Trojan freshman Matt Barkley, among scores of other accomplished QBs — and one of his current clients is Sills.
"His skill set is off the chart," Clarkson told ESPN.com. "I've never seen anyone at his age do what he's been able to do."
Kiffin supposedly was talking to Clarkson about other — presumably older — prospects when Clarkson mentioned Sills. Kiffin asked for some film on the 6-foot seventh-grader, then asked Clarkson again how old this kid was.
Kiffin at that point tendered Sills a verbal scholarship offer — I think it probably went something like, "I'd like to give you an official scholarship offer when you're old enough, like after Sept. 1 of your junior year in 2013, when it's allowed by the NCAA" — and Sills said yes.
Amazingly, Sills isn't the first 13-year-old being evaluated by Kiffin. According to Sporting News, Vols safety Eric Berry, an All-American and projected top-five draft pick, has a little brother named Evan who last summer, when he was 13, got a verbal offer from Kiffin.
OU's Bob Stoops said during his signing day press conference on Wednesday that "we evaluate early," but something tells me Kiffin probably doesn't have a lot of competition in the hallways of junior high campuses across America.
— John E. Hoover
Could be an interesting spring for Javon Harris
2/4/2010 10:00:32 PM
It could be an interesting spring for Oklahoma safety Javon Harris. Or is he a running back?
Bob Stoops said this week that the Sooners are considering giving Harris a look in the backfield this spring. Not a bad thought, considering he rushed for 1,144 yards and 21 touchdowns at Lawton MacArthur in 2008.
Chris Brown has moved on. So has Matt Clapp. I can't imagine DeMarco Murray will do much this spring, given the wear and tear on his body. Jonathan Miller is coming off kneee surgery. Signees Brennan Clay and Roy Finch won't arrive until the summer.
That leaves sophomore-to-be Jermie Calhoun as the primary ball carrier in spring practice, unless senior-to-be Mossis Madu returns to the backfield after giving receiver a go last fall. Someone else has to carry some of the load. Maybe Harris will be that guy.
Asked whether he was switching Harris to offense because of Miller's injury, Stoops said: "That and Javon has an interest in doing it. We always give our guys that flexibility."
It worked out pretty well for Allen Patrick. He moved from the secondary early in 2005, showed flashes of potential while carrying 25 times that season, and wound up as a 1,000-yard runner two years later.
Not to say Harris will repeat that feat, but it is intriguing.
-- Guerin Emig
Stoops speaks on signees... and then some
2/3/2010 10:19:56 PM
A few non-Signing Day tidbits from Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops Wednesday...
Would he consider moving Javon Harris, the redshirt freshman safety, to running back?
"Possibly. We'll check it out here in the winter and possibly in the spring."
Any other position switches foreseeable?
"I don't think so. Not right now."
Would he like to take advantage of the Florida/southeast recruiting ties of new assistant coach Willie Martinez
"We hope to... I think what always matters is proximity. Let's face it, it does for everybody. And so to think you're going to go down there and get 10 guys, I don't know that that's going to happen. But with Willie's contacts… And we still have our tentacles down there for players that have strong interest in us. We always follow up and work them."
Will he continue to assist with the secondary?
"I'll always have a hand in the secondary. I have since I've been here. That's what I've coached forever, so I'll have a hand in the cornerbacks or the safeties, whatever we feel."
Who among the injured will miss some spring practice?
"Ben Habern. Jarvis Jones will miss. Adrian (Taylor) will be out. Jonathan Miller has a chance to be back after spring break. But I think he's a little borderline. I would say Jonathan is probably doubtful. Tom (Wort) will be back. He's already running around. Eric Mensik had some minor arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder. We were anticipating a bigger problem and him not being able to be there in the spring, but that is not the case. It wasn't nearly as bad as they thought. He'll be back for sure in a couple weeks."
Any idea on the length of Taylor's rehab from his broken ankle?
"It will go into the summer."
Heard from Sam Bradford lately?
"I talked to Sam last week and he was real excited about how he felt. He said he has not had any setbacks. He said it feels, in his words, great. He's throwing the football. I think he said that day he had thrown about 30 passes and he said it felt good. No problems. He's just training away and rehabbing and feels great about the way it's going. I can't say for him what his situation will be for the combine. I would think that he's going to wait to have a pro day here. I'm sure everybody will be there, which will give him a little bit more time."
-- Guerin Emig
Words of caution as you soak up Signing Day
2/3/2010 9:05:02 AM
I get that this is the most exciting day of college football's offseason, so by all means go nuts over today's Signing Day haul. I'm simply suggesting that sometime tonight, after you have added up all those stars next to the names of Oklahoma's 30-something signees, and compared that number to the one at Texas, Oklahoma State, USC and Florida, you recall Jamar Mozee.
Once upon a time, Mozee was Gatorade's Missouri prep player of the year. Make that twice upon a time. He was honored in 1997 and '98 after rushing for 4,187 yards and 60 touchdowns for Blue Springs High.
Mozee became the subject of a bitter recruiting battle in which, as Tim Griffin of ESPN.com recalled, he "was an apparently solid commitment for Kansas State until late in the 1999 recruiting period. As signing day approached, Mozee followed several of the Kansas State assistants who had been recruiting him as they joined Bob Stoops' fledgling program at Oklahoma. The late switch earned the wrath of Wildcat fans everywhere."
Wildcat coaches didn't like it, either, and it helped drive a wedge between Stoops/Mike Stoops/Brent Venables/Mark Mangino and Bill Snyder.
So what happened once Mozee got to Norman? Virtually nothing. All those accolades and all that animosity, and for what?
One carry.
Mozee redshirted in 1999, underwent knee surgery, and carried the ball one time during OU's national championship season of '00. An old bio page from soonersports.com cites the carry, but doesn't even include how many yards he gained.
Mozee began '01 two-a-days as a backup to Jeremy Hess at H-back. After that, I have no idea what happened to him. (At OU, anyway. These days, he's an assistant football coach at William Chrisman High in Independence, Mo.)
I don't mean to pick on Mr. Mozee. That OU bio page indicates he was an honor roll student, and I appreciate the fact that he's coaching.
He simply serves as this year's annual reminder that the best time to grade a recruiting class, whether at OU or anywhere else, is about a decade down the road.
-- Guerin Emig
Kansas has become Sooner Country
2/2/2010 9:17:11 AM
Oklahoma is expected to sign three high school football players from Kansas tomorrow, significant in the fact that:
1, Kansas produces blue-chip football talent about as often as it cranks out A-list movie stars, and
2, This year's bluest chip, Blake Bell of Wichita Bishop Carroll, just might be OU's quarterback of the future.
Last year, the Sooners plucked Jaydan Bird and Marshall Musil from the Sunflower State. Five years ago, they went north of their border to get Brody Eldridge. All he did was become OU's greatest utility player since Little Joe Washington.
It's really weird. Before Eldridge came along, the greatest contributor to the Stoops Era Sooners from the Kansas high school ranks was... who, exactly?... Howard Duncan? The starting O-lineman on the 2000 national championship team prepped at Kansas City (Kan.) Washington before going to a JUCO for two years, so I'm not even sure he counts.
Now, the Sooners are invading Kansas to fill more glamorous positions like QB (Bell), wide receiver (Justin McCay from Shawnee's Bishop Miege) and defensive end (Geneo Grissom from Hutchinson).
I guess this is the kind of thing that happens when a legend steps down and his program takes a plunge. Maybe now that Bill Snyder is back on the job at Kansas State, he can at least slow OU's assault.
Over at Kansas, it seems new coach Turner Gill is hip to what's happening. His staff includes Darrell Wyatt, who once helped bring Adrian Peterson to Norman, and Chuck Long, the OU offensive coordinator who delivered Sam Bradford. If you can't beat 'em, hire 'em.
Grissom, actually, was a KU commit until the Mark Mangino fiasco blew up in the Jayhawks' beaks. Gill tried to re-recruit him, but by the time he arrived, OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables had swooped in and stolen him. Now, Grissom is coming to Norman along with a certain quarterback he chased during last fall's Kansas 5A semifinal game.
"He hit me a couple of times," Bell told the Hutchinson News (Bell went 31-of-40 but Hutchinson prevailed, 42-21). "He left a mark. I can say that. I'm glad he's going to be my teammate now."
Forgive the Jayhawks and Wildcats if they don't share that enthusiasm.
-- Guerin Emig
OU got McFarland, Texas answered with Jeffcoat
2/1/2010 10:15:33 AM
Bob Stoops twitches a muscle, Mack Brown gets out of his chair. Will Muschamp goes for a jog, Brent Venables runs a 10K. Kevin Wilson solves a Sudoku, Greg Davis takes down the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle.
And that's just in June, during college football's supposed down time.
Can you imagine what it's like in October? Can you imagine what it was like the last couple weeks when the Oklahoma and Texas staffs went full-court to get Plano West wonder boy Jackson Jeffcoat?
When the Longhorns got him, I'll bet they popped more champagne corks than they had since that night in Pasadena four years ago. Had something to do with what Chuck Carlton wrote in the Dallas Morning News:
"(Jeffcoat's) decision to attend Texas has meaning beyond his on-the-field play... It gives Texas a win going head-to-head with Oklahoma for a top Lone Star talent. Last year, the Sooners prevailed in a heated battle for defensive tackle Jamarkus McFarland of Lufkin. Now Texas bounces back against its biggest rival."
The McFarland story broke around Christmas of 2008. Thayer Evans wrote it for the New York Times, and images from the piece included Stoops sitting between McFarland and his grandmother at the recruit's home watching Queen Latifah's "Beauty Shop," and Brown asking McFarland if he liked his home, with flat-screens in the bathroom, better than Stoops'.
The Longhorns went way over the top to get McFarland, and yet it was OU assistant Jackie Shipp who got the call on decision day (Shipp, according to Evans' story, "began screaming").
Shipp waged another Red River recruiting battle last week, joining Stoops, Venables and Josh Heupel in Jeffcoat's home, according to ESPN.com. This time, however, it went Texas' way.
In McFarland-Jeffcoat, it looks like we have yet another OU-Texas subplot to follow the next couple years.
-- Guerin Emig
Jeffcoat chooses Texas over OU
1/29/2010 10:16:00 AM
By John E. Hoover
World Sports Writer
Jackson Jeffcoat is a Longhorn.
The defensive end prospect from West High School in Plano, Texas, and the son of former Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills defensive end Jim Jeffcoat, chose Texas over Oklahoma and Houston Friday during an announcement ceremony from his high school gymnasium.
At the start of the ceremony, with his father seated to his left and his mother to his right, Jeffcoat put on a burnt orange Texas hat, then took questions from the press.
"I felt most comfortable at Texas," he said. "But I definitely felt comfortable at Houston, and I definitely felt comfortable at Oklahoma."
After the press conference, in response to a fan shouting "Texas!" Jeffcoat, wearing his dark blue West letterman's jacket, held up the "Hook 'Em Horns" sign and laughed.
Jeffcoat's father is a University of Houston assistant. There has been much speculation that Jim Jeffcoat might become the Sooners' next defensive ends coach, filling the vacancy created when Chris Wilson took a co-coordinator's post at Mississippi State.
There also was much speculation that his father's possible employment at Oklahoma, and his twin sister's having signed in November to play basketball at OU, might sway Jackson Jeffcoat to the Sooners.
Jeffcoat is a 6-foot-4, 230-pound pass rusher coveted by every college team in the country.
He's ranked as the nation's No. 2 overall prospect by both Scout.com and ESPNU.com, and is ranked 12th nationally by Rivals.com. He and offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson are the only two prospects awarded a five-star rating by all three services.
While the Sooners may have lost out on Jeffcoat, they could be close to getting a commitment from Corey Nelson, a linebacker/defensive end from Dallas Skyline. Nelson is the No. 5-ranked player in the nation according to Scout.com, but is ranked 62nd in the ESPN 150 and isn't among the Rivals100.
Nelson originally committed to Texas A&M. A Friday morning report by OUESPN.com had Nelson de-committing from A&M and committing to OU, but other Web sites refuted that report, which was later taken down from both the OUESPN and the ESPNU Web sites.
Nelson is reportedly trying to decide between OU and A&M and whether he still wants to take a scheduled visit this weekend to USC.
Oklahoma currently has five players from this year's class on campus, and verbal pledges from another 24.
Verbal commitments are non-binding, and prospects can't sign letters of intent until Wednesday.
John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com
Mason-Griffin makes his move
1/29/2010 12:00:44 AM
A funny thing happened on the way to Willie Warren replacing Blake Griffin as Oklahoma basketball poster boy -- Tommy Mason-Griffin replaced Warren.
So it is in the minds of several OU followers who have watched Mason-Griffin explode over the past three games. His numbers: 85 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, 6 turnovers and 119 out of a possible 120 minutes.
I'm not ready to take that leap just yet. Warren has missed the last two games with a spained ankle. When he played alongside Mason-Griffin at Texas A&M two days before the injury, he was just as valuable to the Sooners' second-half rally as the freshman point guard.
Let's see what happens when Warren returns. Also, with or without Warren, let's see if Mason-Griffin can give coach Jeff Capel a little more in terms of both defensive effort and leadership quality.
I will say this: Forget about any notion of moving Mason-Griffin off the point and letting Warren run the offense. That was a recent idea hatched when Mason-Griffin was the only guard making outside shots, and Warren went into a 3-point funk.
Those two trends haven't changed, actually. But you can't take the ball from a player with the command Mason-Griffin showed against A&M, Texas Tech and Iowa State.
About a year and a half ago, after Mason-Griffin committed to OU, recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons called him "a strong, compact, spark plug lead guard... He will be an outstanding future floor leader for the Sooners."
That future is right now.
After Mason-Griffin zapped Iowa State for 38 points Wednesday night, teammate Cade Davis said: "He's our captain out there on the floor. He gets us in our stuff. Hr runs things. He takes control of the ball and takes care of it really well. He's played lights out the last two games (without Warren) and we don't expect anything less out of him."
Assuming Warren returns for Saturday's game at Nebraska, it will be very interesting to read OU's backcourt dynamic. It's entirely possible that Mason-Griffin's newfound rhythm will make it easier for Warren to get more open shots and a more open floor. That's what should happen, really, provided the two playmakers show a willingness to share in the production.
Maybe what everyone needs to discover is that it doesn't have to be Warren's team, or Mason-Griffin's. Why not take joint ownership and turn OU's season around while there's still time?
-- Guerin Emig
A sweet 2008-09 for OU has turned awfully bitter this year
1/27/2010 11:08:00 PM
You figured there might be a price to pay for Oklahoma's remarkable success across the athletics board in 2008-09.
The football team made the national championship game with a Heisman Trophy winner quarterbacking the highest-scoring offense in college history.
The men's basketball team advanced to the Elite Eight with the unanimous national player of the year, the first in school history, who would go on to become the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, another OU first.
The women's basketball team punched a ticket to the Final Four behind a player who became the first four-time All-American in women's college history.
Well, the bill has come due. And apparently, it's monthly.
Recapping the year in Sooner sports 2009-10 to this point…
Jermaine Gresham gets hurt.
Sam Bradford, the Heisman winner, gets hurt.
Every center on the football roster gets hurt.
Adrian Taylor gets so hurt in the Sun Bowl that teammates cry.
Blake Griffin, the basketball player of the year, gets hurt. (OK, blame that one on the Curse of the Clippers if you want. But still…)
Whitney Hand, the best player on the women's hoops team, gets hurt.
Willie Warren, the best player on the men's team, gets hurt.
Tony Crocker, the best senior, gets hurt.
The football team loses five games.
The basketball team struggles to stay above .500.
Fans struggle to keep their sanity, while wondering if 2008-09 was worth what has happened in 2009-10.
-- Guerin Emig
It's a big week for Chris Brown
1/26/2010 11:57:07 PM
If you are Gerald McCoy, the only draft day question is whether you go No. 2 overall behind Ndamukong Suh. For Sam Bradford, it's whether you are picked in the top five. Jermaine Gresham and Trent Williams hope to stay in the first round, but if either falls, it won't be far.
That's four Oklahoma Sooners with pretty secure futures.
Chris Brown, who rushed for nearly 3,000 yards and 42 touchdowns the past four OU seasons, isn't so fortunate. You'll find him on the fringe of mock drafts, popping up at the beginning of round six at the earliest.
That's an indicator of why Brown's week at the Senior Bowl is so important. He needs to get the attention of pro coaches/scouts who have flocked to Mobile, Ala. They're watching a lot of practice, and not so caught up in the numbers game that is played at the annual NFL Combine, or at OU's annual Pro Day.
Brown's times and weights aren't going to get him an NFL shot. But perhaps if pro personnel in Mobile see what Bob Stoops did the past four years, namely Brown's knack for finding creases and getting the yards that few else could, they'll tack his name on their draft board.
So how's it going? Status quo, it appears.
Multiple Web sites have broken down "risers" and "sliders" after the first two days of practice. Brown hasn't shown up in either category. The only mention I've been able to find is courtesy of Jeff Risdon, who is in Mobile for RealGMFootball.com.
"Chris Brown of Oklahoma struggled with the footwork drills, twice knocking over cones that nobody else touched," Risdon wrote Monday. "He did look very good running routes and catching the ball, however."
I guess that's something, though Brown will want better reviews between now and the end of Saturday's game.
-- Guerin Emig
Sooners, Longhorns aren't the only ones pursuing Jeffcoat
1/25/2010 11:42:46 PM
And here I thought Oklahoma vs. Texas was the only battle being waged over Jackson Jeffcoat. He's the 12-star defensive end from Plano West who is going to pick the Sooners or Longhorns (unless it's Houston or Arizona State) on Dallas' Fox TV outlet Sunday.
Or is he?
Not so fast, says Kevin Hageland, executive sports editor for American Community Newspapers in the Dallas/Fort Worth region. "With all due respect," Hageland wrote, "I believe we will be the first place to find out where Jeffcoat will be going to school."
I say Jeffcoat should draw this out right up until Signing Day. By then, the Metroplex media could be ready to reenact that scene from "Anchorman." Wouldn't you love to see Randy Galloway wave a tire iron at Dale Hansen?
Back to reality, what this means is now you have something to do after you get home from church this Sunday: Hit the refresh button on your ACN Web site every two minutes, and if you don't see any bulletin by 10 o'clock, call someone in Dallas, ask them to tune in Fox 4, then offer to pay them to hold the phone up to their high def.
To tide you over in the meantime, here's what Rivals.com national recruiting editor Jeremy Crabtree told Fox Sports Southwest this week:
"Jackson's situation is very fluid right now. We're still waiting to see what's going to happen with his father (Jim Jeffcoat, Houston's D-line coach). There's a lot of speculation that he's going to be a serious candidate for a position at Oklahoma (where D-ends coach Chris Wilson recently left for Mississippi State). I know that Bob Stoops has looked at Coach Jeffcoat seriously for that spot. That situation could affect everything that happens with Jackson.
"I still think Texas is very much a factor for him. People around him seem to think that Texas has been the school in front for the longest time... But right now at this stage it's kind of up in the air."
-- Guerin Emig
How about that... Hartley upstages old teammate Peterson
1/25/2010 7:27:00 AM
In the moments before the end of Sunday's NFC Championship, I grabbed my 10-year-old son's shoulders and started wishing Garrett Hartley's 40-yard field goal through the uprights. A couple reasons for this:
1. Like many Americans whose favorite teams are out of the playoffs, I have adopted the New Orleans Saints. The city/team relationship is the obvious hook, but I'm pulling for Drew Brees, who I had the pleasure of interviewing the week he came to Tulsa to accept the Iba Award last summer. Pure class.
2. Hartley.
Every kicker/punter I have covered as an Oklahoma beat writer has been friendly, goofy and extremely quotable. Hartley, a laid-back Owen Wilson lookalike at OU from 2004-07, was certainly all of those. He was also very, very good, making 47 of his 58 field goal attempts to become OU's all-time percentage leader.
The only thing he hadn't done was make a last-second game-winner. He had a shot at Oregon in '06, but his 44-yarder was blocked and Gordon Riese officially went down in Sooner infamy.
In fact, I don't think any OU kicker has won a big game with a buzzer-beater since Tim Lashar at Nebraska in 1986. I could be wrong. I probably am. But that's the last one that comes to mind without researching.
So back to Sunday night, I wasn't exactly brimming with confidence while the Vikings called time out to freeze Hartley. That he stepped up made the biggest play in the history of his franchise, upstaging old college teammate Adrian Peterson in the process?
No offense to "AD," but wow!
-- Guerin Emig
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