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At a recent Pigskin Preview luncheon in San Antonio, ESPN College Football Analyst Todd Blackledge warmed up the audience with an analogy passed on to him by one of his former Penn State teammates. He said “quarterbacks are like tea bags…put him in hot water to see how strong he really is”.
Don’t forget about Zac Robinson. He won’t let you.—–
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Quarterback is perhaps the most prominent position in today’s football game. Focus on the spread offense has resulted in a reduced number of carries for running backs placing the outcome of games squarely in the hands of the field general. Perhaps that is why more and more often, the frontrunner Heisman candidates are QBs.
This year we see three familiar faces leading the Heisman race: Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford. They’re certainly deserving of the attention. Unfortunately a handful of great players will be overshadowed by their amplitude.
Zack Robinson, Oklahoma State. The 6-3, 218-pound QB showed made his statement as a dual threat. He complied 3,064 passing yards and 562 yards on the ground. With the exception of the game against Texas Tech in 2008, Robinson scored through the air or on the ground at least once per game. And speaking of hot water, the Cowboys will open its season against one of its formidable opponents of the season at home against Georgia.
Williams will keep opponents on their heels.—–
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Juice Williams, Illinois. In 2008, Juice amassed 3,173 yards through the air and 719 more on the ground. That’s more passing yards and rushing yards than Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy respectively. He also threw for 22 TDs, which could conceivably get a boost with WR Arrelious Benn at his side (see 7-to-9.com). Hopefully the team can put the 5-7 2008 season behind them.
Jevan Snead, Ole Miss. Is it ridiculous to assume Jevan will compete with Colt McCoy once again? This time it’s for the Heisman. The native Texan, and former Longhorn, got better with age throughout the 2008 season. After his Rebels knocked off the Florida Gators, they had two disappointing loses. Ole Miss proceeded to win its last five games as well as a Cotton Bowl victory against Texas Tech. In those final six games, Snead threw for 16 TDs and only 3 picks. Now that he’s finally settled in Oxford, perhaps he can carry that momentum into this season.
The Rest. After the three QBs listed above, there are several others worth watching. Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State didn’t have extraordinary stats in 2008. But he did lead the Big Ten in passing efficiency. Penn State QB Daryll Clark will be another Big Ten standout. He kept picks in the single digits and passed for over 2,500 yards. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett has the potential to flourish under Bobby Petrino’s offense. Robert Griffin at Baylor boasts a wealth of athleticism. A tough conference schedule will likely keep him out of top player consideration, but he’ll be exciting to watch. There are others that have definitely garnered some attention, but these preseason favorites shouldn’t disappoint.
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Wondering if your favorite players (i.e. Fantasy Football roster) are on Twitter? Here’s a list of NFL players on Twitter. The list is constantly updated. If you see someone missing or other changes, let us know by adding a comment.
You can also follow my Twitter list of current & former NFL players, coaches, staff and analysts here.
See the entire list below the break. (Updated: September 9, 2010)
Read the rest of this entry »
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I think it’s well-documented that I’m not a fan of USC Football. Despite my hatred dislike for the squad, their team camaraderie and respect for their coach never goes unnoticed. Running Back Allen Bradford and defensive end Everson Griffen staged a fight that occurred during the last play during drills at practice.
Pete Carroll enlisted the help of singer/songwriter, Bill Withers, to respond in kind to getting punked by his team. Withers impersonated an NCAA official to warn the team about a bone-eating fungus popping up in locker rooms everywhere. After revealing his identity, the team rejoices in its own version of ‘Lean On Me’. The song was followed by a special message given by Bill Withers.
“Don’t lose sight of this camaraderie that you have now. Because the later you go in your life, the less access you will have to this kind of friendship…” Amen, Bill.
VIDEO: USC Trojans sing Lean On Me
[Hat Tip: Gary Klein, LA Times]
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The NFL Network always has a little fun with the “Fantasy Files” commercials as the season nears. Most feature a player’s strength with some far-fetched footage (my favorite this year is the Andre Johnson commercial). But when I saw the following Adrian Peterson plug, I “Whoa”d like the ETRADE baby. AP looks ready.
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Due to not caring about a DVR scheduling conflict, I missed this year’s ESPYs. But I kept hearing about a great commercial with Devin Hester and Deion Sanders called “Mission” that made its debut during ESPN’s award show. Nothing special about the usual suspects that star in the commercial, but the point of view and edit are particularly clever. It also includes tweets from Devin Hester. UA sorta missed the true essence of the viral-ness by opting to use a fake handle instead of Hester’s real Twitter handle, @D_Hest23.
Anyway, if you can’t tell by my last couple of posts, I’m so ready for football season. This is a good warmup.
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WARNING: Players will not leap out of your screen—–
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Fantasy Football magazine. Check.
Player list. Check.
Ron Mexico jersey. Check.
DIRECTV SUPERCAST. If you have DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket, you’re halfway there. Just make sure you have Flash Player 9 and Adobe AIR for the full effect. Both PC & Mac users can access SUPERCAST. The concept simple: if the game is on DIRECTV Sunday Ticket, then it’s available to watch on SUPERCAST. However, according to the FAQ, blackouts are enforced based on your billing zip code.
SUPERCAST FEATURES INCLUDE:
Live Streaming Video. Enjoy every NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ game, plus the Red Zone Channel. You can switch from game to game at any time.
Highlights. Relive the big moments. See up to 12 significant plays from every game, either individually or consecutively.
Scores & Game Status. See scores and game status for the current week’s completed and in-progress games. Check the schedule for the upcoming games.
Instant Stats. An indispensable feature for fantasy footballers. Track your favorite players’ performance with a touch. Get game and player stats instantly for each game.
Whether or not your favorite bar or restaurant has DIRECTV Sunday Ticket is now the least of your worries. If they have WiFi, you’re all set.
The SUPERCAST mobile app is available on iPhone, Palm Pre and Windows Mobile and BlackBerry (Storm, Tour, Bold and Curve 8900). To download this app to your smartphone, visit m.directv.com/supercast from your phone’s browser.
If you still have cable, it’s time to now. If you’re already a customer, check out the DIRECTV SUPERCAST page for more details.
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Photo credit | Tom Zinn Photography ©2009—–
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Fourth of July for me and my family usually means a habitual trip to Port Aransas. This year, we’re looking for a bigger piece of sky for our celebration…and we’ve found it!
Despite not being a huge baseball fan, I am guilty of enjoying a San Antonio Missions game every now and then. I’m also a self-proclaimed member of the loyal Texas Country following. Add fireworks and you’ve got ‘the greatest show ever been gave’!
Come cheer on the Missions followed by post-game fireworks and a live concert on the field featuring Texas Country icon Robert Earl Keen. “Play ball!” at 5:05 p.m. on Saturday, July 4 at The Wolff (where’s The Wolff). The Missions take on Northwest Arkansas with the concert and fireworks show to follow immediately afterward. For ticket information, check out the San Antonio Missions website.
The H-E-B Fourth of July Extravaganza is presented by KRAFT and the San Antonio Express-News.
If you want to have even more fun, check out the other activities on the list. Other San Antonio bloggers have provided their take on some of the best activities in the area.
Take a look:
4. Fourth of July Celebration in Luckenbach, TX, by Luis Sandoval Jr.
3. Tubing on the Comal River (New Braunfels, TX), by Jennifer Navarrete
2. Celebration on the River (Kerrville, Texas), by Shelley Cook
1. Aqua Boom Festival on Lake LBJ, by Jessica Young
This blog post is part of the JW San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa “List of the Best Things to do in the Texas Hill Country” Blog Scavenger Hunt. The goal is to compile a list of the best ways to spend this Fourth of July (and any day of the year!) in the Hill Country. Bloggers from San Antonio, Texas and anywhere around the globe are invited to participate and share they favorite thing to do in the Hill Country. To participate and have a link to your blog featured in the JW San Antonio “List of the Best Things to do in the Texas Hill Country” blog post all you have to do is write a blog (length, style and everything else is up to you), include this paragraph at the end of your post and send us a link to it via Twitter at @JWSanAntonio. Visit our blog for more information about the Blog Scavenger Hunt. We can’t wait to read your post! Thank you for helping us discover the Hill Country – the home of the newest and largest JW Marriott Resort, opening January 2010.
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