Okay, so, hopefully this will be my last bashing post, but I just have to get this off my chest. Marshawn Lynch is being touted as such an awesome back, and being so fast and elusive. The networks show game tape of him running free in every single game except the UT game. Watch that tape again, and tell me how fast the dude is. Our linebackers were catching the dude… from behind. Now, I’m no expert, but if you’ve got a dude that weighs more than you, chasing you down from behind, it doesn’t seem like I’d be able to consider you a competitor to the flash.

Marshawn WHO?

Update: Okay, well I just saw him in a press conference, and he seemed so excited to be with the Bills and in the NFL now, and he genuinely seems proud and happy like a little kid, so I feel kinda bad about bashing him, but, I said what I said, and I’ll stick by it.

So, I was checking out the Acme Packing Company, the Green Bay Packers blog, to see what some of the reaction was regarding Justin Harrell, the first Vol taken in the draft.  Mostly, the response seemed to be positive, but there was some sense of questioning the decision to take the guy so early.

All I can say to that is, Harrell is a consummate team player, and it showed when he played against Florida with a torn biceps tendon.  Let me reiterate, he played a football game, on the defensive line, with a torn biceps tendon.  That doesn’t even register in my head.  I won’t go to the supermarket if my finger kinda hurts, but then again, perhaps that’s just part of what makes me so awesome: the ability to know when to quit.

To the Packers fans that might be wondering what a guy from Tennessee who wore the #92 and played on the defensive line might look like, I present to you this image:

Thank you, and goodnite.

So, we’re on the eve of the NFL draft, and many peoples’ mock drafts have been posted via the intertubes, and for the most part, there are some interesting draft, um, drafts out there. One of the most obvious things I see is that many people have Robert Meachem going late in the first round. I mean, late, like #31 to the Bears late. The receivers that are usurping the Meach? Dwayne Jarrett and Teddd Ginnn, Jrrr.

Now, Dwayne Jarrett being an SC receiver, is taking precedence because of his, um, ability to wear crimson and yellow. As a comparison, let’s take a look at the Trojans in the NFL. You’ve got your Keary Colbert (not related to Steven Colbert apparently), you’ve got your Mike Williams of the Lions, and your Keyshawn Johnson. That’s it. Really. Oh wait there’s, no. No, that’s it.

I don’t really understand the love affair with Ted Ginn. Okay, so the dude is a pretty good kick returner, but then again, so is Devon Hester, and well, last I checked, the Bears lost the SuperBowl in much the same manner as the Buckeyes did. The list for Buckeyes in the NFL is about on par with the SC group. You’ve got your Santonio Holmes of the Steelers (bench), Michael Jenkins of the Falcons, Drew Carter of the Panthers, Terry Glenn of the Cowboys, and Joey Galloway of the Bucs.

That list really isn’t anything to shake your fist at. I’ve heard of most of the names on that list.

Onto the Vols list: Chris Hannon, Mark Jones, David Martin, Eric Parker, Peerless Price, Donte Stallworth, Cedric Wilson, Kelley Washington. What’s the deal with my pointing out the differences? It’s that there are certain schools that are known for producing talent at certain positions (okay, well, maybe Kelley Washington was a bad example). UT, formerly “Wide Receiver U” also produces talent on defense, and well, when one thinks Ohio State, one doesn’t think “awesome wideouts.”

Maybe it’s just me being a homer, but my bologna has a first name.

Update: Welp, looks like Meachem is headed to the Big Easy, and the Tennessee Titans took a tall Texas talent to turn the tide of their tumultuous team. Yeah, that took awhile to put together. Obviously the titans had to address the need at CB, and although they still need to address the WR situation (which I think would have been better as a first round pick), and we’ll see what happens.

Update 2: So, Robert Meachem gets to play alongside Marques Colston and Reggie Bush.  You know what?  That’s not too shabby at all.  Especially with Reggie Bush in the mix as well as Colston being the #1 threat, Meachem might have a chance to sneak in under the radar and catch a lot of balls.  Good Luck Meach!

Update 3: HAHAHAHAHA Claude.  I didn’t know that.  “Turk” is a much more intimidating name than… Claude. Turk McBride is now going to be reunited with former Tennessee teammate and MVP, Dustin Colquitt.  W00.

Well, we’ve upgraded to the new, and well, i think just new wordpress version 2.1.3.2.5.4.767.2.3.442.56764.234.221.634verB-234.152.4676-H.com

It’s pretty awesome so far, except that it sucks, and well, I don’t know what I’m doing. So if you find something wrong, let us know by emailing us using the links to the right, or you know, just sit there and complain but do nothing proactive about it.

Also, we’re working on some possible site redesigns and if you guys have any ideas, we’d be more than happy to listen to them, then dismiss them immediately, then eventually come back and use said ideas giving out no credit whatsoever. We’d be a regular Todd Goldman.

If you don’t know who Todd Goldman is, just know that he’s the Urban Meyer of design. He steals stuff, and calls it his own.

Okay, anyway, yeah, let us know if anything is wrong with the site (I already see like at least 4-5 things), and enjoy.

Well, as it turns out, Bruce Pearl is a pretty smart guy after all.  The entirety of the Big Orange Nation was holding their breaths waiting for the decision to come down from the All-American Chris Lofton, but until the press conference, people were still unsure.

That’s because Bruce Pearl allowed, and in fact, encouraged Chris to explore his options in the NBA.  Many vol fans, upon hearing this news, were mortified that Lofton might actually leave UT for millions of dollars, big houses, nice cars, and adoring fans.  I mean, the nerve…

But as it turns out, Lofton is going to stay in school.  Don’t get me wrong, I think that’s great and everything, but what’s going to happen when the real Chris Lofton wakes up, and finds himself in Bruce Pearl’s basement somewhere, watching a press conference with a Lofton-Bot announcing that he’s going to stay in school for another year?

Crap, what did I just say?  WHAT DID I JUST SAY?

Some are saying that Bruce Pearl is helping himself out in terms of recruiting due to the fact that it looks like he is looking out for the best interests of his players by allowing them to explore their options and being open to players leaving early to play in the pros.  I’ll agree that that is true, but we don’t really know what’s going on behind the scenes.  Maybe he’s putting on a brave face in front of the cameras, and then as soon as the doors are closed, the mics are off and the cameras stop rolling, he bursts into tears, crawling on his knees begging his players not to leave.  No?  Well, a guy can dream.

With Lofton staying at UT, the BasketVols should be in good contention to win the SEC East next year with the entire Florida team leaving for the draft, a new coach at Kentucky, and well, no other teams playing basketball, so, let’s hope the decision pays off for the man.

Thanks Chris, and buy a tshirt that’s shorter than your polo.  Thanks.

The crappy clock rules are (sort of) gone. The NCAA, in all their enduring wisdom existence, decided that it was time (haha, pun intended!) to get rid of the uber crappy clock rules that was a blight on football. Without going into details, most of the clock rules from last year were rescinded, and a few changes were made to the kickoff rules (kickoff is now from the 30 yard line). Sooner or later, teams will be kicking off from the 4th row behind their own endzone, but that’s neither here nor there.

So, what does that mean to the casual observer? Well, not much, because casual observers probably didn’t notice any kind of difference in games being shorter last year anyway. That’s why they’re freaking casual observers. The people that were actually affected by the clock rules? Everyone that gave a crap about football, that’s who. The fans, the players, the coaches, the parents, the girlfriends, the uncles. Think of the uncles!

So, now that the little clock fiasco has been taken care of, it raises the question of what other rules suck and should also be rescinded.

• Identifying Player Numbers on Penalties – For the most part, I actually liked it when this rule was put into effect. It was especially nice when you were able to single out a player to yell at because he stalled your team’s drive by (getting caught) holding. But before the rule it was actually kind of fun to try to guess who did what. Obviously, with the nature of the call, it was easier to be able to narrow down the list of suspects, but it was still fun to accuse John Henderson of pass interference. “I bet it was big John. I mean, that guy’s just so big, he made the receiver crap his pants… hence, pass interference.”
• Overtime – Okay, so this one, I actually do believe should be rescinded, or at the very least, changed. I’m fine with each team getting an opportunity to have a possession, and think that’s sort of fair, but giving teams the ball on the 25 yard line? What’s the deal? I mean, if the first team fails to score, in theory, a team could try a field goal on first down for around a 42 yard try. This sucks when you’re best player might be a punter *cough Dustin Colquitt *cough.  The teams should have to return a kickoff, and if they score, the other team gets to receive a kickoff too.  If they don’t score, and punt the ball, that’s the other team’s possession.  If there’s a fumble, and a recovery by the opposite team, then another fumble, and then a recovery by the original team, that was the other team’s possession.  Easy right?
• Clothed Cheerleaders – So, maybe this rule was never “implemented” per se, but it should be rescinded none the less.  Maybe not so much the dude cheerleaders, because honestly, no one wants to see a flip, then another, smaller, yet more painful flip, ya know what I’m sayin’?

And there you have it.  Join in with me to make these, my dreams, a reality.  You can help, for only 28 cents a day.  Oh yeah, and some cookies.  And milk.  And other things that make me happy.  Hope you enjoyed your time here, and let’s go get our changes!

There have been several posts around the blogosphere about the shootings today at Virginia Tech. I felt that perhaps we should do what little we can to show our support to those in Blacksburg.

Obviously, there is nothing that can be said that can even start to grasp at the enormity of what the students, faculty and family members of those closest to the tragedy, but we will try as we might. I’d imagine that most people reading this blog have attended college, and felt that innocence that came with it. The “coming of age” for countless people year in and year out where people try to find their paths and better themselves. That bubble of innocence was broken today in Virginia. That protective space where people went to better themselves and advance their lives only to have those same lives ended in the most pointless and terrible of ways.

The emotion and confusion of Columbine 8 years ago was resurrected in one fell swoop where the trust of security and safety was shattered in a way where it might never be able to be pieced together again. Of the many things that we worried about going to school, something like this never had, and never should have, entered our minds. It probably didn’t enter the minds of those going about their business today on the Virginia Tech campus, and rightfully so. It was unfortunately today that an unimaginable act brought them out of the world that they were living in, and into the brutal reality of a world created by a single heartless soul intent on destroying the lives and futures of those around him for reasons beyond understanding.

We stand together today, as the Unified Hokie Nation. Not a nation of separate entities, but as a single entity that will not tolerate nor condone the actions of those intent on destroying what we hold dear. An entity that will not yield nor give in to the realm of fear created by these cowards who have no recourse but to bring their own chaos to those around them.

We are all Hokies today, and we will stand true.