Texas Tech star Harrell heads to CFL

by | Jul 17, 2009 | College Football, NFL Draft, NFL Random Thoughts

Graham Harrell, the latest record-setting quarterback from Texas Tech University, has signed a contract to play for Saskatchewan in the Canadian Football League.

Nothing against the Roughriders (or is it the Rough Riders), but how can 14,000 yards passing and 119 touchdowns against 30 interceptions during a four-year college career not even warrant a training camp tryout in the NFL?

I realize Mike Leach runs a passing offense that skews some of those numbers. I also realize the stellar numbers of guys like Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons and Sonny Cumbie haven’t translated to success in the pros.

But in a league where backup guys like Dan Orlovsky, Quinn Gray, Cleo Lemon and Anthony Wright get recycled year after year after year, wouldn’t a fresh face like Harrell warrant a tryout?

Harrell completed better than 70 percent of his passes his last two seasons. He led the Red Raiders in chasing the national championship against traditional powers like Oklahoma and Texas by posting a six-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio. He threw for nearly 2,000 more yards than Kingsbury did – breaking his school passing yardage record five games into his senior season – in a similar number of attempts and completions.

He can run – he eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark as a rusher his senior year of high school – so he’d at least have an opportunity to complete in the new, fangled Wildcat fad that’s spread across the NFL. And he was considered a leader at Texas Tech.

I’m not saying all or any of those facts will make him into an NFL superstar. Is it possible he could join the ranks of all the other Texas Tech “system” quarterbacks and be junk in the pros? Absolutely. It might even be likely.

But the fact that this guy isn’t going to get a chance to prove or disprove those theories is confusing and disappointing. Not even a spot on someone’s practice squad? Really?

Somebody give this guy a shot.

Bradford Staying is the Right Call

by | Jan 15, 2009 | College Football, NFL Draft

Heisman winner Sam Bradford announced yesterday that he is going back to school for his Junior season.  It will be his fourth season in Norman, given his red-shirt season.

This morning on my way in to work, the morning crew on the local sports radio station all pretty much agreed that he was making a mistake, since some experts (like Todd McShay) have Bradford pegged as the likely #1 overall pick.

But Bradford made the right call, if he wants to be a successful NFL quarterback, by going back to school.

Although I believe it would be a mistake, it’s possible that the Lions would have taken Bradford #1 overall, and he would have (eventually) signed a nice, fat contract, and likely been set for life.

Many people, including my die-hard Sooner alum/fan neighbor, insist that it is his mental makeup that will make him a success at the next level.  But even against Florida in the national championship game, Bradford just looked average.  Add to that what looks to me to be a strange throwing motion, and only two years of experience–and that coming in a shotgun heavy version of the spread offense, based somewhat on the offense Mike Leach installed in 2000 (which has produced gaudy numbers at the NCAA level, and several QBs who have gone on to do nothing in the NFL), and the likelihood of Bradford succeeding out of the gate in the NFL drop.

Add to that that he would likely be joining one of the worst teams in the NFL, and he would be sure to fail.

2008 NFL success stories Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco might have some teams (and their fans) thinking that throwing rookie QBs to the fire is the way to go.  But they would be sadly mistaken in the case of Bradford.  Both Ryan and Flacco played four years of college, had success in offenses better suited to the pro game, and had that success surrounded by talent that was not as forgiving of mistakes as the OU talent pool.

So Bradford made the right call–at least one more year of college experience, a chance for a second Heisman, another chance at a national title, and hopefully some offensive scheme tweaks (if Bob Stoops wants to improve his reputation as someone who gets players ready for the next level–I count four Sooners from the Stoops era who are NFL stars, and only a handful more that have made any impact), and he could go on to NFL stardom.

Tim Tebow is the Next Brett Favre

by | Jan 9, 2009 | College Football

OK, not so much in arm strength. Or probably NFL touchdown passes.  Or even NFL interceptions.

But when it comes to announcers knocking each other over to get on their knees to fellate the star quarterback, Tebow might already have Favre beat.

Seriously, some of the comments from tonight’s BCS Might Be Best of the Big Conferences Game, some of the comments on Tebow were ridiculous.  I was doing more drinking than taking notes, but I know I heard something about how his teammates were better people simply for playing with them, how great of a guy he is because he went and lived with lepers, how it might have been his first penalty ever (after he blatantly tried taunting an opponent–and failed, which of course made their highlight reel at the end of the game), how great he was making yards after contact (on a simple dive play up the middle that got like 3 yards), and how he placed the ball perfectly where he had to so only his guy had a chance to catch it (he didn’t, because the ball was too low–had the ball been thrown sooner, or higher, it would have been a touchdown).

And finally, after the game, there was the “When you’re talking about the greatest college football players of all time…<pause for 10 seconds>if he was in the top 10, he’s now in the top 5”.  Might be paraphrased a bit, as I was busy trying not to throw up.

I get that he’s a solid college QB, and that his team won.  But frankly, the defense won that national title for Florida more than Tebow.  And if I have to listen to NFL announcers gush over Tebow the way they gush over Favre…at a minimum, we’ll have some quiet Sunday’s at the ZoneBlitz headquarters watching games with the sound off.

Congressman proposes bill ending BCS

by | Dec 10, 2008 | Business of Football, College Football

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, believes the Bowl Championship Series “consistently misfires” and plans to do something about it, according to the Associated Press.

Barton, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, plans to produce legislation that would force college football to adopt a playoff system to determine its national champion.

The bill, which amazingly has co-sponsors in Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill. and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, “will prohibit the marketing, promotion and advertising of a postseason game as a ‘national championship’ football game, unless it is the result of a playoff system,” according to the AP.

Do we have two wars going on? Is the country deeply in debt? Are we trying to discover alternative fuels and restore some resepect in the world?

Granted, President-elect Barack Obama went on 60 Minutes and announced that he would add a National Championship playoff if given the opportunity to run college football.

And also granted, I’d love to see a college football playoff replace the hopelessly flawed BCS system. But enough to watch elected officials propose bills and push legislation?

Please tell me these people have more important things to do.

NCAA bristles at CBS Sports college fantasy plans

by | Aug 26, 2008 | Business of Football, College Football, Fantasy Football, NFL Media

CBSSports.com last month announced that it has launched an all-new version of its College Fantasy Football game, “continuing to be the only major fantasy sports service provider with a collegiate fantasy football game.”

CBSSports.com originally released the game in 2005. But the controversy this year is that for the first time, it will use real, individual player names rather than listing school and position, such as “FLORIDA QB” or “MICHIGAN RB”.

“As the leader in the fantasy sports business, we’re constantly looking for ways to distinguish our service from the competition,” said Jason Kint, senior vice president and general manager, in a statement. “We believe combining fantasy sports and college football will give fans and alumni yet another reason to get involved in the sport, increasing the popularity of college football much in the same way fantasy sports has affected professional football.”

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