Card Chronicle: FanPosts

Feelin' Optimistic...

2009-11-06T16:04:12Z

Is anyone else feeling optimistic about tomorrow's game? Maybe it was the 8 point thrashing of Arkansas State...but I feel good about the Cards chances in Morgantown tomorrow.

Actually, I think deep down I'm thinking...the only thing that could possibly secure Krag's job is a few unexpected wins...so with our luck he'll pull off a victory against WVU and South Florida and keep his job for next year...

In summary - regardless of the reason - I actually think Louisville has a shot tomorrow. Honestly...that's no joke. I'll be more suprised by a WVU blowout than I will be by Louisville winning.

20 % = Edgy Eddie ?

2009-11-05T09:39:06Z

I am starting to become a very nervous University Of Louisville Cardinal fan, and what follows is a series of disjointed insights that, when compounded together, help to explain my anxiety.

1. I believe that this UofL basketball team's shooting skills will rival those of the Final Four team of Garcia, Dean, and O'Bannon. The long range shooting potential that exists between Jerry, Preston, Marra, Delk, Edgar, Kyle, even "Rock," is exciting just to think about.

2. I believe that this UofL basketball team's rebounding skills will rival those of the team that lost Garcia, O'Bannon, Miles, and Otis and entered the Big East. That team's inability to rebound was painful to watch, and I fear that this year's team will struggle mightily on the boards.

3. After considering those two points at the same time, I am beginning to think that the key to our team's success will be the guards' ability to play together, sub in and out seamlessly, and score score score unconciously.

4. On a busy sports night across the land (World Series clincher, NBA games coast to coast, etc.), 20% of Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays was dedicated to your boy, my boy, OUR BOY Peyton Siva. Coming in at #7 was Peyton coming from the other side of the lane and jumping 26 feet in the air to block a Bellarmine shot. At #2, Siva reverse slamming a Jerry layup that rolled off the front of the rim.

5. Here is my concern. I hope that every person affiliated with Cardinal basketball gets a chance to see the Top 10. The fans, the coaches, Peyton himself along with his teammates, everyone. Well... everyone but one special player that has become so near and dear to our hearts. I hope that Edgar "Get fouled,score the bucket, check to make sure that you're ready for the camera, pose for the camera during the middle of a Sweet 16 game" Sosa forgot to pay his cable bill and never gets the opportunity to witness Siva's national media exposure (which Edgar so violently craves) before we even tip the ball off when it counts. My concern is that this team's success hinges on the ability of our guards to play unselfishly, to think team, to make the extra pass, to not dribble into the lane without a plan and cross your fingers for a bail out foul, to play team defense; ultimately, to do all the things that seem to come so naturally to freshman Siva, but seem to escape senior Sosa. I am willing to bet that if you sat and had lunch with Sosa and Siva together without having any previous knowledge of either, you'd be able to tell in less than a minute which was the senior and which was the freshman. In other words, I am sure that during his time at UofL, Edgar has matured into a great young man. But I'm also sure that Edgar Sosa did not come to Louisville to pursue a degree in Upstaging a Freshman in Maturity Level at a Hypothetical Lunch; he came to get better as a basketball player.

6. I'm just starting to think that by conference time, playing Peyton a majority of the game will be the high percentage choice, and I just don't know how either Edgar or Pitino will react to that reality. And if this scenario does in fact become a reality, Edgar's ability to adjust to a role playing spot up shooter in his senior year may be the difference between a good year and a special year. I just hope that this year, Edgar's last, is the year that he begins to make mature decisions on the court for the betterment of his team.

Great game tonight against Bellermine! How can CARDS fans respond to heckling?

2009-11-05T05:04:57Z

The Cards played a great game tonight against Bellermine! They are a great team. Read about it here. Siva made some insane plays!

This is also a great follow up article to my last post. Very detailed. Those people from USA Today know how to put it all together!

Now for the second topic mentioned in my Headline... If you read the USA Today article and a number of others, you'll find some concern about Pitino being Heckled this season at games for his scandal. Our players are great, but they're only human, so we need some sort of response to this. The Catholic schools might have a hay day. Can we get Cards fans to agree to some sort of response chant to Hecklers? I'm sure it would help our players get back into the game. Their always the C-A-R-D-S Cards Cards Cards cheer. Fans should probably just break into that if we notice a Heckler. Any thoughts???

Louisville Cardinals

Louisville Cardinals schedule

Louisville Cardinals roster

Louisville Cardinals stats

You've seen the exhibition games...

2009-11-04T05:38:08Z

After watching Louisville's first exhibition game against Georgetown College (KY) I was blown away. Yeah, yeah, yeah they were behind most of the game... This doesn't mean a lot considering how many new players were getting experience. Let's be honest... ... WE'VE GOT A TEAM HERE!!! I could have been misreading this, but I think all it took was a go ahead from Pitino for the team to come out strong, take the lead, and win the game. He was experiementing. That's exactly what exhibition games are for! Not to mention Georgetown is a great team, check their past schedules and follow them this year. They'll be legit. Samuels looks great! We're all excited about Siva! Don't forget Kuric! Where did he come from? Oh wait, Evansville, IN. He's practically a local to Louisville! We've lost some great talent, but we've also grown some great talent and picked up a few very talented players. GET EXCITED CARDINALS!

It's also expected that Louisville will finish 4th in the Big East this year. That's a nice under-the-radar place to be right now. While, ultimately, I wish Louisville the best season since 1986, as well as the ability to play well against the entire Big East, as a fan there is another big factor on my mind that is a highlight to the early season...

Now comes the big question... CAN WE BEAT KENTUCKY??? Oh dear, GOD, I asked it. They had nothing last year, but as any Louisville Fan's family member / close friend / ex-close friend will tell you, Kentucky's coming out strong this year. They were ranked 5th in the preseason while Louisville holds a strong 23. I personally despise the team, but I couldn't help but see what all the hype was about. I tuned into their Exhibition Game last night. They played Cambellsville University, no Georgetown College, but this is all we have to compare at this point (take a look at their schedule from last year and follow them this year). They destroyed, 74-38. The good news: They only made 3- 3 pointers. The bad news they have a total of3 players under 6-6 and none under 6-1. This was able to bring Cambellsville's shooting down to something like 11 or 12%. Louisville has 9 players under 6-6 and 1 under 6-1 (at least it's Siva!). For no other reason, this could be a good team based on their height. Thabeet Hasheem for UCONN shut down Pitino's team last year with his height, but He was 7-3, luckily none of the KY players break the 7-0 mark. With the height, UK will likely be able to shut down some of our paint work. Samuels will probably be able to compete, but that's about it. This isn't ultimate destruction though! Most of Cambellsville's points came from outside shooting, and according to some analyst, that's Louisville strong point. We have seven players known for their perimeter.

I can't wait for this season to start. I'll be in St. Louis for the opener against Arkansas. The team that stole our football coach through a very diluted scheme.

I'll post a poll, vote below.

I welcome comments.

This is my first post, hope you've enjoyed it.

Louisville Cardinals

Louisville Cardinals schedule

Louisville Cardinals roster

Louisville Cardinals stats

Poll

Louisville vs. Kentucky

The starting backcourt - your choice?

2009-11-01T15:48:44Z

I love Jerry and Edgar (Edgar has pre-emptively cut off all spoken criticism from me with the Shot Heard Round the Commonwealth), but as I look at last year and the one game this year, it seems to me there is very little from a performance standpoint to indicate they should be the starting backcourt over Siva and Knowles.

Siva's got turnover problems as a freshmen, sure -- but have you seen that kind of passing from a point guard at UofL since, well, the 80s? Usually we have a converted shooting guard running the point, and have for decades. I'd rather take the risk of the turnovers and take his 5-10 assists, thanks very much.

And Preston -- his paragraph in today's College Basketball Notebook says it all: he could start for most teams in the country. Preston has the statistical edge on Jerry in multiple categories. He also appears to be able to play defense with other appendages besides his hands.

So -- what is the argument for starting Sosa and Smith? Experience is great, but actual results would be better and they don't seem to have those on as consistent a basis?

Thoughts?

21,000

2009-11-01T04:27:05Z

With only 21,000 at the Arkansas State game (and probably only 15,000 at the beginning of the third quarter and perhaps 3,000 at the end of a one possession game) a message has been sent to the powers at UofL. Fans are saying by their absence that they are fed up with Kragthorpe. My wife and I left our season tickets which I have had for almost fifty years in the desk drawer. And we certainly had company with almost as many no shows as attendees.

If we lose to WVU next week how many do you think will be at the Syracuse game? Yes, Mr. Jurich you can announce during the season that Kragthorpe will not be here next year. Such an announcement would go a long way towards putting people back in the stands. As it stands now, many will not return until it is known that Kragthorpe is officially going to be gone.

TWill's New Digs

2009-10-29T23:55:32Z

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/garden/29williams.html?pagewanted=2

This is an article I stumbled across in the NY Times about TWill's new apartment.

A couple of thoughts:

Have you ever heard T-Will referred to as Mr. Williams?

I know that T-WIll's past has been well documented, but it's just heart wrenching to hear about everything that he had to go through before he got to U of L.

Not as many T-Willisms in this article as I would've liked

The guy is only making 4.5 mil over two years and he's renting a house for $7,000 a month? I really hope that he's got a decent money manager, or he plays well and scores a huge contract. I'm hoping for the later.

TWill for Ewing Theory

2009-10-28T19:14:36Z

Who thinks that TWill could be a percect candidate for the Ewing Theory?

For those of you who don't know, the Ewing Theory (named after the inexplicable improvement of the NY Knicks when Patrick Ewing was injured during the '99 Playoffs) was "created" by ESPN.com Page 2 columnist Bill "The Sports Guy" Simmons. The Ewing theory says that when certain players who recieve an inordinate amount of media and fan attention leave a team or are injured said team inexplicably becomes better overall and can acheive more without them.

Even though the player the player is obviously the best player and the heart and soul of the team, sometimes they are so dominating that their teammates don't perform as well with them around. When they are subtracted from the equation his former teammates get better with a whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts type of situation.

One hesitation I have with ordaining TWill as A Ewing Theory is that in years past U of L games without TWill were just a hot mess on the offensive end. The team was always noticably worse without Twill on the court. But if you look deeper into the Sports Guy's theory it says that the team needs to know that said teammate isn't coming back in order for them to truly unify as a team and make the imnprovements needed. With TWill living it up in NYC, as Coach P would say, "Terrence Williams is not walking through that door."

My thought on the subject is that maybe, finally, Players like Jerry and Edgar will no longer feel the pressure of living up to TWill's athleticism and all around game and just start doing what they could be best at. Eliminating the do-everything concept from our team and supporting the do-your-job concepts could free these guys to relax and not press so much in tight situations, go on cold shooting streaks, or repeatedly turn the ball over all night long. When one guys tries to do everything the rest of the team usually ends up standing around watching, which is what, to me, seemed to happen for the past few years.

Here's a link to The Sports Guys most recent article on the Ewing Theory and see if you think the 2009-10 Cards could be ripe for success by losing their "Best" player.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/book/091027

All I have to say is...

2009-10-28T06:19:26Z

CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!
CARDS BASKETBALL BEGINS TODAY!

Not much confidence from Vegas for this Saturday...

2009-10-26T23:59:41Z

On Sportsbook.com we are only favored by 4 points over the Ark St Red Wolves (formerly the Indians). I feel like even with us giving only 4 points its a sucker bet. If I remember correctly they played Iowa to a close game earlier in the season. Krags has only been able to cover the spread once this year in our opening D-1 game against UK. It will be difficult to watch a tight game against a team who is in the bottom half of the Sun Belt.

Recruiting A Few Good Men

2009-10-26T21:40:06Z

If you trust the recruiting gurus, the slow steady climb in recruiting at Louisville championed by John L. Smith and Bobby Petrino has not only stagnated but has steadily declined in the wrong direction under Kragthorpe's watch. But before we at Card Chronicle jump to any rash Kragclusions about recruiting, let's see if we can handle the truth:

The Pipeline

What can I say about Louisville's recruiting pipeline that hasn't already been said about Afghanistan--bombed out and depleted. There's been a significant drop-off in recruiting an NFL caliber player--a "gamebreaker" if you will--over an SEC school, including guys like Brandon Heath, Peanut Whitehead and Elvis Dumervil. And speaking of Peanut, what happened to the Alabama pipeline that produced recruits like him and Kerry Rhodes? In 5 minutes of research, it appears that we've recruited exactly ZERO players from Alabama high schools since Kragthorpe took over. Why?

JUCO

When a decent chunk of your 3 and 4 star recruits has only 1 or 2 years of eligibility left along with academic or other D1 eligibility problems in their past, you're doing it wrong. And what does this say about the pipeline for high school recruiting? Not good things, methinks.

In-State Recruiting

Landing Brian Brohm and Michael Bush in back-to-back years is akin to winning the World Series of Poker Main Event...twice...in a row. But it's not that outlandish to think UofL can consistenly land some of the 3 and 4 star guys that have spurned Kragthorpe, including recent Louisville-area recruits like DT Brandon Newman (Notre Dame), LB Jordan Whiting (Ohio State), Kentucky's "Mr. Football" RB Rolandan Finch (Boston College) and CB Justin Green (Illinois).

However, compare last year's Top 10 Kentucky High School recruits on Rivals.com with this year's and the in-state recruiting situation does appear to be improving in Louisville's favor. For the 2009 class, Louisville only had one top 10 in-state recruit (#10, RB Shenard Holton) while UK had four and even Western Kentucky (!) landed a higher-rated in-state recruit than UofL. 2010 is a good news story so far though with three Top 10 in-state recruits committed to play for Louisville next season and a few other offers still on the table. Fantasy Golf clap. But what were you guys doing the last 2 years?

Question Marks

Is initial improvement of in-state recruiting this year enough on its own to say that recruiting at UofL is "on the rise" again? Or has the recruiting dropped off so much since Petrino left that there's no other direction but up? What is the program telling the current recruits with regard to the head coaching situation? Seriously, I'd love to know what the recruits are being told about whose coaching next year. Are these guys signing with full expectation that Louisville will have a different, therefore better coach?

What's the biggest difference in terms of talent the last few years? Did John L. Smith and Petrino get lucky finding "diamond in the rough" guys like Lefors, Giacomini and Eric Wood who developed 5-star work ethics and became NFL draft picks? Or did JLS and BP hire and direct a better coaching staff who were able to develop the average 2 star guy into NFL material via 5-star training sessions, strength coaching, film study and game planning?

So, back to the point of this rant: Is recruiting getting better? I'll concede that recruiting rankings are often popularity contests only if you'll concede that 70% of the past 15 National Champions have had Top 10 Recruiting Classes.

Let's start by breaking this down in terms of the BCS teams and team recruiting rankings. There's currently 66 BCS teams which provides a pretty good target of where a BCS team needs to be in terms of talent. In 2007, according to Rivals.com, Louisville had the 41st best class with a 3.06 stars average. In 2008, the Cardinal's class was ranked 55th with a 2.59 stars average. The 2009 class was tied with Louisiana Tech for 76th with a 2.31 star average, and Louisville's 2010 class is currently ranked 61st with a 2.33 star average, behind Temple, Indiana and Southern Miss. The point system for recruiting websites can be argued in terms of accuracy but I think anyone whose been watching the actual games would agree that the "eye test" proves the dropoff in talent that these Rivals.com rankings imply.

Louisville doesn't need a Top 10 class loaded with talent to compete for the Big East title and a BCS bowl game. The Cardinals do need a few good men, starting with the coaching staff. They need a gamebreaker on offense and defense and I don't see that on this team. Vic Anderson is a legit gamebreaker-in-waiting but with a struggling defense and increasingly porous offensive line, we have yet to tap into his full potential. Scott Long...we all love him but Kragthorpe doesn't have the arms or the schemes to test Long's gamebreaker mettle.

Code Red

Someone said on a Louisville blog (can't remember where) recently that if moral victories counted as normal victories, we'd be playing for the National Championship every year with Kragthorpe. Sadly, the NCAA does not recognize moral victories. At Card Chronicle, we use words like winning streaks, offensive proficiency and home field advantage. We use these words as the backbone of a football program on a collision course toward something. Our rivals now use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain my frustrations to a head coach who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very financial revenue I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it. I prefer he just said thank you, and went on his way. Either way, I don't give a damn how many seasons Tom Jurich thinks Kragthorpe's entitled to.

Recruiting isn't the only solution to winning more games. I would argue however that noticeable rises or dropoffs in recruiting are a reflection and predictor of your team's success over a period of time and when you compare Louisville's win-loss record with the declining recruiting rankings, it paints a pretty clear picture. And clearly, s omeone needs to order the Code Red on Kragthorpe. I think we're entitled.

While I'm on my soapbox.....

2009-10-26T20:57:03Z

If I hear one more UL fan say that this was even partially Bobby P's fault I'm going to hit something. You either don't know anything about football or you're too far up someone's rear to see the light. Here are the facts:

1. BP did take some players that were questionable and may have had shaded pasts.

2. He was a dictator and had no problem telling the players that.

3. If you screwed up as a player, it was dealt with internally. (you might end up running PJ stadium steps for getting caught after curfew, etc.)

4. Kragthorpe sends mixed messages. Some kids that rub him the wrong way have been told to hit the door, while others who screw up on the field over and over and over again, are told "you can do it." No, put a foot in their a## every now and then and sit them on the bench and let them watch if they don't get it....then they'll get it.....get it?

5. Kragthorpe has released or run off some of the best talent UL had. Two cases in point. Anthony Allen and Matt Simms. Anthony Allen, for you that don't know, is now a RB at Georgia Tech and a fine one at that. If I'm not mistaken he ran for 2 TDs and close to 100 yards this past weekend. Ouch! Matt Simms is being heavily courted by Tennessee and will most likely be signed as their number 1 or 2 QB for next season. Tennessee for crying out loud! (I'm a UT fan so thanks for that one) I could name three or four others who have gone on to bigger and better things either in the pros or in college.

The bottomline is that there were 14-15 starters from the Orange Bowl team coming back the next season. He had a QB who was being mentioned as a Heisman candidate preseason. He had NFL prospects galore on both sides of the ball and yet people are still saying to this day that it was BP's fault? Please.

This was nothing more than an AD giving the job to a mediocre mid-major coach who had NO business stepping up to the next level. Successful coaching at this level requires split second decisions, disciplined athletes, and aggressive play calling at least some of the time on one or both sides of the ball. You can count on both hands the number of plays that they run on offense (there may be 50 but they are so closely run they are virtually the same) and you can count on both tiems the number of times the Defense blitzes. Its predictable, boring and it loses game after game. That has nothing to do with the former coach, other than to say that it is the polar opposite of BP. Steve Kragthorpe is the anti-Bobby Petrino!!!

The Dismantling of a Football Program

2009-10-26T20:03:12Z

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that UL football is in the crapper. BUT, what UL fans need to be worried about is what happens next. As I write this blog, Tom Jurich had better have a short list of very high profile coaches that he is in contact with about the coaching job at UL next year. I say high profile because right now, anything less could mean the total destruction of the program for 5-10 years.

Here's why. Even with a high profile coach like a Gruden or Tubberville, it will take at least 2 years to get things back on a winning track. It will take two full years of recruiting classes and two full years of players learning a new system before anyone can expect to see real improvement. That's with a high profile coach who can immediately recruit top talent. Think Lane Kiffen at UT. If Jurich goes after another up and coming mid-major coach, regardless of how good he is, its doomed. The chance for that was with Kragthorpe, and we know how that turned out. Now is the time to pull out the wallet and pay the big bucks cause that's what it will take to succeed in turning around the program.

If he hires a Boise State, TCU, BYU type of coach, turn in your season tickets and wait for basketball season to roll around cause otherwise you're going to be watching 2-10 seasons for the next few years. Let's just hope that Jurich learned his lesson and does what needs to be done to move past this terrible black eye on UL football.

Here is the Plan....

2009-10-26T15:26:12Z

1- Offer the Gruden Brothers a package deal;

2- Jon here for 2 years with a 3rd year option; leaves for NFL with no penalty after
period of 2-3 years.

3- Jay comes in as O-Co-Ord; stays as head coach after Jon leaves for continuity
      and his offensive expertise continues using the fast paced arena QB style(Kurt
      Warner/St Louis/Arizona)

4- Bring back Mike Cassidy to run the defense (3 losses in two years... not bad good
guy who got railroaded by Krags)

5- Put emphasis in strength room back on big strong and explosive-bench, incline,
     squat, deadlift and powerclean to be as big and strong as possible. Quit doing all
     of this 20 lb military presses on a big rubber ball working th core it is a joke. If you
     want a strong core do lots of medicine balls and abs. Lift for strength and power.
     Football teams need to be big and strong. Doing the plyometrics and agilities on
     the conditioning field are fine if you build all of your strength and power in the
     strength room. Are we making aerobics instructors or football warriors????

6- Recruit only the top 10 Kentucky prospects and get everyone else from FL, GA, AL,
MS, LA, TN and TX. Schnellenberger, John L, and Petrino found countless
diamonds in the rough overlooked by everyone else. Talent abounds in the South.

7- No more of this one day off to be with your famlies if you are a coach. If you want to
be a family man sell insurance. Div 1 college football is 24/7/365 any less
commitment is balderdash. PREPARE TO WIN ; OUTWORK YOUR OPPONENTS!

8- Work with the discipline problem kids, show them and teach them commitment by
      your own actions and the rules you hold them to. Don't run off talent just because
      they won't be Pope someday, work with them and keep them on the field and help
      them graduate to be the husbands and fathers their families will need them to be
      someday.

9- To Believe is to Be Strong-Preach the Dream-A National Championship!!!

Former Card Anthony Allen Can Run With the Ball

2009-10-24T01:20:34Z

I know the Pravda view coming from the UL administration is that Bobby Petrino left a program that was doomed to collapse because of poor recruiting and a roster full of bad apples. You can think whatever you want about that. I believe it as much as the Communist headline, "Long Waits for Stale Bread - Good For Your Health!". One such "bad apple" that left the program after Saint Steve (SS) arrived is Anthony Allen. Everyone surely remembers this terrible kid. Military family, played as a true freshman (so grades were probably not an issue), holds the single game UL rushing record. He was such a bad kid that he had to transfer to an awful insitution of higher learning to continue his football career (Georgia Tech).

I dont follow the Yellow Jackets but I did run across Anthony's stat lines for his first season with them.

32 carries for 367 yards and 3 TDS. 4 recs for 81 yards and another TD. The 367 is bloated a bit by an 82 yard TD run but even without, the average is still 9+ per carry. I dont know why he isnt getting more touches. Maybe Saint Steve's cousin is their offensive coordinator.

The one thing the Cards have going for them is that we have a surplus of talent at tailback (and Tronzo isnt a bad fullback either). With Coach Petrino, the offense was balanced and tailored to match the talent. With Saint Steve, who knows what you will get each week. I suspect the next "bad apple" to leave will be Darius Ashley. Lets just hope he doesnt end up another stat stuffing RB that we wish we had in our backfield.

Matt Simms update

2009-10-23T21:17:33Z

Picked this up from Fox Sports

Tennessee eyes Phil Simms' other QB son

Tennessee's recruitment of a junior college quarterback has zeroed in on Matt Simms from El Camino Community College in Torrance, Calif., a source close to his recruitment told the News Sentinel. A scholarship offer is likely forthcoming after the Vols evaluated the former Louisville quarterback last weekend. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Simms led El Camino to a 42-20 victory over College of the Desert by completing 22 of 30 passes for 320 yards and a touchdown and one interception. Simms left Louisville in January reportedly because he didn't feel he'd be named the starter. UT has a history with the Simms' family. Matt Simms' older brother, Chris Simms, committed to UT in 1999 before signing with Texas. Chris Simms is the backup QB for the Denver Broncos. Matt and Chris' father, Phil Simms, is a football analyst for CBS after a 14-year career with the New York Giants. -- Knoxville News-Sentinel

Eric Crawford digs Card Chronicle

2009-10-23T04:55:44Z

During your live chat last Thurs, you mentioned that you occasionally scan blogs. How much credit do people like Jurich and Klein give to blogs and how much time do you think players and coaches spend reading them? I thought it was interesting K.Klein recently called out a blog for reporting false info while simultaneously giving credit to the blogisphere’s affect on his program’s public perception. Thoughts?

Eric Crawford:
I know most of the bloggers who do any kind of regular work on U of L or UK. Not all of them, but probably most. I look at some more than others. Mike Rutherford does a great job on U of L, in particular.

I think people in college sports are trying to figure out how to proceed with the blogosphere. U of L has been pretty progressive in giving blogs credentials where possible. I think they have done that hoping that the bloggers would take that as a responsibility to follow some basic rules of journalism.

I think it’s all a process in evolution. I read a lot of blogs — more national than local. I have a lot of respect for people who do it well.

The respect is mutual…actually I’m almost positive I have far more respect for Eric than he does for me. Dude can write and on top of that he works very hard.

My thoughts/reactions from Media Day (WITH PHOTOS)

2009-10-23T02:46:43Z

I'll start with a list

Jerry Smith -- Became a dad today, congrats to him
Edgar -- Seems incredibly infatuated with Rick, which is a good thing. If he doesn't want to let Rick down, that can't be bad
Preston -- same old Preston that we know and love. Looks just as quick as he did in March
Samardo -- still not sure about him at the 4, but he looked pretty polished for a mid October day
TJ -- the man is scary. He's physically imposing but doesn't seem much improved over last season
Swop -- looks totally different. More athletic, more sure of himself, an overall better player
Siva -- the most athletic guy on the team and one that loves to play some D and spread the ball
Mika Marra -- still looks (interesting), but I found out today that his brother was a tattoo artist and practiced on him so that's why he has so many tattoos. Lit up the scrimmage shooting 7-17 from three. He also sounds like a very intelligent kid, so that's good
Buckles -- freak athlete. Not toned like the seniors are and shorter than I expected, but he can still run the court with the best of them
Kuric -- will play this year, looks really good and had an incredible dunk
Delk -- will shine in my opinion. It was hard backing up T-Will, but he's a legit player

Here are some of my photos

PHOTOBUCKET

What The Sporting News thinks of Kragthorpe and UofL

2009-10-22T14:06:05Z

Let me furnish some content from the October 21 on line edition of The Sporting News which had four references to UofL football.

The first was simply that someone we had offered chose to go elsewhere. We have been mentioned in that area almost weekly.

The second was in the "Feeling the Heat" article which lists Krags as on the number one hot seat. Some comments were "His teams are 13-17 in 2 1/2 years and have lost their last eight games against BCS teams and 10 of the last 12. Arrived in 2007 with with 17 starters returning from an Orange Bowl champion team and couldn't build on the momentum..... Lowlight: Two losses to a horrific Syracuse program in two tries; three losses to rival Kentucky."

Third is in the BE review which says last year we "appeared overmatched at times against quality competition. The problems that plagued the Cardinals then - penalties, turnovers and a decided lack of depth are the same ones that plague them now" which says things are not getting any better.

The fourth was in the "What We Learned" article which in part featured UC. It concludes with "It's probably safe to say that Cincinnati can find a way to beat Big East LIGHTWEIGHT (my capitalization) Louisville this weekend with Collaros. Or frankly, with you or I under center."

Lest you think one individual at TSN has a vendetta against us I point out that these four references were written by four different individuals. We have become a punching bag for analysts. And a laughing stock for opponents' fans.

Thank you Steve Kragthorpe.

Alaskan Cardinal fans??

2009-10-21T18:53:52Z

Oddly, only Alaska thinks the Cardinals will beat the Bearcats on Saturday, 10/24/09. Exactly how many Card fans are up there?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/fp/flashPollResultsState?sportIndex=ncf&pollId=79993

Padding words so the post will be accepted....

Grog