The Cardinal Countdown: 13 days until kickoff

#13 Brett Nelson

Class: RS Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-4/220

Position: Quarterback

Hometown: Chula Vista, CA

Twitter: @brettnelson_12

Thoughts: Nelson came to the Cards last season from Southwestern Community College. While he was eligible last year he was well aware that unless the unthinkable happened, he was never going to see the field as a starter. Nelson’s goal when he came to Louisville was to put in the work, earn the number two role and take over the starting spot if Teddy were to leave early for the NFL. Half of that equation played out just as Brett imagined, unfortunately a year later he’s still fighting for that number two role. While Gardner has taken the exact path Nelson envisioned for himself, Nelson and Bolin were fighting hard in the Spring to win the backup role in case Will stumbled during the summer or became injured. Neither Nelson nor Bolin made a huge impact during the spring or summer and now it appears Reggie Bonnafon has his name penciled in for the backup spot. Nelson may still have an opportunity to make an impact in 2014, but more than likely it will only be if someone gets injured or completely derails from their progression thus far.

Sweet Tweet:

#jurrasicpark in 3D at the @KYScience. I think yes! @kayemunsil

— Brett Nelson (@brettnelson_12) July 18, 2014

I know I’ve touched on this before, but Jurassic Park is without a doubt in my all-time Top 5 movies. If I stumble upon it while flipping through the channels at home, the remote is put down and my next two hours are now occupied. I’d say probably 30% of it is because of the dinosaurs/special effects, 20% because of the storyline and 50% because it allows me to do my extremely mediocre Jeff Goldblum impression. I try and work it in with little to no success as often as possible…

(At the zoo when all the animals seem to be hiding)

"Ah, now eventually you do plan to have animals on your, on your animal zoo trip, right? Hello?"

(At a restaurant after waiting a long period of time)

"Ah, now eventually you do plan to have food at your, at your food eating establishment, right? Hello?"

(At the movies after sitting through 6 or 7 previews)

"Ah, now eventually you do plan to have a movie at your, at your movie theatre, right? Hello?"

The only problem is that my wife truly HATES it. Now when I say "problem" I mean specifically for her, because I find it hilarious, and will continue to do it. Issue resolved.

(Come for the player recaps, stay for the free marriage counseling.)

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#13 James Burgess

Class: Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-0/227

Position: Linebacker

Hometown: Homestead, Fla

Twitter: @CardsLB13

Thoughts: I’ve never been hit by a car, but I imagine it feels remarkably similar to getting hit by James Burgess. I feel like at least once every game last season I would shout an expletive of some form due to the vicious hit he just laid on some poor kid who was running for his life. I could cover each one individually, but it would probably be somewhat redundant and a little time consuming…there were a lot. The thing that impresses me the most with Burgess is that very rarely do I remember him whiffing on a tackle or getting juked by a RB. If you frequent the ‘hit stick’ on football video games, you know there is some risk along with the reward, but Burgess seems to eliminate the risk almost always wrapping his man up. Burgess finished with 71 tackles, third on the team, and had a couple forced fumbles and fumble recoveries in 2013. Keith hit on it briefly yesterday in the linebacker recap, but with James staying at more or less the same position he played last year I expect him to be in the top 3 leading tacklers this season as well. While I don’t disagree with any of the five captains Petrino named last week the coaching staff loves James and I was slightly surprised Burgess didn’t make the cut. In my opinion, if he performs anywhere near the level people are expecting him to this season; I promise you won’t see him omitted from that same list next year.

Sweet Tweet:

You know what’s gone James…..this poor kid’s memory of the last two hours.

Night, night. Take a dirt nap.