Monday Afternoon Punter (08/18/2008 Chat Transcript)

Scoops McCracken: What do you think of Georgia?
Peoria Pliers: Hmm. As always, I love Richt, but the SEC is going to be tough as usual, and it is always difficult to predict how skill guys like Moreno and Stafford will hold up throughout the traditional beatdown that guys in that conference go through. Moreno is the real deal, but I'm not totally sold on Stafford yet. What's Scoops take?
Scoops McCracken: Stafford looks fat to me. And I think fat quarterbacks are not a recipe for success in the national championship race. He has fat calves & a fat face. And fat calves & a fat face don't do well against Florida. I think they can take down Florida & win the SEC East and possibly the SEC title game, but I don't see how they leave the conference unscathed. LSU was awesome last year, and even they lost 2 games.
Peoria Pliers: Agreed, fat QB's have not done well in the SEC...although I think Jared Lorenzen is still playing in the show somewhere. It will be interesting to see how LSU manages without Glen Dorsey on the defensive side of the ball. Florida has a lot of talent, but speaking of overrated SEC quarterbacks, Tebow tops my list. Then again, you can still be pretty good and overrated all at the same time if you win the Heisman
Scoops McCracken: Who's the french guy they got coming in? Ricky Jean-Francious? He's supposed to be taking over for Dorsey and apparently better. They reload, but they're still idiots at LSU.
Peoria Pliers: Better than Dorsey? I'll believe that when I see it.
Scoops McCracken: That's what they say. Who knows.
Peoria Pliers: LSU and Idiots are generally a match made in heaven.
Scoops McCracken: Teabow's an interesting case. I think he's a lot better thrower than people give him credit for.....but you could definitely tell he was eased in the roll when he was a freshmen when they won the title.
Peoria Pliers: Yeah I dono about the Tebow throwing bit...he's got a CANNON, but he always seems like he is just a half second behind on his reads and his throws to me Then again, I'm not exactly Steve Sarkisian. Or Norm Chow.
Scoops McCracken: Speaking of offense.....what's your take on Missouri & Chase Daniel?
Peoria Pliers: Love him. I LOVE Chase Daniel. Total man crush
Scoops McCracken: A Southlake Carroll guy. He was f-ing born to sling the ball around a Big XII field
Peoria Pliers: True that, he and Bradford are the class of the NCAA if you ask me....the most talent the Big XII has put into play for a while now. I think Chase is going to be one of those late 2nd, mid 3rd round picks that ends up starting in his second year and being very, very good
Scoops McCracken: I think they miss Tony Temple a bit this year, but Mizzou & KU should be deciding who's the North champ again
Peoria Pliers: I'm not so sure about Kansas...the pressure of high expectations is going to get to them, and Oklahoma is going to be a BEAST this year. What's the Missou WR name? That ManChild guy
Scoops McCracken: Jeremy Maclin
Peoria Pliers: Yeah that guy is a killer. How many starters do they bring back this year?
Scoops McCracken: Mizzou brings back 6 on offense, 10 on defense. Yeah, the KU pressure may get to them, but I like Reesing, and they won the freaking Orange Bowl last year. But they had a schedule of dreams last year. They go to Norman this year
Peoria Pliers: Yeah Reesing is good. Really good. I see Mizzou and the Sooners going down to the wire in the Big XII. Who is your Big Ten Champ?
Scoops McCracken: I just put up a post....I think Ohio State runs the table, including a win out at Southern Cal.
Peoria Pliers: Wow, that's a tall order. Beanie for Heisman then?
Scoops McCracken: I think it's too early for Sanchez....USC beats OSU in January, but not in September. Yeah, I'm a Beanie for Heisman guy. Beanie or Daniel. OSU runs the table, PSU & Wisconsin tie at 6-2. PSU gets the Rose Bowl because a better overall record and the Rose Bowl likes Big Ten teams
Peoria Pliers: Who is the QB at Wisconsin these days?
Scoops McCracken: Allan Evridge....another senior. He'll be good for a first time QB since he's a senior, but they ain't beating Ohio State with a guy like that
Peoria Pliers: They have a tough defense though, so anything is possible. Laurinitis is a beast...I hope he doesn't pull a Pouzluzny and get hurt this year though. The NFL needs Animal Jr.
Scoops McCracken: Tough Defense? Minnesota put up 500+ yards on them last year. They'll be tough agaisnt OSU, but any team that runs a spread has a chance to run up & down the field on them. Minnesota, MSU, Illinois, even Indiana. And what if PSU runs more spread this year?
Peoria Pliers: Isn't Belima (however you spell that bungholes name) a defensive guy? I mean they did pretty well without a standout offense last year, and I think that the baptism of getting torched by mediocre spread offenses is going to come to an abrupt end in the Big Ten since everyone has jumped on that gravy train so it's not so exotic anymore. The way that they recruit guys out of the Midwest they will always be suceptible to the outside threats...there just isnt enough speed around these here parts unless you have skates on
Scoops McCracken: True, but the Big Ten ain't going to be the first that finds the antidote. They won't have the defensive speed like the SEC or the Pac Ten to thwart the spread, at least for a few years.
Peoria Pliers: We will see...the SEC definately has the leg-up on the competition, but I'm still not sold on the Pac-10 as a whole...there are a lot of bum teams in that conference year in and year out as far as team speed goes. Washington St, Washington, Oregon St...all suspect. Very suspect. I feel really horrible for Ty Willingham...the second time he's been put in an impossible situation. Washington doesn't even have a friggen AD right now. How the hell do you recruit with that kind of situation? Jeepus. I think that one of the mid-america conferences is going to end up with Ty for 40 cents on the Dollar and he is going to show everyone why he was successful in the first place
Scoops McCracken: All conferences have a bottom of the barrell......USC & Cal have speed, and give UCLA 2 years. And Arizona & Arizona State? Their problems haven't been speed. It's bonehead players. Yeah...it's a cutthroat business.
Peoria Pliers: Arizona and Arizona St....good call...bone head players. Plus isnt Dennis "The Dutch-Door Artist" Erickson coaching up the Sun Devils? What a mixed blessing for them
Scoops McCracken: ASU is supposed to contend with USC this year apparently. But then again, ASU always has that year of dreams occassionally (1986, 1996)
Peoria Pliers: Right. And maybe I should start playing different lottery numbers since it's an olympic year, too. ASU is going to get MURDERED by The Carrol Crusaders
Scoops McCracken: What do you think of Penn State this year?
Peoria Pliers: I'm not sure, to be honest. I think this needs to be JoePa's swan song since I think he is probably starting to hurt the recruting process...he either needs to announce who his succesor is going to be or just step down, otherwise it puts them in a horrible situation. The good news is that Wannstedt hasn't shown that he can poach any of the high level talent at Pitt like I thought he would be able to. The Big Ten is so top heavy this year that PSU has a fighting chance if they can put the easy ones away
Scoops McCracken: But Ohio State is able to pounce....the fact that Pryor was only considering PSU out of courtesy that it was his homestate said enough. And DickRod will start invading Pennsylvania like Michigan always has. Yeah, I like them to be top-3. They get hurt with their two teams they don't play being Minnesota & Northwestern
Peoria Pliers: Maybe so, but I think that a lot of the reasons kids go to PSU is the idea that they are not going to get screwed over by the head coach, so that is one thing that they need to keep in mind over there...think more Tressel and less Saban or Rodriguez. The REALLY good news is that I have Big Ten HD now (finally) so I can actually watch more than 1 Big Ten game this year. I didn't even get to watch a single Gopher game last season
Scoops McCracken: Yeah....I got BTN now too. Love it! I think they need to get more classic games in there. I can only watch Illinois-Ohio State 2007 so many times over a 3 day span, but if they recycle the games in, I'm going to not have a wife in a few weeks. And that's who it benefits....Minnesota. People will get to watch Minnesota vs. Indiana or Northwestern. The regional game that nobody would have gotten before, but now everyone will get what will be a high scoring, entertaining game between teams that are all running spread. As far as missing all Gopher games, you didn't miss much last year. Trying to run a spread & aggressive defense with lumbering norsemen is hard on the eyes.
Peoria Pliers: Yep, I'm jacked to see a bunch of underclassmen with their heads cut off running around the metrodome this year
Scoops McCracken: You'll LOVE Tramaine Brock. He's exactly what this program has never had. The badass DB....wear's #1. Wear's black shoes with the ankles taped white on the outside. Baggy towel. And can absolutely cover the field. He's out of place. He should be playing in the SEC.
Peoria Pliers: Where is he from? I'm excited already.
Scoops McCracken: Mississippi
Peoria Pliers: Can he spell?
Scoops McCracken: I didn't know we were having a spelling contest with the Badgers for the axe?
Peoria Pliers: I don't care if he can actually spell, but someone has to pass his classes for him