NFL Draft: Best-case scenarios for Blackmon, Weeden
The NFL Draft is about nine hours away, which means Justin Blackmon quickly will learn his fate. Stay tuned on whether Brandon Weeden does, too. But what are the best- and worst-case scenarios for OSU’s stars? Let’s look.
JUSTIN BLACKMON
Best-case scenario: Minnesota, at No. 3. Aside from the prestige of being the first pick past the two obvious quarterbacks, the Vikings are not a bad place to land for a receiver. Minnesota has a history of showcasing elite receivers, going all the way back to Gene Washington and continuing into the Brett Favre era with Sidney Rice. Christian Ponder actually showed some potential last season as a rookie quarterback.
Next-best scenario: St. Louis, at No. 6. The Rams have a quarterback in Sam Bradford and a desperate need at receiver. Blackmon could catch a ton of balls as a Ram. Of course, the beleaguered Ram offensive line might make it difficult for Bradford and Blackmon to connect.
Intriguing scenario: Carolina, at No. 9. Cam Newton appears to be the real deal at quarterback. Steve Smith is a quality Panther receiver, but he’s not a long-term partner for Newton. Blackmon would be.
Worst-case scenario: Uh, take your pick. Cleveland, I guess, at No. 4. The Browns have quarterback issues. Even if Weeden gets picked by the Browns and becomes Blackmon’s QB, the future isn’t bright. Cleveland is where offensive careers go to die. Not that Tampa Bay, Jacksonville or Miami would be any better. Remember when the Florida schools always had great college quarterbacks? It’s the reverse in the NFL; not a decent quarterback among the three Floridian NFL teams.
BRANDON WEEDEN
Best-case scenario: Cleveland. When you’re just trying to get a chance to play, you don’t get too worried about franchise stability. The Browns very well could give Weeden the chance to win the job. Cleveland stinks, and the weather is lousy, and there are no offensive playmakers within 100 miles of Lake Erie. But if an NFL team is willing to hand you their huddle, you graciously accept and get about the business of becoming the franchise QB.
Next-best scenario: Miami. The Dolphins are a mess; so much of a mess that they seem to want Ryan Tannehill as quarterback. But if the Dolphins don’t get Tannehill, and Weeden slips to the second round, Miami wouldn’t be a bad spot to land. The Dolphins at least have a playmaker (Reggie Bush) and a new coach, Joe Philbin, who has a good track record at quarterback.
Intriguing scenario: San Francisco. The 49ers keep getting mentioned as a team interested in Weeden. Wow. What a potentially sweet spot for Weeden. A great team, with a shaky quarterback (Alex Smith). It’s clear the 49ers aren’t in love with Smith, who got within a whisker of the Super Bowl last season. If the 49ers struggle out of the gate, or Smith gets hurt, or Weeden wows ‘em in training camp, it’s not kooky talk to think Weeden could be quarterbacking a Super Bowl contender in November.
Worst-case scenario: Kansas City. The Chiefs aren’t in love with Matt Cassell, but they aren’t like to bench Cassell in favor of a rookie.
OSU Power Lunch Chat with Gina Mizell
Oklahoma State football: belated post-spring thoughts
Apologize for the delay on one of these types of blogs, folks. I’ve been a little slammed with draft preview coverage.
We covered a ton of angles from the OSU spring finale in Sunday’s and Monday’s papers, but here are some additional random observations that I had from the game, and from the spring in general, that weren’t noted or explained thoroughly in previous stories.
Not shocked we didn’t get a starting quarterback announcement today. It sounds like it might come Thursday. If that’s the case, can I request it happen in the morning? Some of us are covering Justin Blackmon, and possibly Brandon Weeden, getting drafted Thursday night.
J.W. Walsh told me that he didn’t know the finale/game/whatever was going to be “live” (as in tackling) until Saturday morning. “We didn’t know what (the spring finale) was.” None of us did, really. I was under the impression that it was going to be another “thud” scrimmage. Granted, the quarterbacks didn’t get hit unless they took off running, and running plays were often blown dead early. But there was definitely more hitting than I expected.
Have a day, Charlie Moore. As I mentioned in my Monday Insider, I certainly did not expect him to explode for nine catches, 243 yards and three touchdowns. But I was not surprised to see him become a solid target and make some really athletic plays. One of the best plays of the entire spring was a connection between him and Lunt on a 40-50-yardish deep ball in a scrimmage about two weeks ago. Moore ran either a wheel route or a go route down the far sideline. Lunt slightly overthrew the ball, and Moore made a remarkable diving catch in the end zone. I’ve also seen him out-jump defenders on more than one occasion and use his size to snag the ball. I was surprised, however, at his speed on that first touchdown grab. He split the defense and outran a quick secondary on his way to the house. Spring stars don’t always become fall stars, and I still expect Tracy Moore and Josh Stewart to be the Cowboys’ go-to receivers in 2012. But “Chuck” definitely showed this spring that he can contribute.
The defensive linemen have been really good at tipping balls at the line of scrimmage. Part of that could be on the quarterbacks, but you’ve got to have solid awareness and athleticism to get a hand up.
Staying with the defensive line, I thought one overlooked player was Ryan Robinson. He had three tackles (two for loss) and one sack. He’s quick off the edge. Mike Gundy has praised Robinson throughout the spring, saying he’s in so much better shape now and has finally “gotten it” after transferring from junior college a year ago.
I thought we’d see more of Herschel Sims. Running backs coach Jemal Singleton was extremely high on Sims’ development when I spoke to him a couple weeks ago. He had really started to show up in recent scrimmages, displaying some speed to get to the outside and then cut up the sideline. That said, it was a positive sign to see Desmond Roland rip off a big 30-yard run run. OSU is pretty stacked at running back, which will be a big help to whoever wins the starting quarterback job.
Cowboy fans better hope that David Glidden can catch a punt.
One of the most entertaining moments happened after the game. While I was in the middle of a media group around Joseph Randle, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that a couple reporters were talking to new tight end/inside receiver Blake Jackson. Interviews are a big no-no for first-year players—yes, even junior college transfers. It took a couple minutes before an OSU media relations staffer noticed this madness, grabbed Jackson and pushed him away. I think this is a silly rule with how much these kids talk to the press during the recruiting process, but it’s something Gundy is pretty adamant about. This means if Wes Lunt wins the starting QB job, you won’t hear from him all season unless the rule is changed or an exception is made.
Once this starting quarterback decision is made—or the decision is made that they will not yet decide on a starter (see what I did there?)—we’ll head into some down time in the summer months. I might even take a vacation…eventually =)
But until some QB news breaks…
Bedlam Baseball: Easy Does It
Cowboys left-hander Kyle Ottoson wasn't the fastest pitcher in Tuesday's Bedlam clash, but he was the most effective.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Cowboys coach Frank Anderson watched the stadium radar reading reach triple digits Tuesday night and marveled at Oklahoma’s Damien Magnifico.
“And that deal is about three miles an hour slow,” Anderson said of the Reynolds Stadium device. “That kid’s got a great arm. I mean, that’s a big-time, major league arm right there. You might not ever see a kid hit three digits on that thing again.
“The only time I’ve seen it here before was off our pitching machine.”
Anderson, a long-time pitching coach at Texas Tech and Texasbefore taking the head coaching job at OSU, said he’s never had a pitcher who could dial up 100 mph.
“AtTexas, I had Beau Hale,”Andersonsaid. “He threw 98 and 99 a bunch and was the 14th pick in the first round.
“He didn’t throw any like those.”
Meanwhile,Anderson’s pitcher, Kyle Ottoson marveled just the same on the opposite end of the spectrum. A finesse pitcher, Ottoson didn’t have a single pitch reach 90 and many of his offerings revealed 70s readings, even a few in the 60s.
“He didn’t go out there and throw,” said Cowboys catcher Jared Womack, “he had an idea on the mound. He went out there and located all his pitches. He made big pitches when we needed them.”
And he baffled the Sooners, much to their disgust, as the Cowboys won 6-1 in the non-conference game of the Bedlam series.
OU shortstop Caleb Bushyhead referred to Ottoson as a “thumber” and said the Sooners should have adjusted to his steady flow of slow stuff.
Sooners coach Sunny Golloway said his team helped Ottoson, chasing pitches out of the strike zone.
And it all made for a fascinating night at the ballpark, with OU’s Magnifico raring back and firing and Ottoson soft tossing.
“It was a big contrast,” Womack said. “We made Magnifico locate his pitches, got ahead in counts and capitalized on it when we had runners in scoring position.”
And that was the difference.
The Cowboys produced on their plan. The Sooners didn’t.
OSU hitters were well aware of Magnifico and his rare power arm.
Right fielder Trey Whaley had even seen it before, perhaps preparing him for his two-hit night against Magnifico that included a doubled drilled into a gap.
“I faced him in Juco, when he played at Howard,” Whaley said. “He definitely brings it up there really hard. Our mentality tonight was to get the barrel to the ball. And it worked out for us.”
Magnifico finished with a season-high five strikeouts, yet walked four and allowed seven hits and four runs.
“I was proud of our guys,”Andersonsaid. “We struck out five times and he’s got major league stuff. He blew our bats up inside a couple times and fisted us and different things. But we hung in there and played pretty good.”
Oklahoma State QB decision may not come Wednesday
Following Oklahoma State’s spring finale on Saturday afternoon, coach Mike Gundy told us about this magical meeting between him and the offensive staff taking place on Wednesday. The topic: quarterbacks. The goal: name a starter going into the summer.
Tonight, Oklahoma State sent out a press release saying this:
“We just want to give you a heads-up that it is not necessarily a given that Oklahoma State will have an update on its quarterbacks tomorrow. If we have something, we will certainly share it with you, but please don’t view it as an absolute that an announcement is coming tomorrow.”
This is something that my partner, John Helsley, and I have heard some rumblings about the last couple days. That certainly doesn’t mean that a starter will not be named tomorrow. And the possibility has always existed that a starter would not be named after the meeting. People change their minds. That statement could also simply mean that an announcement could come, say, Friday instead of Wednesday.
I know Gundy wants to name a starter in the very near future. He said it before practices began last month. He said it at every media availability throughout the spring. He said it Saturday multiple times.
I also know offensive coordinator Todd Monken was more hesitant about this when I spoke to him before the spring began. He didn’t come out and say that the Cowboys weren’t ready to name a starter after the spring finale, but I can’t imagine his feelings have changed much, based on how close this race has been. He did say in March that he for sure wanted to narrow it down to two quarterbacks before fall camp, however.
We’ll have a story in Wednesday’s Oklahoman breaking down what it would mean for the Cowboys if Clint Chelf, J.W. Walsh or Wes Lunt won the job. Or the alternative–if OSU continues the competition into fall camp.
OSU Power Lunch Chat with Gina Mizell
More honors for Cowboys-signee Marcus Smart
Marcus Smart's latest honor: First Team All-USA, by USA Today.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
The honors continue to roll in for Oklahoma State basketball recruit Marcus Smart.
The latest – first team All-USA by USA Today and an invitation to the 2012 Men’s U18 National Team Training Camp– are big ones.
Smart, who led Flower Mound Marcus High Schoolto a second straight Texas 5A state championship in March, signed with the Cowboys in November. Already he’s being touted as a difference maker for a rebound from a losing season.
Outsiders apparently agree.
The USA Today honor comes after Smart has already been recognized as a McDonald’s All-American, an ESPNHS All-American and the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year, among other awards and recognitions.
Joining Smart on the USA Today squad is Kentucky commitment Nerlens Noel of New Hampshire, the Player of the Year; two UCLA-bound standouts in Kyle Anderson of New Jersey and Shabazz Muhammad of Las Vegas; and high school junior Jabari Parker of Chicago.
USA Today has been handing out its honors annually since 1983. The latest teams (first, second and third) are available in Thursday’s paper and online at http://www.highschoolsports.net/
At the site, there are Q&As with each of the players. One interesting outtake from the one with Smart, under “Aha! Moment”:
When I was in eighth grade, we would always play sophomores on my AAU team and I was dominating, though I was just 6-1, getting boards over bigger kids. That was the time I realized I had potential to play college basketball.
The National team training camp will take place June 5-12 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Once the team has been narrowed down to the official 12-member squad by the USA Men’s Junior National Team Committee, the team will continue to train at the USOTC until the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, which will be played June 16-20 in Sao Sebastiao do Paraiso, Brazil.
Current Cowboy Le’Bryan Nash was selected to the 2010 Men’s U18 National team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship held in San Antonio, Texas.
Mike Gundy reflects on his time as a true freshman starting quarterback
In Wednesday’s Oklahoman, I looked back at Mike Gundy’s experience as a true freshman starting quarterback in 1986 and what that means now that he could name true freshman Wes Lunt as the Cowboys’ starter for 2012.
If I had known Gundy would have an impromptu media session following Wednesday’s scrimmage — OSU’s final practice before Saturday’s spring finale — I would have waited until today to write that story. Because Gundy was asked about it that very subject.
The biggest difference between Gundy’s situation and Lunt’s is, obviously, that Lunt arrived on campus for spring practice and Gundy didn’t come until he had to report for fall camp the first week of August.
“I walked off the baseball field (in Texas) in the morning and came up here that night,” Gundy said.
Which means he didn’t have any sort of grasp of Pat Jones’ offense when he arrived at OSU.
“I had no clue,” Gundy said. “I was playing 75 Legion baseball games and worrying more about trying to hit an off-speed pitch than I was anything else. I didn’t think I was going to play (as a freshman) anyway, so I wasn’t really worried about it.”
But he did play, getting inserted at halftime of the Cowboys’ third game against Houston, and was successful as a true freshman starter. He finished the season with 1,525 passing yards and was named the best freshman quarterback in the country by The Sporting News.. After that, he helped lead OSU to a pair of 10-win seasons and became the Big Eight’s all-time leading passer.
Lunt, conversely, will have a clue about OSU’s offense when fall camp begins and has prepared this spring like he’s going to be the starter.
So that presents this question: is Gundy more likely to play Lunt because of his personal success as a true freshman starting quarterback?
“I would guess, if I thought about it, I would say maybe yes,” Gundy said. “But if a freshman’s the best player, then we’re going to play him. I think that we have an obligation to the team, to the seniors, to do that.”
Gundy said that Lunt is more developed than he expected, both physically and mentally. He even said he’s the best freshman passer he’s been around.
But Lunt still has a long way to go to being a big-time college football quarterback, in Gundy’s eyes.
“I don’t even think he’s halfway there,” Gundy said. “The fairest way to put it is, for where he is at in his career, in his age, in his life, he’s further along than what I thought he would have been at this point. I don’t know any other way to say it.
“He’s done really well out here of not being flustered, and that’s part of it. He’s got to learn things happen and don’t get flustered.”
Barry Sanders’ 44 touchdowns will count–eventually
Barry Sanders’ 44 touchdowns scored in 1988 are going to count in Oklahoma State’s records.
It’s just a matter of when.
The OSU media relations staff has begun compiling all bowl statistics, which include five touchdowns for Sanders in the 1988 Holiday Bowl, as part of larger process of digitizing every game school history.
That means inputting all stats — including play-by-play — from old-school, hand-written “game books” into a computer program. OSU media relations director Gavin Lang said Monday that he’s gotten back to the 1987 season, but he had to put the task on hold during spring football because of his other responsibilities during that time. He will start up again once following Saturday’s spring finale, but the OSU records will not be updated until every game has been digitized. Lang isn’t sure he’ll finish by the time the 2012 media guide is released this summer.
The NCAA only recognizes bowl statistics since 2002, which means Sanders will still be tied with Wisconsin running back Montee Ball for most touchdowns scored in a season (39) even after OSU updates its records. Ball reached that mark last season.
Brandon Weeden talking NFL Draft on Dan Patrick’s radio show
Brandon Weeden joined Dan Patrick’s radio show Monday morning to talk about his NFL future with less than two weeks to go before the draft.
I bet you’re shocked that Weeden’s age came up. Other topics included baseball (Ian Stewart gets the nod the as guy Weeden couldn’t get out), Ryan Tannehill, Chris Weinke and if he’d rather face Albert Pujols or the Ravens’ defense. Props to Patrick for asking this really blunt question: who was the best quarterback in the Big 12 last season? And for asking if teammates ever asked Weeden to buy them beer.
You can listen to the full interview here.
