Metro Sports 360 The Wire

Overview

This should be one of the most significant seasons of Gary Pinkel’s tenure at Missouri.  There are many unknowns going into this season, because the Tigers lost a lot of high quality players from last year’s team, 6 of which were drafted into the NFL.  This year’s team will be very foretelling about the direction of Missouri’s football program.  If the Tigers go out and win 8 or more games, it will prove to the naysayers, and some Tiger faithful, that they aren’t a flash in the pan, and it will prove the Tigers can sustain success for an extended period of time.  If the Tigers can win the Big 12 North for a third straight year, it will signify the arrival of the Tiger program as powerhouse in the North.  There will be many new, young faces on both the defensive and offensive side of the ball for the Tigers this year, and with that brings and unknown optimism and anxiousness.

Defense

The Tigers lost a lot on defense.  In total the Tigers lost 7 starters, 3 of which were drafted, and their defensive coordinator.  If you never watched the Tigers play but were told they had a DT tackle drafted in the 1^st round, a safety drafted in the 2^nd round, a DE drafted in the 6^th round, and a D-coordinator move on to coach in the NFL, you would assume they would be doomed for a defensive letdown the following year.  For the Tigers, however, this might not be the case.  There is no doubt the Tigers had a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball last year, but all that talent never materialized into even a good defensive.   

There are two questions that must be answered in order to judge how good, or bad, the Tiger defense can be this year.  First, will the secondary be improved?  The secondary was the achillies heal of the Tiger defense last year, and very little is known about the secondary this year.  The only known is Carl Gettis, but will Tiger fans see the Carl Gettis of his surprising freshman year or disappointing sophomore year.   The reports coming from spring practices and workouts are the Tigers will be much faster in the secondary, but without good coverage skills being fast won’t make a difference.  The good news is that Dave Steckel, the new D-coordinator, has simplified the defensive schemes and used his previous experience as a marine to light a fire under the young, fast defensive unit.

Question two, how will the Tigers replace Ziggy Hood?  Now that Ziggy is gone, Jaron Baston will have to step up and play a big role on the defensive line.  Jaron was very good last year, but he also had the advantage of playing next to Ziggy who commanded double teams on a regular basis.  Jaron must now take on the role of commanding the double teams so he can open up holes for others.   Outside of Jaron Baston, very little is known about the DT position and rotation.  The play of some of these unknowns will play a big role in the Tigers success this season. 

Now on to what we do know about the defense.  First and foremost Sean Weatherspoon will be a force to be reckoned with and is an absolute beast at the linebacker position.  He is the unconditional heart and soul of this defense and as Weatherspoon goes, so does the Tiger defense.   He is fully capable of putting the defense and even the team on his back to win a ball game, see the Illinois game last year.  Big things are expected of Weatherspoon this year, and I don’t believe we are going to be disappointed.  Also, the other linebackers on the Tigers defense aren’t too shabby, and the linebacker core should be a real strength for this defense.  Another relative known are the defensive ends.  The defensive ends are young , fast and very talented.  High praise has been heaped on Aldon Smith , Jacquies Smith and Brian Coulter as a unit.  This unit is expected to take a lot of pressure off of the secondary by getting to the quarterback on a much more regular basis. 

Overall the defense should be much improved.  The defense shouldn’t be on the field near as much, given the likely hood the offense won’t be as quick to score, and the simplification of the defensive scheme should really help the Tigers become a good defensive unit that might surprise a lot of people.

Offense

The Tigers also lost a lot on the offensive side of the ball.  They lost a total of 6 starters, 3 of which were drafted into the NFL, and their offensive coordinator.  Most likely, gone are the days of the pass happy, score fast and often days of Chase Daniel, Chase Coffman and Jeremy Maclin.  The Tiger’s offense is being molded into a more run-oriented offense in order to put the ball in the hands of one of their few established playmakers, Derrick Washington.  Last year D-Wash ran for over 1000 yards and 17 touchdowns and also established himself as a real threat to catch the ball out of the backfield.  This year even more will be expected of him and backup De’Vion Moore. 

The new direction of the offense doesn’t mean they are deviating from the spread that has made them so successfully over the last few years; it just means it won’t be as prolific.  No quarterback in the nation took the snap further in the backfield than Chase Daniel, and with the size of sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert, this won’t be the case.  Blaine Gabbert has come to Missouri with a lot of hype, being the first 5 star recruit in the history of Missouri football, and many people will expect him to produce like Chase Daniel right away, but this is an unfair expectation.  Blaine Gabbert has some advantages that Chase never had, his NFL arm and size, but to expect him to be nearly as accurate as Chase is unfair, especially without Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman.  The good thing for Gabbert is he should be protected by a very good offensive line.  Gary Pinkel has already stated that this could be the best offensive line he has ever coached.  An offense is only as good as its offensive line, and the Tigers have a very good one.  Their job all season will be to keep the young, talented quarterback upright and to open up holes for Derrick Washington. 

The Tigers will also need Jared Perry and Denario Alexander to have big seasons.  There is no replacing Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman, but if the Tigers don’t get solid production from the two senior receivers, then they could be in for a long season.  They will also need Andrew Jones to continue the success of tight ends at Missouri  and have a couple of young receivers step up to give Gabbert some more reliable offensive threats and options.   Overall the offense should be good, and should be able to help the defense by controlling the time of possession more with their run game.  The offense won’t be nearly as prolific as years past, but it should be good enough to keep us competitive. 

What can make the season a success?

For the Tigers to have a successful season, they will need Blaine Gabbert to mature quickly and provide the Tigers with solid quarterback play.  Also, if the Tigers hope to have any success this season they will need vast improvement from their secondary.  The combination of these two factors should give the Tigers a good shot at a successful season.      

What can make the season a disaster?

See above, but think the opposite.  If Gabbert comes out and tries to do too much and makes a lot of mistakes and if the secondary doesn’t improve, then the Tigers are in for a long season

Prediction:  8-5 

Schedule:
9/5 - Illinois
9/12 -Bowling Green
9/19 - Furman
9/25 - at Nevada
10/8 - Nebraska
10/17 - at Oklahoma State
10/24 - Texas
10/31 - at Colorado
11/7 - Baylor
11/14 - at Kansas State

11/21 - Iowa State

11/28 - Kansas

Posted by Guy at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

7/30/2009

Article by:  James Kemplay
Published:  July 27, 2009

Overview:
Kansas State this year decided to revert back to its old ways by bring legendary coach Bill Snyder, and Cat fans hope he can bring back the winning ways K-State had become accustomed to.  Snyder's return to Manhattan should give this down program a huge motivational lift.  Not only is Snyder back but he has put together a staff that is typical to that at K-State. 

Offense: 
The Kansas State offense lost its talented QB Josh Freeman to the NFL and must find a replacement.  Returning QB Carson Coffman who completed 61 percent of his passes last year in mop-up duty should have the inside track, but newcomer Junior college transfer Daniel Thomas is a dual-threat signal caller that fits Snyder's offensive scheme's. Not only is the QB spot up in the air, the Wildcats will need to find a dependable running back.  Lamark Brown who led the team in rushing in '08 is back and gives the Cats a intriguing play-maker out of the backfield.   Out side of the question marks there is some stability every where else.  Raising Star receiver Brandon Banks who hauled in 1,050 yards last year will team with tight end Jeron Mastrud to give who ever the Quarterback is two very dependable pass catchers.

Defense:
On Defense K-State will be switching to the 3-4 and with returning end Brandon Harold and stud Virgina transfer Jeffery Fitzgerald the Wildcats should be solid up front.  The main question is can Snyder find linebackers that fit the system.  The defense should be led by senior linebacker John Houlik and Junior Corner back Josh Moore  who led the team in tackles in '08

What can make this season a success?
Daniel Thomas needs to beat out Coffman for the quarterback spot as he has the skill sets to excel in Snyder's offensive.  If Thomas can prove to be a solid starting quarterback and with the schedule in their corner, K-State could be a bowl team in '09.

What can make this season a disaster?
K-State takes even a bigger step back and Snyder's old coaching ways don't blend well in the new spread, high flying Big 12.  With the schedule the Wildcats should be a bowl team and anything less would be a failure to many fans in Manhattan.

Prediction:  7-5 - Everything could hang on 2 importation games, at UCLA (9/19) and Colorado in Manhattan (10/24)

Schedule:
9/5 - UMass
9/12 - at Louisiana Lafayette
9/19 - at UCLA
9/26 - Tennessee Tech
10/3 - Iowa @Arrowhead
10/10 - at Texas Tech
10/17 - Texas A&M
10/24 - Colorado
10/31 - at Oklahoma
11/7 - Kansas
11/14 - Missouri
11/21 - at Nebraska

Key Departures:   DE Ian Campbell, QB Josh Freeman, WR Deon Murphy, G Gerard Spexarth, LB Reggie Walker

Key Returning Players:  CB Joshua Moore, DE Brandon Harold, WR Brandon Banks, TE Jeron Mastrud, RB Lamark Brown

Posted by jkemplay at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

7/17/2009

Tonight the Kansas City Royals will unvail their new left side of their infield as they take on the Tampa Bay Rays at Kauffman Stadium.  Royals starting third baseman Alex Gordon makes his return to the line up as well as new Royals shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.

To make room for Gordon and Betancourt the Royals sent Mitch Maier to triple A Omah and designated shortstop Tony Peña for assignment.   Most Royals fans should feel this as a sigh of relief as Peña was quickly becoming the fans favorite joke of the day with his .098 batting average.  Peña also now must clear waivers to stay with the Royals, and many Royals fans would hope he doesn't. 

The Royals plan to ease Gordon back into the line up by not playing him more than 3 games in a row at a time for at least the first week.  The move allows the Royals to move Teahan back to the outfield and part time at first base as well as fill in at third when Alex isn't playing.  One thing is certain though, the Royals can not afford to have either Teahan or Billy Butler's bat out of this line up and Gordon needs to play as much as he can.  

Posted by Metro Sports 360 at 08:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

7/16/2009

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7/14/2009

Sources are telling us the Kansas City Chiefs have signed former New England quarterback Matt Cassel to a 6 year deal.  Terms are currently unofficial, but sources report that Cassel is the Chiefs new $63 million dollar man.   ESPN.com reports the deal includes $28 million guaranteed, and an estimated $40.5 million in the first three years of his contract.

Cassel whom the Chiefs got in a trade with the Patriots that also neted the Chiefs Line backer, Mike Vrable now appear set to name Cassel their new starting quarterback.  It was rumored throughout the offseason that the Chiefs would play out Cassel's 1 year contract and see how things would pan out, it appears now the Chiefs have seen enough from Cassel so far this offseason that makes him the new face of the franchise.

Posted by Metro Sports 360 at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Author:  James Kemplay

The Mike Brown signing I feel was a great pick up for the Chiefs and despite all the talk in the media about why we signed him, the truth of the matter is this, as long as he is healthy Brown will be the Chiefs SS and Quarterback of the defense this season, replacing the young 4 year veteran from Purdue, Bernard Pollard. 

Posted by jkemplay at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Metro Sports 360's first Annual MLB Mid Season Awards
Author's:  James Kemplay & Guy Cartee

Metro Sports 360 writers James Kemplay and Guy Cartee sit down and lay out the first Annual Metro Sports 360 MLB Mid Season Awards.

AL Manager of the Year:  Ron Washington - Texas Rangers
The Rangers weren't picked to do anything this season in many Baseball Circles yet here they are at the mid point of the season tied for first in the AL West

NL Manger of the Year:  Joe Torre - LA Dodgers
No Manny?  No Problem..  Joe helped lead the Dodgers to the best record in baseball with out their best player for 50 games.  Tony La Russa has to be mentioned as well for the work he's done with the injury bugged St. Louis Cardinals.

AL Rookie of the Year:  Ricky Romero - Blue Jays
The Blue Jays young ace is 6th in the AL in ERA and is doing it in the hardest division in baseball, the AL East.

NL Rookie of the Year:  Colby Rasmus - St. Louis Cardinals
This is more of a challenge then Romero in the AL but you can't doubt Rasmus's numbers.  Rasmus is pacing for 20+ Home Runs and around 40 doubles on a offensively challanged Cardinals team.  If its not his bat its his future Gold Glove in field that helps land Rasmus as our NL Rookie of the Year.

AL Flop of the Year:  Kansas City Royals
Picked in many circles as the front runner to win the poor AL Central the Royals have proven that injury's and the lack of production from their newcomers (take your pick, Coco Crisp or Mike Jacobs) has landed the Royals as our Flop of the first half.  There is a bright spot KC Fans, Zack Greinke is the real deal finally.

NL Flop of the Year:  Pittsburgh Pirates
6 Games out of first place in your division and you trade away the best hitter/player on your team in outfielder Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves, just to fight your way to 7 games back before you dump fan favorite Nyjer Morgan in another trade that completely drains your outfield.  If it wasn't for the ball park in Pittsburgh there wouldn't be much of a reason to watch the lowely Pirates much more this season.

AL MVP:  Zack Greinke - Royals
Say what you want about Justin Morneau, and the theory that a player on winning team has to be the MVP, but we are judging here on the BEST PLAYER, one who any team in the AL would lean on and that nod must goto Zack.  Greinke's numbers this year are sick, his 2.00 ERA (tops in baseball), 120 Strike outs (3rd in baseball), 10 wins (tops in baseball), and all playing on a team with no offense.  His utter unworldly numbers after the first month of the season has only been closely matched 2 other times in baseball history.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals
Nobody has dominated baseball in a year like King Albert has so far since the likes of the juiced Barry Bonds.   Pujols has a real chance to breat the 62 home run mark this year with out the * tied to his name, nobody has the all around game of Pujols and his bat has been must watch TV.

AL Cy Young:  Zack Greinke - Kansas City Royals
See above.  The Z train is rolling through AL hitters this year like no other pitcher has in over 50 years.

NL Cy Young:  Tim Lincecum - SF Giants
Youth pitching this year is out of this world.. Lincecum who leads the majors in strike outs, and his 9-2 record are 2nd in the NL.  We have to mention Dan Haren of the Arizona Diamondbacks is putting up Zack Greinke type of numbers but with the 4 loses the nod we give goes to Lincecum.

METRO SPORTS 360 FIRST HALF MVP: 
1A: Albert Pujols, 1B Zack Greinke
Both of these players are having the types of seasons nobody has seen in decades.  Hell most of us haven't seen anything like what these 2 are doing in our life times.  Pujols truely unfortunately is doing what he is doing in an era of steriods where the PED users before him (McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, ARod) have set the bar high for unreachable numbers that makes you even more in awe that a CLEAN Pujols is pacing many of those numbers.  In Zack's case the turn around he's had from head case to superman are the things movies are made about, let alone what he's doing on the mound hasn't happened hardely at all in any era.  It's been an amazing ride that people in Missouri and Kansas have been lucky to watch play out in our own back yard.

Posted by Metro Sports 360 at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (23) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok this is a world buster move for the Royals but they have made a move for Chicago Cubs utility man Ryan Freel for a player to be named later.

Freel, 33, has a .269 career average in 576 games over eight seasons with 22 homers and 119 RBIs and gives the Royals depth in the outfield, third base, and second.   The move gives the Royals more flexability in the trade market to improve this team for the long haul.

Freel the Royals believe has a good chance to play center field and spell Mitch Maier when needed. From our view point Freel who's small numbers (sub .200 BA, zero homers) doesn't appear to be an every day player for the Royals but does open up the Royals to listen for trades for Jose Guillen and Mark Teahen.  

Posted by Metro Sports 360 at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)