Every year, a number of college coaches find themselves in the perilous position of having “to win now”. They are on “The Hot Seat”.
No, it is a little different than you…in a moment of stupor….mistaking the barbecue grill for the folding chair.
A slightly different Hot Seat
College coaches endure a lot of pressure to win, win now, win always, win…win…win. Although most are well-compensated, it is still not an easy job.
However, their toil and suffering can be a positive for the fantasy player. Coaches in trouble will try to open up their offenses, or, improve their defenses severalfold. They deserve the fantasy attention, as well as the usual media scrutiny.
Which coaches are on The Hot Seat for 2009? Here are the top candidates (Coaches listed in no particular order):
1) Detroit (0-16) Jason Smith, OT, Baylor – I am sticking to my guns here and I still feel that Detroit does not take Stafford with their #1 pick. The more I read, the more it looks like Detroit is going to pass on Curry and go with anchor on the O-line. With the #20 pick as well, I think they look to take a QB here, if one of the top two fall that far or trade up to get one of them at #14/#15.
2) St. Louis (2-14)Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia - If Detroit takes Smith, then St. Louis will go with the next best OT. It is debatable on which OT is better between Monroe and Smith since each excel in different aspects, but either way, with the release of Orlando Pace, OT will be addressed with their first pick.
3) Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest - The more info that comes out since Detroit traded for Peterson, it appears that Curry will most likely not be taken as #1 overall. Kansas City has an offensive-minded Coach, but he’s not stupid. Haley got Cassel in a trade so there will be a good QB battle between him and Thigpin. They also got Vrabel in the trade as well, so having Curry learn underneath him would be a huge benefit to his development and for the team.
4) Seattle (4-12) Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech- I still feel that this is the direction Seattle goes with their first pick. I think Seattle is looking for results now, so they are looking for a playmaker that can start now. Stafford would be a great understudy to Hasselbeck, but since Hasselbeck still has about 3-4 more years in his tank at least, I think Seattle looks for their understudy in next year’s draft.
5) Cleveland (4-12) Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas – It appears that Shaun Rodgers is becoming a little more of a pain that the Cleveland brass had wanted. He sat out the first team workout this week and the GM said at the Coaches Conference he is considered “tradable.” But ironically, just after that info was released, Rodgers showed up for the remaining workouts this week. I have to agree with Drew that the Browns have too much $ tied up in him to consider trading and we know they won’t cut him. He may have work ethic issues, but I think he stays on the team at least for this year. With that being said, Cleveland addresses their need for QB pressure and picks the best DE in the draft.
6) Cincinnati (4-11-1) B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College- I hate to see a talent like Raji fall, but since he won’t go to Seattle due to the trade for Redding, and Cleveland still has Rodgers to plug up holes, I say Cincinnati takes him here. As mentioned earlier, the Bengals have holes just about everywhere, so anyone they get is an upgrade. At least with Raji, they can begin to stop the run in a run happy AFC North, as they allowed an average of 120 rushing yards per game.
As of late, the Big 12 North football programs haven’t gotten near the same influx of publicity, love in the media and polls or top-name recruits as their conference counterparts in the South.The North looks to change that this year, aiming to improve the level of competition in the conference as a whole by recruiting the nation’s top talent to the Plains.Here’s a closer look at some of the young men you will see on the gridiron this fall. (Pictured at right is Cody Green of the University of Nebraska)
Colorado
Colorado exited from 2008 signing day expecting to make a splash in the Big 12 North, especially with the addition of Darrell Scott.Unfortunately for the Buffaloes, it was more of a belly flop with an unimpressive 5-7 campaign, and top players like Scott only netting 343 yards on the season.With an incoming class of 19, Coach Hawkins and the Colorado staff worked tirelessly to continue a strong recruiting trend, even luring a recruit away from 2008 National Champion, the Florida Gators.Hawkins and his staff seem to have focused this recruiting season on the entire package, building a culture of success while getting student-athletes that can perform at optimum levels in the classroom as well as on the field.Don’t be surprised then to find several playing an integral role on the Buffaloes roster in this, their freshman campaign.
Nick Kasa (6’7”, 250 lb.), a defensive end, will be joining the Buffs from nearby Broomfield, Colorado.Kasa was recruited nationally, considering the likes of Cal, Notre Dame, Miami and was a de-commitment from the University of Florida, in part due to the Gators coaching staff suggesting he consider a move to offense.Kasa racked up school records with 31 ½ sacks and 46 tackles for loss at Legacy High School, including 12 during his senior campaign.He is very tall and lean, but should be able to bulk up and add to his already solid pass rush and pursuit skills.His athleticism is obvious — Kasa not only played defense, but also contributed greatly as an offensive tackle and powerback in high school, while also participating on Legacy High’s track team.Subsequently, expect for Hawkins to use Kasa in a variety of game-day situations, not only defensively, but also on offense and special teams. Read the rest of this entry →
My first preview article after the microbial sabbatical focuses on looking ahead, much more setting the table for future articles than trying to make a accurate forecast in March. What fantasy college football programs set themselves up for improvement, what schools are drained of talent and set for disappointment, and what fantasy college football dynasties’ 2009 outlook is filled with bewilderment?
Programs trending up
Arkansas
Bobby Petrino leveraged his knowledge of offense into many jobs over the last ten years and the eyes of the college football world focus on Fayatteville in 2009 to see the results of his newest creation. Expect a return to top-tier production with new QB Ryan Mallett and some super-sized pass catchers.
Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli
Oregon
The Ducks tore up the November scoreboards and followed through strongly in the Holiday Bowl shootout win over Oklahoma State. Whether Jeremiah Masoli (right, Icon SMI) or Justin Roper take over the QB reins in 2009, and whether or not RB LaGerrette Blount (suspension) returns, new head coach Chip Kelly gets a disgusting amount of weapons at his disposal Also it will be very interesting to see how the first “coach-in-waiting” progresses, with new AD Mike Belotti just a hallway away.
Auburn
Gus Malzahn, offensive innovator ne plus ultra, is in charge – enough said. I have all the love in the world for what Tulsa produced over the past two years, but i cannot wait for the hell Malzahn will unleash upon the SEC defenses with SEC quality athletes on offense. I expect Mario Fannin will be the largest benefactor of the new regime, but the true test will be the effectiveness of the QB whether Kodi Burns or Chris Todd.
What schools may disappoint? What teams have more questions than the SAT? After the jump…
The Top 7 picks remain the same since my last Mock Draft and in fact I feel even more confident in them today as oppose of a few weeks ago. Of course that could all change tomorrow as that is how these mock draft drafts tend to to work. After pick 7 there is major shakeup the rest of the way as I continue to filter through all the reports attempting to dismiss the fluff and read in between the lines for some clues. Keep checking back with us as Jeremy and myself will continue to update our mocks as we get closer to draft day
1) Detroit (0-16) Jason Smith, OT, Baylor- I am sticking with my pick here of Jason Smith by the Lions despite the purging of Jon Kitna and David Orlovsky. I am still not convinced that Detroit views Matthew Stafford as a can’t-miss quarterback so will select Smith who will sign before the draft and step right into the starting role. The individual workouts for Stafford will be his chance to prove he is a quarterback that Detroit can not pass on. However, until then, I stand by my pick of Smith.
