Pre-Preseason Projections...

Before I started reading any of the preseason football magazines, I jotted down a quick sketch of how I thought the 2011 season would play out, based mostly on what I remembered from the end of last season, the NFL draft and a few things I've read here and there:

SEC:

South Carolina
Georgia (tie)
Florida (tie)
Kentucky

Alabama
Auburn
LSU
Arkansas


B10:

Ohio State
Wisconsin
Purdue

Michigan State
Nebraska
Northwestern (Persa?)
Iowa/Michigan
Gophers


B12:

Oklahoma
Texas A&M
Okie State
Texas
Mizzou

Big East

Pitt
USF
WVU

ACC:

FSU... Clemson... Tech?

Va Tech

P12:

Oregon
Stanford?

What does this tell us? Mostly that I've been trying to get myself up to speed on Nebraska's new conference/divisional opponents and that I usually only pay attention to traditional "power teams" during the off season.

Thank you, Jay Paterno

A fantastic read from Penn State Quaterbacks Coach Jay Paterno.

There is the rub. There is the problem. No one sells the student-athletes on the idea that they are getting paid more than $80 an hour for a part-time job. No one tells the student-athlete to go talk to other students on campus who work 30 or 40 hours some weeks and will still owe tens of thousands of dollars when they graduate.

It is all about perspective. The reality is that a few hundred more dollars or even a few thousand dollars to help cover the cost of attendance isn't going to erase the cheating that goes on. The cheating that's going on is for a lot more money than the cost of attendance..

Later, I'll offer a few more thoughts on the subject of "paying " NCAA football athletes.

Smart Football: Football, decisionmaking, and the brain

Smart Football is one of my favorite blogs to read whenever I get the creeping sensation that I've read everything on the internet... whether I read a new post, or one from the archive, I learn something every single time I stop by. This morning I stopped in and found this gem on "Football decisionmaking", and it's a great read.

I can't tell you how overstimulated the football nerd in me got when I read this passage:

In a later post I plan to break down more of the cold, rational, time-intensive decisions and where those decisions break down. I'm interest in which decisions are "predictably irrational," and can they be fixed? Also, what heuristics do coaches and sometimes players use that correctly and incorrectly inform them? But today I limit myself to the raw, instinctual, athletic intelligence that football players must possess or be gone.

Heuristics, and football? God I love this stuff!


The post looks into the types of decisions that are required on the field, specifically the difference between "reactive, emotional" decisions, (I would say emotionless, but I haven't read the research that Chris has), versus the analytical, reasoned decisions you and I make on a daily basis. I won't go any further on the content, and can only strongly urge you to take a look. It is, as I said, a fascinating read... if you're into that kinda stuff.

One of my long term goals with FLB12 is to write a series of posts giving the passive/average football fan a look at what its like to "Think like a...", whether it's how to think like a QB or a LB... or even a Head Coach. What are the things that a QB is looking at that, and what is it telling him? What does a middle linebacker see that makes him call off a blitz, or vice versa? What do coaches look at in film study that helps them breakdown an opponent? Educating myself on these subjects over the last few seasons has really opened up my understanding of the game and, as cliched as it sounds, it really has expanded my love of the game and all the techniques ,strategies, and tactics that it entails.

Now, for all of you I just bored to tears with all those big words, here are some football players hitting other football players... hard.