Is Carl Edwards in trouble?

Standing as of July 14th:

Rank        Name                                     Pts            Wins
 1.            Matt Kenseth                         676             1
 2.            Dale Earnhardt Jr.                  651             1
 3.            Greg Biffle                             632             1
 4.            Jimmie Johnson                      618             2
 5.            Tony Stewart                         586             3
 6.            Kevin Harvick                       586              0
 7.            Denny Hamlin                        584             2
 8.            Martin Truex Jr.                     584             0
 9.            Brad Keselowski                   573             3
10.           Clint Boyer                            572             1
11.           Carl Edwards                        541             0

*Wild Card winners: Kyle Busch and Joey Lagano

Carl is in big trouble folks, last year runner up, in the Sprint Cup Series may not make it to the Chase as a championship contender. Carl needs to get his act together and win some races or start consistently finishing in the top 10, even the top 5. If he doesn't then as they currently sit, he will miss the cut by being eleventh.

Now I know what you are thinking. Yes, there are still plenty of races until the Chase but my question is what is Carl's chance at winning a race beforehand.

Race                                                         Chance
New Hampshire                                        Moderate
Brickyard 400 - Indy                                Moderate
Pocono                                                    High - Best Track
Watkins Glen                                            Low
Michigan                                                  High
Bristol                                                      Moderate to High
Atlanta                                                     High
Richmond                                                Moderate

Carl's best chance will be at Pocono. Carl always seems to drive well on that track. There are a few that he excels at on the list, like Michigan and Atlanta. It seems he is better on 1.5 mile tracks than anywhere else. Let's hope that he can make it to the Chase.

Why can't the Royals overcome and win?

During last weeks All-Star game the Royals came out to provide record crowds at the Futures game, Home run Derby and the actual game itself, plus many more activities as well. This does make you wander, "Why can't they field a better team?

Now, I know that the Royals are a "small" market team but I don't buy that load of crock. It is proven by the draw of the KC fans and also a fact that if a good team is on the field the fans show up to the games.

This comes down to who owns the team, David Glass. David is a man who gained his wealth through Wal-mart. Unfortunately, he runs the team with same principal as Wal-mart, "Always Low Prices, Always." He hand-cuffs General Manager Dayton Moore and doesn't let him sign and key Free Agents. Moore must get his free agents from the bargain bin or "Low price/Low risk" players.

One good thing the Royals and Moore have started to do is pay their draftees and players more upfront. This is one method that the Royals must and can do to get good players. However, without a change in approach to the team, we won't see the prime years or 27 - 32 years of players like Hosmer and Moustakas.

Now you may ask what the solution to this situation may be.

One: Would be for the fans to pack the stadium and generate more money so they can afford to buy better players through free agent signings. This is a great idea and I love the idea but the Glass family would probably just pocket the money.

Two: Would be to force the Glass family to sell the team to someone from the Kansas City area. The Glass' are from Arkansas and aren't fans of the team. They run it too much like a business that watches spending to maximize profits. Baseball is a business that you need to invest in your team to make money. If the Royals were sold to some KC people they would invest in some good players because they are fans and would want to win at all costs.

Three: Last option would be to force Glass to move the team to another city and ask the MLB to get another expansion franchise. We could call them by the name "Monarch's" just like the former Negro-League club. Personally this would be terrible idea because their is a risk that Kansas City would never get a team back to take the Royals place.

The biggest deal is that Royals fans need to support their team or you will lose that Major League team. Just keep supporting the team because they will turn it around if they can get some pitching.

The Chief's Draft

Dontari Poe: NT, Memphis(1st Round)

Dontari is a very raw talent that RAC believes he can turn into one of the best NT in all of the AFC if not the entire league. He didn't have a very stat filled career for the C-USA Memphis Tigers but the kid mopped up at the NFL combine. Only time will tell if this kid is a stud or a bust, but my bet is that he will do what he is asked. Clog the middle and make it hard for teams to run up the gut and pressure the QB by taking up blockers.

Jeff Allen: OG, Illinois(2nd Round)

Jeff played very well for the poorly coached Fighting Illini this past year. Expect to see Jeff on the field sooner than later to help the Offensive line. This kid can play and will be helping the line in-case of injury and also in platoon action.

Donald Stephenson: OT, Oklahoma(3rd Round)

Donald is a Kansas City native that is coming back to his hometown NFL team. RAC believes that he will be project and won't likely see much playing time in 2012. This looks like a move to insure a replacement for Brandon Albert if he doesn't resign with the Chiefs after next season.

Devon Wylie: WR, Fresno State(4th Round)


Devon is a quick agile receiver that projects to be the slot receiver. He may be the sign of the end of Dexter McCluster but we will have to see how that plays out in the fall. Of course people are going to compare him to Wes Welker because he is white and small, but I think this kid has a real chance of coming to this team and making a contribution in either the passing game or return game.


Dequan Menzie, SS, Alabama(5th Round)

Dequan is thought to be insurance for the defensive backfield if they need help in the nickel. He will be used on occasion and is a need that was addressed.

Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M(6th Round)

Gray will come into provide depth at RB. The backfield is loaded now with J.Charles, P. Hillis, and D. McCluster back there(well at least for now). He was brought in just in case Jamaal struggles with his knee injury and Hillis has a mediocre time. This kid will be valuable in the future but the roster is too loader to see him play right away.

Jerome Long, DT, San Diego St.(7th Round - #1) 


Backup and special teams. Don't know much about

Junior Hemingway, WR, Michigan(7th Round - #2)

Backup and special teams. Don't know much about

Faurot Field Stadium Expansion

In regard to Mizzou's Stadium, which is Memorial Stadium and the playing surface is named after former coach Don Faurot, expansion is dearly needed. This expansion is not only to accommodate all the visitors that come to the SEC games but also make the concourses and bathroom bigger to make the game day experience better. Currently Faurot is at 71,003 and that is small compared to many of the SEC schools.

Many suggestions have been made on how to make the stadium bigger and one thing we all know is that they are going to be putting a luxury box just like the press box on the side that faces Providence. However, there have been many ideas bantered about RockMnation and TigerBoard. Some of these ideas range from moving the hill and the Rock "M" close to the playing surface to removing the track and moving the fans closer to the benches.

Many pundits of the Hill say that it is a tradition and we could never move it, but the truth is that only thing that we can't move is the Rock "M" and Coach Pinkel has already said that it will not be removed. This is the best option in my opinion because it eliminates a place for sound to escape the stadium and puts more fans closer which makes the place feel tougher to play. An added bonus is that we wouldn't put those dumb portable bleachers that make our school look po-dunk when they roll them out for the big games. The biggest downfall of this would be the amount of fill needed to bring that up to the rest of the structure. This project would be costly but would pay for itself overtime.

A research project on how soccer teams play with a track and without a track is drastic. The influence that the crowd can make by being close is drastic, so many Tiger fans would like to see the current stands extended down to the grassy hill that butts up to the brick retaining wall. Those against this will tell you that the sight lines would be terrible at those places and all you would see is the numbers from the back of the new matte black helmet. One other problem exists and that is the field is already fairly close to bedrock. Originally the site where the football stadiums sits was a rock quarry years ago and they used the profile of that quarry and the land to create the bowl shape and the hill. Thus, in order to create the proper site lines for fans they would have to blast out the limestone bedrock that is under the playing surface to lower it. Not saying that it can't or wouldn't be done but there are cheaper ways to add seating.

Another option being talked about is adding a second deck to the South endzone. This would essentially add 10,000 seats to the existing structure. Many folks, including myself, love this idea to add seating. They would just need to build around what is already there, but there are some problems. Rumors say that the low water table in that area hamper the stadium from going any higher. The new structure wouldn't be stable and would be dangerous for fans to sit, let alone cheer and stomp.

We know one thing and that is the stadium will be upgraded and seating will be added. With exception of the new luxury boxes we don't know where and how, so we will have to wait. My guess is that these plans of the turf and expansion will be released after we are officially in the SEC. So look around for those because now it will be a dead period for Mizzou Athletics for a while. So, sit back and relax and enjoy the ride.

New Mizzou Uniform's

These are the new Mizzou uniforms for football and I think they are a good change for the football program. My favorite is the black uniform because it is the most simple of the three uniforms. The white uniform is different because of the addition of the "anthracite" grey added to the shoulder pads. The good news about this is that it looks good live.

The Gold uniform is gold by the way, and one person may think it's yellow but hey it's a bold color to go with black. Mizzou fans need to stop acting like we have had Black and Old Gold forever. We haven't. The basketball team has worn that yellow gold for a long time, well into Norms Stewart's reign on the basketball court.

Don Barnes said that the main uniform combination for the home games will be the black jersey and gold pants combination. The away will be the white jersey with any combination of the 4 jersey pants. The Gold jersey will be worn for the Gold Rush game and an all black uniform will be worn for the Black Out game.

Now to the helmets. Mizzou has worn a M on the helmet since 1971 and now that's changing. My biggest complaint that was that the muddy gold on the helmet didn't match the yellow gold that the university is now using. It didn't match and looked awful. Now we have the Tiger Head in the oval as the main helmet and a all Gold Tiger head on a matte black helmet for the alternate. The alternate will be worn once a year with the gold jersey, surely during the gold rush game. I don't mind the change because the Tiger head is recognized as the University of Missouri and Mizzou but then I am only 24 and many of the years I have watched the M on the helmet the Tigers have been mediocre at best.

I think the argument that the M gets confused with Michigan is a valid argument but you can't tell me that it gets confused on the Michigan helmet. The helmets look nothing alike. It does get confused on hats and other apparel. Knowing that this is just a push for money and merchandise sales in a way, it makes me mad but then if it expands Mizzou so that our athletic program can get recruits nationally and improve the changes will be welcomed with open arms.

If you don't like this change voice your opinion but I think you are outnumbered by people that don't care and/or like the uniforms. This will stay the same until Pinkel or Alden are gone so get used to it because Alden has done so much to improve things at Mizzou that he will most likely retire a Tiger and he is pushing the logo and Mizzou. If you want change you will need to get Alden fired. Good luck with that.

The Block M is gone, such a sad day.

The Block M that is on Mizzou's helmet has been there since Al Onofrio took the job as coach of the Tigers in 1971. Over the years the Block M's style, color and size has changed. Many tradition or "TERDITION!!!!!!" people as I call them are very upset over the change.

Coach Pinkel has said numerous times that TigerHead and the name "Mizzou" is what people see and instantly recognize Mizzou and Missouri. This, at least I don't think, means people are getting Mizzou's helmet mixed up with Michigan's, but Pinkel has said that is why they are changing it. In all honesty I really don't care what is put on the helmet or anything like that, I just want my team to win.

Many tradition pundits will argue that if we let Nike change our identity going into the SEC that we will be laughed at and mocked. Yes, I will admit we are going into a conference that has a lot of stock in the past and tradition but sometimes they are stuck in the past. If you really look at the schools in the SEC, there are schools that don't follow tradition. It just seems that way because that is what we are told and we believe it.

Don't forget that we have been looking to change this for a few years now. Since they brought the TigerHead logo into the picture they have been changing our merchandise and it is really selling. We have been in the Top 20 in licensed apparel sells in the last few years. The honest truth is the Tiger Paw/Block M didn't sell because they were too closely matched to Clemson and Michigan respectively. Mizzou is now in a better place nationally because of our marketing and the Nike corp has brought to our school.

Helmets of the past:

1958-1970

1971-1977

1980-1981

1983-1984

1990

1978-1979,1982, 1985-1995

November, 28th 2009

1996-Present

I can understand kU's hate for us by what up with K-State?

Kansas State University hasn't been the best athletic school in football. Before Bill Snyder was brought into the program they had a winning percentage of 32.56%. Yes that's correct a major college program struggled to manage not losing almost 70% of it's games. K-State was the school with the most losses in FBS history.

The came Bill Synder and I used to root for K-State because they were the little engine that could team, but now their fans have turned in to arrogant jerks. Much like their chicken cousins to the south, when they talk to MU fans about our football program they bring up that Mizzou hasn't won the Conference since 1969, which is true. They state how we haven't been to a BCS Bowl and how the we think ourselves as a "sleeping giant."

In 2007-08 we were screwed by the Fiesta Bowl and kU. Lew Perkins did the normal Kansas thing and weaseled their way in to that game. Plus the Big 12 didn't help, which is one of the reason why Mizzou is leaving the conference.

Mizzou football took a dive after Barbara Ueling became the Chancellor of the school. She put handcuffs on our athletic programs and basically killed Mizzou football for almost 20 years. We had bad coaches and mediocre ones but K-State has no room to talk their.

I just wish K-State fans would listen to what they say and stop doing the Kansas tactic of changing the subject when you talk to them. It must be a Kansas thing and it gets annoying. I just hope that they realize that we have been bad and so have they. We have had our down years and so have they. They are lucky to have Coach Snyder and we are lucky to have Coach Pinkel.

"Start and Park"

My family has been into NASCAR since the MLB strike in 1994. They became fans of Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip and a few others over the years. NASCAR was fun to watch back then but now the traditional NASCAR fans are upset and moaning about cars that race and then park.

These cars are referred to as "Start and Park" cars. They qualify for a race and then once they have run say, 20 laps, they bring the car in for a malfunction and then they park the car to collect the purse for finishing 43rd or whatever position they end at.

NASCAR "purists" (I call them purists but they are more into wining about things) say by allowing these drivers to continue to drive is a travesty to the sport. They "dilute" the sport and make it watered down in their eyes.

This is where I disagree, many of these teams are driving to pay for the few pit members that they do have and don't usually carry a major sponsorship. They get by with used parts from the other teams and just try to make it.

Some drivers use the "Start and Park" to pay for other things like their Nationwide program or Craftsman Truck program. One thing that really got the purists goat's was when Tommy Baldwin Racing sold their lock in the Daytona 500 to Stewart/Haas Racing so they could assure Danica Patrick with a ride for Sunday. Personally my take is most NASCAR fans don't want to see Danica do good. They get upset for all the publicity that she gets for racing in the big race but you know what, Tommy Baldwin sold his spot for money because they needed the money to pay for better equipment to compete with.

Let's look at what NASCAR can do to fix this problem:

1) Reduce the field down to 35 cars. I personally don't like this idea because I like the drivers that do "Start and Park" but this is one solution.

2) Make the super teams only have 3 cars a piece. This will spread the sponsorship out to more teams and give those teams less of an advantage out their on the track. This will also make the playing field greater for the lower funded teams.

3) Revenue share: Split up the money from the pot. Don't like that idea but it's still an idea. Just saying. Won't work because their isn't an added incentive to winning.

4) Leave it like it is. It doesn't really hurt the sport because those drivers don't get in the way of the competitive teams. They are usually out of the way before they could become a wreck factor and thus they aren't hurting anything. As long as they are within the rules of NASCAR then they are doing fine. Hey, maybe NASCAR could get some of these teams a sponsorship.

Drivers that are blamed for "Start and Park" or underfunded

1) Joe Nemecheck : 87

2) Bill Elliot : 97

3) Tony Raines : 26

4) David Reutimann: 93

5) J.J. Yaley : 49

6) Robert Richardson Jr. : 23

7) Terry Labonte : 32

8) Mike Wallace: 37

9) Michael McDowell: 98

10) Landon Cassill: 83

2005 Recruiting Class

Here is the class that took Mizzou to a place that it had never been to in a long while. Let's take a look back at this class.

Jaron Baston	DE	6'2"	250	4.8	3	5.5	####	1 video
Matt Casaday	K	5'10"	190		2	5.4	####	2 videos
Brock Christopher	LB	6'3"	215	4.6	3	5.5	####	2 videos
Chase Coffman	TE	6'7"	210	4.8	3	5.6	####	9 videos
Tarell Corby	DE	6'4"	210	4.5	3	5.5	####	3 videos
Chase Daniel	QB	6'1"	214	4.5	3	5.7	####	13 videos
Connell Davis	RB	6'3"	210	4.5	3	5.5	####	4 videos
Jon Gissinger	TE	6'3"	230	4.6	2	5.3	####	1 video
Kurtis Gregory	DT	6'6"	287	5.5	3	5.5	####	2 videos
Evander Hood	DE	6'4"	230		3	5.5	####	1 video
Chris Hudgins	TE	6'4"	250	4.8	2	5.2		1 video
Herman King	DE	6'3"	215	4.6	2	5.4	####	1 video
Chad Marshall	DE	6'2"	240	4.7	3		####	1 video
Louis Pintola	OL	6'5"	310	5	3		####	5 videos
Hardy Ricks	DB	6'1"	180	4.4	3	5.5	####	1 video
Matt Russell	OL	6'5"	310		3		####	1 video
DeMarcus Scott	DE	6'2"	270	4.8	3		####	1 video
Jamar Smith	DE	6'2"	270	4.7	3			2 videos
James Stigall	OL	6'3"	300	5.2	3	5.5	####	1 video
Darnell Terrell	DB	6'3"	210	4.4	4		####	4 videos
Jason Townson	DT	6'4"	285	5	2	5.4	####	2 videos
Chad Washington	DB	5'11"	192	4.5	3	5.5		2 videos
Dain Wise	OL	6'4"	270	5.1	3	5.6	####	1 video
					2.826087
Total: 23

Well first and foremost we need to recognize Chase Daniel, maybe the best quarter back in Mizzou history. Chase went undrafted and now backs up Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Chase finished his Missouri career with 12,215 passing yards and 101 passing touchdowns. Chase was a great player for Missouri and in 2007 was a runner up for the Heisman Award.

Evander "Ziggy" Hood is the next notable player in this class. He played DE and had the most notable tackle against Todd Riesing in the Kansas game. You know the turf helmet one. Ziggy was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and plays DE for them. He is still on the team.

Chase Coffman was the TE from Kansas City. He ended up being Mizzou's all time leader in touchdown receptions by the time his career was over. Mostly know for his acrobatic catches, Chase was ended his career with 256 reception, 2651 yards and 30 total touchdowns. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals and was not signed back after the 2011 season.

Kurtis Gregory was a defensive player that was changed to the offensive side of the ball. Kurtis was a good lineman and still does the radio for the Football postgame show with Gary Link. Kurtis was voted in as the Lowe's Senior award and Kurt still does many things around the program.

Honorable Mentions: Brock Christopher and Jaron Baston - Both were good players but didn't extend thier careers after Mizzou.

This class was loaded with talent that helped Mizzou to become better off as far as the football landscape goes. This class also shows that you can find players that are good that the experts don't think are that good. Mizzou has a system and if a player can fit and thrive then they will be better off. Ex: Chase Daniel, 3 star.

2004 Recruiting Class

Head Coach Gary Pinkel's class in 2004 was the first sighting of some of the future Stars that made up the nucleus of the team the went on to be ranked #1. Let's take a look at them.

Van Alexander	LB	6'1"	210	4.5	4
Brian Barmann	TE	6'4"	205	4.6	2
Mack Breed	ATH	6'2"	195	4.4	2
Julius Denzmore	ATH	6'2"	185	4.5	2
John Dirk	OL	6'3"	285	5	2
William Franklin	WR	6'1"	175	4.5	3
Earl Goldsmith	RB	5'10"	182	4.5	2
Jerrill Humphrey	WR	6'4"	210	4.5	4
Darrell Jackson	QB	6'2"	215	4.6	3
Jimmy Jackson	RB	5'9"	197	4.5	2
Domonique Johnson	DB	6'2"	190	4.5	2
George Lane	DT	6'3"	280	4.8	3
Ryan Madison	DT	6'5"	255	4.9	2
William Moore	WR	6'2"	200	4.4	3
Alvin Newhouse	LB	6'2"	220	4.6	2
Aaron O' Neal	RB	6'2"	210	4.6	2
Chase Patton	QB	6'4"	205	4.7	4
Steve Redmond	DB	6'0"	200	4.5	2
Kyle Riggs	OL	6'5"	303	5.2	4
Aaron Saunders	OL	6'7"	282	5.3	2
Stryker Sulak	DE	6'5"	230	4.7	2
Tony Temple	RB	5'10"	192	4.4	4
Chris Wade	DE	6'6"	220	4.7	2
Trenile Washington	WR	5'11"		4.4	2
Calcius Williams	DE	6'4"	210	4.5	2
					2.56
Total: 25

First let's start with Aaron O'Neal. He was the DB that passed away untimely during his time at Mizzou and couldn't help but start with him. He may have not made a big difference on the field but may have changed Gary Pinkel to being more of a players coach then ever before.

Van Alexander was a good linebacker for the Tigers and played very well. I don't believe he made it to the NFL but Van was a good player for the Tigers.

Will Franklin was the leading receiver from this class that played in the Cotton Bowl for the Tigers. He was drafted by the Chiefs but as many Chiefs fans know, without a great quarterback Marvin Harrison may have struggled in Kansas City. Named honorable mention Big 12.

Jimmy Jackson "The Pride of Caruthersville" was a North to South pounder for the Tigers. Undersized for the Halfback position, he was Mizzou's bulldozer in the red zone.

Ryan Madison was a great O-line guy for the Tigers and did a great job for them. In a offensive scheme that requires those guys to be mobile Ryan is well suited for that type of ball.

Willy Mo is probably the biggest surprise in this class. He is in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and plays defense. Willy was a leader and was a good run stopper as well. Finished Tiger career with 284 tackles, 11 career interceptions, 3 sacks and hold the record for 4 interception returns for a touchdown

Stryker Sulak was a defensive end for the Tigers that was a good player. Second team Big 12 and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders. He was cut before a contract was signed and his last action was 2009 with the Packers.

Tony Temple was a running back for the Tigers that went to Rockhurst in Kansas City. Temple was the hero in the Cotton Bowl and ran for 281 yards and four touchdowns. Hopes were lost on Tony when the NCAA didn't grant him an extra year for the 2008 season. Tony was a free agent with the Browns but was later released.

Looks like to me that the Coaching staff started to really do a good job with it's recruits this year. Most of these players were red shirted as well. These guys plus some kids from the 2005 class came in and helped to put Mizzou Football in a place that it hadn't been in 20 years.

2003 Recruiting Class

In Gary Pinkel's third full year of recruiting we begin to see the types of players that he would like. This is the senior class that helped the team be successful. Let's take a look at the players that year.

Josh Barbo TE 6'6" 252 4.8 4

Greg Bracey WR 6'3" 190 4.4 3

Gartrell Cooper DE 6'5" 220 4.7 3

Brad Ekwerekwu DB 6'3" 190 4.4 3

Xzavie Jackson TE 6'4" 230 4.5 3

Tyler Luellen OL 6'7" 275 5.2 4

Damien Nash RB 5'11"205 4.4 4

M.J. Norman OL 6'5" 280 5.2 3

Emmanuel Phillips DE 6'5" 250 4.5 3

Marty Raab OL 6'6" 280 3

Jason Ray WR 6'2" 190 4.5 3

Martin Rucker TE 6'5" 205 4.7 3

Victor Sesay TE 6'7" 260 4.7 3

Lareno Seymour DB 6'0" 180 4.5 2

Adam Spieker OL 6'3" 275 5 3

Darnell Terrell DB 6'3" 200 4.5 4

Zane Tomlin DT 6'4" 276 4.8 3

Phinney Troy DT 6'5" 245 4.9 2

Lorenzo Williams LB 6'2" 235 4.6 3

Nino Williams DB 6'2" 190 4.5 3

Alex Woodley RB 5'11"185 4.5

Marcus Woods RB 5'8" 180 4.4 3

Monte Wyrick OL 6'5" 308 5.2 2

Total: 23 3.000

Looking at this class, you have some names that just pop out. T Ruck is one that has had some success. He is a really good player and is on a practice squad in the NFL. Zo Williams comes up as another player that did well for the Tigers.

Tyler Luellen started games for the Tigers and was a good road grader for the offensive line. Damien Nash did okay at Mizzou and it's a shame how that whole situation dominated by a tragedy.

Brad Ekwerekwu had an okay college career but mostly you can hear him and Gary Link do the Tiger post game show after Mizzou plays on the radio. Brad does a great job, by the way.

Xzavie Jackson, I believe changed positions and wasn't a tight end but a defensive end. Xzavie did a good job there.

As you can see though the Tiger coaching staff started to turn the corner and more stars were coming to the team and we are starting to see a budding team. Come back again for the 2004 recruiting class tomorrow.