Head Coach Presser Reaction

Los Angeles, California 12/30/2013

This morning the media events featured Michigan State head Coach Mark Dantonio and Stanford Head Coach David Shaw. Coach Shaw did show up fashionably late but eventually showed up and the press, pressed on. Over the coarse of the conference each of the coaches fielded questions from various media outlets, and each one had his own type of story to tell.

Coach D took the podium and the first question he had to field was in regards to the suspension of Captain Max Bullough. “Right now Darien Harris and Kyler Elsworth are the two guys that will play that position. We’ll probably go with Kyler initially, but they’re both going to play” So while the position still sounds unsettled, it is clear that the team is not dwelling on the absence of the man referred to as the “Computer”. Coach D went on to say that the Middle Linebacker position will still function the same as far as making checks at the line “It’s our system. It’s not one individual, It’s our system”

One reporter attempted to draw out the coach by asking him about the Mike Hart comments regarding MSU’s status as the “little brother” in the state of Michigan. Dantonio promptly fired back with a slight grin “No, that really has nothing to do with this today. Next question, please”

When asked about the Big Ten’s lack of bowl game success and the pressures that come with representing the conference in the Granddaddy of them all, Coach went on to say “Our guys have handled this week very, very well…You need to step out there and dream big. Our dreams didn’t end with a championship and coming to the Rose Bowl. We wanted to win it, and that’s our intentions” He then added further that pressure is something you put on yourself, and this team is not focusing on the pressure, they are focused on winning the game for Michigan State and no one else.

Once Coach Shaw finally decided to bless the media with his presence, he was asked about his defensive coordinator Derek Mason and what makes him the coach that he is “I think the sign of any good football coach…is the ability to have a philosophy…and be able to fit that scheme around the players that you have” Coach Mason spoke passionately earlier this week talking about how he finds a way for players to contribute.

Even Shaw was asked questions about the suspension of the Spartan Linebacker, he appeared to share a very similar philosophy to his counterpart “I applaud Coach Dantonio for that because it doesn’t happen everywhere, and there are a lot of places where you get a slap on the wrist and they bench you for a practice then let you play in the game…It’s a sign of who Coach Dantonio is”

Now that all the formalities are done, I am interested to see where the Coaches both go from here. All week long it is a constant drone of “we respect the other team, they are very talented…” Blah. Blah. Blah. While both teams are keeping it professional in the meantime, these are two teams who will smack you in the mouth and ask you if you would like another. The Spartans and Cardinal are at the epicenter of class in college football, but anyone who has played this game knows that when you strap on those pads and walk in between those lines, it is war. Now that the politics are all but over, I cannot wait to see how these two teams go about trying to beat each other.

At the beginning of the week I had MSU winning by 7, after the team pressers I had the Cardinal winning by 10, now that it is all said and done I believe that the Spartans tenacity and hunger will be the thing that gets them the win in Pasadena. Prediction for the game: Spartan Dogs win a close one, 21-17.

Former Great Lakes Loon Jordan Pratt makes transition to football.

Los Angeles, California 12/29/2013

Often times in high school there are athletes who excel at a number of sports simply because they are more athletic than the other players they are facing. Over the past decade though, we have seen now more than ever that this is possible even at the pro and the college level. Basketball players are turning into tight ends, pitchers are turning into quarterbacks, and even former soccer players like Ziggy Ansah have all found a way to parlay their athleticism into another sport. Players like Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham, Russel Wilson, and even Brandon Weedon have all played another sport before they found their home in the NFL.

Current Stanford wideout Jordan Pratt is aiming to be the one to make that transition. Pratt, a former Great Lakes Loons pitcher who enjoyed an 8 year career in baseball, is now a starting Wide Receiver for the Rose Bowl bound Stanford Cardinal. In high school Jordan earned all-state honors as a senior but chose to pursue his first love of baseball and was absorbed into the LA Dodgers farm system. Unfortunately tendonitis forced the young ballplayer to end his career on the diamond. His firey competitive spirit was not satisfied yet and he decided that he would go back and try his hand as a wide receiver.

I got an opportunity to speak with the Cardinal’s receiver at the Stanford media day and I asked the young man what the transition was like. He said one of the toughest transitions was going back to being a full time student and managing his time accordingly. This same issue is one that all college students face, however with him being 8 years removed from an academic environment it was something that he wanted and had to learn all over again.

We then discussed what it was that made him want to come back and renew his football career. “I’m a very competitive person and I love playing ball…when my baseball career was over I knew I was going to go back to school, so that was the first thing that was on my mind and I knew that if my legs were young enough I would still give football a shot…I felt like i had some unfinished business since I sprained both of my ankles my senior year…there was a burning hole in my heart” For no direct reason Pratt had been a long time Cardinal fan and had a few hats growing up and he actually kept and cherished his letters from the school. “I think it was just the smart guys competing at the highest level, it was always appealing to me. I always prided myself on being a student athlete”.

Pratt said baseball was his favorite sport but “football man, there is nothing quite  like walking out onto the field in front of 80,000 people under the lights or on Saturdays. So I think the energy and intensity of football is something I have always loved.”

Darqueze Dennard @ MSU Media Day

Los Angeles, California 12/29

 

Sparty has not always been at the forefront of the Big Ten and prior to the last 5 years they were nothing more than just another team in s struggling conference of old school teams and playing styles. However throughout the last few years the team has began  building a brand, an identity, and a reputation. The times are changing in East Lansing, MSU is starting to look like they are now the Big Brother in the mitten state.

This mornings media festivities featured the entire team and a select few members of the coaching staffs for both teams. Over 140 players piled in to the LA Hotel and fielded questions from various outlets across the nation. Sparty was the first to arrive and several players were available for interviews. Darqueze Dennard was the first one I spoke with, and we lead off the conversation talking about the Thorpe award and what it means to him and the program. “It was a privilege to be the first one to win it at Michigan State and I think there are going to be more recipients at the school” I then asked him when it was that he felt like he turned the corner and became that “next-level” type of player. “It was the offseason. I put in extra work…I knew that there were plays on the field that I could have made. So I locked in all season, put the work in, put the time in…and I came out every Saturday and played my game”

When a player gets honored with individual awards such as the Maxwell, Thorpe, and the Heisman it is the culmination of a tremendous amount of focus and work. I asked Dennard if this was something that he had set his sights on or if it just happened. “…I was sitting at home last year and the award shows were going on and I was telling coach I wanted to be at the award show and win the award. I made a picture to put in my locker, and I believed and prayed and worked hard and it actually came true.” That constant reminder is what drove him every day to try and improve his game, body, and mind.

At the media event the prior morning, members of the Spartans were asked who was a spiritual leader in the lockerroom. Outside of Max Bullough, Dennard’s name was the unanimous decision. Players spoke about how Dennard really took charge this season and kept beating it into their heads that this season was going to be special, that all the teams they were playing were simply in the way of Sparty achieving it’s goals of a Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl bid. When I asked him where that mentality came from he responded promptly with ” I think it was the kind of mentality I grew into… I appointed myself for my teammates this year to do that…I felt like it was my honor and being the senior and captain of the team to remind us we can overlook this team, we can’t overlook nobody. Everybody is trying to stop our goal”

That type of leadership is rare when you take Dennard’s unique blend of size, speed, and talent. He is in a class of his own as far as college defenders are concerned and I am a firm believer that whatever team is lucky enough to draft him will have a perennial pro-bowler and a long time captain on their team. Look for Darqueze to make an impact on sundays right out of the gate.

Cardinal Defense 12/28 Presser

Stanford Defense – FS Ed Reynolds, DB Usua Amanam, Defensive Coordinator Derek Mason

It’s hard to believe a team that uses a catch phrase such as #NerdNation would be regarded as one of the most hard-nosed teams year in and year out.That blue collar mentality still burns with every player and is the focal point of the program as whole. Meanwhile, off the field the team appears to be a lighthearted and easy going bunch. This all apparently changes when game time arrives. With MSU’s defense garnering almost all of the attention, the Stanford defense has been vastly overlooked going into this Rose Bowl game. After the players and coordinator addressed the media it was clear that stats and rankings do not reflect the tenacity and mind state of the unit as a whole.

When asked about the biggest misconception, Coach Mason stated ” When you look at the numbers, and we talk about numbers all the time, numbers lie. We’re one of the best run-stop defenses in the country…I think sometimes when you stop the run you’re going to see more passes, and because we see the passes more than most teams, the misconception is that we don’t play great pass defense…We play the game to win. We go out there to compete”  he elaborated further by saying “For us, we are an old school blue collar team. That’s it. I know Nerd Nation represents us well. That’s who we are. We own that…by the same token, we’re a tough physical team that loves to play the game, 60 minutes, 65 minutes, whatever you give us, that’s what we’ll play”

Coach made a comment on how their spirited practices help them keep their focus, and keep the game fun. When asked what set’s a Stanford practice apart, Free Safety Ed Reynolds was the first to chime in “We’re family when it comes to off the field and when it comes to playing against someone else. But when we step between those white lines in practice, I wouldnt say it’s purely offense versus defense, but we definitely kind of have this competitive spirit..” When I had the opportunity to cover the Cardinal practice today, I was greeted with loud music and very competitive one on one drills with Wide Receivers and DBs, and what appeared to be an almost full speed inside run session taking place on the other end of the field. It was a very high energy environment and also featured music being played in the background.

Stanford Defense – OLB Trent Murphy, ILB Shayne Skov, ILB A.J. Tarpley

Linebackers were the highlight of the morning activities as two of the inside linebackers and one outside backer’ were in the second group of players. I asked the three young men how they keep each other motivated and keep things light in the meantime. Outside Linebacker Trent Murphy was the first to chime in “We joke about it all the time…we poke fun at each other more than any other unit in the country for that matter. I think we can do that because of how close we are and how we are like a family” This questioned seemed to strike a chord with the unit and Star Inside Backer’ Shane Skov jumped in “Yeah, no one is really safe in our meeting rooms…it’s a way for brothers or guys to kind of show affection for one another, that we really care about each other and we’re a cohesive unit, and I think that’s what makes us us. Fellow Inside Backer’ A.J. Tarpley added “in the linebacking corps none of us are going to stand down to the other. We all want to play better than the next at the same time while rooting for each other, so it’s a fun atmosphere”

Both teams appear ready for the big game. However the type of ready is completely different. MSU is carrying an almost military-esque mystique about them. They are quiet, confident, and appear to be prepared for whatever the Cardinal may throw at them. Stanford on the other hand, is doing something that seems to be lost on football teams across of all levels of the game, they are having fun.

Sparty offense

MSU – QB Connor Cook, LG Blake Treadwell, Co-Offensive coordinator Dave Warner

Sparty is either the duck on the pond or simply a group of smooth operators. Even in the wake of the suspension of the captain and spiritual leader Max Bullough. When fielding questions in regards to the absence of the Middle Linebacker, Quarterback Connor Cook was very stoic in his response “You know, obviously Max is a great leader, a great guy, and it hurts us that he’s not here. But we are not going to let it affect us, other guys can step in and fill that role”

Replacing the man dubbed “The Computer” should be no easy feat. Even with the plethora of talent available to the Spartan Defense, part of what makes them so effective was the checks and adjustments that Max was able to make week in and week out. More than any other sport though, defense in football is the ultimate test of how well you function as group. MSU may not lose the game due to Max’s suspension, but look for Sparty’s Defense to come out a bit slow and use more simple playcalling strategies until the unit has time to adjust.

Leadership on this team is not only coming from the nationally heralded defense, Seniors on offense have stepped up this season and are a huge reason why this team plays so hard. When asked about the leadership across the board, Blake Treadwell informed the media “I’m a captain, I feel like we have so many seniors and guys that want to take responsibility that everybody was kind of a captain…I felt like we have captains at every position”

MSU – WR Bennie Fowler,TB Jeremy Langford, WR Tony Lippett,

Offensive skill position players were the most scrutinized at the start of the season and rightfully so. Prior to the Notre Dame game the MSU offense was laughable at best. However, something happened after that game and the fire that we all see now was lit. The wideouts Fowler and Lippet both said that the skill and confidence they have gained is in large part attributed to the presence of the best defensive back in the country being on their defense. Not only did they gain skill from practicing against the best, but they also drew inspiration from his competitive demeanor. Lippet went on to state “I want to win it all. Every Big Ten team we played, we always knew it was a step… Darqueze always told us, this team is in our way. That’s how we took it, every game was a team in our way trying to stop us from reaching our dream”

Sparty is ready for the upcoming battle, hopefully they can still win the war without their general.

Same old Lions.

When a team like this, has a season like the one that just took place, it leaves everyone perplexed as to what or why it just happened that way. Detroit has a long frustrating history of celebrating mediocrity and blowing the chances to win that they are sparingly given. After the game tonight several of the Lions’ players were visibly shaken. Matthew Stafford stayed very briefly for post game and was only able to field a few questions. Schwartz’s postgame interview felt a few steps away from a snuff film. Before he could even let the microphone warm up he was fielding questions about his job security or lack thereof. He responded to almost all of them with the very ‘coachy’ answer of “I’m just trying to focus on next week”.

Ever walk into a room full of people who were just talking about you? That is the same look and demeanor that Schwartz carried throughout. While he did admirably defend his team saying things like ” I am proud to stand next to these guys” or even ” we fought tooth and nail tonight”. One can simply not ignore what is going on in Detroit. I would be willing to bet that even though Coach Schwartz has helped guide the Lions out of obscurity, the powers that be will see to it that they do not slip back into that realm on Schwartz’s accord.

A wasted season like this one hurts the players even more. Linebacker and presumed all-pro DeAndre Levy spoke briefly with the media and was shortly afterwards sitting at his locker, head in hands. Not crying or sobbing, but obviously feeling this loss on a much deeper level. For Levy, this has been a season of redemption and personal success. He went from bouncing around to the linebacking corps playing strong side, weak side, and even a stint at middle; to being one of the premier 4-3 weakside backers in the league today. Tallying up 74 solo tackles and 6 interceptions is no easy feat, unfortunately his efforts were apparently in vain as the team squandered a locked up division and a 6 – 3 record.

Captain and savvy vet Nate Burleson stood tall in the locker room and said that “You pray to the football gods to bless you with a good season, they blessed us this season and we wasted the opportunity.” Contrary to what most think, Nate claimed that it wasn’t the playcalling. At the end of the day the players put on their jerseys and have got to go out and make the plays they are supposed to make. “This isn’t a farm league, or college, or the minors….we are pro athletes, pro football players.. this is our job”.

Whoever’s job it was this season, may find themselves out of work for the new year. The Lions played a solid first half of the season and accumulated a solid 6-3 record with a presumed lock on the NFC North. True to Lions’ lore, they found a way to slowly lose everything they worked so hard to build. Jared Sandler of ESPN 100.9 Tweeted about how the first 8 are nothing compared to the last set of games. He could not have appeared more correct tonight. Not only did the Lions drop 5 of their last 6, they dropped those games to bad teams, with worse records, and sometimes even backup quarterbacks playing.

The moral of the story is this, the Lions lost the game, the division, and a playoff birth in a matter of just a few games. (specifically Tampa Bay, Pittsburg, New York, and Baltimore). Those games were all winnable at one point and would have made a huge difference in the playoff race. Each game little mistakes chipped and chipped away at the season they had built in the first 8 weeks. Now it is the last week of the season and the Lions are out.

As we now hopefully turn our heads and hearts towards the offseason ( as Lions fans so frequently have to do) it becomes a question not of why the Lions are out, but who will be coming in.

– Chance McBride

3 Keys to the Giants @ Lions DEC 22nd, 2013

Detroit comes into this game on one of their worst skids in recent memory. While the team appears to be infinitely talented outside of the cornerback position, they have found a way to lose more games than they have found a way to win. This lack of realized potential is something that needs to be addressed this week, or the “same old Lions” will find themselves in the same old spot this winter. That spot, is watching the Packers or the Bears fight for a Super Bowl in the NFL playoffs.

                My first key to the game will be the play of small school cornerbacks Bill Bentley and Jonte Green. Both of these young men will have a ton to prove as they are thrust into starting roles where they will face Eli Manning throwing to Hakeem Nicks and Reuben Randle. The Lions have to dominate the line of scrimmage to prevent the Giants’ offense from getting into a rhythm and rolling on the Lions in Ford Field.

                The second is that the Lions have got to stop self destructing. Be it off a turnover, a penalty or an ill advised call on the coach’s part. This team has been visibly broken several times this season when one small thing does not go their way. Someone on the roster or coaching staff needs to rally the troops and make this team realize what they are playing for because the last few weeks, this team has looked and acted like “the same old Lions”. So when that moment happens in today’s game, someone needs to do whatever it takes to get the team’s mind in the right place. Detroit is far too talented to be playing as they have and a loss this weekend could seriously jeopardize Schwartz’s future in the D as well.

                Third and finally, I want to see the development of Joe Fauria. Mighty Joe has been a redzone threat all season and with Pettigrew on the inactive list, we should see how the young man can handle his snaps increasing from the 20+ range to around 30+. He claims that his blocking is vastly underrated and against an always tough Giants’ front we will find out how well rounded he is. Fauria is also one touchdown away from tying the Lions’ rookie record for receiving touchdowns. He currently has seven, and the previous record of 8 is held by Roy Williams.

 

My prediction: Lions get it together 27-10.

The Secret is out.

December 12th, 2013

The dreaded week of finals has fallen on campuses across the nation. Normally this time of year is reserved for all nighters and study sessions. Victoria’s Secret apparently has missed the memo. Representatives from the corporate sector have teamed up with a pair of interns and members of their hand-picked street team to put on a watch party for one of the biggest fashion shows in the world.

PINK’s main focus of the event was first to promote the brand to their target audience. Most of which already had some type of PINK apparel on at the time of their arrival. In fact the crowd was almost completely female which some may find surprising since college men rarely turn down a chance to see beautiful women strutting around in their delicates. Regardless of who came, everyone who put on the event was floored when they saw how many people their event had garnered.

With attendance bolstered by a vigorous social media campaign, the unexpected turnout lead to a huge boost of over 100 followers to the team’s Twitter account. Instagram and Facebook also played a role in promoting and all three of the networks that were used to put on the contests during the commercial breaks.

One event featured a trivia question on who was wearing the one million dollar bra that evening in the fashion show. Putting a creative spin on the old “how many marbles in the jar” guessing game, the ladies decided to substitute the marbles with various types of lace underwear in a glass vase. Thus creatively putting the Victoria’s Secret spin on just about everything one could imagine. Even the team mascot was a pink and white Dalmatian positioned at the entrance.

Watch parties are common for big sporting events, finales of shows like Breaking Bad or the Walking Dead, and even elections garner crowds around a big screen. The women of Victoria’s Secret’s “PINK” division decided that some high fashion, free stuff, and a chance to get a short break from studying may be exactly what the students of Central Michigan University need. PINK’s watch party took place in the UC Rotunda building in the heart of Central’s campus shortly after 10PM on December 12th.

Anyone who has planned an event knows that there are certain things that just cannot be predicted. Initially expecting numbers in the low hundreds, the Chippewa ladies were out in full force with laptops in hand. The estimated final attendance numbers were actually in the 220+ range and the ladies were forced to bring in almost double the chairs that they had initially requested. Over the course of the event raffles, social media challenges, and even a walk off highlighted the commercial breaks. PINK, the CMU interns and their street team gave out over 75 different items in various quantities to the party goers insuring that no one left empty handed. The infamous bottles of perfume were actually just released and are valued at 45$ per bottle.

While the event held no charity purpose, the goal of the event is the same goal that Victoria’s Secret holds. They want to make people feel good. With over 200 smiling faces in the crowd it was apparent that their idea was working. Lines before the event stretched the entire length of the buildings hallway and closer to the start of the event there were even a few disputes over line positions. Some women waited in line for over two hours just to make sure they were in the lucky first 25 who received the bottles of new fragrance.

The fashion show itself was watched by over 9.7 million viewers and was the top rated program on Tuesday for the 18-49 year old age range. Add in the fact that there is an “Angel” from almost every continent and ethnicity which helps varying audiences find someone to identify with. Victoria’s Secret’s worldwide appeal is not singularly based upon sexuality, but on the pillar that women should be confident, strong, and feel beautiful all at the same time.

– Chance McBride

http://www.victoriassecret.com/pink

Tweets by CMUVSPINK

http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/victorias-secret-fashion-show-hot-agents-of-shield-not-tuesday-1200944614/
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