Out of Bounds

List is Growing of Colleges Where Mettenberger WON’T be Playing Football

Of course UGA was the first. Coach Mark Richt felt he had no choice. The trust had been broken, Zach Mettenberger had to go. Now the question is, where will Mett continue, rather begin, his football career?

Zach Mettenberger

Looks like Valdosta State may be out of the question. It’s not that Mettenberger wouldn’t consider the Blazers or the Blazers wouldn’t consider Mettenberger. But the 18 year old may not have the option to continue his education there. He’s been banished from the town of Valdosta for a year.

Banished?  Banishment is still a punishment? From the entire town? Considering he was arrested by the REMERTON Police Department in REMERTON, Ga, makes the punishment seem even a little more strange.

But alas, it’s part of a plea bargain. The charges of  underage possession, disorderly conduct, obstruction and two counts of having a fake ID were dismissed due to the deal after the more serious sexual battery charges surfaced. Mett will serve 12 months of probation and pay a $2000 fine, and of course, stay the hell away from Valdosta!

Oh, and he’s not allowed to contact either directly or indirectly the victim. Who, by the way, Mettenberger apologized to in a statement after his sentencing. He must either get a mulligan on that one, or apologies don’t count as contact.

He is also not allowed during the term of his probation to visit ANY establishment that serves alcohol. Party’s over for you Mett; no more bars, significantly less choices of resturants, and, worst of all, no more Chuck E. Cheese!

Zach Mettenberger was  a few weeks away from potentially being named the starting quarterback at a major university, and couldn’t contain his ego and feelings of being above the law.  I do hope the fine, the 80 hours of community service, and the banishment (still sounds weird) teach him that he’s not, and keeps him from becoming one of those guys who consistently get their name in the news for these types of situations (*cough* Roethlisberger *cough*).

New Stadium for the Falcons?

House Bill 903 details taxes to be levied on hotels and motels in an unspecified county in Georgia to help fund a brand new “multi purpose domed facility”, i.e. a new stadium for the Falcons.

The bill was introduced in January by Rep. Mark Burkhalter. Burkhalter is the District 50 representative from Johns Creek, Ga., a district that happens to include parts of Fulton County. Needless to say, his district has a lot to gain if a new structure is built – Fulton County would most likely be the home of the new facility, meaning a substantial portion of the hotel and motel tax money would be generated through the Red Roofs and Super 8′s of Fulton County.

But the rest of Georgia loses. We all get caught up in the hoopla of “new, state of the art” stadiums. Retractable roofs, super mega jumbotrons, and ergonomic seating seem on the surface to be a major upgrade from what is now, apparently in some eyes, relic of a stadium in the Georgia Dome. We, the Georgia tax payer, will be footing the bill for what would range anywhere from a quarter billion dollars to possibly $1 1/2 billion. The Georgia Dome cost a shade under $250 billion when you factor in the improvements from the past few years.  If you compare that to the newest two football homes in the NFL, it is but a drop in the bucket.

The Dallas Cowboys new facility opened in 2009 sporting a cost of $1.3 BILLION. That pales in comparison to the new Meadowlands, with a price tag of a whopping $1.6 BILLION!

You could build a new Georgia Dome inside Cowboys Stadium, and still have $50 million in the bank before you matched the Meadlowlands cost!

Suprisingly, the bill was met with very little opposition in either the House or the Senate, garnering over 70% at each read through. These men and women who respresent us must see the Georgia Dome every once in a while during their trips to A-town for legislative sessions. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT! In fact, in the few times I’ve seen games inside the Dome, from lower level to up in the rafters, I haven’t had a bad seat.

The Georgia Dome is fine. It works. It still looks good. It’s hard to believe it’s almost 20 years old – a testament to the fact that a new facility is NOT needed!

“If you build it they will come”. Thanks Kevin Costner. That line of thought has deterred Georgia Legislators from figuring out a way to lower the unemployment rate or improve education, cut down crime or feed the hungry. Instead, taxing Georgians (the base of the Falcon’s fans), and building a new Dome that is nowhere near needed.

That is, unless they write a bill stating the Georgia Dome be turned into an unemployment office/charter school/jail house/soup kitchen.

Read the bill HERE

Has Talent in the Big 12 Surpassed That of the SEC?

If you watched the 1st round of the NFL draft, or even just read about it, you’ve heard several Big 12 draftees talk confidently how it means the conference is vastly underrated, and should be considered the best in college football. Five of the first six selected yesterday were from the conference, with two of the 1st three coming from Oklahoma. That must mean their conference is the best right?

Absolutely NOT!

#1 Overall Pick Sam Bradford

“I know the Big 12 has been getting a lot of slack lately,” Number 1 overall pick Sam Bradford said. “People for some reason didn’t think that we played much football in the Big 12 and sure didn’t think we played much defense, so for two defensive tackles to go in the first three picks is a credit to the Big 12.”

Sorry Sammy, it’s a credit to those players. Said two defensive tackles came from OU and Nebraska, teams which were a combined 18-11 last season.

McCoy Taken 3rd

“It’s insane isn’t it?” Gerald McCoy said with a huge smile. “We can’t play football in the Big 12, but the first four picks went out the Big 12? Mmmmm — three of ‘em from Oklahoma, by the way.”

Yeah, Ger, crazy. Oh yeah, and Oklahoma went 8 and 5 last year. Great players, but not a great team.

Nebraska’s out of conference games last year featured powerhouses FAU and Arkansas St. Their lone out of conference game during the regular season against another BCS conference school was against Virginia Tech. Anyone remember who won that game?

Oklahoma split their out of conference games, 2 wins to 2 losses. The wins came against Idaho St. and Tulsa. The losses? ACC team Miami, and BYU. So, once again, winless against BCS conference schools.

The point is, this was a great draft year for individual players from the Big 12. It’s not indicative of the overall team play of the conference. Three other Big 12 teams with players drafted in the 1st frame -  Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Texas. The Longhorns were conference champs last year, and only had one (1) player drafted in the first round.

More proof that there were some great football players in the Big 12, but not necessarily great football.

4 – 6 Games for B. Roth…Just Punishment?

I guess now we know why the Pittsburgh Steelers picked up Byron Leftwich yesterday. The front office must have been preparing for Ben Roethlisberger’s impending suspension.

Big Ben will miss the Steeler’s  first 4 to 6 games while serving his suspension for a crime he was never charged for. That’s the fact, whether you believe there was any wrongdoing or not. Roethlisberger will miss the 1st month and a half of the season for NOT committing a crime in the eyes of the law.

The alleged rape was investigated by the G.B.I. The District Attorney decided there wasn’t enough evidence to arrest the QB. Why does Roger

Big Ben out first 4 to 6 games

Goodell and the NFL think he should be suspended? Is his presumed innocence until proven guilty (which will never happen now, because of not being charged) tarnishing the reputation of the league that has let other proven egregious behavior continue in front of blind eyes.

Everyone knows Michael Vick fought dogs. He was arrested, tried, and convicted. He served his time, and has returned to the game after serving his suspension from the league. He was rightfully suspended for that. But what about his other transgressions? Remember water bottlegate? Vick at the airport with the secret compartment in his water bottle. We all know what the compartment was for, just like we “know” Rothleisberger must have done something wrong. What was his punishment? Suspension? No, it wasn’t.

That slid by. Just as his giving the fans the finger fiasco and who could forget the Ron Mexico incident?

I’m simply using Vick as an example, not to make this a Mike vs. Ben thing. My point is, the punishment should fit the crime, and said punishment should be just – BUT FAIR. In the case of Big Ben, it’s neither.

I could see the NFL levying a fine for causing such a media stir, but he shouldn’t miss games. There’s no actual proof he did anything wrong. We all have our opinions about the case. I, in fact, think he’s guilty as hell; of something, just not sure what.

Apparently all it takes now is an accusation, and you will miss up to a quarter of a season. I think the league is setting a bad precedent with this one.

Mettenberger Gone

Zach Mettenberger

I’ve said ever since it was announced that Zach Mettenberger would be suspended the first game of the season for his arrest on spring break. Looks like I’m right, although not how I predicted. Coach Mark Richt dismissed Mett from the team earlier today.

Apparently, there is more to the story from Remerton, Ga., the town Mettenberger was arrested in last month. He was cited for underage drinking, and possession of two fake id’s.

Something happened that night that brought the attention to Mettenberger, although that something hasn’t been made public yet.

Georgia’s quarterback race now consists of only Logan Gray and Aaron Murray. Incoming Freshman Hutson Mason will have his chance to impress coaches in August.

Richt has now dismissed two players this offseason. Defensive End Montez Robinson was let  go just a couple of weeks ago.

Brace yourself Bulldog fans. This offseason is starting to feel a lot like the one before the 2008 season.

Decision Time for Thompkins

The time is finally here when Georgia basketball fans will be able to let out a collective sigh of relief…or groan of disappointment.

Trey Thompkins is close to making his announcement on whether he’s decided to hang around Athens for another year, or bolt early  for the NBA draft. Thompkins is reportedly making his announcement Friday. I don’t expect anything flashy, just a “here’s what I’ve decided”.  Will his decision be a wise one?

I have no doubt that whatever he decides, he will be successful. There are a few factors I do hope he’s considering though throughout this process. No doubt he’s an NBA talent, but no doubt, there are several others with more NBA talent.

I’m no draft expert, but at this point, I would have Thompkins going somewhere in 2nd round, which is quite an accomplishment. If he decides to stay in college for another year, I could see him moving into the 1st, possibly as high as a lottery pick, which will mean millions more on his contract.

I think there are just too many players as talented, or moreso, in this years draft. With other early defections such as DeMarcus Cousins from Kentucky and Derrick Favors from Georgia Tech are sure to be more coveted than Thompkins. More underclassmen who will rate around or above Thompkins include Wesley Johnson from Syracuse, Al-Farouq Aminu from Wake Forest, and Patrick Patterson from Kentucky. That’s FIVE players at the same position that could go ahead of Thompkins in the draft. There are probably more.

On top of that, he must also consider the other players in the draft that are just too good to pass up if available. John Wall and Evan Turner would almost assuredly be picked before Trey Thompkins if he were to decide to jump ship early.

It’s a story similar to former UGA safety Rashad Jones – lots of talent, but not the most talented. Jones opted out of his senior year of football for the NFL draft. He will be drafted in a couple of weeks, but not as high as he could have been if he stayed in school another year. And that’s simply because of more talented players leaving college early.

Thomkins is in the same situation. He’ll do himself a huge favor by staying for his Junior year at Georgia.

He’ll be doing the Dawgs a favor as well.

Who Will Be Your QB? – CU Edition

After watching and reading and listening to three different spring football games this weekend, I’ve got more questions than answers regarding who will open the 2010 season at quarterback for Clemson, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Clemson’s QB situation shouldn’t even qualify as a situation. But, when you are as good of an athlete as Kyle Parker, these kinds of things happen.

Parker throwing passes

Not only does Parker take snaps for the Tigers on fall Saturdays, he also fields fly balls in the Clemson outfield in the Spring. And he’s good. Really good.

Good enough to be mentioned as a high round draft pick in the upcoming June Major League Baseball draft. That’s where the questions begin.

Swingin' for the fences

Will Parker stick around for football, or take the money and run towards the dream of playing in the majors? That’s a question we don’t know the answer to. And, we probably won’t know the answer to that until we find exactly how high Kyle Parker is drafted.

So, let’s get plan B ready, just in case. There’s Willy Korn…no, not anymore. Korn transferred out of Clemson in the winter. I’m sure he’s kicking himself for that one right now.

Like their arch rival in Columbia, Clemson doesn’t have any proven depth on their roster at the most important position on the field. That’s why it is paramount the Tigers know at least which way Parker is leaning from moment to moment. Literally, if KP decides one morning over breakfast he wants to play football, then change his mind after lunch, he should call Dabo at the second he has those feelings.

Clemson's next QB...Your guess is as good as mine

Unfortunately, though, for the Tigers, they won’t know anything for sure until Parker takes the first snap this fall. It is also unfortunate for Clemson that Parker won’t have to make a decision immediately regarding baseball. Contract negotiations could buy him weeks to hash out what he wants to do.

Hopefully Dabo is being proactive and getting someone ready to fill Kyle Parker’s cleats (the football ones). If not, it could be a long season in Tiger Town.

Don’t muff it!

Even the best coaches are prone to making bad mistakes from time to time. Pete Carroll’s 4th and one with Reggie Bush on the sideline against Texas in 2005 jumps out as one of those “what was he thinking” moments. Georgia coach Mark Richt is not immune to these types of  mistakes either.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Richt has been questioned about quite a few things during his tenure at UGA. Directional kickoffs, loyalty to older players ,and being more of a friend than a boss to assistant coaches are a few flaws fans have pointed out over the years. But coach Richt could be on the verge of making one of the most colossial gaffes of his career – naming A.J. Green the starting punt returner.

Green has been working out in spring practice fielding punts, along with several other players. With only one returning player with return experience (Logan Grey, who’s battling for the starting quarterback job), the race is wide open.

There is almost no argument against Green being the most dynamic player for the Bulldogs in the last 27 years. Coincidentally, proponents of the move will point to the early 80′s and Herschel Walker as proof that it’s not a bad idea. While that may be agreeable to some extent, you have to remember the person you’re referring to. Herschel Walker was the biggest, strongest, and fastest player on the field everytime he walked into a stadium. He didn’t absorb a lot of the punishment today’s players do, basically, because he was the big kid on the block who dished it out.

Make no mistake, A.J. Green is a phenom, but nowhere in the same stratosphere physically as Walker.

Is it worth risking the health of your best player to gain 14 or 15 yards on a punt return? He averages more per reception. What if he returned three punts for td’s during the season? Well, he could catch that many in one game. Really the only logical excuse to have A.J. Green returning punts this season would be if it were guaranteed he would take every returnable punt to the house.

A. J. Green as the primary punt returner for 2010 season would be nothing short of a head scratcher.

But don’t be surprised if it happens, these are the same coaches who had their backup QB fielding punts for the past two years.

Green should be catches passes, not punts

Bronx Bomb of a Bowl Game

Mark your calendars! The NCAA has added yet another inconsequential bowl game!

The “Pinstripe Bowl” will be played in Yankee Stadium on December 30. Those of us not fortunate enough to get one of those sure to be heavily sought after tickets will be able to enjoy the riveting contest at home, thanks to ESPN.

And how exciting it promises to be. The Pinstripe Bowl will match the 3rd best team from the Big East against the 6th best team in the Big 12. That’s of course after the BCS makes their selections. Which means, we could have a stellar match up between the 4th to 5th place Big East team, versus the 7th or 8th best Big 12 team.

Make sure you have recording space on the Tivo. Had the game been played this year, it would have feature Rutgers and Texas A & M. Who would want to miss that matchup?! I know I’ll be glued to the screen to watch a 8 – 4 team battle a 6 – 6 for postseason glory.

Wait, I already did that. Georgia beat A & M in the “I’ve blocked that bowl game out of my memory” bowl. Do we really need another? I think the only thing that could have been more unimportant than the Dawgs 2009 bowl game would be if they would have been matched against Iowa St. Which, by the way, would have been UGA’s opponent had the Pinstripe Bowl already been in existence.

It amazes me that the same folks with the theory that a playoff system will diminish the regular season are the ones who push for these types of pointless exhibition games.

So make those reservations, secure those tickets, kick off is a mere 9 months away. For those of us who more than likely won’t be able to wait that long, we can head to Yankee Stadium for the 1st ever football game to be played there – Notre Dame vs. Army. Yet another barn burner!