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Worried About the End of the World on Dec. 21? Don’t Be.
Tinker Town: "Any minute now, see you on the other side."
Unless you’ve buried your head in the sand—which, to be honest, would
be a better use of your time—you’ve heard the world is coming to an end
today, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012.
OK, for those of you who are impatient and want to cut to the chase, here’s the scoop: No, it isn’t.
If you frequent online bulletin boards, fear-mongering websites, or
the History Channel, you might think otherwise: It’s hard to avoid
people screaming about the prophetic Maya calendar predicting global
catastrophe.
And if you haven’t heard of it, then I wish I were you. Because I get
email, tweets, Facebook messages, and probably smoke signals about it
all the time, and have been for years. It turns out that a lot of people
are concerned about these claims, despite zero evidence for them.
Still, it’s worth taking a look at them, if only to assuage some fears.
Here’s the deal: According to the doomsday prophecy, the ancient Maya
predicted the end of the world would occur on Dec. 21, 2012. We know
this because that’s the date their calendar ends. While they weren’t
specific about how Armageddon was to come about, there are a host of
astronomical events that can and/or will occur that can reduce the Earth to a burned-out cinder.------------------
Tinker Town: "Miles says 2013 unit could be among his best at LSU. Les Miles predictions are always wrong."
Les Miles quote: “I would have to guess that we would continue on the path that we’re headed, and that offensively, we would maybe be as talented as we have been with some of the newcomers that will be here even in January,” Miles said after practice Tuesday night. “It will be a nice kind of pick-me-up on the team.”http://theadvocate.com/sports/
The Tigers’ newcomers are expected to include a handful of talented receivers, at least one other “athlete” on offense, two tight ends and a fullback.
“I think there’s a chance to have different personnel combinations,” Miles said. “I think there’s a chance to expand bits and pieces of our offense that benefit our personnel. I think there will be structural and strategic differences, based on the guys that we have and the productivity that they’re giving us.”
Miles’ ‘Twitters’ popular
Miles is the most closely followed college football coach on Twitter, according to USA Today.The newspaper’s study said that as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, Miles (@LSUCoachMiles) had 87,513 Twitter followers, nearly 6,000 more than Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly).
“It’s surprising, considering how little I Twitter,” Miles said. “I probably need to Twitter a little more, to be honest with you. As I anticipate the holidays coming up, I probably need to get a good quality holiday Twitter out there — like ‘Merry Christmas’ would be a fundamental one. Or ‘Merry Christmas’ and maybe ‘Happy New Year’s.’
“Then you could say some personal things about Santa Claus and maybe the reindeer. There’s some things you could do that would really, really zing holiday spirit.”
According to the survey, Georgia’s Mark Richt (@MarkRicht) is third with 55,224 followers, and Tennessee’s Butch Jones (@UTCoachJones), hired by the Volunteers from Cincinnati on Dec. 7, is fourth after gaining 52,704 followers in less than two weeks.
“All of those people that are competing with me for that position — I could say that I have not prepared often, and I have not worked at it at all,” Miles said. “It’s a shame if they’re disappointed in any way, and if they have Twittered more than I, in fact, they should be disappointed.”
As of Tuesday night, Miles had “Twittered” a mere 502 times.
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http://www.shreveporttimes.
Shreveporttimes.com
Minter says he is undecided, but he's dropping hints about NF
LSU middle linebacker Kevin Minter (46) gave the stock answer of juniors considering leaving school a year early for the NFL Draft. But he also dropped some hints about which way he might be leaning. / AP
Written by
Glenn Guilbeau
LSU vs. Clemson
“After the game, my family and I will sit down and discuss what my future will be,” Minter said as most junior prospects do this time of year. “It’s kind of up in the air right now.”
The “game” is the Chick-fil-A Bowl between No. 8 LSU (10-2) and No. 14 Clemson (10-2) on Dec. 31 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
“To be honest,” said Minter, who may be the most candid interview on the LSU roster, “I’m thinking about it. But at the same time, I’m just kind of focused on this game.”
The “it” being the NFL as Minter, a first-team All-Southeastern Conference player as a redshirt junior, is considered a possible second- or third-round pick.
“I would give him a middle second-round-pick grade,” NFL Draft expert Mike Detillier said Wednesday. “He’s my second best inside linebacker in this draft class behind Manti Te’o of Notre Dame. He’s smart, very instinctive, very physical at the point of attack. And he has a knack for sifting through heavy traffic inside. He’s also a terrific middle blitzer.” Read more...http://www.
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http://lsufootball.net/
LSU Football - Geaux Tigers!!!
| Times Picayune | Video (6 min, 20 sec): Post-practice interview with Zach Mettenberger |
| San Diego Chargers | Brandon Taylor to see extensive time on Sunday |
| Associated Press | Super-confident Patrick Peterson says he's NFL's best CB |
| Shreveport Times *1 | Catching up with Mo: 'From what I can remember, it hurt' |
| Orange and White | Dabo Swinney pushing Clemson through physical practices |
| USA Today | Discussions underway for SEC television network |
| USA Today | Slive: High coaching salaries up to the schools |
| Sports Illustrated Vault | A Future of Chaos: New playoff system looks like a million bucks - until a test drive |
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http://sports.yahoo.com/news/
Yahoo!sports
Grading college football's coaching hires
Now that Wisconsin has a new Badger boss, the college football coaching carousel is grinding to a merciful stop.
Gary Andersen shouts at Utah State players during a game. (AP)
It has been a busy winter for job changes. Again.
Last year there were 28 openings at FBS schools. You’d think that high number would slow down the pace the following year, but only a little. Right now the number stands at 26. Since 2010, nearly half of FBS has turned over.
That means schools are more impatient than ever for results, and coaches are more willing than ever to pick up and leave in search of a bigger payday or brighter spotlight. College football has never been more of a bottom-line business than it is right now.
With 24 of the 26 FBS jobs now filled, this seems like a good time to categorize and grade the hires – with the large caveat that none of us really knows how these will work out.
SPLASHY
These schools all made surprise hires of coaches who were arguably overqualified for the job:
Arkansas: Bret Bielema.
Last stop: Wisconsin, where he guided the Badgers to three straight Rose Bowls and had the highest winning percentage (.739) of any coach since the mid-1920s.
Why leave: More money, bigger challenge, better facilities, less shadow from athletic director and program patriarch Barry Alvarez.
Grade: A. Proven winner in a quality conference who knows what it’s like to succeed against programs with more advantages. Only issue is whether Bielema can acclimate to the South, particularly from a recruiting perspective. He has to prove he can match up with Nick Saban, Les Miles and Kevin Sumlin on National Signing Day and on game day.
Cincinnati: Tommy Tuberville.
Last stop: Texas Tech, where he was 20-17 in three seasons after a very good 10-year run at Auburn.
Why leave: Tuberville was never in love with Lubbock, and when his third season there went south – four losses in the last five games, plus a very public confrontation with an assistant on the sidelines – it was time to go. Instead of going into next fall on the hot seat at Tech, he’s welcomed as a potential hero in Cincinnati. However, he’s no hero to the recruits he jilted mid-meal in Lubbock.
[Also: Tommy Tuberville’s Texas Tech exit parodied by Taiwanese animation]
Grade: A. Tuberville gives Cincinnati something it has never had in football: a coach who already was a proven commodity on a high level before setting foot on campus. Now the only concern for the Bearcats is whether the 58-year-old Tuberville is interested in on-the-job retirement, or whether he still has the fire that made him a success at two spots in the SEC.
Western Kentucky: Bobby Petrino.
Last stop: Purgatory. Petrino sat out 2012 after being fired at Arkansas for a sordid scandal that involved putting his mistress on the football payroll.
Bobby Petrino's scandal at Arkansas scared away many suitors. (Yahoo!)
Why leave: Petrino had no choice in leaving and nowhere to go, being turned down by a number of higher-profile jobs.
Grade: B. There is no way WKU could ever get a coach with Petrino’s resume (a 75-26 record and six seasons of nine or more victories in eight as a head coach) unless he came with baggage. Well, Petrino has more baggage than the cargo hold of a 767. But this is a second-chance society, and he also presents WKU with a chance to win big and win immediately – the Hilltoppers open against Kentucky and Tennessee next year and figure to have a chance to win both. If that happens, we’ll see how long it takes the Disingenuous Drifter to slither out of town to another job.Read more...http://sports.yahoo.
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http://www.popsci.com/science/
POPSCI
he Helmet That Can Save Football
Athletes in the U.S. suffer 3.8 million sports-related concussions
each year. While helmet makers dither with small improvements, Swedish
scientists have built something that could protect us all.
By Tom Foster
Posted 12.18.2012 at 12:07 pm
5 Comments
On August 19, 2012, in week two of the NFL preseason, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Austin Collie ran 17 yards out from the line of scrimmage, cut right toward the center of the field, caught a pass, and was immediately tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor. As Taylor came in for the hit, his helmet appeared to glance off the left side of Collie’s helmet. Then the cornerback wrapped his arm around Collie’s neck and jerked the receiver’s head to the right. An instant later, Steelers linebacker Larry Foote came barreling in from the opposite side and slammed his elbow into the right side of Collie’s helmet. As the receiver fell to the ground, his helmet first hit Foote’s knee and then struck the ground face-first. Read more...http://www.popsci.com/
| STATS / A.P. / ESPN | Preview - Poinsettia Bowl: BYU vs. San Diego State |
http://www.orangeandwhite.com/
Orange and White
LSU's sly gambler: Les Miles uses trickery to spice up 'down your throat' offense
Dabo Swinney: 'Third-and-10, it doesn't matter - they're going to run the power. Or maybe a trick play off the power'
- By Kerry Capps
In this Nov. 10, 2012, file photo, LSU head
coach Les Miles leads his team out onto the field before their NCAA
college football game against Mississippi State in Baton Rouge, La. LSU
returns to practice as the Tigers prepare to meet Clemson in the
Chick-fil-A Bowl later this month. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
Offering a change of pace on LSU's traditional power-based offense, Les Miles has developed a reputation as a gambler, spicing up his attack well-timed and well-executed trick plays and sleight-of-hand.
"Their offensive style of play is different from anybody we've seen all year, just because of their physical nature that they have," said Dabo Swinney on Monday during Chick-fil-A Media Day in Atlanta. "Third-and-10, it doesn't matter - they're going to run the power. Or maybe a trick play off the power.
"It's just a different style than we see week to week."
LSU has gotten particularly good mileage off field goal fakes, including a perfectly-executed flip-back from holder to kicker, who sprinted for a touchdown against South Carolina in 2007, as well as various reverses and reverse-throwbacks. Read more...http://www.
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http://www.orangeandwhite.com/
Orange and White
Clemson defense faces physical challenge in LSU
- By Greg Wallace
Photo by Ken Ruinard // Buy this photo
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables reacts on the sideliens during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson.
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables reacts on the sideliens during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson.
“They’re physical,” he said. “It can be argumented that way. I think you’re splitting hairs but I think they’re very physical.”
To beat No.9 LSU (10-2) in New Year’s Eve’s Chick-fil-A Bowl, Venables made it clear: Clemson (10-2) must win in the trenches. That didn’t happen against South Carolina, as the Gamecocks ran 40 second-half plays to Clemson’s 19 and held the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the 60-minute contest.
“It’s a matchup of physicality, is the biggest thing,” Venables said. “They’re going to take opportunities, force you to stop the run, show a strong commitment in doing so. They’re going to take some one-on-one opportunities outside, and over the top. It’s like every week. If they win at the line of scrimmage it’s going to be a long night.”
LSU isn’t known for its offense, but the Tigers employ a balanced attack, passing for 207.1 yards per game (90th nationally) and rushing for 179.9 (44th). Freshman Jeremy Hill has emerged as the top back, averaging 63.1 yards per game while rushing for 10 touchdowns.
Four backs – Hill, Kenny Hilliard, Michael Ford and Spencer Ware – have rushed for at least 350 yards this season.
“They’ve got a great stable of backs who run behind their pads, and they’re a very physical offensive line,” Venables said. “They’re flat-backed and come after you.” Read more...http://www.
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