Tinker:
Gee the sky turns blue if only for a few moment so I could once again feel happy for a short time, after a week of nothing but rain. Even if the blue sky did not last very long, I know once again that there is hope for me still.
All this time the government of my country was a rip off, every witch way that I though about them and kept looking over how Washington DC really operates. I finally accepted what the American Indians said about the American white father in Washington DC so many moon ago. That the Indians were right, the American government talk with a fork tong.
We the people get the short end of the stick, each and every time that we seek more of our freedom from government control. The politicians running the American Government allow us just enough stuff to let us survive, of course the greater share of the country's wealth is there at their convenience.
We can still have a TV, computer, car, home, and enough extra money to buy the gas and food that we use. So the corrupted big money men and government politicians can work hand in hand to simply fix the selling prices of consumer items right on up to the breaking point, leveling the price out on everything so as not to break the back of us the poor naïve slaves.
The American people are indebted to the rest of the world for as long as the eye can see, and also dependent on the American government for healthcare, education loans. More and more the politicians running Washington DC are leaving us no way out for the American citizen to escape. Much less able to vote for a honest person into the higher federal political office. No the American leavers of political power is firmly in the hand of the people we have now. They have the American people behind the 8 ball trapped deep into the American government corruption.
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Legislative Branch
Our prideful three branches of the United States government, the legislative branch that is made up of the two houses of Congress—the Senate and the House of Representatives. The most important duty of the legislative branch is to make laws. Laws are written, discussed and voted on in Congress.
For as long as I can remember ether a democrat or republican has dominated the three branch of government.
Executive Branch
The President is the head of the executive branch, which makes laws official. The President is elected by the entire country and serves a four-year term. The President approves and carries out laws passed by the legislative branch. He appoints or removes cabinet members and officials. He negotiates treaties, and acts as head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces.
The executive branch also includes the Vice President and other officials, such as members of the cabinet. The cabinet is made up of the heads of the 15 major departments of the government. The cabinet gives advice to the President about important matters.
Judicial Branch
On the Supreme Court there are nine justices, or judges: eight associate justices and one chief justice. The judges are nominated by the President and approved by the Senate. They have no term limits. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. Its decisions are final, and no other court can overrule those decisions. Decisions of the Supreme Court set precedents—new ways of interpreting the law.
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Don't you just love these American hypocrites politicians.
Unless the American people fire just about everyone who is working in the three branches of the American people government in Washington DC today nothing is going to change. No the American people lot in life is only going to get much harder.
Your children and their children will be the generations that will suffer the most thanks to the generation of American citizens who are letting these Washington DC politicians get away with all that stealing now.
They were secretly recording what we talked about in private all alone, no one told us about how the government was doing that to us. No one told us.
Not until a young guy called Edward Snowden who was working for the NSA became discussed with what he learned and heard at the NSA, and then leaked the story to Journalist Glenn Greenwald, who gave the story to us. Wow! How do you like your star spangled banner now, those dirty creeps
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Editor Says British ‘Security Experts’ Destroyed a Number of The Guardian’s Hard Drives After Snowden Leaks
“…one of the more bizarre moments in the Guardian’s long history.”
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<img id="mastheadLogo" width="379" height="64" alt="The New York Times" src="http://i1.nyt.com/images/
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Egypt Arrests Spiritual Guide of Morsi’s Islamist Party
----------------
http://www.anncoulter.com/
Ann Coulter
August 14, 2013
Do liberals have any arguments for their idiotic ideas besides calling their opponents "racist"?
The two big public policies under attack by the left this week are "stop-and-frisk" policing and voter ID laws. Democrats denounce both policies as racist. I'm beginning to suspect they're getting lazy in their arguments.
Stop-and-frisk was a crucial part of the package of law enforcement measures implemented by New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani that saved the city. Under David Dinkins, who preceded Giuliani, murders averaged about 2,000 a year. There were 714 murders in New York the year Giuliani left office. Continuing Giuliani's policing techniques, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's New York had only 419 murders last year.
Just during his first year in office, Giuliani's policies cut the murder rate an astonishing 20 percent. That first year of his administration was responsible for 35 percent of the crime drop nationwide from 1993 to 1995. The New York Times hailed this remarkable achievement with an article headlined, "New York City Crime Falls but Just Why Is a Mystery."
It was mostly black lives that were saved by Giuliani's crime policies. By the end of his administration, the Rev. Calvin Butts, liberal pastor of Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church, was comparing Giuliani to King Josiah of the Bible, who "brought order, peace, the law back to the land." The black minister told The New York Times, "I really think that without Giuliani, we would have been overrun."
About the same time as the Rev. Butts was comparing Giuliani to King Josiah, Richard Goldstein of The Village Voice claimed he felt less safe in New York under Giuliani. It was the ravings of a madman, like saying winter is warmer than summer. But now, Goldstein's ideas are being delivered from the federal bench by Judge Shira Scheindlin, who recently held New York City's stop-and-frisk policies unconstitutional. Read More »
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MY HEADLINES
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http://www.tigerrag.com/?p=
The two backups have forged a relationship through competition
By HUNT PALMER
Bayou Bengals Insider Staff Writer
Les Miles doesn’t use a cookie cutter when assembling quarterbacks.
Since his arrival at LSU in 2005, Miles has signed quarterbacks with a wide range of skill sets and strengths. He’s signed quarterbacks tailored for the spread option attack like Ryan Perrilloux and Jerrard Randall. He’s signed quarterbacks with minimal mobility like Chris Garrett and Jarrett Lee.
There was Russell Shepard who stood 6-foot-1. And then there was Stephen Rivers who stands 6-foot-8. There was Andrew Hatch who left for the most prestigious university in the country, Harvard. There was Zach Lee who decided not to go to college at all.
If they’re talented, Miles gives them shot.
And while Zach Mettenberger enters the 2013 season firmly entrenched as the starter, the competition behind him has cranked up this fall.
Rivers, a third-year sophomore, backed Mettenberger up last season but only saw action in four games, failing to complete his only two pass attempts. Freshman Anthony Jennings emerged as Rivers’ challenger after enrolling in the spring.
While Rivers mirrors Mettenberger’s big frame and strong arm as a pocket passer, Jennings offers a little bit more foot speed in a smaller package. Jennings does possess fluid mechanics and an accurate arm, and Rivers can move around, but their styles differ.
Sunday afternoon Miles said Jennings had “a leg up” in the competition.
“I’m not there yet, anything can happen,” Jennings said. “Working hard pays off. I’m trying to be the next guy out there in Tiger Stadium.”
Jennings doesn’t look or act the part of a freshman. The youngster is as polished in his throwing motion as he is with a recorder in front of him. He was tabbed as a four-star prospect by most of the major evaluation web sites, and he was invited to the Elite 11 quarterback camp which features the best high school quarterback prospects around the country.
Physically, Jennings carries a talent advantage over Rivers who arrived at LSU as a three-star prospect better known for his famous brother (Chargers quarterback Phillip).
Those accolades quickly became memories when Jennings embarked on his collegiate career in January.
“You come in as a freshman, and you don’t know anything,” Jennings said. “You don’t know the offense. And you’re going against one of the best defenses in the nation. It was overwhelming in a sense, but I felt like I was ready.”
The native Georgian proved that, finishing up an strong spring by impressing his coaches and peers in the National L Club Spring Game. Jennings led an offense of reserves and walk ons against the first team Tiger defense and managed to complete 8-of-21 passes for 98 yards. The numbers aren’t eye-popping, but the first-semester quarterback showed flashes of great play and didn’t turn the ball over.
A 35-yard strike to Kadron Boone down the sideline and a 15-yard scamper highlighted Jennings’ day and put his full arsenal on display. Still, Jennings critiqued that effort Sunday at LSU’s Media Day.
“There was a lot for me to improve from in that game,” Jennings said. “I didn’t complete 50 percent of my passes. There are so many things I can get better at.”
Rivers also took strides in the spring game while piloting the first unit.
A year after being harassed for three sacks and throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown, Rivers competed 7-of-10 passes for a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions.
Being that Rivers has not been able to complete a pass in a regular season game, his confidence is derived from that spring game outing and his growing comfort level with the receivers.
Last season Rivers was summoned to the field against Ole Miss as Mettenberger went to the sideline to be examined medically. With Ole Miss leading by seven and just under 11 minutes to play, Rivers took the shotgun snap and fired high of Jarvis Landry forcing the Tigers to punt.
“That was crazy. I was ready, but that was my first big situation, and it happened to be third and six,” Rivers said. “I think about that play a lot. I missed a pass I probably should have hit, that I’m probably going to hit nine out of 10 times. That was a good experience for me to have, and now I think I’m ready to do more than that.”
Experience would appear to be Rivers’ true trump card on Jennings, but in terms of playing time the gap isn’t all that large. Even in a 63-14 win against Idaho last season Rivers didn’t enter the game until there were nine minutes on the clock, and he only threw the ball once.
While he understood the reasons why he wasn’t called on earlier, Rivers was still a little surprised.
“I guess I would have liked to play in some of those blowouts we had, but last year was Zach’s first year, too, so I’m sure that played a part in it,” Rivers said. “I really wasn’t disappointed I didn’t get to play. As much as Zach could get, he needed. That was the feel last year. I’m just here to serve the team.”
And when Rivers talks, it’s easy to believe him.
One of his duties has been to help bring along the same player who is fighting for his job—not only the backup quarterback this year but the starter in 2014. By all accounts, he’s done that.
“Stephen and I are good friends,” Jennings said. “We go eat together. We talk about a lot of things football-wise and off the field. Me and him have a great relationship.”
In some ways that type of cohesion is rare at the quarterback position. Unlike at defensive tackle or wide receiver, traditionally only one quarterback can be on the field at once. With that understanding, Rivers has still managed to cultivate a healthy competition.
Make no mistake, Jennings has caught Rivers’ eye.
“Anthony is great,” Rivers said. “Ever since he’s been here, he’s done the right things. That’s why me and him are competing for the spot.
“It’s really a great situation for LSU to be in, I think. No matter who gets the spot, it’s going to be a good one. The guy right behind him is going to be good, and we know Zach’s good too. We’ve got quarterbacks everywhere here, and that’s a good problem to have.”
Rivers is spoken like a true leader, something Jennings prides himself on as well.
Being that last season Jennings was the best player and a senior on a high school team, leading came easy. He’s now stepped into a situation where he’s proven very little as a true freshman.
So if he does win the job and Mettenberger goes down against TCU, can he lead a group of older players?
“All these quarterbacks wouldn’t be here if we weren’t leaders,” Jennings said. “Quarterbacks are the leader of the team. That’s the role that you pick when you pick to be a quarterback, so I think I can be a leader. I know I can be a leader with the guys here.”
So the battle continues for the backup role. The tall upperclassman with the big arm against the polished freshman with quick feet.
With Mettenberger standing tall and giving LSU a presence in the pocket, Jennings could offer that change of pace like Perrilloux did in 2007. New offensive coordinator Cam Cameron doesn’t like when Jennings is painted in that corner.
“He’s not one of those quarterbacks who is like a running back. He’s a quarterback,” Cameron said. “He’s smart. He’s innately accurate. He’s quick with the football. He can do exactly what Zach can do which gives us great continuity.”
With practice closed to the media, Jennings and Rivers will continue to compete for the role. It’s likely no one outside the building will truly know who the winner is unless Mettenberger is sidelined. Cameron gave no confirmation Sunday.
“In an opening game, a true freshman, not that he couldn’t play, but why would he?” Cameron said of Jennings. “And strategically, if we were going to do it, I wouldn’t tell you anyway.”
http://www.tigerrag.com/?p=
Browse > Home / Cody Worsham, Football, Top Story / Mathieu rising from the ashes in Phoenix
Photo courtesy of the Arizona Cardinals
By CODY WORSHAM
Tiger Rag Editor
It was only a year ago that Tyrann Mathieu’s football career appeared to go down in flames.
Mathieu, of course, was the primary source of his own catastrophic combustion. He’s admitted he lost count of the joints lit, the puffs taken, and, consequently, the drug tests failed which led to his dismissal from the LSU Football team last August.
Then came an arrest on simple possession, numerous national profiles, and months of soul searching.
That’s when Mathieu lost count of the tears.
Here’s the thing about tears, though: produce enough, and any amount of flames can be extinguished.
Just 12 months removed from his public burnout, Mathieu - like the mythological bird from which his new home derives its name - is rising from the ashes.
Following rave reviews in preseason training camp, Mathieu reached a new heights Saturday, earning his first career NFL start in a preseason contest against Dallas for the Arizona Cardinals, the team that took a chance on the troubled ex-Tiger in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft
It’s a chance that’s working out so far - for both parties.
For the Cardinals, Mathieu looks like the steal of the season, despite the pre-draft risk he presented.
“We had some off-the-field concerns about him,” Arizona GM Steve Keim told Sirius XM’s Schein on Sports last week. “He’s answered the bell. He’s been a model citizen so far.”
Even better for the Cardinals, Mathieu has been a model player. One scout told NFL.com Mathieu was “pound for pound the best player” in Cardinals camp. He looks to have secured a spot in the Arizona rotation as a nickel and dime back, as well as a punt and kick returner, and Saturday proved head coach Bruce Arians believes Mathieu can be a starting safety.
“The on-field stuff is as good as you can imagine,” Keim said. “He is a ball hawk, playmaker; he’s tough as nails.”
Mathieu showed that toughness in his first preseason game for the Cardinals against the Green Bay Packers, collecting a sack, a hard-hitting pass breakup, and a 24-yard punt return, all of which landed him on SportsCenter’s highlight package.
“He was all over the field,” Arians said after the game. “He was making plays and having fun, just the way I knew he would play. That’s the way he’s been practicing every day.”
What impressed Mathieu’s teammates and coaches most, however, was his resolution. Arizona head coach Bruce Arians tried to take Mathieu out in the fourth quarter of that first game, but the rookie begged his coach to stay in the game.
“The guy said he sat out of football for a year, he waited long enough, he wants to be out on the field,” Keim said.
For Mathieu, the payoff is obvious: He gets a second chance. Actually, considering how many failed drug tests he claims to have had at LSU, it’s more like a tenth or eleventh chance. Lord knows he blew - pardon the pun - more than his fair share of mulligans in college, but now that he’s found a home in Arizona, he seems to have learned from his mistakes and appears to be making the most of his opportunity.
“I couldn’t fathom it,” Mathieu told reporters last week of getting to start against Dallas. “It probably was a longshot, but I’m just putting in hard work, and I guess everything’s starting to come together for me.”
A big part of things coming together for Mathieu has been his support system in Arizona. It seems to have been a perfect landing spot for him - far enough away from the demons that continually haunted him in his hometown of New Orleans during his LSU days, yet near enough to close friends - like current Cardinal and former Tiger teammate Patrick Peterson - to have a support system in place.
Peterson, along with several other Cardinal veterans, has taken Mathieu under his wing, keeping a close eye on the rookie.
“I believed if he was given another opportunity he would definitely not let it slip away,” Peterson told the team website. “He tells me each and every day he would not let me down again. I told him, ‘It’s not about letting me down. I never lost trust in you due to getting kicked out of LSU.’ I told him, ‘Just be true to yourself, and make sure you do everything the right way now.’ Because all eyes are on him.
“He’s under the microscope and has a bulls-eye on his back.”
And therein lies the rub. Mathieu is a master of beating stacked odds, but he’s never handled victory well.
It’s as if Mathieu is at his best when times are at their worst. With his back against the wall, Mathieu can seemingly overcome any obstacle in front of him.
He did so just by making it to LSU, despite a childhood as troubled as could be imagined: a father in prison for life, a mother that couldn’t - or wouldn’t - take care of him, and the loss of his grandfather at a young age.
He did so again when he arrived at LSU, where, despite being undersized and lowly-rated as a recruit, he emerged as a playmaker in his very first season.
And he did so during his career at LSU, making an improbable run at the Heisman Trophy during a magical 2011 season, when he took the nation by storm as “The Honey Badger” - a small but ferocious gridiron predator.
Throughout his life, Mathieu has demonstrated he is as strong an underdog as there is. Working his way into the picture in Arizona after his fall from grace at LSU has only confirmed his knack for shining through adversity.
The real question, now - as it was a year ago before his fall - is if Mathieu can handle success. Should his NFL career begin on a similarly successful trajectory as his collegiate career did - and all signs point that way - Mathieu must prove, this time, he can stay on track as the praise pours in from all directions, rather than be thrown off course by the multidirectional forces of success and celebrity.
After a year in darkness, a place he has always flourished, Mathieu is back in the spotlight, a place he has always failed.
Here’s to hoping history doesn’t repeat itself in fiery fashion.
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By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and ALAN COWELL 7:33 AM ET
Mohamed Badie, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, was arrested hours after a court ordered the release of former President Hosni Mubarak, offering a measure of Egypt’s redrawn political landscape.Saudis Promise to Aid Egypt’s Regime
By ROD NORDLAND
As Europeans and the United States considered cutting cash aid to Egypt, Saudi Arabia said that it and its allies would make up any reduction and vowed continued support.----------------
http://www.anncoulter.com/
Ann Coulter
RACISM CARD LOOKING A LITTLE DOG-EARED
August 14, 2013
The two big public policies under attack by the left this week are "stop-and-frisk" policing and voter ID laws. Democrats denounce both policies as racist. I'm beginning to suspect they're getting lazy in their arguments.
Stop-and-frisk was a crucial part of the package of law enforcement measures implemented by New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani that saved the city. Under David Dinkins, who preceded Giuliani, murders averaged about 2,000 a year. There were 714 murders in New York the year Giuliani left office. Continuing Giuliani's policing techniques, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's New York had only 419 murders last year.
Just during his first year in office, Giuliani's policies cut the murder rate an astonishing 20 percent. That first year of his administration was responsible for 35 percent of the crime drop nationwide from 1993 to 1995. The New York Times hailed this remarkable achievement with an article headlined, "New York City Crime Falls but Just Why Is a Mystery."
It was mostly black lives that were saved by Giuliani's crime policies. By the end of his administration, the Rev. Calvin Butts, liberal pastor of Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church, was comparing Giuliani to King Josiah of the Bible, who "brought order, peace, the law back to the land." The black minister told The New York Times, "I really think that without Giuliani, we would have been overrun."
About the same time as the Rev. Butts was comparing Giuliani to King Josiah, Richard Goldstein of The Village Voice claimed he felt less safe in New York under Giuliani. It was the ravings of a madman, like saying winter is warmer than summer. But now, Goldstein's ideas are being delivered from the federal bench by Judge Shira Scheindlin, who recently held New York City's stop-and-frisk policies unconstitutional. Read More »
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SPORTSCENTER VIDEOSNo Experience Required
It's not that the Big 12 is lacking big-play QBs. It's just we haven't seen them play yet. Jake Trotter »Veteran D »Baker who? »Team capsules »Pivot points
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- Penn State QB decision will go down to wire
- NCAA rules Marine can play 'immediately'
- ESPN creates bowl between MAC, Sun Belt
- Lawyer expects 25 of 31 to settle with PSU
- LSU DB Jefferson enters misdemeanor plea
- Miami's Dye, with ties to Shapiro, off roster
- Auburn's Ford (knee) expected to miss opener
- Big Ten, USA Football start safety promotion
- Wake dismisses Lowe for violating team policy
- Court: Scholarship case vs. NCAA can proceed
- NDSU linebacker gets suspended jail sentence
- Crimson Tide corner Smith arrested for DUI
- RN: Projecting freshman All-American team
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Rivers, Jennings battle for backup QB role
August 20, 2013 - © 2013 Tiger Rag
By HUNT PALMER
Bayou Bengals Insider Staff Writer
Les Miles doesn’t use a cookie cutter when assembling quarterbacks.
Since his arrival at LSU in 2005, Miles has signed quarterbacks with a wide range of skill sets and strengths. He’s signed quarterbacks tailored for the spread option attack like Ryan Perrilloux and Jerrard Randall. He’s signed quarterbacks with minimal mobility like Chris Garrett and Jarrett Lee.
There was Russell Shepard who stood 6-foot-1. And then there was Stephen Rivers who stands 6-foot-8. There was Andrew Hatch who left for the most prestigious university in the country, Harvard. There was Zach Lee who decided not to go to college at all.
If they’re talented, Miles gives them shot.
And while Zach Mettenberger enters the 2013 season firmly entrenched as the starter, the competition behind him has cranked up this fall.
Rivers, a third-year sophomore, backed Mettenberger up last season but only saw action in four games, failing to complete his only two pass attempts. Freshman Anthony Jennings emerged as Rivers’ challenger after enrolling in the spring.
While Rivers mirrors Mettenberger’s big frame and strong arm as a pocket passer, Jennings offers a little bit more foot speed in a smaller package. Jennings does possess fluid mechanics and an accurate arm, and Rivers can move around, but their styles differ.
Sunday afternoon Miles said Jennings had “a leg up” in the competition.
“I’m not there yet, anything can happen,” Jennings said. “Working hard pays off. I’m trying to be the next guy out there in Tiger Stadium.”
Jennings doesn’t look or act the part of a freshman. The youngster is as polished in his throwing motion as he is with a recorder in front of him. He was tabbed as a four-star prospect by most of the major evaluation web sites, and he was invited to the Elite 11 quarterback camp which features the best high school quarterback prospects around the country.
Physically, Jennings carries a talent advantage over Rivers who arrived at LSU as a three-star prospect better known for his famous brother (Chargers quarterback Phillip).
Those accolades quickly became memories when Jennings embarked on his collegiate career in January.
“You come in as a freshman, and you don’t know anything,” Jennings said. “You don’t know the offense. And you’re going against one of the best defenses in the nation. It was overwhelming in a sense, but I felt like I was ready.”
The native Georgian proved that, finishing up an strong spring by impressing his coaches and peers in the National L Club Spring Game. Jennings led an offense of reserves and walk ons against the first team Tiger defense and managed to complete 8-of-21 passes for 98 yards. The numbers aren’t eye-popping, but the first-semester quarterback showed flashes of great play and didn’t turn the ball over.
A 35-yard strike to Kadron Boone down the sideline and a 15-yard scamper highlighted Jennings’ day and put his full arsenal on display. Still, Jennings critiqued that effort Sunday at LSU’s Media Day.
“There was a lot for me to improve from in that game,” Jennings said. “I didn’t complete 50 percent of my passes. There are so many things I can get better at.”
Rivers also took strides in the spring game while piloting the first unit.
A year after being harassed for three sacks and throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown, Rivers competed 7-of-10 passes for a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions.
Being that Rivers has not been able to complete a pass in a regular season game, his confidence is derived from that spring game outing and his growing comfort level with the receivers.
Last season Rivers was summoned to the field against Ole Miss as Mettenberger went to the sideline to be examined medically. With Ole Miss leading by seven and just under 11 minutes to play, Rivers took the shotgun snap and fired high of Jarvis Landry forcing the Tigers to punt.
“That was crazy. I was ready, but that was my first big situation, and it happened to be third and six,” Rivers said. “I think about that play a lot. I missed a pass I probably should have hit, that I’m probably going to hit nine out of 10 times. That was a good experience for me to have, and now I think I’m ready to do more than that.”
Experience would appear to be Rivers’ true trump card on Jennings, but in terms of playing time the gap isn’t all that large. Even in a 63-14 win against Idaho last season Rivers didn’t enter the game until there were nine minutes on the clock, and he only threw the ball once.
While he understood the reasons why he wasn’t called on earlier, Rivers was still a little surprised.
“I guess I would have liked to play in some of those blowouts we had, but last year was Zach’s first year, too, so I’m sure that played a part in it,” Rivers said. “I really wasn’t disappointed I didn’t get to play. As much as Zach could get, he needed. That was the feel last year. I’m just here to serve the team.”
And when Rivers talks, it’s easy to believe him.
One of his duties has been to help bring along the same player who is fighting for his job—not only the backup quarterback this year but the starter in 2014. By all accounts, he’s done that.
“Stephen and I are good friends,” Jennings said. “We go eat together. We talk about a lot of things football-wise and off the field. Me and him have a great relationship.”
In some ways that type of cohesion is rare at the quarterback position. Unlike at defensive tackle or wide receiver, traditionally only one quarterback can be on the field at once. With that understanding, Rivers has still managed to cultivate a healthy competition.
Make no mistake, Jennings has caught Rivers’ eye.
“Anthony is great,” Rivers said. “Ever since he’s been here, he’s done the right things. That’s why me and him are competing for the spot.
“It’s really a great situation for LSU to be in, I think. No matter who gets the spot, it’s going to be a good one. The guy right behind him is going to be good, and we know Zach’s good too. We’ve got quarterbacks everywhere here, and that’s a good problem to have.”
Rivers is spoken like a true leader, something Jennings prides himself on as well.
Being that last season Jennings was the best player and a senior on a high school team, leading came easy. He’s now stepped into a situation where he’s proven very little as a true freshman.
So if he does win the job and Mettenberger goes down against TCU, can he lead a group of older players?
“All these quarterbacks wouldn’t be here if we weren’t leaders,” Jennings said. “Quarterbacks are the leader of the team. That’s the role that you pick when you pick to be a quarterback, so I think I can be a leader. I know I can be a leader with the guys here.”
So the battle continues for the backup role. The tall upperclassman with the big arm against the polished freshman with quick feet.
With Mettenberger standing tall and giving LSU a presence in the pocket, Jennings could offer that change of pace like Perrilloux did in 2007. New offensive coordinator Cam Cameron doesn’t like when Jennings is painted in that corner.
“He’s not one of those quarterbacks who is like a running back. He’s a quarterback,” Cameron said. “He’s smart. He’s innately accurate. He’s quick with the football. He can do exactly what Zach can do which gives us great continuity.”
With practice closed to the media, Jennings and Rivers will continue to compete for the role. It’s likely no one outside the building will truly know who the winner is unless Mettenberger is sidelined. Cameron gave no confirmation Sunday.
“In an opening game, a true freshman, not that he couldn’t play, but why would he?” Cameron said of Jennings. “And strategically, if we were going to do it, I wouldn’t tell you anyway.”
Comments
Responses to “Rivers, Jennings battle for backup QB role”
-------------- Chief Peace Pipe Pickle Head: on Your comment August 20th, 2013 10:49 am This is what I like about American football the game itself is between you and the other men on the football field. Because no amount of a political backroom deals or government rip off can save the opponent from getting tackled just as hard as the LSU player want to
Football gives these LSU football players the thrill of that physical satisfaction that we don’t receive in our daily social business life out side the football stadium.
Anthony Jennings is advancing into LSU offense # 2 QB spot because of his work merit alone. How much more of a honor can a man receive?
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Browse > Home / Cody Worsham, Football, Top Story / Mathieu rising from the ashes in Phoenix
Mathieu rising from the ashes in Phoenix
August 20, 2013 - © 2013 Tiger Rag
Former LSU corner finding a new home, new life in Arizona
Photo courtesy of the Arizona Cardinals
By CODY WORSHAM
Tiger Rag Editor
It was only a year ago that Tyrann Mathieu’s football career appeared to go down in flames.
Mathieu, of course, was the primary source of his own catastrophic combustion. He’s admitted he lost count of the joints lit, the puffs taken, and, consequently, the drug tests failed which led to his dismissal from the LSU Football team last August.
Then came an arrest on simple possession, numerous national profiles, and months of soul searching.
That’s when Mathieu lost count of the tears.
Here’s the thing about tears, though: produce enough, and any amount of flames can be extinguished.
Just 12 months removed from his public burnout, Mathieu - like the mythological bird from which his new home derives its name - is rising from the ashes.
Following rave reviews in preseason training camp, Mathieu reached a new heights Saturday, earning his first career NFL start in a preseason contest against Dallas for the Arizona Cardinals, the team that took a chance on the troubled ex-Tiger in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft
It’s a chance that’s working out so far - for both parties.
For the Cardinals, Mathieu looks like the steal of the season, despite the pre-draft risk he presented.
“We had some off-the-field concerns about him,” Arizona GM Steve Keim told Sirius XM’s Schein on Sports last week. “He’s answered the bell. He’s been a model citizen so far.”
Even better for the Cardinals, Mathieu has been a model player. One scout told NFL.com Mathieu was “pound for pound the best player” in Cardinals camp. He looks to have secured a spot in the Arizona rotation as a nickel and dime back, as well as a punt and kick returner, and Saturday proved head coach Bruce Arians believes Mathieu can be a starting safety.
“The on-field stuff is as good as you can imagine,” Keim said. “He is a ball hawk, playmaker; he’s tough as nails.”
Mathieu showed that toughness in his first preseason game for the Cardinals against the Green Bay Packers, collecting a sack, a hard-hitting pass breakup, and a 24-yard punt return, all of which landed him on SportsCenter’s highlight package.
“He was all over the field,” Arians said after the game. “He was making plays and having fun, just the way I knew he would play. That’s the way he’s been practicing every day.”
What impressed Mathieu’s teammates and coaches most, however, was his resolution. Arizona head coach Bruce Arians tried to take Mathieu out in the fourth quarter of that first game, but the rookie begged his coach to stay in the game.
“The guy said he sat out of football for a year, he waited long enough, he wants to be out on the field,” Keim said.
For Mathieu, the payoff is obvious: He gets a second chance. Actually, considering how many failed drug tests he claims to have had at LSU, it’s more like a tenth or eleventh chance. Lord knows he blew - pardon the pun - more than his fair share of mulligans in college, but now that he’s found a home in Arizona, he seems to have learned from his mistakes and appears to be making the most of his opportunity.
“I couldn’t fathom it,” Mathieu told reporters last week of getting to start against Dallas. “It probably was a longshot, but I’m just putting in hard work, and I guess everything’s starting to come together for me.”
A big part of things coming together for Mathieu has been his support system in Arizona. It seems to have been a perfect landing spot for him - far enough away from the demons that continually haunted him in his hometown of New Orleans during his LSU days, yet near enough to close friends - like current Cardinal and former Tiger teammate Patrick Peterson - to have a support system in place.
Peterson, along with several other Cardinal veterans, has taken Mathieu under his wing, keeping a close eye on the rookie.
“I believed if he was given another opportunity he would definitely not let it slip away,” Peterson told the team website. “He tells me each and every day he would not let me down again. I told him, ‘It’s not about letting me down. I never lost trust in you due to getting kicked out of LSU.’ I told him, ‘Just be true to yourself, and make sure you do everything the right way now.’ Because all eyes are on him.
“He’s under the microscope and has a bulls-eye on his back.”
And therein lies the rub. Mathieu is a master of beating stacked odds, but he’s never handled victory well.
It’s as if Mathieu is at his best when times are at their worst. With his back against the wall, Mathieu can seemingly overcome any obstacle in front of him.
He did so just by making it to LSU, despite a childhood as troubled as could be imagined: a father in prison for life, a mother that couldn’t - or wouldn’t - take care of him, and the loss of his grandfather at a young age.
He did so again when he arrived at LSU, where, despite being undersized and lowly-rated as a recruit, he emerged as a playmaker in his very first season.
And he did so during his career at LSU, making an improbable run at the Heisman Trophy during a magical 2011 season, when he took the nation by storm as “The Honey Badger” - a small but ferocious gridiron predator.
Throughout his life, Mathieu has demonstrated he is as strong an underdog as there is. Working his way into the picture in Arizona after his fall from grace at LSU has only confirmed his knack for shining through adversity.
The real question, now - as it was a year ago before his fall - is if Mathieu can handle success. Should his NFL career begin on a similarly successful trajectory as his collegiate career did - and all signs point that way - Mathieu must prove, this time, he can stay on track as the praise pours in from all directions, rather than be thrown off course by the multidirectional forces of success and celebrity.
After a year in darkness, a place he has always flourished, Mathieu is back in the spotlight, a place he has always failed.
Here’s to hoping history doesn’t repeat itself in fiery fashion.
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