Chase

Yes. I am going crazy here. I can't even get the game on the radio via the internet (my company has all the good sites blocked). I am desperate.

http://www.970wfla.com/pages/listenlive.html

If you can't get to that link, who is your ISP?

She might be working for someone with blocks on their network...

https://proxify.com/

She may have to "sign up".

8-)

Yes. I am going crazy here. I can't even get the game on the radio via the internet (my company has all the good sites blocked). I am desperate.

http://www.970wfla.com/pages/listenlive.html

If you can't get to that link, who is your ISP?

A recruit’s strength is the last thing I am concerned about.  That is what redshirts are for.  That is also what our new athletic facility and strength coaches are for.  To me, adding strength is the easiest thing for a freshman to do.  They can't add height, talent or build and it seems like it is very difficult to get much faster while staying the same weight or gaining.  I also remember when the Dolphins drafted Tim Bowens he benched 225x13 times, which is nothing for a 320 pound DT.  He played for 12 years and I believe made it to the pro-bowl.  40-times are difficult to evaluate because it is so easy to get a fudged number.  People were even complaining about the NFL combine numbers.  It is hard for me to imagine a more regimented timing structure in football than the NFL combine.  

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I just had this discussion with a few people at work as I am wearing my USF jersey in and work with a handfull of UM freaks. Call me crazy, but I think if we face UM enough we will sneak a win in there. I don't see a lot of upside to facing UCF every yr, being its not a rivalry...

We shouldn't have to "sneak" a win in.  Miami is on the way down and USF is on the way up.  Our first home game is in 2009, MG will be a 5th year Senior.  They could be ranked 1 in the nation, but I believe it is more likley they will be 15+.  Keep in mind we beat UL when they were ranked 9th and they ended up 20th.  We beat them by 31 points!

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Brett has a summary of the scheduling items on his blog today...

http://sports.tboblogs.com/index.php/sports/comments/schedule_filling_up_fast/

Among the info is this:

... the reason there is a Division I-AA opponent each season is as long as Jim Leavitt is coach at USF - and the NCAA allows a I-AA win to count toward bowl eligibility - you’ll see a I-AA foe each year.

I know we've re-hashed this a bit ... but at least we all know that it's Coach Leavitt's call.

I believe we will stop scheduling I-AA games once we are in a position to sign I-A teams to one and done deals (like Penn State and UF do).  I am not sure that will happen during JL's time here though.

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It was an ugly game last year.  I think the teams will be a little better coming out of the gate.  There is NO way Miami loses this game at home.

Miami's best RB and WR will be on the sideline.  

FSU-3

UM-2

That is not what would make USF become one of the Big Four. Going to a BCS game would be one step toward the Big Four. Beating one of the Big 3 would be a major step toward that. We can do both with RJS.

An OCS has nothing to do with becoming one of the big four.  To become one of the "Big Four" we will have to win a national championship.  An OCS will provide a more traditional atmosphere though.

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Coach                School             Income

Tubby Smith        Kentucky          $1.9 million

Tom Crean          Marquette        $1.65 million

Rick Pitino           Louisville          $1.64 million

Tom Izzo             Michigan State  $1.6 million

Jim Calhoun         Connecticut     $1.4-$1.5 million

Mike Krzyzewski    Duke                $1.4 million

Roy Williams        North Carolina   $1.4 million

Bo Ryan              Wisconsin        $700,000

Jim Boeheim        Syracuse          $377,387

Rob Jeter            UW-Milwaukee  $300,000

Robert McCullum   USF                 $200,000

http://bulls.tbo.com/bulls/MGA704IMNED.html

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=408247

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Yes.

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The Jets baby, a season or two behind Curtis to learn a thing or two and then its the Andre Hall show in the big city.

I hope he does not go to the Jets for a few reasons.  First, they play on turf.  He is more familiar with grass and it will decrease the chance of injury.  Second, he has spent most of his life in a warm climate, NY would be a huge change in scenery and would make the transition more difficult.  Third, I hate the Jets.  One of the reasons I stopped playing fantasy football is my distaste for rooting for players on opposing teams.  

As for the Dolphins, Dan Marino left a long time ago, if they are not going to run, what the he11 are they going to do?  Also, the Fins have arguably the best OL coach in the league and he built the line that blocked for LT.

The best fit might be Tampa Bay.  He would be right at home and I expect he would get a lot of opportunities behind Cadillac who may prove to be injury-proned.

can hall be a featured back?

After seeing his combine stats, I believe he can.  The trick is for him to land in the correct situation.  What would have happened to Emmit Smith if another team drafted him?  Hall appears to be the complete package now that I have seen his 40-time.  I was concerned he did not have the break away speed.  He did not seem to have a lot of 30+ yard runs to the end zone.  I suppose that is difficult when there are 11 guys keying on you.

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My dream is for the Dolphins to pick him up in the third round.  With Ricky most likely gone, they will need someone else to help carry the load.  Hall has improved his pass catching abilities and according to some reports from the senior bowl, he is also a solid pass blocker.  He could be a solid third down back next year.  

I was VERY interested to see what his combine stats were.  Players often lose inches, pounds and gain tenths of seconds on their 40-time when they get there.  I knew he had the vision and talent to be a great back in the NFL, now I know he has the tangibles as well.  Now all he needs is a little luck (right system and health).  

Another point is that he has admitted he received almost no coaching prior to attending USF (I am sure some would say after he arrived as well).  This seems apparent when you look at his improvement over two years.  I believe he still has a lot of untapped potential.  Again, the key will be for him to land in the right situation.

8)

What I would like to see is for USF to give EC a couple of years AFTER the facilities have been upgraded.  If he does not prove he can recruit, then he should be moved to an administrative position.  

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We had coaches at my high school with better credentials than anyone at USF.

Which two coaches at your high school had better credentials than Burnham?

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Burnham has nine years with Bobby Bowden at Florida State and five years as an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at South Carolina.  In all, Burnham brings 37 years of coaching experience (including 33 at the college or pro level) to the table. Burnham, who coached nine linebackers at Florida State who were drafted into the NFL and a 10th player who signed as a free agent. Among his standout linebackers at FSU were Derrick Brooks, Marvin Jones, Paul McGowan, Jesse Solomon and Garth Jax. Jones and McGowan each won the Butkus Award and Jones added the Lombardi Award.  Burnham began playing collegiately for Bear Bryant at Alabama during the 1960 and 1961 seasons.  He also has a master's degree in Athletic Administration from West Alabama.

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8)

you will be moaning next year when we lose to the uconn's of the world wondering what happened

we dont have the talent and unless the class changes we aint aint getting the talent in this class

Which coach, who we could have realistically replaced JL with, do you believe would have done a better job at recruiting?

8)

It is not like every 4 an 5 star JC player is banging down our door to get in.  Can anyone name me one 4 or 5 star JC player we refused?  We need to increase our level of talent every year and we appear to be doing that.  

8)

Are there any decent replacements still available?  If there are who are they?  I would like to see Smith gone, but I don't know who we would replace him with.  Are any of the Miami guys still available?  I would be very surprised if Smith was fired.

8)

...from out of the state of Florida on a yearly basis?

Check out the list so far:

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2006&School=70

Okay, arguably, Florida has the best recruiting base in the country. However, doesn't mean you only recruit from your own back yard.

To date, Rivals.com's, top recruiting class is UF. Their recruits are coming from: FL, TX, GA, VA, NC, and AR. And, mutiple players are coming from some of those states.

USF has ONE player coming from California. The rest, Florida.

Some factors I've considered:

1. UF tradition.

2. SEC -  arguably - much better conference than Big East.

3. Time factor. (Young program).

4. Stability. (Division II - Division I - C-USA - Big East).

5. Dreaded - OCS.

6. Flordia talent recruited is as good if not better than

   the caliber recruit that may be considering USF from out-of-state.

Regardless, it does not mean that the USF coaches shouldn't be or can't recruit elsewhere. I just find it unbelievably hard to imagine that there isn't some football star in one of the cold-weather climates that wouldn't be dying to head to Florida and play for USF - especially when there are so many holes to fill and there is the chance of playing almost immediately - if not in a year's timeframe.

Sorry for all of you that are still confusing my realism with negativity, but this coaching staff still isn't impressing me in a lot of ways.

1. USF is 58th overall in recruiting in the country.

2. USF is 5th overall in the Big East in recruting behind  

   Pitt, Louisville, Rutgers, and Syracuse.

3. Pitt is #1 in the Big East. They have recruits from

   PA, OH, NY and FL.  

4. Pitt has 6 4-star recruits.  

5. USF has 1 4-star recruit.

6. Both Pitt & Louisville have 12 3-star recruits.

7. USF has 6 3-star recruits.

However, my original argument was that there are quality players outside the state of Florida. Pitt came to FL and got four - why doesn't USF go elsewhere and get some?  

I have been rivals member for over two years.  Accurate recruiting rankings are the last reason I subscribe.  It is a joke.

1) Out of state recruits cost more money.  Around $10,000 a year more.  Multiply that by 20 and it starts to get expensive.

2) I believe it is more likely for an out of state recruit to transfer or drop out and it is a tougher transition.

3) USF has tried to recruit the NJ area without much success.

4) Most players want to play near their home so their families and friends can watch them play.  That gives us an advantage over the NCStates and Kentuckys of the world.  We are more likely to get a decent recruit in Florida to choose USF than one in Alabama.  

5) By recruiting in Florida, we can gain in-roads into the major 1-A player producing High Schools in the area.  I have read countless statements from Miami recruits who said USF felt like "home" because of all the other Miami players on our team and in some cases Alumni of the same HS.  How would a recruit from Texas feel?  Probably like Whoopi Goldberg at an Augusta National board meeting.

6) Some out of state recruits do not know USF exists and others just found out this year.  We are slowly making a name for ourselves in FL and we obviously do not have a "name recognition" issue in the Bay area.

7) It is much easier for JL to see FL recruits play live and get a feel for how successful they will be in college.  He can meet with them, their coaches and their families more often and obtain a better evaluation.

8} Every minute he spends recruiting a player out of state is a minute he could have spent on a Florida player.

9) I could go on forever.

My biggest critiques of USF recruiting so far is not getting a decent QB and WRs who can catch the ball.  It does not matter whether a WR is 6-5 and can run a 4.4 if they can't catch the ball, they are dead weight.  I believe we have done as good of a job as we could in the other positions especially OL.

Pitt does recruit PA, NY and OH.  They do their recruiting 400 miles from their campus.  So do we.  It just so happens that within 400 miles of USF lies the entire State of Florida.  Two of Pitt's FL recruits were a short bicycle ride away from his house in Davie.  The other two were from the same HS.

Pitt has received accolades by keeping the best recruits HOME instead of them going to PSU, ND or where ever.

8)

If USF get players from transfer, they are not good talent enough or dumb!!! Smart players don't make a bad choice to enroll that often.. Dumb players wanted to enroll because they were in desperate situation.

USF need to get more smart players who know how to win the games!!!!!!!

I don't believe anyone will transfer from Miami, but I would not mind getting Kirby Freeman or Trey Burklin (both are rFr backup QBs).  That might be a good move for both sides.  They would not be transferring because they are "dumb" and although they might not be as talented as Kyle Wright, they are probably more talented than PJ and Denson.  

8)

I am not sure if it is true, but I heard Janikowski was the first kicker to receive a scholarship at FSU.  He may not have gotten one if it wasn't for all of those pesky "wide right" games.

8)

My suggestion to offer good pay to bring someone who is currently in excellent offensive college team!!  anyone agree?

Do you have any suggestions?

What about the LT OC?  They always have a good offense and it would be a step up for him.

ROD SMITH IS A JOKE

usf needs to hire someone with a proven track record not wr's coach for west virginia

we should hire an OC from a non bcs school

Butch Jones was an OC for a non-bcs school, if you read the bio, you would know that.  I am open for suggestions.  Miami just cleaned house and we play them in a few years.  I am not sure if we can afford one of those guys, but the ability to stay in Florida and JL's unparalleled loyalty to his coaches might go a long way.  Those coaches are very familiar with recruiting in Florida and have coached at the highest level.  

Does anyone else have a realistic suggestion?

8)

Butch Jones

Wide Receivers

Butch Jones joined the Mountaineer coaching staff in January, 2005 after coming from Central Michigan, where he served as offensive coordinator and running backs coach for the past three years. He spent seven seasons total on the Chippewa staff; Jones was the tight ends coach in 1998 and wide receivers coach in 1999 before taking charge of the running backs.

Jones spent three seasons from 1995-97 (two as offensive coordinator) at his alma mater Ferris State; during that time, FSU won two Midwestern Intercollegiate Football Championships and advanced to the Division II semifinals in 1995.

He worked within the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization as an intern from 1987-90 and began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at Rutgers from 1990-92. He served as the offensive coordinator at Wilkes University from 1992-95 before returning to Ferris.

A 1990 graduate of Ferris State with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, he earned two letters in football before suffering a career-ending knee injury. A native of Saugatuck, Mich., Jones and his wife Barbara have two sons, Alex and Adam.

8)

When he was laughing about the comments I made to the UCF fans early this morning that got me banned, he noticed some nicer comments from other USF fans. He stated that for us to really hit big time football, we need to be more black and white when it comes to the UCF's, UF's, and the FSU's of the world. Big time is knowing when to walk on an opponent when they are down... showing no mercy... squeezing the last bit of agony out of them.

Comments saying UCF played a good game... although there may have been some truth to it... don't acknowledge that fact. What we need to do is point out all the negatives. I was even guilty of it when I was initially trying to jerk them around on their board. I should've just come right out and said the kicker needs to be pushed into traffic.

It's a lesson learned IMO. Instead of being somewhat sensitive, we need to go for the kill. Maybe then other schools will cringe when they see the Green and Gold. Hell... our school is already trying to cater to a tougher image... our mascot alone is more guilty of steroid use than Barry Bonds. He would whip Nitro's wussy ass in a heartbeat!

Sheriff-

I will have to respectfully disagree with your roommate’s analysis.  I grew up in Miami and always thought big time programs had a$$hole fans who would scream at opposing fans, fight them in the stands and vandalize/loot their cars while they were at the game.  As I have grown older, I have realized that is the wrong path to take.  I would rather USF fans were similar to Oklahoma fans- knowledgeable about the game, respectful to opponents and die-hard.  It will be interesting to watch the USF fan base evolve.  I just hope we don't end up with a bunch of obnoxious drunks screaming at 3-year old girls wearing the opponent’s garb.  In my opinion, we should offer to buy a beer for an opposing fan after we slaughter them on the field.  

As for message boards, we should state facts to repute the massive amount of mis-information about USF and formulate informative arguments to kill their ridiculous statements.

8)

wow, where do you guys come up with this ****?

flsportsfan83-

Where did you get that pic of Ricky?  I was at the game yesterday.

8)

UCFKnights04-

8/27 M. Soccer UCF 2-1

I hope you realize that was an EXIBITION game.  We were playing 3rd stringers and walk-ons trying to earn a spot.  Man are you guys desperate for some type of superiority.

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