HAHA, Cornelius!

All the un-sportsmanlike gloating I can muster goes out to the Vanderbilt Commodores who returned to Nashville Sunday in their customary manner - winless. All the best, LOSERS!

What'd I Do?

Only a little over a week after kicking himself out of baseball generally, Mississippi State Head Coach Ron Polk was prematurely retired against his will from not one, not two, but three games in the weekend series against Kentucky in Lexington. Polk's ejectment was a fun fact unfortunately omitted from both the official Mississippi State Athletics press release and the article by The Clarion Ledger.

Of course, this comes as no surprise to long-time followers (not to say "fans") of Ron Polk. He comes from rambunctious stock. When asked about Polk's legendary temper RSC Senior SEC Analyst Jackie Sherrill, a former colleague of Polk's at Mississippi State, said, "He's fortunate that he's not as creative as me or there might have been to this day a great number of "fixed" SEC baseball officials.

Camaraderie at its Finest: Rebels at the Library

I like gettin' dranked as much as anybody and enjoy it especially for its ability to serve as a great equalizer; a unifier of men and women of all races, classes, and persuasions under the banner of "drunk." Last night while procuring a few bottles of brew and contributing to the delinquency of minors at the Square's Blind Pig Pub, I saw a few of our Rebel footballers drunkenly stumbling exiting the Library (no, not the one with books).

Being the curious Rebel fan/rogue blogger that I am, I engaged in conversation with these fine young athletes. My friends and I spoke primarily with OG Rishaw Johnson and DT Lawon Scott, who displayed the epitome of gentlemanly demeanor. They informed us that Jevan Snead, also present, could perform sexual intercourse with any female he desired; a testament to his virility. Rishaw was also certain to make it understood that Peria Jerry and Ted Laurent, along with their fellow defensive linemen, are indeed "badassed motherfuckers" who are quite difficult, if not impossible, to block. Lawon, being a defensive lineman himself, most assuredly adored the compliments of his drinking companion and was quick to return the favor. He praised the abilities of the offensive linemen where prepared to protect their quarterbacks and running backs with the zenith of skill and dedication. Their excitement did not at all wane as they began to praise the skills of our halfbacks, wide receivers, defensive backs and linebackers. They reassured us that, as a team, they were prepared to "fuck some motherfuckers up" and win the SEC. To say that these athletes have confidence in their personal abilities and the abilities of their teammates would be an understatement. The excitement of the conversation certainly created an aura of anticipation, friendship, and joy among myself, my friends, and our Rebel football team.

Rishaw then informed a young woman in our presence as to the size of his genitalia and his desire for procreation.

In short, my alcohol-fueled encounter with our Rebel football team was informing, rousing, and cordial.

Saturday Scrimmage

Saturday's scrimmage was a big let-down for me. Snead didn't play well. Tapp played terribly. Eason broke several long runs, but the running game really struggled.

The running game's woes can be attributed to fantastic play from all three of the starting linebackers and the incredible defensive line that O left us. However, the passing game's struggles were unexpected.

Snead was fantastic last Saturday, and most expected the same this weekend with the secondary's inability to cover the solid group of WRs that return. And the thing is that the corners, with the exception of Marshay Green, didn't even play well. There were just communication problems all across the board. Many times, receivers would not even turn their heads, and the ball would just pass right by them. That's an issue that HAS to be addressed. Receivers have to understand that they are a target on EVERY play. This staff does not have them run away from plays just to draw coverage.

Players who excelled on offense:
LT Michael Oher
LG Reid Neely
WR Markeith Summers
WR Mike Wallace

Players who had significant trouble on offense:
HB Derrick Davis
RT Maurice Miller

Players who excelled on defense:
DT Peria Jerry
DT Ted Laurent
DE Greg Hardy
LB Allen Walker
LB Ashlee Palmer
LB Jonathan Cornell
CB Marshay Green
S Kendrick Lewis

Players who had significant trouble on defense:
All the backup LBs

Rebel of the Week: Ray Poole

Every Friday here at the Cup we like to recognize a Rebel past or present for his or her contributions to our *ahem* esteemed athletic tradition. This week we are recognizing the late, great Ray Poole. Poole, a letterwinner in baseball, basketball and football, excelled in everything he became involved in.

He was named All-Conference and 3rd team All-American in football, posted a 5-2 record on the mound for the Diamond Rebs, and led the Roundball Rebs in scoring in 1943. He was also an excellent student being a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa honor society and the Ole Miss Hall of Fame. On top of all of this, he was a gentleman and a socialite, exemplified by his being elected Colonel Reb his senior year.

In 1942, Poole's college career was interrupted when he became a US Marine and fought in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Rising to the rank of Lieutenant, Poole was involved in campaigns on Guam, Saipan and Okinawa. While ending his tenure in the armed services, Poole was drafted by the New York Football Giants where he would not only earn All-Pro honors as a defensive end, but also saw action at tight end and kicker amassing a total of 223 points for the Giants.

Poole, along with his brothers Barney and Buster, were the most well known members of the "Pooles of Ole Miss," a family of Ole Miss athletes which garnered nearly 50 varsity letters. Poole Drive on campus is named for the Poole Family. The Cup salutes Ray and the rest of the Poole family for being excellent Rebels on and off the field.

Happy weekend, Rebels.

You bet your ass he does!

Spring Practice: The Secondary

I tend to agree with 'Must Be The Wind' in that spring practice really conveys a false sense of reality to fans.  I get sick of having all this sunshine pumped up my ass by the two pay sites regarding practices.  Remedy?  Go to practice yourself!

Let's talk about the secondary, one of the thinnest positions on the roster.

Cornerbacks:

Dustin Mouzon:

Positives:  Good one on one defender, tackling

Negatives: None

RSC Analysis:  Maybe it was because our secondary was that bad last year, but I cannot think of anything negative to say about Mouzon.  He had a solid season last year and was easily the best player at the cornerback position all season.  I have not heard much from him during spring practice, but he appears to still be on track to start in the fall.

Cassius Vaughan:

Positives:  Speed, physicality

Negatives:  Consistency

RSC Analysis:  Cassius got a look at CB some last season and at times appeared to have figured out the position.  However, he was unable to play at a consistent enough level to maintain the starting job.  Vaughan appears to have emerged as the #2 CB on the team and has been extremely impressive in practices so far.  He is an aggressive defender and is not afraid to take a gamble on a pass, something the Rebs need more of in the secondary.

Marshay Green:

Positives:  Speed, Hands

Negatives:  No experience/knowledge of position

RSC Analysis:  Given I am not a football coach and have never played the CB position, it's hard not to watch him at practice and come away not thinking Marshay is going to contribute at CB next season.  He needs to work on footwork and his reads better, but he has the play making ability and speed to be an effective DB.

Fon Ingram:

Positives:  Speed, Tackling

Negative:  Experience, Reads

RSC Analysis:  Ingram was a linebacker in high school, safety last season, and now is competing for time at CB.  He appears to have good speed, but I have not been blown away by his coverage ability thus far.  I do not expect to see him garnering much playing time.

Jeremy McGee:

Positives: Speed

Negatives: Size

RSC Analysis:  McGee, a Louisiana native, transferred to Ole Miss last year from UCLA as a return specialist and running back.  However, like many players this year, he has been converted to CB because we are really thin (I know this is getting repetitive).  Nutt seems to like what he has seen from McGee so far, but he has not stood out to RSC.

Jamariey Atterberry:

Never noticed or heard anything about his progression.

Julian Whitehead:

Really small

Safeties:

Jamarca Sanford:

Positives:  Run Support, hard-hitter

Negatives:  Coverage

RSC Analysis:  Sanford is the premiere safety on this team and has his starting position on lock-down.  The former South Panola stand out is probably the best tackler on the team and is a great leader for the younger guys in the secondary.  Jamarca still needs to improve on his coverage skills, which are lacking, if he wants to make it to the next level and help this team even more.

Johnny Brown:

Positives:  Quick learner, Speed

Negatives:  Tackling, Youth

RSC Analysis:  Brown is a great athlete and has the potential to be a solid safety for Ole Miss.  Jamarca Sanford, obviously being haunted by the ghost of Ed Orgeron, described him as a "tremendous competitor."  Brown still is a little inexperienced and has not shown the consistency to claim the starting safety spot.  

Kendrick Lewis:

Positives:  Size and Hands

Negatives:  Agility

RSC Analysis:  Lewis is a rising junior who was originally the starting FS for the Rebs at the start of the '07 campaign.  Lewis has shown he can make good reads from the safety position, but has not been the most consistent player when it comes to taking on a defender one-on-one this spring in drills.  Lewis needs to work on his all around game if he wants to overtake Johnny Brown for the starting safety position.

Terrell Jackson:  

Positives:  Speed

Negatives:  Consistency

RSC Analysis:  Coming out of high school many people thought Terrell would have a big impact on the Rebels' secondary.  He has not.  He is still in the mix for some playing time this year, but has not put everything together to achieve that on a consistent basis yet, despite being a senior.

Jared Mitchell:

Have not watched him

Colby Arceneaux:

Positives:  HAHA

Negatives:  He did not get us Joe McKnight

RSC Analysis:  He tries really hard!

Ladies and Gentlemen...J. Stern.

The latest "Inside Athletics" blogpost on the official Ole Miss Sports page is a little article by J. Stern - the world's most irresistible man.

J.'s (is that how you punctuate a name that consists of only one letter?) article consists mainly of explaining how the university goes about coaxing celebrities into doing the Hotty Toddy before football games. Their method - hope. How audacious!

Here's an idea: get Eli Manning to do it with a mouth full of Oreos! That would be hilarious!!

Jerrell Powe Sighting.

I spotted Jerrell Powe in the Grove. He was conversing with some little girl that he could eat for breakfast. They were joking about his girth. He said, "Nah, but a do weight a lot, though."

Really, Jerrell? How much do you weigh?

"About 300 pounds."

Sure you do, Jerrell. You keep telling yourself that. Maybe it'll come true.

Spring Practice: The Lines

Man... I hate this. I watch practice and start to think we're really good. I'm so hopeful for this season. Of course, we'll end up winning 5 games or some crap like that. However, this post is going to seem a whole lot like a Spirit post. The lines are just good.

Offense:
Michael Oher:
Positives: Everything
Negatives: Nothing
RSC Analysis: Oher will be beastly. In practice, the ends have real trouble with him. Yesterday, Greg Hardy got so frustrated that he moved inside right before the play started to try to get away from Oher. He ended up running all the way around the line, essentially taking himself out of the play. Oher will dominate opposing defensive ends.

John Jerry:
Hasn't played enough to know (due to illness)

Maurice Miller:
Positives: Strength, Bulk
Negatives: Footwork
RSC Analysis: Miller is very powerful. The concern I have is with his pass blocking. It seems that he overcommits when dropping back into stance. Defensive ends can fake him with a juke move.
This could be part of the reason he is being moved to guard.

Daverin Geralds:
Positives: Bulk, Snap (Center)
Negatives: Inexperience
RSC Analysis: Geralds is a little overweight (even for an O-lineman) but nothing to be worried about. Geralds looks to start at center. Early on, he had trouble connecting on snaps, but that is much improved.

Reid Neely:
Positives: Bulk
Negatives: Doesn't use weight well, gets pushed off the line too often
RSC Analysis: Neely has never impressed me as much as he has our coaches. However, with this staff, I can say for certain that they know more about football than I do. Also, like most untrained eyes, I still have some difficulty analyzing offensive linemen. Because of this, I'll go with what they think.

Rishaw Johnson:
Positives: Strength (one of the strongest linemen and only a freshman), Bulk
Negatives: Too much fat, misses assignments every now and then
RSC Analysis: Johnson is going to be a very good guard, just not right now. With more work from the coaches, his problems should be erased. He has prototypical physical tools.

Mark Jean-Louis:
Never paid attention to him.

Bradley Sowell:
Positives: Footwork
Negatives: Too thin, Not incredibly strong
RSC Analysis: Sowell has the height necessary for LT. Unfortunately, he lost too much weight his senior year in high school. He needs to gain some of that back in order to keep defensive ends away from the quarterback.

Brandon Green:
Never paid attention to him.

Alex Washington:
Positives: Size
Negatives: Footwork
RSC Analysis: Squares up well with dlinemen at first but overcommits like Miller.

I'm sure there are players I'm missing, but that's it on the O-line for right now.

Defense:
Ends:
Greg Hardy:
Positives: Speed, Aggression
Negatives: Takes plays off
RSC Analysis: If Greg can consistently play to his ability, he can dominate (as evidenced by the Alabama game against All-Everything Andre Smith). Unfortunately, he doesn't do that.

Marcus Tillman:
Positives: Size, Strength
Negatives: Speed
RSC Analysis: Tillman is just not fast enough to consistently pressure the quarterback. One thing that Tillman brings to the table is that when he's in the game opposite and end like Kentrell Lockett, we can go with a 3-4 look (which we did yesterday in practice). That's two big ends (Tillman and Peria Jerry) lined up on either side of Ted Laurent. Lockett moves back and plays OLB. It's a fun set to see us throw in ever now and then.

Kentrell Lockett:
Positives: Speed, Finesse
Negatives: Size, Strength
RSC Analysis: He needs to be in the game on 3rd and long. Does well enough to fill in on other downs, but is primarily a pass-rusher.

Emmanuel Stephens:
Positives: Speed, Size, Strength
Negatives: Inexperience
RSC Analysis: Finally, a 4-star juco who lives up to his billing. Stephens really has shown a lot of power and speed in practices. He has complete tools at the position. He just needs experience against effective offensive linemen.

Chris Strong:
Positives: Size, Speed, Strength
Negatives: Agility, Inexperience
RSC Analysis: Strong may become a good DE or DT, but he's just too slow (in terms of quickness, not top speed).

LaMarck Armour:
Didn't pay attention to him.

Tackles:
Peria Jerry:
Positives: Everything
Negatives: Nothing
RSC Analysis: They only make Peria practice for a little while each practice because they can see just how dominant he is on every play when he's in. After a few snaps, they need to get experience for the younger players.

Ted Laurent:
Positives: Size, Strength
Negatives: Speed, Inexperience
RSC Analysis: Laurent has been a pleasant surprise this spring, stepping into the starting role seemingly with ease. I expected Lawonn Scott to get the nod. Laurent uses his size well enough to clog running lanes. I hope we pull him out in obvious passing downs and move Tillman over to DT (similar to the way the NYG used their three ends at the end of the season.)

Lawonn Scott:
Positives: Size, Strength
Negatives: Speed, Inexperience
RSC Analysis: He looks very much like Laurent, and I often confuse them because they are so similar. The only difference I notice is that Laurent throws his body toward the ball carrier with more aggression than Scott.

Justin Sanders:
Positives: Size
Negatives: Speed, Agility, Inexperience
RSC Analysis: Sanders is definitely a work in progress...

LaDerrick Vaughn:
If he was really moved to DT, I can promise I haven't seen him there.

So that's it for the lines. We seem to be set on both sides of the ball.