Well guys, due to the help of a couple of really good folks, it appears that Random Thoughts is back for another year of weekly, well, ramblings. I know we have a ton of new subscribers, and you folks are in for a treat with all the great coverage you'll get from the Gamecock Central staff during football season. Photos, videos, practice reports, stories, you'll get about as much of it as you can stand, and by some of the best in this business.
Then, once you've exhausted all of the professionally written articles and the great multimedia, I'll be along to post my 'man on the street' view of a Saturday afternoon on the sidelines of a USC football game, usually along with a few photos. I've realy enjoyed doing this for the past 3 years, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do it again.
I had the opportunity to head out to media day to assist with some of the goings-on there, and I wanted to pass on a few quick stories and observations I gathered.
First, some quick-hitters from media day
- Tanner McEvoy was one of the first players I shot a photo of. We were giving the guys the choice of either standing of kneeling for their photo, and I asked Tanner which he preferred. He looked me straight in the eye and said, 'I don't know. I'm a pretty photogenic guy, so either one will work out.' I got a great laugh out of that. Nothing wrong with a kid having confidence.
McEvoy is a well put-together kid. If he can come along on his fundamentals and mental aspect of the game, he has the look of a kid who has all the physical tools.
- Corey Addison grinned ear-to-ear the whole time I talked to him. He seems to be a kid who's just happy to be where he is, and is enjoying every minute of it. I really enjoyed speaking with him. After his photos were shot, he asked me if he could take a shot with him in the Heisman pose. I obliged. I said, 'You're thinking positive here, man. How many defensive guys have won that trophy?'
He laughed and said, 'No worries. We're making a comeback.'
- I spent some time talking with Fullback Dalton Wilson. He mentioned that he's eager to get back to going all-out at practice, and reclaiming his #1 spot. He's finally healthy and ready to go full bore. He mentioned that in his eyes, Antonio Allen is by far the most difficult defender to block during blitz pickups because he's strong enough to run over you, but agile enough to run around you. When asked who hits the hardest on Defense, he said that Rodney Paulk consistently arrives with bad intentions and can lay the wood.
- Antonio Allen was another kid who was a joy to speak with. I mentioned his breakout year last season, and that we're hoping for big things from him this season. He told me that about halfway through last season, the light really came on for him, and he spent the second half 'just playing' and not spending so much time thinking. He's excited about this season and feels as though he has the mental aspect of the Defense down.
- Melvin Ingram seems to be an all business guy. Very serious, not clowning around, just going about his business doing what he has to do. As he was getting into position for me to shoot his photo, I was trying to make some small talk to try to loosen him up a bit. I said, 'OK, Mr. Ingram. How many sacks do you have for me this season.'
Without any hint of a smile, he said, 'I've got you about 15.'
'15?' I said. 'I'll take that right now and be VERY happy with it!'
'Well, I'm going to get it done,' he said.
With that I shot several photos of him, he shook my hand, thanked me, and walked away.
Now, we all know that 15 sacks is a very lofty goal, as our school record is 10, held by Andrew Provence. Improving on the school record by 50% would be an astounding feat. On the other hand, when you think about the fact that he had 9 sacks last year, plus the addition of some high-end talent to the DL, I don't think it's far-fetched at all for there to be talk about Melvin getting 10+, beating out Provence, and putting his name on the ramp in Williams-Brice for single season sack record-holder.
Predicting the Future
- There are some other names on the ramps of Williams-Brice that could very well be changing over the next couple of years. They are (all following numbers are from the 2011 Football Media Guide):
Most Wins in Single Season (Coach): Joe Morrison, 10
Most Wins in Career (Coach): Rex Enright, 64 (SOS is 20 behind, and could cut that number by 10 or more this season)
Career Receiving Yards: Kenny McKinley, 2,781 (Alshon is 501 yards behind, and should pass Kenny in the first half of this season)
Career Receptions: Kenny McKinley, 207 (Alshon is 73 off that mark, and grabbed 88 last year)
Career TD Receptions: Sidney Rice, 23 (Alshon is 8 back with 15. He caught 9 last season)
Career Total Offense: Todd Ellis, 9,351 (Garcia, currently at 7,362 is only 1,989 yards behind)
Career Passing: Todd Ellis, 9,953 (Garcia is at 6,753, and has a very realistic chance at passing Todd)
Career Pass Completions: Steve Taneyhill, 753 (Garcia is 225 away, and completed 224 last season)
Career Touchdown Passes: Steve Taneyhill, 62 (Garcia has 43, 19 back)
Career Points Scored: Collin Mackie, 330 (Marcus set a single-season pts. record last season with 114. If he plays only 3 years, he has an outside shot at walking away with this record)
Career Rushing TDs: George Rogers/Harold Green: 31 (Marcus had 17 in his first season. Great shot at leaving with this record)
At the current time, these are all the records that I can think of that are actually listed on the ramps at Williams-Brice, and have a chance to be broken. If any of you can think of others, please feel free to post them in response to this thread. Suffice to say, by the time he leaves, Spurrier's players will have almost COMPLETELY re-written the record books, and not just with offensive players.
Eric Norwood has taken his place as career sack leader and tackles for loss, and as previously mentioned, I believe Ingram has a realistic shot at the single-season sack record. Let's not forget a certain #7 that has three years in a Gamecock uniform ahead of him as well.
New Decorations at Williams-Brice
Speaking of items that are on the walls of Williams-Brice Stadium, there's something new this season for everyone to enjoy. Isn't it beautiful?
I hope that after this season, we'll have to find room for a couple more, if you get my drift.
Credit Where Credit's Due
All this talk about records being broken has prompted me to make a point about a certain coach that has caused a fair amount of controversy on this board; Steve Spurrier, Jr.
I don't believe it is a coincidence that Jr. has coached what will turn out to be 3 of the top 4 receivers in USC history during his tenure here, and who knows what lies ahead in terms of what he will eventually accomplish here. Sure, having players like Sidney Rice and Alshon Jeffery helps, as they are indeed special talents. That having been said, that applies across the board to every coach that ever existed. Jr. has managed to get these guys to USC, and has 'coached them up' to the tune of record-shattering numbers. It also shouldn't go without being pointed out that Kenny McKinley had played QB his entire career until he showed up at USC and was switched to WR.
Added to that, I understand that the jury is still out on Jr.'s prowness as a recruiting coordinator, but the early returns are extremely positive, as we have our class largely wrapped a month before the first kickoff of the season, and it's filled with players with impressive offer lists. This will serve to allow us to focus on the few high-priority targets remaining on the board, as well as get us a head-start on the 2013 class.
Until Next Time...
I'm headed out for a lengthy business trip this week, so the next installment of Random Thoughts should be after the ECU game in Charlotte. Until then, rest well at night with the knowledge that we have probably the most talented roster every to grace our media guide, and the coaches with the correct mixture of skill and experience to guide these players where they need to go.
We'll need some luck along the way; all championship teams do. Championship teams, however, tend to make their own luck with practice, preparation, and hustle. I think we've got a group of guys who can get it done.
See you in Charlotte. Go 'Cocks!
This post was edited on 8/8 1:26 PM by Impala_SS_Cock
Then, once you've exhausted all of the professionally written articles and the great multimedia, I'll be along to post my 'man on the street' view of a Saturday afternoon on the sidelines of a USC football game, usually along with a few photos. I've realy enjoyed doing this for the past 3 years, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do it again.
I had the opportunity to head out to media day to assist with some of the goings-on there, and I wanted to pass on a few quick stories and observations I gathered.
First, some quick-hitters from media day
- Tanner McEvoy was one of the first players I shot a photo of. We were giving the guys the choice of either standing of kneeling for their photo, and I asked Tanner which he preferred. He looked me straight in the eye and said, 'I don't know. I'm a pretty photogenic guy, so either one will work out.' I got a great laugh out of that. Nothing wrong with a kid having confidence.
McEvoy is a well put-together kid. If he can come along on his fundamentals and mental aspect of the game, he has the look of a kid who has all the physical tools.
- Corey Addison grinned ear-to-ear the whole time I talked to him. He seems to be a kid who's just happy to be where he is, and is enjoying every minute of it. I really enjoyed speaking with him. After his photos were shot, he asked me if he could take a shot with him in the Heisman pose. I obliged. I said, 'You're thinking positive here, man. How many defensive guys have won that trophy?'
He laughed and said, 'No worries. We're making a comeback.'
- I spent some time talking with Fullback Dalton Wilson. He mentioned that he's eager to get back to going all-out at practice, and reclaiming his #1 spot. He's finally healthy and ready to go full bore. He mentioned that in his eyes, Antonio Allen is by far the most difficult defender to block during blitz pickups because he's strong enough to run over you, but agile enough to run around you. When asked who hits the hardest on Defense, he said that Rodney Paulk consistently arrives with bad intentions and can lay the wood.
- Antonio Allen was another kid who was a joy to speak with. I mentioned his breakout year last season, and that we're hoping for big things from him this season. He told me that about halfway through last season, the light really came on for him, and he spent the second half 'just playing' and not spending so much time thinking. He's excited about this season and feels as though he has the mental aspect of the Defense down.
- Melvin Ingram seems to be an all business guy. Very serious, not clowning around, just going about his business doing what he has to do. As he was getting into position for me to shoot his photo, I was trying to make some small talk to try to loosen him up a bit. I said, 'OK, Mr. Ingram. How many sacks do you have for me this season.'
Without any hint of a smile, he said, 'I've got you about 15.'
'15?' I said. 'I'll take that right now and be VERY happy with it!'
'Well, I'm going to get it done,' he said.
With that I shot several photos of him, he shook my hand, thanked me, and walked away.
Now, we all know that 15 sacks is a very lofty goal, as our school record is 10, held by Andrew Provence. Improving on the school record by 50% would be an astounding feat. On the other hand, when you think about the fact that he had 9 sacks last year, plus the addition of some high-end talent to the DL, I don't think it's far-fetched at all for there to be talk about Melvin getting 10+, beating out Provence, and putting his name on the ramp in Williams-Brice for single season sack record-holder.
Predicting the Future
- There are some other names on the ramps of Williams-Brice that could very well be changing over the next couple of years. They are (all following numbers are from the 2011 Football Media Guide):
Most Wins in Single Season (Coach): Joe Morrison, 10
Most Wins in Career (Coach): Rex Enright, 64 (SOS is 20 behind, and could cut that number by 10 or more this season)
Career Receiving Yards: Kenny McKinley, 2,781 (Alshon is 501 yards behind, and should pass Kenny in the first half of this season)
Career Receptions: Kenny McKinley, 207 (Alshon is 73 off that mark, and grabbed 88 last year)
Career TD Receptions: Sidney Rice, 23 (Alshon is 8 back with 15. He caught 9 last season)
Career Total Offense: Todd Ellis, 9,351 (Garcia, currently at 7,362 is only 1,989 yards behind)
Career Passing: Todd Ellis, 9,953 (Garcia is at 6,753, and has a very realistic chance at passing Todd)
Career Pass Completions: Steve Taneyhill, 753 (Garcia is 225 away, and completed 224 last season)
Career Touchdown Passes: Steve Taneyhill, 62 (Garcia has 43, 19 back)
Career Points Scored: Collin Mackie, 330 (Marcus set a single-season pts. record last season with 114. If he plays only 3 years, he has an outside shot at walking away with this record)
Career Rushing TDs: George Rogers/Harold Green: 31 (Marcus had 17 in his first season. Great shot at leaving with this record)
At the current time, these are all the records that I can think of that are actually listed on the ramps at Williams-Brice, and have a chance to be broken. If any of you can think of others, please feel free to post them in response to this thread. Suffice to say, by the time he leaves, Spurrier's players will have almost COMPLETELY re-written the record books, and not just with offensive players.
Eric Norwood has taken his place as career sack leader and tackles for loss, and as previously mentioned, I believe Ingram has a realistic shot at the single-season sack record. Let's not forget a certain #7 that has three years in a Gamecock uniform ahead of him as well.
New Decorations at Williams-Brice
Speaking of items that are on the walls of Williams-Brice Stadium, there's something new this season for everyone to enjoy. Isn't it beautiful?
I hope that after this season, we'll have to find room for a couple more, if you get my drift.
Credit Where Credit's Due
All this talk about records being broken has prompted me to make a point about a certain coach that has caused a fair amount of controversy on this board; Steve Spurrier, Jr.
I don't believe it is a coincidence that Jr. has coached what will turn out to be 3 of the top 4 receivers in USC history during his tenure here, and who knows what lies ahead in terms of what he will eventually accomplish here. Sure, having players like Sidney Rice and Alshon Jeffery helps, as they are indeed special talents. That having been said, that applies across the board to every coach that ever existed. Jr. has managed to get these guys to USC, and has 'coached them up' to the tune of record-shattering numbers. It also shouldn't go without being pointed out that Kenny McKinley had played QB his entire career until he showed up at USC and was switched to WR.
Added to that, I understand that the jury is still out on Jr.'s prowness as a recruiting coordinator, but the early returns are extremely positive, as we have our class largely wrapped a month before the first kickoff of the season, and it's filled with players with impressive offer lists. This will serve to allow us to focus on the few high-priority targets remaining on the board, as well as get us a head-start on the 2013 class.
Until Next Time...
I'm headed out for a lengthy business trip this week, so the next installment of Random Thoughts should be after the ECU game in Charlotte. Until then, rest well at night with the knowledge that we have probably the most talented roster every to grace our media guide, and the coaches with the correct mixture of skill and experience to guide these players where they need to go.
We'll need some luck along the way; all championship teams do. Championship teams, however, tend to make their own luck with practice, preparation, and hustle. I think we've got a group of guys who can get it done.
See you in Charlotte. Go 'Cocks!
This post was edited on 8/8 1:26 PM by Impala_SS_Cock
