It has been days, and still the decision to not include Landon Donovan in the US National team going to Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup is a talking point.
As I have talked with fans and players alike, and read more than a few articles - some rather fire-breathing - I must admit I am more confused than when the discussion began, but I do know a few things more than when I wrote my first article - enough that I felt it worth another piece.
Before I go into that, though, I want to say that I have no direct knowledge of Landon Donovan or Jurgen Klinsmann, or anyone involved with the current US National Team program, so everything you see here is me doing as you probably are - sifting through various facts and details that are not continuous and contiguous. In fact, the quotes below are from the ESPN "Inside: US Soccer's March to Brazil" and therefore are not directly in context of "Why was Donovan left off the team."
I am going to break these into two groups of themes. The first group will continue where I left off in my previous article - possible reasons for Klinsmann's decision. The second group will touch on the concerns I am left with after evaluating the first group.
But I want to highlight something - I learned a long time ago not to make concrete judgments about a coach, certainly not without being in the middle of the practices and training sessions, and with the coaching background that professional coaches have, and with an intimate knowledge of the players themselves.
That comes from seeing things at the local level in Dallas (six different head coaches over nineteen seasons) and from the Korea and Germany World Cups, as well as various other matches in the US. Time and again, things impacted the way the teams played that there simply was no way to see from the outside. This may very well be another one of those times.
The Arguments For The Decision
Not a lot has changed in the public reasons for leaving Donovan off the roster, but certainly the vitriol has risen. Throw in Donovan scoring MLS goals 135 and 136 - breaking the record for most goals by a player in league history - and you have a cauldron of discussion all across the Twitterverse, Facebook and the internet.
But we do seem to have more details fleshed out for what I break into three different reasons why Donovan may have been left off the roster.
Grit?
It is probably unfair, but Donovan has been dogged by complaints that he hasn't shown consistent, professional grit - specifically, he hasn't taken on the challenge of European football and found a way to stick. I have always felt that this is unfair in large part because what it takes to make it to be a professional athlete is amazing - the physical work, the skill work, the mentality. It takes monumental grit to get to where Donovan has been in MLS and for the US.
But in this moment, the past doesn't matter. What matters is does (the player in question) have the (specific variable) to help the US National Team succeed in the toughest group in the 2014 FIFA World Cup?
And in this situation, does Donovan have the grit to keep pace with Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey?
"We have to know what it means to compete at the highest level," Bradley said in the aforementioned ESPN piece. "We have to be a group that is ready to stick together and fight like a bunch of warriors together for 90 minutes."
"I've always been taken by athletes who aren't necessarily the best, the most skillful, the most talented players, but the ones who know what it means to compete and fight."
Chemistry?
I can't even say I know anything about this topic other than I know it is an open question. Considering the waves of support Donovan has been getting, from all over the place including public statements from players like Bradley and goalkeeper Tim Howard, I am tempted to say this is the least likely of the three, but there is enough there that I feel it must be mentioned.
"When we get to Brazil, those three games, the biggest thing is going to be our togetherness," Tim Howard said, again from the ESPN piece. "All the rest of it, we will have done. We will have done all the running, our lungs will be filled, we'll have the strength. Its going to be the togetherness."
Burn Out?
This is another topic that there really is no way to know from the outside, but is Landon Donovan able to play at a high level, consistently? He took a sabbatical for a reason, and clearly credit should be given to him for recognizing that and going and doing it. And you have to admit, he looked rather strong Sunday night. But one quote struck me the most from the ESPN piece, and this is probably the one that is most on point and most germane to the conversation. Of all the quotes, this one is clearly in context.
"Jurgen has made it clear to me that he needs me to be consistent and performing, "Donovan said. "Sometimes its a little difficult for me. I can't train 12 straight days in a row and have 12 straight great days in a row. Physically, its not possible. My body breaks down, I'm getting older."
"I want to make sure that when I get to camp in May that I'm performing at my absolute best."
And that is probably the ultimate question - was he?
Arguments Against
But I am left with some lingering questions. Ultimately, while the reasons above may give why he isn't a first choice starter, I - and I think most who question the decision - can't seem to shake the feeling that he still has a lot more to bring to the team than players who are less experienced, less well-rounded, less skilled or less athletic. I am not going to name names, but I think we all know different players that those terms could apply to.
And here is where I get uneasy, because when you look at the successes of the US national team in the World Cup, so much of it leans on depth, where being able to play a fresh player is the difference between getting out of a group or not.
My most vivid moment of me learning "I know not what the coach should do" was the USA-Portugal match in 2002. I happened into some information before the game - that Claudio Reyna, Earnie Stewart and Clint Mathis were not going to be available for the game. I was floored. We were scared enough of the Golden Generation of Portugal as it was - don't take away our No. 10 and two of the best players on the roster too!
But then, the game that awoke a soccer nation happened, with a certain Landon Donovan playing an integral role. This was the youthful, inexperienced, but supremely talented kid that coach Bruce Arena had force fed minutes throughout the post-qualification process. It seemed almost every match in preparation for Korea included significant time for Donovan, and it paid off in spades. Of course, it wasn't just Donovan that day, but he surely was a big part.
So on one hand, I want to give Klinsmann the benefit of the doubt as so often, it has been made clear to me that coaching professional soccer is a high art and no amount of research will make Monday Morning Centerbacking effective. I know I had a lot of doubts about the young Landon Donovan as Arena kept giving him game after game after game in the lead up to 2002.
But I can't help think that after we have played Ghana, and gotten a result, that in the next two games - massive matches against the Nos. 2 and 3 teams in the world - being able to start Donovan would bring more to the table than to start someone who currently has zero World Cup experience, someone who doesn't bring the range of skill or athleticism or experience playing alongside Dempsey, Bradley, etc.
Personally, I don't think it was Donovan over the youthful players. I *think* it was other players that Klinsmann believes will be a better part of the overall unit, come off the bench strong when asked to, not start and still be ready to go 100% when his name is called, whether it is because of a perception of a drop in form of Donovan, or whether it is the up and down nature of his ability over the last years, or ultimately is it this - a perception that Donovan wants to be the lead dog, isn't any more, and like many many many other former greats, isn't able to make that transition that other players in the US kit have to a smaller role.
And only time will tell whether Klinsmann got it right. I do maintain my somewhat blind faith in a coaching staff that is that professional, has that experience, including World Cup experience. I am sure he has sounded out some in his his leadership cadre and gotten their take on whether Donovan should be in the 23, and has more than just personal reasons for keeping one of the greatest players to ever wear the US kit out of this World Cup.
But after more than a few days to marinate on this, I can't shake a feeling of unease that maybe we over-emphasized certain issues at the expense of the overall equation - that the World Cup is a grind of epic proportions, and in this World Cup, the US faces a tougher group than they have ever faced, and a player of Donovan's ability and experience can be managed into a situation where he is a motivated, energized part of a collective heartbeat that can get the all important results against Portugal or Germany, or if the US finds a way to advance, against its opponent in the Round of 16.
And if not, is that a reflection of Donovan, or Klinsmann?
Monday, May 26, 2014
Friday, May 23, 2014
Landon Donovan
After reflection, more on Landon Donovan
So we are less than 24 hours since the surprise absence of Landon Donovan from the roster for the US National Team going to the World Cup in Brazil, but the internet has been all abuzz about it and it seems some thoughts have been fleshed out. How abuzz? My college football Twitter list has been buried in it.
We know he still has talent, skill and athleticism, as well as a wealth of experience. Many are arguing that surely, he is an asset to any World Cup squad. And that is all very true.
Others have pointed out the up-and-down nature of his game over the last few years and asked if he is motivated enough to go through the grind that is a World Cup tournament, especially one as difficult as the group stage the US is facing - Germany, Portugal and the US nemesis the last few World Cups, Ghana.
But a LOT of the emotion that is coming to support Landon seems to be,"But he DESERVES it."
And here is where I think we can draw some distinctions.
US fans, we absolutely, totally, and completely owe him our thanks. A thousand times over. From the greatness of Suwon to the game against Algeria, and so many times in between, he provided something that the US needed to raise itself from the bowels of the international soccer world. Without him, we do not upset Portugal in the 2002 World Cup, or beat Mexico that same tournament. We maybe don't qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Or 2010. And the amazing moments in South Africa in 2010 - against Slovenia, and Algeria - do not happen without his unique skill set.
And frankly, that doesn't touch on hundreds of other games in between that also added to the credibility of the USA as a soccer nation.
But this isn't about thanks. That is what a farewell tour is for. Go see him play for the Los Angeles Galaxy and make him a sign if you want to thank him (and seriously, go do that. I am not being snarky or sarcastic when I say that - he deserves to see that). This is about the World Cup, a grind of a tournament like no other.
The USA has never faced a more athletic, skilled, talented, or experienced group of teams in the World Cup. FIFA rankings - Germany, 2; Portugal 3; Ghana technically 38th, but we know they are better than that, having made the Round of 16 in 2006 and the Quarterfinals in 2010. So the US is going to need its very best players performing at their very best, and the group as a whole performing as a cohesive unit to even have a reasonable showing, let alone get out of the group.
And where does Landon Donovan fit in that?
Considering his last three years, not real cleanly. His talent, his skill, his athleticism and his experience is not to be denied. But is he ready to go through the grind - and not just go through it, but lead and succeed?
This is where I think Jurgen Klinsmann is headed with his exclusion of Donovan. That a player with that level of experience will be expected to lead from the front, and if Donovan isn't ready to pick up the baton and run with it, maybe it isn't best for the group that he be there?
Personally, I don't know. I am like many - an outsider trying to make sense of it all. But from this particular cheap seat, I see a player who is tired, who has done his bit for King and Country, and as such deserves our respect and thanks, but who simply isn't ready to go back into the meat grinder that is a World Cup tournament.
So thank you, Landon Donovan, for a thousand things you have done to improve this soccer nation. Know that every step of success the USA has going forward is heavily influenced by your efforts, your passion, your personality. We are better for it.
But that does not equate to a spot on the World Cup roster, harsh as that might seem. You see, you did it - you helped us grow up. Being one of the 23 best players from your country is no longer good enough to make the World Cup roster. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.
Go HERE for Part II as this story just doesn't seem to want to go away...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for joining me here at Implausible Dreams. Continue reading about soccer at The Red Book.
So we are less than 24 hours since the surprise absence of Landon Donovan from the roster for the US National Team going to the World Cup in Brazil, but the internet has been all abuzz about it and it seems some thoughts have been fleshed out. How abuzz? My college football Twitter list has been buried in it.
We know he still has talent, skill and athleticism, as well as a wealth of experience. Many are arguing that surely, he is an asset to any World Cup squad. And that is all very true.
Others have pointed out the up-and-down nature of his game over the last few years and asked if he is motivated enough to go through the grind that is a World Cup tournament, especially one as difficult as the group stage the US is facing - Germany, Portugal and the US nemesis the last few World Cups, Ghana.
But a LOT of the emotion that is coming to support Landon seems to be,"But he DESERVES it."
And here is where I think we can draw some distinctions.
US fans, we absolutely, totally, and completely owe him our thanks. A thousand times over. From the greatness of Suwon to the game against Algeria, and so many times in between, he provided something that the US needed to raise itself from the bowels of the international soccer world. Without him, we do not upset Portugal in the 2002 World Cup, or beat Mexico that same tournament. We maybe don't qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Or 2010. And the amazing moments in South Africa in 2010 - against Slovenia, and Algeria - do not happen without his unique skill set.
And frankly, that doesn't touch on hundreds of other games in between that also added to the credibility of the USA as a soccer nation.
But this isn't about thanks. That is what a farewell tour is for. Go see him play for the Los Angeles Galaxy and make him a sign if you want to thank him (and seriously, go do that. I am not being snarky or sarcastic when I say that - he deserves to see that). This is about the World Cup, a grind of a tournament like no other.
The USA has never faced a more athletic, skilled, talented, or experienced group of teams in the World Cup. FIFA rankings - Germany, 2; Portugal 3; Ghana technically 38th, but we know they are better than that, having made the Round of 16 in 2006 and the Quarterfinals in 2010. So the US is going to need its very best players performing at their very best, and the group as a whole performing as a cohesive unit to even have a reasonable showing, let alone get out of the group.
And where does Landon Donovan fit in that?
Considering his last three years, not real cleanly. His talent, his skill, his athleticism and his experience is not to be denied. But is he ready to go through the grind - and not just go through it, but lead and succeed?
This is where I think Jurgen Klinsmann is headed with his exclusion of Donovan. That a player with that level of experience will be expected to lead from the front, and if Donovan isn't ready to pick up the baton and run with it, maybe it isn't best for the group that he be there?
Personally, I don't know. I am like many - an outsider trying to make sense of it all. But from this particular cheap seat, I see a player who is tired, who has done his bit for King and Country, and as such deserves our respect and thanks, but who simply isn't ready to go back into the meat grinder that is a World Cup tournament.
So thank you, Landon Donovan, for a thousand things you have done to improve this soccer nation. Know that every step of success the USA has going forward is heavily influenced by your efforts, your passion, your personality. We are better for it.
But that does not equate to a spot on the World Cup roster, harsh as that might seem. You see, you did it - you helped us grow up. Being one of the 23 best players from your country is no longer good enough to make the World Cup roster. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.
Go HERE for Part II as this story just doesn't seem to want to go away...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for joining me here at Implausible Dreams. Continue reading about soccer at The Red Book.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
The Red Book - My articles about Dallas Soccer, including FC Dallas and MLS Rankings
This is a collection of my writing about FC Dallas for MLSSoccer.com and 3rd Degree/Dallas Morning News. If you want to keep up with the articles I am doing, you can bookmark this post as I plan on keeping them current with the most recent at the top. You can also go to these pages for my MLSSoccer.com/KevinLindstrom and 3rd Degree/Dallas Morning News/Kevin Lindstrom pages.
Most Recent
Well, it was a great experience last year, and as I can, I will try to update with links to all of the articles I did for MLSSoccer.com last season and this past off-season, but the editors there have said they want to find someone currently in the field - which makes a lot of sense. As such, I am not writing for MLSSoccer.com as their regular beat writer covering FC Dallas.
Thanks to all for their feedback and readership. I am proud of the work I did, and thankful to the editors who worked to make some of my rough edges a little less rough. I wish them the best and think they have done well with their current writer, Scott Sidway (@ScottyWK).
I am currently having to figure out next steps for me. It was fun, I think I provided something people enjoyed reading and brought a unique perspective to things, but it also was a larger time commitment than I preferred and, oddly, at the same time, felt I could have done more. I also struggled a little with direction (as all writers and editors do)....
So I will leave it at this - read the other sources listed below, as well as Scott, and know that I am very glad to have been a part of things in 2014.
Also, this is the 2014 season in review I did for FC Dallas - I think it is a good ender for this chapter of The Red Book:
FC Dallas - 2014 Season in Review
Other Sources
I also recommend the following websites for other
coverage on the best-covered MLS club(*).
FC Dallas (Official)
3rd Degree/Dallas Morning News (Original greatness)
BigDSoccer (More recent greatness)
I have an overall soccer links page that needs updating, but here is the current version.
(*) (by leaps and bounds, and certainly not because of my involvement, although I will always strive to make sure I am pulling my own weight)
Other past MLS Power Rankings:
Other past articles about FC Dallas:
FC Dallas 3, Colorado 1 (Match Recap) - Mauro Diaz gets first start since injury, team continues to win
FC Dallas also hosted a Special Olympics match between Special Olympics Texas and Special Olympics Colorado. Well done to all involved. Here is my match recap, as well as the one FC Dallas did for the game.
I recently posted a peice discussing the effect of Sunday night's win over Chivas USA and the way next weekend sets up for the team.
Akindele, team growth key for Dallas in first road win in almost four months
Castillo, Escobar, others back for FC Dallas
I had previously written where FC Dallas is in its season and where it might be going.
ADVISORY
- I am working on a piece for MLSSoccer.com that another space-clearing
roster move is coming for FC Dallas. I will send it out once it is
official. Official story - Thomas Placed on Season Ending Injury List, Other moves in the works
FC Dallas also hosted a Special Olympics match between Special Olympics Texas and Special Olympics Colorado. Well done to all involved. Here is my match recap, as well as the one FC Dallas did for the game.
I recently posted a peice discussing the effect of Sunday night's win over Chivas USA and the way next weekend sets up for the team.
Akindele, team growth key for Dallas in first road win in almost four months
Castillo, Escobar, others back for FC Dallas
I had previously written where FC Dallas is in its season and where it might be going.
With the recent trade of Andrew Jacobson, here are a few ideas as well as the article for MLSSoccer.com.
Starting with Vancouver, FC Dallas treating remaining games "Like Playoff Games" FC Dallas 5, Carolina Railhawks 2 Match Recap (Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Quarterfinals) | FC Dallas Offense Goes In Full Throttle | US Open Cup Preview
Pareja, "I'm going to take this game very personally" and FC Dallas suffers another first half red card, ends May without a win
Background
So back in April of 2014, I was presented with another Implausible Dream - writing for MLSSoccer.com covering FC Dallas. Why yes, I will have that!
On top of that, this season I started back up doing my MLS Power Rankings for 3rd Degree, now the soccer blog for the Dallas Morning News.
The writing for MLSSoccer.com is a great experience. My college degree was in Journalism, and one of my most favorite life experiences was travelling to the College World Series to cover the Texas A&M Aggies, so getting back to writing about sports is exciting, especially now that it is covering FC Dallas and MLS.
I am pretty excited about getting back to the Rankings as well, as I originally started doing Power Rankings back in 1996. Even when I was on staff with FC Dallas, I continued to do them, although they weren't published. I just did it as an exercise to keep me in touch with the league.
Things are still going well with the Lindstrom Law Firm. Well enough that I have time to do these other things and still have a great life with Janice and Kyle.
Why "The Red Book"?
By the way, why The Red Book? Just continuing my Rush-theme, from Distant Early Warning, "Take a page from The Red Book and keep them in your sights."
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
A few comments about supporters culture and USA v. Mexico
USA v. Mexico - Crew Stadium - September 10, 2013
So tonight
our brothers and sisters in arms march into Crew Stadium – what has become a
horror house for opposing teams, especially Mexico, in large part due to the
efforts of said brothers and sisters in arms. Here are a few notes and a request as it relates to tonight's festivities.
It all began
in 1994 with Mark Spacone and what became Sam’s Army. That develop through the
Major League Soccer supporters groups, survived the debacle that was France ’98,
and had continued until the Hexagonal round of the 2002 World Cup qualifying.
La
Primera
It was
February 28, 2001. The US was playing Mexico in the opening game of the round,
at home, with a complete lack of history of a home field advantage against
their neighbors to the south.
Once again,
the Original House that Uncle Lamar Built stepped to the fore to start a new
chapter of US soccer history. After opening in 1999 as the first ever First
Division-level soccer specific facility in the US, it now was going to be the
USSF’s first effort at a true-blue home-field advantage.
As history
showed – and will show again tonight – the answer was a dramatic YES!
Not only did
the team win the game in dramatic fashion, but they did it in front of a loud,
boisterous fan-base that stood and screamed its support throughout the match
despite the freezing temperatures.
Dos A
Cero
The 2-0
scoreline became “Dos A Cero” – a chant that was solidified that following
World Cup when the US once again beat Mexico, this time on the biggest of
stages by the same score. Oddly enough, it continued when once again the US won
their home Hexagonal qualifier, against Mexico, in Columbus, by the score of
2-0 not only in 2005, but also in 2009.
That is
three games, four years apart, against the same opponent at the same venue.
How can you
not predict a 2-0 scoreline again tonight?
Especially
when by all appearances, this will be the largest US supporters section to ever
see USA-Mexico?
Massive
Growth
Spurred by
the continued growth of the game (broadcast NBC for the EPL, hello!), MLS and
the success of the team, and salvaged by the emergence of a new supporters
group, the American Outlaws, support for the US has continued to build
geometrically, with some truly fascinating showings of late. The largest in
recent times was the Gold Cup match in Seattle where a massively pro-US crowd
of 41,000 showed the world that El Norteamericanos were no longer just an
emerging supporters culture, but was able to be as strong as any in the world.
Tonight
So this is
your background for tonight’s game. If you are there, soak it in as this is one
of those truly unique moments in time, and is automatically historic. As
historic as the crazy game against Costa Rica in Denver earlier this year, or
the US fans who have traveled to Azteca or the World Cups – especially 2002 and
beyond. Make the most of it.
I know many
of you there, and wish you the best. Obviously, I wish I could be there with
you, but I have one of the newest fans of the US to nurture as he just turned
four weeks old…. I am asking you to remember that it is the shirt first, our
brothers and sisters second, and nomenclature last. Do whatever is necessary to
make sure the boys on the field have no doubt how much love and belief there is
for them in the stadium!
Upcoming Articles
Kyle updates
After the Aggie-Bearkats game last Saturday, a preview of the Texas A&M v. Alabama game.
Upcoming Articles
Kyle updates
After the Aggie-Bearkats game last Saturday, a preview of the Texas A&M v. Alabama game.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Aggies v. Bearkats - the last warm-up before the Game of the Year
Big entry today – lots of stuff
about this Texas A&M team, especially with no update since the demolishing
of Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl…
As we are on the doorstep of the
second game before what will no doubt be one of the key games of the 2013
college football season – September 14, 2013, Texas A&M hosting the Alabama
Crimson Tide in a rematch of their epic 2012 battle, a game that was the Tide’s
lone blemish on another national championship season.
That game had a series of
interesting pre-conditions. ‘Bama had just played their “game of the year”
against LSU, beating the Tigers in Death Valley with an amazing comeback
victory. The Aggies were upstart success stories in the SEC – but surely not
good enough to beat Alabama on their home field.
But in what was the coup de gras
of an amazing season for the Aggies, a complete team effort, led by a motivated
Johnny Manziel and fueled by a smash-and-grab first quarter, did just that –
defeated the undefeatable. For the
Tide’s sake, it did not cost them a shot at the national title, much to the
chagrin of many outside the SEC, but it took Oregon losing to Stanford at home
and Kansas State being beaten by Baylor to make it happen.
As for the Aggies, they went on
to see their redshirt freshman quarterback win the school’s second Heisman
Trophy. Combined with a crushing defeat of Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, what
began as a perfect storm ended with just about a perfect season: filled with
success, but just enough room for improvement that there was hope for raising
the bar in 2013.
Manziel, the 2013 Offseason
and August 31, 2013
Of course, the off-season was
anything but simple – the actions and antics of its quarterback led to much ado
about nothing in many cases, but much ado about (probably) something in two
instances – the Manning Quarterback Camp and autograph-gate. And then you had
last week’s game against Rice and the taunting penalty.
So quick thoughts on all that.
First, the vast majority of it is stuff I attribute to the rare situation of a
*returning* Heisman Trophy winner, who just happens to have the money and
brashess to spend it living life to the fullest. All the talk of how he was out
on the town at sporting events, etc. – put the can of jealousy down and slowly
back away, people.
Second, though… The Manning Camp
– that was a professional situation that Manziel let get away from him. That is
something that does not reflect well on him or the school. Don’t take the
position if you aren’t going to treat it as seriously as you do playing for
A&M, please.
Third, the whole autograph thing.
I have my opinions on what happened, but like many others, it is just an
opinion - with no facts to back it up. I will say this, though – that sure
wasn’t an example of avoiding the appearance of impropriety. Here is another
place where Manziel could have done himself and the school a huge favor by
thinking and making smart decisions.
As for the Rice aftermath, I
don’t read as much into things as most seem to be. An ultra-competitive guy was
goaded into mouthing off. Clearly, the Rice players (plural) weren’t just
standing there holding hands, but at some point, where are his teammates to get
him back to the sidelines?
A Current Conclusion on
Manziel
I do find myself seeing a lot of
irony in people who lauded Michael Jordan for being hyper-competitive and one
of the biggest trash talkers in the game ripping Manziel for giving a little
lip to a team he was cutting up like tissue paper that had the audacity to try
to get under his skin. Not knowing what was said, I have no idea if he went too
far. Seeing how Sumlin reacted, my thought is that he did go too far. On the
other hand, don’t we think we’re blowing the mistake a bit out of perspective
when people are talking about not voting for the guy who was hands-down the
best in the game last year because he got a 15-yard taunting penalty?
Oh, there is the issue of
autograph-gate. And I can see some people not voting for him because of that,
and I don’t entirely blame them. The situation smells like a guy who got away
with something that he engineered to get away with from the beginning. It
doesn’t sit well with me, especially considering that as Aggies, we have so much
going for us in terms of the opportunity to shine in a new spotlight. Why take
the risk?
But at the end of the day, the
process was followed, and a decision made and agree to and all parties moved
on, so that is the end of it. Enough. Back to football.
Reviewing the Rice game and
looking at September 7, 2013
And so we look now at Sam
Houston. This is a very strong FCS side. Strong enough to make the championship
game the last two years. And one that gave the Aggie second unit fits in the
second half of last season’s matchup, especially the defense. This will be a
strong test – not in the “they might lose” sense, but rather in the “bring your
best every play or you will get embarrassed or hurt or both” sense. (Sorry
Janice, I can’t say with seriousness that your Bearkats can win… not unless the
Aggies just really throw up all over themselves….)
It should prove another good
“walk-thru” for the Aggies, and a chance at redemption for a defensive unit
that really dropped its shorts the week before against the Owls. Make no
mistake, Rice is better than people gave it credit, and when the Aggie defense
played the way they did, I was not surprised that they got carved up. And Sam
Houston will do the same thing if the A&M defense doesn’t shore up its
gaps.
As for the offense, it will also
be a good challenge – a final sharpening of the knife, so to speak. I don’t
know about you, but personally I was very impressed with the offensive line
against the Owls. I mean, we knew going into it that the wide receivers were
going to be good and the running backs were arguably the deepest pool of talent
in the SEC. But an offensive line that lost the best in the game last year
looked like its old 2012 self by the second quarter despite the new faces.
Thank you to the Matthews family!
Am I too much of a geek for
getting excited about our punter? Goodness-gracious, that kid can drop the ball
wherever he wants. What a weapon, especially against a team like Alabama! And
certainly, seeing the other parts of the special teams (for the most part) play
well was a great sight to see.
But make no mistake – Alabama is
going to look to punch the Aggies in the mouth first this time, and it will be
up to the defense to take that blow. The nice thing is they have some of their
own challenges as evidenced by struggles in their only tune-up for the big game
against Virginia Tech, but I am afraid that most of that was due to the
strength of Tech’s defense, not Alabama’s weakness. And either way you slice
it, the fact is that the Aggie defense is not as strong as Tech’s. The ability
to slow Alabama down will be what decides the game, not the ‘Bama defense
against Manziel.
And another reason I was glad to
see the Aggie success on special teams? The way the Alabama special teams units
flat out embarrassed VT’s vaunted unit. For those paying attention, you know
that Tech has had a great reputation in that area of the game, and against the
Tide, they were shown the door. I will tell you right now, the Aggies are going
to need every ounce of success via the special teams units they can get.
The Big Picture
Why is this game so big? Because
it is one of a very, very small handful of games that Alabama might lose. And
the same can be said of the Aggies. (Eight home games? Really?) The winner of
this game very well could win out and play for a national title.
Both A&M and the Tide have
games against LSU and Old Miss to worry about before the SEC Championship game,
but not much else, although early returns from Auburn and Arkansas indicate
that they will not be nearly the pushovers they were last year. The Aggie do
have banana-peel games against Vanderbilt and Missouri as well, but at the end
of the day, the team strong enough to win on the 14th should be
strong enough to win out other than LSU and against the Rebels.
Either way, the 14th
is going to be one of the “Christmas for college football geeks” games.
Clearly, it is one of a handful of games – along with LSU v both of these
teams, as well as SC-Georgia, Stanford-Oregon, the SEC Championship Game,
possibly the ACC Championship Game – that will decide who plays for the
national title via the Bowl Championship system.
Quick note – do NOT underestimate
LSU. Their schedule – along with Florida’s – is atrocious, and that might
prevent them from winning the division, but those who think “oh, they lost so
many talented players on defense” forget that there is talent galore in that
program and more importantly, by the time they have to play the Big Boys, they
will have had enough games to learn their craft well enough that they can call
themselves LSU defenders with the pride that should accompany the descriptor.
The Bottom Line
There are two things that will
control the outcome of this game. The first is as described above – the Aggie
defense’s ability to slow and sometimes stop the Alabama defense. The second is
if Saban can become the first coach to stop Johnny Football from getting the
Important Third Down that he always seems to be able to get.
Seeing how competitive Manziel is
– to a fault, in some instances – I just can’t see it. His work to improve what
was already a successful passing ability in the offseason, and the clear
results you saw in certain moments against Rice, tells me that if Saban tries
to do what Sam Montgomery said had to be done to Manziel (make him a pocket
passer), his secondary, good as it is, will get eaten up.
As a reminder, here are a few
clips worth reviewing. Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 Simply put, he is that
X-Factor. How many times do you see him make plays that college football
players simply do not make? And to say he might be a touch motivated is more
than a slight understatement.
And to add to it, I don’t think
that ‘Bama has ever played in front of a crowd like the one they will face on
the 14th. No one has – because the 12th Man will never
have had as much a reason to be as hyped, as focused, as intense as they will
that day. It will be something to behold, and it will affect the game.
So I’m calling this 28-24, Aggies
over Alabama. How things play out against LSU later in the season – or the
games v. Old Miss, Vandy or Mizzu – we can discuss later. But for this game, with
a win, the Fighting Texas Aggies are going to be the best team in college
football. No reasons to dismiss, no excuses. Both teams coming into the game
with eyes wide open, no lack of awareness of each other, no reasons to be
distracted or thinking about last week or any other game. The team that has one
three of the last four national titles will fall to the team that beat them
last year. Imperfect though the Aggies (mostly on defense) might be, they will
have beaten that juggernaught twice in a calendar year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
