Remember the other day, when I said that a handful of schools hog all the big-time recruits?  Well, we're getting to see that process in action.  Florida called Mizzou soft commit Sheldon Richardson the other day, relatively out-of-the-blue, and...

"I said, 'Well, yeah, of course,'" Richardson said. "It's Florida, man. I said, 'You stand a great chance.'"

So now Richardson, the top-rated defensive tackle and the fourth-best player in the 2009 class by Rivals.com, is looking at re-arranging his visit schedule to make it to Gainesville. There is no official date set, though.

Just the way it works, I guess.  He does also reaffirm that he really does like Mizzou, though, so I guess that's something...we'll see.

Also from PowerMizzou: a decent "hot board" of remaining potential recruits and when they might be coming for a visit.

It's a Dave Matter...MAILBAG!!!

Q: Dave, do you see Gahn McGaffey [sic] being a playmaker for us next year? Any chance Kemp grows into a TE? Thanks. - Brian

A: I was impressed with McGaffie's hands and elusiveness during preseason camp. If Maclin leaves, he's a guy I'd think can make plays out of the slot both running and receiving. Could be a nice returnman, too.

As for Kemp, I think he's fine at receiver, especially considering Jones and Egnew are in place at tight end. It's all semantics anyway. Of MU's three receiver spots and tight end position, all four are interchangeable and can line up anywhere on the field.

If Mizzou does manage to ink Richardson one year after landing Blaine Gabbert, they might be in the running for a third-straight recruiting season with a 5-star recruit: they're in the running for Bishop Miege's Justin McCay, and McCay's in the running for 5 stars, at least from Scout.com...

I realize we haven't moved past the inimitable Stetson Hatters yet, but it's probably time to start getting geared up for Braggin' Rights...so we'll start by visiting the fantastic YouTube channel of dbooker34 (the ZouDave of basketball, only without the funny pics and, uhh, hot sister nevermind) for highlights of the best Braggin' Rights game ever...1993.  The audio's choppy, but a) the emotion is awesome and b) god bless the Checkerdome.

Finally, The Trib's Steve Walentik takes a look at how the change in the distance of the 3-point stripe has...not really changed too much.

Oh baby...8 degrees...20 mph winds...a layer of sleet/snow/frozen rain on the roads...this is gonna be fun...

So it was a big weekend for Mizzou Football Recruiting...not necessarily in the "hosting uncommitted recruits" sense, but in the "hosting mostly committed recruits and solidifying everybody's commitments" sense (it seems to have worked).  The only big-name, uncommitted kid in town was Ronnie Wingo, who had a "perfect" trip.  He's insisting on taking five visits, but I think there's at least a small chance that doesn't happen.  His family's on-board with Mizzou, and I'm quite optimistic about our chances whenever he decides to pull the trigger.

Chase Coffman may not get his name on the wall, but he is indeed getting a mural...

Mizzou Back to Practice links!

• Dave Matter: Tigers get back to practice

  "The coaches will give significant reps to younger players during the pre-bowl practices in Columbia. Nobody took advantage of the extended time more on Saturday than freshman quarterback Blaine Gabbert. This was really the first substantial practice time I’ve seen from Gabbert since preseason camp back in August, and other than his No. 11, not much looked the same. He zipped some fastballs downfield during 11-on-11 drills, something we didn’t see much from Gabbert during two-a-days. On one, he fired a 30-yard rope to Wes Kemp between defenders that would have gone for a touchdown."

• PowerMizzou: Gabbert takes over
• Post-Dispatch: Maclin says jump to NFL isn't a done deal yet (of course...what else is he going to say?)

Carl Gettis: future leader.

Another day, another "What a disappointing season" article from Vahe Gregorian at the Post-Dispatch, this one on Chase Daniel and the Heisman...and yes, he's not the only one writing them...but I always notice when it's him...

To basketball.  Here is a handful of Murray State wrap-up links for you...

• The Trib: A little more than they bargained for
• The Trib: [Isaac] Miles lives the dream
• The Missourian: Missouri frontcourt held in check
• The Missourian: Tigers find a way to win
• KC Star: Mizzou wins sixth straight
• Post-Dispatch: Lyons leads Missouri past pesky Murray State

Finally, for those who don't keep up with stat-nerd Ken Pomeroy and his basketball rankings, you may want to check them out.  He's sooo over the RPI, he's come up with something better, and Mizzou's #9.  Fun.  It's too early to take that too seriously, but it does show that while Mizzou has beaten up on mostly cupcakes (USC's #33, Cal #46, and Mizzou's SOS is #6 in the Big 12), they've done it in a pretty statistically sound way, which is encouraging.  Now we just need DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons to hold onto the ball, and we're really in business...

We have a long-standing rule here at Rock M Nation: win a national award, get your very own 40-comment thread, and get your own set of bullet links.  Therefore...JOHN MACKEY AWARD-WINNING CHASE COFFMAN LINKS:

• Mutigers.com: Coffman Wins John Mackey Tight End Award

  "I’m really honored by this, to win the award that says you’re the best in the nation at your position, it means a lot," said Coffman, who was in Orlando attending the show, as the guest of teammate and friend, Jeremy Maclin, who was one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award (tight ends aren’t invited to the show, but Maclin insisted that Coffman come with him anyway because he deserved it).

  "I’m really happy for my family and especially my Dad (Paul) who taught me so much about football," Coffman said. "I have to give a lot of credit to my coaches over the years, and definitely Coach (Bruce) Walker (MU tight end coach) and Coach Pinkel for giving me the opportunities they have at Mizzou. It’s an individual award, but it’s also something that our team earns, because it doesn’t happen without a great quarterback like Chase (Daniel) and our great playmakers like Jeremy (Maclin) and D-Wash (TB Derrick Washington) who draw attention away from me, and our offensive line which gives Chase time to make the throws. I hope everyone takes some satisfaction in knowing they helped make this happen," he said.

• Dave Matter: Coffman Captures Mackey Award
• KC Star: Coffman wins top tight end award
  

Wow...Dave Matter just joined the mailbag fray, and his first one is a friggin' doozy...in fact, that's right..I think it deserves the graphic...

MAILBAG!!!!

Q: Without Maclin and Coffman next year, will we have a respectable receiving corps? And what do you think about Glazer and Dalton competing with Gabbert at QB? — Roy Johnson

A: Covered the receivers question earlier. There’s not one developed No. 1 option right now. Danario Alexander would be the closest example, but I think he needs a full offseason to get back to where he was before the knee surgeries. If he can get back to where he was before the 2007 season — when he was no less impressive than Maclin in practice, it not more — than he’s the obvious No. 1 weapon. Jared Perry and Andrew Jones can be productive options, but I’d say MU needs significant production out of three or four among Jerrell Jackson, Gahn McGaffie, Wes Kemp, Mike Egnew and Rolandis Woodland.
As for the quarterbacks, I don’t think it’s fair to speculate or evaluate their potential until they’re on campus practicing side by side. Anything else would be premature and wasteful guesswork.

Journalism Bowl Alamo Bowl buzz links!

• Post-Dispatch: Gary Pinkel live from San Antonio in advance of Alamo Bowl
• The Missourian: Pinkel, Fitzgerald begin Alamo Bowl buzz
• KC Star: Northwestern coach has MU connection
• Post-Dispatch: Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald comes a long way fast (weird use of present tense there)
• Chicago Tribune: Northwestern braces for a big challenge vs Missouri

To basketball, where PowerMizzou submits the latest "They're having fun out there" article, the Post-Dispatch talks about the attention Mizzou isn't getting (fine by me), and The Trib's Steve Walentik talks about Mizzou's attendance problems.  Mizzou is 11th in the Big 12 in attendance so far, though I will say...I think the Lloyd Noble Center counts attendance the way the Hearnes Center did...no WAY is OU actually averaging 10,665 in attendance...

So...does anybody really feel a great desire to dive into the intricacies of the BTBS stats for a 52-3 win that could have been 100-3 with the starters in?  I thought not.  But there are a few things I have to point out.

Almost Perfect

After the jump, you can check out my BTBS "box score" table for the SEMO game.  In it, be sure to check out the 'close-game' stats.

• Mizzou ran 17 plays while the game was 'close' (i.e. within two possessions). 
  
• Of those 17, 15 were successful.
• Those 17 plays resulted in 17.25 EqPts.
• Anything over a 45% success rate is solid.  Mizzou's close-game success rate was 88.2%.
• Anything over a 0.50 PPP is solid.  Mizzou's close-game PPP was 1.01.
• Adding those together, anything over about a 0.950 S&P is solid.  Mizzou's close-game S&P was 1.897.
• Looking back at my 2007 stats, only one offensive performance can top Mizzou's near-perfection here: Florida put up a 92.3% close-game success rate, 1.40 close-game PPP, and 2.321 close-game S&P versus Western Kentucky last year.  F---ing Tim Tebow...always getting in Chase Daniel's way on the greatness scale...

QBs

For the game, Mizzou QBs put up the following numbers...

Chase Daniel

Passing: 88.2% / 1.07 PPP / 1.949 S&P
TOTAL: 80.6% / 0.90 PPP / 1.706 S&P

Chase Patton

Passing: 75.0% / 0.37 PPP / 1.121 S&P
TOTAL: 75.0% / 0.57 PPP / 1.321 S&P

Blaine Gabbert

Passing: 22.2% / 0.06 PPP / 0.280 S&P
TOTAL: 40.9% / 0.18 PPP / 0.589 S&P

Now...anybody who watched the game knows that Gabbert struggled more than Daniel and Patton.  But slack should be cut toward him due simply to the personnel on the field...especially on the last drive, when he was handing to Shaun Scott (who actually looked decent) and Tyrone Reece (who didn't).  In all, though, I do think it was good for Gabbert to get out the butterflies against SEMO.  Hopefully he'll get some snaps against Nevada, Buffalo, and one or two conference opponents as well.  Redshirt's off--might as well take advantage of it.

Continue reading this post »

We're back with Week Two of the Postgame Podcast.  This time with twice the content!  Listen to rptgwb, The Beef, Uribe Auction, and me talk about Mizzou's take-the-foot-off-the-gas-25-minutes-in 52-3 win over SEMO!

We're going to set up projections the same way we did for Illinois (I will not give SEMO the short shrift!), only to get enough of a sample size, I'm not going with SEMO, but with "FCS Tier 6", the estimated amalgamation of the worst FCS teams to play D1 opponents in 2007.  (I've explained this before, but basically I combined the 1-AA/FCS teams into six tiers and grouped their stats together thusly.)

So without further adieu...

Mizzou-SEMO Projections

Mizzou Rushing

• 2007 Mizzou Rushing Offense EqPts+: 178.77
• FCS Tier 6 Rushing Defense EqPts/Gm: 19.77
• Projection #1: 35.34
• FCS Tier 6 Rushing Defense EqPts+: 50.18
• 2007 Mizzou Rushing Offense EqPts/Gm: 16.21
• Projection #2: 32.30

Avg Projected Mizzou Rushing Output: 33.82

Adjusted for 2008: 28.00 (Pinkel doesn't run up the score)

Mizzou Passing

• 2007 Mizzou Passing Offense EqPts+: 149.55
• FCS Tier 6 Passing Defense EqPts/Gm: 17.32
• Projection #1: 25.90
  
• FCS Tier 6 Passing Defense EqPts+: 45.11
• 2007 Mizzou Passing Offense EqPts/Gm: 18.40
• Projection #2: 40.79
  

Avg Projected Mizzou Passing Output: 33.35

Adjusted for 2008: 28.00 (Pinkel doesn't run up the score)

SEMO Rushing

• FCS Tier 6 Rushing Offense EqPts+: 47.00
• 2007 Mizzou Rushing Defense EqPts/Gm: 8.29
• Projection #1: 3.90
• 2007 Mizzou Rushing Defense EqPts+: 151.97
• FCS Tier 6 Rushing Offense EqPts/Gm: 7.57
• Projection #2: 4.98

Projected SEMO Rushing Output: 4.44

Adjusted for 2008: 2.50 (I liked what I saw against Illinois)

SEMO Passing

• FCS Tier 6 Passing Offense EqPts+: 38.82
• 2007 Mizzou Passing Defense EqPts/Gm: 12.14
• Projection #1: 4.71
• 2007 Mizzou Passing Defense EqPts+: 141.07
• FCS Tier 6 Passing Offense EqPts/Gm: 4.44
• Projection #2: 3.15

Projected SEMO Passing Output: 3.93

Adjusted for 2008: 4.50 (are the troubles with Mizzou's Passing D enough to accidentally give up a long pass to SEMO at some point?)

--

Projected EqPts Score: Missouri 56.0, SEMO 7.0

Continue reading this post »

I doubt this one becomes as long as the typical BTBS usually is, simply because I wrote a BTBS on Illinois about three months ago, and it's not like any games have happened since then.  But I still have some things to talk about.

'+' Projections

For one thing, using '+' ratings, we can actually somewhat project some points.  How, you ask?  Simple.  The EqPts+ number simply compares a team's performance with the averages of their opponents.  So watch what we can do...

Mizzou Rushing

• Mizzou Rushing Offense EqPts+: 178.77
• Illinois Rushing Defense EqPts/Gm: 9.06
• Projection #1: 16.20
• Illinois Rushing Defense EqPts+: 165.11
• Mizzou Rushing Offense EqPts/Gm: 16.21
• Projection #2: 9.82

Avg Projected Mizzou Rushing Output: 13.01

Adjusted for 2008 personnel changes: 12.00 (I don't fear the loss of Tony Temple, but UI's D-line will be as good or better than last year's)

Mizzou Passing

• Mizzou Passing Offense EqPts+: 149.55
• Illinois Passing Defense EqPts/Gm: 9.88
• Projection #1: 14.78
  
• Illinois Passing Defense EqPts+: 87.04
• Mizzou Passing Offense EqPts/Gm: 18.40
• Projection #2: 21.14
  

Avg Projected Mizzou Passing Output: 17.96

Adjusted for 2008 personnel changes: 18.00

Illinois Rushing

• Illinois Rushing Offense EqPts+: 171.78
• Mizzou Rushing Defense EqPts/Gm: 8.29
• Projection #1: 14.24
• Mizzou Rushing Defense EqPts+: 151.97
• Illinois Rushing Offense EqPts/Gm: 17.78
• Projection #2: 11.70

Projected Illinois Rushing Output: 12.97

Adjusted for 2008 personnel changes: 11.00 (Dufrene is decent, but he's no Mendenhall...and 6 of Mizzou's front 7 return)

Illinois Passing

• Illinois Passing Offense EqPts+: 72.33
• Mizzou Passing Defense EqPts/Gm: 12.14
• Projection #1: 8.78
• Mizzou Passing Defense EqPts+: 141.07
• Illinois Passing Offense EqPts/Gm: 7.37
• Projection #2: 5.22

Projected Illinois Passing Output: 7.00

Adjusted for 2008 personnel changes: 9.00 (Mizzou's secondary returns intact, but Benn is healthy)

--

Projected EqPts Score: Missouri 30.0, Illinois 20.0

Neat, huh?  So that gives us a jumping-off point for the game.  Turnovers and special teams can certainly make up an 11-point difference, plus if the offensive line is the last thing on a team to gel, that helps Illinois, as Mizzou's O-line has further to go to gel.

Continue reading this post »

Feel it?  Feel those goosebumps?  IT'S THE FIRST GAME-WEEK OFFICIAL RELEASE OF THE YEAR.  WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

TIGER DEFENSE EXPECTED TO BE STOUT IN 2008
   The Tiger defense was young overall to begin the 2007 season, and through its 4 non-conference games to open the season, it didn’t fare all that well statistically. It allowed 435 yards and 34 points to Illinois in the season opener, and then 534 yards and 25 points at Ole Miss.
   After that point, however, Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus’ young pups really began to play well. After the rough start, the Tiger defense held their next 8 opponents under 400 yards of total offense – including sterling efforts against #25 Nebraska (297 total yards, 6 points) and #22 Texas Tech (380 yds., 10 pts.), which represented season-low yard and point totals for both. The defense closed the season with a bang, as well, as they shut down the high-powered offensive attack of Arkansas, holding the #25-ranked Razorbacks to 361 yards and just 7 points, one game after Arkansas scored 50 points to win at #1 LSU.
   Here’s a look at at where Mizzou ranked (and what it was allowing per game) in its first 4 games (all non-conference games), versus where it stood in Big 12-play (8 regular-season conference games only)…

And from fightingillini.com's release...

Illinois looks to defend its back-to-back Big Ten rushing titles as five of the top six rushers from a year ago return. The Illini will have a big hole to fill as single-season rushing leader Rashard Mendenhall (129.3 ypg) is now with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, but quarterback Juice Williams (58.1 ypg) and last year's backup Daniel Dufrene (22.6 ypg) return. Williams broke the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback for the second consecutive year and Dufrene averaged an impressive 6.3 yards per carry, including a 100-yard game in the upset of No. 1 Ohio State. Added into the mix at running back will be redshirt freshman Troy Pollard and true freshmen Jason Ford and Mikel LeShoure.

Monday PC reports:

• PowerMizzou: "A couple of more freshmen could make their debuts soon. Pinkel said that receiver Wes Kemp will definitely see action this season and safety Kenji Jackson could still lose his redshirt. Jerrell Jackson and Michael Egnew will also play at wideout."
• Dave Matter: "Buried within a long discussion of the spread offense, Pinkel offered this interesting thought: He said if the coaching staff had been as experienced with the spread offense in 2005 as much as it is now, it would have tailored more of a West Virginia-type option attack around Brad Smith. Not sure I’ve ever heard that actually verbalized by an MU coach."  (DM's also got an updated depth chart.)
  

Jeremy Maclin: stronger, faster, quicker.  THAT should give you goosebumps.

It's Like Father, Unlike Son!

Unleash the hounds!!

So what to expect on Saturday night when No. 6 Missouri opens the 2008 season against No. 20 Illinois at 7:30 in St. Louis and on ESPN?

A Missouri defense that is not making like Simple Simon.

Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is ready to unleash the hounds. Adding complexity and diabolic disguise, this Missouri defense intends to not only bark, but also bite.

“With the experience that we had coming back,” Eberflus said of a defense that returns 10 of 11 starters from the Cotton Bowl victory over Arkansas, “we were able to do a little bit more during two-a-days in terms of install. Improve on our menu in terms of what we want to pull off during the course of the season.”

Translated: Missouri will blitz left when Illinois is fearful of a rush from the right. The Tigers will make it look as if a zone is open when a defender is ready to close for an interception.

That is the way the MU defense closed out last season. That is the way it plans to start this one.

“We’ve got to give our offense the ball,” said defensive end Stryker Sulak. “Our offense is great. They do things with it.”

You can catch some nice audio Pinkel/Daniel audio goodness here.  Meanwhile, Tiger Talk had itself one heckuva crowd last night.  Too bad it's at Buffalo Wild Wings--the root of all evil--this year.

Dave Matter's got his weekly Big 12 notes.

Another day, another "the skeptics are believing" column.

The Chicago Tribune has a couple Braggin' Rights-releated articles: Illinois tries to build on last year, and Daniel standing tall at QB for Mizzou (notice in the web address it has the words "Chase Daniels Misssouri Quarterback"?  Sigh...at least a copy editor caught it in the article, I guess).

Finally, it's not Michael Snaer, but Mizzou Basketball did get its second commit of the 2009 class yesterday: 6'10 faceup PF Keith Dewitt.  This is a pretty good get.  You hope that the second big-man in the class is a bit more of a banger, but Dewitt had offers from NC State, OU, OSU, Miami-FL, Marquette, and others, so there's nothing not to like here.  Get Michael "Now With a Fifth Star!" Snaer and the aforementioned banger, and you've got yourself a pretty damn nice class, Mike Anderson.  Steve Walentik's got more.

 Mizzou's last Olympian is one more win from a medal: Linas Kleiza put up a 15 & 7 as Lithuania thumped China and moved to the semifinals.  They'll face Spain on Friday, right before the US plays Argentina.

 Practice reports!

• mutigers.com - "Senior CB Castine Bridges returned to practice after resting Tuesday, and he participated in most everything, despite donning the red injury bib still. Bridges broke up a pass intended for WR Jeremy Maclin at one point early on in 11-on-11 work. Later in the session, freshman LB Will Ebner intercepted a ball over the middle as the reserves went against each other..."
• PowerMizzou - "Chase Coffman and Danario Alexander both participated in practice with red pullovers on. They were held out of full contact drills, but both caught passes. Jared Perry is still out with a shoulder injury. Brian Coulter, whose MRI was negative according to Mizzou, was also in a pullover."
• Dave Matter (who also throws in a Jaron Baston Q&A) - "Freshman defensive end Aldon Smith practiced for the first time on Wednesday after getting clearance from the NCAA Eligibility Center on Tuesday. He lined up behind fellow freshman Marcus Malbrough on the stretch lines. It’s safe to say Smith will redshirt this season after missing the first two and a half weeks of camp."
• KC Star - "Because of injuries to Danario Alexander and Jared Perry, no position could reveal more today than receiver, where true freshmen Jarrell Jackson and Gahn McGaffie could get extra playing time."
• Post-Dispatch - "Having missed one of his main targets for a week, Chase Daniel wasted no time finding Chase Coffman during Wednesday’s practice. During 7-on-7 drills in the red zone, Daniel hit Coffman for two consecutive touchdowns, eliciting cheers from the offense. Still wearing a red jersey because of the little finger he broke two weeks ago, Coffman was held out of other drills."

 The kids, they grow up so fast...

 Here's a quick Q&A with Thurman Murman Jimmy Burge.  Meanwhile, the Missourian checks in on Wes Kemp and the P-D raves about Jerrell "Young Grasshopper" Jackson.

 MAILBAG!!!

 Finally, Ben Askren?  Still crushed.  Last time he was this down on himself was his redshirt freshman year, and he emerged from that with an eventually-unbeatable new style of wrestling.  Pretty sure he'll emerge from this in somewhat the same way, if he doesn't move on to MMA or something.  ESPN has a really nice story as well.

 As was mentioned last night, Ben Askren's first trip to the Olympics lasted two matches--he pinned Hungary's Istvan Vereb in match #1, then was dominated by Cuba's Ivan Fundora, 7-1, in match #2.  I couldn't tell how wrestling was organized, but I assumed it was something of a round robin preliminary round with three matches or something, but I guess not.  The KC Star has more.  Askren didn't take it well.

 Now to something happier...practice reports!  Danario Alexander was running routes!

• PowerMizzou: "Earl Goldsmith once again made some nice plays. He had a one-handed grab and then later snatched a near interception from Kevin Rutland. One Tiger was heard to yell, "Earl, way to save our butts!""
• Dave Matter's blog: The eight freshmen whom Pinkel identified on Monday continued to get reps with the first and second units on Tuesday. Tight end Andrew Jones worked extensively with Daniel on the first team, while Egnew was a popular target of Chase Patton and Blaine Gabbert on the second team. … Defensive end Jacquies Smith played a great deal on the second team, subbing in for redshirt freshman Michael Keck. … All three freshman receivers, Jerrell Jackson, Gahn McGaffie and Wes Kemp, were busy working with the top units. Thursday’s scrimmage will be heavy on the backups and freshmen.
• KC Star: "One of the members of the d-line came in and shoved one of our offensive linemen after the play," Fisher said. "I did the stupid thing and got involved when I shouldn’t have. It was just pushing and shoving." As he explained that, Fisher was panting from some post-practice punishment. "A thousand yards," Fisher said after running that distance.
• Post-Dispatch: "That’s all up to Rex," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. "Rex is just letting [Danario Alexander] do a little bit more work everytime. He’s doing fine. He’s a tremendous athlete . . . tremendously positive attitude. We’ll see. I’m not sure when he’ll be back. We said Nebraska, it would be great if we had him back by then . . . we very possibly could get him back earlier than that. That would be nice, not only for him, but certainly for our football team."

 With Olympic swimming & diving on TV, the Trib checked in with Jeff Wolfert to see if he was doing any reminiscing.  Wolfert's story somehow never gets old.

 How's Jacquies Smith feeling about playing as a true freshman?  PowerMizzou asked him.  (They also posted Tuesday's Top Tigers.)  And speaking of Q&A's, the Trib talked to Kenji (pronounced KEN-juh) Jackson.  (There's a new Trib Podcast up as well, btw.)

 And if that's not enough true freshman action for you, the Missourian caught up with Michael Egnew.  Oh yeah, and the KC Star took on Beau Brinkley.

 The Post-Dispatch, not knowing that it was True Freshman Tuesday, talked about LBs and comfortability.

 Football recruiting update: 4-star RB Knile Davis will be visiting at the end of September.

 Oh yeah: Aldon Smith was cleared to play.  One down, two to go.  Slowest.  Clearinghouse.  Ever.

 Finally, it looks like Michael Snaer's recruitment is going to take a bit longer.  (He's now got 5 stars, by the way.)