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Mizzou at SEC Media Days: A round of up narratives, rules changes and rivalries

Gark and Bert get into a debate about pace of play, and disrespect and rule changes dominated discussion yesterday.

By Oscar Gamble
Team Speed Kills

SEC Media Days

Mizzou Interviews at SEC Media Days [VIDEOS+Transcripts]

Gary Pinkel, Evan Boehm, Markus Golden and Maty Mauk were each interviewed today in Hoover, Alabama

Bielema, Pinkel 'fiction' comments fire up new Arkansas-Missouri rivalry - SBNation.com

"I don't know where all this started with," he said. "I just know this, okay: never once in all those years in the fastest league I think that plays football in the Big 12 did I have my team doctor, my trainer, any of my coordinators walk into my office and say, I'm concerned about the health of our football team. It didn't happen ever. Didn't happen last year or the year before. It's another form of football. I think it's great that that's another component to football and being creative.

Bret Bielema at SEC Media Days Recap: Gary Pinkel, Gus Malzahn, HUNH, Fiction Movies, Sexy Stuff, AND MORE - Arkansas Fight

Things threatened to get a bit chippy early in the day when Missouri coach Gary Pinkel dismissed the player safety argument in regards to HUNH teams as "fiction." However, unlike last year, when Gus Malzahn called it a "joke", Bielema didn't launch into an angry spiel about how serious he is. This time he just talked about how he prefers "reality-based" movies and that was that.

Pinkel, Bielema play 'Fact or Fiction?' : Sports

"It's another form of football," he said of the up-tempo style. "I think it's great that that's another component to football and being creative. But I don't buy the health issue in any way. It's never happened. No one has ever come to me all those years and said, ‘Gosh, I'm really concerned about the health of our teams playing these fast‑paced offenses.’" Then he delivered his sound byte of the day: "I think it's fiction," he said.

SEC Media Days 2014: Gary Pinkel Doesn't Have to Play Rodney Dangerfield Anymore - Team Speed Kills

Missouri, meanwhile, had gone 36-17 overall and 20-13 over the previous four years. The Tigers had won the Big 12 North once and tied for first in the division another time. Even if the Big 12 were a touch worse than the SEC, it didn't look like Mizzou was going to get killed -- and if the Big 12 was just as good, the other other Tigers could be contenders.

SEC Media Days 2014: Missouri Tigers - Good Bull Hunting

After nearly 17 seconds of opening remarks, Pinkel fielded questions on quarterback Maty Mauk, depth on the defensive line, winning the SEC East, and why you can't have another extension on your English paper.  It's due by the end of the day or you will receive an incomplete.  He's sorry, but he has given you more time than the rest of the class already.

SEC Media Days: Missouri players understandably salty over double-overtime loss to South Carolina - Garnet And Black Attack

Given that South Carolina overcame a 17-point Missouri advantage to ruin the Tigers' D R E A M S E A S O N, it's no great surprise that the Gamecocks have been on their mind in the intervening months. The Mizzou contingent at SEC Media Days spoke at length about the double-overtime loss, and it sounds like they are eager for their next shot at South Carolina on Sept. 27.

Missouri cares way less about recruiting rankings than Texas A&M does - SBNation.com

"We have a system we believe in," he said. "That's what we do at Mizzou. Our player development program is second to none. Our APR ranking is one of the best in the nation. First-round draft picks. We never look at how many stars a guy has in his name. I don't care if we're 15th or 35th."

Maybe now Bill can get credentialed?

Nah.

Ch-Ch-Changes

SEC MEDIA DAYS: Coordinator of officials discusses rule changes - Columbia Daily Tribune | Columbia Missouri: Behind The Stripes

With this rule change, Shaw said it will be important to listen to an official’s wording of the penalty. If the penalty is, for example, "personal foul, roughing the passer, with targeting," the 15-yard penalty will stand regardless of the review. If the penalty is announced simply as "targeting" and is overturned by review, then the 15-yard penalty and the ejection are nixed.

Targeting rule will be tweaked for 2014 season | The Kansas City Star

During its first season, targeting was reviewable, but the accompanying 15-yard penalty stood even if the ejection was overturned. That will no longer be the case. If the ejection is rescinded, the 15-yard penalty also will disappear — through it’s possible a separate personal foul could still be assessed on a given play, for instance if there’s a late hit.

SEC Network president feels confident : Sports

ESPN and the conference continue to have ongoing conversations with several providers who have not agreed to carry the network. ("Ongoing conversations" was Connolly’s most-used phrase of the day.) "We don’t set any specific benchmarks, but at the same time we feel really good four weeks prior to launch," he said. "Any fan who wants the network can get it. If you look at the clearance we’ve enjoyed with a long lead time to launch, we feel great about where we are, particularly in comparison to other conference networks at this point."

Q&A with Missouri athletic director Mike Alden | The Kansas City Star

Before Missouri faced the national spotlight during SEC Media Days, athletic director Mike Alden met with local reporters in a more intimate setting. He offered his thoughts on an array of topics, including scheduling and the SEC Network:

SEC MEDIA DAYS: Playoff executive director discusses new postseason format - Columbia Daily Tribune | Columbia Missouri: Behind The Stripes

The six bowls involved in the playoff are the Sugar, the Rose, the Orange, the Cotton, the Peach and the Fiesta. The championship will rotate sites, with this year's title game being played Jan. 12 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The semifinals will rotate among those six other bowls. This year, the Sugar and Rose will host the semifinals. You can find more info about the playoff on the CFP's website.

Missouri has no hard feelings toward Green-Beckham - Columbia Daily Tribune | Columbia Missouri: MU Football

"I want things to work well for Dorial. That’s important to me. Hopefully they will," Pinkel said. "He’s in a good place. Hopefully he’ll learn some lessons. He’s overall a good kid. He’s got a chance to really turn this whole thing into a positive. That’s moreso him as a person."

SEC!

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