MUST WATCH
Ben Askren did a cover of Adele's "Hello" (embedded above).
Speaking of wrestling...
MU wrestling team hopes to stir the pot - Columbia Daily Tribune
No. 5 @MizzouWrestling Set to Face Appalachian State Friday
Women win!
Mizzou Women's basketball (19-6, 6-6) pulled away late to defeat Alabama (14-11, 3-9), 63-52. Sierra Michaelis led the Tigers with 14 points and four 3-pointers.
Bench boost from Michaelis, McDowell helps push MU women past Alabama - Toppmeyer
Michaelis, who had started the season’s first 24 games, helped seal the victory with a 3-pointer – her fourth of the game – with 2:06 to play that put Missouri ahead 58-51.
Two new football offers
Mizzou just offered the (currently) top rated prospect in Arkansas, 6'4, 265-pound defensive tackle Akial Byers from Fayetteville. Keeping track of official offers is often tricky, and we rely on self-reporting, but Byers recently received a bunch of interest from SEC programs -- including Alabama, South Carolina and Ole Miss -- although curiously Arkansas hasn't offered yet.
Mizzou was the first school to offer 6'5, 230-pound defensive end Isaiah Thomas from Tulsa. He also picked up offers from Tennessee, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State yesterday and will reportedly visit Oklahoma unofficially on Saturday. This is good news if you subscribe to the theory that a recruit is going to lean toward whoever offers him first, but it didn't help when Joshua Jacobs picked Alabama over Mizzou on National Signing Day. And the flurry of offers today probably muddy those waters.
NFL Combine
Maybe you saw that three Tigers were invited to the NFL Combine. But did you know that Texas only had one player invited to this year's NFL combine from 2012's second-ranked class?
Checking their profiles on NFL.com right now:
Kentrell Brothers - grade: 5.82. "Chance to become NFL starter"
NFL COMPARISON Paul Dawson
BOTTOM LINE Really fun to watch on tape with many of the same play traits that made TCU’s Paul Dawson so productive last season. Brothers is a decisive, rhythm linebacker whose understanding of space and ability to improve his tackle positioning at the point of attack should make him a consistently productive inside linebacker in the pros. While Brothers will lack the speed and overall athleticism that some teams covet, it would be a huge mistake to value athleticism over instincts and production when evaluating Brothers.
Evan Boehm - grade: 5.42. "NFL backup or special teams potential"
NFL COMPARISON Corey Linsley
BOTTOM LINE Four-year starter with outstanding power at the point of attack with an ability to create running lanes through sheer brute force. Boehm’s squatty frame may cause some evaluators to hesitate, but offensive line coaches will fall in love with his instincts, power, leadership and durability. Boehm has a chance to be an early starter for a team looking for power and leadership in the middle of their line.
Connor McGovern - grade: 5.37. "NFL backup or special teams potential"
NFL COMPARISON Zane Beadles
BOTTOM LINE Three-year starter who has played guard and both tackle spots. While he has the power and frame of a guard, there are some teams who may give him a shot at right tackle first. McGovern still has some work to do in pass protection, but shows potential to be a starter in the league. He is an ascending prospect whose stock should rise thanks to his power and multi-position diversity.
Offensive Line
One of Mizzou's new football coaches retweeted an article written by former NFL center LeCharls Bentley, titled "Tips to Develop Non-Athletic Offensive Linemen." I thought I'd include it here since the offensive line is a position of concern for fans.
Emphasize Angles
I get so tired of hearing about how speed "kills". Speed hasn’t killed anyone since the American Revolutionary War. Here’s what speed does, it breeds fear. When Von Miller lines up at a "wide 9" technique, many offensive linemen panic and lose their sense of decorum. All of what the player knows to be right goes out the window. The survival instincts kick in and the player goes "native". There’s nothing natural about offensive line play. Players have to be able to override instinct and operate through trained habits. A part of training these habits is to educate the player on the value of angles. Speed is and will always be negated by angles. The game of football is built on angles. Every angle has a bisector, meaning, every angle can be cut in half with an appropriate corresponding angle. When players understand this, they can operate at a higher level of efficacy without having to be the most physically gifted. This isn’t a footrace, it’s a race to a "spot". The "spot" is known by the offensive linemen, not the defensive lineman. Offensive linemen must keep this top of mind.