Tim Brewster's New Career. When he is inevitably fired, we know where he can go.
That's Twitterific. (T/F/J: JamesMouton)
The Shout-Out. We don't write about it often, but OPS and I never could have imagined just what BHGP has become. Two years ago, we were writing at separate blogspot addresses with readerships not much larger than our respective circles of friends. So when we now see our name on the New York Times website, or get help from the biggest of big dogs in taking down the Register for its feudalistic idiocy, or receive politely-worded requests from the Leman family (we're not getting into that one), or start a debate about our secondary that is seriously discussed by the best sportswriters in the state, it's a little surreal. Rarely is it stranger, though, than when a t-shirt we created last fall - a shirt that sold about 6 times before a cease & desist letter from Fred Mims brought it to a close - gets mentioned by ESPN:
Best Case: The Hawkeyes pave the road in black and gold, the defensive line holds together and "Stanzi is the Manzi" T-shirts are worn all across the state.
That is through the looking glass, my friends (and, of course, Cairo provides the greatest Stanzi t-shirt photoshopping of all time). Anyway, none of this happens if you guys didn't read and comment and recommend our posts on message boards and email links to friends, so thanks.
If This Bus Is A-Rockin'... Iowa finally got its turn under the BTN spotlight last night and made virtually no news. Morehouse attempted to summarize what he saw. Fight for Iowa did the same. For what it's worth, here's what we caught:
- No Hampton. Not surprising. O'Keefe mentions PAKIBOMB first when asked who might be the replacement, but also adds Brinson. The practice itself was highly edited and didn't give too much insight into how the running back chase stands. For what it's worth, I've now seen Adam Robinson twice and been impressed both times, though I'm sure his blocking will leave something to be desired (Morehouse says as much).
- No DJK, due to some "bumps and scrapes." The staff hasn't been bashful about the demotion of its former top receiver, so I doubt they would create an excuse for his absence; he's probably a little banged up.
- When asked point blank about the depth chart at defensive tackle, Norm Parker said Ballard has moved inside and will pair up mostly with Klug. Ferentz later backed off of that, saying Ballard could play "inside and outside," but every play we saw on television involving Ballard had him lined up at DT. I'd say we know his status.
- Oddly enough, the first post-Prater named mentioned by Norm at LCB was not Willie Lowe, but rather Greg Castillo. In fact, it looked like Parker was searching for Lowe's name. With that said, there is absolutely no doubt the job is Prater's as soon as he's served his suspension.
- Adam Gettis looks huge, has improved blocking form, and might well have grabbed the left guard spot for the moment. It will likely go to Richardson or Vandevelde eventually, but it's a positive development nonetheless.
- Gary DiNardo, who professed his love for this team during the BTN spring practice visit, declared the holes at defensive tackle filled, said the improvement was "like night and day," and discussed the fact that he had previously put Iowa in the conference's top three, but now "isn't so sure they are #3," implying they might have passed PSU or OSU.
Footnotes:
- The DMR previews Iowa volleyball, whose 14-18 record last season was the best of this millenium. Consensus is something similar for this season.
- Colin Sandeman wants a bigger role. He mentions his versatility at receiver and experience at punt returner. He does not mention the fact that he's currently third on the depth chart at wideout. Still, it would be nice to see what Sandeman can do with consistent playing time; he showed some flashes of brilliance as a freshman, but was largely overlooked last year.
- Karl Klug also gets the fluff treatment. Most entertaining fact? He's slightly embarassed for receiving Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week last season for recording 9 tackles in garbage time against Florida International. After watching PSU-Iowa again last night, I have no doubt the position is in good hands.
- It's been a long time coming, but SBN has added a pro wrestling/MMA blog, Cageside Seats. It should go without saying that we'll be living there.