I actually meant to have this posted earlier in the day but some days plans go awry and this was one of those days. Had to do some traveling and was in some areas of north central missouri that did not even have cell service. Crazy how addicted we have become to those things.
Anyway, it is obviously a huge day that most of us have been waiting for. Hate to sound like a drag but I am going to come right out and speak my mind as I always do. It is the first day of MANY college football days. It is September 3rd and we will be wagering on college football for the next several months. Throw a governor on that engine guys. SELF DISCIPLINE and MONEY MANAGEMENT are your ONLY chance for success. I personally have no featured release even in play tonight. Only singles. Absolutely destroys my sales for one of the largest days. But once again, it is important my clients know my mission is to make us money first and foremost. I will not take a single star release and try and dress it up like a Triple Star or Rabid Dog. I have never done that in my nine years as a Pregame Pro and this season will be no different.
Okay, I am going to offer up some candid observations about the team I follow the closest. The Missouri Tigers. Expectations for Missouri locally are up. On the national scale nobody seems to have much of a firm opinion. Gary Pinkel does a great job of selling expectations to his kids. As good as I've seen. Pinkel can come across dry as dust in public interviews but the guy you see up close and personal with his players does not even remotely resemble that person. I think it is safe to say by winning two straight SEC East titles he is communicating well. And speaking of communicating, when the Tigers made the move from the Big 12 to the SEC there was initially less focus on recruiting Texas. And that had been a very fertile ground for Mizzou for a long time. But, I am happy to say they have abandoned that recruiting model. Texas is once again very, very much in the big picture for the Tiger program. Too much infastructure had been laid to let erode they discovered. Now let me introduce you to this years edition of the Mizzou Tigers.
Quarterback: This will be a bold prediction but what the hell, I call it the way I see it. Maty Mauk has been a winner. He is also an immensely popular player in the locker room. He is a leader in every sense and his teammates would follow him into battle anytime, anywhere, against anyone. Now, with that being said I do not personally believe he is the best QB on the team. Nor do I believe he will be the starter very deep into the season. Reason is true freshman Drew Locke is a future NFL QB who I personally do not envision staying in Columbia all four years. Pinkel knows this too guys. He decided to forget about red shirting him and placed him already at #2 on the depth chart going into the season. I will say this, Drew is the best looking QB I have ever seen come into the Tiger program. Taller than Chase Daniel was, more toughness than Blaine Gabbert ever dreamed of, and more passing touch than Brad Smith ever attained. The kid has all the skill set and tools to be the best QB in the entire conference and a legitimate Heisman candidate down the road. Yes, I have watched him and I believe it. Mauk is starting and Pinkel knows his upper classmen are fiercely loyal to him. But winning is the bottom line. If Pinkel feels Locke is the best option he will make the move.
Running Backs: Marcus Murphy is gone and it is Russell Hansbrough's time to shine. And the kid is fully capable. Russell reminds me very much of ex Tiger stand out Devin West. West would have had a stellar NFL career but was cut short by injuries. Russell has added about 10 pounds of pure muscle over the off season and not lost a step. The crew behind Russell is up for grabs but although pretty green, they all look more than capable. Legit major college backs, every single one.
Wide Outs/Tight Ends: Here is gets a little dicey. Mauk can be inconsistent with his passing and getting separation could be an issue when this group gos up against upper tier secondaries in my opinion. Sean Culkin is a promising young tight end but he is no Chase Coffman I can tell you that. Or Martin Rucker for that matter. Of the kids vying to fill the gap left by losing Sasser, Hunt and White from my vantage point is Nate Brown. Also J'Mon Moore. But I am not going to BS you guys. Of the whole team this unit raises the red flag to me.
Offensive Line: Young, mean, salty, onry and athletic. That about sums up this cast of characters. Very close knit group of guys that could own and abuse a whole gang of Hell's Angels before breakfast. I have seen some good lines here but this has the POTENTIAL to be one of the very best. It is anchored by big senior center Evan Boehm. I am not the only one who feels Evan could end up being the best center in the nation. Not just the conference, he is that good. The group includes five seniors with starting experience. Big Connor McGovern is also a potential all conference stud. I have little worries about this unit. Against anyone, anywhere. And I am serious. Smart, athletic and mean group of guys.
D-Line: Gone to the NFL are both Markus Golden and Shane Ray. Plus their top man to fill the gap was Harold Brantley and he is gone for the year after a terrible car wreck. I came upon it that sunday and the kid is lucky to be alive. Let me present two new names to you. Names you will become very familiar with if you follow the games. Charles Harris and Josh Augusta. They are raw but showed some flashes in scrimmages, they just need to stay healthy and get their snaps. They WILL develop. True freshman Terry Beckner out of East St Louis is kind of an unknown. He was ESPN.com's Number two recruit for the class of 2015. This kid could be a beast.
Linebackers: Senior Linebacker Kentrell Brothers is a man child. He and junior lineback Michael Scherer will both be playing on sundays in my opinion. Both smart, fluid and move to the ball as smooth as silk while delivering bone crunching hits. They create some of the loudest tackles I have observed on the practice field since Justin Smith was here if that tells you anything. Sky is the limit for both of them. When you ask DC Barry Odom about these two he just starts with a deep and wide grin. He knows he has something special there at linebacker entering this season. Plus, and this is always more important than most realize, both good kids.
Defensive Backfield: I will be honest as always here fellas. I wish this group tackled better. I see no William Moore out there. Not yet. Tackling from secondaries as a rule has diminished in my view the last several years. I do like what I see out of Jr College transfer Kenya Dennis. He did not take much time off this off season and it showed. He has polished his cover skills significantly. I like what I see out of sophmore Anthony Sherrils as well. He has all the tools to play at any level and it was just a matter of his grasping the coverages and calls. It does seem in practice the light is starting to go on in the kids head. If so, he could be special. Overall the potential is there for a very sold unit. But hell, every team can toss around the potential word. If the pass rush is what I suspect it could be it will cover up some weak spots in the secondary. Nothing helps a suspect secondary like a severe pass rush.
Schedule: The potential, there is that word again, for the Tigers to be undefeated when they venture down to Athen to do battle with Georgia. Most folks favorite to win the East this time around. Toughest game leading up to that showdown are the South Carolina game and the Florida game. But they get both those clubs here in Columbia. At Kentucky could be a troublesome spot but I think they get out of there with a win. I can tell you this. After that debacle last year losing at home to Indiana I do not see that kind of thing happening to this group. Now it is critical to remember we are dealing with kids here. Young men, yes, but well, kids. Think about yourself at that age. It is impossible for a coaching staff to get a team worked up to a fever pitch every single weekend. If anyone tries to tell you different they are full of it. I've had too many coaches tell me that keeping these kids motivated a full froth is impossible over the course of a long season. They pick their spots and hope the kids are mature enough to take preparation seriously. Let me add this one other thought. And this is not something you will hear many handicapper says. I assure you. When these kids are coached up all week and take the field on the weekend often times the coaches themselves are not exactly sure what they are going to get. Nobody knows for sure guys. If anyone says they have a lock they are an idiot. I follow this club closely. I watch practices. I have contacts and legit sources. If someone has a cold I will know. But I cannot be certain whether they will cover our number or not every week. My clients know I don't always bet ON Mizzou. Hell my college regular season GOY was a loss when South Carolina blew one at home against Mizzou. Thankfully I rebounded strongly winning with the Tigers with my SEC game of the year on Alabama against them in the title game and then I cashed with Missouri over Minnesota on my one and only Bowl game of the year. I cannot promise to hit them all guys. Some weeks I might just pass with them. But let me assure you. When I tag a Mizzou game a Triple I am doing it with confidence.
Summary: I don't think they win their third division n a row. Hope I am wrong. I think Georgia gets it. I do think they have a fine season and go to an elite bowl. I think the country will become very familiar on the fast track with young QB Drew Locke. On the business end I want to sincerely thank those who have come on board for football. Pregame has had, and still has some legitimate, very reasonable deals on the table. Never a better time to come on. My personal specialties are the SEC and the Big 12. Also, at Pregame we are celebrating the College football kickoff with another special offer. For EVERY purchase you make in college week one you will receive a 33% discount off any purchase you make in college action for week 2. Good stuff guys.
I know everyone is excited, hell I am too. I am going to stress once again guys, self discipline and money management. That is the golden key to true, real success in this. I was a bookie for many years. Everyone starts out the fresh season with all kinds of promises to themselves and then flush it pretty quickly. Before long they fall into the same old bad habits that their bookies love. It does not have to be that way guys. Really doesn't. Okay, enough babbling from me. I am going to go watch some FOOTBALL! Enjoy the games.