4 Hard Downs: Movie Night, Rooting for Deion and Being Down Bad

A look at VT and Nebraska, Oregon Defense & We Are Not The Same

Sorry it is a day late, I had this mostly done yesterday and then got the news that my show, Inside Football, was canceled. Don’t cry for me Argentina. I did what anyone does when they drop you, made steak kabobs and had whiskey. I will figure it out. But what I did not do was finish the newsletter. Here it is Tuesday and you got, enjoy!!

It was a weekend of firsts:

-Movie night for the neighborhood

-Colorado first loss

-Notre Dame first loss

-New Big 12 Big Win

-Alex Kirshner, Stephen Hartzell & Me Being So Right

To be fair, this isn’t the first time the three of us have been right but I figured I should throw that in as a jumping off point.

Michigan is fine.

They’re not super great.

They are fine.

As we said in the linked show, Rutgers probably plays with them 35-40 minutes and then Michigan pulls away late. Very similar to Alabama from 08-14. And that is what it was.

Another game of minimal air yards from JJ McCarthy and we continue to learn nothing about them.

A team we did learn about? Oregon. So…SPOT THE BALL!!!

1st Down: Dan Lanning Has Decided To Play Defense

Lanning is a defensive guy. I’m sure anyone reading this saw him saying, “we’re playing for wins, they’re playing for clicks” speech.

We will get to that next, but right now this is about a defensive guy realizing he has to set a tone and he needs his other side, the offense, to be as relentless as his guys. Playing a Colorado team that has decimated opponents with their attacking offense; stopping them was job one.

And they did.

2nd Down: How To Be Critical Of Colorado But Avoid Being Lumped In?

I was skeptical of Deion and Colorado. Not because I think he is dumb or not capable, but because he skipped the line and as someone with friends who had to punch every box, check every line and still are waiting for a chance to run an offense or defense or ultimately a team.

I don’t give a shit about Deion being boisterous or, basically, himself, the same guy he has always been. I think him inspiring this group of players is very cool. Every morning, if we’re being honest, I see some clip of him saying, “You ain’t make me, so you can’t break me. You ain’t build me, so you can’t kill me.”

So, basically, as we said a few weeks ago, I am happy I was wrong with my skepticism, but now we have a new problem.

Or, I have a new problem.

I like Prime. I’m still not sure if he is a good head coach, however, I don’t want to be lumped in with the people who are rooting for him to fail.

Do I have to now support him unconditionally?

I’ve been rooting for this guy, with skepticism, since he decided to start a school that ultimately tanked. I loved hearing him talk about “machine gun feet” at the Under Armour Future 50 in 2016. I had his shoes growing up.

He’s a black head coach in major college football, I want him to win. Hopefully his success opens the door for other people who look like me, like my teammates who are still RB, DB, Strength etc coaches to have a chance to helm a program.

Which makes it really rough to talk about him objectively, not because I have that rooting interest, but because there are so many people who want him to fail and I don’t want my critiques to fuel their fire.

There’s no good answer, I think the portal usage doesn’t lend itself to sustainability or building depth along the lines but even in saying that am I putting him down? He created a program from nothing, but can he do this every year?

You see how I am conflicted?

Let me know what you think.

3rd Down: 15 Year Old Me vs 38 Year Old Me

The year is 1999. My birthday is the same day as Thanksgiving. I am turning 15 and next week, I get my permit to drive with an experienced driver. Frank Solich is coaching Nebraska and Eric Crouch is running around. Frank Beamer will go on to win Coach of the Year and win the Big East and then play for a national title.

The difference between 1999 and now for these two programs is probably bigger than difference between 15 year old and 38 year old me.

People who knew me when I was 15, starting at corner for the East Meck Eagles as a freshman, still recognize me. These programs to people who knew them in 1999 are truly unrecognizable. If you would have told someone in 1999, “Nebraska and Virginia Tech are going to careen off a cliff,” you would be laughed at.

I don’t think you can blame conference realignment. I think what we are witnessing is not even gross mismanagement; it is a real life example of how hard it is to be good in college football. I’m not even giving them grace in saying that. I’m not making an excuse. I just, as someone who has worked in this space for 15 years, have come to grips with the fact that being good is hard.

I mean shit, Stanford won the Pac-10 in 1999. Adding Utah and Colorado are not why they’re bad now. They’re bad because it is hard to be good.

Yes, there are other factors like the evolution of recruiting, coaching changes, injuries compiling, missing on a kid (which means you really miss on two or three kids because the one you take doesn’t work and then the other guys you had for that spot to play somewhere else).

But nuts and bolts, it is just really hard to be good in college football. And even harder to stay good. Even harder to rebound from being bad to getting good. 2-3 years ago we were having this conversation about Florida State, which is why what they’re doing is miraculous.

I have no idea what the recipe is for Virginia Tech or Nebraska to get better. They’ve hired smart coaches. They’ve got resources. Hokies have to get back into the Tidewater, but how do you get back there without the wins to sell? Nebraska has to figure out the portal and capitalize on the spring/summer visits.

It just is hard, man. So hard.

4th Down: Movie Night Was A Success!!

We started a little negative. So, let’s put a damn smile on everyone’s face!!

We watched Madagascar because my kid’s gym teacher played “I Like To Move It” during one of their fitness units and she is obsessed with that and “Who Let The Dogs Out” right now. Here’s the setup:

I wheel the machine outside so we can get to this:

Flavocol and butter topping. Plus the mix of standard yellow popcorn and the Amish white tender popcorn is what is in the Mason Jar.

Then, I use pails, an upgrade from bags.

These were the first addition to the “Felder Snack Shack” for when we have sleepovers or just kids hanging out. They’re better for snacks than a bag or a tupperware.

Plus I got this bad boy.

Superior popcorn distribution. I feel like a real G slinging popcorn with this guy and making it all go into the pails.

Week Five and we are getting after it. I am going to take a break from orbit and get into Waffle House Football, aka Murder Ball that Bama is playing. They got them smothered and covered. Let’s see how…

Cheers!!!

P.S. Now I have to go do freaking math and I hate that I have put this thing on my plate and it keeps growing like crazy.