I’m Back!
Hey gang!
So sorry it has taken me so long to get another one of these up and running, but since my last blog entry, I must have got struck with a bout of Katrina cough from my stay in New Orleans covering the Saints/Falcons game. Plus I was moving into a new apartement while I was sick, so that’s never condusive to a lot of free time to rest up and blog.
But have no fear, Hotard fans, Dave is back in action and feeling 100%, ready to rip roar another entry into the Football Frenzy Blog.
So, this football season has been “rather interesting” to say the least. I can’t believe I’m writing a “as we wind down” entry. It seems like just yesterday, we were getting everything started for the 2006 gridiron season. But alas, another year, another losing season for many of the local schools. Ole Miss and Mississippi State come to mind first. Both these teams confuse me quite a bit. I know Ole Miss is a very young team, with a very young coach, who is high on playing young players. And they always say the 3rd year of a new head coach is the telling tale of that coach, so I’ll give Ole Miss and head coach Ed Orgeron a one year pass, redeemable for wins next season. Hopefully for our sake, one of the SEC teams we cover will make it to a bowl game next year, so I can go on a cool trip out of town to cover it…haha. Road trips are one of the many perks we sports guys enjoy.
Now let’s talk about Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have what I like to call a year up on Ole Miss as far as rebuilding the football program, or at least trying to. By this point in his 3rd season, Sylvester Croom has his players, his system, and his staff in place, so many wonder if it’s talent, lack thereof, or coaching that’s making another losing season for MSU. And I have to wonder, was last year’s Egg Bowl win really enough for the administration to extend Croom’s contract on? Let me know what you guys think.
Southern Miss is yet again giving us local media jokers something to look forward to in terms of a winning season. The 3-headed offensive monster of senior tight end Shawn Nelson, junior quarterback Jeremy Young, and frehsman running back Damion Fletcher have really sparked continued success at Southern Miss. Now although the Golden Eagles have dropped two straight, I feel confident that Jeff Bower’s boys will have no problem sweeping the rest of the schedule into the “W” column. Sure, the New Orleans Bowl may not be exactly the bowl game the guys in Hattiesburg want or had in mind at the beginning of the season, but it’s better than nothing (i.e. Ole Miss and State).
How about the SWAC in 2006? I would have never expected that Jackson State and Alcorn would be battling for pretty respectable rankings in the conference standings. Valley’s right in there in the mix as well, making the SWAC one of the more exciting conferences for me to cover. Being able really to only see live and in person Jackson State games on the weekends, I must say, I’m pretty impressed with the job that Rick Comegy has done with that program. The thing I like best about Comegy is his personality off the field. I’m not playing favorites by any means, but I must tell you, he is one of the best coaches to deal with from a media standpoint. He’s always available, open, and honest about everything and anything you ask him. And that carries over with his players as well. These athletes are some of the biggest examples of class acts that I have ever seen in college football. I have had a unique opportunity this fall to cover Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Ole Miss, and Jackson State from a “beyond the sideline” perspective in reporting on our daily featured College Sports Spotlight segments. And I must say, some of the most interesting and unexpected feel good stories have come out of JSU.
The small local colleges have also impressed me quite a bit, with Belhaven, Millsaps, and Mississippi college all putting together some nice little winning streaks together at one point or another this season. Millsaps really stands out in my mind as the true shocker of all the small local schools. Some of the New Orleans Saints skills must have rubbed off on the Majors during training camp, because Millsaps has won 5 in a row after starting the season 0-3 under 1st year head coach Mike Dubose. Quarterback Juan Joseph has really proved a dangerous threat both through the air and on the ground, really showing some big time leadership for this program that’s very young and only sprinkled with senior talent.
The high school season is in full swing as we wind down. The playoffs start tonight, but I myself am not shooting any playoff games. I’m typing here anxiously awaiting tonight’s big 5A games of Murrah vs Northwest Rankin and Wingfield vs Brandon. Those are the two I will be at tonight, but we’ll also be covering a slew of other playoff games and other great matchups, headlined by Clinton and Provine out at Hughes field. That one oughta be good, I’ll be anxious to see the highlights myself tonight.
And how about the rest of the Football Frenzy action…the NFL? Well, despite last week’s loss at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, led behind the flawless play of former Alcorn quarterback Steve McNair, the Saints are still looking really strong at this point in the season. I was actually at that game, my first one all season as a fan, and my Dad told me that I am no longer allowed in my hometown for the rest of the home games, because apparently I’m bad luck for Sean Payton and The Black and Gold.
Alright gang, here’s the deal. I want some serious commenting on this blog. Let me know what you think about these topics, or others I didn’t bring up. I want to hear from you, so make sure to leave a comment.
Hope to hear from you guys soon!
Dave
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