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News Junkie
By Ted Miller
Sure you guys didn't play hooky and miss my chat, but if you did, here are some highlights.
You can review the entire chat here.
Daniel (Pasadena): Ted, I dont understand how UCLA is not an elite program. But to be an elite program, we need an elite coach. If Coach RN doesnt make it after this year, do you think UCLA is capable of getting a big name coach with the new PAC 12 deal(lots of cash)?
Ted Miller (3:07 PM): Is UCLA willing to pay for an elite coach and an elite staff? That's the question. If I were to say $3 million, lots of Bruins would go "No way, too much!" But $3 million in LA is like $1.5 million in an SEC town, which is WAY below market. Not ruling out a bounce-back for Neuheisel, but if UCLA is thinking about becoming elite, it will have to ante up.
Keith (Teutopolis, IL): Have you read the Oregon Daily Emerald story on Lache Seastrunk? It reveals a side of the story that is being almost completely ignored.
Ted Miller (3:12 PM): The side of the story that Lache appears to be a good guy? The story is about NCAA rules and this gray area of scouting services and street agents. It was a nice feature, but it was a feature that isn't relevant to the NCAA inquiry or to Oregon's guilt or innocence. I always thought highly of Reggie Bush when I interviewed him.
Matt (PDX): Most fans that post here fall into 2 categories regarding the UO recruiting saga. Either A) Coach Kelly is as good as gone and that the Ducks will be hit with sanctions equal or greater to USC, or that B) this is a giant witch hunt by the over-zealous media and that certain local columnists (not to be named..) should be fired for journalistic misconduct. Personally, I lean closer to A than B, but the truth is likely in the middle. Your thoughts?
Ted Miller (3:15 PM): I think we have a few more chapters ahead, so I'm not willing to do a sky is falling with scenario A. At this point, it's fair to say that scenario A is in play and certainly more likely the scenario B, but it seems premature to start insisting Kelly is done and the NCAA hammer will fall.
Jimmy (Atlanta): Who are some of the young guys on the UCLA defense that might surprise?
Ted Miller (3:20 PM): MLB Patrick Larimore has a chance to be special... Expect DE Owa and DT Marsh to improve... SS Dietrich Riley is a talent.... it seems like some of the young talent should blossom this year.
MattyB (Colorado): Third time asking a charm... Friday night Conference Championship game??? Does that give us the spotlight? Or make us play second-fiddle to the Big XII and other Saturday Championship games? Friday night feels more like a MWC/Big East day...
Ted Miller (3:24 PM): We'll see... It seems like it gives the conference a big stage on its own. What will really matter is the matchup: Is it two top-10 teams with national title implications? If it is, it will be a big show nationally. Or is it a 9-3 team vs. an 8-4 team, which would induce yawns.
Paul (Scottsdale): Assuming Juron Criner is healthy enough to play the whole season, could you see the Arizona passing offense being one of the best in PAC-10 (12) history? Can you see the them riding this to be PAC-12 south champs?
Ted Miller (3:33 PM): Maybe... I expect Foles to throw for more than 3,500 yards... perhaps 4,000. But he needs his line to grow up quickly. The Wildcats need to survive the early season and then surge when the competition gets easier -- the reverse, by the way, of last year.
John (Corvallis): If the Beavers under-perform this year, which I hate to say is quite a real possibility based on player departures and injuries, will Mike Riley, our once famous for getting more out of less coach, be on the hotseat? How long can the good will last without finally getting to a better bowl? It's been 11 years since our Fiesta Bowl...
Ted Miller (3:47 PM): I hope not. It isn't easy to win at Oregon State, and if impatient fans want to put Riley on the hotseat, a guy who makes WAY below market value, that might be something that comes back to haunt them. I mean he's won three bowl games and finished ranked three times over the last five years.
Andy (Everett): How much of an impact this year will the loss of Deontae Cooper and Zach Fogerson have on UW? Neither really contributed last year, but coming out of spring it seemed like they were definitely going to be pretty involved in the offense.
Ted Miller (3:51 PM): Cooper more than Fogerson... Cooper and Callier gave the Huskies nice depth behind Polk. Anytime you lose players who were going to contribute a lot it hurts. The danger is overusing Polk. Callier is a solid backup, but as Sark said on the radio the other day, that's now a need-position in recruiting.
Tom (Portland): I am NOT an impatient Beaver fan, but c'mon! Riley has taken us to the Las Vegas Bowl (twice), Insight Bowl (twice), Emerald Bowl and the Insight Bowl. I love the guy. He would make a great next door neighbor. But the momentum of the Erickson years is gone as far as I can see, and we've stepped back a considerable amount in the past couple years.Is winning in Corvallis so hard that we can only expect those, how shall I put this, less than desirable bowls?
Ted Miller (3:58 PM): Erickson went 5-6 and 8-5 his final 2 seasons. When you look at 2000 in the big picture of Oregon State football, it was a bit of an anomaly. Not saying it can't happen again, but the idea of eight or nine wins not being good enough in Corvallis strikes me as questionable. But it's your program. If you want to put Riley, who's been pursued by Alabama and USC, on the hotseat, then go ahead. I'm just advising against it.
Originally posted by ESPN.com - Pac-10 Blog
Click here to view the article.
Sure you guys didn't play hooky and miss my chat, but if you did, here are some highlights.You can review the entire chat here.
Daniel (Pasadena): Ted, I dont understand how UCLA is not an elite program. But to be an elite program, we need an elite coach. If Coach RN doesnt make it after this year, do you think UCLA is capable of getting a big name coach with the new PAC 12 deal(lots of cash)?
Ted Miller (3:07 PM): Is UCLA willing to pay for an elite coach and an elite staff? That's the question. If I were to say $3 million, lots of Bruins would go "No way, too much!" But $3 million in LA is like $1.5 million in an SEC town, which is WAY below market. Not ruling out a bounce-back for Neuheisel, but if UCLA is thinking about becoming elite, it will have to ante up.
Keith (Teutopolis, IL): Have you read the Oregon Daily Emerald story on Lache Seastrunk? It reveals a side of the story that is being almost completely ignored.
Ted Miller (3:12 PM): The side of the story that Lache appears to be a good guy? The story is about NCAA rules and this gray area of scouting services and street agents. It was a nice feature, but it was a feature that isn't relevant to the NCAA inquiry or to Oregon's guilt or innocence. I always thought highly of Reggie Bush when I interviewed him.
Matt (PDX): Most fans that post here fall into 2 categories regarding the UO recruiting saga. Either A) Coach Kelly is as good as gone and that the Ducks will be hit with sanctions equal or greater to USC, or that B) this is a giant witch hunt by the over-zealous media and that certain local columnists (not to be named..) should be fired for journalistic misconduct. Personally, I lean closer to A than B, but the truth is likely in the middle. Your thoughts?
Ted Miller (3:15 PM): I think we have a few more chapters ahead, so I'm not willing to do a sky is falling with scenario A. At this point, it's fair to say that scenario A is in play and certainly more likely the scenario B, but it seems premature to start insisting Kelly is done and the NCAA hammer will fall.
Jimmy (Atlanta): Who are some of the young guys on the UCLA defense that might surprise?
Ted Miller (3:20 PM): MLB Patrick Larimore has a chance to be special... Expect DE Owa and DT Marsh to improve... SS Dietrich Riley is a talent.... it seems like some of the young talent should blossom this year.
MattyB (Colorado): Third time asking a charm... Friday night Conference Championship game??? Does that give us the spotlight? Or make us play second-fiddle to the Big XII and other Saturday Championship games? Friday night feels more like a MWC/Big East day...
Ted Miller (3:24 PM): We'll see... It seems like it gives the conference a big stage on its own. What will really matter is the matchup: Is it two top-10 teams with national title implications? If it is, it will be a big show nationally. Or is it a 9-3 team vs. an 8-4 team, which would induce yawns.
Paul (Scottsdale): Assuming Juron Criner is healthy enough to play the whole season, could you see the Arizona passing offense being one of the best in PAC-10 (12) history? Can you see the them riding this to be PAC-12 south champs?
Ted Miller (3:33 PM): Maybe... I expect Foles to throw for more than 3,500 yards... perhaps 4,000. But he needs his line to grow up quickly. The Wildcats need to survive the early season and then surge when the competition gets easier -- the reverse, by the way, of last year.
John (Corvallis): If the Beavers under-perform this year, which I hate to say is quite a real possibility based on player departures and injuries, will Mike Riley, our once famous for getting more out of less coach, be on the hotseat? How long can the good will last without finally getting to a better bowl? It's been 11 years since our Fiesta Bowl...
Ted Miller (3:47 PM): I hope not. It isn't easy to win at Oregon State, and if impatient fans want to put Riley on the hotseat, a guy who makes WAY below market value, that might be something that comes back to haunt them. I mean he's won three bowl games and finished ranked three times over the last five years.
Andy (Everett): How much of an impact this year will the loss of Deontae Cooper and Zach Fogerson have on UW? Neither really contributed last year, but coming out of spring it seemed like they were definitely going to be pretty involved in the offense.
Ted Miller (3:51 PM): Cooper more than Fogerson... Cooper and Callier gave the Huskies nice depth behind Polk. Anytime you lose players who were going to contribute a lot it hurts. The danger is overusing Polk. Callier is a solid backup, but as Sark said on the radio the other day, that's now a need-position in recruiting.
Tom (Portland): I am NOT an impatient Beaver fan, but c'mon! Riley has taken us to the Las Vegas Bowl (twice), Insight Bowl (twice), Emerald Bowl and the Insight Bowl. I love the guy. He would make a great next door neighbor. But the momentum of the Erickson years is gone as far as I can see, and we've stepped back a considerable amount in the past couple years.Is winning in Corvallis so hard that we can only expect those, how shall I put this, less than desirable bowls?
Ted Miller (3:58 PM): Erickson went 5-6 and 8-5 his final 2 seasons. When you look at 2000 in the big picture of Oregon State football, it was a bit of an anomaly. Not saying it can't happen again, but the idea of eight or nine wins not being good enough in Corvallis strikes me as questionable. But it's your program. If you want to put Riley, who's been pursued by Alabama and USC, on the hotseat, then go ahead. I'm just advising against it.
Originally posted by ESPN.com - Pac-10 Blog
Click here to view the article.