Harry

Please send your best pictures guys. We will be using them on the new frontpage. Also, get your cameras ready for the season because we are going to incorporate a lot more photos from tailgating and games this season. Should be fun!

I got news for you, a form of meth is currently available with a prescription over the counter and a bunch of our kids w/ADHD are already taking it!! It's called adderral!! I am not saying we should legalize meth BTW. My point is these prescription drugs are similar to many of the substances that are costing us billions of dollars to police.

To me that is a question to me can't really be answered until Ball State. Riley technically hasn't been hit yet - we don't know how good our secondary is, etc... the potential is there - we have some good athletes but it will take the season to define who can play. On paper the outside receivers are Outlaw and BJ Lewis? inside are Jamaal Jackson and Lott? Breece Johnson? Does Dez Brigham figure in? Not sure if they or we really know.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...us.459958b.html

Flyer I agree 100%. Come on, we are spending tax dollars jailing people for smoking pot? It's senseless and it doesn't work and it needs to change. We should tax it and perhaps save ourselves billions of dollars trying to police it. The other drugs are different and more complex in terms of how to deal with them, but jailing people for smoking pot is ridiculous and needs to change. Now if someone is selling pot to kids they ought to be thrown in jail. Make it that you have to be 21 to buy it or something like that, tax the hell out of it and throw the dealers that try to sell to kids in jail.

Yeah that concerned me too but I thought he had some nice moments on Saturday and hopefully redeemed himself. This wide receiver thing is wide open, I mean whoever comes into Ball State and shows some stones will likely be a starter. Some say that the two JUCO's are locks to start and I don't buy it. I even look at a kid like Chris Brainard and say heck he could end up being a starter if he makes just one big catch in a big game like Ball State. I will be honest, I think WR is the biggest weakness of this team heading into this season mostly because they are all so damn unproven. And that concerns me a lot, this is a passing offense... Dodge will say that he wants to distribute it evenly but you have to have some go-to guys that you can rely on to move the sticks in the spread offense. Tell me which of our wide receivers deserves or has earned that title heading into the season. They list Chief and Alex Lott as returning starters but lets be honest neither one lit the world on fire last season. I think all the unrealistic hope around Tyler Stradford regaining his eligibility was based around the fact we really don't have a go to receiver this year and we sorely need one to emerge. I hope they will look at Lance Dunbar, he's an excellent receiver out of the backfield and so dangerous in space. I hate to think he will be sitting the bench for long periods while Cam is out there because he is such a weapon. Also want to see more of Darius Carey.

Thanks, hey I need to give a shout out to my GoMeanGreen.com boys who were watching the scrimmage with me...you know who you are. We had a good crew out there Saturday. I felt some good vibes, some optimism and excitement in that group about this team.

Scrimmage #2 Recap Cornerback Robbie Gordon had possibly the play of the day, grabbing a nice interception against the first team offense. Gordon, originally a Dickey signee, is filling in at cornerback for injured Adryan Adams. While it was a great play, it makes you worry a little about the depth at cornerback with Adams sitting out and Antoine Bush being out at least a month. Would hate to see us start up short at such a key position. Interesting to note that juco transfer Ira Smith, thought to be a lock down corner is getting a lot of looks at safety. I sense that there may be some adjustment for Smith that they hadn't really factored in. Will have to keep an eye on that one. Tyler Bailey, grandson of former UTEP coach Charlie Bailey, is starting to make his move on the o-line. Bailey (6-2, 285) was playing a lot at right guard. I thought he had an impressive scrimmage on Saturday. He fits right into the "undersized" description that is usually saved for Victor Gill but the guy is a player and I would not at all be surprised to see him start against Ball State. For the tight end aficionados, good news, as Bryant Seidle had a nice grab in the scrimmage. I saw a lot of him and true freshman Austin Fitzpatrick from Austin. Fitz2 looks like a good athlete and just needs a little more junk in his trunk which is normal for a kid right out of high school. More on the o-line, I saw some great blocks from #68 (Kelvin Drake) and he appears to be headed for a really good season. He just looks healthy and quicker than before. Drake filled in for J.J. Johnson who was out with a minor injury (thank god) and it gave me my first look at Nick Leppo (#50). He looked light but pretty active - too early to tell. So where are we? Right now it looks like strong side, Santiago at tackle and Kelvin Drake at guard. JJ appears set at center and on the left side you have Victor Gill at tackle and in my opinion Tyler Bailey or possibly sophomore Coleman Feeley at left guard. Other linemen that appear to be pushing for playing time include Gabe Hollivay at guard, Jeremy Bean at guard and Matt Tomlinson at tackle. Seidle would be the first tight end off the bench although Forrest Rucker is getting some looks there too. Rucker is an interesting guy in that he isn't really a speed burner but he's damn fast for a tight end and he's so long and tall that he could be a good zone blocker on the outside. It's hard to take too much from these intrasquad scrimmages but there are three players who really appear to be making their mark. I like defensive end Tevinn Cantly a lot. On Saturday he made some nice plays and just looks like he is a load for an offensive linemen to deal with. I know he's young and he will make some rookie mistakes but he looks like a player to me. #47 Brandon Akpunku is cat quick from the outside and he poses problems for a big offensive lineman that is pass blocking. If that same linemen is power run blocking it is a different story. In fact, part of the puzzle that DeLoach will have to figure out is how he can get strong side linebacker Craig Robertson to be on Akpunku's side when the beef comes calling. If you get put in a situation where Akpunku and say Kylie Hill are on one corner on an island it spells trouble! I like his heart and desire, he actually reminds me of Corbin Montgomery in many ways. I also am a big fan of #45 Jeremy Phillips at linebacker. Right now he is running at second team, but on Saturday he had some major league hits that really got the crowd going. I just like his spirit and desire for the game and he reminds me a lot of Taylor Casey which is high praise for any linebacker in this program. Goat of the day may have to be Tevinn Cantly who got a tongue lashing from one Gary DeLoach for not being out on the field with his team after a possession change. If you screw up on defense you gotta know that DeLoach is going to call you out. To his credit Cantly handled it well. Offensive stars of the day: I saw good things out of Darius Carey (#19), the freshman from New Orleans. You can just tell from the way he plays out there that he has something special in his step. He was an all state running back and quarterback in high school and I understand that he can throw very well on the run. Perhaps a play could be devised where he gets the ball thrown to him behind the line of scrimmage and…. It is interesting to note that they took a LOT of long looks at #24 Jeremi Mathis on Saturday. He is similar to Cam Montgomery in that he runs downhill, he is listed at 6-1, 215 but he runs bigger than that. He has stood out to me, especially in goal line situations and he also appears to have good hands. BJ Lewis seems to have found a home at receiver this year as he had a nice over the shoulder grab in traffic in the scrimmage. WR Sam Roberson, aka "Big Chief" had some nice connections with Derek "Glen Rose" Thompson. Chief seems to be more comfortable in his own shoes this season after really have a tough go of it last year. Thompson is impressive. He has really good size for a true (listed at 6-4, 223), and in a couple of years he is going to be huge. He has a great arm and should flourish in this offense. Hopefully he can red shirt this season but it is certainly a possibility that he could play and they seem to be preparing him for that. James Hamilton had a nice 15-yard gain on a draw play and he could add an interesting dimension this season with his speed. Moving back to defense, right now I see them putting Atkinson and KJ at the tackle spots, and I really like the penetration they can provide us with their size. Backing them up appears to be Draylen Ross and Eddrick Gilmore. I think that is a pretty decent two unit rotation. After filling in for KJ it looks like John Weber is moving back to end, but wait just a second here, I can see Weber as a swingman or like the 5th guy off the bench in the middle if someone gets injured or falters. Kyle White and LaChristopher Anyiam (6-4, 287) were both out with minor injuries. Vito is saying that Anyiem may red shirt and I would be okay with that although he is a physical specimen that you would like to see get some playing time especially at defensive end where he would be a load. Kyle (6-2, 309) could also factor in at tackle and again, you gotta love his size. Starters at defensive end appear to be Akpunku and Weber but keep an eye on Sam Owusu Hemeng (#52) who made a strong showing on Saturday. if there is a question mark here it is at defensive end, from a depth perspective. Coolest thing about the scrimmage (not the weather - it was hot as hell) was the fact the band was practicing in the background. Actually got to hear the fight song going on in the background was pretty sweet! Random Notes: Robbie Deheck (#54) from Azle is not just taking up a roster spot. He had some bone jarring hits in the scrimmage and is a tough nosed linebacker that you enjoy watching. Stevie Warren has been sort of quiet but he batted down a pass and made his presence known. I think he may get caught up in a numbers game at linebacker but I like his intensity…Iron Hands award recipient on Saturday was Juco WR Jamaal Jackson. He really struggled on this Saturday. He has good speed and runs nice routes but he had a case of the dropsies on Saturday missing two easy grabs that would have netted the offense some good yardage. Rather have it happen in the scrimmage than in the games though. On the other side I thought #1 Dez Brigham looked really good and may be the surprise receiver of the season. Also saw real nice plays and good hands from Hillcrest's own Sweet Willie Taylor who might help us at the slot. If you are trying to do a comparison of last years defensive tackle position to this years, let me save you some trouble. Last season UNT had the following players play at defensive tackle: Charlie Brown, Jesse DeSoto, Troy Franklin, Issac Thomas, Jon Stewart, Draylen Ross. This season in addition to the return of DeSoto, Stewart and Ross, UNT adds the following : Shavod Atkinson (6-2, 307), John Weber (6-3, 288), Kelvin Jackson (6-2, 309), Kyle White (6-2, 309), LaChris Anyiam (6-4, 287) and Eddrick Gilmore (6-5, 269). To me that is a major reason we have some optimism around these parts. I know you are probably thinking that he hasn't mentioned Riley once in this write-up. Well you are right about that, and part of that is that he looks so damn comfortable out there you almost forget about him and feel like he's been there for years. I really like Riley as a passer and I think we sometimes underestimate what a good runner he is. I think he is poised for a strong first campaign I really do. He's human, he will make mistakes but he will do a lot of things right too. It's exciting to think about the possibilities he brings to the program. Last note and then I will leave you alone. Watched two backup LB's and was impressed. First was Daniel Prior from Longview, he's small out there but put some weight on him (I'd like to see him at 235 - he's 215 now) and he will be a very good player. Love his speed to the ball and instincts. Also, a guy that has been sort of forgotten out there is another linebacker from East Texas #36 Marquese Davis from Atlanta (a stones throw from Shrevport). I heard Deloach praise Davis on a run stop and let me tell you, DeLoach doesn't give faint praise. I also have to give props to AJ Penson, who is starting to play up to his potential at the middle linebacker spot. He seems more comfortable there but I do not buy for a minute that he is seriously pushing Nwigwe, because Nwigwe may be the best linebacker we have on the team and brings a physical presence that we need. I think they are using Penson's play as a motivation for Nwigwe and that's probably a good idea. I think the real motivation that Nwigwe has is to get a shot at the NFL and he will have to play a LOT better than he did last year to have a shot at that.

Scott Hall is a hands down first ballot Hall of Famer, period! One of the greatest Field Generals ever to wear the green.

Let's start off by returning the kickoff 7-10 yards so we aren't ass end against our own endzone for once in a decade! The lets show some stones and do a play action fake to Cam with Riley rolling out to the sideline and having the option to go down field or keep it depending on how the defense reacts. Let's show them Riley's speed right off the bat which will make life easier for our WR corps!

Some initial thoughts from the scrimmage Saturday - Oline is coming together nicely. Kelvin Drake jumped out to me as being a man among boys. He's healthy, and active and I think he may turnout to be one of the better guards we have ever had at UNT before it is all said and done. Soph JJ Johnson at center is the new leader of the line and he looked really good to me on Saturday. Santiago looks rock solid and Feeley is huge, he really looks like a division I linemen. There is depth, as former starters are running with the second team. I am going to go ahead and label this the strength of the team in 2009 although 2010 they could potentially be even better. We may not see the benefits from this until conference play however. Riley looks very comfortable. I commented that he seems to have a better sense of the pressure than Gio did. There was one play where Riley went on a three step checked off a couple different routes, then stepped in the pocket which was starting to collapse and smartly threw the ball to the right sideline for a 17-yard gain. I think if it was last year, it would have taken Gio a second longer and he would have taken a huge hit and we would all be shaking our heads and saying what a tough guy Gio was. I saw good things from Tune and feel like he will be a capable backup. The freshman from Glen Rose has a big time arm and shows the inconsistency you would expect from a young one. Running back was weird because everyone was wondering where Cam was. Dunbar showed terrific speed that will keep the defenses honest. I really, really liked Jeremi Mathis - he runs downhill and has a nice combo of speed and size. Micah even had one of his patented runs where he hurdles the defender. I like the numbers and ability we have a running back. Wide receiver is more of a question mark. Of course both of the JUCO guys were out. The guy that surprised me the most was probably Forrest Rucker. He could be a very interesting possession receiver and he's so tall that he makes it really tough on the defensive backs. I also really like Darius Carey from New Orleans. I also liked Willie Taylor in the slot. The problem, still remains that we don't have a speed burner with some height that can stretch the field vertically. Perhaps Outlaw is that guy? Last comment is on the defensive line. It was really interesting, they had Atkinson playing at nose and often time went with Weber at the DT. Gilmore was running 2nd team for most of the day. Weber looks like a player that will help us right away. The player that I was most impressed with was Cantly. He looks big-time at end. I was disappointed that LaChristopher Anyiem was out with a minor injury so I could not evaluate him. They look like they will go with Cantly at strong side end and AK47 at rush end. AK47 is very quick and I saw him make plays down the line which is nice. I do agree with greyeagle that AK47 will get beat to death by tackle and pulling guards over the course of the season. Keep an eye on Tyler Washington who was getting some looks at defensive end. He has explosive speed and while undersized could help spell AK47 during the season. Right now, with them moving Weber and Gilmore (who I projected to be the starting defensive ends) to the inside it leaves some question marks at end. My biggest issue with the defense is there is really only one guy that had a monsterous hit and that was - you guessed it - Derrian Williams. We need more big time plays from the defensive side of the football to beat teams like Ball state and I sometimes wonder where they will come from. On a positive note, I do believe this offense is a lot better than what we had last year which will take some pressure off the defense. Don't be surprised to see Dodge commit more resources to the running game early this season as it will buy him time to get the defense together. Last comment, I really like the Serrano kid at place kicker. He has a smooth form and I thought he looked better than Jeremy Knott on this particular day.

Does this mean he will be playing against us in the Army game this year? Better make sure and get his playbook before he leaves!

http://www.bsufans.com/modules.php?op=modl...ic=18634&20

Wow I'm thinking maybe a "Mean Green Haiku" forum is in order here?

Good write up Rick. My take is Ball State will run the ball at Akpunku's side early and often. We will have to prove that we are able to stop their run to have a chance at winning this game.

Lots of people are missing this board so I decided to put it to you the fans to decide whether or not it should come back.

GOMEANGREEN.COM OFFICIAL BALL STATE WATCHING PARTY WILL BE AT OUR SPONSOR POURHOUSE SPORTS GRILL. IT WILL BE HUGE. MORE DETAILS TO COME.

Here's the article link: http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle...tclid=204771447 And its a good article I just disagree with Steven's comment, "We also can safely agree that Nathan Tune is what you want and need in a back-up role at QB. He's big, strong, knows the offense, and looks more and more comfortable every day. And stop right there, he isn't going to challenge Riley for the starting job, and Tune will even admit to that." If Nathan Tune is the competitor that I believe he is, he would never "admit to that" because he doesn't believe it and he would do everything possible to unseat Riley from that job! That's what we need to develop here, is true competition at every position - yes even QB! If Nathan Tune is unwilling to challenge Riley then put in Chase Baine or the big freshman in there to get the reps.

Zow! Amazing block!

He described Page as a very good athlete in high school who could run like the wind and was an adequate passer. He is no slouch, he was one of the top QB's in the nation coming out of high school and originally signed with Oregon. Looks like we will be facing a scrambler who has an All American caliber running back behind him. Yikes.

http://www.thestarpress.com/article/200908...-Sept.-3-opener

The key is coming up with two groups that can platoon without too much dropoff in production. I think that is possible with this group of players. On a sidenote, we are quickly moving from a team top-heavy on skill position players (wide receivers, secondary) to a team that has a larger number of big athletes and linemen which is more in line with what you need at the D-I level. I am thrilled at the recent additions on the DL and can't wait to see the competition at positions.

It sounds like Houston offered and then pulled their offer which means he didn't sign with them and thus would be eligible with us immediately. Had he signed with Houston he would have had to sit out a year. Nice pickup!

Group I DE - John Weber 6-3, 265 DT - Eddrick Gilmore 6-4, 270 NT - Shavod Atkinson 6-1, 300 DE - Brandon Akpunku 6-1, 215 Group II DE - Tevinn Cantly 6-4, 310 DT - Kyle White 6-2, 318 NT - Kelvin Jackson 6-2, 320 DE - Tyler Washington 6-1, 225 Group III DE - Lechristopher Anyiam 6-4, 287 DT - Draylen Ross 6-4, 286 NT - Jesse DeSoto 6-1, 286 DE - Kenechukwu Obi 6-2, 215 Group IV DE - Mack Cole 6-4, 245 DT - Joe Hawthorne or Charlie Brown 6-4, 258 NT - Troy Franklin 6-4, 270 DE - Sam Owosu Hemming 6-1, 215

LaChristopher Anyiam is a stud who had several BCS offers. Big win for Dodge!