Monday Doubleheader

Two stories.  One Post.

1.     TIGERS SHOW HEART IN CLOSE CALL

 

When the clock finally struck triple zero on Saturday night at Faurot Field in Columbia, 65,401 fans were allowed to breath again.  Everyone had seen this story before.  On September 1, 2001, Coach Gary Pinkel made his home Tiger debut with a thud, losing to Bowling Green 20-13.  The next year when the Tigers visited Bowling Green the outcome remained the same.  Bowling Green 51 - Missouri 28.  Saturday appeared to be heading towards a similar outcome, as the Falcons lead the Tigers 20-6 halfway through the third quarter.

 

But these Tigers aren’t the 2001 or the 2002 Tigers.

 

After a hot start to his career against Illinois, it took Blaine Gabbert two and a half quarters to find his rhythm and start moving his offense downfield.  In the end he threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns, both coming after his team went down by 14 points.  Not the impressive numbers from the Arch Rivalry Game, but enough to get the job done. 

 

While Gabbert’s performance may appear underwhelming, he accomplished something that the Tigers hadn’t done since 2005:  Be down in the fourth quarter and come back to win the game.

 

After a rough start, Gabbert lead his Tigers to 21 unanswered points

The last time the Tigers accomplished a late, come-from-behind win was the 2005 Homecoming game against Iowa State.  In that game, Missouri went three quarters without recording a single offensive touchdown.  Down by ten points with a little over nine minutes left to play, the Tigers came back with a field goal and a touchdown pass with just twenty seconds left on the clock.  The Tigers went on to win the game in overtime by the score of 27-24.  This was Chase Daniel’s first real appearance wearing a Mizzou uniform and is credited as the game that saved Pinkel’s job.  Daniel came in to replace a hurt (and struggling) Brad Smith.  This would be the only time Daniel lead the Tigers to a late victory.  Since he didn’t get the start, Daniel also has the dubious record of never starting a game for Mizzou and leading his team to victory after trailing for three quarters.

 

While Gabbert’s late leadership was impressive, the story of this game was Derrick Washington and the play of the defense.  Washington ran for 124 yards on 23 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown.  While Gabbert figured out the Bowling Green defense, Washington kept the Tigers hopes alive by moving the ball and setting up Mizzou’s two second quarter field goals.

Washington realized the Tigers were playing Bowling Green before anyone else on the team, and played as though his opponent was Bowling Green

After a questionable first quarter, the Tiger defense played with more heart than it did in any game last year.  When the Mizzou offense fumbled within their own red zone twice, the defense held Bowling Green to just two field goals to keep the game within striking distance.  They also made the key stop at the end of the game to lock up the Mizzou victory. 

 

It was a telling win.  While this team showed it may not be as talented as team’s in recent memory, it certainly has the heart to have a great season.

 

Of course, this close call could have been avoided all together.  Pinkel may have learned his lesson to never schedule Bowling Green again.  Dating back to his days as the head coach of the Toledo Rockets, Pinkel is 6-7 against Bowling Green, including four straight losses to the Falcons from 1991-1994.  This team just has something against Pinkel, but it was nice to see him somewhat make up for his debut loss from eight years ago.

 

Maybe the smarter thing to do is just not schedule any teams at home that have a shade of orange as one of their primary colors.  Since Pinkel took over the job, Mizzou is 0-3 at home when playing teams with orange in their uniform.  These teams being Bowling Green and Oklahoma State.  Since Oklahoma State has to play the Tigers in Columbia once every four years per Big XII scheduling, Pinkel should not play against the color orange any more than he has to.

 

It was not a great game to witness, but in the end the Tigers got the job done.  Gabbert showed he can play through adversity and not lose his cool and the defense proved they are capable of keeping their team in the game when they are not running at full speed.  This was a wake up call to the young players to never overlook an opponent, no matter how beatable they appear.  Lesson learned.  Victory intact. 

 

FOOT NOTE:  The official attendance of 65,401 was the largest opening day crowd at Faurot Field since 1978. 

 This picture was taken immediately after my pre-game breakfast meeting with Coach Pinkel.  I offered him such pointers as, "Score more points than Bowling Green" and "Don't lose."  He used both of my game strategies. Both were successful

 

2.     CARDS COOLING OFF, BUT NOW’S THE TIME

 

It was an absolutely horrible three game set against the Braves this passed weekend.  The statistics don’t need to be repeated.  In essence, the offense sputtered (I’m sensing a theme for this season), Kyle Lohse doesn’t have the same stuff he did last year, and Chris Carpenter proved he’s human.  With the exception of Lohse, I’m not too concerned with the other two problems.  The Cards bats went silent for a series.  After two weeks of smacking the cover off the ball, they were bound to experience a setback.  Even after struggling this weekend, the offense is still averaging over 4.50 runs per game in the month of September.

 

What does concern me is the pitching of Ryan Franklin.  While the five days off this month helped him boost his velocity in his latest outing, he demonstrated the same lack of control that has plagued him this month.  So far, Franklin has walked five batters while pitching in 3.1 innings.  Last month, Franklin walked just six in eleven innings.  Since the All-Star Break, Franklin has actually walked more batters (12) than he has struck out (11).

We've been seeing too much of Franklin holding his head down.  Time for him to get back on track, or for LaRussa to hand off the ninth to someone else

His control problems also feed another issue:  The number of base runners Franklin allows in an inning.  Franklin is averaging over one base runner per inning.  While this seems insignificant, one base runner could mean the tying run is on base or at the plate.  In his last save against the Pirates, he let his one base runner, acting as the tying run, reach third base until he recorded the third and final out in the ninth.  His save before that against Milwaukee, Franklin entered the game ahead by three runs.  Two hits, one walk and three hard outs later, the Cardinals won by one run. 

 

I’m not sounding the alarm yet, but these increasingly below par numbers are becoming more worrisome.  This team needs the ability to win close games in the postseason, and still needs to win close games in the regular season to finally close out the division.  If Franklin continues to struggle this way, there is no way you can allow him to close out games in the postseason (look at Billy Wagner in 2006 and his struggles to see how frustrating this possibility could be).  The good news is you have a veteran closer in John Smoltz who could fulfill the role the rest of the way (assuming he’s healthy and hopefully won’t be needed as a starter in the playoffs).

 

While this three game skid is alarming, it’s not completely bad.  It is better to slump in September than to slump in October.  The Cardinals are also a step ahead of their 2006 World Champion pace.  On this date three years ago, the Cardinals’ magic number stood at 12.  Today it stands at 11.  Going back further, in 2002, the Cardinals again stood at 24 games over .500 and still had a magic number of 7.  Slumps around this time are normal, especially when a team has a large division lead.  The key is getting your head back in the game and realizing you haven’t accomplished anything yet.  Tony LaRussa is good at reminding his players of this as he frequently chews out players that celebrate too early (see John Mabry during the 2004 season).

 

For now this team is right where it needs to be.  Carpenter will be fine and this offense won’t stay down for long.  If anything, it’s relieving to see the team struggle as it shrinks egos and makes players more cautious as they get closer to postseason play.  If Franklin can figure himself out, or is simply replaced before it gets out of hand, this team is right back to where we thought they were last Thursday.

 

But if they continue to struggle for the next week or so, get back to me.  Then we can start talking about panicking.

Don't cry Tony.  Your team is still in first place by 9.5 games

Pinkel to Media: "Neener, Neener, Neener!"

The following quotes were overheard before the 2009 Arch Rivalry Game (paraphrased to help our analysts get to the point much faster)

KIRK HERBSTREIT: I just don’t see how Missouri will be able to handle that Illinois offense. Last year they allowed Juice Williams to pass for over 400 yards and gave up 42 points. This offense just isn’t the same that it was last year. Illinois hands the Tigers the first loss in this game since 1994.

LEE CORSO: Missouri just can’t handle that Illinois offense and Gabbert is unproven at running the spread. No question: Illinois takes it.

LOU HOLTZ: Blah, blah, blah, (insert something stupid about Notre Dame here), blah, blah, blah, Notre Dame could beat God in a hot dog eating contest, blah, blah, blah, blah, what do you mean there’s more than one team that plays college football?

"The great thing about Notre Dame is that Notre Dame is Notre Dame."

Okay, one of those quotes may have been exaggerated just a little bit, but you get the general idea. This year, the national media does not like the Tigers chances. Some prognosticators had the Tigers finishing as low as fourth place in the North Division of the Big XII. And for the first time since the Arch Rivalry was renewed, analysts across the board picked the Illinois Fighting Illini to beat Mizzou.

FINAL SCORE: Missouri 37 – Illinois 9.

I’m not one to say I told you so. Instead I will simply reference you to my previous post about the upcoming Tiger season. If it helps, please picture me waving my hands in the air and sticking my tongue out at you.

I understand the media’s pessimistic outlook on the Tigers. It’s hard to be positive about a team that just lost the most successful class in school history. Plus, it is simple protocol for national sports journalists to follow the formula of, “I know nothing about you, therefore, you are a bad team.” For example, look at the national coverage the Tigers received in 2007 before they entered the rankings. College Gameday did not even recognize their existence until the Tigers destroyed Nebraska 41-6 in Columbia, when players like Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin became household names.

Needless to say, several media outlets (including local Mizzou homers) were shocked at how Mizzou performed. Granted Illinois played a sloppy game, but nobody expected the largest Mizzou victory in this rivalry game since the Tigers won 31-3 in 1993, the last time the game was played at Faurot Field in Columbia.

Coach Pinkel wanted to say I told you so, but he couldn’t and is too much of a professional to say such a thing. Instead, he kept things in perspective.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do…Remember we are talking about one game,” Pinkel stressed in a post-game interview. This is fine. This is exactly what a fan wants and needs to hear, especially with the Tigers next game coming against frequent trouble maker, Bowling Green.

"YOU were wrong. And so were YOU and so were YOU!"

I don’t want to jog any bad memories so I will make this quick. In Gary Pinkel’s very first game as Mizzou’s head coach, The Bowling Green Falcon’s upset the Tigers on their home field and walked away with a 20-13 victory. The next year, the Falcons destroyed the Tigers at Bowling Green by the score of 51-28. The Tigers haven’t scheduled the Falcons ever since.

It’s easy to see why Pinkel is concentrating hard on next week. He doesn’t want his team to be overconfident and would really like to makeup for a rough start to his Mizzou career. But there are several things I would be smiling about if I were Gary Pinkel.

1. BLAINE GABBERT

It was one game, but what a way to make your presence known. Gabbert completed 25 of 33 passes, compiled 319 yards with three touchdown passes and topped it off with 39 yards rushing, including an 8-yard touchdown run. His quarterback rating of 186.96 was the highest QB rating of any Big XII quarterback playing last Saturday. It’s just one game, but Gabbert showed he can run the spread offense. The great thing is, Gabbert says he can get better.

"Chase who?" (at least for one game)

If Gabbert can find a way to improve on a very complete game (for a quarterback), Mizzou fans should be salivating about now.


2. DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT

Under new defensive coordinator Dave Steckel, the defense held Illinois to nine points; a 33 point improvement from last year. Steckel greatly simplified the Tigers’ defensive scheme and frequently had three pass rushers running down Illini quarterback, Juice Williams, making him rush throws and not giving him enough time to look down field for deep passes, which plagued the defense all of last year. Using three pass rushers is nothing new. In fact, this type of defense has already lead a team to a Super Bowl victory. In 2008, Steve Spagnuolo (then the New York Giants defensive coordinator) used this type of defense, often called a Scorpion defense, to contain Tom Brady and a very explosive New England Patriots offense. Granted it is just one game, but the defense looked much faster and much more responsive this year than it did last year when it gave up 42 points and allowed Juice Williams to throw for 451 yards.


3. STILL UNDER THE RADAR

Mizzou won’t be receiving much national attention this year, which is exactly what Pinkel wants. It allows the Tigers to sneak up on teams and to put a game away before their opponent realizes what just happened. In 2007, the Tigers very quietly got off to a 5-0 start. After gaining the spotlight with a win over Nebraska, the Tigers lost to the Oklahoma Sooners and fell off the national radar. Again, they quietly won five games in a row and rose to number four in the BCS rankings before beating the Kansas Jayhawks on the national stage. No media spotlight means Pinkel has an easier job of keeping his players focused purely on the next game to be played. He doesn’t have to worry about the distractions of frequent interviews and questions about a possible national championship or BCS bowl run. His players can live and play for right now. Just look at last season. The Tigers started off red hot, but with a nation watching and a possible number one ranking waiting, Mizzou stumbled against Oklahoma State and never fully recovered. No attention means no big head. Of course, if the Tigers rattle off the wins, this will all change. In which case, Pinkel will have some experience under his belt and be able to prepare his players better.

Pinkel was right when he said this was just one game and there is plenty of season left. But why not get excited? After all, it’s not everyday that you get to rub a victory in the face of the nation’s sportswriters.

Pinkel Shows NFL How It's Done

March 16, 2008: A domestic disturbance at Gateway Apartments in Columbia, Missouri escalates when it’s revealed that the man involved has a loaded 9-millimeter Ruger handgun beneath the front seat of his car. The man is identified as Marquis Booker, a reserve linebacker for the Missouri Tigers football team.


Acting swiftly, Coach Gary Pinkel dismisses Booker from the team just two days after the incident.

April 30, 2009: Blaine Dalton, freshman quarterback for the Missouri Tigers football team is charged with possession of drugs and possession of alcohol by a minor. Eventually the charges were dismissed.

Coach Pinkel suspends Dalton after the incident, but reinstates him under the condition that Dalton clean up his act.

August 28, 2009: Dalton is arrested for driving while intoxicated and possession of alcohol by a minor. This time, Pinkel is not as forgiving as he kicks Dalton off the team later that day.




The NFL could learn a lesson from Gary Pinkel. Pinkel stopped problems before they became hazardous to others and showed the type of justice that has evaded NFL players several different times. Too often players are being scrutinized for misbehaviors that only harm them selves while some players have gotten away with murder. Not that I condone actions on either side of the spectrum, but the NFL needs to start handing out the proper punishment and showing a zero tolerance policy like Coach Pinkel when it comes to the safety of other players and everyday citizens and maybe giving the offending player a wake-up call before it’s too late.

Take the case of St. Louis Rams defensive end, Leonard Little. Little was a third round draft pick by the Rams in the 1998 NFL Draft. On October 20th of the same year, Little was driving home intoxicated after celebrating his birthday in St. Louis. With a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 (more than double the legal limit), Little crashed into driver Susan Gutweiler, killing her. Little was charged with involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 90 days in jail and 1000 hours of community service.



The NFL found this so outrageous that they suspended Little for eight games. He has since gone on to have a fairly complete career.

A similar case has come up more recently. On March 14th of this year, Cleveland Browns wide receiver, Donte Stallworth struck and killed pedestrian, Mario Reyes while driving intoxicated in Miami, Florida. Stallworth was four points over the legal alcohol limit and was driving 50 miles per hour in a 40mph zone. Stallworth was charged with involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 30 days of prison, two years of house arrest, 1,000 hours of community service, eight years probation, and his Florida driver’s license was revoked for a lifetime. Stallworth only served 24 days of his 30 day prison sentence.




Again, the NFL was angry. So angry that Stallworth was suspended for a whole season. He is scheduled to be reinstated upon the completion of Super Bowl XLIV.

While Stallworth is in the limelight still because his incident is much more recent, Little’s manslaughter is vastly overlooked. The fact that both of these men are allowed to continue to play professional football is beyond me.

What’s even worse is the coverage and scrutiny the estranged Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Michael Vick, receives for his involvement in an underground dog fighting ring. Vick was suspended from the NFL for two years and was only reinstated conditionally this year and will miss the first few games at which point, Commissioner Roger Goodell will make a decision whether or not to fully reinstate Vick.




Which of the two offenses are worse: Manslaughter or killing dogs? Neither one is condonable, but one is clearly worse than the other. The life of an NFL player is a special one and is one that should not be taken for granted. What Vick did was awful, but not so awful that he should not be allowed to show that he is a changed man and have a chance to win his life back.

In the case of Stallworth and Little, justice may have never been served. Little continues to play in the NFL and Stallworth will surely be fully reinstated sometime next year. These two playing football will not make up for the two families that lost loved ones because of these players mistakes. Little apparently never learned his lesson as in 2004 he was once again arrested for driving under the influence.

I applaud Coach Gary Pinkel for showing all football coaches at both the college and professional level how to handle their players: With very little lee-way. Marquis Booker threatened to put lives in danger so Pinkel dismissed him. Dalton was given a second chance to prove himself, screwed up and Pinkel dismissed him. End of story. That’s it. No more football for you. Pinkel did not hesitate and gave these two players the wake up call they needed.
If the NFL is smart, they will instate a similar policy: The Pinkel Policy. When a player screws up, the repercussions meet the level of the offense.

Athletes will always make mistakes because they are human. But how can we expect them to behave better when the precedent set for the ultimate offense is a slap on the wrist followed by large paychecks? Nobody is above the law, including athletes. Gary Pinkel realizes this. It’s time for the NFL to realize it too.