Yes kids, it's time once again to turn a critical eye on that which we love.
I bow to no one in my esteem for the first four seasons of The West Wing, Aaron Sorkin's award-winning drama and my favorite show in the whole wide world. I'll avoid giving you diabetes by lavishing sugary sweet praise, but suffice it to say those first four seasons frequently reached truly extraordinary levels of artistic excellence.
Naturally I decided to list the five worst episodes of those first four seasons. To repeat a disclaimer: this is a labor of love and should not be read as anything but that. I excluded from consideration "Issac and Ishmael," an out-of-continuity episode created in response to the September 11 terror attacks.
1. "Pilot": Season One
An episode with a number of excellent set pieces, (Bartlet excoriating the Christian Conservatives in the White House, Sam's wonderful conversation with Mallory) but also one of those cases where the pilot doesn't set the right tone for the series. One of the strengths of the series was that while Sorkin was doing a lot of liberal wish casting and created a number of conservative strawmen, he also subverted a lot of the expectations one might have of The West Wing. Religion was treated with dignity and respect. Morality was a consistent theme. So a pilot where Sam picks up a pot-smoking hooker (to be sure, he didn't pay her) and the religious right is excoriated sends the wrong message. The pilot indicated the show would be just another liberal stereotype when it proved to be so much more.
2. "Commencement": Season Four
Problematic for two reasons. First, the key plot element in this season finale is the kidnapping of Zoey. It was not Sorkin's finest decision. I get why he did it, and it was a legitimately clever throwback to a speech Bartlet gave back in the first season, but it just came off as cliche' and desperate, like Sorkin was throwing a Hail Mary at the end of his tenure on the show. Second, the episode relied heavily on Charlie and Zoey, played by Dule Hill and Elisabeth Moss respectively. Hill was the show's weak link and Moss was worse, her performances redeemed by the fact that they were comparatively rare. They had trouble carrying a scene, let alone an entire episode. (I should note that Hill has done a much better job on the few episodes of Psych I've seen) Plus, it seems like Sorkin's awfully cavalier with the death of a Secret Service agent.
3. "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail": Season Three
Goes off the rails a little bit simply with the title. God, but that's a mouthful. The decision to make Don Henley's "New York Minute" the musical backdrop completely ruins any dramatic tension. It's hard to get into the mindset that this is a traumatic time for Sam with that silly little song playing the in the background. It seems like a small thing, but while a soundtrack can't make an episode, it certainly can break one. Sorkin also poisons this episode by giving Sam what is arguably the worst "Sorkin Speech" of the show's run:
"It was high treason, and it mattered a great deal! This country is an idea, and one that’s lit the world for two centuries and treason against that idea is not just a crime against the living! This ground holds the graves of people who died for it, who gave what Lincoln called the last full measure of devotion, of fidelity."
Rob Lowe's delivery doesn't help, but yeesh, that is bad. It's not completely irredeemable until he goes into the Lincoln spiel. On the positive side, this was also the second "Big Block of Cheese Day" episode, and those were fun.
4. "The Stackhouse Filibuster", Season Three:
Aired the week after "Somebody's Going to Emergency...," so this wasn't Sorkin's best twosome. The basic premise of the episode is charming and appeals to the writer's sense of idealism, and I'm all about unrealistic idealism. Old man does something extraordinary for his autistic grandchild. Awfully cool. And we can never see enough filibusters on primetime network television. But Sorkin's framing device, several staffers writing letters to parents, is executed poorly. CJ, Sam and Josh evidently write familial emails in an absurdly stilted style. Come on guys. You're writing to mom and dad. Let your hair down a little.
5. "Game On", Season Four:
Placed here because it represents the true climax of the re-election arc that dominated the beginning of the fourth season. Bartlet wouldn't win the election until the next episode, but there was no doubt after he thoroughly destroyed Rob Ritchie in this episode that he would win. Truthfully, the outcome was never in doubt, and that sapped any tension from the entire storyline. Bartlet was never going to lose. He was certainly never going to lose to someone like Ritchie, who didn't even provide the viewers with a compelling opposition figure. Ritchie was a thinly veiled Bush parody, and I got the impression Sorkin was less concerned with entertaining his audience than with working out frustration brought on by the Bush administration. Understandable, but still a mistake. A relatively savvy viewer wouldn't expect Bartlet to lose to even a three dimensional Republican character like Arnold Vinick, but the re-election story could have been more entertaining.
A note: absent from this list is Dead Irish Writers, a third season episode that's widely panned by the show's fans. And yes, it's blatantly unrealistic. The British Ambassador complimenting the First Lady's breasts is beyond silly. But this episode is protected by the Rule of Funny. Unrealistic plot twists are acceptable if they're sufficiently funny, and I think Roger Rees' performance redeems the stupid twists.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
The American Mainstream and My Place Outside It
It's a strange thing to realize you're strange.
One of the most effective slurs leveled by the Republican attack machine over the past few decades is that Democrats in general, but those nasty "liberals" specifically, are far out of the American mainstream. They don't get it. They don't identify with average people.
It's a nasty claim, a brutal insult devised by a collection of fabulously wealthy, fabulously powerful individuals. Al Gore's out of the mainstream, doesn't display American values, but that George W. Bush, he's salt of the Earth, a guy who "gets" the average American. But as much as I hate hearing the argument, I've come to realize in recent weeks that it is, in my case, depressingly accurate.
This election has brought that home to me, but not because I've potentially backed the wrong horse. Again. If everyone who supported a losing presidential candidate was out of the mainstream, we'd have tens of millions of loner freaks out there, and that's not the case. The problem isn't even that I'm dramatically more liberal on a number of issues than the average American; by the definition of average, there are going to be a lot of people who are more liberal or more conservative than normal. Again, that doesn't cast someone out of the mainstream.
I have, instead, come to the realization that those things I value are not considered important by the general public, and I have come to the realization that I do not consider important those things valued by the general public. If that's the case, you are out of the mainstream. No debate.
Sarah Palin has become many things to many people, but right now she is a personification of my alienation from the mainstream. I find myself reacting viscerally, with disgust and dismay to the news reports chronicling some of her Alaska Adventures. I find myself convinced that this time, this revelation will shock and appall the American people.
And I find myself wrong.
Sarah Palin is opposed to abortion, even in cases of rape and incest? Why, polls constantly show that while Americans are divided on abortion, but they also show that most Americans are willing to allow it in cases of rape and incest. This will really hurt her.
McCain's poll numbers shoot up.
Sarah Palin had conversations with the Wasilla librarian about banning books? There's very little that offends me more than the idea of banning books. Basically, if the offense doesn't involve killing people, it doesn't bother me as much as the concept of banning books. You can sodomize a puppy in front of my eyes and it won't offend me as much as if you propose to remove The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the library.
McCain takes a four-point lead in Ohio.
The New York Times publishes a story detailing multiple examples of Palin engaging in Cheney-esque secretive behavior, deliberately skirting public records laws, turning every political dispute into a personal one and elevating friends to important governmental positions. I spent four and a half years at journalism school being taught that the government must be open and transparent, that there's very little more important than that.
McCain and Palin draw thousands at rallies across the country.
What I'm facing, then, is the simple reality that my values largely conflict with those of the average American. That being the case, I could act like the stereotypical liberal and insist that my values are the reasonable ones, the mainstream ones, the correct ones. Or I can come to peace with the idea that the Republicans are largely right: I'm not part of the American mainstream, and those who share my values are in the same boat.
This isn't really a matter of wrong or right; I'm not prepared to renounce all I hold dear because my candidate might well lose an eminently winnable election. Being out of the mainstream doesn't mean you're wrong.
But it doesn't mean you're right, either. And holding your breath until everyone acknowledges that your values are the only correct ones won't accomplish anything.
One of the most effective slurs leveled by the Republican attack machine over the past few decades is that Democrats in general, but those nasty "liberals" specifically, are far out of the American mainstream. They don't get it. They don't identify with average people.
It's a nasty claim, a brutal insult devised by a collection of fabulously wealthy, fabulously powerful individuals. Al Gore's out of the mainstream, doesn't display American values, but that George W. Bush, he's salt of the Earth, a guy who "gets" the average American. But as much as I hate hearing the argument, I've come to realize in recent weeks that it is, in my case, depressingly accurate.
This election has brought that home to me, but not because I've potentially backed the wrong horse. Again. If everyone who supported a losing presidential candidate was out of the mainstream, we'd have tens of millions of loner freaks out there, and that's not the case. The problem isn't even that I'm dramatically more liberal on a number of issues than the average American; by the definition of average, there are going to be a lot of people who are more liberal or more conservative than normal. Again, that doesn't cast someone out of the mainstream.
I have, instead, come to the realization that those things I value are not considered important by the general public, and I have come to the realization that I do not consider important those things valued by the general public. If that's the case, you are out of the mainstream. No debate.
Sarah Palin has become many things to many people, but right now she is a personification of my alienation from the mainstream. I find myself reacting viscerally, with disgust and dismay to the news reports chronicling some of her Alaska Adventures. I find myself convinced that this time, this revelation will shock and appall the American people.
And I find myself wrong.
Sarah Palin is opposed to abortion, even in cases of rape and incest? Why, polls constantly show that while Americans are divided on abortion, but they also show that most Americans are willing to allow it in cases of rape and incest. This will really hurt her.
McCain's poll numbers shoot up.
Sarah Palin had conversations with the Wasilla librarian about banning books? There's very little that offends me more than the idea of banning books. Basically, if the offense doesn't involve killing people, it doesn't bother me as much as the concept of banning books. You can sodomize a puppy in front of my eyes and it won't offend me as much as if you propose to remove The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the library.
McCain takes a four-point lead in Ohio.
The New York Times publishes a story detailing multiple examples of Palin engaging in Cheney-esque secretive behavior, deliberately skirting public records laws, turning every political dispute into a personal one and elevating friends to important governmental positions. I spent four and a half years at journalism school being taught that the government must be open and transparent, that there's very little more important than that.
McCain and Palin draw thousands at rallies across the country.
What I'm facing, then, is the simple reality that my values largely conflict with those of the average American. That being the case, I could act like the stereotypical liberal and insist that my values are the reasonable ones, the mainstream ones, the correct ones. Or I can come to peace with the idea that the Republicans are largely right: I'm not part of the American mainstream, and those who share my values are in the same boat.
This isn't really a matter of wrong or right; I'm not prepared to renounce all I hold dear because my candidate might well lose an eminently winnable election. Being out of the mainstream doesn't mean you're wrong.
But it doesn't mean you're right, either. And holding your breath until everyone acknowledges that your values are the only correct ones won't accomplish anything.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Unexcused Absences
It's been quite a while since the last update on this blog. For those few of you who read DR, no, I'm not shutting down.
I had a post planned for Thursday, but when I woke up that morning and turned on my computer I found that the damn thing wouldn't let me on the internet. For the life of me I can't figure out why.
I'm writing this on a relative's laptop; it's slow and not particularly stable, so I'm not comfortable spending a lot of time writing out long posts. If I can't figure out my laptop soon, I might have to suck it up and write on this one.
Either way, while I can't tell you when the next post will come, it will eventually come. That's a promise.
I had a post planned for Thursday, but when I woke up that morning and turned on my computer I found that the damn thing wouldn't let me on the internet. For the life of me I can't figure out why.
I'm writing this on a relative's laptop; it's slow and not particularly stable, so I'm not comfortable spending a lot of time writing out long posts. If I can't figure out my laptop soon, I might have to suck it up and write on this one.
Either way, while I can't tell you when the next post will come, it will eventually come. That's a promise.
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Palin Problem
I don't much like the Republican candidate for vice president. It's worth noting that I haven't had much exposure to her, so it's possible Sarah Palin has some great features lurking below the surface. But what I have seen is a candidate who's all too willing to cry sexism when legitimate questions are raised about her qualifications, who's all too willing to shamelessly jump on a feminist bandwagon whose tires she has spent her entire career attempting to slash and who's all too willing to engage in the kind of mean-spirited, often cruel politics of denigration and mockery John McCain purports to abhor. She is, in short, not my favorite person.
But you know what? I'm a liberal Democrat in Kansas. The McCain campaign cares about as much for my opinion as I do for David Brooks' take on the new Kanye West album. What's important is finding a way of successfully conveying that message (the stuff in the first paragraph, not the mental image of David Brooks rocking out to "Love Lockdown") to the people who do matter. Soccer moms in Ohio and Colorado, I'm looking at you. Through your windows. While you sleep.
The question is how to approach Palin, how to attack her, whether it's even a good idea to attack her. A "normal" vice presidential candidate wouldn't present many problems, but Palin's a moose of a different color. She has energized the evangelical base of the Republican Party and helped close the much-chronicled "enthusiasm gap" that supposedly existed between McCain's and Obama's supporters. Those base players wouldn't have voted for Obama, and they probably weren't staying at home on election day either, but they weren't canvassing or phone banking for McCain. Now? They're more inclined to open up the checkbooks.
Far more troublesome is her potential impact on swing voters. Strike that: swing women. (Not to be confused with "swinging women," who, let's face it, are probably voting Democratic in November) The fear is that Palin can use her compelling personal story and preternatural ability to sling mud without dirtying her hands to draw independent, moderate women away from Obama.
Normally the job of attacking the other team's vice presidential pick would fall to your vice presidential pick, but that's dangerous territory for Obama. I'm a Joe Biden fan, but he can sometimes come off as a bit of a...well, "jackass" seems like a kind word for it. And when an old white guy comes off as a jackass when dealing with a woman, unfortunate implications abound.
Biden's not in a position to lecture independent women about Palin's strident opposition to abortion, her opposition to pay equity legislation or her fondness for abstinence-only sex education programs. (The last one being quite an oxymoron, as a "sex education program" dedicated to telling kids "Sex is bad, m'kay?" isn't worthy of the name.) Palin and the McCain campaign would respond with frenzied accusations of sexism. Those accusations would be baseless, of course, but the media would be obliged to cover them. Would many voters be persuaded by all this? Maybe not. But the journalistic maelstrom would suck all the oxygen from the campaign and distract from the economic message Obama is trying to push.
The first obvious solution is to dispatch some high-profile Democratic women to carry the standards against Palin. The highest profile belongs to Hillary Clinton, and she will be campaigning for Obama in Florida this week. I expect Sarah Palin will come up. Clinton could be an effective weapon in this particular battle.
But as some of her aides have pointed out, it's unfair to expect miracles from Clinton. She's got a lot on her plate this fall. The under card is going to be awfully important. There are Congressional majorities to expand and governorships to acquire, and Clinton will in high demand for many of those races. Not to mention, you know, being a Senator. Her dance card is going to be full. When she pledged to help get Obama elected, she didn't bind herself to the role of Obama's troubleshooter on women's issues.
There's another problem as well. The Democrats can send Clinton or any other woman to Ohio to talk about reproductive rights and feminism, but the message might fall on deaf ears. Conservative women energized by Palin obviously aren't going to be swayed.
And those suddenly intrigued independent women aren't in love with Palin because they've made a cool, rational assessment of her policy positions and decided they fall in line with their own. Palin interests them because of that ephemeral concept of identity. She's like them. In many ways, she is them. She's got a large, vibrant family. She cooks dinner. Her husband's a union man, a rugged outdoorsy type. She seems so genuine, so down-to-Earth.
If that comes off as insulting, it's not meant that way. I'll tell anyone who listens that I'm supporting Obama because I agree with his proposed policies, but I largely agreed with the policies proposed in the primary season by Clinton, Biden, John Edwards, Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich, and I didn't support them. I'm as vulnerable to those meaningless superficial dynamics as anyone. I like Obama's policies, sure, but there's no doubt that I'm drawn to this young, handsome, hip man and his remarkable wife.
So I don't begrudge these hypothetical women their attachment to Palin, but it's important for this exercise to acknowledge that it's not based on concrete positions. They're not going to be swayed by constant reminders of Palin's extreme conservatism. They're not stupid and they don't live in caves. They know she's strongly pro-life. They know she's not fond of comprehensive sex ed. You can bang that drum all day, but you're not going to accomplish anything. You're not addressing Palin's root appeal.
The other option is to just ignore Palin and focus withering fire on McCain. That has the advantage of avoiding any gender minefields, and you can always hope the Palin stories will fade away until the vice presidential debate October 8. Then you just have to hope Biden can go two hours without accidentally calling her "honey."
But ignoring Palin cedes the field to her, and if early returns hold, she's going to keep lobbing Molotov Cocktails at Obama. The media will cover those attacks, both out of obligation and because they're going to be viciously quotable. Not responding isn't an option; no one wants to repeat John Kerry's mistakes. And responding doesn't make you look strong, it just makes you look reactive, like you're trailing the play. Plus, any journalist reporting your response will have to re-print the original attack.
So, how to deal with Palin? I've written 1,100 words to write these three:
I don't know.
But you know what? I'm a liberal Democrat in Kansas. The McCain campaign cares about as much for my opinion as I do for David Brooks' take on the new Kanye West album. What's important is finding a way of successfully conveying that message (the stuff in the first paragraph, not the mental image of David Brooks rocking out to "Love Lockdown") to the people who do matter. Soccer moms in Ohio and Colorado, I'm looking at you. Through your windows. While you sleep.
The question is how to approach Palin, how to attack her, whether it's even a good idea to attack her. A "normal" vice presidential candidate wouldn't present many problems, but Palin's a moose of a different color. She has energized the evangelical base of the Republican Party and helped close the much-chronicled "enthusiasm gap" that supposedly existed between McCain's and Obama's supporters. Those base players wouldn't have voted for Obama, and they probably weren't staying at home on election day either, but they weren't canvassing or phone banking for McCain. Now? They're more inclined to open up the checkbooks.
Far more troublesome is her potential impact on swing voters. Strike that: swing women. (Not to be confused with "swinging women," who, let's face it, are probably voting Democratic in November) The fear is that Palin can use her compelling personal story and preternatural ability to sling mud without dirtying her hands to draw independent, moderate women away from Obama.
Normally the job of attacking the other team's vice presidential pick would fall to your vice presidential pick, but that's dangerous territory for Obama. I'm a Joe Biden fan, but he can sometimes come off as a bit of a...well, "jackass" seems like a kind word for it. And when an old white guy comes off as a jackass when dealing with a woman, unfortunate implications abound.
Biden's not in a position to lecture independent women about Palin's strident opposition to abortion, her opposition to pay equity legislation or her fondness for abstinence-only sex education programs. (The last one being quite an oxymoron, as a "sex education program" dedicated to telling kids "Sex is bad, m'kay?" isn't worthy of the name.) Palin and the McCain campaign would respond with frenzied accusations of sexism. Those accusations would be baseless, of course, but the media would be obliged to cover them. Would many voters be persuaded by all this? Maybe not. But the journalistic maelstrom would suck all the oxygen from the campaign and distract from the economic message Obama is trying to push.
The first obvious solution is to dispatch some high-profile Democratic women to carry the standards against Palin. The highest profile belongs to Hillary Clinton, and she will be campaigning for Obama in Florida this week. I expect Sarah Palin will come up. Clinton could be an effective weapon in this particular battle.
But as some of her aides have pointed out, it's unfair to expect miracles from Clinton. She's got a lot on her plate this fall. The under card is going to be awfully important. There are Congressional majorities to expand and governorships to acquire, and Clinton will in high demand for many of those races. Not to mention, you know, being a Senator. Her dance card is going to be full. When she pledged to help get Obama elected, she didn't bind herself to the role of Obama's troubleshooter on women's issues.
There's another problem as well. The Democrats can send Clinton or any other woman to Ohio to talk about reproductive rights and feminism, but the message might fall on deaf ears. Conservative women energized by Palin obviously aren't going to be swayed.
And those suddenly intrigued independent women aren't in love with Palin because they've made a cool, rational assessment of her policy positions and decided they fall in line with their own. Palin interests them because of that ephemeral concept of identity. She's like them. In many ways, she is them. She's got a large, vibrant family. She cooks dinner. Her husband's a union man, a rugged outdoorsy type. She seems so genuine, so down-to-Earth.
If that comes off as insulting, it's not meant that way. I'll tell anyone who listens that I'm supporting Obama because I agree with his proposed policies, but I largely agreed with the policies proposed in the primary season by Clinton, Biden, John Edwards, Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich, and I didn't support them. I'm as vulnerable to those meaningless superficial dynamics as anyone. I like Obama's policies, sure, but there's no doubt that I'm drawn to this young, handsome, hip man and his remarkable wife.
So I don't begrudge these hypothetical women their attachment to Palin, but it's important for this exercise to acknowledge that it's not based on concrete positions. They're not going to be swayed by constant reminders of Palin's extreme conservatism. They're not stupid and they don't live in caves. They know she's strongly pro-life. They know she's not fond of comprehensive sex ed. You can bang that drum all day, but you're not going to accomplish anything. You're not addressing Palin's root appeal.
The other option is to just ignore Palin and focus withering fire on McCain. That has the advantage of avoiding any gender minefields, and you can always hope the Palin stories will fade away until the vice presidential debate October 8. Then you just have to hope Biden can go two hours without accidentally calling her "honey."
But ignoring Palin cedes the field to her, and if early returns hold, she's going to keep lobbing Molotov Cocktails at Obama. The media will cover those attacks, both out of obligation and because they're going to be viciously quotable. Not responding isn't an option; no one wants to repeat John Kerry's mistakes. And responding doesn't make you look strong, it just makes you look reactive, like you're trailing the play. Plus, any journalist reporting your response will have to re-print the original attack.
So, how to deal with Palin? I've written 1,100 words to write these three:
I don't know.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Florida 26, Miami 3
I haven't clicked over to my favorite Gator message board since the game ended, but I suspect when I do I'll find some disappointed Florida fans. This was supposed to be the game the Gators used to release 23 years of pent-up hostility toward the Hurricanes. Chris Leak, Ciatrick Fason, Steve Spurrier, they were all going to be avenged tonight against lowly Miami. Instead, Florida won in relatively unimpressive fashion, grinding out a victory against a young Miami team.
There were certainly some problems, a few annoyances Urban Meyer and Co. are going to have to address in their two weeks off before the Tennessee game. But I saw quite a lot to like, and more than a few things to love.
Chief among the latter was the defense. Florida's maligned defenders held Miami to just the three points, and the Hurricanes needed a 50-yard field goal to score those. The Gators surrendered only 79 passing yards and 61 rushing yards. You can chalk up a lot of Miami's aerial struggles to a young QB and inexperienced receivers, but the Hurricanes have a couple of talented running backs. (One of whom, to be sure, injured himself and was removed from the game at the end of the first half)
Miami was only able to convert 5 of 15 third downs. Third down was an area where Florida's defense desperately needed to improve this season, so that's a nice statistic.
All of the good feelings generated by those statistics need to be ameliorated by the knowledge that Miami was an awful offensive team last year and shouldn't be much better this season. But the Gators couldn't even stop bad offenses last year. Ole Miss was 91st in the country last year in total offense and the Rebels still managed to put up 390 yards and 24 points on Florida. Michigan was 68th in total offense and the Capital One Bowl still turned out to be a colossal humiliation for the Gators. So dominating a pathetic Miami offense is still encouraging.
The Gators didn't force a turnover, and they didn't get much pressure on Miami quarterback Robert Marve until the fourth quarter. Jermaine Cunningham and Carlos Dunlap both registered sacks on Miami's final drive, and Dunlap horse collared Marve behind the line of scrimmage on another play which wasn't technically a sack. (A penalty should have been called) I was fairly annoyed at the lack of a pass rush early, but Miami didn't have the talent to challenge Florida's secondary deep. Marve completed a few short passes, and he made good use of his legs on a few occasions, but Joe Haden, Wondy Pierre-Louis and company weren't an issue.
Florida did struggle offensively. The offensive line looked like they had never seen a blitz before, and Tebow was running for his life most of the first half. He didn't handle the Miami pressure all that well, occasionally rushing throws and coming up with inaccurate passes. He missed Louis Murphy on what should have been a long touchdown, and he completely botched a third and long throw to a wide open Brandon James.
But if Tebow showed that he still has room to grow as a quarterback, he also flashed the skillset that should impress NFL scouts. He ended up 21 of 35 for 256 yards and two touchdowns. The first TD came on a 14-yard pass to Aaron Hernandez, thrown while Tebow was rapidly backpedaling from Miami defenders. He still put more than enough zip on the ball to slip it over the hands of the Miami secondary. And while he didn't always handle the blitzes well, he escaped from pressure far more than most QBs would. Miami couldn't quite bring him down.
The Gator receivers continue to worry me. Louis Murphy ended up with excellent numbers, four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, but he dropped two other passes and should have made a better effort on the earlier missed connection. Carl Moore made one huge catch for 28 yards, but that was pretty much the extent of the receivers' contributions.
Hernandez, on the other hand, was beyond impressive. In a year and two games with Florida, he has shown wide receiver-quality open field aptitude, and that continued tonight. Aside from the touchdown catch, Hernandez also caught a short pass and romped through the Miami secondary for 38 yards before being tackled. He could definitely make up for the loss of Cornelius Ingram.
Most troubling was Florida's rushing game. Namely, there wasn't one. Tebow carried the ball 13 times for 55 yards, and Percy Harvin, returning to the lineup after missing the opener, rushed five times for "just" 27 yards. (A 5.4 yards per carry average is only awful when you typically average about nine yards per rush, as Percy does) But Chris Rainey picked up just 13 yards on three carries, while both Jeff Demps and theoretical starter Kesatahn Moore posted negative yardage. Conspicuous in his absence was Emmanuel Moody, who sprained his ankle against Hawaii and might still be injured.
As mentioned above, the Gators get an off week before going to Knoxville on September 30. It's a well-timed break. Harvin will likely be at full speed before the Tennessee game, and hopefully Moody can use the time off to heal. I also hope the coaching staff takes the time work on pass protection and blitz pick-up. Tennessee's defense is going to be every bit as tough as Miami's.
There were certainly some problems, a few annoyances Urban Meyer and Co. are going to have to address in their two weeks off before the Tennessee game. But I saw quite a lot to like, and more than a few things to love.
Chief among the latter was the defense. Florida's maligned defenders held Miami to just the three points, and the Hurricanes needed a 50-yard field goal to score those. The Gators surrendered only 79 passing yards and 61 rushing yards. You can chalk up a lot of Miami's aerial struggles to a young QB and inexperienced receivers, but the Hurricanes have a couple of talented running backs. (One of whom, to be sure, injured himself and was removed from the game at the end of the first half)
Miami was only able to convert 5 of 15 third downs. Third down was an area where Florida's defense desperately needed to improve this season, so that's a nice statistic.
All of the good feelings generated by those statistics need to be ameliorated by the knowledge that Miami was an awful offensive team last year and shouldn't be much better this season. But the Gators couldn't even stop bad offenses last year. Ole Miss was 91st in the country last year in total offense and the Rebels still managed to put up 390 yards and 24 points on Florida. Michigan was 68th in total offense and the Capital One Bowl still turned out to be a colossal humiliation for the Gators. So dominating a pathetic Miami offense is still encouraging.
The Gators didn't force a turnover, and they didn't get much pressure on Miami quarterback Robert Marve until the fourth quarter. Jermaine Cunningham and Carlos Dunlap both registered sacks on Miami's final drive, and Dunlap horse collared Marve behind the line of scrimmage on another play which wasn't technically a sack. (A penalty should have been called) I was fairly annoyed at the lack of a pass rush early, but Miami didn't have the talent to challenge Florida's secondary deep. Marve completed a few short passes, and he made good use of his legs on a few occasions, but Joe Haden, Wondy Pierre-Louis and company weren't an issue.
Florida did struggle offensively. The offensive line looked like they had never seen a blitz before, and Tebow was running for his life most of the first half. He didn't handle the Miami pressure all that well, occasionally rushing throws and coming up with inaccurate passes. He missed Louis Murphy on what should have been a long touchdown, and he completely botched a third and long throw to a wide open Brandon James.
But if Tebow showed that he still has room to grow as a quarterback, he also flashed the skillset that should impress NFL scouts. He ended up 21 of 35 for 256 yards and two touchdowns. The first TD came on a 14-yard pass to Aaron Hernandez, thrown while Tebow was rapidly backpedaling from Miami defenders. He still put more than enough zip on the ball to slip it over the hands of the Miami secondary. And while he didn't always handle the blitzes well, he escaped from pressure far more than most QBs would. Miami couldn't quite bring him down.
The Gator receivers continue to worry me. Louis Murphy ended up with excellent numbers, four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, but he dropped two other passes and should have made a better effort on the earlier missed connection. Carl Moore made one huge catch for 28 yards, but that was pretty much the extent of the receivers' contributions.
Hernandez, on the other hand, was beyond impressive. In a year and two games with Florida, he has shown wide receiver-quality open field aptitude, and that continued tonight. Aside from the touchdown catch, Hernandez also caught a short pass and romped through the Miami secondary for 38 yards before being tackled. He could definitely make up for the loss of Cornelius Ingram.
Most troubling was Florida's rushing game. Namely, there wasn't one. Tebow carried the ball 13 times for 55 yards, and Percy Harvin, returning to the lineup after missing the opener, rushed five times for "just" 27 yards. (A 5.4 yards per carry average is only awful when you typically average about nine yards per rush, as Percy does) But Chris Rainey picked up just 13 yards on three carries, while both Jeff Demps and theoretical starter Kesatahn Moore posted negative yardage. Conspicuous in his absence was Emmanuel Moody, who sprained his ankle against Hawaii and might still be injured.
As mentioned above, the Gators get an off week before going to Knoxville on September 30. It's a well-timed break. Harvin will likely be at full speed before the Tennessee game, and hopefully Moody can use the time off to heal. I also hope the coaching staff takes the time work on pass protection and blitz pick-up. Tennessee's defense is going to be every bit as tough as Miami's.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The Best Adjective for Sarah Palin's Speech
Small.
You could also say that at times it was mean-spirited, vindictive, effective, energizing, petty and even cruel. But it was, at all points, small.
It was small when she denigrated community organizing as a worthless pursuit, an especially egregious maneuver considering the GOP's emphasis on "service." It was small when she mocked Obama as a man without accomplishments or worth. It was small when she gave in to that most atavistic conservative inclination and excoriated the press for asking questions about her.
It is, to be sure, unfair to single out Palin. (Wouldn't want to be accused of sexism) Wednesday night at the Republican convention was all about small. It was all about sarcasm, scorn, mockery.
And it is, to be sure, unfair to single out Wednesday night. The Republican presidential campaign has centered around the excessive use of sarcasm as a political weapon. The campaign has been about sinking claws into Barack Obama and dragging him down into the muck. It has been about trying to make sure no Democrat feels good about their allegiance.
McCain/Palin: Hope Is For Losers.
You could also say that at times it was mean-spirited, vindictive, effective, energizing, petty and even cruel. But it was, at all points, small.
It was small when she denigrated community organizing as a worthless pursuit, an especially egregious maneuver considering the GOP's emphasis on "service." It was small when she mocked Obama as a man without accomplishments or worth. It was small when she gave in to that most atavistic conservative inclination and excoriated the press for asking questions about her.
It is, to be sure, unfair to single out Palin. (Wouldn't want to be accused of sexism) Wednesday night at the Republican convention was all about small. It was all about sarcasm, scorn, mockery.
And it is, to be sure, unfair to single out Wednesday night. The Republican presidential campaign has centered around the excessive use of sarcasm as a political weapon. The campaign has been about sinking claws into Barack Obama and dragging him down into the muck. It has been about trying to make sure no Democrat feels good about their allegiance.
McCain/Palin: Hope Is For Losers.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Why I Enjoy Kansas Summers
It's 59 degrees outside right now. I walked outside an hour ago to get the mail, and it was actually cold when the wind blew. The high tomorrow is supposed to be about 70 degrees.
Meanwhile, it's 85 degrees in Macclenny right now, and tomorrow's expected high is 90.
Meanwhile, it's 85 degrees in Macclenny right now, and tomorrow's expected high is 90.
Hitchens Misses the Point
Christopher Hitchens is an interesting guy, to the extent that every vituperative, besotted British writer is an inherently interesting guy. I can't say I "like" him, per se, since his is the kind of reflexive contrarianism I find annoying. Add in the fact that I disagree with him on most important issues, and the fact that he seems to actually believe that Bill Clinton is a member of a sub-human, reptilian species, well, there's a lot there I find distasteful.
But he's a good writer, and I like reading good writers. He almost always raises at least a couple of interesting points and brings a...call it "unique" perspective to issues.
So I found his column on the furor surrounding John McCain's 2,915 houses (linked above) rather disappointing. He has two main points:
1. McCain was almost certainly joking with the Politico reporter.
2. This is tiresome class warfare and demagoguery.
The first point is rather weak; if McCain was joking someone with the campaign would have gone to a reporter and said, "Dude, the Senator was joking. Obviously he knows the number of houses he owns" once the interview became an issue.
Hitchens' second point is more compelling. A man who possesses wealth may still possess empathy. The fact that McCain has seven houses doesn't mean he's callous or uncaring. As others, including Paul Krugman, have pointed out, Franklin Roosevelt was a fabulously rich man and he tried everything in his power to help Americans devastated by the Great Depression. (Whether he succeeded or not is left to the reader to decide; within the context of this post, all that matters is that he did care about the poor)
However, Hitchens ignores the reason this is a legitimate issue: the McCain camp started the "elitist" attacks long before the brouhaha over their candidate's properties. They weren't talking about houses, to be sure, but Steve Schmidt and others in the campaign have been trying to portray Obama as an out-of-touch celebrity for months. (To be fair to Hitchens, he does criticize McCain's people for retaliating by going after Obama's questionable real estate deal with Tony Rezko.)
Look, McCain's houses and various rental properties were not the issues around which I wanted this campaign to revolve. It's a stupid controversy, and I hate that we're talking about things like this.
But if McCain's embarrassed by this discussion, by the idea that his wife owns so many houses that he doesn't even bother to keep track, he needs to look in the mirror. McCain has spent months arguing that Barack Obama, an African-American raised by a single mother who occasionally resorted to food stamps to feed her son, is a "pointy-headed, arugula-eating professor type." I put those words in quotation marks because they are, verbatim, the words a McCain spokesman used to describe Obama.
If you're going to argue that Obama is unable to connect with the Average Joe (TM) because of his relatively new-found wealth and celebrity, you make the "elitist card" available for anyone to play. Don't unsheathe a double-edged sword and complain when it cuts you too.
But he's a good writer, and I like reading good writers. He almost always raises at least a couple of interesting points and brings a...call it "unique" perspective to issues.
So I found his column on the furor surrounding John McCain's 2,915 houses (linked above) rather disappointing. He has two main points:
1. McCain was almost certainly joking with the Politico reporter.
2. This is tiresome class warfare and demagoguery.
The first point is rather weak; if McCain was joking someone with the campaign would have gone to a reporter and said, "Dude, the Senator was joking. Obviously he knows the number of houses he owns" once the interview became an issue.
Hitchens' second point is more compelling. A man who possesses wealth may still possess empathy. The fact that McCain has seven houses doesn't mean he's callous or uncaring. As others, including Paul Krugman, have pointed out, Franklin Roosevelt was a fabulously rich man and he tried everything in his power to help Americans devastated by the Great Depression. (Whether he succeeded or not is left to the reader to decide; within the context of this post, all that matters is that he did care about the poor)
However, Hitchens ignores the reason this is a legitimate issue: the McCain camp started the "elitist" attacks long before the brouhaha over their candidate's properties. They weren't talking about houses, to be sure, but Steve Schmidt and others in the campaign have been trying to portray Obama as an out-of-touch celebrity for months. (To be fair to Hitchens, he does criticize McCain's people for retaliating by going after Obama's questionable real estate deal with Tony Rezko.)
Look, McCain's houses and various rental properties were not the issues around which I wanted this campaign to revolve. It's a stupid controversy, and I hate that we're talking about things like this.
But if McCain's embarrassed by this discussion, by the idea that his wife owns so many houses that he doesn't even bother to keep track, he needs to look in the mirror. McCain has spent months arguing that Barack Obama, an African-American raised by a single mother who occasionally resorted to food stamps to feed her son, is a "pointy-headed, arugula-eating professor type." I put those words in quotation marks because they are, verbatim, the words a McCain spokesman used to describe Obama.
If you're going to argue that Obama is unable to connect with the Average Joe (TM) because of his relatively new-found wealth and celebrity, you make the "elitist card" available for anyone to play. Don't unsheathe a double-edged sword and complain when it cuts you too.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Florida 56, Hawaii 10
Impressions from opening day:
1. Jeff Demps is fast.
2. Chris Rainey is fast.
3. Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey need to read the playbook a little closer.
4. Brandon James is a special teams God.
Those four points pretty much define my beloved alma mater's opener against over-matched Hawaii. Tim Tebow didn't put up Heisman Trophy numbers; nine of 14 for 137 yards passing with one touchdown. He did not score a rushing touchdown, which broke a string of 14 straight games with both a running and throwing touchdown. He didn't have a terribly effective passing day, notwithstanding those numbers. Florida's pass protection was surprisingly mediocre, and Tebow spent much of the game scrambling out of the pocket and throwing on the run.
UF's leading receiver was Louis Murphy, and he only caught two passes for 51 yards. (And a touchdown) Freshman Deonte Thompson let a long touchdown pass slip through his hands.
But as mentioned above, it was UF's three shortest players who ruled the day. James' returned a punt for a touchdown in the second quarter, and it was electrifying. He had to wait on a punt that rolled and tumbled along the ground. Once he scooped it up, he streaked through the Hawaii punt coverage unit, made several nifty cuts and broke a few tackles. It was his third career punt return for a touchdown, one shy of the school record. (Held by Jacquez Green)
Demps and Rainey, meanwhile, flashed extraordinary speed. Demps carried the ball just twice but gained 76 yards and scored a touchdown on a 62-yard run that included a couple broken tackles and a Hawaii cornerback left wondering how Demps blew past him despite the great angle he had. Rainey carried six times for 58 yards and a touchdown and most of those runs came between the tackles. The Gators put up 255 rushing yards, which is a total you'll take most days.
Both players screwed up a couple assignments, including teaming up for a roughing the punter penalty that so infuriated Urban Meyer he nearly slapped Demps. Rainey botched an option play and left Tebow to tote the ball instead.
Perhaps most interesting was the lack of carries for Emmanuel Moody, who sprained his ankle early in the game. Kestahn Moore is supposed to be the starter, but while he carried the ball seven times none of those rushes came when the game was close. Tight end Aaron Hernandez evidently sat out the game, as did Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes. Things get tougher next week when Miami comes to town, and it would be nice to get Moody, Hernandez, Spikes and Harvin healthy.
The defense played awfully well, though it was facing a Hawaii offense that was gutted of most of the players that led the Sugar Bowl team last season. The Warriors played three quarterbacks, none of them Colt Brennan, and none of them talented Brennan back-up Tyler Graunke. The Gators intercepted four passes, about half of the total they reeled in last year, which is good. On the other hand, the first interception came on a horrendous overthrow of an open receiver by Hawaii QB Greg Alexander.
I was happiest about Florida's pass rash. The Gators picked up four sacks, and two of them came from defensive tackle Lawrence Marsh. UF simply could not push the pocket last season, so it was encouraging to see a defensive tackle get in the backfield. Jermaine Cunningham chipped in with 1 1/2 sacks and cornerback Joe Haden, who played a fantastic game and can really hit, chipped in another 1/2 sack.
It wasn't a perfect game; the passing attack in particular still needs some work and Florida was penalized 13 times, including several pointless offsides infractions. But while Hawaii isn't a great team this year, they're not untalented, and they're a much better opening opponent than the Western Kentuckys and Charleston Southerns of the world. In that context, a 46-point beatdown is, at the very least, an auspicious beginning.
1. Jeff Demps is fast.
2. Chris Rainey is fast.
3. Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey need to read the playbook a little closer.
4. Brandon James is a special teams God.
Those four points pretty much define my beloved alma mater's opener against over-matched Hawaii. Tim Tebow didn't put up Heisman Trophy numbers; nine of 14 for 137 yards passing with one touchdown. He did not score a rushing touchdown, which broke a string of 14 straight games with both a running and throwing touchdown. He didn't have a terribly effective passing day, notwithstanding those numbers. Florida's pass protection was surprisingly mediocre, and Tebow spent much of the game scrambling out of the pocket and throwing on the run.
UF's leading receiver was Louis Murphy, and he only caught two passes for 51 yards. (And a touchdown) Freshman Deonte Thompson let a long touchdown pass slip through his hands.
But as mentioned above, it was UF's three shortest players who ruled the day. James' returned a punt for a touchdown in the second quarter, and it was electrifying. He had to wait on a punt that rolled and tumbled along the ground. Once he scooped it up, he streaked through the Hawaii punt coverage unit, made several nifty cuts and broke a few tackles. It was his third career punt return for a touchdown, one shy of the school record. (Held by Jacquez Green)
Demps and Rainey, meanwhile, flashed extraordinary speed. Demps carried the ball just twice but gained 76 yards and scored a touchdown on a 62-yard run that included a couple broken tackles and a Hawaii cornerback left wondering how Demps blew past him despite the great angle he had. Rainey carried six times for 58 yards and a touchdown and most of those runs came between the tackles. The Gators put up 255 rushing yards, which is a total you'll take most days.
Both players screwed up a couple assignments, including teaming up for a roughing the punter penalty that so infuriated Urban Meyer he nearly slapped Demps. Rainey botched an option play and left Tebow to tote the ball instead.
Perhaps most interesting was the lack of carries for Emmanuel Moody, who sprained his ankle early in the game. Kestahn Moore is supposed to be the starter, but while he carried the ball seven times none of those rushes came when the game was close. Tight end Aaron Hernandez evidently sat out the game, as did Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes. Things get tougher next week when Miami comes to town, and it would be nice to get Moody, Hernandez, Spikes and Harvin healthy.
The defense played awfully well, though it was facing a Hawaii offense that was gutted of most of the players that led the Sugar Bowl team last season. The Warriors played three quarterbacks, none of them Colt Brennan, and none of them talented Brennan back-up Tyler Graunke. The Gators intercepted four passes, about half of the total they reeled in last year, which is good. On the other hand, the first interception came on a horrendous overthrow of an open receiver by Hawaii QB Greg Alexander.
I was happiest about Florida's pass rash. The Gators picked up four sacks, and two of them came from defensive tackle Lawrence Marsh. UF simply could not push the pocket last season, so it was encouraging to see a defensive tackle get in the backfield. Jermaine Cunningham chipped in with 1 1/2 sacks and cornerback Joe Haden, who played a fantastic game and can really hit, chipped in another 1/2 sack.
It wasn't a perfect game; the passing attack in particular still needs some work and Florida was penalized 13 times, including several pointless offsides infractions. But while Hawaii isn't a great team this year, they're not untalented, and they're a much better opening opponent than the Western Kentuckys and Charleston Southerns of the world. In that context, a 46-point beatdown is, at the very least, an auspicious beginning.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Ladies and Gentlemen, the comedy stylings of David Brooks!
What's the only thing worse than a fatuous ass endlessly and tendentiously expounding on important issues with grave pomposity? A fatuous ass trying to be funny.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Cult of the Average
A few minutes ago the Democrats officially nominated Barack Obama as their candidate for president. You might have heard about it. It made all the papers.
If you believe the pundits, the Democratic Party has made a massive mistake: they have nominated a man who is not average.
Oh, the horror. The horror.
A couple pieces inspired this entry. The first comes from New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor (who evidently made it a point to write out "Barack Hussein Obama"); the second from Slate's John Dickerson, who has quite conspicuously valued balance this election cycle.
Dickerson tears into Obama for the crime of erecting some Greek columns on the Invesco Field stage where he'll be speaking tomorrow. (To be sure, Salon's War Room had a similar take) Never mind, as Dickerson at least notes, that George Bush had a similar set-up in 2004 and received no criticism for it. Never mind, as some of Salon's readers pointed out, that much of America's governmental architecture is designed in a Greco-Roman manner. If Greek columns indicate delusions of divinity, then the whole of Washington D.C., not to mention the Baker County courthouse in Macclenny, Florida, should be targets of John Dickerson's next column.
Kantor's story, by contrast, is not an opinion piece, but purports to investigate why Obama has had so many issues connecting with people. My two "favorite" passages:
But with Barack Hussein Obama officially becoming the Democratic presidential nominee on Wednesday night, some of the same qualities that have brought him just one election away from the White House — his virtuosity, his seriousness, his ability to inspire, his seeming immunity from the strains that afflict others — may be among his biggest obstacles to getting there....
Last month, while visiting Jerusalem, Mr. Obama crammed a note in the Western Wall that was promptly fished out and posted on the Internet. The message was elegantly phrased, as if he had anticipated that his private words to the Almighty would soon be on public display.
The overriding message here? Barack Obama is too good for his own good. There's no evidence that he intended that Western Wall prayer to be read by the public, but damnit, it was remarkably well-written. What shallow artifice! He can inspire people! He has "seriousness!" God, please save us from this above-average writer, inspirational figure and serious individual.
I mock Kantor and Dickerson, but I suspect no one will be as upset with their pieces as I am. After all, it has long been established wisdom that our candidates must fundamentally reflect us. They must be like us. They cannot be too far above us, because that frightens us.
Well, guess what? Barack Obama is above you. Hillary Clinton is above you. John McCain is above you. We need to recognize that. We need to embrace that.
John McCain has argued, and the media has embraced the claim, that Obama's unique ability to inspire crowds, to remind them of their hopes and aspirations, is a piece of sorcery to be shunned and scorned. The media has argued that Obama's wide-ranging intellect, his professorial ability to find the depths of a question and explore them, are hindrances to an effective campaign.
We must denigrate enthusiasm. We must mock idealism. We must spit on oratory and inspiration and passion. For countless generations we have told the youth of the nation that they must assemble and participate. They must take part in the political process, because if they don't, democracy crumbles. We have told them to be passionate and enthusiastic. And when they finally discover a candidate about whom they can be passionate and enthusiastic, people like Dickerson and David Brooks and countless others insult them. Brooks and Dickerson and countless others insult that candidate for his willingness to speak to them and his ability to inspire them. The youth of America, it seems, was meant to be seen and not heard in the political process.
And John McCain? McCain's message to those who are my age is simple: participate in the process, attend a rally, cheer your candidate, express enthusiasm, and I'll put you in an attack ad that labels you a member of a messianic cult.
Why do we want our presidents to aspire to average? Do we understand the kind of decisions a president has to make? We're talking about a man who decides to send troops into harm's way. We're talking about a man whose decisions affect the wellbeing of millions of Americans. We want an average man making those decisions? Why? When did we come to that conclusion?
I think that moment came before I was born, and frankly, I'm rather pissed that decision was made without my input.
We've seen what happens over the past eight years when our president is a man of average intelligence and below-average intellectual curiosity. So why then do people like Dickerson and Kantor, two writers who presumably did not earn their positions at Slate.com and The New York Times by being idiots and sub-par writers, continue to help perpetuate this idea of the middle brow, unexceptional president?
As much as I want to blame the media, this is on us. We ask silly, insipid questions like, "Which president would you rather have a beer with?" Yeah, I ended that sentence with a preposition. That's what Real Americans(TM) do. Screw you Barack Obama and your firm grasp of the English language!
If this entry makes me sound enraged, it's only because I'm enraged. This denigration of excellence has poisoned our political system to the extent that any deviation from average is considered evidence of electoral weakness. We have, after more than 230 years of independence, finally succeeded in creating a political atmosphere that punishes a candidate for demonstrating skill and talent.
If you believe the pundits, the Democratic Party has made a massive mistake: they have nominated a man who is not average.
Oh, the horror. The horror.
A couple pieces inspired this entry. The first comes from New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor (who evidently made it a point to write out "Barack Hussein Obama"); the second from Slate's John Dickerson, who has quite conspicuously valued balance this election cycle.
Dickerson tears into Obama for the crime of erecting some Greek columns on the Invesco Field stage where he'll be speaking tomorrow. (To be sure, Salon's War Room had a similar take) Never mind, as Dickerson at least notes, that George Bush had a similar set-up in 2004 and received no criticism for it. Never mind, as some of Salon's readers pointed out, that much of America's governmental architecture is designed in a Greco-Roman manner. If Greek columns indicate delusions of divinity, then the whole of Washington D.C., not to mention the Baker County courthouse in Macclenny, Florida, should be targets of John Dickerson's next column.
Kantor's story, by contrast, is not an opinion piece, but purports to investigate why Obama has had so many issues connecting with people. My two "favorite" passages:
But with Barack Hussein Obama officially becoming the Democratic presidential nominee on Wednesday night, some of the same qualities that have brought him just one election away from the White House — his virtuosity, his seriousness, his ability to inspire, his seeming immunity from the strains that afflict others — may be among his biggest obstacles to getting there....
Last month, while visiting Jerusalem, Mr. Obama crammed a note in the Western Wall that was promptly fished out and posted on the Internet. The message was elegantly phrased, as if he had anticipated that his private words to the Almighty would soon be on public display.
The overriding message here? Barack Obama is too good for his own good. There's no evidence that he intended that Western Wall prayer to be read by the public, but damnit, it was remarkably well-written. What shallow artifice! He can inspire people! He has "seriousness!" God, please save us from this above-average writer, inspirational figure and serious individual.
I mock Kantor and Dickerson, but I suspect no one will be as upset with their pieces as I am. After all, it has long been established wisdom that our candidates must fundamentally reflect us. They must be like us. They cannot be too far above us, because that frightens us.
Well, guess what? Barack Obama is above you. Hillary Clinton is above you. John McCain is above you. We need to recognize that. We need to embrace that.
John McCain has argued, and the media has embraced the claim, that Obama's unique ability to inspire crowds, to remind them of their hopes and aspirations, is a piece of sorcery to be shunned and scorned. The media has argued that Obama's wide-ranging intellect, his professorial ability to find the depths of a question and explore them, are hindrances to an effective campaign.
We must denigrate enthusiasm. We must mock idealism. We must spit on oratory and inspiration and passion. For countless generations we have told the youth of the nation that they must assemble and participate. They must take part in the political process, because if they don't, democracy crumbles. We have told them to be passionate and enthusiastic. And when they finally discover a candidate about whom they can be passionate and enthusiastic, people like Dickerson and David Brooks and countless others insult them. Brooks and Dickerson and countless others insult that candidate for his willingness to speak to them and his ability to inspire them. The youth of America, it seems, was meant to be seen and not heard in the political process.
And John McCain? McCain's message to those who are my age is simple: participate in the process, attend a rally, cheer your candidate, express enthusiasm, and I'll put you in an attack ad that labels you a member of a messianic cult.
Why do we want our presidents to aspire to average? Do we understand the kind of decisions a president has to make? We're talking about a man who decides to send troops into harm's way. We're talking about a man whose decisions affect the wellbeing of millions of Americans. We want an average man making those decisions? Why? When did we come to that conclusion?
I think that moment came before I was born, and frankly, I'm rather pissed that decision was made without my input.
We've seen what happens over the past eight years when our president is a man of average intelligence and below-average intellectual curiosity. So why then do people like Dickerson and Kantor, two writers who presumably did not earn their positions at Slate.com and The New York Times by being idiots and sub-par writers, continue to help perpetuate this idea of the middle brow, unexceptional president?
As much as I want to blame the media, this is on us. We ask silly, insipid questions like, "Which president would you rather have a beer with?" Yeah, I ended that sentence with a preposition. That's what Real Americans(TM) do. Screw you Barack Obama and your firm grasp of the English language!
If this entry makes me sound enraged, it's only because I'm enraged. This denigration of excellence has poisoned our political system to the extent that any deviation from average is considered evidence of electoral weakness. We have, after more than 230 years of independence, finally succeeded in creating a political atmosphere that punishes a candidate for demonstrating skill and talent.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
A Note to the Governor of Montana
I appreciate your excitement, but the bolo tie is making it really hard for me to take you seriously.
Monday, August 25, 2008
2008 Florida Gators Preview: Part 3
Schedule:
For an SEC team facing three schools that played in BCS Bowls last year, Florida's schedule is surprisingly manageable.
August 30: Hawaii
September 6: Miami (Fl.)
September 20: at Tennessee
September 27: Ole Miss
October 4: at Arkansas
October 11: LSU
October 25: Kentucky
November 1: Georgia (in Jacksonville)
November 8: at Vanderbilt
November 15: South Carolina
November 22: The Citadel
November 29: at Florida State
Of Florida's four true road games, only one comes against a ranked opponent: Tennessee on September 20. The other three include a trip to Arkansas, where Bobby Petrino takes over a Razorbacks team that lost all of its offensive weapons and looks to rely on Casey Dick to quarterback the depleted unit. Vanderbilt is Vanderbilt: they'll give it the old college try and then they'll lose. FSU is a bad team. They might have a winning record because of the weakness of their out of conference schedule and the ACC, but they're a bad team. Tallahassee hasn't been a pleasant place for the Gators over the years, but that curse was broken in 2004 and decisively buried in 2006.
Speaking of bad teams, Miami's coming to town for the first time since 2002. The game will renew a rivalry whose latest chapter was written in 2004 and which took a decade-long break in the 90's. The Hurricanes went 5-7 last year. They'll be better in 2008, but they're relying in large part on the talent Randy Shannon brought in this past signing day. That group might one day form the core of a Miami resurgence. But as true freshmen, they're going to get handled with relative ease in Gainesville.
The remaining tough games on the schedule either come at home or on neutral turf. Ole Miss is getting a lot of play as a darkhorse, what with Jevan Snead and a new, competent coach to reap the benefits of Ed Orgeron's recruiting. But while Snead was a superstud in high school, he hasn't actually proven anything in college, so it's probably premature to fear him. If the game was later in the season and in Oxford, I would be more worried. But it's the fourth game of the season and it's in Gainesville. I'm not worried.
LSU will be tough, because LSU is always tough. Talent abounds in Baton Rouge. But the game's in The Swamp, and I refuse to tremble at the thought of Florida facing an LSU team quarterbacked by a transfer from Harvard's JV squad.
Ultimately, the climax of the season will come on November 1. In fact, Florida's year is essentially a three game season: at Tennessee, LSU and Georgia in Jacksonville. If the Gators win all three of those games, they're set up for an epic run to a national championship. 2-1 puts them in a great position for a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. 1-2 and UF is looking at a bitterly disappointing 10-2 year. 0-3 and things get very hot for Urban Meyer.
General Prospects:
A lot of the season is going to come down to injuries. It was announced today that Brandon Spikes, who I labeled an irreplaceable part of the team, is fighting a nagging foot injury. His status for the opener is in question, though Meyer doesn't seem to think the injury will cripple Spikes. Percy Harvin's too explosive a playmaker, too electrifying and dynamic a presence, to lose for a large chunk of the season without it having a massive effect on the offense. If he's in there for 10 or 11 games at full speed, Florida's offense could be something special. If he misses five or six games, or if his heel slows him when he does play, that offense becomes merely good.
And that's an important distinction. The quality of UF's season is going to be directly related to the quality of UF's offense. Considering how the defensive secondary and line played last year, all Meyer can ask for out of his defense is an average performance. If the defense is average, that puts the onus on the offense to carry the load. A special offense= a special season. It's a linear situation. Whatever adjective describes the offense will, by the end of the season, also likely describe the team as a whole.
For an SEC team facing three schools that played in BCS Bowls last year, Florida's schedule is surprisingly manageable.
August 30: Hawaii
September 6: Miami (Fl.)
September 20: at Tennessee
September 27: Ole Miss
October 4: at Arkansas
October 11: LSU
October 25: Kentucky
November 1: Georgia (in Jacksonville)
November 8: at Vanderbilt
November 15: South Carolina
November 22: The Citadel
November 29: at Florida State
Of Florida's four true road games, only one comes against a ranked opponent: Tennessee on September 20. The other three include a trip to Arkansas, where Bobby Petrino takes over a Razorbacks team that lost all of its offensive weapons and looks to rely on Casey Dick to quarterback the depleted unit. Vanderbilt is Vanderbilt: they'll give it the old college try and then they'll lose. FSU is a bad team. They might have a winning record because of the weakness of their out of conference schedule and the ACC, but they're a bad team. Tallahassee hasn't been a pleasant place for the Gators over the years, but that curse was broken in 2004 and decisively buried in 2006.
Speaking of bad teams, Miami's coming to town for the first time since 2002. The game will renew a rivalry whose latest chapter was written in 2004 and which took a decade-long break in the 90's. The Hurricanes went 5-7 last year. They'll be better in 2008, but they're relying in large part on the talent Randy Shannon brought in this past signing day. That group might one day form the core of a Miami resurgence. But as true freshmen, they're going to get handled with relative ease in Gainesville.
The remaining tough games on the schedule either come at home or on neutral turf. Ole Miss is getting a lot of play as a darkhorse, what with Jevan Snead and a new, competent coach to reap the benefits of Ed Orgeron's recruiting. But while Snead was a superstud in high school, he hasn't actually proven anything in college, so it's probably premature to fear him. If the game was later in the season and in Oxford, I would be more worried. But it's the fourth game of the season and it's in Gainesville. I'm not worried.
LSU will be tough, because LSU is always tough. Talent abounds in Baton Rouge. But the game's in The Swamp, and I refuse to tremble at the thought of Florida facing an LSU team quarterbacked by a transfer from Harvard's JV squad.
Ultimately, the climax of the season will come on November 1. In fact, Florida's year is essentially a three game season: at Tennessee, LSU and Georgia in Jacksonville. If the Gators win all three of those games, they're set up for an epic run to a national championship. 2-1 puts them in a great position for a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. 1-2 and UF is looking at a bitterly disappointing 10-2 year. 0-3 and things get very hot for Urban Meyer.
General Prospects:
A lot of the season is going to come down to injuries. It was announced today that Brandon Spikes, who I labeled an irreplaceable part of the team, is fighting a nagging foot injury. His status for the opener is in question, though Meyer doesn't seem to think the injury will cripple Spikes. Percy Harvin's too explosive a playmaker, too electrifying and dynamic a presence, to lose for a large chunk of the season without it having a massive effect on the offense. If he's in there for 10 or 11 games at full speed, Florida's offense could be something special. If he misses five or six games, or if his heel slows him when he does play, that offense becomes merely good.
And that's an important distinction. The quality of UF's season is going to be directly related to the quality of UF's offense. Considering how the defensive secondary and line played last year, all Meyer can ask for out of his defense is an average performance. If the defense is average, that puts the onus on the offense to carry the load. A special offense= a special season. It's a linear situation. Whatever adjective describes the offense will, by the end of the season, also likely describe the team as a whole.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
2008 Florida Gators Preview: Part 2
Defense:
For all the hype surrounding Chris Leak, Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin, the 2006 National Championship was largely won on the strength of a ferocious defense. Defensive ends Jarvis Moss and Derrick Harvey relentlessly pressured the quarterback, linebackers Brandon Siler and Earl Everett stopped all runners and Reggie Nelson patrolled the defensive backfield with shocking ferocity. The 2007 unit had Derrick Harvey and...not much else. It was ranked 41st in the country, 98th (!) against the pass. Youth, inexperience and a lack of talent at a couple key positions combined to produce a defensive unit that could not stop anyone at crucial moments.
The 2008 defense projects better, if only because many of the key players have another year of experience. Exactly how much better is perhaps the most important question facing the Gators.
Defensive Line: DEs
Derrick Harvey bolted for the NFL after his junior year, but Florida appears to have another set of talented defensive ends. They won't replicate the production of the 2006 Moss/Harvey duo or the terror those two inspired, but they should be able to chase down the quarterback often enough to help the secondary.
Junior Jermaine Cunningham is not a dynamic, freakish pass rusher like Harvey or Moss, but he's a solid player and was probably Florida's second-best defender in the 2007 season. He recorded 64 tackles as a sophomore, including 17 in the loss at LSU. Cunningham's 6 1/2 sacks weren't extraordinary, but it was a respectable total. He's "only" 6-3, 250 lbs, so he doesn't profile as a future top NFL draft choice, but at the college level he'll anchor Florida's line.
The future superstar on the line is sophomore Carlos Dunlap, who is a freak in the Jevon Kearse/Moss/Harvey mold. Listed at 6'6, 290 pounds in the media guide, published reports indicate that he's at least an inch or two taller than that. After a largely ineffective true freshmen campaign, Dunlap shredded an admittedly paper thin offensive line in the spring game; he registered four "sacks" and practically pitched a tent in the offensive backfield. He'll probably struggle against the run, but if UF's going to generate a pass rush from the front four, it'll come from Dunlap.
Backing those two up will be a handful of under classmen, foremost among them sophomore Justin Trattou. He showed flashes of excellence as a true freshmen, compiling 20 tackles, 6 1/2 for a loss, and 3 1/2 sacks. For a true freshmen moving back and forth between the DE and DT positions, those are impressive numbers. He'll be a huge part of UF's defensive line rotation.
Fellow sophomore Duke Lemmens played played in 11 games as a true freshmen last year. He didn't make too much of an impression, recording just six tackles. But he was a well-regarded recruit out of California and should join Trattou in the rotation.
A couple true freshmen fill out the rest of the depth chart. William Green, a four star recruit Florida was able to pluck out of Alabama, has impressed coaches and should see action in passing situations. Earl Okine, a 6-7 monster from Gainesville High, might redshirt.
Defensive line: Defensive Tackles
Quite possibly the weakest position group on the team. Florida doesn't lack for talent, but there are no Marcus Thomas types in this group. The Gators will once again have issues pushing the pocket from the middle of the line.
The DT position is unsettled, but one of the starters should be redshirt sophomore Lawrence Marsh. I know very little about him. He's listed as a DE, but at 305 pounds (per GatorZone), he appears to have moved to the interior permanently. Marsh played sparingly last year and has impressed coaches this fall. So...yeah. There you go.
There's a lot of uncertainty behind Marsh. Junior college transfer Troy Epps seems to be in the driver's seat for the other starting position. He's listed at 6'1, 292 pounds and (evidently) dominated while playing for JUCO juggernaut Coffeyville Community College. Epps didn't impress much in the spring, but the fansite reports indicate he dropped fat and added muscle in the summer. No idea how true that is.
After Epps there's a scrum for the remaining spots in Florida's rotation. Senior Javier Estopinan has torn his ACL three different times and is more of an inspirational figure than a legit tackle. Redshirt freshmen Jaye Howard should contribute. Sophomore Terron Sanders played in only six games last year but seems to be in the rotation. Redshirt freshmen John Brown, one of the prizes in Florida's 2007 recruiting class, will also play and might represent the best shot the Gators have at finding a more than adequate tackle.
A handful of other players deserve mention, though they might not rack up a lot of playing time. True freshmen Omar Hunter out of Georgia was the best recruit in Meyer's 2008 recruiting class after being pulled away from a verbal commitment to Notre Dame. He's a huge talent, but a back injury has set him back to the point where he only started practicing late this week. No one's sure how much playing time he'll get.
True freshmen Matt Patchan was one of the nation's top offensive tackle recruits, but he was so fierce in spring practice that the coaching staff moved him to the defensive line. He'll rotate between the DT and DE spots.
Redshirt junior Ronnie Wilson was kicked off the team in early 2007 after an incident where he fired a gun over the head of someone who had annoyed him. He had played a lot as an offensive guard on the 2006 team, and would still be the starter if not for the incident. Wilson's scholarship was revoked, but he's worked his way back on the team as a defensive tackle. He'll miss the opener with Hawaii because of a sprained ankle. His season beyond that remains a question mark.
Linebackers:
Junior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes will lead this unit. Spikes was one of the few Florida defenders who could have been accurately described as an above average player in 2007. He was credited with 131 tackles, 81 solo, and generally played well. At 6'3, 245 pounds, he lacks truly impressive speed and isn't much of a blitzer, but he's a strong tackler and acceptable in pass coverage. He'll be the "spiritual leader" of the defense, for whatever that's worth, and is a candidate to leave early for the NFL.
He'll play alongside fellow junior Dustin Doe, a 6'0, 230 pounder who lacks Spikes' size but makes up for it by running with the grace and speed of his namesake. Recovered a fumble and returned for it a touchdown against Tennessee, but aside from that he wasn't much of a playmaker in 2007. He did record 85 tackles last year and has played in 27 games in his career, so experience won't be a problem.
Doe and Spikes will have to make up the relative weakness of weakside linebacker A.J. Jones. Jones, a redshirt sophomore, played in all 13 games last year and started nine of them. I don't remember him making a single play.
Florida has good depth at the position. Jones will be backed up by sophomore Lorenzo Edwards and true freshmen Lerentee McCray. McCray's a swift, thin linebacker, but he's impressed coaches with his playmaking ability in fall camp. If Jones continues his non-entity performance, Meyer will have options to replace Sophomores Brandon Hicks and John Jones will back up Doe on the strong side. Dustin's probably more entrenched in his position.
The Gators don't have great depth behind Spikes. Redshirt junior Ryan Stamper is the only viable back-up at the middle linebacker position after freshman Brendan Beal tore his ACL. If anything happens to Spikes, Florida is in a world of hurt.
Oh, worth mentioning is true freshmen TJ Pridemore, who was Omar Hunter's high school teammate and possibly the price of signing the megastar DT. He likely won't see a lot of important time as a linebacker, but look for him as a blocker in goal line situations.
Cornerbacks:
I rather bizarrely find myself cautiously optimistic about Florida's corners. I say bizarrely because, of course, UF's cornerbacks humiliated themselves throughout the 2007 season. They were short, they were young, they were inexperienced and they made sure everyone knew it. The Capital One Bowl was their crowning moment of shame, allowing a mediocre Michigan offense to rack up but 1,962 total yards. But the Gators have some talent here, and more importantly, they have enough names to fill out a depth chart.
The top cornerback will sophomore Joe Haden, who played that role for Florida last year with little success. Haden's got decent size (he's about 6'0, give or take an inch, and about 200 lbs, give or take a pound), excellent speed and surprising strength. You never want to see your cornerback racking up the tackles, but Haden picked up 63 of them last year and dealt out a surprising amount of punishment. Unfortunately, he only intercepted one pass, and it came on a dropped ball against LSU. But I'm optimistic because Haden was playing corner for the first time in his life last year. He was recruited as an "athlete" out of high school and was supposed to be in UF's receiving corps. But he was moved to corner out of necessity, and considering the circumstances he did the best he could. I'm hopeful that his second year as a defensive back will be a more productive one.
I'm less sanguine about the prospects for Florida's number two corner, junior Wondy Pierre-Louis. Wondy's got good size (he's 6-1) and impressive overall athleticism, but his speed and general skillset haven't been terribly impressive. He did intercept two passes last year, which isn't a good total but tied him for the team lead. That should tell you quite a lot about UF's pass defense. He was a solidly below-average player as a sophomore, and while I expect improvement, there's no reason to expect him to really impress.
There will be a scrum for the playing time afforded when UF goes to nickel and dime formations. Fortunately, the Gators have good numbers at the cornerback position. Markihe Anderson played as a nickelback in 2006 and would have been a starter last year were it not for a pre-season injury. He didn't impress when he played last year, but no one did in that secondary. He's probably ahead in this race because the other competitor, redshirt Jacques Rickerson, was probably Florida's worst cornerback in 2007. He might have improved, but I've read nothing to that effect.
True freshmen Janoris Jenkins, a top-ten high school cornerback, will push for playing time and probably get it. Sophomore Moses Jenkins is tall at 6-2 and recorded a sack against Florida State, which is pretty much the extent of his contributions so far. Two true freshmen, Adrian Bushell and Jeremy Brown, will likely redshirt.
Safeties:
This was supposed to be a position of great depth for the Gators. But Jamar Hornsby was kicked off the team, Jeremy Finch transferred and Dorian Munroe tore his ACL. Those defections, combined with five star recruit Dee Finley's failure to qualify academically, have left Florida with a talented but depleted depth chart.
Sophomore Major Wright will start at free safety. (Or strong safety. We don't know yet, and it probably won't make much difference) Played in every game as a true freshmen and started seven of them after it became clear Kyle Jackson simply could not play football at the SEC level. Wright's a big hitter and turned around the Auburn game by forcing a fumble after one of the Tigers' broke a big run. He had 67 tackles and four forced fumbles as a true freshmen, both impressive numbers. Not easily available on the internet were the number of times he screwed up pass coverage responsibilities, but there were quite a lot of them. He was a true freshmen learning on the job, so I won't judge him too harshly. If he can improve in that area, he'll be an outstanding player. If he can't, he'll still be better than Kyle Jackson.
Starting beside him will be sophomore Ahmad Black, a converted cornerback who checks in at 5'8, 190 pounds. Those measurements do not inspire confidence. He played in seven games last year and...did nothing, so far as I can remember. But he'll be the starter until he's unseated by...
True freshmen and mega recruit Will Hill. 6'2, 205 pounds and blazingly fast, Hill was one of the country's very best recruits. Parade All-American, participant in ESPN's All American Game, etc. And Florida fans are desperately hoping he'll live up to that hype. He'll come off the bench for awhile, but hopefully he'll play so well that he'll take over for Black by the Ole Miss or Arkansas games. It's hard to imagine Black being a truly effective safety, though I'm sure he'll give it an admirable effort.
Backing up those three are a collection of walk-ons and converted receivers. The receiver is redshirt sophomore Justin Williams, who has good size and intercepted a couple passes in Florida's first fall scrimmage. He probably won't contribute a whole lot this year, but it's good to have him on the depth chart. Sophomore Bryan Thomas is actually a safety, but he's missed fall practice after surgery to remove a cyst from his knee. No idea when he'll return.
Special Teams
Urban Meyer is a special teams acolyte and coaches the various units himself. As a result, UF's special teams units have become a decided plus for the team. The Gators return punts well and simply don't allow opponents to return them. They block kicks and keep the other guys from blocking kicks. About the only thing they don't do consistently well under Meyer is kick field goals.
Kickers and Punters
Two players continue to battle for the right to boot footballs through the uprights for the Gators. Senior Jonathan Phillips came in as a well-regarded high school kicker and hasn't done anything for Florida except shank extra point attempts. True freshmen Caleb Sturgis comes in as a well-regarded high school kicker and...well, let's hope this sentence ends with a better clause than the previous one did. I actually got a chance to watch Sturgis kick while I was covering a high school football game in Baker County, Florida. He's got a big-time leg and is more than capable of converting field goals from 50+ yards. (I saw him do that several times at halftime without the aid of a tee) Meyer's a little down on Sturgis' accuracy, but I have to imagine Sturgis will win the job eventually.
There's no such competition at punter. Sophomore Chas Henry has the job locked down. He only averaged 39.3 yards per punt, but the important statistic is net average. Florida ranked ninth in the country in net punting average, thanks to the team's preternatural coverage unit. Henry averaged 39.3 yards per punt, and his net punt average was 39.27. Hell, the Gators only allowed five punt returns period in 2007. Summing up: when the Gators punt, just fair catch.
Returners:
Brandon James, Brandon James, Brandon James. Shifty and explosive, this is where James really earns his scholarship. He's a threat to score on every return and is especially dangerous on punts, where Florida ranked seventh in return average.
Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey will probably see some time returning kicks in mop-up situations, but this is James' role.
Tomorrow: Schedule and Prospects
For all the hype surrounding Chris Leak, Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin, the 2006 National Championship was largely won on the strength of a ferocious defense. Defensive ends Jarvis Moss and Derrick Harvey relentlessly pressured the quarterback, linebackers Brandon Siler and Earl Everett stopped all runners and Reggie Nelson patrolled the defensive backfield with shocking ferocity. The 2007 unit had Derrick Harvey and...not much else. It was ranked 41st in the country, 98th (!) against the pass. Youth, inexperience and a lack of talent at a couple key positions combined to produce a defensive unit that could not stop anyone at crucial moments.
The 2008 defense projects better, if only because many of the key players have another year of experience. Exactly how much better is perhaps the most important question facing the Gators.
Defensive Line: DEs
Derrick Harvey bolted for the NFL after his junior year, but Florida appears to have another set of talented defensive ends. They won't replicate the production of the 2006 Moss/Harvey duo or the terror those two inspired, but they should be able to chase down the quarterback often enough to help the secondary.
Junior Jermaine Cunningham is not a dynamic, freakish pass rusher like Harvey or Moss, but he's a solid player and was probably Florida's second-best defender in the 2007 season. He recorded 64 tackles as a sophomore, including 17 in the loss at LSU. Cunningham's 6 1/2 sacks weren't extraordinary, but it was a respectable total. He's "only" 6-3, 250 lbs, so he doesn't profile as a future top NFL draft choice, but at the college level he'll anchor Florida's line.
The future superstar on the line is sophomore Carlos Dunlap, who is a freak in the Jevon Kearse/Moss/Harvey mold. Listed at 6'6, 290 pounds in the media guide, published reports indicate that he's at least an inch or two taller than that. After a largely ineffective true freshmen campaign, Dunlap shredded an admittedly paper thin offensive line in the spring game; he registered four "sacks" and practically pitched a tent in the offensive backfield. He'll probably struggle against the run, but if UF's going to generate a pass rush from the front four, it'll come from Dunlap.
Backing those two up will be a handful of under classmen, foremost among them sophomore Justin Trattou. He showed flashes of excellence as a true freshmen, compiling 20 tackles, 6 1/2 for a loss, and 3 1/2 sacks. For a true freshmen moving back and forth between the DE and DT positions, those are impressive numbers. He'll be a huge part of UF's defensive line rotation.
Fellow sophomore Duke Lemmens played played in 11 games as a true freshmen last year. He didn't make too much of an impression, recording just six tackles. But he was a well-regarded recruit out of California and should join Trattou in the rotation.
A couple true freshmen fill out the rest of the depth chart. William Green, a four star recruit Florida was able to pluck out of Alabama, has impressed coaches and should see action in passing situations. Earl Okine, a 6-7 monster from Gainesville High, might redshirt.
Defensive line: Defensive Tackles
Quite possibly the weakest position group on the team. Florida doesn't lack for talent, but there are no Marcus Thomas types in this group. The Gators will once again have issues pushing the pocket from the middle of the line.
The DT position is unsettled, but one of the starters should be redshirt sophomore Lawrence Marsh. I know very little about him. He's listed as a DE, but at 305 pounds (per GatorZone), he appears to have moved to the interior permanently. Marsh played sparingly last year and has impressed coaches this fall. So...yeah. There you go.
There's a lot of uncertainty behind Marsh. Junior college transfer Troy Epps seems to be in the driver's seat for the other starting position. He's listed at 6'1, 292 pounds and (evidently) dominated while playing for JUCO juggernaut Coffeyville Community College. Epps didn't impress much in the spring, but the fansite reports indicate he dropped fat and added muscle in the summer. No idea how true that is.
After Epps there's a scrum for the remaining spots in Florida's rotation. Senior Javier Estopinan has torn his ACL three different times and is more of an inspirational figure than a legit tackle. Redshirt freshmen Jaye Howard should contribute. Sophomore Terron Sanders played in only six games last year but seems to be in the rotation. Redshirt freshmen John Brown, one of the prizes in Florida's 2007 recruiting class, will also play and might represent the best shot the Gators have at finding a more than adequate tackle.
A handful of other players deserve mention, though they might not rack up a lot of playing time. True freshmen Omar Hunter out of Georgia was the best recruit in Meyer's 2008 recruiting class after being pulled away from a verbal commitment to Notre Dame. He's a huge talent, but a back injury has set him back to the point where he only started practicing late this week. No one's sure how much playing time he'll get.
True freshmen Matt Patchan was one of the nation's top offensive tackle recruits, but he was so fierce in spring practice that the coaching staff moved him to the defensive line. He'll rotate between the DT and DE spots.
Redshirt junior Ronnie Wilson was kicked off the team in early 2007 after an incident where he fired a gun over the head of someone who had annoyed him. He had played a lot as an offensive guard on the 2006 team, and would still be the starter if not for the incident. Wilson's scholarship was revoked, but he's worked his way back on the team as a defensive tackle. He'll miss the opener with Hawaii because of a sprained ankle. His season beyond that remains a question mark.
Linebackers:
Junior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes will lead this unit. Spikes was one of the few Florida defenders who could have been accurately described as an above average player in 2007. He was credited with 131 tackles, 81 solo, and generally played well. At 6'3, 245 pounds, he lacks truly impressive speed and isn't much of a blitzer, but he's a strong tackler and acceptable in pass coverage. He'll be the "spiritual leader" of the defense, for whatever that's worth, and is a candidate to leave early for the NFL.
He'll play alongside fellow junior Dustin Doe, a 6'0, 230 pounder who lacks Spikes' size but makes up for it by running with the grace and speed of his namesake. Recovered a fumble and returned for it a touchdown against Tennessee, but aside from that he wasn't much of a playmaker in 2007. He did record 85 tackles last year and has played in 27 games in his career, so experience won't be a problem.
Doe and Spikes will have to make up the relative weakness of weakside linebacker A.J. Jones. Jones, a redshirt sophomore, played in all 13 games last year and started nine of them. I don't remember him making a single play.
Florida has good depth at the position. Jones will be backed up by sophomore Lorenzo Edwards and true freshmen Lerentee McCray. McCray's a swift, thin linebacker, but he's impressed coaches with his playmaking ability in fall camp. If Jones continues his non-entity performance, Meyer will have options to replace Sophomores Brandon Hicks and John Jones will back up Doe on the strong side. Dustin's probably more entrenched in his position.
The Gators don't have great depth behind Spikes. Redshirt junior Ryan Stamper is the only viable back-up at the middle linebacker position after freshman Brendan Beal tore his ACL. If anything happens to Spikes, Florida is in a world of hurt.
Oh, worth mentioning is true freshmen TJ Pridemore, who was Omar Hunter's high school teammate and possibly the price of signing the megastar DT. He likely won't see a lot of important time as a linebacker, but look for him as a blocker in goal line situations.
Cornerbacks:
I rather bizarrely find myself cautiously optimistic about Florida's corners. I say bizarrely because, of course, UF's cornerbacks humiliated themselves throughout the 2007 season. They were short, they were young, they were inexperienced and they made sure everyone knew it. The Capital One Bowl was their crowning moment of shame, allowing a mediocre Michigan offense to rack up but 1,962 total yards. But the Gators have some talent here, and more importantly, they have enough names to fill out a depth chart.
The top cornerback will sophomore Joe Haden, who played that role for Florida last year with little success. Haden's got decent size (he's about 6'0, give or take an inch, and about 200 lbs, give or take a pound), excellent speed and surprising strength. You never want to see your cornerback racking up the tackles, but Haden picked up 63 of them last year and dealt out a surprising amount of punishment. Unfortunately, he only intercepted one pass, and it came on a dropped ball against LSU. But I'm optimistic because Haden was playing corner for the first time in his life last year. He was recruited as an "athlete" out of high school and was supposed to be in UF's receiving corps. But he was moved to corner out of necessity, and considering the circumstances he did the best he could. I'm hopeful that his second year as a defensive back will be a more productive one.
I'm less sanguine about the prospects for Florida's number two corner, junior Wondy Pierre-Louis. Wondy's got good size (he's 6-1) and impressive overall athleticism, but his speed and general skillset haven't been terribly impressive. He did intercept two passes last year, which isn't a good total but tied him for the team lead. That should tell you quite a lot about UF's pass defense. He was a solidly below-average player as a sophomore, and while I expect improvement, there's no reason to expect him to really impress.
There will be a scrum for the playing time afforded when UF goes to nickel and dime formations. Fortunately, the Gators have good numbers at the cornerback position. Markihe Anderson played as a nickelback in 2006 and would have been a starter last year were it not for a pre-season injury. He didn't impress when he played last year, but no one did in that secondary. He's probably ahead in this race because the other competitor, redshirt Jacques Rickerson, was probably Florida's worst cornerback in 2007. He might have improved, but I've read nothing to that effect.
True freshmen Janoris Jenkins, a top-ten high school cornerback, will push for playing time and probably get it. Sophomore Moses Jenkins is tall at 6-2 and recorded a sack against Florida State, which is pretty much the extent of his contributions so far. Two true freshmen, Adrian Bushell and Jeremy Brown, will likely redshirt.
Safeties:
This was supposed to be a position of great depth for the Gators. But Jamar Hornsby was kicked off the team, Jeremy Finch transferred and Dorian Munroe tore his ACL. Those defections, combined with five star recruit Dee Finley's failure to qualify academically, have left Florida with a talented but depleted depth chart.
Sophomore Major Wright will start at free safety. (Or strong safety. We don't know yet, and it probably won't make much difference) Played in every game as a true freshmen and started seven of them after it became clear Kyle Jackson simply could not play football at the SEC level. Wright's a big hitter and turned around the Auburn game by forcing a fumble after one of the Tigers' broke a big run. He had 67 tackles and four forced fumbles as a true freshmen, both impressive numbers. Not easily available on the internet were the number of times he screwed up pass coverage responsibilities, but there were quite a lot of them. He was a true freshmen learning on the job, so I won't judge him too harshly. If he can improve in that area, he'll be an outstanding player. If he can't, he'll still be better than Kyle Jackson.
Starting beside him will be sophomore Ahmad Black, a converted cornerback who checks in at 5'8, 190 pounds. Those measurements do not inspire confidence. He played in seven games last year and...did nothing, so far as I can remember. But he'll be the starter until he's unseated by...
True freshmen and mega recruit Will Hill. 6'2, 205 pounds and blazingly fast, Hill was one of the country's very best recruits. Parade All-American, participant in ESPN's All American Game, etc. And Florida fans are desperately hoping he'll live up to that hype. He'll come off the bench for awhile, but hopefully he'll play so well that he'll take over for Black by the Ole Miss or Arkansas games. It's hard to imagine Black being a truly effective safety, though I'm sure he'll give it an admirable effort.
Backing up those three are a collection of walk-ons and converted receivers. The receiver is redshirt sophomore Justin Williams, who has good size and intercepted a couple passes in Florida's first fall scrimmage. He probably won't contribute a whole lot this year, but it's good to have him on the depth chart. Sophomore Bryan Thomas is actually a safety, but he's missed fall practice after surgery to remove a cyst from his knee. No idea when he'll return.
Special Teams
Urban Meyer is a special teams acolyte and coaches the various units himself. As a result, UF's special teams units have become a decided plus for the team. The Gators return punts well and simply don't allow opponents to return them. They block kicks and keep the other guys from blocking kicks. About the only thing they don't do consistently well under Meyer is kick field goals.
Kickers and Punters
Two players continue to battle for the right to boot footballs through the uprights for the Gators. Senior Jonathan Phillips came in as a well-regarded high school kicker and hasn't done anything for Florida except shank extra point attempts. True freshmen Caleb Sturgis comes in as a well-regarded high school kicker and...well, let's hope this sentence ends with a better clause than the previous one did. I actually got a chance to watch Sturgis kick while I was covering a high school football game in Baker County, Florida. He's got a big-time leg and is more than capable of converting field goals from 50+ yards. (I saw him do that several times at halftime without the aid of a tee) Meyer's a little down on Sturgis' accuracy, but I have to imagine Sturgis will win the job eventually.
There's no such competition at punter. Sophomore Chas Henry has the job locked down. He only averaged 39.3 yards per punt, but the important statistic is net average. Florida ranked ninth in the country in net punting average, thanks to the team's preternatural coverage unit. Henry averaged 39.3 yards per punt, and his net punt average was 39.27. Hell, the Gators only allowed five punt returns period in 2007. Summing up: when the Gators punt, just fair catch.
Returners:
Brandon James, Brandon James, Brandon James. Shifty and explosive, this is where James really earns his scholarship. He's a threat to score on every return and is especially dangerous on punts, where Florida ranked seventh in return average.
Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey will probably see some time returning kicks in mop-up situations, but this is James' role.
Tomorrow: Schedule and Prospects
Joe Biden: Feel The Excitement!
Joe Biden it is. And I like it.
I don't much like the way Obama made the announcement, and not just because his campaign sent out the text message at 3:30 am Eastern Time. If he had made the call on Wednesday, he'd have a solid week of great press coverage. Wednesday through Friday would have been glowing coverage of Biden, Saturday and Sunday would have been an amalgam of VP and convention stories and Monday through Wednesday next week would have been a series of positive visuals from picturesque Denver. Instead we get a 3:30 am announcement, two days of weekend coverage (Saturday and Sundays are the worst news days) and process stories about why it took Obama so damn long.
But the pick itself I like. Obama clearly wasn't going to touch Hillary Clinton with a ten foot pole. Evan Bayh is about as exciting as a fifth grade play your child isn't in, Tim Kaine has too many question marks and Kathleen Sebelius is an unknown.
The pundits and commentators think Biden's biggest strength is as a burnish for Obama's foreign policy credentials. They're not wrong, but I think what the selection really says is that Barack Obama takes this governing thing seriously. (Well, that's what the campaign wants the selection to say. Whether you agree or not is probably a matter of partisan affiliation) Obama had options that made more electoral sense. Kaine could have helped push Obama over the top in Virginia, while Bayh could have made Indiana competitive.
But instead of going that route, Obama's campaign can claim, he chose a senator from a solidly blue state. Biden will help in Pennsylvania, his birth state, and blue collar voters will like his boxer's mentality, but you don't choose Joe Biden if you're picking a VP for electoral reasons. You choose Biden because you want a guy with experience, someone who'll be able to help a presidential administration and even take over in the event of a national tragedy. Obama sacrificed politics for wisdom.
That's the spin. Realistically, the political repercussions extend beyond electoral votes. You choose Biden so you can write everything I just wrote about helping your administration and adding an experienced voice. You choose Biden so you get his sharp tongue campaigning for you in rural Ohio, mocking McCain and whoever he chooses as his running mate.
It's not a choice without risk. Back when I talked about Biden in my award-winning VP Profile series, I mentioned the "babysitter dynamic." With this pick, Obama's trying to say, "When that phone rings at 3:00 am, Joe Biden will be there to add an experienced, knowledgeable, intelligent voice to the discussion." What you risk telling voters is, "When that phone rings at 3:00 am, Joe Biden will answer it and make all the decisions." There's a chance that next to Biden's 471 years of experience, Obama will look shallow and weak.
But there's no such thing as a perfect choice. Considering the realistic options, Biden was the best individual available to Obama. Aside from the political considerations, I really do believe that Biden could be a true asset for an Obama administration. He's someone any president should listen to, and I like the idea that Obama's looking for those voices.
I don't much like the way Obama made the announcement, and not just because his campaign sent out the text message at 3:30 am Eastern Time. If he had made the call on Wednesday, he'd have a solid week of great press coverage. Wednesday through Friday would have been glowing coverage of Biden, Saturday and Sunday would have been an amalgam of VP and convention stories and Monday through Wednesday next week would have been a series of positive visuals from picturesque Denver. Instead we get a 3:30 am announcement, two days of weekend coverage (Saturday and Sundays are the worst news days) and process stories about why it took Obama so damn long.
But the pick itself I like. Obama clearly wasn't going to touch Hillary Clinton with a ten foot pole. Evan Bayh is about as exciting as a fifth grade play your child isn't in, Tim Kaine has too many question marks and Kathleen Sebelius is an unknown.
The pundits and commentators think Biden's biggest strength is as a burnish for Obama's foreign policy credentials. They're not wrong, but I think what the selection really says is that Barack Obama takes this governing thing seriously. (Well, that's what the campaign wants the selection to say. Whether you agree or not is probably a matter of partisan affiliation) Obama had options that made more electoral sense. Kaine could have helped push Obama over the top in Virginia, while Bayh could have made Indiana competitive.
But instead of going that route, Obama's campaign can claim, he chose a senator from a solidly blue state. Biden will help in Pennsylvania, his birth state, and blue collar voters will like his boxer's mentality, but you don't choose Joe Biden if you're picking a VP for electoral reasons. You choose Biden because you want a guy with experience, someone who'll be able to help a presidential administration and even take over in the event of a national tragedy. Obama sacrificed politics for wisdom.
That's the spin. Realistically, the political repercussions extend beyond electoral votes. You choose Biden so you can write everything I just wrote about helping your administration and adding an experienced voice. You choose Biden so you get his sharp tongue campaigning for you in rural Ohio, mocking McCain and whoever he chooses as his running mate.
It's not a choice without risk. Back when I talked about Biden in my award-winning VP Profile series, I mentioned the "babysitter dynamic." With this pick, Obama's trying to say, "When that phone rings at 3:00 am, Joe Biden will be there to add an experienced, knowledgeable, intelligent voice to the discussion." What you risk telling voters is, "When that phone rings at 3:00 am, Joe Biden will answer it and make all the decisions." There's a chance that next to Biden's 471 years of experience, Obama will look shallow and weak.
But there's no such thing as a perfect choice. Considering the realistic options, Biden was the best individual available to Obama. Aside from the political considerations, I really do believe that Biden could be a true asset for an Obama administration. He's someone any president should listen to, and I like the idea that Obama's looking for those voices.
Friday, August 22, 2008
2008 Florida Gators Preview
Like most of the civilized world, I'm anxiously awaiting Barack Obama's choice of vice president. But since he's quite intent on making us all feel like jackasses for staring at our cellphones, it's probably wise to write about a different subject.
So, college football. My beloved alma mater went 9-4 in 2007, a mild disappointment coming off the national championship year of 2006. Considering the quality of the players lost and the youth of those remaining, it actually wasn't that bad a year. But expectations are much higher this year, as they should be. Anything less than an SEC Championship will be considered a disappointment.
OFFENSE
Will be the strength of the team. Led by the Heisman Trophy winner, with a solid offensive line and a bevy of talented playmakers, Florida's offense should be one of the very best in the country. Last year's offense was ranked 14th in the country in yards per game, third in points per game.
Quarterbacks:
There's nothing new or original to be written about Tim Tebow. He's an outstanding passer, a frightening runner and generally the best player in America. Tebow ran 210 times for nearly 900 yards last year in large part because Urban Meyer didn't have a true running back on whom he could lean. If things go according to plan, that "210" number will go down considerably. Still, we're talking about the freaking Heisman Trophy winner here. Get him the damn ball and stop apologizing for it.
Two quarterbacks are battling for the back-up role behind Tebow, and according to Meyer, it won't be a clipboard holding job. Meyer wants a system akin to what he used in 2006, when Tebow was Florida's third and short battering ram.
The best QB for that role is probably sophomore Cam Newton, a 6-6, 240-pound monster of a quarterback who saw mop-up action last year and impressed with his speed and power. He quarterbacked a couple impressive drives in the waning moments of the blowout win over Tennessee, punctuating one with a Tebow-esque rumble into the endzone. His passing performance in the 2008 Spring Game was erratic, and there remain questions about his ability to truly master an offense. But if he can convince Meyer that he's capable of holding on to the football, he's well-suited for a change of pace role as a running quarterback.
Fighting Newton is redshirt freshman John Brantley, one of the prizes of the 2007 recruiting class. A gifted drop back passer, Brantley sat out last year and has battled a handful of small, nagging injuries during his limited tenure at UF. He might well be the post-Tebow quarterback of the future. But with his relatively limited mobility and apparent fragility, it's hard to see how his skills really complement Tebow's in a way that would allow Meyer to use him as a second quarterback.
Running backs
(Note: in this offense, wide receivers frequently end up running the ball. It's a big part of what Meyer does. Nonetheless, in this section we'll focus only on those who are listed as RBs in the media guide. Receivers who figure to spend time in the backfield will be discussed in the next section)
The bane of Meyer's existence during his first three years at Florida. In 2005 and 2006 it was Deshawn Wynn and his infuriating inconsistency. Last year it was Kestahn Moore and his fumble issues. Those problems were why Tebow became Florida's go-to running back in both 2006 and 2007.
Things look to be better in 2008. Meyer and new running backs coach Kenny Carter have raved about their stable of backs in fall camp, and there's renewed hope that Florida will find a consistent running back for the first time since Ciatrick Fason left after the 2004 season.
Senior Kestahn Moore remains the presumptive starter. Solid and thoroughly boring, Moore's been picking up about 5.3 yards a carry since he debuted in 2005. He lacks breakaway speed but runs hard. (During the 2006 Alabama game, CBS play-by-play man Verne Lundquist told analyst Gary Danielson that "Meyer calls Moore a real 'lunch pail' guy." Danielson deadpanned, "That's usually what coaches call running backs who aren't very fast.") Meyer lost faith in Moore last season after a horribly timed fumble against LSU and another fumble on the first drive of the game against Georgia. Those were his only two fumbles of the season, but they stuck with the fanbase and coaching staff. Still, Moore's always picked up his yards, and Meyer loves how he handles the secondary responsibilities (blocking, receiving, etc.) of the position. Moore will also play a lot of fullback, allowing Meyer and offensive coordinator Dan Mullen to get an offensive threat at that position while sticking another running back on the field.
The anointed savior is USC transfer and redshirt sophomore Emmanuel Moody. Moody played well for the Trojans as a true freshmen in 2006, but saw himself buried in the tide of four and five star running backs Pete Carroll was trucking into LA. Reports on Moody's skillset are a little sketchy, since he hasn't played a down since that 2006 season. But he seems like a more talented version of Moore, a powerful runner with surprising speed. We think. Meyer is obsessed with ball security out of the running back position and won't let anyone on the field who has fumble issues. Moody ran for over 100 yards in the spring game, but also fumbled while diving into the endzone. If Moody can get that under control, Meyer might well have caught his white whale: an every down running back.
Fellow redshirt sophomore Mon Williams has impressive talent, and at 6-2, 210 pounds he might have the backfield's best combination of size and speed. He saw some mop-up work as a true freshmen in 2006 and impressed coaches during 2007 spring practice, but he tore his ACL and missed all of last year. He should see more than a few touches.
After Williams is a trio of absurdly fast and exciting scat backs. Redshirt freshmen Chris Rainey was a five star prospect in the 2007 recruiting class but hurt his shoulder early in the season and was granted a medical redshirt. He is, as the kids these days say, "fast." Absurdly fast. He came to Gainesville as a 160-pound running back, but has since added 25 pounds of muscle (according to GatorZone.com) and should be big enough to play in the SEC. Considering the three players ahead of him, Rainey will probably spend more time as a slot receiver and on reverses and end-arounds, as opposed to a traditional between-the-tackles running back role.
If Rainey is absurdly fast, true freshmen Jeff Demps is...um, unbelievably fast? Frighteningly fast? Jaw-droppingly fast? Demps barely missed out on a spot on the US Olympic track team as a 100 meter sprinter. Demps and Rainey ran a handful of races on the street outside their apartment; Demps won the first heat, Rainey pulled up on the second and won the third. Demps, like Rainey, doesn't have great size; GatorZone lists him at 5'8, 176 pounds. He won't get the touches of the first four backs discussed here, but he'll definitely see the field, perhaps as Florida's version of LSU's Trinton Holliday.
The last back is Brandon James, Florida's dynamic return man. He won't get a lot of hand-offs, but he will be used frequently as a slot receiver and the pitch man on options.
Receivers and Tight Ends
There seems to be this perception that Florida's got another excellent receiving corps, like the group it had in 2006 or 2007. That's not really true. Cornelius Ingram's season-ending knee injury removes a reliable receiver from the depth chart. That leaves Florida with a thinner group of pass catchers.
The one who should head that group is extraordinary junior Percy Harvin, one of the most electrifying players in America. He's fast, agile and surprisingly strong. He's got good hands, runs solid routes, keeps his nose clean off the field and stays crunchy, even in milk. Harvin can blow past any defender and is capable of making multiple players look stupid with a single, subtle cut. (Check him out on YouTube.) Caught 59 passes for 858 yards and rushed the ball 83 times for 764 yards last season. (That's a 9.2 YPC average, if you don't want to do the math) He is, in short, a wonderful player with the ability to change the game every time he touches the ball.
And no one has any idea how often he'll play this year.
Harvin, who battled leg and hip injuries over his first two seasons at UF, had heel surgery in the spring. His rehab was going swimmingly until the start of fall practice, when he had a setback and felt some pain in the offending heel. He hasn't practiced since, though he has taken part in various conditioning exercises, sometimes at full speed. Meyer hasn't confirmed anything, but it appears likely that Harvin will miss the season opener against Hawaii. The Gators won't need him to beat the Warriors. But while they probably won't need him to beat Miami in week two, it'll be a bad sign if he misses that game. If he misses the game at Tennessee, it'll be a sign that his season is in serious jeopardy.
Behind Harvin is senior Louis Murphy. He was Tebow's prime deep threat in 2007; when the Heisman winner executed his patented "jab step/deep pass" play, Murphy was usually on the receiving end of the pass. If Harvin's unavailable, Murphy will be Tebow's most reliable and experienced target. He has good size (GatorZone lists him at 6'3) and could be a high draft choice in 2009.
After Murphy comes...well, quite a lot of of inexperience. It's hard to believe that Florida's in a position of having two experienced, reliable receivers, one of whom might be suffering from a serious injury, but that's the situation. When Ingram went down and Jarrod Fayson transferred to Illinois, it left a troubled depth chart.
Of course, this being Florida those inexperienced receivers have abundant talent. If Harvin misses the game against Hawaii, the number two receiver is likely to be junior Riley Cooper. Cooper caught only eight passes in 2007, but he made them count; he averaged 22.3 yards per catch and reeled in three touchdowns. Unfortunately, two of those touchdowns came on long bombs against opening patsy Western Kentucky. (The third came on a 30-yard reception against Tennessee) Cooper's another big guy with great speed, but he's been injury prone as a Gator and has shown a tendency to screw up his routes.
Beneath Cooper on the depth chart are a bunch of receivers who can be summed up fairly quickly. Redshirt Junior David Nelson is 6-5 and looks impressive, but only has nine career receptions. Junior college transfer Carl Moore is 6-3, 220 lbs and was a five star JUCO recruit in January, but his spring performance was, by all accounts, poor. He's doing slightly better in the fall, but it's hard to pencil him in for 20+ catches. Redshirt freshmen Deonte Thompson was a big-time recruit out of Belle Glades, Fl. The Gators pulled him away from Miami, Ohio State and USC.
A trio of true freshmen round out the group. Frankie Hammond Jr. came in as a rail thin, lightning quick project who Meyer expected to redshirt. He's impressed enough this fall to earn some playing time. Omarious Hines and TJ Lawrence are likely to redshirt.
At tight end, sophomore Aaron Hernandez will slide into the starting spot vacated by Ingram. He's not the physical specimen Ingram is, but he's got great speed for a tight end and flashed some impressive open field skills as a true freshmen. Hernandez was the nation's top tight end recruit in 2007, and should step up in a big way this season. He'll do a lot to make up for the loss of Ingram.
Fifth year senior Tate Casey will back him up. He's big and he's old and four years ago he caught some touchdown passes as a true freshmen. That's his relevant biography.
The lack of reliable, experienced receivers is troubling on a team that spends so much time in four and five receiver sets. Fortunately, UF has enough playmakers to fill out those sets; it's just that many of those playmakers aren't wide receivers. The running backs, especially James, Rainey and Demps will take a lot of snaps at the slot receiver positions. James has been practicing extensively at the "Harvin position," should Percy be unable to play for an extended period of time.
Offensive Line
Meyer considers this the strongest unit on the team. He might be correct. The offensive line has undergone an impressive evolution over the last three years. 2005's offensive line was an embarrassment and nearly got Chris Leak killed. The 2006 unit improved dramatically but still had some problems. The 2007 line was a legitimate strength, with only the Michigan and Georgia games as black marks. The 2008 offensive line should be one of the best in the country.
Florida lacks a Michael Oher or Andre Smith, the kind freakish, dominating talents that get taken with high draft choices. What the Gators do have is a collection of experienced, talented linemen who have worked together for a couple years and have formed a cohesive unit.
The tackle spots will be held down by seniors Phil Trautwein and Jason Watkins. Trautwein played a big role as a junior on the national championship team, but he broke his foot last spring and missed the 2007 season. Watkins is a huge dude (6-6, 310 pounds) who started every game at left tackle last season. He had problems in the Georgia game, as did every other linemen on Florida's roster.
Senior Jim Tartt will play left guard; he's become quite adept at that, starting 26 games there over the last two years. Sophomore Michael Pouncey played defensive tackle last year as a true freshman; Florida had so few bodies along the defensive line that the choice came down to Pouncey or Mr. Two Bits. But his future is at the right guard position he'll play in 2007.
He'll start alongside his twin brother, Maurkice Pouncey, who'll handle Florida's shotgun snaps as the center. (Both Pounceys are listed at 6-5, 312 pounds on GatorZone, by the way) This Pouncey started 11 games at right guard as a true freshmen and acquitted himself nicely. That included a fantastic performance at LSU, where he went one-on-one with Glenn Dorsey and generally handled the future top-five draft choice.
Meyer has impressive depth behind the starting unit. Some of the names include former big-time recruit Carl Johnson, Frank Tenpenny, Marcus Gilbert and former big-time recruit James Wilson, who nearly transferred to Wake Forest this off-season.
Tomorrow: defense and special teams.
So, college football. My beloved alma mater went 9-4 in 2007, a mild disappointment coming off the national championship year of 2006. Considering the quality of the players lost and the youth of those remaining, it actually wasn't that bad a year. But expectations are much higher this year, as they should be. Anything less than an SEC Championship will be considered a disappointment.
OFFENSE
Will be the strength of the team. Led by the Heisman Trophy winner, with a solid offensive line and a bevy of talented playmakers, Florida's offense should be one of the very best in the country. Last year's offense was ranked 14th in the country in yards per game, third in points per game.
Quarterbacks:
There's nothing new or original to be written about Tim Tebow. He's an outstanding passer, a frightening runner and generally the best player in America. Tebow ran 210 times for nearly 900 yards last year in large part because Urban Meyer didn't have a true running back on whom he could lean. If things go according to plan, that "210" number will go down considerably. Still, we're talking about the freaking Heisman Trophy winner here. Get him the damn ball and stop apologizing for it.
Two quarterbacks are battling for the back-up role behind Tebow, and according to Meyer, it won't be a clipboard holding job. Meyer wants a system akin to what he used in 2006, when Tebow was Florida's third and short battering ram.
The best QB for that role is probably sophomore Cam Newton, a 6-6, 240-pound monster of a quarterback who saw mop-up action last year and impressed with his speed and power. He quarterbacked a couple impressive drives in the waning moments of the blowout win over Tennessee, punctuating one with a Tebow-esque rumble into the endzone. His passing performance in the 2008 Spring Game was erratic, and there remain questions about his ability to truly master an offense. But if he can convince Meyer that he's capable of holding on to the football, he's well-suited for a change of pace role as a running quarterback.
Fighting Newton is redshirt freshman John Brantley, one of the prizes of the 2007 recruiting class. A gifted drop back passer, Brantley sat out last year and has battled a handful of small, nagging injuries during his limited tenure at UF. He might well be the post-Tebow quarterback of the future. But with his relatively limited mobility and apparent fragility, it's hard to see how his skills really complement Tebow's in a way that would allow Meyer to use him as a second quarterback.
Running backs
(Note: in this offense, wide receivers frequently end up running the ball. It's a big part of what Meyer does. Nonetheless, in this section we'll focus only on those who are listed as RBs in the media guide. Receivers who figure to spend time in the backfield will be discussed in the next section)
The bane of Meyer's existence during his first three years at Florida. In 2005 and 2006 it was Deshawn Wynn and his infuriating inconsistency. Last year it was Kestahn Moore and his fumble issues. Those problems were why Tebow became Florida's go-to running back in both 2006 and 2007.
Things look to be better in 2008. Meyer and new running backs coach Kenny Carter have raved about their stable of backs in fall camp, and there's renewed hope that Florida will find a consistent running back for the first time since Ciatrick Fason left after the 2004 season.
Senior Kestahn Moore remains the presumptive starter. Solid and thoroughly boring, Moore's been picking up about 5.3 yards a carry since he debuted in 2005. He lacks breakaway speed but runs hard. (During the 2006 Alabama game, CBS play-by-play man Verne Lundquist told analyst Gary Danielson that "Meyer calls Moore a real 'lunch pail' guy." Danielson deadpanned, "That's usually what coaches call running backs who aren't very fast.") Meyer lost faith in Moore last season after a horribly timed fumble against LSU and another fumble on the first drive of the game against Georgia. Those were his only two fumbles of the season, but they stuck with the fanbase and coaching staff. Still, Moore's always picked up his yards, and Meyer loves how he handles the secondary responsibilities (blocking, receiving, etc.) of the position. Moore will also play a lot of fullback, allowing Meyer and offensive coordinator Dan Mullen to get an offensive threat at that position while sticking another running back on the field.
The anointed savior is USC transfer and redshirt sophomore Emmanuel Moody. Moody played well for the Trojans as a true freshmen in 2006, but saw himself buried in the tide of four and five star running backs Pete Carroll was trucking into LA. Reports on Moody's skillset are a little sketchy, since he hasn't played a down since that 2006 season. But he seems like a more talented version of Moore, a powerful runner with surprising speed. We think. Meyer is obsessed with ball security out of the running back position and won't let anyone on the field who has fumble issues. Moody ran for over 100 yards in the spring game, but also fumbled while diving into the endzone. If Moody can get that under control, Meyer might well have caught his white whale: an every down running back.
Fellow redshirt sophomore Mon Williams has impressive talent, and at 6-2, 210 pounds he might have the backfield's best combination of size and speed. He saw some mop-up work as a true freshmen in 2006 and impressed coaches during 2007 spring practice, but he tore his ACL and missed all of last year. He should see more than a few touches.
After Williams is a trio of absurdly fast and exciting scat backs. Redshirt freshmen Chris Rainey was a five star prospect in the 2007 recruiting class but hurt his shoulder early in the season and was granted a medical redshirt. He is, as the kids these days say, "fast." Absurdly fast. He came to Gainesville as a 160-pound running back, but has since added 25 pounds of muscle (according to GatorZone.com) and should be big enough to play in the SEC. Considering the three players ahead of him, Rainey will probably spend more time as a slot receiver and on reverses and end-arounds, as opposed to a traditional between-the-tackles running back role.
If Rainey is absurdly fast, true freshmen Jeff Demps is...um, unbelievably fast? Frighteningly fast? Jaw-droppingly fast? Demps barely missed out on a spot on the US Olympic track team as a 100 meter sprinter. Demps and Rainey ran a handful of races on the street outside their apartment; Demps won the first heat, Rainey pulled up on the second and won the third. Demps, like Rainey, doesn't have great size; GatorZone lists him at 5'8, 176 pounds. He won't get the touches of the first four backs discussed here, but he'll definitely see the field, perhaps as Florida's version of LSU's Trinton Holliday.
The last back is Brandon James, Florida's dynamic return man. He won't get a lot of hand-offs, but he will be used frequently as a slot receiver and the pitch man on options.
Receivers and Tight Ends
There seems to be this perception that Florida's got another excellent receiving corps, like the group it had in 2006 or 2007. That's not really true. Cornelius Ingram's season-ending knee injury removes a reliable receiver from the depth chart. That leaves Florida with a thinner group of pass catchers.
The one who should head that group is extraordinary junior Percy Harvin, one of the most electrifying players in America. He's fast, agile and surprisingly strong. He's got good hands, runs solid routes, keeps his nose clean off the field and stays crunchy, even in milk. Harvin can blow past any defender and is capable of making multiple players look stupid with a single, subtle cut. (Check him out on YouTube.) Caught 59 passes for 858 yards and rushed the ball 83 times for 764 yards last season. (That's a 9.2 YPC average, if you don't want to do the math) He is, in short, a wonderful player with the ability to change the game every time he touches the ball.
And no one has any idea how often he'll play this year.
Harvin, who battled leg and hip injuries over his first two seasons at UF, had heel surgery in the spring. His rehab was going swimmingly until the start of fall practice, when he had a setback and felt some pain in the offending heel. He hasn't practiced since, though he has taken part in various conditioning exercises, sometimes at full speed. Meyer hasn't confirmed anything, but it appears likely that Harvin will miss the season opener against Hawaii. The Gators won't need him to beat the Warriors. But while they probably won't need him to beat Miami in week two, it'll be a bad sign if he misses that game. If he misses the game at Tennessee, it'll be a sign that his season is in serious jeopardy.
Behind Harvin is senior Louis Murphy. He was Tebow's prime deep threat in 2007; when the Heisman winner executed his patented "jab step/deep pass" play, Murphy was usually on the receiving end of the pass. If Harvin's unavailable, Murphy will be Tebow's most reliable and experienced target. He has good size (GatorZone lists him at 6'3) and could be a high draft choice in 2009.
After Murphy comes...well, quite a lot of of inexperience. It's hard to believe that Florida's in a position of having two experienced, reliable receivers, one of whom might be suffering from a serious injury, but that's the situation. When Ingram went down and Jarrod Fayson transferred to Illinois, it left a troubled depth chart.
Of course, this being Florida those inexperienced receivers have abundant talent. If Harvin misses the game against Hawaii, the number two receiver is likely to be junior Riley Cooper. Cooper caught only eight passes in 2007, but he made them count; he averaged 22.3 yards per catch and reeled in three touchdowns. Unfortunately, two of those touchdowns came on long bombs against opening patsy Western Kentucky. (The third came on a 30-yard reception against Tennessee) Cooper's another big guy with great speed, but he's been injury prone as a Gator and has shown a tendency to screw up his routes.
Beneath Cooper on the depth chart are a bunch of receivers who can be summed up fairly quickly. Redshirt Junior David Nelson is 6-5 and looks impressive, but only has nine career receptions. Junior college transfer Carl Moore is 6-3, 220 lbs and was a five star JUCO recruit in January, but his spring performance was, by all accounts, poor. He's doing slightly better in the fall, but it's hard to pencil him in for 20+ catches. Redshirt freshmen Deonte Thompson was a big-time recruit out of Belle Glades, Fl. The Gators pulled him away from Miami, Ohio State and USC.
A trio of true freshmen round out the group. Frankie Hammond Jr. came in as a rail thin, lightning quick project who Meyer expected to redshirt. He's impressed enough this fall to earn some playing time. Omarious Hines and TJ Lawrence are likely to redshirt.
At tight end, sophomore Aaron Hernandez will slide into the starting spot vacated by Ingram. He's not the physical specimen Ingram is, but he's got great speed for a tight end and flashed some impressive open field skills as a true freshmen. Hernandez was the nation's top tight end recruit in 2007, and should step up in a big way this season. He'll do a lot to make up for the loss of Ingram.
Fifth year senior Tate Casey will back him up. He's big and he's old and four years ago he caught some touchdown passes as a true freshmen. That's his relevant biography.
The lack of reliable, experienced receivers is troubling on a team that spends so much time in four and five receiver sets. Fortunately, UF has enough playmakers to fill out those sets; it's just that many of those playmakers aren't wide receivers. The running backs, especially James, Rainey and Demps will take a lot of snaps at the slot receiver positions. James has been practicing extensively at the "Harvin position," should Percy be unable to play for an extended period of time.
Offensive Line
Meyer considers this the strongest unit on the team. He might be correct. The offensive line has undergone an impressive evolution over the last three years. 2005's offensive line was an embarrassment and nearly got Chris Leak killed. The 2006 unit improved dramatically but still had some problems. The 2007 line was a legitimate strength, with only the Michigan and Georgia games as black marks. The 2008 offensive line should be one of the best in the country.
Florida lacks a Michael Oher or Andre Smith, the kind freakish, dominating talents that get taken with high draft choices. What the Gators do have is a collection of experienced, talented linemen who have worked together for a couple years and have formed a cohesive unit.
The tackle spots will be held down by seniors Phil Trautwein and Jason Watkins. Trautwein played a big role as a junior on the national championship team, but he broke his foot last spring and missed the 2007 season. Watkins is a huge dude (6-6, 310 pounds) who started every game at left tackle last season. He had problems in the Georgia game, as did every other linemen on Florida's roster.
Senior Jim Tartt will play left guard; he's become quite adept at that, starting 26 games there over the last two years. Sophomore Michael Pouncey played defensive tackle last year as a true freshman; Florida had so few bodies along the defensive line that the choice came down to Pouncey or Mr. Two Bits. But his future is at the right guard position he'll play in 2007.
He'll start alongside his twin brother, Maurkice Pouncey, who'll handle Florida's shotgun snaps as the center. (Both Pounceys are listed at 6-5, 312 pounds on GatorZone, by the way) This Pouncey started 11 games at right guard as a true freshmen and acquitted himself nicely. That included a fantastic performance at LSU, where he went one-on-one with Glenn Dorsey and generally handled the future top-five draft choice.
Meyer has impressive depth behind the starting unit. Some of the names include former big-time recruit Carl Johnson, Frank Tenpenny, Marcus Gilbert and former big-time recruit James Wilson, who nearly transferred to Wake Forest this off-season.
Tomorrow: defense and special teams.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Well, we're boned
FiveThirtyEight: McCain Now Winning the Small Majority of Simulations
Nate Silver and his partner over FiveThirtyEight frequently run 10,000 computer simulations of the upcoming election. Today, for the first time, McCain has won the majority of those simulations. This seems to be based on a new set of polls coming out today that give McCain a ten point lead in Missouri and a five point lead in Ohio. Those states had been moving in McCain's direction for a few weeks, but those are fairly striking totals. What can we take from this?
We're all going to die.
Nate Silver and his partner over FiveThirtyEight frequently run 10,000 computer simulations of the upcoming election. Today, for the first time, McCain has won the majority of those simulations. This seems to be based on a new set of polls coming out today that give McCain a ten point lead in Missouri and a five point lead in Ohio. Those states had been moving in McCain's direction for a few weeks, but those are fairly striking totals. What can we take from this?
We're all going to die.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Anger and Racial Attitudes
There's a large part of me that wants Barack Obama to be pissed.
I want him to be pissed because I just read John McCain's newest national security attack, and I'm pissed. It would be reassuring and satisfying to see Obama react angrily to McCain's accusations, which aren't as odious as his abhorrent "rather lose a war" line but still strike me as beyond the pale. I would very much enjoy watching Obama pound a lectern and call McCain on his words.
The Obama campaign could use a healthy dose of rage, I think. Oh, they're not running some head-in-the-clouds, Aristotelian campaign. They've hit McCain hard, they've run attack ads, they've responded forcefully with statements from spokesmen and surrogates. But there's something inherently reactive about Obama's general election campaign so far. The polls are tightening, and while national tracking polls aren't all that useful, the fact that Ohio is now a dead heat is altogether more worrisome.
There are times when I want Obama to pull a Billy Beane and just throw a freaking chair, for God's sake. Take umbrage at something other than the New Yorker. The candidate himself, not the campaign. When Obama pointed out that the Republicans who were mocking his energy plan for encouraging Americans to properly inflating their tires seemed "proud of being ignorant," that was a good moment. It was the candidate himself leveling a compelling charge that fed into a greater narrative. (The Bush administration is anti-science and anti-objective evidence. McCain is running for a third Bush term. Therefore...) I don't care how strong a statement the campaign's spokesman makes, it will never receive as much attention as a brutal attack from John McCain himself.
I sometimes find myself wondering why Obama doesn't begin every speech or town hall meeting in Ohio by contrasting the "Barack Obama Economic Plan" with the "Phil Gramm-John McCain Economic Plan." I rather desperately want him to stand at that lectern or pace that stage and say:
"I'm sure you all saw that John McCain gave a big speech on the slopes of Aspen last week. And I'm sure you all saw that his good friend Phil Gramm was back in the front row. I'm glad to see it. It's always tough to watch friends fight. I'm happy that Senator Gramm is back advising Senator McCain. After all, Senator McCain fought for his friend when Senator Gramm ran for president in 1996, so Senator Gramm is right to return the favor. It's what friends do.
"But the American people should wonder about this friendship. They should wonder about the relationship between Senators McCain and Gramm, since many think Senator Gramm could be Treasury Secretary in a McCain administration. They should ask how close Senator McCain is to a man who called the United States 'a nation of whiners' and blithely declared that we are suffering from merely a 'mental recession.'
"They should ask Senator McCain whether he agrees with Senator Gramm when he says that the waitress in Cleveland who works 60 hours a week just to pay her bills but can't afford the gas she needs to get to work is a 'whiner.' They should ask Senator McCain whether he agrees with Senator Gramm that the laid-off steel worker in Lorain is simply going through a 'mental recession.' They should ask Senator McCain whether he agrees with Senator Gramm that the millions of unemployed Americans who face skyrocketing food and energy prices are just imagining their problems."
That would be so very, very satisfying. But would it be a good idea?
I suspect the pundits, folks like Joel Klein with their thoroughly middle-of-the-road philosophies, would say no. They might be right, but for the wrong reasons. Because when I think about an angry Obama, I can't help but wonder about the explosive racial tensions that simmer beneath the national surface.
Specifically, it occurs to me that Obama might be terrified of running headlong into the angry black man archetype that still haunts us. Obama reached this point by displaying an almost preternatural coolness and self-confidence. For an African-American to gain mainstream acceptance, he's usually had to be pleasant above and beyond the manners usually required of white celebrities.
We've made a lot of strides in this country, but our willingness to embrace only those African-American figures who display no glaring personality flaws doesn't speak that well of us. Michael Jordan and LeBron James are great on the court and flawless off it, so we love them. We have not yet shown that we can embrace an African-American with glaringly obvious problems like we have embraced several white John Daly figures.
A raging, lectern-pounding Obama is a persona with which we have not yet been confronted. The country's ability to accept it remains questionable. And so Democrats might be forced to accept a candidate who cannot turn to anger as a weapon in this election.
I want him to be pissed because I just read John McCain's newest national security attack, and I'm pissed. It would be reassuring and satisfying to see Obama react angrily to McCain's accusations, which aren't as odious as his abhorrent "rather lose a war" line but still strike me as beyond the pale. I would very much enjoy watching Obama pound a lectern and call McCain on his words.
The Obama campaign could use a healthy dose of rage, I think. Oh, they're not running some head-in-the-clouds, Aristotelian campaign. They've hit McCain hard, they've run attack ads, they've responded forcefully with statements from spokesmen and surrogates. But there's something inherently reactive about Obama's general election campaign so far. The polls are tightening, and while national tracking polls aren't all that useful, the fact that Ohio is now a dead heat is altogether more worrisome.
There are times when I want Obama to pull a Billy Beane and just throw a freaking chair, for God's sake. Take umbrage at something other than the New Yorker. The candidate himself, not the campaign. When Obama pointed out that the Republicans who were mocking his energy plan for encouraging Americans to properly inflating their tires seemed "proud of being ignorant," that was a good moment. It was the candidate himself leveling a compelling charge that fed into a greater narrative. (The Bush administration is anti-science and anti-objective evidence. McCain is running for a third Bush term. Therefore...) I don't care how strong a statement the campaign's spokesman makes, it will never receive as much attention as a brutal attack from John McCain himself.
I sometimes find myself wondering why Obama doesn't begin every speech or town hall meeting in Ohio by contrasting the "Barack Obama Economic Plan" with the "Phil Gramm-John McCain Economic Plan." I rather desperately want him to stand at that lectern or pace that stage and say:
"I'm sure you all saw that John McCain gave a big speech on the slopes of Aspen last week. And I'm sure you all saw that his good friend Phil Gramm was back in the front row. I'm glad to see it. It's always tough to watch friends fight. I'm happy that Senator Gramm is back advising Senator McCain. After all, Senator McCain fought for his friend when Senator Gramm ran for president in 1996, so Senator Gramm is right to return the favor. It's what friends do.
"But the American people should wonder about this friendship. They should wonder about the relationship between Senators McCain and Gramm, since many think Senator Gramm could be Treasury Secretary in a McCain administration. They should ask how close Senator McCain is to a man who called the United States 'a nation of whiners' and blithely declared that we are suffering from merely a 'mental recession.'
"They should ask Senator McCain whether he agrees with Senator Gramm when he says that the waitress in Cleveland who works 60 hours a week just to pay her bills but can't afford the gas she needs to get to work is a 'whiner.' They should ask Senator McCain whether he agrees with Senator Gramm that the laid-off steel worker in Lorain is simply going through a 'mental recession.' They should ask Senator McCain whether he agrees with Senator Gramm that the millions of unemployed Americans who face skyrocketing food and energy prices are just imagining their problems."
That would be so very, very satisfying. But would it be a good idea?
I suspect the pundits, folks like Joel Klein with their thoroughly middle-of-the-road philosophies, would say no. They might be right, but for the wrong reasons. Because when I think about an angry Obama, I can't help but wonder about the explosive racial tensions that simmer beneath the national surface.
Specifically, it occurs to me that Obama might be terrified of running headlong into the angry black man archetype that still haunts us. Obama reached this point by displaying an almost preternatural coolness and self-confidence. For an African-American to gain mainstream acceptance, he's usually had to be pleasant above and beyond the manners usually required of white celebrities.
We've made a lot of strides in this country, but our willingness to embrace only those African-American figures who display no glaring personality flaws doesn't speak that well of us. Michael Jordan and LeBron James are great on the court and flawless off it, so we love them. We have not yet shown that we can embrace an African-American with glaringly obvious problems like we have embraced several white John Daly figures.
A raging, lectern-pounding Obama is a persona with which we have not yet been confronted. The country's ability to accept it remains questionable. And so Democrats might be forced to accept a candidate who cannot turn to anger as a weapon in this election.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Back in the Saddle
If you're like me (that is, a huge dork) you probably watched Rick Warren's presidential forum at his Saddleback Church last night. If you're not like me (that is, normal, with a social life) you were probably doing something productive. Barack Obama's been vacationing in the exotic, foreign, barely-on-this-planet island of "Hawaii" for the past week, so this was a nice way of getting an hour of free press coming off his lull. It was also a chance to show a couple thousand Orange County evangelicals that he was a different kind of Democrat when it came to issues of faith and morality. For McCain, it was a chance to appeal to that audience of thousands of Orange County evangelicals, people who are the true bedrock of the Republican Party and who have been somewhat reluctant to embrace him.
Before I go any further, let me link to this Salon piece by Mike Madden. I'm giving you that story because my "analysis" is pretty much identical to Madden's, and I don't want anyone thinking I ripped off his perspective. Joan Walsh also said some of the things I will.
That out of the way, I thought Obama handled himself well. He was obviously comfortable speaking about religious and moral issues, and he showed familiarity with the Bible very early in his interview by referencing Matthew. (Warren seemed to appreciate it) He spoke coherently about the role of religion in his life and the importance of a moral aspect to all of his decisions.
And he avoided pandering, volunteering a pro-choice position to the fervently pro-life crowd. Obama expressed opposition to gay marriage, which is an issue where he and I differ, but he did offer an articulate defense for the idea of gay partnerships and offering basic spousal benefits to those partnerships. (“For gay partners to visit each other in the hospital, I don’t think limits my core beliefs about what marriage is.")
What was truly fascinating, however, was the difference in Obama's approach to the forum and McCain's. Obama came in for a...well, for a forum, a conversation about difficult issues. He frequently took a few seconds to answer Warren's questions and his responses tended to snake through the difficult issues Warren raised. Obama stretched out and explored the nuance. He came off like a professor, albeit that cool professor who'd spend a couple hours in his office with a handful of students talking about that tricky footnote on page 63 of the textbook.
McCain, on the other hand, came in impeccably prepared for a debate. He didn't attack Obama, because he's not an idiot, but aside from that his performance was exactly what you could expect to see from him in the upcoming debates. In fact, if he performs in those like he did Saturday night his staffers will be happy campers.
He pivoted effortlessly to areas of strength, "his" issues. His very first response brought the conversation to the supposed success of the surge in Iraq. National security came up in almost every response. McCain frequently answered questions with anecdotes that have become well-worn through overuse on the campaign trail, but he diffused any annoyance by using self-deprecating humor to point out the number of stories he was telling. And then he would tell another story and the audience would laugh. It was quite masterful.
McCain's responses were immediate and decisive, with none of the brief pauses Obama used. He didn't explore the same depths Obama did, but he was more quote-worthy and earned far more applause. (That was likely a simple matter of McCain sharing a political philosophy with those in attendance)
Take the two candidates' responses when Warren asked which Supreme Court justice they wouldn't have nominated. Obama unhesitatingly named Clarence Thomas. But when he talked about Antonin Scalia, Bane of The Left, he praised the justice's "brilliant" legal mind before expressing his disagreement with Scalia's philosophy. And he went into great depth when exploring John Roberts, calling him a "compelling person" before raising concerns about his tendency to give the executive branch too much leeway. It was an interesting answer, but a long one.
McCain? He instantaneously decreed every "liberal" justice on the bench to be unworthy of their positions and moved on to espouse his standard "strict constructionist" philosophy. It was, I must admit, rather breathtaking to watch McCain dispatch four members of the United States Supreme Court with a wave of his hand. Obama criticized three justices, but only called one truly unworthy of the position.
The answer was almost assuredly crafted to resonate with those conservatives who have not embraced McCain's candidacy. If they're not impressed with an effortless dismissal of half of the United States Supreme Court, they're not likely to be swayed by anything.
It's rather crass to talk about who "won" last night, but strictly in terms of presentation, McCain had a hell of a night. Obama didn't do anything to hurt himself, but he didn't do anything to help himself with an evangelical bloc his campaign thinks is up for grabs. McCain, by contrast, might well have made dramatic strides with those same voters.
Before I go any further, let me link to this Salon piece by Mike Madden. I'm giving you that story because my "analysis" is pretty much identical to Madden's, and I don't want anyone thinking I ripped off his perspective. Joan Walsh also said some of the things I will.
That out of the way, I thought Obama handled himself well. He was obviously comfortable speaking about religious and moral issues, and he showed familiarity with the Bible very early in his interview by referencing Matthew. (Warren seemed to appreciate it) He spoke coherently about the role of religion in his life and the importance of a moral aspect to all of his decisions.
And he avoided pandering, volunteering a pro-choice position to the fervently pro-life crowd. Obama expressed opposition to gay marriage, which is an issue where he and I differ, but he did offer an articulate defense for the idea of gay partnerships and offering basic spousal benefits to those partnerships. (“For gay partners to visit each other in the hospital, I don’t think limits my core beliefs about what marriage is.")
What was truly fascinating, however, was the difference in Obama's approach to the forum and McCain's. Obama came in for a...well, for a forum, a conversation about difficult issues. He frequently took a few seconds to answer Warren's questions and his responses tended to snake through the difficult issues Warren raised. Obama stretched out and explored the nuance. He came off like a professor, albeit that cool professor who'd spend a couple hours in his office with a handful of students talking about that tricky footnote on page 63 of the textbook.
McCain, on the other hand, came in impeccably prepared for a debate. He didn't attack Obama, because he's not an idiot, but aside from that his performance was exactly what you could expect to see from him in the upcoming debates. In fact, if he performs in those like he did Saturday night his staffers will be happy campers.
He pivoted effortlessly to areas of strength, "his" issues. His very first response brought the conversation to the supposed success of the surge in Iraq. National security came up in almost every response. McCain frequently answered questions with anecdotes that have become well-worn through overuse on the campaign trail, but he diffused any annoyance by using self-deprecating humor to point out the number of stories he was telling. And then he would tell another story and the audience would laugh. It was quite masterful.
McCain's responses were immediate and decisive, with none of the brief pauses Obama used. He didn't explore the same depths Obama did, but he was more quote-worthy and earned far more applause. (That was likely a simple matter of McCain sharing a political philosophy with those in attendance)
Take the two candidates' responses when Warren asked which Supreme Court justice they wouldn't have nominated. Obama unhesitatingly named Clarence Thomas. But when he talked about Antonin Scalia, Bane of The Left, he praised the justice's "brilliant" legal mind before expressing his disagreement with Scalia's philosophy. And he went into great depth when exploring John Roberts, calling him a "compelling person" before raising concerns about his tendency to give the executive branch too much leeway. It was an interesting answer, but a long one.
McCain? He instantaneously decreed every "liberal" justice on the bench to be unworthy of their positions and moved on to espouse his standard "strict constructionist" philosophy. It was, I must admit, rather breathtaking to watch McCain dispatch four members of the United States Supreme Court with a wave of his hand. Obama criticized three justices, but only called one truly unworthy of the position.
The answer was almost assuredly crafted to resonate with those conservatives who have not embraced McCain's candidacy. If they're not impressed with an effortless dismissal of half of the United States Supreme Court, they're not likely to be swayed by anything.
It's rather crass to talk about who "won" last night, but strictly in terms of presentation, McCain had a hell of a night. Obama didn't do anything to hurt himself, but he didn't do anything to help himself with an evangelical bloc his campaign thinks is up for grabs. McCain, by contrast, might well have made dramatic strides with those same voters.
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