Chattanooga Review

Another season opener in the books, and as always, the postgame analysis temptation is to try to draw conclusions based upon 60 minutes of football played against a team from the sans bowl division.  Heck, given the final margin and quality of the opponent, you'd be hard pressed to say there were 45 minutes where anything conclusive should be found.

So what did we learn?

The mystical, magical Tim Beck Offense sure looked familiar.  A fullback dive on the first play (which I believe was required by Big Ten bylaw).  More option football in one quarter than we saw in the seven seasons since Frank Solich left town.  Passing routes down the middle of the field.  Did anybody else wonder if some of the early play calls were coming from Beck or if they were coming from the Athletic Director's suite?

Taylor Martinez is a pretty good player when he's healthy.  You'll note that I did not say "Heisman candidate" or even "exceptional player".  There were some first game jitters, some mental errors, and several throws with sloppy technique.  But he looked as fast as ever, especially in the open field.  I don't recall any throws that were waaayyy off target.  Finally, he was smart with the football - when his receivers were covered and he had room to run, he tucked it and picked up yards.  Most importantly - he did not play the whole game, and left healthy.
 
Brent Maher can turn a question mark into an exclamation point.  I'll be honest - I figured that when Alex Henery graduated, I'd watched my last 50 yard FG for a few years.  In trying to reset my expectations, I told myself to be thrilled with a 50% FG rate over 40 yards.  So when Brent Maher lined up from 50 for his first attempt, it was likely the most anticipated field goal since Mr. Henery hit from 57 against Colorado in 2009.  Much like his predecessor, Maher passed the test with flying colors (and a fair amount of surprise).  Throw in three more FGs, some booming punts, and a few touchbacks on kickoffs, and the question must be asked:  why didn't this guy play last year?  Oh yeah...

There is plenty to work on for next week.  Could you tell it was the first game of the season?  Lots of fumbles, sloppy execution on the option, stalled drives, missed tackles, busted coverage, and bunch of other things to give Bo a full week of practice and make the casual fan rethink those hotel reservations in Indy.  Don't worry - it's early.  If we're seeing some of these things in the Ohio State game, then we'll talk.


What don't we know?

What offensive wrinkles will we see next week?  I'm guessing the passing game will expand, both in terms of receivers and routes.  Probably a little less reliance on Martinez to be the entire offense, and more work for Burkhead and the freshmen.  And let's predict another touch for the fullback.  Just because.

Who is the #2 RB?  All three of the touted freshman RBs (Braylon Heard, Ameer Abdullah, and Aaron Green) played and combined for 20 yards on 9 carries.  While Rex Burkhead's job is safe, Husker fans (and the coaching staff) would love to have one or two of the new guys separate themselves to become reliable backups.  Of course, part of the challenge of working with three true freshmen is the only thing you can consistently expect is inconsistency. 

Is the sloppy play a result of this being game #1 or something more?  There were a lot of ugly moments.  I think a lot of the blame can be pointed at this being the first game with a new offense, as well as having a lot of young players seeing their first experience.  Given there were only three penalties, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt to Bo's squad improving next week and the weeks after.


5 Players I Loved

1. Brent Maher.  Replacing the legendary Alex Henery, nobody on the roster has bigger shoes to fill than Brent Maher.  Everybody knew that we could not expect Maher to maintain Alex's high standard of excellence.  So the collective eyebrows of a fan base were raised when Maher's first attempt was from 50 yards - which he drilled through with a good 10 yards to spare.  A 48 yarder, 2 other FGs, and 4 PATs, all with ease.  Oh yeah, throw in four punts for a 52 yard average, and a couple of touchbacks on kickoffs, and Maher easily earns the top spot on this list.
2. Cameron Meredith.  Sacks, tackles for loss, an interception, a return of a blocked FG - all with a sweet ponytail/stache combo.  If you didn't know better, you'd swear Meredith was the star NU defensive lineman favored for every trophy, award, and honor a defensive player can earn.  No, Crick is still the headliner on D-Line, but if Meredith can play at a high level, it opens up more opportunities for everyone else.
3. Daimion Stafford.  Sure, he probably had the hit of the game early in the 3rd Quarter.  But he's on this list for the way he played - fast, aggressive, and with a purpose.  But yeah, that was a pretty sweet hit.
4. Quincy Enunwa.  Four catches for 58 yards isn't much to write home about, and if that was the line put up by Brandon Kinnie, Kyler Reed, or Ben Cotton, it wouldn't be good enough for the top 5.  But on a team with little WR experience, making tough catches counts for a lot. 
5. Trevor Roach.  One of the many first game traditions is learning the numbers of the new starters and contributors.  The first player to send me scrambling for the roster was #43, Trevor Roach.  For a team that needs depth at LB, Roach looked like a player who could step in and start.

5 Areas for Improvement

1. Sean Fisher.  From everything I have heard and read about the injury Fisher suffered, it is simply amazing that he can walk without a limp, let alone be a starting linebacker for a top 15 team.  But his first game in over a year left a little to be desired.  Poor angles to the ball, sloppy tackling, let's just say there are things he can work on this week.
2. Brandon Kinnie.  BK has positioned himself as the leader of the receiving corps, and I'm sure he wants to be the go-to guy for Martinez and Tim Beck.  I don't care about his low yardage (7) as much as I care about his lack of catches - specifically those that he dropped or should have caught.  The play that comes to mind is in the 3rd Quarter:  Martinez threw it to Kinnie on a post route.  The DB had good coverage, and knocked the ball away.  From my couch, it sure looked like BK could have been more aggressive on that play.  He might not make the catch, but go after the ball.
3. BTN.  Today was our first Big Ten game, and due to the opponent, our first game on the Big Ten Network.  While there were several good things in their coverage (Kevin Kugler on the call?  Yes, please), there were some definite hiccups.  I can forgive missing one play because you're late coming back from commercial, but there were a number of plays that were missed.  The BTN was (rightly) touted as one of the big advantages of moving to the B1G, but I expected more from their coverage.  (Note:  I'm not going to knock on the rookie debut of sideline reporter Ahman Green, but yes, there is room for improvement there too).
4. Brion Carnes.  Not that anybody will remember come April, but Carnes's timid performance in relief of Taylor Martinez is a textbook example of why you should not place too much stock in somebody's statistical domination of the NU Spring Game.  Just as nobody gets their jersey retired for the Spring Game, nobody should be attacked for a sloppy 4th Quarter with your team up by 33.  That said, the bar is pretty high for a Nebraska QB running the option from the #15 jersey, and Carnes put some tarnish on that proud legacy.
5. Me.  Your humble blogger watched today's game from his couch.  Why is that noteworthy?  It broke a 10 year, 68 game streak of not missing a home Nebraska game.  I haven't missed a Nebraska home opener since 1993.  The last game I missed (9/20/2001 vs. Rice) was due to a) an unavoidable business trip, and b) a game delayed by 9/11.  The reason today?  Lower back surgery on Monday, and advice from my doctor, mother, and wife that sitting on a wooden plank for four hours might not be a wise move.  Next week, I'll be back in Section 32 and a new streak will start.  I promise.

2011 Husker Season Preview

The 2011 Husker football season starts on Saturday.  This is the time of year when the Big Red Kool-Aid runs thick and sweet, and even the most calloused fan can only foresee a maximum of two losses.

I'm not one to predict specific wins and losses (my stock answer going into a tough game "there's no reason we cannot win"), so those looking for a game by game break down should check out one of the thousands of Husker blogs in existance today.

Should you book that hotel room in Indy for the Conference Championship?  Or should you plan to focus your Husker loyalties on the volleyball team?  That probably depends on whether your glass is half full or half empty.  So without further ado:


5 Reasons for Optimism

1. Defensive line.  Great teams usually have a great defense.  A great defense usually starts with a strong defensive line.  Strong defensive lines either have a) an amazing player (such as Jared Crick), b) exceptional depth (Baker Steinkuhler, Thad Randle, Terrence Moore, etc.) or c) all of the above.  The D Line should be a strength of this team.
2. Taylor Martinez.  We're on the glass-half-full side, so let's take a few seconds to think back to the quiet, unknown redshirt freshman who over the first six games was a legitimate threat to score every time he touched the ball.  Remember him?  He's a year older, smarter, stronger, and 100% healthy.  He's playing in an offense that is suited to his strengths and not try to force him into predictable patterns or plays he's not capable of making.  And he doesn't have a senior or popular upperclassman looking over his shoulder.  It's his time.
3. Additional coaches on the O-line.  An offense is only as good as their offensive line.  Put it another way:  it's tough for Taylor Martinez to be T-Magic with his center stepping on his ankle because he was blown off the line.  Full disclosure:  I placed a lot of the blame for NU's sad 2010 finish on the play of Barney Cotton's linemen - much more than I blamed Shawn Watson or any of the other popular scapegoats.  With that said, I'm not 100% convinced that extra coaching emphasis in the form of John Garrison, Brendan Stai, and Vince Marrow is the answer.  But it shouldn't hurt.
4. Brandon Kinnie.  Originally, I had Rex Burkhead here, which was safe, predictable, and somewhat boring.  Don't get me wrong - I love me some Rexy, who he always gets positive yards, never quits, and can turn the 4 yard gain into the 8 yard gain.  All good things.  But for this team to be something special, they will need a go-to WR, which NU has lacked since Nate Swift left town.  And no disrespect to Nate Swift, but he did not exactly strike fear into the hearts of defensive coordinators.  I think BK can be that go-to receiver, the one that everybody knows will be getting the rock on 3rd and 8, the one who out-jumps the DB in the end zone, and the one who puts a young (and scarily inexperienced) position on his back.
5. Tim Beck's Offense.  I have little idea of what it will be, how it will function, or what the strengths will be (and a word of caution - we won't know the full answer until after the Ohio State game).  But I trust that compared to the Callahan/Watson WCO the following will be true about the Beck Offense:  a) simpler to learn/master, making it easier for young talent to get on the field and make an impact, b) the increased pace will avoid momentum killing time outs and penalties, c) if something is or is not working, it can be easily addressed.

And now for the haters and those who need to refill their depression meds...

5 Reasons for Pessimism

1. Lack of QB Depth.  A quick review of the QB depth chart:  1) Taylor Martinez:  an amazing talent when healthy.  When he's hurt, yikes.  2) Brion Carnes:  um...remember that time in the Spring Game when he did good against the 2s and 3s?  3) Ron Kellogg, III.:  my dad is best known for basketball.  4) Jamal Turner:  I'm a true freshman spending most of my time at WR, so good luck with that.
2. Schedule.  For decades, Husker fans have sneered at the Big 10 fans who held pity parties about how their great teams were chewed up during the conference season, while we grew fat on KU, KSU, ISU, and MU.  So it just makes sense that when we join, we get our very own "put up or shut up" schedule as a welcome gift.  As far as rookie hazing goes, they could have done worse.  The true sign of respect for this schedule is even the most unrealistic Husker fan is not predicting a 14-0 season.  Even the ultimate homers can see one or two losses in here, and that's without any flukes, upsets, or the annual "forget to show up" game.
3. Who the heck are these WRs?  3rd and 7 and Martinez is the in the shotgun with 4 WRs.  He gets the snap and blitz is coming fast.  Brandon Kinnie is double covered.  Who are you going to throw it to?  Even if I throw you a bone by lining up TE Kyler Reed as a slot receiver, there is still a lot of unproven bodies running around out there.  But don't worry - those kids have been expertly coached by a guy who quit football coaching to open a golf clinic.
4. Just how much do we miss Alex Henery and Adi Kunalic?  It is no stretch that Brent Maher faces the toughest job on the roster.  He has to replace one of the greatest and most accurate kickers NU has known, the guy who was essentially automatic inside of 50 yards, and was also an excellent field position punter.  Maher or Mario Bondi are not going to be Alex Henery.  The question is, how much of a drop off will we see and what impact will it have?  Bo and Beck will have a "trust range" for their kickers - a yardage where the decision between FG and go for it or punt is solely in their kicker's control.  Henery's trust range stretched to at least 57 yards.  Jordan Congdon's trust range barely made it 40 yards.  And while we like to praise the Blackshirts, and think that they can stop any foe, I would venture that many of their 3 and Out specials were aided by the opposition started smack on the 20 after another Adi touchback, and teams bringing it out to the 30 might take some momentum into the series.
5. Penalties/Fumbles/Mistakes.  Quite frankly, the biggest challenge that NU faces this year will be this:  will they get in their own way?  You can look at each and every loss from the Pelini Era and point to stupid penalites, costly turnovers, and critical mistakes (and often several of each) that the team was not able to overcome.  Even in the victories, the penalties, fumbles, and other mental errors have been noticable - but not fatal.  The two big landmines for 2011 are a) the new offense, with the presumed hurry-up notions creating an environment for penalties and mistakes as well as b) the brutal schedule, where the game where NU fumbles eight times or has 19 penalties may not be one where they still have a late chance to pull out a win.

What's in the News?

Here is the first of one of my (planned) recurring features:  What's in the News where your humble writer finds a story that is interesting/funny/controversial/face-palm worthy and opines on it.  The stories may be local, regional, or national and could range from front page news to a three sentence blurb.


Our first story comes from the 8/23/2011 Lincoln Journal-Star, under the headline:  "Right to Life urges subcontractors to avoid Planned Parenthood renovation"

The condensed verion:  The Planned Parenthood clinic in Lincoln is moving to a differernt office building, which requires renovation to meet their needs.  The local Right to Life group is calling on subcontractors to not work this project as they believe it supports abortion.  Right to Life does not state any action that could/would be taken against contractors working this job, but they also did not confirm or deny a boycott could be called against contractors who do the work.

Disclaimer:  Gosh, do you think I could have picked a more divisive topic for the first What's in the News post?  Abortion has been boiling with controversy for decades, and there does not appear to be an end in sight.  Since one of the primary purposes of this blog is to help me gain freelance writing work, please excuse me if I tap-dance around some of the larger mines in this field and stick to things that are relevant to this particular story.  I don't think I want to get very political here (or at least not too quickly) so my beliefs about abortion will probably stay off the web for a while longer.

Commentary:  With the disclaimers complete, boo to Right to Life.  While Lincoln's economy has been better than many other parts of the nation, it is still down from where it has been, and is still slow to show signs of sustained growth.  It is tough enough for a contractor to get work in this town without having to a) worry about stepping knee deep into a controversial fire storm or b) worry about being blacklisted for taking a job to pay your bills and feed your family. 

I do have to give some credit to Right to Life:  they may have a singular, unblinking focus (ending abortion and stopping those that perform/assist them), but they have some very outside the box ways to working towards that goal.  They use pretty much everything in the toolbox - legislation (backed by an army of politicians who would slap their grandmother for the coveted "Right to Life" endorsement - and the legions of voters it brings), picketers and protesters in front of clinics (as well as the homes of the doctors and staff), graphic images, and a host of other tactics.  Some of their tactics are effective and some of them are nothing more than sheer bullying.  Going after contractors trying to do their job is bullying and does not do anything positive to further Right to Life's goal.  We all know that there are enough contractors out there who will bid and do the job because they want and/or need the work.  The new clinic will be opened and it will perform abortions (along with a host of other valuable procedures and services for women who could not otherwise afford them).  And the end result is Right to Life looks like bullies who will stop at nothing to accomplish their goal.

Conclusion:  I'm sure there are contractors who will politely decline the PP job because of their personal beliefs, and I completely respect and support their right to do so.  But I cannot respect outside interests that try to flex their muscle to block a client from legally hiring a contractor.  Personally, I think Right to Life would have best served to watch Kevin Smith's 1994 classic "Clerks", especially the scene where they discuss the role of independent contractors taking work in "Return of the Jedi" as shown here.  The contractors in this town are grown men and women.  Let them decide what is best for their business without being leaned on by a special interest group who will not make up the lost work.

Odd Job Application Question of the Day

In my current job search, I've filled out quite a few online job applications recently, and the flow is usually rather predictable:

1. Personal Information and Contact Data
2. Previous Employment History
3. Education History
4. Skills/Certifications/Honors/Etc
5. References
6. Upload Resume & Cover Letter
7. Optional EEOC questions (gender, race, vet status)
8. Check the box saying you're being honest and click Submit.
9. Receive auto-generated confirmation email
10. Wait for somebody to contact you, knowing your sole point of contact with the company is jobs@xyzcorporation.com

Sure, every so often they mix it up.  Maybe they'll ask something like "What did you like best about your last job?" or "What was your least favorite task?"  Some companies want to know the name of your supervisor in 2005 or the job duties of the entry-level position you took out of college so the student loan folks wouldn't repossess your Blind Melon CD.  But this morning, I came across one that was brand new.

"Write an original 40-60 word poem about your current or most recent job into the text field below:"

Now, I can see where this would be an excellent and important exercise if I was applying to Hallmark or wanting to work as a creative in a traditionally creative field.  Which is why this question really threw me:  it appeared on an application to be a "Technical Analyst - OEM Services".  Therefore, I am officially caught off guard.

What do I do now?  I would guess that since graduating from college almost 15 years ago, the number of poems I have written would fit on one hand.  It would likely fit on one finger.  Heck, even my collegiate attempts at poetry were rather sad (and "highlighted" by my poetic tribute to Jim Beam & Coca-Cola).  Let's face it - the majority of my writing abilities live on the Prose side of the street.
I ponder the blank screen, and consider my options:
a) Make it rhyme.  Poems are supposed to rhyme.
b) Riff on the "Roses are red" template.
c) Free verse
d) A parody of Cat in the Hat (thanks to my 2 year old, I have it pretty much memorized)
e) See if McDonald's is hiring and lacks a poetry component

This is followed by a wave of secondary questions:  Do I try to be funny?  I wonder if they can tell how long I'm sitting here with this blank screen?  Do I criticize my former employer?  Will this page eventually time out?  Will I not get an interview because my sonnet lacks proper meter?

What did I do?  I'm not afraid to say that I chickened out and went with c) Free verse.  In other words, I typed up a good, P.C. interview response, broke it up into multiple lines, broke some capitalization and punctuation rules, and continued on to the EEOC questionnaire (Male, Caucasian, Not a Veteran).

I would reprint the poem here (I keep a file with my stock answers to common application questions that I can copy & paste for speed and accuracy), but since I intend for this site to be a virtual commercial for my writing abilities, it's best if that one stays offline.  If you need me to write mushy greeting card poems, I'll give it the old college try*, but there are some jobs best left to the professionals.

*Wow the Internet is awesome.  I thought for sure I'd have to type that reference out instead of dropping a link to a cartoon from 1995.

But...

Since we're all hear, let's take a shot at options A, B, and D above.

Rhyming Poem About My Last Job
My last job, it was a hoot
Fortunately, I didn't have to wear a suit

It took seven months and a dozen interviews
Before I got the phone call with the news

The office was at 56th & O
Home for lunch, I could go

My bike, to work I would ride
I always wore my helmet, screw my pride

I was mad when they took away my salary
But the OT bought my plasma TV

At some point we ran out of space
So we moved to a new place

Downtown was our new home
There was a guy who played the xylophone

I had an office, I was all atwitter
Until I found out it was by the bathroom

I won't be critical, it wouldn't be cool
I did like working with many a school

At last, my time it had to end
I just wish my income didn't have to suspend


"Roses Are Red" Style Poem About My Last Job
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Private and faith-based K-12 schools,
Catholics, Christians, Muslims, and Jews.


"Cat in the Hat" Parody Poem About My Last Job
Hmm..glad I didn't go this route, this one is tougher than I thought.  All I'm coming up with is:

Sometimes it seems like
My career is shot.
My wife said, "Do I like this?"
"Oh no, I do not!"


In conclusion, you ever find yourself faced with a request for spontaneous poetry in order to acquire a job, your best bet is to go with a traditional rhyme as what I tossed together above is far better than the free verse B.S. I submitted this morning.

Live and learn.

Things I unapologetically believe

Each and every person I know has some odd-ball things that they believe in - the guy who swears it takes 7 years to digest chewing gum or that alligators live in the NYC sewer system - and they have no problem telling you those absurdly inane things at every opportunity.  And this is without going down the dark and dangerous road of people's political and religious beliefs, where the only certainties are you're right, "they" are wrong, and some cable talking head/radio jock/blog/article/crazy relative totally backs (or provides) your opinion.

While I don't have a problem with sharing my opinions, I'm usually not the first one out of the gate.  I've never been a person to publicly voice my opinions on things such as politics, religion, or other hot-button issues without knowing how the other person feels - and even then I'm probably not going to say too much if I disagree.  Why?  There are certain positions I hold that I probably cannot defend logically, (or worse, in response to a friend's indignant "How could you possibly support X?" accusation), but yet I still feel that way.  But mainly, it's out of fear that those I'm talking to will feel the exact opposite and judge me for it.  So anybody who is expecting this to a manifesto of my beliefs, values, and political opinions is probably going to be out of luck.

That said, there are certain things that I believe in with all my heart and I cannot imagine anybody convincing me otherwise.  These things include:

• A college football playoff (other than a "Plus 1" to eliminate undefeated teams) is a horrible idea that would ruin college football.
• The rights and benefits for adoptive families should equal those for families who have biological children.
• People that vote based solely upon the R or D behind a candidate's name are ignorant.  If you take the time to learn about the candidates and still vote straight ticket, that's okay by me.
• Spring is a much better season than Autumn/Fall.  Would you rather watch things come to life or die?  Have days get longer and warmer or shorter and colder?  No brainer.  Besides, most of the things people associate with fall (shorter days, cooler temps, football, leaves changing, etc) start happening in August/September, which are summer months.
• Karma is a bitch.  Maybe not today.  Maybe not tomorrow.  But some day what goes around will come around.
• People who endure both winter and summer (i.e. hot humid summers and cold snowy winters) are tougher than folks who only endure one extreme.
• Text messages are primarily used when a) you don't have enough to say to warrant a phone call and/or b) you do not want to have a conversation with that person.
• Your birthday should be a paid holiday.
• Dogs and cats do qualify as "starter children".  If you do not have the time, energy, patience, or money for an animal then you have no business having kids.

Here We Go

First off, my sincerest apologies to the Beastie Boys for bastardizing the lyrics of their classic for my blog/review/freelance site. 

Secondly, my sincere apologies to my Mom for saying "bastardize" on the Internet.  I'll try to clean it up.

So what are we looking at here?  Well...that is an excellent question.  As I type, it's 11:43 on a Tuesday in August.  I'm fairly recently...um...retired from a rather unfulfilling career.  My current job prospects include mowing lawns and delivering newspapers - which aside from the exciting worlds of fast food and telemarketing, is pretty much a mirror image of my career options 20 years ago.  Yikes.

Therefore, it should be pretty obvious that some changes are in order.  And without telling you how the hotdog is made, let's keep things simple by saying that I'm hoping to accomplish a handful of things here:
1.  Provide me a creative outlet/playground to develop and nuture a writing talent that I've been told about by pretty much every teacher, supervisor, family member, and random Facebook friend I have.  I've got some ideas for recurring content that I'd like to explore and hopefully will be of interest.
2.  Provide me with a marketing piece for freelance writing jobs that I aspire to obtain (see:  unemployed status and newspaper delivery job above)
3.  Provide me with easily documentable and verifiable samples of my writing abilities.  This is important as my current experience level in Advertising boils down to a) my degree in Advertising (University of Nebraska, 1997), and b) I watch a decent amount of TV.
4.  Create a mini-community via the comments where you (the faithful reader and clicker of the Google ads in the sidebar) can let me know that my work is a) good, b) crap, c) funny, d) one of the many reasons for my unemployment, e) something you'd like to hire for your company/site/kid's birthday party, or f) all of the above.

So where are we going first?  Astute consumers of advertising (or at least those who watch sports on TV) should recognize the title as the current tagline for Bud Light's current campaign - a campaign that I find incredibly lame, predictable, and sadly typical of a lot of advertising today.

At least, that's the plan as of 11:58 on Tuesday.  Who knows...I could get a job offer from Boring Industries tomorrow and this whole thing never sees the light of day while I live a semi-enjoyable experience in a cubicle 50 feet from the nearest window.

Here we go...