The third installment of our conference call is here and this time we discuss a range of topics from who we feel is overrated to if a certain coach in the NFL deserves to be fired.
Here are today's questions.
(1.) A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about which current player on each Big 12 team would be the candidate to take the final shot in a close game. If you could have your choice of any player throughout Big 12 history to take the final shot in a big game for your team who would it be?
(2.) Which player do you think gets overrated the most by the media in the Big 12?
(3.) Following up on the most overrated, which player do you feel is the most underrated in the conference by the media and fans?
(4.) Most everyone knows that recruits choose the school they are going sign with because of the coach. If you were a star recruit which coach in the Big 12 would you most want to play for? Which coach the least?
(5.) Last and probably the most serious question. Should Josh McDaniels have been fired by owner Pat Bowlen before he even stepped off the field after losing to the Raiders 59-14 in Denver?
Find our answers after the jump and everyone feel free to jump in and let us know where you agree or more likely disagree with us.
(1.) A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about which current player on each Big 12 team would be the candidate to take the final shot in a close game. If you could have your choice of any player throughout Big 12 history to take the final shot in a big game for your team who would it be?EP: Mizzou's Zaire Taylor didn't get the nickname "Big Shot" without cause. In 5 days in 2009 he beat #17 Texas in Austin and #16 Kansas in Columbia on buzzer beaters. And not to outdo himself, he beat Iowa State in Ames the following season on a coast to coast buzzer beating layup to seal the W for the Tigers. Was he the best player in league history? Probably not. Did he have the coldest veins the league has ever seen? Probably so.
MP: Out of fear for the beard, I'd be tempted to choose Pullen (that Xavier game was unbelievable). Unfortunately, sources tell me the beard is recovering from quite a trim this offseason, so I'm going to go with Kansas' Danny Manning.
JL: Well my first thought was the image of Mario Chalmers hitting the three in the national title game vs Memphis but the more I think about it, I have to say Acie Law. That guy always seemed to be hitting big shot after big shot to give the Aggies wins.
(2.) Which player do you think gets overrated the most by the media in the Big 12?
EP: I think Kim English is a media darling. His tweets are the talk of press row and his smile can light up a room. He says the right things, but doesn't necessarily toe the company line. He answers the press in long winded statements, not just "yes" and "no." For this he is loved. The problem is that he plays in a Mike Anderson system that doesn't allow for superstars. Kim might have talent, but his point production will never match some of the other guys in the league because he won't see as many minutes as them. For this, I feel the media has overrated him. Not necessarily as a player, but from a production standpoint.
MP: I'd agree with that (though I hesitate to call English overrated as a player). While his stats might not blow you out of the water, Mizzou has a legit chance at being in the top 10 this season. A lot of the credit would go to English (if it happened). Since we can't see what's going to happen, I'm going to say Willie Warren might have stolen that title forever after being heralded as a NBA lottery pick, choosing to return, and falling deep into the second round. Put it this way, he went AFTER Luke Harangody and Tiny Gallon...talk about NBA scouts shutting down the overrated facade.
JL: Geez Evan sounds almost like a mancrush on Kim English there talking about his smile! I am going to have to say Tyshawn Taylor of Kansas. Granted you hear about him a lot more than other guys since he is on tv every game but I wasn't overly impressed with him last year. He was a top recruit and a two year starter for KU so he has talent but he averaged well under double figures last year and I understand it's hard to load up on stats when guys like Xavier Henry & Sherron Collins are around. Sometimes it just seemed like Taylor wasn't fully into games, maybe this is the year he steps up his game a notch.
(3.) Following up on the most overrated, which player do you feel is the most underrated in the conference by the media and fans?
EP: I don't ever hear anyone talk about the Texas Tech scoring duo of John Roberson and Mike Singletary. Either of these guys can put 30 in on any night, so the combination is deadly. If they played on a team with a better record, or more publicity, they would be preseason POY candidates. Either of them. But as it stands, they are kind of out in the distance of Big 12 talk.
MP: Mike Singletary is a great choice. I really think Texas Tech has a chance this season to sneak into the top half of the conference, and Mike Singletary has a lot to do with that. Given, they also could fall flat on their faces (and, more importantly, haven't proved they can win), but it's a distinct possibility.
JL: I would have to say Marshall Moses of Oklahoma State is a guy I think is really underrated. He's an undersized PF but he always seems to find a way to get rebounds and give his team 2nd chances. He plays tough D and finds ways to be able and get his shots off to add a few points a game. Good solid role player every team needs.
(4.) Most everyone knows that recruits choose the school they are going sign with because of the coach. If you were a star recruit which coach in the Big 12 would you most want to play for? Which coach the least?
EP: I'll start with the latter question. I'd least want to play for a coach I didn't think was going to be there for my 4 years, so that would rule out Doc Sadler and Pat Knight. Nothing against them in particular, but I just don't feel they will be there at the end of the 2014-2015 season (assuming I'm a high school senior this season).
The coach I'd most want to play for would be a combination of someone affable, a disciplinarian and who would give me the best chance to win. I think Fred Hoiberg would be a great coach, but I don't think I can win at Iowa State. So for my money, I might choose to go to a Rick Barnes coached team. As the elder statesman at the Big 12 coaches table, he has been around long enough to have seen talented kids come and go, so he has learned a great deal about dealing with students and what is needed of them and from them. I think he is someone who can really connect to a player.
MP: I just can't tell if Nebraska cares enough to fire Sadler. Maybe they will maybe they won't. Either way, the fact that he has a job is enough evidence that the athletic department doesn't care too much about the basketball side of life, so I'm probably picking somewhere else. As a star recruit, I'd probably avoid new coaches (i.e. Hoiberg and Colorado's Tad Boyle) and those on the hot seat (Pat Knight).
I'd probably take Bill Self as a first choice. The Jayhawks are going to be good; he knows how to have fun; and he just seems like a nice guy. Frank Martin and Scott Drew have the opposite problem Pat Knight has insomuch as I think they're going to get picked up by a major program if Kansas State doesn't watch out. Barnes has shown the ability to recruit, but I think last season would give me major pause. I want a coach who can bring out the best in me, and I think Bill Self could do that.
JL: Some good points you guys make although I would disagree with you Matt on one point and say I think Kansas State is a major program, albeit not Kentucky or North Carolina, and with Martin getting a new contract I think he will be in Manhattan for awhile. For the coach I would most likely want to play for I might have to go against the grain and say Fred Hoiberg. The reasoning behind this is he played in the NBA and was an executive in the NBA so my thought process is he knows what it takes to get me there which would be my ultimate goal. Obviously Bill Self & Rick Barnes have gotten plenty of guys to the league but Hoiberg is only one who played there so that might sway me. For the least favorite coach, have to agree totally with not wanting to go somewhere I think the coach is going to be gone so would have to say Doc Sadler, seems like a nice guy but don't think he is going to be in Lincoln for the long haul.
(5.) Last and probably the most serious question. Should Josh McDaniels have been fired by owner Pat Bowlen before he even stepped off the field after losing to the Raiders 59-14 in Denver?
EP: I had the lucky misfortune to have a dog throw up all night Saturday night, meaning I had to take her to the vet, meaning I had to turn down tickets to the Broncos-Raiders game. Josh McDaniels just doesn't get it. He traded all the talent away from Denver with the promise that he was building "his" team. Well, a 45 point loss at home to a bitter rival should have proven to the Denver organization that "his" team is better suited for pee wee football. (As an aside, the Cutler trade was brilliant. That guy loves throwing to the opposition.)
MP: As a Raiders fan, I'm just thrilled the AFC West is filling itself with coaches and GM's that start coming close to Al Davis' incompetence. My fandom aside, anytime the Raiders beat you, you need to look seriously into your personnel. Including the Denver game, the Raiders have averaged giving up 5 yards a carry (2nd worst in the NFL). How can you not exploit that? Someone has to pay, and McDaniels might just be the start. It's time to start rebuilding.
The more serious question might be: if no one in the AFC/NFC West wins 8 games, should they get into the playoffs? No offense to Kansas City, but their little run isn't going to last; the Chargers look like they've vowed to lose at least 10 games on stupid mistakes; Denver got blown out by Oakland at home; and Oakland is owned by Al Davis. Talk about a recipe for a successful division... That said, don't try and take any infamy from the NFC West; Seattle is not a playoff level team.
JL: Well if I owned the Broncos someone would have had to hold me back from marching from my luxury suite to not have fired him at around mid-way mark of the first quarter. In all seriousness though I think McDaniels has until the end of this season to show something, heck anything. I keep lying to myself and saying he had to have something to do with the team starting 6-0 last season right? It was far more fun the past few seasons watching the Chiefs be awful than the Broncos.
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