Around the Columns

Kick-Off Countdown: 5 days

2007-08-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

It's officially game week. Let's get to the stories:

Coach Gary Pinkel (above, in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch picture) is ready for a breakthrough season. Story.

Let's hear it for the O-Line. Link.

Did you hear Mizzou has a couple of studs at tight end? Link.

Mike D's biggest questions facing the Tigers can be found here.

Graham breaks down the entertainment options in the STL for the Mizzou-Illinois game here and talks about the Post-Dispatch's coverage plan for the Tigers in 2007 here.

Kick-Off Countdown: 8 days

2007-08-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

Mizzou football is eight days from kick-off after Thursday's final scrimmage. (Thanks to Power Mizzou for the pic above of Chase Daniel and Tony Temple).

The backups took center stage at Thursday's scrimmage, the final practice of fall camp open to the media. Game Week starts tomorrow.

Link to The Missourian's story.

Link to Behind the Stripes blog.

Mizzou's official FootBlog link.

Harrisonville's Michael Keck is going to red-shirt and have surgery on an injured shoulder. Story.

Will Franklin (above, in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch picture) is back for his senior season and expecting big results. More.

Freshmen Andrew Gachkar (below left) and Gilbert Moye (below right) are in the mix for playing time this year and they plan on taking advantage. Story.

Kick-Off Countdown: 9 Days

2007-08-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

Single digits.

Just nine days from kick-off, here are the latest stories:

Tony Temple is expecting big things for himself and his team in 2007. Story.

The official Mizzou FootBlog reveals that freshmen Gilbert Moye (S) and Andrew Gachkar (LB) won't be red-shirted. Link.

More on Moye (#10 above, in a Missourian photo) from The Missourian. Story.

Tommy Chavis knows this is his chance to shine on the defensive line. More.

Another pre-season honor for Chase Daniel. Link.

Cornerback Carl Gettis won't be red-shirting, either. Coach Gary Pinkel hopes to finalize the roster after Thursday's afternoon scrimmage. More.

Today's scrimmage will be important for freshman running back Derrick Washington (above, in a Tribune photo), as he will learn whether or not he's red-shirting this season soon. Link.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that in addition to Moye, Gachkar and Gettis, freshman linebacker Luke Lambert also will play this year. Read.

Kick-Off Countdown: 11 days

2007-08-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

Monday was an off-day for the Tigers (and the bloggers). Below you'll find links to the stories you may have missed since Friday:

MONDAY AUGUST 20:

Heavy competition for the right tackle position on the offensive line. Link.

SUNDAY AUGUST 19:

Read the Post-Dispatch's Sunday practice report here and the Saturday scrimmage report here.

Derrick Washington (above, in a Missourian photo, scores two touchdowns in Saturday's scrimmage. Missourian story link; KC Star story link.

SATURDAY AUGUST 18:

Offense dominates Saturday's scrimmage. Read the report from the Daily Tribune: Link.

Columbia native John Stull, a defensive end, returns to the team after walking away. Story.

Matter gets behind the scenes access

2007-08-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Columbia Daily Tribune's Dave Matter went one-on-one with Mizzou QB Chase Daniel (above, in a Power Mizzou photo) after practice Friday, spending and hour with the Heisman candidate in the film room.

From Matter's blog: The highlight of the day for me came after practice when I spent about an hour watching game film from last season with QB Chase Daniel for a story I’m working on for the Tribune’s First & Ten preview edition, which I believe hits newsstands on Aug. 30. The chalk talk was a fascinating dive into the inner workings of the Missouri offense. After watching just three scoring drives from a particular game last year — you’ll have to read the story to find out which game — my mind is still on sensory overload. One thought I took from the session was how incredibly simple some concepts of the offense are while at the same time it seems so complex given how quickly plays are executed. Daniel was fantastic breaking down his reads, routes and coverages. He’s going to make a brilliant coach one day. Kudos to media relations director Chad Moller and video services director Mike Schumacher for making the interview possible, and of course the professor himself, Daniel.

Read the whole entry here.

Kick-Off Countdown: 15 days

2007-08-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

T-Ruck (above) made the decision to come back for his senior year, and it has Mizzou feeling good about the offense if not his haircut. Story.

Thanks to Power Mizzou for the picture above. They do a great job covering practice and Gabe DeArmond posted a free photo gallery which you can view here.

Brock Christopher, the junior linebacker from Kearney, has become a defensive leader. Story link.

The Missourian breaks down the latest depth chart. Link.

The official Mizzou FootBlog reports that NFL scouts from Jacksonville and St. Louis were at Friday's practice. Link.

Don't forget the kickers. This year Missouri thinks it's got some good ones. Link.

Kick-Off Countdown: 16 days

2007-08-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

Originally from yesterday's Star, Mike D. stirs the anti-Nebraska pot with this story of one man's crusade to keep the Cornhusker fans out of Memorial Stadium on October 6. The NU messageboard didn't take too kindly to the gesture. Link.

Matter has his usual good stuff in The Tribune. He delves into the defensive depth-chart in this story. Read the Behind the Stripes Wednesday practice report here and the Thursday report here.

Power Mizzou's Gabe DeArmond posted a free photo gallery with practice pics taken by photog Daniel Turner a couple of days ago. Link.

The Missourian ran this feature on team comedian and budding star receiver Greg Bracey (above).

Mizzou's official FootBlog updates can be found here.

Last but certainly not least, Graham Watson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has been hard at work, posting this blog entry on Thursday's practices, the last day of two-a-days.

Kick-off countdown: 18 days

2007-08-14T08:48:00.001-07:00

Good stuff all-around today.

Dave Matter of the Trib posted this detailed scrimmage recap.

The sensation of camp has been receiver Danario Alexander. Mike D profiles him in this story.

The competition for spots on the defense is tough. Link to The Missourian's story.

Graham weighs in from the Post-Dispatch on the depth issues. The Tigers sure have had a lot of early injuries, which may be good news for freshman running back Derrick Washington (above, in a Post-Dispatch photo). Link.

Kick-off countdown: 19 days

2007-08-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

With the Illinois game less than three weeks away, the Tigers started the week off with a scrimmage, but with so many injured players on defense it's going to be awhile before we get the whole picture on that side of the ball. Story.

Marcus Woods (above, from The Trib) and the offense definitely took advantage of the depleted defense. Link.

Scrimmage stats.

Friday stuff

2007-08-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Who's going to play linebacker? Find out here.

The Friday practice blogs are in and linked below:

Matter's Behind the Stripes

Graham Watson's Tiger Tracker

Mizzou's official blog, the FootBlog

Kick-off Countdown: 22 days

2007-08-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

Free story from Power Mizzou on reciever Tommy Saunders. Link.

Power Mizzou also posted free audio of quarterback Chase Daniel (above). Link.

Mizzou feels good about its back-up quarterback situation. Link.

Gary Pinkel wants the Tigers to be more physical. Link.

The FootBlog, MU's official football practice blog, has posted video with its practice reports (registration required to view the video). Link.

Kick-off countdown; 23 days

2007-08-09T07:16:00.001-07:00

Interesting feature on linebacker Van Alexander (above) and his father Rick, a former Mizzou linebacker, in today's Missourian. Link.

Chase Daniel is one of 35 college quarterbacks named to the Manning Watch List. Link.

Injury scare reinforces just how important Tony Temple is to the Tigers. Stl. Post story link.

Kick-offs moving back five yards this year to the 30-yard-line. Link.

Pinkel cuts practice short and takes the team swimming. More.

Kick-off Countdown: 24 days

2007-08-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Good stuff in Wednesday's practice blogs from Dave Matter of the Daily Tribune, the Mizzou athletic department and Graham Watson of the Post-Dispatch.

Link to Matter's blog.

Link to the official Mizzou football blog.

Link to Graham Watson's blog.

Video of the injured starters, Ricks and Temple, courtesy of Ol' Missouri. Watch.

Brad Smith having a great camp

2007-08-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

Those who cover the National Football League are starting to discover what Mizzou fans have known for a long time: Brad Smith (above, with coach Mangenious looking on) is a special player. CBS Sportsline was the latest to talk about Brad. Link.

I'm sorry, but you can't help but fall in love with the play of Brad Smith. He's a wide receiver. No, he's a running back. No, he's a quarterback. There isn't much the former University of Missouri star can't do. He returns punts. He covers kicks. He makes outstanding catches. He runs through traffic. He finds the open receiver. A year ago, he was listed as a wide receiver. Now, he's listed as a quarterback. I don't know what that means other than this: The man is invaluable and will help the Jets at a variety of positions.

Newsday also posted its own story on Bd. Smith, complete with video. Link.

Temple, Ricks injury updates

2007-08-08T07:02:00.001-07:00

Drew Schmenner of the Columbia Missourian reports that tailback Tony Temple (above, in a Missourian photo) is listed as day-to-day with a bone bruise. He'll sit out Wednesday for sure, but the injury was not as bad as originally feared. Link.

The Trib's Dave Matter posted an update on his blog on the Temple and Ricks injuries last night:

There’s good news and bad news on the injury front.

First, the good: Tailback Tony Temple only suffered a bruised knee, according to his MRI results, MU spokesman Chad Moller alerted the media just a few minutes ago. Temple will definitely miss tomorrow’s 7:15 a.m. practice but is considered day-to-day from there.

Now, the bad: Moller also confirmed that an MRI of cornerback Hardy Ricks’ left shoulder revealed it was dislocated. It’s not known how long he’ll be unavailable. He will begin rehabbing as soon as possible.

Tuesday stuff, part two

2007-08-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

The Trib ran a piece this afternoon on Mizzou's offensive line, expected to be a strength this season. Link.

Below, a daily schedule for camp from the official MU football blog, the "FootBlog":

Ever wonder what a typical day in pre-season camp entails for the group? Here's a sampling of what took place today: 6:15 a.m. - Breakfast; 6:45 a.m. - Tape/Weigh In; 7:25 a.m. - Kickoff meeting; 7:35 a.m. - Position Meetings; 8:15 a.m. - Practice; 11:00 a.m. - Media Interviews/Lunch Period; 12:15 p.m. - Academic Orientation for 1st-Year Players (a two-hour session); 2:05 p.m. - Treatment/Weigh In; 3:05 - Position Meetings; 3:45 p.m. - Meeting B; 5:30 p.m. - Team Dinner; 6:30 p.m. - Team Meeting; 7:00 p.m. - Position Meetings; 9:00 p.m. - Snack; 10:30 p.m. - Bed Check

Kick-off Countdown: 25 days

2007-08-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

The three morning dailies are each talking defense today.

The Star took a look at the defensive line, specifically Lorenzo Williams (above) and Evander "Ziggy" Hood: Link.

The Post-Dispatch breaks down the linebackers: Link.

The Missourian profiles Cornelius "Pig" Brown (below): Link.

Temple, Ricks injured

2007-08-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Bad news out of Mizzou camp from Mike D. today, who reports tailback Tony Temple (above) and starting corner Hardy Ricks were both injured. Temple bumped knees with somebody and Ricks separated his shoulder.

These are two guys we need this year. We'll post more details as they emerge.

Read the Star story.

Read Dave Matter's blog entry about the incident.

The Missourian got a quote from Chase Daniel in it's story.

“It’s Tony. He’ll be fine,” Daniel said. “He’ll be back out here tomorrow, maybe in a red (injury) pullover.” Read.

Monday practice reports

2007-08-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Monday practice reports are trickling in. Graham Watson continues her good work for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The coaches let the players hit each other in drills for the first time today, and the stick of the day was made by Justin Garrett. Read the whole story here.

Dave Matter's camp coverage today includes this feature on coach Gary Pinkel's efforts to keep his team focused and an injury update in his blog, Behind the Stripes.

The Mizzou sports information gang posted its own practice report, too, at its FootBlog. Read.

Kick-Off Countdown: 26 days

2007-08-06T06:48:00.001-07:00

Mike DeArmond wrote a story for today's Kansas City Star profiling the recieving corps for the Mizzou football team this season.

There are no less than five legitimate deep threats for quarterback Chase Daniel (above) to choose from:

Will Franklin; Danario Alexander; Jeremy Maclin; Chase Coffman; Martin Rucker

Read the whole story.

From across the state, St. Louis Post-Dispatch beat writer Graham Watson had some really good nuggets of information in her blog, including Chase D. treating his teammates to a meal and a rare interview with linebackers coach Dave Steckel.

Read Graham's Blog.

Mizzou Football Fan Appreciation Day

2007-08-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Around The Columns correspondent Charles A. Bender, Esq., for the photographs:

Kick-Off Countdown: 27 Days

2007-08-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

Mizzou officially opened practice for the 2007 season on Saturday in Columbia. Pretty good coverage all-around from the local media outlets.

The Columbia Daily Tribune's coverage begins with a recap of QB Chase Daniel's experience as an instructor at the Elite 11 quarterback camp in California, where Chase was a teammate of Joe Montana. Read.

Dave Matter, the Trib's Mizzou football writer, also keeps a blog with daily practice reports. Matter reports that the team has elected its captains: Martin Rucker, Jason Ray, Lorenzo Williams and Pig Brown. Link.

The Kansas City Star's Mike DeArmond finds a Kansas City angle for his first practice report, writing this feature on running back Derrick Washington. Washington, a freshman from Peculiar, is trying to show the coaches that he has what it takes to back up starter Tony Temple.

Graham Watson of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote what may have been the best story on the opening practice, with a great lead:

There was a different atmosphere surrounding the Missouri football team as it opened its fall camp on Saturday.

Instead of the awkward orientation that usually comes with the first few days of a new season, the Tigers took to the field with the business-like confidence of a team that knows this could be one of the greatest seasons in the school's history.

Read the whole story. The picture of Pinkel leading the team out onto the field is from the Post-Dispatch.

Columbia Missourian coverage was good, too. Read. The pic of Chase Daniel below is from the Missourian.