State Shows Up Twice On Kirk Herbstreit's "Herbie's"

Take it for what it's worth.

View the complete entry of "State Shows Up Twice On Kirk Herbstreit's "Herbie's""

Willie Young Ups The Smack-Talk Ante

...and away we go!

On the heels of Weslye Saunders' revelation to the media this past week that he planned to get an unsportsmanlike penalty should he score a touchdown Thursday night, the loquacious Willie Young cranked up the volume a bit with some comments made today to reporters.

Regarding Steve Spurrier and whether he's an "offensive genius:"

"No," Young said. "No. I think you can be as sophisticated as you want to. Coach (Dana) Bible (N.C. State's offensive coordinator) can be sophisticated. But if you can beat somebody with basic plays, then you can whip them. It all comes down to their individuals against our individuals. And if you have a better individual, that individual can shake and bake, probably, and break the other individual down and make a play. That's just generally speaking.

"He (Spurrier) knows his offense. Don't get me wrong. No doubt. No doubt whatsoever. And I think he's confident. But it's going to come down to individual play."

Young was just getting warmed up at that point.

(Continues)
Regarding Stephen Garcia's playmaking ability:

"Until he hurts us, I'm not worried about him," Young said. "It's as simple as that. Until he starts to hurt us, he can stand back there and juke and jive all he wants to. But until he hurts us, he has no effect on my pass rush or anything I intend to do.

"...He's not getting around (defensive end) Shea McKeen over there. And he's definitely not turning anything up the middle between (tackles Leroy) Burgess and (Alan-Michael) Cash. You can take it to the bank."

And regarding that whole Saunders affair,

"He just talked himself into the biggest MA (missed assignment) possible," Young said. "I'll just put it like that. That leads to nothing but mistakes. I think he's trying to draw attention to himself, if what he's trying to do. Becaus I know, me and my goons, we ain't seeing it."

I'm not sure what the outcome of the game will be, or if the folks from South Carolina will respond to these comments in kind, but the pregame atmosphere just got a lot more interesting.

View the complete entry of "Willie Young Ups The Smack-Talk Ante"

Reminder: Kickoff Set For 7:03

Folks, a quick reminder as this will no doubt trip up a lot of folks: The game Thursday night is part of a double-header on ESPN and will therefore start at an earlier-than-usual time, 7:03 PM versus 7:30ish.

I can already envision the traffic nightmare that will be Thursday night as folks from Raleigh and the Triangle try to make their way to and fro on 40, the beltline and Edward Mill Rd. and the conclusion of the workday. So, if at all possible, leave work early and allow plenty of time to get to the stadium. Pick a time in your mind to leave your house or work and add a solid hour to that.

Also, you may have noticed a re-do to the layout as I've added a third column. I may do some subsequent tweaking over the following day or so, so bear with me.

View the complete entry of "Reminder: Kickoff Set For 7:03"

Toney Baker Listed As First String Tailback; Other Depth Chart Notes

ACC Now link

• Toney Baker is listed at the top back on the depth chart, wrestling the position away from Jamelle Eugene. That's great news for Baker and for fans -- it means all the praise coach O'Brien has showered on Toney's in fall practice wasn't lip service (would we expect otherwise from TOB?). Baker must be nearly back to the form he showed years ago.
• Redshirt-freshman OL R.J. Mattes beat out senior Andy Barbee for the right offensive guard spot.
• Dwayne Maddox bested Terrell Manning for the boundary linebacker position. Last year's experience no doubt served him well.
• Somewhat surprising, junior Jeff Ruiz beat out true freshman Chris Ward for the starting punter position despite the impressive numbers Ward put up in the scrimmages.
• Also somewhat surprising, redshirt freshman C.J. Wilson is the top field cornerback ahead of incumbent DeAndre Morgan.
  

Coach O'Brien will likely explain some of these position changes following practice today.

You can find a copy of the full depth chart at Wolfpack Pigskin.

View the complete entry of "Toney Baker Listed As First String Tailback; Other Depth Chart Notes"

Bond Refinancing Covers The Cost Of New RBC Scoreboards

Triangle Business Journal article from Chris Baysden

RALEIGH – The authority that oversees the RBC Center has saved $3.7 million in interest in a bond refinancing – savings that will go toward sprucing up the 10-year-old arena.

Basketball and hockey fans will notice the difference as soon as they enter the arena bowl for games beginning in September: Some of the savings will be used to help pay for a new $2 million scoreboard and video screen offering crisper, high-definition images.

Now if $2 million seems like a lot to pay for a scoreboard just for an athletics facility ($86K goes into $2 million 23.25 times, Gregg, FWIW), bear in mind that Jerry Jones spent 20 times that for his gargantuan, HD, punt-blocking monstrosity in the new Cowboys stadium.

But back on topic, good work on the part of the Centennial Authority. It's rare that you see wise fiscal policy in the sports world, but when you can score a free scoreboard upgrade and pocket the remaining $1.7 million simply by refinancing your bond package, that's worth some kudos.

View the complete entry of "Bond Refinancing Covers The Cost Of New RBC Scoreboards"

Gregggggggggg Doyel: Don't Feed The Troll

Must be a slow news cycle for Gregg Doyel these days despite the impending college football season. He's up to his rabble-rousing ways, taking universities to task for -- GASP! -- boarding their football teams in hotels prior to home football games.

First off, I'm not providing a link to the article. If I were to drive you to the CBS site via a link, I'd essentially be endorsing his tripe. So I'll leave it to you to decide if you want to go there to read it on your own. However, after the jump you'll find a "sizable excerpt" of the piece to give you an idea of what he's written:

(Continues)

If it's Friday night in Gainesville and the Florida Gators are playing a football game the next day at The Swamp, Tim Tebow deserves a hotel room. How could he sleep in his apartment? He could not. He deserves a hotel room, and dammit, the University of Florida will spend the money to get him -- and his teammates, at a cost of roughly $40,000 for the season -- that room.

And it's the same thing at Oklahoma with Sam Bradford. And at North Carolina State with, um, whoever plays quarterback for North Carolina State. And at Tennessee and Oregon and Purdue and South Carolina and just about everywhere college football is played at the BCS level.

Players need a hotel room on Friday night.

Even before home games.

And it's insulting. It's insulting to you, the reader, knowing that the N.C. State football team paid more to put up the Wolfpack at a hotel before home games -- almost $86,000 for a handful of Friday nights -- than you'll earn in six months or a year or maybe two or three years. They're throwing away money, and while that money wasn't going to come your way, it's an insult nonetheless.

It's insulting to the players themselves, because they're being told that -- even though they're legally adults and usually 20 years old or older -- they cannot be trusted on their own to get enough sleep or even to stay out of jail the Friday night before a football game. After high school graduation they can be trusted by their parents to leave the confines of home, wherever home was, and report to a college campus where they will be on their own for large parts of every day. But they cannot be trusted by their football coach to show some sense on Friday night in their adopted college hometown.

And maybe some college football players can't be trusted on those six or seven fall Friday nights every year. Maybe lots of them wouldn't get enough sleep and maybe some of them wouldn't stay out of jail if they were allowed to take their athletic arrogance and machismo posturing out into the real world so shortly before a football game.

And maybe that last notion, as realistic as it is, is an insult to me.

Because years ago as a teenager I would have loved to be that college kid who was so good at a sport that my tuition and room and board were free. I would have loved to have been 6-feet-3, 225 pounds and strong or fast or skilled or even all three. I would have loved to play six or seven college football games every year in front of my fellow students and 80,000 fans who would adore me simply because of the helmet on my head and the jersey on my back. I would have loved it.

And I wouldn't have screwed it up by staying out late Friday night. Because I'm that smart? No.

Because I'm not an absolute moron.

That's all it takes for a college football player to stay out of trouble the Friday night before a home game: Don't be an absolute moron.

The price tag for saving college football players from their absolute-moron-selves is in the $50,000 range per year, though the fiscal geniuses at N.C. State have found a way to spend close to double that in Raleigh.

It's financial insanity, but the Pac-10 is here to help. The Pac-10, bless its stingy little heart, has proposed legislation that would stop schools from putting their football team in a hotel the night before a home game. The NCAA's Division I legislative council will vote on the proposal in January. The proposal is so sensible, so obvious, that it's brilliant.

And of course other coaches in other conferences are furious.

Purdue's Danny Hope and Indiana's Bill Lynch are on record as saying they're against the Pac-10 proposal. So are most of the coaches in the ACC, although Florida State's Bobby Bowden is not. And good for him.

In Gainesville, meanwhile, the Gators are so enamored with their Friday night splurge that they're selling it to boosters. Which makes sense, in a perverted way. What better way to pay for such a ridiculous budget item than to have a ridiculous booster pay the bill? For a mere $5 million, a booster (and a guest!) can eat meals with the team and walk to the stadium with the team and, best of all, spend Friday night at "the team hotel to rest up for game day."

Sounds distracting to me, honestly. Put up the players in a hotel to get them away from distractions, but then let some jock-sniffing booster hang out with them at the team hotel. But for $5 million, distract away. Right?

Greggggg has the ability to write well reasoned and logical opinion pieces. I've read them before. It's not as if Doyel is incapable of writing them -- he simply chooses not to at times.

This, of course, is one of those times.

For one, the heart of his argument is ridiculous. $40K, $50K or even $86K is not that sizable a chunk of a team budget that often runs well into the millions every year. I would guess that the university easily spends that much on marketing materials for the football team (programs, media guides, "Howl Towels," posters, etc.) every year. Schools spend large amounts of money on their football programs, primarily because they bring in so much money for the rest of the athletic department and sometimes to the school itself.

But ignoring the monetary aspect of Doyel's argument, he still falls flat on his face asserting there's no good reason to house players in hotels prior to games. Of course there is! Is the notion that having teams get a good night's sleep and a solid, scheduled meal prior to bedtime and in the morning before the game that foreign of a concept to Doyel? Why on earth would that be in any way insulting to us, the commoner who does not play sports for an education or a living?

Doyel says he has judgment enough to not get into trouble the night before a game. Based on his System Of A Down goatee and decision to pose with a sledgehammer to look like a badass on a blog, I have serious reservations about his ability to use sound judgment.

View the complete entry of "Gregggggggggg Doyel: Don't Feed The Troll"

Oooh! Fancy! New Banners Up At Carter Finley

The unofficial Stadium Beautification Project at Carter Finley rolls on...four new large banners have been installed in the central four concrete supports of the east side stands.

In contrast to the abysmal new basketball uniforms, I actually think these look pretty snazzy. On my wish list for the future would be four more to complete the set of eight...perhaps those are on the way.

More photos after the jump:

View the complete entry of "Oooh! Fancy! New Banners Up At Carter Finley"

State's New Uniforms: Epic Fail

I could go into a long diatribe about how horrid I think the new uniform design is, but I think I'll just point you elsewhere,

because

everyone

else

beat me

to it.

View the complete entry of "State's New Uniforms: Epic Fail"

Jesse Palmer Weighs In On The Pack

The N&O's Ken T. caught up with Jesse Palmer via phone to ask his opinions on State, the game against South Carolina and the Pack's outlook for the season.


Though I have to admit, I found this exchange a little odd:

On his ridiculously short ties: "Look, if I have to answer one more ***-damn question about the length of my ties I swear to God I'm going to go off on a m*****-f*****. Do you know who I am? I'm Jesse F****** Palmer, that's who. Shall I show you tape of my appearance on ABC's The Batchelor? I had ladies swooning for me, jerk. Lots of them. So unless you want me to wring your neck with one of these short ass ties when I run into you in the press box, I suggest you back off."

Huh. That Palmer has one hell of a short fuse.*

*That might've been made up.

View the complete entry of "Jesse Palmer Weighs In On The Pack"

Russell Wilson Will Be Getting All Bloggy With It At Sportingnewstoday.com

Per the PackFootball Twitter Feed:

Russell Wilson will write a weekly diary on Sporting News Today, the world¹s first digital daily sports newspaper. sportingnewstoday.com

Shouldn't this just be entitled "The Bible 2: Electric Boogaloo?"

View the complete entry of "Russell Wilson Will Be Getting All Bloggy With It At Sportingnewstoday.com"

Nice Read: Solid Breakdown Of The Pack

Aaron Torres Sports' solid breakdown of State and why he thinks State's the 23rd best team in the country.

... I hate preseason polls.

Just look at last year’s. It saw Auburn (5-7 final record) ranked No. 11 in the country, while their SEC West rival Ole Miss (9-4) didn’t receive a single vote from the coaches. Not one. I think even Boston University got a vote, and they cancelled their football program years ago.

Alabama wasn’t in the preseason top 25, and they were one game away from playing for a National Championship. The Tide’s Sugar Bowl opponent, Utah, wasn’t ranked, but ended 2008 as college football’s only undefeated team. Boise State went 12-1 but apparently wasn’t one of the best 25 teams in August. The same with Oregon State, a team that was this close to winning the Pac-10.

Yet somehow Tennessee (5-7), Arizona State (5-7) and Michigan (3-9) found themselves ranked before the season started.

So with those facts I present you NC State. Sure right now they’re getting about as much attention as the chubby kid with a lisp on prom night (ranked No. 38 in Rivals.com poll, got just seven votes in the Coaches Poll). But when the final polls are released in January, the Wolfpack will be the one’s getting the last laugh. To channel my inner George Foreman: “I guarenteeeeee it.”

View the complete entry of "Nice Read: Solid Breakdown Of The Pack"

2009-2010 Basketball Schedule

WRAL link

2009-10 NC STATE SCHEDULE

Day Date Team Time TV
Thur. 11/5 St. Paul’s College (Reynolds - Exh.) 7:00 pm

TBA TBA Georgia State TBA

Glenn Wilkes Classic - Daytona, Florida (Ocean Center Arena)
Fri. 11/20 Akron 3:30 pm
Sat. 11/21 Austin Peay 8:15 pm
Sun. 11/22 Auburn 8:15 pm

Sun. 11/29 New Orleans 2:00 pm
Tue. 12/1 Northwestern 7:00 pm ESPNU
Sat. 12/5 @ Marquette 3:00 pm
Sat. 12/12 Georgia Southern (Reynolds) 2:00 pm
Thur. 12/17 Elon 7:00 pm
Sun. 12/20 @ Wake Forest 7:45 pm FSN
Wed. 12/23 @ Arizona TBA
Tue. 12/29 Winthrop 7:00 pm
Thur. 12/31 @ UNC Greensboro TBA
Sun. 1/3 Florida 3:00 pm FSN
Wed. 1/6 Holy Cross 7:00 pm
Sat. 1/9 Virginia 12/1:30 pm FSN
Tue. 1/12 @ Florida State 7:00 pm RSN
Sat. 1/16 Clemson 12/1:30 pm FSN
Wed. 1/20 Duke 9:00 pm Raycom
Sat. 1/23 @ Maryland 5/6 pm ESPN2
Tue. 1/26 North Carolina 9:00 pm Raycom
Sat. 1/30 North Carolina Central 2:00 pm
Wed. 2/3 @ Virginia 7:00 pm ESPNU
Sat. 2/6 @ Georgia Tech 4:00 pm Raycom
Wed. 2/10 Virginia Tech 7:00 pm
Sat. 2/13 @ North Carolina 4:00 pm ESPN
Wed. 2/17 Maryland 9:00 pm RSN
Sat. 2/20 Wake Forest 2:00 pm Raycom
Sat. 2/27 @ Miami 4:00 pm Raycom
Wed. 3/3 @ Virginia Tech 7:00 pm
Sun. 3/7 Boston College 2:00 pm Raycom
3/11-14 ACC Tournament (@ Greensboro, N.C.)

Can't recall the last time I saw a schedule with the day, date and time all "TBA." In other words, we know they're playing Georgia State at SOME point between 11/5 and 11/20...good luck planning that one at the moment.

Other notable items:
- Wake Forest is our first conference game, and it comes prior to the Christmas break
- We play UNC Greensboro on New Year's Eve in the Coliseum, if I remember correctly. That would be an interesting way to kick start your New Year's celebrations.
- February looks absolutely brutal...five conference games away, including the Carolina road game and trips to Miami, VT and Georgia Tech, and Maryland and Wake Forest at home. We wrap things up with BC at home in what will (hopefully) be an easier game leading up to the tournament.

View the complete entry of "2009-2010 Basketball Schedule"

Roughed Up Gamecock Geathers Will Miss Opening Game

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina defensive coach Ellis Johnson says he expects suspended defensive end Clifton Geathers to miss the Gamecocks opener at North Carolina State.

Geathers was arrested Sunday by Columbia police and charged with public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest for his role in a fight. Geathers' booking photo showed his right eye swollen shut and a bandage just underneath. Johnson told multiple media outlets after Monday's practice that Geathers had a crack in the orbital bone and planned to visit a specialist to see if there's any muscle or nerve damage.

Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier indefinitely suspended Geathers after the arrest.

Regardless of Geathers' suspension status, Johnson says Geathers would need at least two weeks to recover and wouldn't play against the Wolfpack on Sept. 3.

View the complete entry of "Roughed Up Gamecock Geathers Will Miss Opening Game"

State's Sports Information Dept. Makes The Right Call

N.C. State's Sports Information Department deserves a round of applause. While I'm not usually one to offer up kudos to State's SIDs -- their half-hearted Philip Rivers Heisman campaign, pushover relationship with certain members of the media and some questionable credentialing practices leave me want for an improved crew that operates like the bunch Steve Kirschner heads over in Chapel Hill -- I have to give them credit here: They've turned down a credentialing request from Inside Edition to cover Erin Andrew's return to the airwaves.

Per Richard Deitsch's Tweet, via Joe Ovies' post at 850 The Buzz:

CFB fans: Inside Edition asked for credentials for ESPN's N.C.State-South Carolina game on Sept. 3 (to cover Erin Andrews). IE turned down.

Way to go, Annabelle Vaughn. Absolutely the right call, because the last thing State needs to be doing is endorsing the kind of TMZ, IE-fueled "sportsceleb" fluff journalism that seems to have evolved in the last half decade or so.

Sports journalism should primarily be about what takes places on the field and secondarily about the issues off the field that directly impact the ability of a team or individual to engage in the former. It shouldn't be about those there to cover the game themselves, nor about what clubs athletes attend or which celebrities they're seen with around town.

View the complete entry of "State's Sports Information Dept. Makes The Right Call"

Meet The Pack Day This Saturday At 2:00

GoPack.com link.

The gates won't open until 2:00, per the article.

Continuing on with the "Champions in the community" mantra, the team will be collecting school supplies for the upcoming year for kids who need them:

SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE: Once again, NC State is partnering with Communities in Schools of Wake County to collect school supplies for area at-risk students. Wolfpack fans are asked to bring donations to Meet The Pack Day.

Here's a PDF with a list of all the needed supplies:

View the complete entry of "Meet The Pack Day This Saturday At 2:00"

Sporting News College Football Preview: ACC Predictions

Sporting News fluff piece; the staff at SN pose some random predictions for the upcoming ACC football season to "experts" and get them to either justify them or argue against them.

Here's one regarding State:

WE SAY: N.C. State will be in position to win the Atlantic Division until mid-November.

ESPN analyst ED CUNNINGHAM says: "I'm taking issue with the words until mid-November, which are probably used because of late road games against Florida State, Boston College and Virginia Tech. N.C. State will be in a position to win the Atlantic on November 28 at home against North Carolina. The Wolfpack were solid down the stretch in 2008 and have two good lines returning. They're good enough to compete with any ACC team if Russell Wilson can simply remain as turnover-resistant as he was in '08."

I get what Ed is saying here, but if State has to rely on Russell going 17:1 TDs/INTs again in order to compete for the ACC title, then I'd say they're in trouble. A 17:1 ratio is simply unheard of and I would wager nearly impossible to replicate. I'll "settle" for something in the 5:1 or 6:1 range. That would equate to about 24 TDs against five or six picks, a better ratio than Philip Rivers' best season (2003) when he tossed 34 TDs and seven picks.

I could live with 5:1, easy.

View the complete entry of "Sporting News College Football Preview: ACC Predictions"

Philip Rivers Interview On The Dan Patrick Show

A pretty good interview with Philip this afternoon on the Dan Patrick show. I thought Dan did a good job getting a normally rigid, coachspeak-hindered Philip into joking around a bit during the middle of the segment...no small feat.

View the complete entry of "Philip Rivers Interview On The Dan Patrick Show"

ACCSports.com: Four Questions For N.C. State This Fall

The guys over at ACCSports.com are posing four questions about the upcoming football season for each school in the ACC. They chronicled the Wolfpack this week, and here are the four questions:

1. Can the N.C. State defense survive without Nate Irving?
2. Will Russell Wilson stay healthy?
3. What about South Carolina?
4. Will Tom O’Brien ever catch a break?

You can find the answers from ACCSports.com here, but for the heck of it, I'll offer up my own answers to the questions:

1. Can the N.C. State defense survive without Nate Irving? Define "survive." I think State will be a capable unit without Irving, and as O'Brien has stated before, the injury coming prior to fall practice has given State time to work Dwayne Maddox and Terrell Manning into the fold early enough to lessen the blow. Had this injury come September 2nd, things would've been far worse for the Pack.

If there's an area on defense State needs to be concerned with it's the secondary. A unit that was already thin has seen injuries and transfers further thin its ranks. State will be relying on youth and a senior walk on to carry the load in defending downfield, a scary proposition. State's defensive strength -- the defensive line -- will need to generate a sufficient pass rush to take some of the heat off.

(Continues)
2. Will Russell Wilson stay healthy? Yes. I made the bold, completely baseless prediction earlier this week that Wilson will start all 12 (and likely the 13th) games this year for the Pack. He and coaches O'Brien and Dana Bible have been working with Wilson on ways to minimize the number of hits he takes over the course of the season: sliding earlier on runs, staying in the pocket while working through his progressions, etc. The coaches have made it clear that they don't want to take away Russell's ability to create with his feet, but he needs to do so within the framework that his health is far more important than a few extra yards. Russell's a sharp kid and a hard worker, so I have no doubts he's heeding their advice.

3. What about South Carolina? South Carolina is a very important game for a variety of reasons: It obviously sets the tone for the year right off the bat; it sets the table to be 3-0 heading into the Pitt game; it would be a key victory for the ACC over an SEC school; it's a rivalry game (see: 1986, Danny Peebles); it's a home game; it's a Thursday night game on national television on the four-letter network.

All of these reasons and more make that opening game a critical one for State. You're never quite sure how a team will respond in game one -- it's why many teams load up on cupcakes right off the bat as de facto preseason contests. If State has the fortitude to come out and beat an SEC school on its home turf in game one, erasing the memory of last year's 34-0 contest in Columbia, it sets the table for a solid out-of-conference schedule heading into the meat-and-potatoes of the year.

South Carolina is a beatable team. They're relying on a young QB (Soph. Stephen Garcia) who threw more interceptions than touchdowns last year and lost their primary back from a rushing offense that ranked 112th out of 119 teams. Lose that game and, while it won't be the end of the world, it will dampen the hopes of some fans and folks in the media that State has turned the corner.

4. Will Tom O’Brien ever catch a break? Honestly, who knows? It's strange that injuries continue to be a bugaboo in year three of the O'Brien era. Injuries neutralized a solid team last year and have already taken their toll thusfar before the first snap (Irving, TE Mario Carter, OL Denzelle Good, QB Everette Proctor, WR Donald Bowens, S Javon Walker, etc.)

Only time will tell if this trend continues, but small consolation comes this season as misery has company with teams across the league (VT with the loss of Darren Evans, UNC with several players) also feeling the hurt during the preseason.

View the complete entry of "ACCSports.com: Four Questions For N.C. State This Fall"

Tuesday Scrimmage Stuff

Per the stats posted over at PackPride.com and Ken Tysiac's write-up on the Charlotte Observer blog, here are a few thoughts on the third scrimmage of State's fall practice schedule:

1. Tight-end Mario Carter had surgery on his knee sometime this week. Coach O'Brien seems to imply there's a chance we could see Carter again before the year's out, but the intimations I read when I first heard of the injury were that he'd be gone for the year., so who knows. Carter was third on the depth chart at tight end behind George Bryan and Matt Kushner, but Carter showed great promise with his performance at the spring game and having three healthy tight ends opened the doors to some jumbo sets with capable pass-catching threats at both ends of the line. We'll have to see what Carter's status is heading forward.
   
2. Freshman punter Chris Ward looks like he'll be a real weapon right off the bat. He posted a 42-yard average on four punts, and boomed two punts in the first scrimmage for an average of 48.5 yards (though Ward later admitted a favorable bounce added 10 extra yards on one of those kicks). Over six kicks he's averaged just over 44 yards/punt, which would've placed him just outside the top 10 nationally last season. It's a fallacy to extrapolate a season-long average out of just six kicks in two scrimmages, but it's fair to assume that Ward has the ability to boom some monster punts when he hits it square. I have a feeling he'll have some Pack fans oohing and ahhing this year.
3. This is the second scrimmage out of three where the defense has had the upper hand against State's passing attack. Both times (the first scrimmage and yesterday) the secondary recorded three interceptions against only one touchdown. That's somewhat encouraging, given the thin nature of State's defensive backfield and that most considered that an area of weakness for the Pack. But again, it's tough to put much importance to these numbers since we don't know exactly what situations these picks took place in. Hopefully this is a good sign for our secondary's development.

Also, former Pack coach Dick Sheridan stopped by practice. Sheridan popped by after visiting with David Horning, recovering from a stroke suffered earlier this year, at his home and then took in the last moments of practice afterwards.

WRAL has post-scrimmage video of both O'Brien and Sheridan.

View the complete entry of "Tuesday Scrimmage Stuff"

ACC Roundtable: Preseason Edition

Another (or should I say 'yet another...?') new feature YANCSSB will be taking part in this year is participation in an ACC blogger "roundtable," where representative bloggers from from nearly all the ACC schools will take turns hosting a Q&A discussion each week regarding football related matters.

This week is the preseason edition, hosted at FSUncensored. You can find my take on State there, as well as a breakdown on most every other team in the ACC heading into the 2009 season.

View the complete entry of "ACC Roundtable: Preseason Edition"

YANCSSB Now A Part Of MGoBlog's BlogPoll

This season will see some new developments for YANCSSB, one of which is the participation in the BlogPoll, a partnership between CBS Sports and MGoBlog.com

Now, I'll be honest...slotting the top 25 teams from across the country -- most of whom I couldn't give two shites about -- is not an easy task for me. I have a few opinions about a few teams here or there that are overrated or underrated, along with some guiding principles (vote SEC early and often), but I'm going to need y'all's help each week helping me sift through my list to make cases for or against certain teams.

With that having been said, here's the "rough draft," if you will, of my first ballot. In being open and honest about this, I built it primarily off the coaches poll, tweaking a few selections here and there that I thought needed it.

Rank	Team
1	Florida
2	Texas
3	Oklahoma
4	Southern Cal
5	Alabama
6	Ohio State
7	Virginia Tech
8	LSU
9	Penn State
10	Oklahoma State
11	Mississippi
12	Georgia Tech
13	California
14	Georgia
15	Oregon
16	Utah
17	Boise State
18	Florida State
19	TCU
20	Nebraska
21	Iowa
22	Oregon State
23	Brigham Young
24	Pittsburgh
25	Michigan State

There's no Notre Dame on here, nor the Tar Heels. Charlie Weis still has a lot to prove to me, and the Heels -- with a rapidly thinning offensive line -- will need to show me they can win with more than just their front seven on defense.

In their places are Michigan State and Pitt, but MSU is there primarily on name recognition and Pitt by virtue of their preseason selection by the Big East media as the team to beat this year. I fully expect a lot of shuffling early on as teams impress or disappoint.

Please, weigh in with your opinions. If anything, I'd like this poll to not necessarily represent what I think, but what y'all do, as well.

View the complete entry of "YANCSSB Now A Part Of MGoBlog's BlogPoll"

Charity Cornhole Tournament This Weekend

It's been sort of an off-State-sports day today here at YANCSSB, so I figure there's no better time to mention this: First United Methodist Church in Fuquay Varina, NC, is hosting a charity cornhole tournament this Saturday. The "First Church Cornhole Classic" will take place at FUMC, which is located at 402 North Main Street in Fuquay-Varina. Check-in for teams participating is at 10 a.m. The tournament begins at 11 a.m.

Proceeds will benefit the Southern Wake Faith Community in Action (SWFCA). Founded by local church volunteers, SWFCA is a non-profit organization providing assistance to Fuquay-Varina and Willow Springs residents.

A pre-registration can be found at http://fumcfv.org/cornhole.htm, and the registration fee is $25/team. The winning team will win a gift certificate to Johnston County Cornole.

Teams need to pre-register prior to ensure their slot in the tournament.

I know a ton of State fans love to play cornhole when tailgating, and this is a perfect opportunity to get some practice in prior to September 3rd, as well as benefit a great charity, to boot.

If you need further information, feel free to contact me and I'll help fill you in with all the details.*

*Note: This is a church-run tournament, and entrants should expect a family-friendly environment.

View the complete entry of "Charity Cornhole Tournament This Weekend"

Twitter Stuff: Chad Johnson Is Insane, Thinks The Gov. Is Keeping Cures For AIDS, Cancer Under Wraps

This is Chad Johnson. He is insane.

To wit, Johnson, AKA Chad Ocho Cinco, tweeted out the following edict to his followers:

# If you could be invisible for a day who and what would you spy on, take, kidnap etc.about 2 hours ago from TwitterFon

A whole host of his followers (all insane, also) have replied with their own ideas on what they would do if they were invisible. But the interesting ones come from Johnson himself with regards to the cures for AIDS and Cancer:

# If Esteban [NOTE: Chad refers to himself as Esteban] was invisible I'd steal the cure for Cancer and Aids, if we figured a way to the moon we have the cure for those diseases to.26 minutes ago from TwitterFon

...

# @WhoisMAYA Listen, there's a cure for any and everything, trust me, they are controlling population, that's how I feel.14 minutes ago from TwitterFon in reply to WhoisMAYA

...

# @WhoisMAYA We are to smart as a country not to have figured out a cure for deadly diseases like aids and cancer, child please, they have it!13 minutes ago from TwitterFon in reply to WhoisMAYA

...

# @FARRAH1228 they got that shhhhhhhhhhhhh, I feel they controlling population, it might sound corny but we figure out everything else sh^%12 minutes ago from TwitterFon in reply to FARRAH1228

For those trying to keep up, Chad is saying:

1. If we have the capability to get to the moon, we surely have figured out the cures for AIDS and Cancer
2. The U.S. Government (presumably) is keeping these cures from the general population as a means to control the population through disease

Sure, looking to a man who legally changed his name to "Ocho Cinco" for logical takes on, well, anything is probably asking too much. But damn Chad, seriously? The government is retaining the cures for AIDS and Cancer for its own gain?

Maybe they were just hanging onto them until Obama took office so he could release them as part of his universal health care plan...

View the complete entry of "Twitter Stuff: Chad Johnson Is Insane, Thinks The Gov. Is Keeping Cures For AIDS, Cancer Under Wraps"

Plus One, Minus Two: Lemon Joining Team, Roberts Leaving, Proctor Out For The Year

Obviously the big news following today's scrimmage was the confirmation that Nate Irving would be out for the season (barring a January bowl game and some quick healing on Nate's part), but three other personnel developments were brought to light in coach O'Brien's post-scrimmage comments.

Defensive tackle/end Michael Lemon will be joining the team. Lemon was a three-star prospect and the 51st overall defensive tackle back in 2006 when he committed to the University of Georgia. He had garnered a few snaps as a redshirt-freshman but legal issues stemming from a fight following the murder of his mother resulted in his dismissal from UGA in 2008. He enrolled at Georgia Military College, and will now join the Pack with two years to play two years (i.e no option to redshirt).

On the offensive side of the ball, State will be losing redshirt-sophomore offensive lineman Desmond Roberts. Roberts left the team and plans to attend junior college. It's not known at this point if he will (or will be able to) return to the team at a later date.

Finally, the injury bug rolls on its merry way through the roster. Freshman QB Everette Proctor tore the labrum in his throwing shoulder, requiring surgery and ending his year. Proctor wasn't expected to see the field this season and would likely have been redshirted, but his loss means that beyond Mike Glennon, State's effectively out of quarterbacks on the roster. Russell Wilson's injury history is well documented, and Glennon's not exactly the thickest tree in the forest. A couple of untimely hits and State's season could be in the crapper. It will be interesting to see who gets converted from another position into an emergency third-string QB option.

To hear about Nate's injury, along with O'Brien's comments regarding Lemon, Roberts and Proctor, check out this video from Wolfpackpigskin.Blogspot.com:

View the complete entry of "Plus One, Minus Two: Lemon Joining Team, Roberts Leaving, Proctor Out For The Year"

No Nate In 2009, Per O'Brien

WRALSportsFan.com

There's nothing new in the link above; no comments from O'Brien yet as to what the doctors had to say regarding the extent of his injuries.

The linebackers behind Irving have been practicing under this assumption thusfar anyway, so nothing really has changed. But for those of you (like myself) that thought there was a chance Nate would return to the field prior to the end of the season, that doesn't appear in play any longer.

Certainly Nate will continue to rehab and get further reevaluation throughout the year, though. I still wouldn't say it's impossible that he could return for the year...but the chances of him doing so just went from about 1% to 0.01%.

View the complete entry of "No Nate In 2009, Per O'Brien"

Twitter Haters Beware: Twitter Content Inside

Twitter backlash seems to be gaining steam these days, but don't let that slow you down from following PackFootball. Why? Because you can get play-by-play coverage of today's scrimmage as it happens:

# and then Wilson takes advantage w/ another TD throw to Spencer
28 minutes ago from txt

#
Earl Wolff with a nice INT!
29 minutes ago from txt

#
Russell Wilson throw to Darrell Davis into the endzone for a diving TD catch.
33 minutes ago from txt

#
Nice catch and run by Tony Baker
42 minutes ago from txt

#
Scrimmage 2 underway
43 minutes ago from txt

#
getting ready for scrimmage #2
about 2 hours ago from txt

It's natural for there to be a pushback on new technology from time to time, especially when the perception is that it's geared toward schreeching teens and attention whores. But there's value in Twitter, and this is another instance of it.

View the complete entry of "Twitter Haters Beware: Twitter Content Inside"

State Golf Stuff

The fourth and final major of the year, The 91st PGA Championship, is underway and after most of the day's action (4:17), Carl Pettersson is currently tied at 30th with an even-par 72. Tim Clark has some work to do, however, tied for 91st with a two-over effort thusfar. (UPDATE [4:43]: Tim just fired in a birdie to get back to within one stroke of par, shooting him up the leaderboard into a tie for 53rd)

North of the border, Matt Hill and future State golfer Mitch Sutton are deadlocked at 8-under for the tournament through 11 holes in the final round of the Canadian Men's Amateur Championship. They won't likely catch Ontario's Cam Burke, however. Burke is at -13 through 11 and is four-under for the day so far. He's seen his scoring decrease each round, shooting 70-69-68 through rounds 1-3. He's got the hot hand it appears.

Hey, can't win 'em all, Matt...despite your track record to the contrary this season.

View the complete entry of "State Golf Stuff"

Interim Chancellor Woodward, You Have My Vote (If You Want It)

If for no other reason, for getting why strong athletics is important to a university:

"At any institution, athletics is the window through which most people see the university. And certainly, the two sports most seen by people outside the university are football and basketball." -- Jim Woodward

These were the words offered up in an interview seen below during Woodward's trip to football practice this week. Woodward watched practice, then took the time to speak to the players during a break in the action.

How refreshing is it to once again hear a chancellor--our chancellor, no less--express in no uncertain terms that strong, successful "revenue" athletic programs are vital to the success of the WHOLE university, not just the athletics department itself.

It's been proven time and time again that schools with successful football and basketball teams experience higher interest from prospective students across the country. More demand for limited admission slots means a higher caliber of student, which raises the level of achievement across the university landscape, which leads to more research grant monies, which lead to more notoriety, etc., etc., etc. (Aside: Wouldn't you love to see the application stacks in Gainsville these days? I bet they're practically swimming in high school valedictorian and salutatorian apps...)

You get the picture. Apparently, so does interim chancellor Jim Woodward. Maybe I'm drinking the Kool-Aid and perhaps he's got us all fooled, but if it were up to me I'd ask Jim if he wanted that "interim" tag done away with. I'm not sure if he wants the gig, but if he does, I hope he gets some serious consideration.

Ask yourself this: Could you have ever seen disgraced ex-chancellor Jim Oblinger hanging out at football practice, let alone speaking to the players on their importance to the university? Right.

Keep impressing us, Jim.

View the complete entry of "Interim Chancellor Woodward, You Have My Vote (If You Want It)"

Hill Hanging Onto Slim One-Shot Lead After Two Rounds

Hill fires an even-par 72 in round two but retains lead on the strength of his 65 in round one.

Weather has held up play a bit this week; there were a few groups finishing up the last of round two this morning. But Hill will tee off this afternoon and look to stave off some persistent challengers who posted some solid sub-par scores in the second round to draw close.

One such challenger is London, Ontario's Mitch Sutton:

Two-time Canadian junior champion Mitch Sutton of London, Ont. catapulted himself into second after firing a 6-under par today. Sutton completed his second round and sits at 6-under for the championship.

Sutton, who will join Hill at North Carolina State University in the fall, was humble about his chances of pulling off the win this week.

“Winning will be a tough challenge with Hill and (Nick) Taylor in the field,” said Sutton. “I’ll going to keep playing my game, doing what I do, and we’ll see what happens."

Richard Sykes...mining the courses north of the border for premiere golf talent!

View the complete entry of "Hill Hanging Onto Slim One-Shot Lead After Two Rounds"

Matt Hill Came To Kick A Little Ass And Drink A Little Molson...Looks Like He's Aboot Oot Of Molson.

Matt Hill continues to be Matt Hill, leading the Canadian Men's Amateur Championship after the first round. Hill fired a 65 (with no bogeys) to take a two-shot lead into today's action.

Here's a writeup on Hill's first day of work.

At this point, it's almost a given to find Hill atop the leaderboard. He's won a staggering eight times this season, including an ACC and NCAA championship.

View the complete entry of "Matt Hill Came To Kick A Little Ass And Drink A Little Molson...Looks Like He's Aboot Oot Of Molson."

What's This? Common Sense Taking Over?

It seems with each passing day, more and more folks employ a frighteningly low level of common sense in their decision making. The hysteria whipped up by our politicians and the media on a regular basis seems to turn otherwise normal, intelligent individuals into quivering piles of backbone-less jello, incapable of acting decisively without first checking with scores of advisers, folks on the internet (damn bloggers) and hosts of others, fearful of making the wrong decision. And inevitably, the wrong decision still gets made despite all the tiptoeing.

So I was surprised to see this month two instances of folks actually coming to their senses after some baffling decision making.

First, there was the curious case this week of the NCAA stripping the Clemson football team of two practices for use of improper equipment. What equipment, you might ask? Their underwear.

Yup. The NCAA and ACC ruled that Clemson was using padded drawers (or as we are apt to say in NC, "drawls") during fall practice, and as such was subject to a penalty of two subsequent practices.

As you likely read in the above link, the NCAA promptly came to their senses later that afternoon, and at around 5:00 rescinded their penalty. It's not like the NCAA to go back on a ruling from their front office, but I guess the absurdity of penalizing a team two crucial preseason practices over some drawls was too overwhelming. Kudos to the folks in Indy.

Secondly, there's the equally baffling case of State's marching band. The State band made plans to take a trip to Ireland in the spring of 2010 to participate in Dublin's St. Patrick's Day parade, but in perhaps one of the most egregious knee-jerk reactions in State's long history of knee-jerk reactions, State administrators pulled the plug on the trip back in July in response to the Mary Easley controversy.

Huh?

Apparently lost on everyone in the decision making process was the fact that the trip was being paid for by the students. The university was scared that someone, somewhere might assume the trip was subsidized with taxpayer dollars.

Well, kudos to interim chancellor Jim Woodward for interjecting a dose of common sense into the equation, green-lighting the trip once again, recognizing that a trip like this--paid for by the students--is worth any ignorant negative perception. Bravo, sir.

Common sense. It's a rare commodity, and since we've seen our interim chancellor exhibit it in his decision making already, is there any chance those on the chancellor selection committee will exhibit some, as well? Will they see if Woodward would care to have that "interim" tag stripped from his title? Lord knows we could use plenty more common sense around West Raleigh these days.

View the complete entry of "What's This? Common Sense Taking Over?"

Long Live (The Death Of) The Unitard

1989 was 20 years ago, but it still doesn't seem like enough time has passed between now and the unveiling of The Unitard for me to feel comfortable with the decision.

Apparently folks across the country have a hard time removing the retina scars induced by these things two decades ago. From SportsPoop.com (I sh*t you not), the Unitard rated as the 9th best (or is it worst?) uniform on their list of "10 Famously Awful Uniforms Is Sports History":

9) North Carolina State basketball, 1989: Jim Valvano’s reach and influence on the game is well documented, but his greatest clothing accomplishment has become but a footnote in college basketball history. Under the sartorial guidance of the late coach, the Wolfpack unveiled a skin-tight unitard for the ‘89 season that was intended to make them more aerodynamic and cat-like. But then Chris Corchiani put one on, and the whole idea went to hell. We’ve juxtaposed the look against the outfit worn by Jeri Ryan in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to give you a better idea of what we’re talking about. And also, because it gives us an excuse to post a photo of Jeri Ryan.

View the complete entry of "Long Live (The Death Of) The Unitard"

Encouraging News About Toney Baker, And Other Scrimmage Notes

ACC Now

N.C. State senior running back Toney Baker performed better during Sunday night’s scrimmage than at any time during spring practice, coach Tom O’Brien said Monday during his media day news conference.

Baker is returning after missing almost all of the last two seasons because of a knee injury.

“He ran (Sunday) night with a little bit of burst and a little bit of power that we hadn’t seen in the spring,” O’Brien said.

Some other notes via Tysiac:

- Owen Spencer has put in a LOT of work in curing the "dropsies" that marred an otherwise excellent sophomore campaign as Russell Wilson's top target.

- Tom O'Brien took some time to give Wilson some good-natured ribbing for sliding during practice. I guess Russell's getting the point about protecting himself.

- J.R. Sweezey might be someone to keep an eye on along the defensive line. He's solidified himself a spot at defensive tackle after trying defensive end and linebacker. He made three tackles for loss, including two sacks, in Sunday's scrimmage.

- George Bryan apparently needs to lose some weight, per O'Brien. He tipped the scales at 270 entering training camp, and though the thought of a huge offensive-tackle-turned-pass-catching-threat sounds cool in theory, Bryan is probably better served eeking out as much speed from his frame as he can.

View the complete entry of "Encouraging News About Toney Baker, And Other Scrimmage Notes"

We Should Know More About Nate Irving Thursday

WRAL.com

Nate Irving is scheduled to meet with a doctor on Thursday of this week to get some more answers on his status for the upcoming year, Tom O'Brien said on Monday.

O'Brien said Irving is scheduled to meet a doctor to look at the progress of his leg, which was injured in a car accident earlier this year.

O'Brien couldn't say if Irving would return this season. He said Irving had reported Sunday and was walking around but he didn't know more than that.

View the complete entry of "We Should Know More About Nate Irving Thursday"

Great Read: Time To Get The Magic Back At State

If you have a moment, read this piece from Sharon O'Donnell of the Cary News. It's the plea of a State fan (who graduated from UNC's Journalism School, no less) for the return of State basketball to where it once was during the Triangle basketball heyday.

...

When State would play its arch rival, Carolina, I was excited the whole day at school; not even a math test could bring me down. I still remember the theme song that played during the game broadcasts, with Jim Thacker and Billy Packer doing the play-by-play. During my junior high years, I was lucky enough to attend many basketball games and sit in great seats courtside because one of my sisters had a good friend who dated the athletic director’s son. And this friend knew I was a huge State fan and invited me to attend with her (thank you Brenda!).

As I sat in the coliseum second-level seats the other day, I gazed down on those courtside seats and suddenly, it was like I was 13 again. I heard the N.C. State fan song in my mind and smelled the popcorn that used to permeate throughout the building on game night. I realized that I missed Reynolds Coliseum.

...

Nice work, Sharon. Believe me...we all feel the same way.

View the complete entry of "Great Read: Time To Get The Magic Back At State"

"It's All Good" Vs. "No, We Actually Are Screwed In The Secondary"

For those that haven't heard, State safety Jimmaul Simmons decided to quit school this week. Simmons' departure from the team, along with cornerback Dominique Ellis' decision to transfer, has left two big holes in State's secondary. If you've had a chance to read Joe Giglio's piece over at ACC Now, you read Joe lay out a convincing argument as to why a weaker defensive backfield might not sink State's chances at a solid season this year. His point being that the ACC is devoid of any quarterbacks or wide receivers that pose a legitimate downfield threat.

It's a fair point.

The counter argument holds water, though. Take a look at this depth chart (put together by ToddL over at PackPride.com) and look at the cornerback and safety positions near the bottom:

	#	2009 - Seniors	2010 - Juniors	2011 - Sophomores	2012 - Freshmen	2012/2013 - Incoming Freshmen
QB	3 (3)			R. Wilson (RS)	M. Glennon (RS)	E. Proctor
RB	7 (7)	T. Baker (RS) J. Eugene (RS)	C. Underwood	T. Gentry FB (WO) T. Palmer (JC)	B. Barnes (RS) C. Jackson FB (RS)	J. Washington (E)
WR	9 (11)		D. Bowens (RS) D. Davis (RS) O. Spencer (P,E) J. Williams (RS)	T.J. Graham S. Howard (RS) J. Smith (RS)		M. Alexander Q. Payton
TE	5 (4)	M. Kushner (RS)		G. Bryan (RS)	M. Carter (RS)	A. Talbert A. Watson
OL	16 (15)	A. Barbee (RS) T. Larsen (RS) J. McCuller (RS) J. Williams (RS)	G. Gregory (RS) J. Vermiglio (P)	W. Crawford (RS) H. Lawson (RS) D. Roberts (RS)	Z. Allen (RS) R.J. Mattes (RS) A. Wallace (RS)	D. Christophe D. Good S. Jones (P,D,E) C. Wentz
DT	5 (6)	L. Burgess (JC) A.M. Cash (RS)	N. Mageo (JC,E)	J.R. Sweezy (RS)		B. Slay
DE	8 (6)	S. McKeen (RS) (JC) W. Young (RS)	A. Augustin (RS) M. Kuhn (DE/DT?)	J. Rieskamp (RS)		D. Cato-Bishop S. Crawford
LB	10 (10)	R. Michel (RS)	N. Irving (RS)	A. Cole (RS) S. Lucas D. Maddox (E) R. Mangram (JC)	W. Beasley (RS) T. Manning (RS)	R. Dowdy R. Cheek H. Rice
CB	7 (6)	K. George (RS) (WO)	D. Morgan (RS)		G. Grant (RS) C.J. Wilson (RS)	J. Byrd D. Haynes R. Smith
S	6 (7)	C. Johnson (JC)	J. Walker (RS)	J. Byers (RS)	E. Wolff (RS)	B. Bishop D. Coleman (P,E)
ST	4 (2)	J. Ruiz (RS) (JC) C. Tedder (WO)	J. Czajkowski (RS)			C. Ward
Tot	79 (77)	16	14	15 (17)	12	22

(Continues)

On this chart, you'll see 13 players allocated to the defensive backfield. The incoming freshman class contains five safeties and corners, but it's a safe assumption that coach Tom O'Brien plans to redshirt them.

That leaves just eight players on the roster available to fill out the secondary, including a walk-on (Koyal George, a converted wide receiver) and Javon Walker, currently on the shelf due to injury. That's just enough to fill out the two deep, assuming Walker returns on time. If O'Brien hopes to redshirt his freshman secondary, he'll have to see his eight non-frosh players play at a high level and make their way through a 12-game schedule with no more dings or dents -- a tall order for any team, but especially so for State given its recent injury history.

It's easy to see why there's pessimism with respect to State's secondary.

My guess is that players like Jarvis Byrd, a highly touted freshman corner from Florida, will have to forgo redshirting. It's not ideal, and I'm sure O'Brien will try avoiding it if possible, but I just can't see how this band of eight can step up and even match the production from a year ago...which finished as one of the worst pass defenses in the country. He's going to have to play at least one freshman corner or safety.

The passing attacks of the opposing teams in the conference may not equal those in the Big 12, but they all have FBS-caliber quarterbacks, and State's patchwork crew in the secondary could make these B-team QBs still look very, very good. It'll be on the defensive line to generate sufficient, consistent pressure to keep teams from posting some big passing numbers this season.

View the complete entry of ""It's All Good" Vs. "No, We Actually Are Screwed In The Secondary""

Glennon, First Practice Video

Courtesy of PackPride.com and WRAL:

View the complete entry of "Glennon, First Practice Video"

Quick...Check ESPN.com's Front Page (1:00 pm)

I've been mighty busy today, trying to stay in the good graces of the bosses, but take a quick peek at what's the primary splash screen at ESPN.com at the moment:



Always nice to see your team represented nationally whenever possible.

As for the "mock draft" itself (a fancy spin on picking the Top 40 teams in college football), you can follow that here. If you're into the notion of "omens," it can't be a bad one that State's featured in the graphic. Not that cracking the top 40 is a HUGE deal, but it's better than being on the outside looking in. If I had to put money on it, I'd say Schlabach is the one that "drafts" us, given his comments last week.

*Thanks to "shaun from his office" for sending along the screengrab. You're a fine American.

View the complete entry of "Quick...Check ESPN.com's Front Page (1:00 pm)"

One Month To Go

Football practice starts today for the Pack. 'Bout damn time, as they say, as this summer has dragged on ad infinitum.

No doubt GoPack.com, PackPride.com and most of the local news outlets will be on the scene today covering the proceedings, so check back here for updates on any newsworthy items that pop up.

In the meantime, get learned about the greatest athlete ever to play at N.C. State, Roman Gabriel:

View the complete entry of "One Month To Go"

*facepalm*

Haven't we gone over this stuff before...?

View the complete entry of "*facepalm*"