It's Thursday afternoon and that means it's time for me to insert myself into the conversation and make some (non)sense of the upcoming game. This week we welcome the Spartans of Michigan State as an away team in their own stadium. Turns out they travel really well, so expect their fans to show up in droves for this one.
I have a few focal points for this week, but I'd just like to note that Penn State did not take any of my suggestions under consideration last week and they suffered their first loss of the season. The evidence is pretty clearly in my corner, and thus I'm taking a few more liberties with my keys this time around. I'm counting on Nate and Co. to get the word to Franklin as they finalize prep for this week's contest. As the name implies (Chuck the tape) I don't watch game footage of either team. Like wine what follows all about the nose, bouquet, tamber, oakiness, and mouthfeel.
Without further ado, I present my "real keys" to the Michigan State game:
1. Speed the Game Up: Look, last week I said we needed to go slow. We got off to a fast start and then, well, the game seemed to take forever. So long that they ended up outscoring us by the end of the fourth quarter. In fact, the game went a full quarter longer than I wanted it to. So for this one let's pump the gas and try to hide 15 minutes of game clock with a little trickeration. With both lines missing key guys (Ryan Monk and Brian Gaia), we should really be trying to get out with as little game as possible. Some will say that this contest needs to run the full 4 quarters, and I get where they're coming from. But look at what college basketball has done to differentiate from the NBA. Two 20-minute halves instead of 4 15-minute periods sounds a lot more appealing when you're holding things together with duct tape and chicken wire. Let's not prolong a good thing any longer than we have to.
This week let's strive to be the fastest kid alive.
2. X "Marks" the Spot: From @BWI PHIL GROSZ 's chat this week we first heard about a player named Marks who remains a mystery even to Phil. I contend that this is our real secret weapon, a player so unknown that the roster doesn't list him, his teammates wouldn't know him and most of the coaches probably haven't met him. That doesn't mean he isn't real, it just means Franklin has gone to great lengths to hide this guy. It's now or never for Marks this season, and I choose to fall in with the "now" crowd. But what position could he occupy in this offense (or defense)? We don't have clear measurements, number or even a sense of his experience anywhere on the field. This actually makes him even more dangerous because how can an opponent prepare for a player who may not technically exist? Rather than try to get him into a traditional role, we have to incorporate him as the 'X-man' and let him reveal his superpowers during the game. Will he have otherworldly vision? Cat-like jumping abilities? Can he fly and shoot lasers out of his rear end? Really the possibilities seem endless and that's why I think we find a place for him to make his mark this week.
3. It Rubs the Lotion on Its Skin I was pretty pumped to read the story from @Nate Bauer/BWI Staff about Cabinda and the prank his teammates played on him. And it's not because I have anything against Jason Cabinda. It gave me an idea that could help Barkley slip some of those backfield tacklers and make him truly dangerous. If we get him greased up before the game, he could take it to the house every single play. Anybody who's played "chase the greased pig" around the barnyard knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. This seems like the kind of plan that would result in a significant rules change by the NCAA, but for one week this can be JoMo's new wrinkle, and if we choose wisely it may even prevent wrinkles in the future.
4. Remember the Loss: Players talked all week about moving on from the loss and really letting kids prepare for MSU. I think this is a mistake. They need to remember the pain and hold it inside. Develop a healthy sense of self-doubt around their abilities. We couldn't beat Ohio State, so what makes us think we're good enough to win here? That kind of self-reflection and deep reconciliation during a game could really come in handy. Trace should take an extra second to think about whether or not to make a throw. What if he's wrong? What if their preparation was incorrect? Don't be afraid to really analyze the plays as they happen and use hindsight to see what you could have done better. As a psychologist I think this is how real growth happens. Learn from repeated failure and don't be afraid to fail again. Embrace failure. Let yourself be consumed by the anger and the bitterness and it will make you more powerful. This advice is as relevant now as when it was first given a long long time ago:
So there you have it. I think we're on the right track and with a few tweaks to the rails we should have the train running on-time once again. I'll take your questions and try to give you answers that make it seem like I care. Fire away, gentlemen.
I have a few focal points for this week, but I'd just like to note that Penn State did not take any of my suggestions under consideration last week and they suffered their first loss of the season. The evidence is pretty clearly in my corner, and thus I'm taking a few more liberties with my keys this time around. I'm counting on Nate and Co. to get the word to Franklin as they finalize prep for this week's contest. As the name implies (Chuck the tape) I don't watch game footage of either team. Like wine what follows all about the nose, bouquet, tamber, oakiness, and mouthfeel.
Without further ado, I present my "real keys" to the Michigan State game:
1. Speed the Game Up: Look, last week I said we needed to go slow. We got off to a fast start and then, well, the game seemed to take forever. So long that they ended up outscoring us by the end of the fourth quarter. In fact, the game went a full quarter longer than I wanted it to. So for this one let's pump the gas and try to hide 15 minutes of game clock with a little trickeration. With both lines missing key guys (Ryan Monk and Brian Gaia), we should really be trying to get out with as little game as possible. Some will say that this contest needs to run the full 4 quarters, and I get where they're coming from. But look at what college basketball has done to differentiate from the NBA. Two 20-minute halves instead of 4 15-minute periods sounds a lot more appealing when you're holding things together with duct tape and chicken wire. Let's not prolong a good thing any longer than we have to.
This week let's strive to be the fastest kid alive.
2. X "Marks" the Spot: From @BWI PHIL GROSZ 's chat this week we first heard about a player named Marks who remains a mystery even to Phil. I contend that this is our real secret weapon, a player so unknown that the roster doesn't list him, his teammates wouldn't know him and most of the coaches probably haven't met him. That doesn't mean he isn't real, it just means Franklin has gone to great lengths to hide this guy. It's now or never for Marks this season, and I choose to fall in with the "now" crowd. But what position could he occupy in this offense (or defense)? We don't have clear measurements, number or even a sense of his experience anywhere on the field. This actually makes him even more dangerous because how can an opponent prepare for a player who may not technically exist? Rather than try to get him into a traditional role, we have to incorporate him as the 'X-man' and let him reveal his superpowers during the game. Will he have otherworldly vision? Cat-like jumping abilities? Can he fly and shoot lasers out of his rear end? Really the possibilities seem endless and that's why I think we find a place for him to make his mark this week.
3. It Rubs the Lotion on Its Skin I was pretty pumped to read the story from @Nate Bauer/BWI Staff about Cabinda and the prank his teammates played on him. And it's not because I have anything against Jason Cabinda. It gave me an idea that could help Barkley slip some of those backfield tacklers and make him truly dangerous. If we get him greased up before the game, he could take it to the house every single play. Anybody who's played "chase the greased pig" around the barnyard knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. This seems like the kind of plan that would result in a significant rules change by the NCAA, but for one week this can be JoMo's new wrinkle, and if we choose wisely it may even prevent wrinkles in the future.
4. Remember the Loss: Players talked all week about moving on from the loss and really letting kids prepare for MSU. I think this is a mistake. They need to remember the pain and hold it inside. Develop a healthy sense of self-doubt around their abilities. We couldn't beat Ohio State, so what makes us think we're good enough to win here? That kind of self-reflection and deep reconciliation during a game could really come in handy. Trace should take an extra second to think about whether or not to make a throw. What if he's wrong? What if their preparation was incorrect? Don't be afraid to really analyze the plays as they happen and use hindsight to see what you could have done better. As a psychologist I think this is how real growth happens. Learn from repeated failure and don't be afraid to fail again. Embrace failure. Let yourself be consumed by the anger and the bitterness and it will make you more powerful. This advice is as relevant now as when it was first given a long long time ago:
So there you have it. I think we're on the right track and with a few tweaks to the rails we should have the train running on-time once again. I'll take your questions and try to give you answers that make it seem like I care. Fire away, gentlemen.
