Tim Griffin's always excellent Big 12 Insider column is up, filled with all sorts of interesting opinions and tidbits. Among my favorites:
*A stab at ranking the Big 12's quarterbacks heading into '07. Griffin's top seven, in order: Colt McCoy, Chase Daniel, Graham Harrell, Bobby Reid, Stephen McGee, Bret Meyer, Josh Freeman.
*A note on Mike Leach and his 35-9 record in Lubbock since joining Texas Tech, including this gem of a Leach quote:
There are some people, unfortunately, based on the way the conference goes, that are going to have to come to our place. Sadly, I can’t guarantee their safety or that things will necessarily go the way that they like."
Sunday Morning Quarterback concludes his Big 12 week with his picks for the South Division:
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma State
- Texas Tech
- Texas A&M
- Baylor
SMQ shares my belief that the make or break factor for Texas in '07 is Colt McCoy, noting: "For all the lingering questions in that lineup, the overall talent level makes Colt's development the real either/or between the BCS championship and the Holiday Bowl."
Elsewhere: The Columbia Tribune interviews McCoy.
This probably should have been its own story in the Statesman, but it's only a small blurb in the Football Notebook:
"John thinks he wants to play quarterback," Brown said. "But he also could play wide receiver. He also could be a kick returner. What we've got to do is sit down with John after two-a-days and say, 'Do you want to redshirt? Do you want to play this year?"
I wrote in The Eyes of Texas 2007 (shipping this week, for those who ordered) that I thought Chiles' shot at the backup QB job was a long one. For one thing, Harris is a year ahead of him in the system. For another, Greg Davis is probably licking his chops thinking of ways to use Chiles in a Percy Harvin-type role on the team. That may not be what Chiles is dreaming about right now, but with McCoy so firmly entrenched behind center for the forseeable future, it's something Chiles should seriously consider.
--PB--