KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010 / SPORTS
3B
FOOTBALL NOTES
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
BATTLING FOR CORNERBACK POSITION
According to freshman cornerback Tyler Patton, no position on Kansas' roster has an official depth chart heading into the spring's final three practices. But Patton said the cornerback position is one of the few units where a depth chart would be hard to make — at least right now.
Listening to Patton talk after Monday's practice, it's easy to understand why he thinks that way.
"Eight corners for two spots," Patton said, smiling. "It's real crazy."
One of the units consistently receiving praise from coach Turner Gill, the secondary as a whole is entrenched in a competitive battle for starting spots.
After all, Kansas is returning a handful of players with game experience after losing safeties Darrrell Stuckey and Justin Thornton to graduation.
Yet perhaps no position on the
field is experiencing as much competition as the cornerback spot.
Right now, Patton said that eight players — himself, Ishia Barfield, Ryan Murphy, Greg Brown, Chris Harris, Corrigan Powell, Anthony Davis and Calvin Rubles — are all competing for available playing time.
"That's why we're one of the only groups that doesn't have a depth chart yet," Patton said. "We all can play. We all go hard. That's something big."
Gill has reiterated a similar theme during the spring, applauding the secondary's depth.
"That's why they stood out," Gill said.
One of the lesser-known names in the cornerback battle, Patmon is attempting to work his way into the rotation after spending last season on the scout team while redshirting.
Most of Kansas' other corner-backs at least played a handful of snaps last year.
"It's tough because I'm the only freshman battling against seven veteran guys." Patton said. "It's new but it's still football."
So far, the members of Kansas' secondary have talked about playing more man-to-man coverage instead of the zone schemes used heavily last season. Patton described the change as "a lot more fun."
Last week, cornerbacks coach Vic Shealy said that he wanted the Jayhawks to become comfortable with the more aggressive approach.
Kansas' corners will get their first chance to make a public impression this year during the annual spring game on Saturday. It's something Patton said he's eagerly awaiting.
"You've got to hope the plays come to you," Patmon said. "And when they do, you have to make them."
REPLACING MEIER AND BRISCOE
Freshman wide receiver Bradley McDougald received his fair share of acclaim last season after arriving to Kansas as a highly regarded recruit.
But playing behind record-setting receivers Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe, McDougald and the rest of Kansas' receiving corps generally remained in the
Not anymore, since McDougald and his fellow receivers will need to replace the production of Briscoe and Meier.
backs of people's minds.
"I wouldn't really call it pressure, but guys are going to need to step up," McDougald said. "That's what we come out and practice for. Our time to shine."
McDougald is a likely candidate to do so in a deep pool of wide receivers.
Recruited as a safety by many schools out of high school, McDougald picked Kansas over Ohio State in large part because of the opportunity to play on offense.
He caught 33 passes for 318 yards last season, while also seeing limited time at safety during the second half of the season.
"Now I've got a year under my belt, I'm definitely coming out with a little more attitude," McDougald said.
The Jayhawks will need to make up for the 186 catches, 2,322 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns Meier and Briscoe combined for a year ago.
McDougald said last season
allowed him to develop an understanding of the college game defensive schemes, the physicality, the speed that should help him this season.
And McDougald is well aware of the production Kansas' current group of receivers must replace.
"That's going to definitely require us to get better," McDougald said.
ETC.
■ Before Monday's practice, Gill said that his goals call for Kansas' offense to average one turnover a game, while he hopes the defense forces three turnovers per game.
"If you're getting 30-plus turn-overs," Gill said, "then you're playing outstanding."
■ When asked which player on the current roster would win a 100-meter race, Gill jokingly declared himself the early favorite. Then he indicated that, off the top of his head, Daymond Patterson, D.J. Beshears and Isiah Barfield possess the most speed.
Edited by Michael Holtz
NFL
Questions surrounding Tebow before draft
Experts have mixed outlooks on the former Florida quarterback's professional hopes
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
He has yet to make a play in a pro football game, but already Tim Tebow has accomplished more than many NFL players.
He won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, led the Gators to two national championships and appeared in a Super Bowl commercial with his mom. He's the cover athlete for EA Sports' NCAA Football 11 videogame _ the 21st century version of making the Wheaties box. Thousands of fans lined up for hours in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., last month to pay up to $185 for his autograph with proceeds going to his charitable foundation.
Tebow's college football accolades aside, opinions are mixed on whether he will succeed at the next level. Sports marketing experts struggle to recall any previous college athlete with such star power, yet low draft expectations.
Going into Thursday's NFL draft, the former University of Florida quarterback has attracted plenty of attention. But the question remains: Can Tebow, regarded by many as the greatest college football player in history, continue to cash in on his popularity as a celebrity endorser and pitchman?
"He's certainly unprecedented in that he's not one of the top five picks," said Darin David, account director at Dallas-based Millsport, which pairs celebrities with companies.
New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush was so hyped he racked up deals with adidas, Subway and Hummer before the draft,
but the Heisman Trophy winner from USC also went No. 2 in the 2006 draft.
muted compared to the controversy that arose before it even aired. More than 500 people attended a YMCA prayer breakfast last month where his parents, Bob and Pam, were keynote speakers.
"He's certainly unprecedented in that he's not one of the top five picks."
DARIN DAVID
Account Director, Millsport
David said it's Tebow's "aura" _ a combination of leadership on the field and winning personality and loving family off the field _ that makes him attractive to marketers.
"It plays well," David said. "You have a good feeling he's a guy who's going to stay out of trouble and be looking to make a positive impact on people and the world."
And so far, even his strong religious views haven't held him back. Bible verses in his eyeblack have garnered interest and the Super Bowl ad, an anti-abortion message from Focus on the Family, was
But those already tired of Tebowmania better get used to him. Depending on which team drafts him, if he remains a quarterback or switches positions, and if he gets playing
time, Tebow will likely occupy the media through the summer and into the NFL season, marketing experts say.
Tebow is not a Gatorade athlete, but participated in the company's performance lab at the Super Bowl media center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in February. This month, Nike announced it signed Tebow to a deal, reportedly worth less than $300,000, which could rise if Tebow performs. But that's pocket change compared to the $90 million deal Nike gave LeBron James, the highly touted high school basketball player, before he was picked
No.1 in the 2003 NBA draft.
"I think Nike stepped in because they wanted to make sure nobody else grabbed him," Bob Dorfman, of Baker Street Partners and author of the Sports Marketers' Scouting Report, said of Tebow. "The downside is kind of expected, the upside could be tremendous."
Tebow scores high in awareness and likability in surveys conducted by Marketing Evaluations Inc., the Q Scores Company, Henry Schafer, the firm's executive vice president, said Tebow was recognized by one of every two sports fans and got a positive Q score of 21 about a year ago _ meaning 21 percent of those
amiliar with him deemed him a favorite _ when the average sports personality gets a 14.
His negative score was 22, with the average a 24, but Schafer said both positive
and negative scores so close show he's polarizing. A more recent survey show a slightly higher negative score, Schafer said.
"I think the main thing is you
may not have to agree with every thing he stands for, (but) you can respect the fact he stands up for it" said Steve Dobson, a co-founder of Palm Beach Autographs, which signed Tebow to an exclusive memorabilia contract in February and hosted thousands of fans at Tebow appearances at its stores in Jacksonville and Palm Beach Gardens.
Tebow's star power convinced EA Sports to place him on the cover of all three of its NCAA Football 11 platforms, rather than reserving each for a different player and to announce the selection earlier than the draft. Tebow's draft and NFL
"I think Nike stepped in because they wanted to make sure nobody else grabbed him."
BOB DORFMAN Baker Sreet Partners
success isn't the company's concern right now.
"It's really looking back at a storied career," said Tom Goedde, vice president of marketing for EA Tiburon in Orlando. "He may be considered for the Madden cover in the future”
Depending on what happens in the NFL.
CRICKET
Indian official steps down amid scandal
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW DELHI — Shashi Tharoor India's junior foreign minister and a one-time candidate for the post of U.N. secretary-general, has resigned amid allegations of corruption in the auction to add a new team to the lucrative Indian Premier League cricket tournament.
Premier league chief Lalit Modi later questioned why a 25 percent share in the franchise, which is now part of the Twenty20 cricket league, was given to a group that included a friend of Tharoor's. It was alleged the friend's shares were really intended as a hidden gift to Tharoor.
Last month, a group of investors Tharou helped put together made a successful bid of more than $330 million to bring a team to Kochi, a port city in southern Kerala state, part of which he represents in Parliament.
Opposition politicians demanded Tharoor resign, but the politician initially defended himself, saying there was no reason for the investors to bribe him since his ministry has nothing to do with the league, and he had no way of influencing the auction.
Tharoor met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and several senior leaders of the ruling Congress party on Sunday before sending in his resignation later that night.
He said he only helped put together the winning bid because he wanted to bring a team to Kerala.
Tharoor was U.N. undersecretary-general for communications and public information under former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. His name was among those considered for the top U.N. post in 2006, when Ban Ki-moon was voted in. In 2009, Tharoor won a seat in India's Parliament.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said income tax authorities were investigating the sources and channels of funding of the team owners.
A statement from the prime minister's office said Tharoor's resignation was forwarded to President Pratibha Patil who accepted it.
"No guilty (party) or wrongdoer will be spared." Mukherjee told agitated lawmakers, some of whom demanded a ban on the Twenty20 cricket league.
Earlier Sunday Tharoor's friend, businesswoman Sunanda Pushkar, announced she would resign from her position on the team and give up her stake in the Kochi franchise.
NFL
Clausen faces criticism before draft The Notre Dame quarterback's perceived arrogance worries teams
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
On the day he announced he was going to play quarterback at Notre Dame, Jimmy Clausen marked the occasion by arriving at the College Football Hall of Fame in a Hummer limo. Then he crowed about winning multiple national championships.
A stunt like that never goes over well in the court of public opinion, and Clausen still is paying the price. As he prepared for this week's NFL draft, Clausen faced far more criticism about his attitude and perceived arrogance than he did his ability to lead an NFL team.
By most accounts, Clausen is the second-ranked quarterback behind Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and most likely a first-round pick. But the perception that he is too cocky has dogged Clausen and raised doubt within league circles about whether he can become a franchise-type quarterback.
"You know, to be honest, some of the people that say those things just don't know me as a person," Clausen said at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.
"That's why I was so excited to come here, talk to all the coaches and the GMs and owners so they get a feel for me as a person. Being at Notre Dame, the quarterback
and the head coach get all the credit when things go right and get a lot of blame when things go wrong. It's a tough situation being in a fishbowl at Notre Dame."
Clausen showed steady improvement at Notre Dame. He completed 68 percent of his passes for 3,722 yards and 28 touchdowns with only four interceptions last season.
Few knock Clausen's physical skills. He has a strong arm, good accuracy and he played in a pro style system under Charlie Weis. He also showed some toughness by
arm strength may not be John Elway-like, but it's very good. It's good enough."
Even so, Kiper admitted that "nobody has a real feel" for where Clausen might be drafted after Washington (which owns the No. 4 overall pick) traded for Donovan McNabb. Some have speculated that if Buffalo doesn't select Clausen at No. 9 overall
"People that don't like him can't give me a reason why they don't."
MEL KIPER JR.
ESPN draft analysis
playing the majority of last season with two torn ligaments in his right big toe, which required surgery in January.
But his immaturity as a younger quarterback has been hard to escape.
"People that don't like him can't give me a reason why they don't," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. "Maturity issues maybe were there when he came out of high school, but they're not there and haven't been there as of late. His
he could fall to the end of the first round.
It still seems unlikely that the second ranked quarterback would drop that far. Whatever happens, Clausen said he's prepared to lead a franchise.
More than one mock draft even projected the Vikings to take him at No. 30.
"There's obviously been history shown that a lot of quarterbacks that come into their rookie season in the NFL have struggled. I kind of went through that at Notre Dame."
"That's one of the reasons why I went to Notre Dame, to best replicate what it was going to be like playing big-time football in the NFL as a rookie," he said.
SPHONGLE
TONIGHT!
Front bar opens at 10 AM
AZ-ONE REGGAE
10 PM - close
$2 Bud Light Draws
free entrance w/ let
THELARRYVILLE LUAU
THE SCHWAG
Tribute to the Grateful Dead
WED. 5/26
MC CHRIS
MAY.16
GRANADA AVAILABLE FOR A GRAD PARTY RENTAL SUN., MAY 16
GREAT LOCATION FOR MULTIPLE FRIENDS TO PUT TOGETHER A PARTY!
Call 785.842.1390 for details mike@thegranada.com
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT BOX OFFICE
www.thegranada.com