A response to Stewart Mandel's web column attacking Houston Nutt and Jeremiah Masoli

Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated wrote a hit piece Monday on Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt's decision to allow Jeremiah Masoli on the team, and the column seems to have sparked a firestorm of activity from those critical of giving Masoli another chance to play college football.

I am anxious to read Mandel's column in November discussing Masoli's chances of winning the Heisman Trophy and acknowledging that Nutt made a great decision to bolster an otherwise rebuilding offense with an experienced quarterback custom made to run the Wildcat offense.

But until then, I'm going to re-read this week's column and point out the many errors in it, starting with...

• Nutt didn't hire Gus Malzahn to keep a quarterback recruit. He was forced to hire Malzahn by then-AD Frank Broyles because Broyles thought it would appease the fan outcry for Nutt to hire an offensive coordinator (a fan cliche anytime they are not being entertained by enough passes in the offense when the team isn't winning) and at the same time deliver a heralded quarterback and his overbearing mother.

• Nutt did not get the nickname "Right Reverend" for his strong Christian values. I never heard the name in Arkansas until it was delivered through the magic of television by ESPN's Rece Davis, who I assume dubbed him that for his sometimes preacher-like inspirational locker-room speeches. As a sidebar, I will add that the Right Reverend probably has stronger Christian values than Pastor Floyd, who leads the church where Malzahn and Mustain attended and whose school is responsible for ruining it for every other private high school in Arkansas thanks to its unscrupulous recruiting and then running up the score on the likes of Lavaca and Hector.

• Nutt's hiring of Malzahn and signing of the infamous Springdale players had very little to do with the 10-win season and SEC West title. In fact, it probably worked against the team the entire year. What led to so many wins? Try current NFL stars Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

• Nutt is correct that Malzahn's offense wasn't working, and to this day it has yet to be effective at Auburn. In fact, Gene Chizik said at SEC media days that the team needs to run the ball more this season to control the clock, which is exactly what Malzahn's offense doesn't do.

• To say that a vocal minority of Razorback fans unleashed the hounds is an understatement. They unleashed a disgusting campaign of hate for a guy who was giving everything he had to win games for this group. It was the second time Razorback fans formed a mob to run a coach out of town, the first time being against Nolan Richardson. Both instances revealed a very ugly side of Razorback fans that I have yet to see anywhere else in the country, college or pro. Dale Brown said it best: "What happened to Nolan Richardson at Arkansas is a crime." What happened to Nutt wasn't too far behind.

• Nutt packed his bags for Oxford because our idiot fan base and chancellor were going to fire him anyway. What do you expect him to do? Not pursue a great job in the best conference in the country? And he's been a great success at Ole Miss, much more of a success so far than his successor at Arkansas.

• Masoli is a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender who wanted to come to a team that had just lost its back-up QB and was considered to be in a rebuilding year after losing its primary offensive weapons. What coach in his right mind would not consider that? Let's face it, fans only remember wins. After losing seasons, you never hear a fan say, "Well it was really a great year because all the kids had a lot of character even though we went 4-8."

• Nutt's attitude toward discipline? You just cited a player he kicked off the team, for crying out loud. You are really bending the facts to support your argument here.

Morally ambivalent? Dirty? Nothing could be farther from the truth in describing Nutt. Just ask his players. You owe him an apology -- and I expect to see it when the experiment pays off for Masoli and for the Rebels.


And in case you forgot, scoreboard says...

Follow Rey Pygsterio on Twitter.

A game–changer?

Jeremiah Masoli in action for Oregon. Masoli has said he will now attend Ole Miss.

(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

Jeremiah Masoli’s enrollment at Ole Miss is going to get some scrutiny both positive and negative.

At least it seems Masoli gets it. He told SI.com reporter Andy Staples, that “they're going to get some criticism for taking me.”

He also noted that he’d be a walk-on and his hope that by paying his own way, it would take off some of the heat that will be coming to Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt, who, like just about every other coach in the country, has no problem playing former jailbirds.

At this point, you’re saying but not my coach. High school, college and the pros, it doesn’t matter. In northeast Arkansas, a star high school running back was arrested for beating up his girlfriend on Thursday. Friday morning his coach bailed him out and he played that night. Ryan Mallett has been arrested for being drunk on Dickson, he’s still a Heisman Trophy candidate. Leonard Little killed someone and is still with the Rams. The list goes on and on.

The coaches are making a bet. They’re saying that as long as the player in question delivers, they aren’t going to get fired for it. Losing gets a coach fired. Taking on bad seeds and then having a bad season will get you fired, down the road.

Taking on a bad seed, winning and going to a decent bowl game will get you a contract extension.

Stewart Mandel also checked in with some hand-wringing and navel gazing at Houston Nutt.

That would be the negative reaction.

On the flip side, a Yahoo columnist called Masoli the league’s most accomplished quarterback in the SEC at the start of the season.

Based on his numbers, Masoli should be — assuming he isn’t a head case, doesn’t have any injuries and reports in shape — near the top of a weak SEC quarterback crop.

After Mallett, the league hits a sharp decline.

Masoli was a run-first, passing threat and 5-11 and 220, not built like a classic pro prospect. He should, however, be able to pick up Nutt’s relatively simple offense and wouldn’t need to sub out when Ole Miss goes to the wildcat/hog/rebel that just lets the guy who get the snap do what he wants.

Plus with Ole Miss’s cupcake schedule, Masoli should have the offense down and the Rebs at 5-0 before hitting the meat of the SEC schedule with back-to-back games at Alabama and Arkansas before heading home for a game with Auburn. With Masoli, Ole Miss is an easy 8-4, and likely better. Without him, well Ole Miss was picked to finish last in the SEC West.

Burglary and possession of marijuana were among Masoli’s problems at Eugene, but he also stayed in school and got his degree. So, maybe, he isn’t quite the thug his detractors have made him out to be.

Sports Illustrated was again on the scene and wrote as much.

While that story seems to clear Masoli of much of the problems, trouble seems to follow him around, but maybe that trouble won’t cross the Mississippi River.

To get to Oxford, Masoli is taking advantage of a rule that allows college grads with eligibility remaining to transfer to another school to get a master’s degree. It happened last year with the Duke guard — Greg Paulus — who went to Syracuse for football.

It doesn’t happen much at the high-profile schools, but the NCAA allows it, and mid-major basketball programs take advantage of it regularly.

Masoli was a legit Heisman Trophy candidate at Oregon and now takes his talents to the SEC.

Ole Miss should be better as a result. If all you care about is winning football games, this is a good thing. If you care about anything else, this should give you some pause.

Someone better do this touchdown dance

Would college football touchdown celebrations get out of hand if they were like this?

Lose the game; win the SEC Media Days

Send the buffet-grazing, WiFi-crashing media horde home from Hoover, the winner of the SEC Media Days has been found — Vanderbilt's interim head coach Robbie Caldwell.

Pat Forde of ESPN declared it the best press conference in SEC history. And, as we all know, if it's the best in the SEC then it's the best in the ENTIRE NATION!

With a thick Southern drawl, he spoke about ...

• On his anonymity: "I can still walk in places and nobody knows me. Last night I was opening the door for people and they gave me a tip. I thought, hey, that's great. How can you get it any better than that?"

• On his anonymity, even among his peers: "I got to see Coach Spurrier today, Coach Richt. They have no idea who I am."

• On continuing Johnson's ban on cussin': "You know, I'm no angel, that's for certain. ... But, you know, it's just a sign of limited vocabulary sometimes. I know y'all can't tell it, but I do have an education."

• On growing up in a small town: "My first hourly paying job was on the turkey farm. I don't know if I could tell you what my job was, but I was on the inseminating crew. That's a fact. I worked my way to the top. That's a fact, man. If you don't believe it, call Nicolas. Of course, I think they're defunct now. Best job I ever had, got paid by the hour for the first time. That was about '68, '69. That's what we did every afternoon."

Highlights

Full transcript

UCA: Finally a real Division I program!

Because, honestly, you can't be a serious football school without some controversy.

Clint Conque admits "inappropriate relationship"

Best of the LeBron nWo videos

Someone really needs to play the nWo theme when Cleveland comes out for the shoot around, whether it is home or away...

Capturing the greatness of college football

First nationally...



Then for the South...

Fun with Feedjit

Intrepid readers of Poolsville have likely noticed the snooping tool ... err, analytics software ... that displays the hometowns of visitors to this blog. It also tracks how people got to the site like this ...

Burnaby, British Columbia arrived from google.ca on "Poolsville: Brey Cook, LeBron James and the silly season" by searching for how big is lebron james cock.

Burnaby, British Columbia, population 216,336 ... saaaaaaalute!



And remember "Barnaby, British Columbia" spelled backwards is "Geez, you're a pervert ain't ya?"

HDN meets Elvis

http://wp.me/pLWDA-35D