Corey Brewer Wicked Dunk

This makes my night...

Hansbrough Roughs up Gerald Wallace (among others)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/mark_montieth/12/18/hansbrough.ap/index.html

"The downside of Hansbrough's automaton intensity? Rookie hazing is no fun for his teammates. He goes about the usual chores of bringing newspapers and donuts, but the trash talk has no impact. And why anger someone who's so eager to dish out punishment in practice?

Even the three former Duke players -- Dunleavy, Josh McRoberts and Dahntay Jones -- have given up.

"He doesn't take crap from anybody, so we'd be wasting our breath," Dunleavy said."


Hahahaha!

The Lazarus Effect

Larry Drew II Has a Career Night

I had the pleasure of watching my Tar Heels in person Sunday night (to wash myself of the stink of defeat on Saturday).

This Tarheelblue article talks about Larry Drew and his breakout performance last night. Go Drew!

Other important stats from the Nevada game:
- Deon Thompson scored a career-high 23 points!
- Ed Davis tallied 16 points and 15 rebounds
- Roy Williams earned his 600th career win - go Roy go!

Also - props to my Gators for knocking off Michigan State and Rutgers this weekend to win the Legends Classic in Atlantic City, NJ. And for the Gator football team finishing the regular season 12-0 with a thwomping of Florida State on Saturday.

Go Gators and Heels!

Steve Carell Talks Gators

Steve Carell, before he was famous, previews the 2001 Orange Bowl. His career started as the co-star in a bunch of FedEx spots. The matchup was between the last Maryland team that was good at football and a Florida team led by QB Rex Grossman (incidently, the last time he was good at football).

It was one of my favorite bowl games of all time.

Congratulations Deon Thompson

Congratulations to Deon Thompson. On a dunk last night against Gardner-Webb - he became the 63rd Tar Heel to score 1,000 points in his career.

He came to UNC overweight and slow - but since the departure of diaper dandy Brandon Wright, he's been a solid 2 (going on 3) year starter for a UNC team filled with stars that often stole the spotlight.

But his ability to average 10+ points and 5+ rebounds every game was essential to the Tar Heels national championship last year - and this year he will be counted on to take a central role in a rebuilding squad.

Congratulations Deon Thompson. Rarely do you see such consistent improvement in a player - don't rest on your laurels. We've got a championship to defend!

Excellent Billboards

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/18/11-awesomely-creative-bil_n_361796.html?slidenumber=tTWyMs47U%2Bg%3D

Ty Lawson Dunk

A lot of people have seen this already - but in case you haven't...




Why didn't he ever do this for the Heels?

UNC - Known for it's Kickers?

Former UNC Kicker Connor Barth was a fan favorite as he gave UNC a stellar kicking game for the past few years.








Crazy as it might sound - UNC had a great weekend for it's kickers. Wait - before you yawn and go to CMBlog, hear me out.

As we probably know, Casey Barth was 4-4 kicking field goals and 3-3 on extra points against Miami this weekend (accounting for 15 points). However, his brother, Connor Barth, hit three field goals, all over 50 yards, for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 25-23 loss to Miami. Also, former UNC kicker Jeff Reed scored all of the Steelers' points as he was 4-4 on field goals in their 18-12 loss to the Bengals this weekend.

UNC's Kickin' Ass! (Sorry)

Boston College Preview

Kendric Burney had a big game last year, picking off two passes in UNC's 45-24 spanking of Boston College. He also had a big game this past weekend against Miami, picking off three passes, one for a TD, and one for a lateral/fumble which went for a TD - totaling 170 INT return yards - a UNC and ACC single-game record!

Success has found UNC football! We're 7-3, and finally .500 in ACC play!

I can't believe we've beaten Virginia Tech, an impressive Duke team, and Miami in consecutive weeks!

But don't be fooled by the moderate hype surrounding this "reborn" UNC team. There's still plenty of flaws - and Boston College is not a football team to be trifled with. They're also 7-3, and they're undefeated at home (which is, of course, where we'll be playing them).

They might have the best offensive line in the ACC - luckily, UNC has one of the best defensive lines in the nation. Add an elite linebacker corps, and I expect UNC to put up a wall against Boston College's impressive running game.

They're freshman QB Dave Shinskie (who's 25 years old after a short career in the baseball minor leagues) is better than expected, but if UNC can force Boston College off schedule and into throwing - perhaps we can notch a few more interceptions (for BC's sake, I hope they don't throw it anywhere near Kendric Burney - that guy is a bawl hawk).

BC is favored by 3 in this game - expect them to carry some significant home field advantage. While I predict UNC wins this game, I wouldn't be surprised by a loss. They've got a solid defense, the loss of 3 of our starting 4 tailbacks is significant. Offensive coordinator John Shoop has done a good job installing some gimmicks to lighten the running load on Ryan Houston, giving Jerhanie Boyd, Johnny White, and Greg Little some carries on end-arounds and even conventional runs. But if Houston can't get some solid yardage on say, 30 or so carries, I'd be worried about the effectiveness of those gimmick runs as defenses get used to seeing them on tape and on the field.

However, don't discount the effectiveness of Casey Barth so far, who has hit 13 straight field goals - especially in a defensive struggle like this game will probably end up being.

My prediction: UNC wins, 24-14.

Go Heels!

UNC's Class of 2010

As most of you know, UNC just added the #1 overall recruit. I was just reading some interesting stuff about all three guys. It sounds like we're 2 years away from a dominate backcourt. Even if we only get Barnes for a year, these other two guys sound amazing! They're all five-star recruits!

This is copied from ESPN Insider recruiting - I did not write it.

PG - Kendall Marshall (#4 PG, #19 overall - according to ESPN)

August, 2009: Marshall is the best passer in all of high school basketball. In transition he handles the ball with his head up and eyes taking a picture of the court to see if the throw ahead pass is available to a teammate sprinting a lane. He is extremely efficient with his dribble as he uses it to push the ball in transition. Everything this young man does throughout the course of a game has a purpose. He is so adept at seeing the entire floor and making the assist on target and on time. He makes all kind of passes (penetration and kick, dump off from his drives, skip pass, post feed, open cutters) that lead to open looks. I love the way he supports and encourages his teammates if they drop one of his passes a sign of a true leader. A good mid range shooter who needs work on his jumper behind the arc. Headed to UNC where there will be plenty of assists to hand out in the future.

SG - Reggie Bullock (#2 SG, #13 overall - according to ESPN)

July, 2009: What makes Bullock stand out is his versatility and ability to score as a big shooting guard. He showed a patient game at the Super Showcase in Orlando, not forcing his offense, letting the game come to him by taking what the defense gave him and picking his spots to attack. The future Tar Heel will fit in well in Roy Williams' fast-break style as he is a versatile athlete that can consistently knock down open 3's, take contact and finish in transition, and is an effective passer off the dribble. He should be able to quickly adjust to the collegiate game defensively as he is sound on and off the ball and is able to defend multiple positions. He did a nice job on the offensive boards using his length to rebound over his opponents and get his team more possessions. Where Bullock separates himself from the pack is when he takes over the game offensively. He has the ability to score in bunches and wants the ball in tough situations. He is a mentally tough kid and at the end of games he is a consistent free-throw shooter. He is a worker that is very coachable and understands how to play.

SF - Harrison Barnes (#1 overall player according to everyone)

July, 2009: Barnes had some dominate possessions today (LeBron James Skills Academy). He displayed all around scoring ability. He knocked down open three's, attacked the lane and finished through contact and hit the mid range pull up. Barnes is a silky smooth player. He doesn't waste motion or energy. He never lets the defense speed him up. He simply takes his time and makes scoring plays repeatedly and competes on both ends of the floor. Not flashy just productive. Barnes length and smooth stroke allows him to knock down shots over smaller defenders with ease and he does a great job setting up his mid range jumper with a nice shot fake to raise the defender. He is a good rebounder on both ends and has the ability to lead the break and go coast to coast. Good ball handler and passer when he draws multiple defenders. Smart defender that uses a safe distance from live dribbles to keep the ball in front of him and does a great job of using his length and athletic ability to contest shots. Explosive above the rim finisher in transition with excellent hang time and concentration on the rim in the lane. Smooth skilled wing.

I'm Coming to you my pretty

Waiting for me at Blockbuster. This will probably be the last anyone here's from me for at least a month...

UNC Basketball!!!

It's time. I don't think I've ever been this excited about UNC basketball. Even though I absolutely miss Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Bobby Frasor, Danny Green, and yes, even Mike Copeland - I'm really pumped about watching this new crop of talent develop.

So - I never did a posting about my thoughts after going to Friday's exhibition game vs. Belmont Abbey - so I will start there.

Thoughts on the Heels after the exhibition game:

I was very pleased with my Heels. It's hard to develop a total team picture with such an inferior opponent - so I will detail individual thoughts (sort of stream-of-consciousness like):

Most Impressed With:
Dexter Strickland - This kid can play. He's going to be a star next year if not this year. You know a guy this talented is a good person when he elects to be a supporting cast member of such a talented team - because he could star just about anywhere else. He'll likely never develop the foot speed of Lawson (who ever will?) and his ability to defend remains to be seen - but this kid is talented. I see him as a 19 ppg SG by next year. I see him pushing Will Graves for the starting two-guard spot in the coming months.


Justin Watts - who knew? I knew this kid was athletic (for a 3-star recruit), but I expected him to be another Mike Copeland. But no - this kid has really enhanced his game over the summer. It's unfortunate (for him) he's on such a stacked team - but if he plays consistently, he'll earn perhaps some Frasor-esque minutes in the years to come.


Needs Work:
Unfortunately, the most important cog in our team did not impress me too much. Larry Drew did a nice job managing the game, but I don't see him as much of a scoring threat, which will severely limit his ability to find open guys. He will need to threaten other teams by either finishing around the hoop or showing his shooting range. There's still a ton of time - and I'm not worried - just didn't see a dramatic improvement so far.

Other Thoughts:
John Henson looks like Jack from the Nightmare Before Christmas. That kid is over a foot taller than I am only ten pounds heavier. His wingspan looks even more freakish than Ed Davis' - he reminds me of a more versatile Brandan Wright. He could leave after this year - here's to hoping Ed improves his draft stock and mentors Henson into waiting it out. I was really impressed already with his ball-handling and speed on the wing.

The Wear twins look really versatile - I can't wait to see how they develop.




AND NOW - THE Florida International Game!!

- I feel a bit better about Larry Drew. He drained a nice looking 3-pointer - showing that off season work on his shot I've heard so much about. He also drove to the lane very efficiently and looks like - when Roy takes the leash off a bit, he could score some points. He really does have a natural talent for the drive and dish - I'm just worried better offensive teams will cut off his pass lanes if he gets too predictable and doesn't occasionally score a bucket or two on his drives. He had a really nice, unique scoop shot late in the game.

- Deon Thompson looks very good. He looks more fit, and he played with that aggressiveness he had when Tyler Hansbrough was out early last year. He finished with 2o points and 10 rebounds - and was the best player on the floor whenever he was in. He should be a work man for us. He's not very athletic (comparing him to the freaks around him), but he always gets incrementally better - and in his senior season - it really could pay off.

- Marcus Ginyard with the three pointers! He was 2 for 4 from three point range - and his shot has lost that hitch and looks so much more relaxed. He was a constant threat on the 3-point line - here's to hoping that he maintains that to replace some of the long-range scoring we lost from the early departure of Wayne Ellington. He also looks VERY strong. If he can add some strength to his finishing skills, along with some outside shooting, to his lockdown defensive abilities - we've got another Danny Green this year. In a play that perfectly illustrated the potential of the new Marcus Ginyard - he stole the ball and batted it around, trying to wrest it away from another FIU player battling for possession. Will Graves was streaking from behind - but instead of trying for an awkward pass off to his more offensively-minded teammate, he simply grabbed the ball under the hoop and went up high and strong for a monstrous dunk.

- John Henson really impressed me tonight. That kid is athletic! I'm more impressed with him than I was after seeing Ed a few times last year. I don't know if he'll ever the be strong inside presence Ed Davis is threatening to develop into - but he could be a versatile shot-blocker/scorer in college and at the next level. He'll struggle against bigger guys when UNC plays tougher competition - and when playing the SF spot as Roy has put him in so far - he'll probably get beat by smaller perimeter plays. But I'm very excited about watching him develop.

- Ed Davis didn't blow me away. Probably just wasn't time for him to do anything that amazing - though he did have a really nice rebound and dunk from a position a little bit too under the basket, showing off his wingspan. He also had 4 blocks (though this is FIU we're talking about).

- We're gonna block a lot of shots this year. The team blocked 8 total tonight.

- I'm not really worried about all the turnovers. We had 26 - which is awful - don't get me wrong. But Roy was just messing around with the lineup, and will continue to do so. Larry Drew finished with 6 assists to 2 turnovers, which is perfectly fine. It was a lot of new guys trying to do the ballhandling who committed a lot of the TOs, and that's OK. When we settle on a starting lineup, most of our offense should flow through Drew II. He's a good floor general. A lot of those turnovers were our guys experimenting - they don't know each other yet. If you noticed, after some heinous TOs, Roy was clapping for that effort. It has to improve - but it will. I rarely saw the same lineup twice - so embrace the sloppy play like you enjoy watching a puppy tumble clumsily around.

These guys are going to be some seasoned veterans. The only thing than can keep the Heels from a likely National Championship in the next 2-3 years is too many early departures that stagger our talent enough so that we never quite peak.

On that note, I hear Harrison Barnes is going to Duke. That's too bad - because I hear some crazy things about this guy, like he's the best basketball player since Lebron etc etc. We'll see about all that.

I also hear that this John Wall kid at Kentucky is at the very least the next Derrick Rose.

Dammit - I'm glad the selfish one-and-dones who are AMAZING don't usually come to UNC - but I hate hearing how good these two guys are knowing they're gonna play against us.

Harrison Barnes officially committs Friday - and it's down to UNC and Duke. Here's to hoping we get Lebron II.

Go Heels!

Beautiful Spots

Here's two beautiful spots:

1 - Saw this in a screening today. As poetic visually as the words behind the pictures.



2 - another spot - wonderfully edited and some great photography

Blog Change

As I thought I would - I have changed the format of my blog. I realized that I'm most interested in posting about UNC and Florida sports - so I'm making that the official point of my blog (even though work has made me too busy to post lately).

I will often post other things - but that's what miscellaneous is for.

Enjoy!

Butch Celebrates

Enjoy! Go Heels!

Quick Preview - Game vs FSU

The most important part of this game is our offensive development. Despite the woeful performance against Virginia (who is looking pretty good since they beat us, FYI) - we showed some improvement against Georgia Southern and we had a bye week to get healthy and practice our youngins.

The good news is that Jonathan Cooper and Kyle Jolly are both back and ready to play. They should both be starting on the offensive line, and that means a lot for our running game and our passing game.

Unfortunately, Pianalto still isn't 100%, but might be used in a limited basis. He would have been a great guy to get back.

Dwight Jones has also had 2 weeks of being healthy to integrate into the passing corps, so expect him to get some passes thrown his way - here's to hoping he lives up to his potential.

On the injury front - Jamal Womble had a fracture on his wrist that required surgery a week ago - he should be gone for a good part of the rest of the season. AJ Blue had a very serious injury - similar to Brandon Tate's a year ago - and will almost definitely miss the rest of the season. It's very disappointing, but these guys are young, and they were our #3 & #4 RBs, so we'll be okay. I would expect Anthony Elzy and Johnny White to be the backup RBs behind Draughn and Houston now. We'll miss that AJ Blue wildcat/QB look though. Heal up buddy.

I think we can beat FSU - I wouldn't predict us to win necessarily, because of how disappointed I've been by UNC. But FSU is a plenty disappointing team in it's own right. The question is - which FSU team will show up? The one that trounced top-10 at the time BYU? Or the one that has struggled mightily since?

They have some speed on defense, there's no question there. Here's to hoping we've gotten enough practice in on the young O-Line that, along with the new additions, that we can pound the ball downhill some and get some momentum on offense. Our defense should be able to keep FSU from scoring more than 17 points or so.

My prediction: FSU - 17 UNC - 10.

Here's to hoping I'm wrong!

David

Fish Communicate By Farting

Talking Fish Farts

Glad I'm not the only one anymore

Percy Harvin Scores a TD!

Excellent! And we never even used him on Kickoff Return!!

Bubba wins one in the NFL

Former Florida WR extraordinaire Andre "Bubba" Caldwell wins one for the Bengals.

Go Gators!

Gerald Henderson Getting Hazed

I'm pretty sure that's Raymond Felton's signature.

Assasin's Creed 2 - New Trailer

I couldn't be much more excited...Christmas present, anyone??

The Reason UNC is Really Really Bad Right Now

I keep telling people this year that UNC's offensive line is heavily injured - but I'm not sure if I've really sat back and counted the injuries/losses.

Let's begin:

Garrett Reynolds - Graduated - Drafted by NFL
Calvin Darity - Graduated
Aaron Stahl - Opted to forgo final year of eligibility
Kevin Bryant - Kicked off team for misdemeanor assault
Carl Gaskins - tore ligament in knee - out for season
Jonathan Cooper - high ankle sprain - still limited
Lowell Dyer - strained muscle in shoulder - still out
Kyle Jolly - sprained ankle last week - status unknown (our only remaining original starter)

And that's not to mention the loss of H-Back Ryan Taylor - who serves as an extra blocker in run formations - to injury. Last year, we had TE Richard Quinn, who was drafted in the 2nd round because of his spectacular blocking ability. We also lost Zack Pianalto - our starting TE this year, who blocks with the line.

That's ELEVEN blockers missing on the line. ELEVEN!! I've never heard of an O-Line this depleted. We're playing with some guys who have no idea what they're doing. Greg Elleby switched from the D-Line to play as a backup, and is now STARTING!

This, my friends, is why UNC has gotten off to the abysmal start. A strong O-Line, and I strongly believe UNC would be 5-0, and on their way to 6-0 right now. Yes, Yates isn't great - and out WRs suffered unprecedented defection from last year (Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate, Brooks Foster, Cooter Arnold, and sort of Richard Quinn). Our offense would not be great with an offensive line, but it would be serviceable. Don't forget that UNC has 3 really good running backs (freshman Jamal Womble is the other one, if you are confused). Our running game last year was very good because of the O-Line strength we no longer have.

The scary thing is that considering how miserable our run blocking has been this year, our pass protection has been okay at times. I will tell you why - Kyle Jolly. He's was our starting left tackle, which is by and far the most important position for protecting the passer. If he can't play, expect Georgia Southern to get some serious pressure. And don't get me started on what Virginia Tech will do.

Luckily, if UNC can get through the GA Southern game (which I believe they will), we should have Cooper, Dyer, Jolly, and Ryan Taylor back blocking for us. That infusion of depth, along with the continued development of the younger guys, should make for a better offense. And Dwight Jones could emerge as another receiving option for us since he's just recovered from injury. However, this improvement might not be apparent against Virginia Tech, who will probably offset this advantage with their talented and speedy defense. Our schedule gets a lot harder from here on out. UNC will have to really fight to be bowl eligible. We need 7 wins this year due to our two FCS opponents. That means out of Virginia Tech, FSU, Boston College, Miami, NC State, and Duke - UNC needs 3 wins. Every game is losable, but every game is winnable (though I wouldn't count on beating Miami or Virginia Tech, no matter our improvement).

UNC's defense has shown that it can keep us in games. On that note, Robert Quinn is a freaking beast - just wanted to make that known. I see him going in the first round of the draft a few years down the road. FYI.

I say UNC should beat Duke. Let's say we lose to Miami and VT. That means we need to beat either BC or NC State. If our offense gets to maybe just below my relatively meager expectations before the season, I'd say we win at least one of those games. If it stays how it was against Virginia, I'm not so sure if we even beat Duke - much less BC or NCSU.

So keep an eye on this line.

Please, please get healthy everyone!!

Go heels....

Excellent

Ignore the ad before the real video starts...

Tar Heels and Gators in the NFL Draft

According to Mel Kiper, NFL Draft guru (I like Todd McShay better, but Kiper is might be a better draft analyst - even if he's always chillin' at ESPNzone). He ranked all of the best players by position - divided it by junior and senior, and some UNC and UF names came up - thought I might share:

important note: The #1 player is the number one Junior (or Senior) player - not the #1 in the country. Divided into two groups...

Juniors:

I think he'll be a beast in the NFL
Tight Ends: #2 - Aaron Hernandez - UF

Offensive Guard: #2 - Mike Pouncey - UF

Center: #3 - Maurkice Pouncey - UF

Can he live up to the hype already?
Defensive Tackles: #3 - Marvin Austin - UNC

I love seeing Crompton get nailed
Defensive Ends: #1 - Carlos Dunlap - UF (he's projected to be a top-5 pick)


Inside Linebackers: #2 - Quan Sturdivant - UNC (this is very cool - I didn't realize he was as valued of an NFL commodity)

What UNC fans know Bruce better as - Punt Blocker Extraordinaire
Outside Linebacker: #3 - Bruce Carter - UNC (also surprising! Go BRUUUUUCE!)


Ironically - our secondary got torched in this game
Defensive Ends: #1 - Joe Haden - UF


My favorite play of the BCS Championship game (close second - other starting safety Ahmad Black making that amazing pick to seal the game)
Safeties: #3 - Major Wright - UF



Punters: #4 - Chas Henry - UF


And now the only two seniors:



Quarterbacks: #3 - Tim Tebow - UF

My favorite Spikes play - showing excellent RB Moreno who was going to own that game...
Inside Linebackers: #1 - Brandon Spikes - UF (Mel has him going at the end of the first round)

Flying Elephant

This just makes my day

WhyHunger - Desperate

This spot really made me think - interesting... (not me thinking - the spot)

Hakeem Nicks Scores First NFL TD

Alright! Some positive UNC football news (sort of). I guess this can remind us of better times past...



Though that "celebration" of dialing the football was totally wack.

UNC vs. Virginia Preview

Can UNC fare better this year than last year against Virginia?

On Saturday, at noon (again??), UNC faces off against 0-3 Virginia. This is just what UNC needs, after an offensive performance (in the bad way, not at all in the good way) against Georgia Tech, losing 24-7.

The loss is completely on the offense. The fact that UNC was even in the game at all at halftime was because of the play of the defense. Don't get me wrong, they missed some plays in the 2nd half, but you cannot place the blame on the defense for that loss. Georgia Tech had possession for an ENTIRE HALF longer than UNC. No defense in the country has the depth to fight fatigue with that kind of time of possession differential. They were tired - and Georgia Tech just needed a few missed tackles to rack up a lot of yardage and get the win.

I should have stuck with my gut instinct of not trusting the hype that UNC might have a moderately function offense. That was clearly not the case - and ECU was a mirage.

The culprit is still the offensive line. However, Yates had a very poor game as well. He missed several receivers on some painfully easy opportunities. If UNC had a viable backup at QB, he might be getting some reps this weekend.

But we don't, and Yates has proven in the past that while he may be inconsistent, he has some hidden talent (in this case, hidden deep deep deep down). Let's hope that's the case.

Luckily, UNC faces 0-3 Virginia this weekend, fresh of a loss to Southern Miss (not to mention they lost their first game of the year to William & Mary - a good FCS, but an FCS team nonetheless). Virginia's offense showed some life in their matchup against S. Miss, but it would need a serious jump start to fare well against UNC's talented defense. Head coach Al Groh is apparently tweaking his offense for this game, so expect less of the spread they've been trying to implement and more of a conventional look.

Also, expect UNC to have some more success against Virginia on offense. This will probably look more like our game against ECU. Which is good, because H-back Ryan Taylor, WR Dwight Jones, and OG Jonathan Cooper are all still probably a week away from being healthy (and our offense needs them). It'd be nice if Dwight Jones had some production this weekend - but I doubt we'll see him grab more than 1-2 catches. Until he gets up to speed, expect us to continue going to Highsmith - the only bright spot in UNC's arsenal so far.

Offensive Key to the Game: The Offensive Line - we need the push we had last year to get our ground game going. In our two away games this year (vs. UConn and Georgia Tech), we've rushed 56 times for 52 yards. That hurts to even say...Draughn needs to work on running a bit more north to south, but the rushing woes are not his fault.

Defensive Key to the Game: Our secondary - Virgina QB Jameel Sewell passed for 300+ yards last week as the Cavaliers scored 34 points against an always-talented Southern Miss program. The yardage won't be as easy to come by against UNC - but I doubt Virginia will be able to run the ball effectively against the Heels, so if Virginia's going to challenge UNC, it'll be through the air. note: Kendric Burney needs to improve his play to help us get our first ACC win.

Summary - Virginia will not be a pushover of a game. While their FCS loss was a bad one - no one can fault them losing to nationally-ranked TCU - and they showed a lot of improvement in their loss to Southern Miss. With UNC's anemic offense, anything can happen. But expect the Heels to get some much-needed traction on offense against a weaker ACC defense - enough to win the game. Virginia scored 14 points against TCU, one of the best defenses in the nation. I'd expect them to do the same to us - as the Heels have one of the better defenses in the nation themselves. Home advantage will be key here...

My prediction: UNC wins 27-14.

Go Heels!

Amazing Piece of Art from Blu

This is really amazing. Done completely with still frame photography.

Not sure about the repeat though - but who cares??

Ewwww weeeee ewwww I play just like Jesse Holley!!!

If any of you followed Spike TV's reality show, 4th and Long, you know that former UNC wideout Jesse Holley (and a walk-on to the basketball 2005 National Championship team) "won" the show, getting a spot on the Cowboy's 85-man roster. Here's the story on WRAL.

Here's a video of his big moment in the preseason. :) What a happy thing!




Unfortunately, Holley was cut from the roster, but he maintains a spot on the 8-man practice squad.

Ominous Music Heard Throughout Country

Ominous Music Heard Throughout U.S. Sends Nation Into Panic

Read the titles that come up throughout the story - awesome.

UNC @ Georgia Tech Preview

Will Sturivant lead the UNC defense to another shutdown of Tech's unique triple option?

Here we go!

The first ACC game of the season - and a huge matchup in addition.

Georgia Tech was considered by many to be the best team in the ACC (or at least 2nd behind Virginia Tech) heading into the season. The primary reason - their maddening triple wishbone option offense (or whatever you want to call it).

Very few teams had an answer for it - except, of course, for UNC, which won 28-7 last year in Kenan.

UNC played their best game of the season against Tech last year. Tech is coming off a prime-time shellacking at the hands of now top-10 nationally Miami. With the big loss last week and last year vs the Heels - the Yellow Jackets are going to be pumped up for this game.

Keys to the game:
Offense: The continued emergence of the wide receivers and offensive line. Against ECU, UNC showed a surprisingly potent passing game - thanks to the emergence of WR Erik Highsmith, and in smaller part, Jerhaine Boyd. They will be facing a more talented secondary this week, so their ability to get open will be tested. I'm not convinced that Highsmith is ready to be a go-to guy yet - this game could go a long way towards changing my mind. Dwight Jones might play, but probably in a very limited role - so it will probably be another week or two until he can be a steady contributor.

The offensive line, on the other hand, might have better luck than it has in the past two weeks, as Georgia Tech has some holes on the defensive line. Hopefully, Draughn can finally emerge as the primary offensive threat we all thought he would be this year. Jonathan Cooper should be closer to 100% this week than last, which should help. Also, on the injury front, Ryan Taylor is still a few weeks away (85% according to Butch), so don't expect him to help block in the H-Back role for a game or two more.

Key player: TJ Yates - he should have a little more time to make reads in the pocket - will he take advantage and pick the defense apart?

Defense: This is the key to the game - winning or losing against Tech depends on the ability to defend against their option. Last season, UNC had a bye week to prepare for this unique attack - no such luck this year. Butch did say that they spent some time in the preseason working against it - so we'll see how prepared they look.

How our defensive line and linebackers perform will be of paramount importance. Luckily, the Tar Heels are nasty-good in both respects. Austin, Wilson, Thomas, and Quinn should eat up blocks and blow up plays against an iffy Tech offensive line. This will give our stellar linebacker corps the ability to get upfield and make tackles. With the speed of our outside linebackers, and the smarts of MIKE Quan Sturdivant, we have a chance to shut Tech down. One of the primary indicators Tech's potential success is if their fullback can get to the second level to make blocks. I doubt they'll be able to do this consistently, as he'll be hitting our defensive line like an Citrogen into a brick wall.

And the mediocre performance of the UNC's secondary last week against ECU should be forgotten as we face a team that rarely passes. As long as they stay focused and in position, expect big hitters like Charles Brown and Da'Norris Searcy to make some plays on the edge.

Key Player: Quan Sturdivant. Sturdivant has a nose for the ball - if he plays as smart as he nearly always does, Georgia Tech's talented backs will be forced to the edge, where speedster athletes Zach Brown, Bruce Carter, and Robert Quinn will be itching to make plays.

- Of note - long snapper Trevor Stuart tore his ACL last week against ECU and is out for the season. Last season's starter, Mark House, will be taking over. Let's hope the snaps are on target.

- Tech is favored by 3 points on bodog, my preferred betting site.

- UNC also really needs to improve it's punting game. Punter Grant Schallock averaged a disturbing 31.2 yards per punt on four attempts. UNC has lost the matchup in punting average in all three games this year. That could affect outcomes against better opponents, no question.

- Three different Tar Heels completed passes last week. Yates, obviously, but also Shaun Draugh on a trick play and AJ Blue in a surprise pass out of the "Wild Ram" offense (as I call it).

My diagnosis: I changed my mind (see below) I'm still not convinced about UNC's offense yet - but if our OL has its best game so far, that should go a long way towards scoring just enough. And while our defense isn't perfect, our run defense could be pretty damn near stellar - and that's a tough matchup for Tech.

My pick: UNC wins 21-13

Note: I changed my mind on this one - here's what I originally said:

My diagnosis: I will try not to let my bias affect my predictions - so I'm afraid I'm picking against the Heels today. I'm not convinced of our offense yet - maybe because I haven't shaken off that UConn game...and Tech's offense will be fired up at home after losing big to Miami (and our win last year) - with the way they play, all it takes is one missed tackle and it's the end zone.

Tech wins it - 17 to 14

Here's to hoping I'm wrong!!



Go Heels!!

Michael Jackson Homage

I'm not a huge MJ fan (because the real MJ went to UNC), but this video is pretty damn cool.



Though I'm wondering what's up with this dude's crotch...

Dr. Horrible is Excellent

So, inspired by the (apparent) hosting of the Emmys (which I didn't watch) by Neil Patrick Harris (who is hilarious), I decided to finish watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. It actually won an Emmy (Outstanding Special Class - Short-format Live-Action Entertainment Programs).

The music is way better than what you'd expect.

I decided to simply post the link, so you could enjoy it in widescreen. :)

Enjoy!

UNC - Updated Injury Report

Offensive guard Jonathan Cooper (ankle) and fullback Bobby Rome (swine flu) have returned to practice and should play Saturday - which is good news for UNC's running game heading into their matchup with a dangerous ECU team.

As mentioned earlier, Pianalto and Dyer will be out for a few more weeks.

Also, it looks like Dwight Jones is 75-85%, but probably won't play against ECU.

That's all I know for now - I'll keep you updated!

Go Heels!

Neat AMEX Commercial

Simple - but must have been a real bitch for the creatives to think of all these.

I like it - especially the nuances of the expressions. YouTube comments claim "Faces in Places" had the idea first, so that's worth noting.

SI says UNC has toughest schedule next year

Marcus Ginyard will need to show some serious leadership, along with his tenacious defense, for the Heels to fare well early next season.

Sports Illustrated writer Luke Winn rightfully named UNC as the team with the toughest non-conference schedule for the 2009-2010 season.

The Tar Heels play Michigan State, what should be an excellent Kentucky squad, and a "neutral" game against Texas in the state of Texas. Add in a fight with Ohio State and possibly California in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, and you've got quite a test for a young Tar Heels squad.

I think this is a little overboard - and if we play Cal, I'd predict a 2-3 record against those 5 teams. It sure will be exciting though - and what momentum the Heels would have it they performed well in those games!

Go Heels!

UNC vs. LSU at the GA Dome

It's official!

UNC will take on LSU at the Georgia Dome on Sept. 4th, 2010 to kickoff next season in the now annual Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game.

It's quite a matchup, and will have the complete focus of a national audience and will be televised nationally on ESPN. Clemson and Virginia Tech have shown that the ACC is not ready to compete with the SEC this year and last year in the same game - so if UNC could pull of a win, it would be huge.

While next year has been slated by many fans to be the time for the Tar Heels to have their breakthrough season, LSU will be a very tough test. Our ability to pull off what will likely be seen as an upset will depend heavily on the development of our young offense this year.

Here's a game I'll be rooting hard against the SEC.

Go Heels!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/09/16/lsu-carolina.ap/index.html

Pianalto, Dyer to Miss 3-4 Weeks

It could be worse.

UNC leading receiver TE Zack Pianalto and starting center Lowell Dyer will miss 3-4 weeks. For Pianalto, this is actually kind of a relief, as he had to be carted off the field after essentially winning the game against Connecticut.

Losing Dyer, who strained a shoulder during practice and missed the UConn game, is a different story. This injury seemed minor to me.

We also don't know yet about starting offensive guard Jonathan Cooper, who tweaked his ankle and missed the UConn game as well.

This means big problems for the next little while for the two weakest parts of UNC's game - the O-Line and the WR corps.

Young and unproven players had better step up, or we won't score more than 3 points a game.

Injuries sideline two UNC starters - ESPN.com story

Louis Murphy has Big Night for Oakland

Former UF #2 receiver and current Oakland Raider Louis Murphy had a big night on Monday against the Chargers, reeling in 4 catches for 87 yards. Even better, Darrius Heyward-Bey, former Maryland mediocre WR and the annual boneheaded high draft pick for the Raiders, was shut out.

Go Gators!

HBO Imagined Launches

I know I mentioned this yesterday - but HBOimagine just officially launched today. Click around - it's very cool.

No Freakin' Way - Tyler Hansbrough Does his First Promotion!!

No way. I don't know if I'm mortified or ecstatic.

Either way - thank God Tyler Hansbrough loves to help little girls and puppies! And throw down monstrous dunks on seven-foot-seven Kenny George, of course.

9 - Quick Review

The new computer-animated 9 was almost as good as my high expectations for it.

The aesthetics are gorgeous - and the concept is even better. In a dystopian future (my favorite movie genre), after a battle between AI and man, one of the last human survivors creates little rag dolls that go on after our world has ended.

They must band together to avoid being hunted and killed by a roaming "beast." Don't worry, I won't give any more of the plot away.

My favorite part about 9 is the realistic feel of it. The way the little dolls are constructed, down to the last detail, from bits and pieces their Creator could find, are ingenious. Their interactions with an over-sized world are more than appealing.

The execution of the story line is great as well. So what if the source material is a little bit ho-hum? Who cares that the characters are tip-toeing the line of cliche? My only serious gripe with the story line is the ending, which completely departs with the grounded attitude the plot embraced up to that point.

So - in summary - 9 is a spectacular concept kept out of the realm of greatness due to a mediocre story. I know I'm biased because 9 is aimed squarely at my interests - so take my "stars" with a grain of salt.

out of 5.


And here's the trailer - which by the way is fantastic in its own right.

HBO - Imagine Campaign

HBO looks to have another award-winning campaign on their hands.

The "trailer" for it is very cool in its own right.




Their website, HBOimagine.com also features several short, interconnected films (done by Biscuit Filmworks). Why is HBO handing out 10,000 teddy bears in Manhattan? Check out the website to see.

I can't wait to see how this one unfolds.

UNC survives UConn, 12-10

What an awful game to watch.

My thoughts on the game:

Defensive Player of the Game: Charles Brown. This newcomer was supposed to be one of the few weak links on defense, after he replaced a mediocre Jordan Hemby at corner. But against the Huskies, Charlie was all over the place. Breaking up passes, tackling runners, making an interception, even forcing AND recovering a fumble. I feel great about our secondary with this guy back there.

Offensive Player of the Game: Zack Pianalto. Well, I've got to give it to Pianalto, whose 7 receptions for 87 yards and the Heels only TD saved the day. Unfortunately, the first jump of what would be a joyous celebration turned into a dislocated foot. Poor guy - and one less go-to target for our very weak WR corps.

Things that looked good: Our entire defense was impressive. Notable performances (other than Charlie) were given by Marvin Austin, Quan Sturdivant, Bruce Carter (with the exception of his heinous roughing the kicker gaff), and Kendric Burney (the ball was never really near him, but that's because he was doing so well in coverage.

Things that need work: Our entire offensive was abysmal. I'd say the shakiest part of our game was our offensive line. TJ Yates was constantly harassed (and sacked six times I might add). The line got no push whatsoever until that final relatively impressive 13-play, 76 yard drive in the 4th quarter to tie the game.

On that note, TJ had an awful game as well. The first INT he thew was just a very badly thrown pass. The 2nd one wasn't quite so much his fault. His pocket presence, however, was non-existent. Given, the OL didn't help him, but I swear Charlie Weis could have outrun him. He just looked like he was stuck in molasses. However, we couldn't run the ball, which brings me to my next point...

Shaun Draughn could be a very talented back. He's elusive, he has better than average vision (which is saying something considering his lack of experience on offense), and he doesn't go down easily. But he is going to be frustrating to watch if he doesn't learn to hit his lane hard without hesitation. Too often Draughn is shifting around in the backfield and juking for about 20 minutes until the defense decides it's about time to take him down. WR Greg Little has a propensity to do this too, but it works a little better past the line of scrimmage, when there's fewer defenders around. Being a RB is all about momentum, and Draughn rarely has any built up by the time he hits the line of scrimmage. Maybe he got away with this last year behind a deeper and stronger line, but this year he needs to take what he can get and take a couple of yards instead of going for the home run every play. Thank goodness Ryan Houston got some carries to help us on that final 4th qtr drive.

Also, the Tar Heels are very weak at WR (news flash, right?). I missed the news that the original starter, Dwight Jones, had to get knee surgery will be out for maybe another game or two. No wonder he was a no-show against The Citadel. Josh Adams was nowhere to be found against UConn (though we could blame Yates). And the one guy who looked to be a real threat on WR might have ended his season by jumping around after a TD (for the record, I don't blame him for that injury - he was just excited, and wasn't going nuts - just bad luck). However, I do have to give props to Erik Highsmith, the freshman listed as an athlete on the roster, who finished with 4 catches for 59 yards, including a 21-yard gamesaver when the Heels were facing 3rd and 18 against their own goal (that's the drive that led to the game-tying TD). Also of note, Highsmith is sporting number 88 - Hakeem Nicks left some big shoes (or should I say big gloves - literally) to fill with that jersey, so here's hoping he lives up to 10% of that talent.

So, in conclusion, our defense looked very good. But if we keep playing offense like we did on Saturday, we might get shut out several times this year, especially when we play the likes of Virginia Tech and FSU. Those defenses will eat us up (though FSU had trouble with Jacksonville State on Saturday, so I could be mistaken on that one).

There were so bright spots (i.e. Erik Highsmith) on offense, and the good news is that OLs tend to get better (barring injury) as seasons progress, and Yates and our very young WR corps should get a better repoire built as the season moves on too. The return of Dwight Jones should be helpful as well.

So here's hoping Pianalto is okay. I was a few inches from him on the sideline when he got injured during his last TD last year against Georgia Tech last year - he's a talented receiving TE, and both he and the Tar Heels deserve his speedy recovery.

That's all for now. ECU next week should be a tough test. Hey - at least we're undefeated, right?

Swine Flu Hits UNC Players

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4464879

Bobby Rome (starting fullback) and Jordan Nix (backup DT) won't be playing against UConn because they probably have swine flu.

Great...

I think we'll be okay, even though Rome is great and we were trying to integrate him more into our passing game (not to mention his importance blocking for our running game).

I just hope we don't end up like other universities who have a ton of players going down to the flu. I know 'Ole Miss is temporarily without Jevan Snead and Dexter McCluster because of the flu. Wisconsin is missing some peeps as well. The Rebels at least have a bye week to recover.

A flu outbreak would be so like UNC football...

"Training Exercise" on Sept. 11th

Um...bullshit? Well, maybe not bullshit, but this seems a little fishy. At least there are some idiots in the Coast Guard scheduling department.

The gist is, while Obama was doing a commemoration for Sept. 11th in DC, shots were fired on the Potomac. A bunch of people freaked out, including local law enforcement.

And after a DELAY, they say it was "just an exercise."

I mean, don't you think it's a little odd that they would schedule a random, live-fire exercise on Sept. 11th during a commemoration event? And not tell anyone?

Call me skeptical I guess...

Click to read original article

Halo 3: ODST Commercial

Video game commercials just keep getting better and better.

Debose out for Season

:( Sad news.

Florida's Andre Debose is out for the season. Two season in a row with a potential big-time player going down (last season was Cornelius Ingram, but that was a bigger loss admittedly).

This is a real shame. This doesn't necessarily leave a big hole to fill for the Gators, as Debose was a true freshman, but filling Percy Harvin's absence will certainly be tougher. Just an exciting wrinkle that Gator fans were looking forward to seeing. Oh well, that's what medical redshirts are for, right?

Expect much more Demps, Rainey, and Brandon James now.

The Hobbit, The Movie

A legal settlement gives New Line the right to make a movie based on The Hobbit and another movie based on other Tolkein works.

My first thought is hell yeah. I'm nuts for the LOTR trilogy movies, and can't wait to see what comes next. However, I'm a bit apprehensive, because I remember reading The Hobbit as a kid and being a bit disappointed in the lack of action.

And what other works will they build the second movie from? The Simarillion? That could be a snoozer.

I am really excited about Guillermo Del Toro at the helm though - he's the perfect choice.

Hopefully this comes to fruition - with the money the first trilogy made, we can actually be glad that the movie industry will always bank on "shaking their moneymakers," so to speak.

My First Post

Okay - so I'm sort of embarrassed to join the blogging community. But I find myself finding interesting articles, tidbits, and wanting to share my opinion about them - even if no one is listening!

I am a recent graduate of UNC. My blog posts, as of now, will consist of the following:
- My opinions of media (primarily movies)
- Sports (I'm an avid Tar Heel and Florida Gator fan, so expect a minor bias)
- other interesting things

I know the blogs that find "success" find a niche, and I realize that I do not have that here, but I'm not looking for 100,000 readers - just a place to write on my proverbial cave wall.

Peace and love.