CBS Continues to Spread The Big East's Lies

John Marinatto's mouth piece, Brett McMurphy, has written another outrageous article about the Big East, spreading the lies of of the Providence Mob to the masses (not going to bother linking it, look it up if you're so inclined). In this latest installment, an "insider" tells him that the Big East's next TV deal will be worth "half" of what Marinatto turned down last year.

"Neil Pilson, a media consultant and former president of CBS Sports, told the New York Times he believes the Big East could surpass the $130 million-per-year deal rejected last year.
But industry sources told CBSSports.com they expect the Big East to get much less -- maybe as low as $50 million annually -- because of the loss of West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and TCU. And then there's the possibility the Big East could lose two more of its biggest names -- most likely Louisville, Connecticut or Rutgers -- if the Big 12 expands and the ACC has to replace two schools."

Hmmm, so whose word are we going to take here? The former Network executive or the anonymous "industry source"?  That "industry source" is clearly someone from the Big East front office who is trying to make their "Dear Leader" Marinatto look better in wake of his forced resignation. Heck, it might be Marinatto himself. The Big East front office has leaked lies to McMurphy in the past, so it's not too surprising. They couldn't give a crap less about the Big East's reputation, especially in football. If the new TV deal is significantly lower than what they expected, why should they care? The basketball schools (aka the only ones they care about) will make very little money either way, plus they have the fallback option of leaving the conference and adding VCU, Butler, etc. The more and more I think about it, the "source" is probably Mike Tranghese.

I'm not sure how this is even believable to anyone who's been following college football. Payouts from TV contracts have been sky rocketing, and even though the Big East is not on the same level as say, the Pac 12, there's no reason to believe that the Big East will get HALF of what it was offered last year. Yes, they have lost some schools, but they've also added teams in large TV markets (SMU, Houston), a team with national appeal (Boise State) and a military academy who has a large, built in fan base across the country (Navy). In addition, NBC Sports will be involved in negotiations, setting up a bidding war between them and ESPN. I have a hard time imagining the Big East won't get more money than the ACC.

John Marinatto Ousted as Big East Commissioner

As first reported by Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com two weeks ago, Big East commissioner John Marinatto has been forced to resign by the Big East's Presidents. Marinatto, who was an unqualified, bumbling idiot whose sole purpose was to do the basketball schools' (specifically Providence's) bidding, felt "betrayed" by the President's decision. This was the right move for the Big East moving forward, but it might be too late. Marinatto continued the work his predecessors Dave Gavitt and Mike Tranghese did to sabotage Big East football, in hopes of destroying it all together.

Marinatto (former AD), Tranhese and Gavitt (former basketball coach and AD) all have strong ties to Providence and they could not have been any more apathetic towards football. In their minds, the Big East existed to cater to Providence and make them feel like special little snow flakes in a big time basketball conference, despite the fact that they have been irrelevant as a basketball program since Rick Pitino left to coach the Knicks in 1987. They have also gone to great lengths to protect like minded athletic departments on the eastern seaboard like Seton Hall, St. John's and Georgetown and this is what has lead to the conference's downfall. The 8 basketball schools are acting as a financial anvil who provide little value to the football schools. Providence's Iron Fist Rule over the conference, the basketball schools receiving more than their share of TV money and an all around apathetic attitude towards football forced Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Syracuse, West Virginia and Pitt to look for refuge in other conferences. The Big East was holding them back in so many ways, and they had to jump at the opportunity being offered to them.

Through all of these defections, the Providence Mob was able to remain in charge because of the power wielded by the Catholic Schools, who have finally had enough of this bull shit. Charter member Syracuse leaving was probably the piano that broke the camel's back. Reportedly, Marinatto was asked to resign because school administrators did not trust him in the ongoing negotiations with ESPN, FOX, and NBC for the Big East's new TV deal. Marianatto wanted to accept ESPN's initial, low ball offer, but he was stopped from doing so by the smart Athletic Directors from the football side like Tim Pernetti, Oliver Luck, and Steve Pederson, who knew the Big East could get significantly more money, especially after they expanded.Once some of the eight non football schools lost faith in him he was done. Hopefully Pernetti and others who are more knowledge of TV business step in and get a TV deal equal to or greater than the agreement that the ACC recently reached with ESPN.

Combined with the TV deal kerfuffle, a painfully slow expansion progress caused Syracuse, Pitt and West Virginia to look elsewhere. The Big East did a good job taking action and adding TCU, the best program in a "mid major" conference, but halting at 9 schools while others were at 12, on the verge of 14, left the Big East vulnerable. Temple was an obvious candidate, and should have been added a lot sooner, but Villanova continuously acted like petulant children and blocked their admittance into the league. In fact, they only agreed to let them into the conference when Marinatto offered them financial assistance to upgrade their program to FBS status as a trade off. Central Florida was another obvious candidate, but South Florida blocked them, and for some reason Marinatto and co. dragged their feet with Houston and SMU, despite the fact that they made a ton of sense with TCU joining. I wouldn't doubt the expansion process would still be "ongoing" if Pitt and Syracuse didn't jump towards refuge in the ACC.

At this point, the Big East must forget about the past and do all they can to move forward and become a powerful football conference again. In order for this to happen, the new commissioner must: 1. Have absolutely no ties to Providence College. The Providence "Mob" is what started this mess and reign of terror needs to end. 2. Be some one who puts football first. That's the way it is and the conference can no longer live in their dream world where basketball is king. 3. Have knowledge of the TV Landscape. ESPN will probably come into negotiations and try to take advantage of an inexperienced commissioner. The new commissioner must hold his ground and use Fox and NBC as leverage, at the very least, and possibly accept their deal. The financial gains in the new TV contract are vital towards becoming a big time conference again. And 4. Significantly cut the TV money provided to the basketball schools, kick them out all together, or split. This scenario has been inevitable for years, the differences in philosophy between the football schools and basketball schools is massive, and can't go on like this. My ideal candidate to fill this position would be Rutgers' own Tim Pernetti, who interviewed for the job when Marinatto was hired, and he did not flat out deny interest in the job when asked, but as of last Tuesday, there has been no dialogue. Regardless of whether he gets the job or not, hopefully he is heavily involved in these negotiations. In the mean time, Joseph Bailey, a former executive with the Miami Dolphins, will serve as the interim commissioner.

***

I'm going to try to not dwell on things that can not be changed, but one thing is really bothering me. I've seen a lot of people call Marinatto a scape goat, but to put it bluntly, that's bull shit. The Providence trio has been sabotaging Big Eat football since before its' inception. Gavitt refused to let Penn State into the conference in the early '80's, because he couldn't give a crap about football, and the league was a basketball only conference at thtat point and he wanted to keep it that way. Tranghese tried to end Big East football in 1998, by attempting to give away Miami, BC, Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC and make the conference a basketball only league once again (can't find the actual article about this, but I saw it on On the Banks and found a transcript of it on a message board). He then allowed Notre Dame into the conference as a non football member, letting them to take down Big East football from the inside. These three incompetent oafs who mismanaged the league are 100% responsible for its' downfall. Lets not kid ourselves into thinking that the schools who bailed for greener pastures are to blame, this joke of a league was holding them back financially and on the gridiron and they put themselves in a better potion by leaving the conference.

 Pete Thamel and McMurphy have been leading this cause, and you have to question their angle here, since they both have developed professional relationships with Marinatto over the years. Taking quotes from Mike Tranghese and others who are obviously Marrinatto's lackeys isn't going to help the questions raised by intelligent readers about your angle in this story.

Justin Goodwin Verbally Commits to Rutgers

Rutgers received their second verbal commitment for the class of 2013 from Madison High School (NJ) Athlete Justin Goodwin, yesterday. Like Anthony Cioffi, Goodwin was an under the radar prospect, coming from a small (Group 2) school in North Jersey. He is a running back at the high school level and he rushed for over 1700 yards last season, but the scouting services think he might end up as a defensive back once he gets to college.

Measurables- 5'11 185 4.60 (height, weight, 40 time)

Stars-

Rivals	Scout	ESPN	247
N/A Athlete	N/A Running Back	Not even listed on the website	3 stars, 84 rating, #62 Running Back, #25 in NJ

Again, like Cioffi, the recruiting services probably haven't gotten around to evaluating him yet, since he's from a small school and a relatively unknown prospect.

Offer Sheet: Rutgers was the fifth FBS team to offer Goodwin, joining Connecticut, Temple, Massachusetts, and Old Dominion.* He was also receiving some interest from Wisconsin, but they have yet to offer him a scholarship.

*ODU is making the jump to the FBS level in 2013, when they will join C*USA

Scouting Report: Goodwin's high school coach describes him as an explosive runner and that seems to be the case, as he often just takes pitches and out runs defenders. Goodwin can juke defenders out in the open field and his speed and elusiveness should play to the next level. He also displays tremendous vision, patience, burst thorough the hole and the ability to make quick cuts, making him an ideal fit for a zone blocking scheme. Goodwin also possess great hands and ball skills, so he can be an every down back. He definitely fits the profile of a slasher, and at Rutgers he will be playing in the right system.

 

Video:

My Take: Goodwin has decent size and good speed, and is a well rounded back. He is capable of staying on the field for all three downs with his receiving skills and he fits Rutgers' zone running scheme well. This seems like another solid, under the radar pick up for Flood's staff.

Rutgers Unveiles New Football Uniforms

Rutgers unveiled their new football uniforms in New York City earlier this month, and yup, they are hideous. It seems that Nike is doing its best to make college football uniforms as ugly as possible, and Rutgers is just the latest team to dawn their Pro Combat abominations on a weekly basis. I am a uniform traditionalist and liked the late Schiano era uniforms  a great deal (save for the red pants, which I think were horrid), but I totally understand why Rutgers HAD to adopt these eye sores. Rutgers is not a traditional power whose uniforms are a major part of a rich tradition that has been cultivated for over half a century like USC or Penn State or Alabama. New uniforms were needed to stand out (or fit in, really) and grab the attention of recruits. Even some of the most historic programs in the country aren't above this, and had to sacrifice their good uniform taste/tradition in order to appeal to 17 year olds. I may not like these kinds of uniforms (and I am only 20), but most high school and college aged kids love these kinds of threads, and Rutgers has their attention now. Look on the bright side, these uniforms could have been a whole hell of a lot worse (think this or this or this).

IMPORTANT UNIFORM ANALYSIS
 
Initial Imopressions
Mighty Morphin' Power Rutgers! Having uniforms where the pants are the same color as the jerseys are going to make you think of the Power Rangers. Especially when your three colors, in this case red, black, and white, are the colors of actual Power Rangers. The silver numbers, which I'm guessing is meant to resemble a Knight's armor, is also a characteristic of the new-age Power Rangers.

Silver numbers seem to be a go-to thing for the Pro Combat series, so this isn't even unique. Maybe they could have gone with something like medieval numbering instead to be original? But the very worst thing about these silver numbers is they remind me of Syracuse's basketball uniforms, and Rutgers should not be doing anything that remotely resembles Albany's College Team.

Special Features

Nike added a few subtle features that makes the uniforms Rutgers specific, modeling the uniforms after Knight Armor. "Sword swipes" were added on the shoulders and helmet to give them a battle tested look. This is neat , but I'm wondering why they don't have scratches on the numbers. Everyone knows that the most vulnerable part of a Knight's armor is the mid section, where there are spaces between the different plates of armor. The swordsmen wielding their weapon against these guys must have been extremely incompetent, attacking the head and shoulder areas, which are the most protected parts of the armor, instead of the midsection. But I digress, who cares what does and does not make sense anyway....

Nike also added stripes down the side of the pants to resemble the blade of a sword. It's pretty cool, since that's where a Knight would typically carry their weapon, but I wish they would have went all out with it and included a handle on top of the blade. I think it looks stupid with just the blade.

Helmets
 

For some reason, Rutgers and Nike decided to go with chrome color helmets, similar to what Oregon wore in the Rose Bowl last season. I really don't like them, and I don't think they even match the rest of the uniform. They also have the scratch marks to indicate sword swipes on them, but for some reason the scratches are black. I don't know about you, but I've never seen iron (which is what Knight's armor was made of) turn black from some scratches. I'm sure no one else cares, but I am a stickler for historical and scientific accuracy, and this bothers me.

Additional Uniforms Combinations via DirtyRU on the Scarlet Nation Board
(Click the link above to see the different combinations.)
With out the full on Power Ranger look, the uniforms look a little bit better. #1 and #2 are both solid looks, hopefully these will be the normal home uniforms, rather than the all red. (I hate red pants, and they look even worse with red tops.) I prefer the all white to uniform #3, and as I've seen pointed out else where, #4 looks an awful lot like bizzaro Syracuse uniforms. Again, we don't want that. On #5, the helmet and jersey don't match the pants, but maybe it would look better with the "black" helmets. #6 is decent, but for some reason it reminds me of the Orlando Rage uniforms from the short lived XFL.


These uniforms are not pretty and I am not at all excited to see these uniforms in action. The old uniforms had a traditional, classy look, but now we are stuck with these hideous things that replaced them. Unfortunately though, this is what things are like when you have to constantly kiss the asses of 17 year olds in order to improve recruiting and become a big time football program.

Post Spring Depth Chart Released

The depth chart isn't a big deal right now, it's just to let the players (and the fans I guess) have a sense of where things stand at the moment. There will be a ton of competition in August, but here are some thoughts on the depth chart as it stands right now. (You can see the depth chart here.)

*Bujari was being groomed to take over at center last year, so it's not too surprising to see him there, but the timing of it is very strange. He was playing guard this spring before getting hurt, and I'm not sure why he wasn't playing center right out of the gate this spring. The move just happening now may be a vote of no confidence towards Dallas Hendrickson after a poor spring, but that's just speculation from me, I don't know how he performed. Hopefully at some point one of the beat writers ask why this move was just made now.

*Taj Alexander is listed as the starer at right guard, after moving there from the defensive line this spring. The coaching staff seemed very happy with his progress at his new position, but I'm guessing that J.J. Denman and Chris Muller will be given a chance to win a job right away. Offensive lineman have the most difficult transition to make going from high school to college, so I wouldn't count on them winning a job right out of the gate.

*It's also possible that one of the players engaged in the left guard battle could start on the right side, as both David Osei and Antwan Lowry have started games at right guard in the past. If Dallas Hendrickson's demotion was more reflective of what they think of Bujari than what they think of him, he may have a chance at earning this spot. Hopefully they just take the 5 best lineman no matter what.

*Miles Shuler is not on the two deep at receiver. Why didn't he redshirt last year, again? Were the fake jet sweeps to him that important? Hopefully they'll rectify that error this season.

*It appears that Scott Vallone is moving back to his old role as the three technique tackle. This should free him up to make more plays himself, rather than holding blockers to let others make the plays as he did last year at nose tackle. It's not a huge move on the field, but it could help him come award/draft season.

*Isaac Holmes is listed as the starter at nose tackle, and backing him up are redshirt freshman Al Page and Marquis Wright. Wright (4 stars) and Page (3 stars) were big time recruits in the 2011 class, so this might be the best position battle in training camp.

*Michael Larrow and Marcus Thompson are fighting it out for one defensive end spot and Ka'Lail Glaud and Marvin Booker will duke it out for the other. Interestingly enough, Larrow and Thompson are listed as the back ups at defensive tackle, so I'm guessing the plan is to have Darius Hamilton come in and play behind/spell Vallone.

*Kevin Snyder took over the WLB role with Khaseem Greene on the shelf this spring, and he might have earned a starting spot at SLB. He will compete with the incumbent, Jamal Merrell.

*The RB battle isn't a big deal to me, both backs should be splitting the carries, unless one of the two really separate themselves

*The QB battle is still undecided as well, just like it should be. This is the most important roster decision Kyle Flood will have to make, and he should let it play out well into training camp. QB play very well could be the difference between yet another 8-4 year and something special.

There should be plenty of competition this August, with, in my estimation, 10 starting spots up for grabs. Competition will hopefully bring out the best in everyone. The Knights have a very deep roster.

Five Scarlet Knights Sign With NFL Teams as Undrafted Free Agents

Mohamed Sanu was the only Scarlet Knight drafted this year, but five of his teammates will have the opportunity to play in the NFL after signing as undrafted free agents.  Defensive lineman Justin Francis signed with the New England Patriots, offensive lineman Desmond Wynn will join his former coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, running back Joe Martinek will play for his home town New York Giants, and offensive lineman Desmond Stapleton will follow in his brother Darnell's foot steps, and join the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Additionally, in an extremely classy move, Greg Schiano and the Buccaneers have allowed defensive lineman Eric LeGrand to realize his dream of making it to the NFL after his tragic injury. He will receive a jersey and a symbolic contract. Defensive back David Rowe would have likely signed on with a team, but he has chosen to pursue a career in coaching.

You have failed me for the last time, Admiral*

Francis is just the latest cog in the Piscataway to Foxboro pipeline, joining three other Knights under coach Bill Belichick. Francis is a tackle/end tweener and could play either position for the Pats. Francis fires off the line quickly and is able to penetrate into the opposition's backfield, causing havoc against the run and the pass. His versatility bodes well for New England's 3-4, 4-3 hybrid system.

Chances of making the 53 man roster: 35%
The Patriots are pretty set at defensive end, having used two of their first four picks on the position (Chandler Jones at 21 and Jake Bequette at 90) in addition to already having Jermaine Cunningham, Alex Silvestro, and free agent pick up Jonathan Faene on their roster. It's unlikely that they would carry 6 defensive ends. If he plays DT in the 4-3 scheme, there is less competition for a roster spot. New England has been moving more and more towards running a 4-3 defense, but if they still plan on using a 3-4, Jones and Bequette will be linebackers, and Francis's odds of making the team will go up.

Wynn will continue playing for coach Greg Schiano in the pros, and he is capable of backing up at every spot on the offensive line. After being a solid contributer at guard, Wynn slid over to left tackle in the Knight's Pinstripe Bowl victory over Iowa State, and he left the coaching staff wondering why they didn't make the move sooner. He is a very strong blocker and shows some decent athleticism.

Chances of making the 53 man roster: 60%
Wynn will likely compete in training camp to be the Buccaneers' back up at both guard spots, and his familiarity with the coaching staff certainly won't hurt.

Martinek has played both tailback and fullback at Rutgers, and he will likely get a look from the Giants at both spots. He is a good receiver out of the back field and can help in pass protection, but he's a bit of a tweeer since he's not an an overly elusive runner or powerful run blocker.

Chances of making the 53 man roster: 5%
All three of the Giants running backs, Ahmed Brdshaw, David Wilson, and DJ Ware can contribute in the passing game, and they already have a pretty good fullback in Henry Hynoski. His best bet is getting noticed as a special teams stand out.

Stapleton was benched in favor of Kaleb Johnson last year, but he was Rutgers best offensive lineman in 2010.

Chances of making the team: 0.1%
Never say never, but the Steelers have invested a lot of draft pick in offensive lineman the last three years. Their roster is pretty set at all 5 positions and 3 or 4 back ups.

Of course if these guys don't make the 53 man roster they will have the chance to latch on to the practice squad in hopes of being put on the active roster later in the season. Practice squad players earn $5200 a week, so if they stay on the whole season, they could make $88,400. Not too shabby for half a year of work for a recent college graduate.

*those all black uniforms definitely had a Sith Lord feel to them. Maybe it was just me though.Francis totally looks like he just forced chocked Ray Graham and is just hovering over him.

Mohamed Sanu Drafted by the Bengals

In the third round of the 2012 draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected record breaking Rutgers wide receiver Mohamed Sanu with the 83rd overall pick. It was a little latter than where he was expected to go, but he landed in a pretty good situation.

The Bengals were a playoff team last year, and should only get better, with quarterback Andy Dalton entering his second year, and a plethora of weapons including second year WR AJ Green, third year TE Jermaine Gresham, former Scarlet Knight RB Brian Leonard and Sanu. They have a solid defense as well, and it should be fun seeing Sanu and Leonard's Bengals square off against Ray Rice's Ravens twice a year.

Sanu will likely go into training camp competing competing to be the Bengals Z receiver (second WR, lined up outside, slightly off the line) with guys he should beat out like Brandon Tate (a burner who was waived by the Patriots last year and has 24 career receptions in three years), Jordan Shipley (who is  a better fit in the role of a slot receiver and is coming off a knee injury that cost him all of last season), and a bunch of other guys like Vidal Hazelton and Armon Binns. The Z in the Bengals offense should get plenty of opportunities to catch the ball, as most defenses will be focused on stopping super star number one receiver A.J. Green, opening up the other side of the field.

Sanu broke Larry Fitzgerald's single season Big East receptions record with 115 catches, and is Rutgers all time leader in career receptions. Despite the accolades, scouts had doubts about his lack of top-end speed and ability to separate, and that's what dropped him into the middle of the third round. But these doubts aside, Mo is a very safe pick. He is a hard working kid with no character issues, and he will be a very good possession receiver at the next level. He has great hands to go along with his solid 6'2'' 211 frame. He is very strong and will out muscle defenders for the ball while making spectacular catches in the process (like this and this). He is very tough and not afraid to go across the middle, and although he is not going to outrun most defensive backs, he is dangerous after the catch because of his ability to break tackles. The scouts are right in the regard that he will not stretch the field vertically, but I think the "separation issues" is more of a product of him being double teamed all of the time. He will contribute as a blocker, and he's a nice, reliable guy, who will move the chains of third down and be an asset in the redzone.

Sanu could have landed in a better situation and he certainly should have gone higher, especially since boom or bust WR prospects like Stepehn Hill, DeVier Posey, Brian Quick, AJ Jenkins and TJ Graham went ahead of him, but he is in an environment were he can be successful. It's up to him now to prove the 31 teams who passed on him wrong. The entire Rutgers community is behind him.