Sheldon is a very solid player.

Not only that, Culken was slated for playing time at TE prior to his hand injury. Throw in Hunt, Sasser, Clark, Copelin, Woodland, Leftwich, and even Stricker, and you have a full house.

Sheldon was the former #1 recruit in the nation and has become little more than a 'nice' DT.

Which is really what happens to a ton of 5* guys. They have enough talent to still be productive enough, but sometimes that star potential just fades away.

Being a 5* recruit means you're almost certainly going to be a decent college player - it does not mean you're going to be a stud. Lucas is pretty damn close to a stud, IMO.

You've got nothing to complain about. This guy could be at the helm of your football program:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YDVZNnOtGP4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Sheldon has been more than a "NICE" DT this year. He was "NICE" a season ago, but has really stepped up, IMO.

Considering the circumstances, it was amazing how well he played a season ago. He was injured, late, had practically no practice time... and played a ton behind two very good college DTs.

He played an exceptional game against Arizona State and has been getting some first- and second-round buzz entering this season. McShay tweeted about him at one point in the offseason and thinks he has first-round potential.

Richardson is an explosive one-tech who demands a double team on almost every play and consistently beats them. He's great against the run (Check out his tackle totals and his TFL totals) and closes extremely well for a guy his size. He's able to be disruptive without sacrificing gap control.

It's a shame he didn't qualify for Mizzou out of high school. His time at College of the Sequoias was lost time, from what I heard - they didn't develop him very well. That's one part of the reason Mizzou is likely done with CoS.

I'd wait and see on Richardson. He's likely an early pick in the NFL draft, which is more than a "nice" DT. As long as he stays healthy and motivated (his motor is a big positive for him), Sheldon will likely be making nice NFL money next year (which sucks, because Mizzou could use him back).

That's rough, man.

I was talking to a buddy about this today... I feel for Arkansas fans.

It's somewhat similar to Mizzou in 2008. Big preseason expectations, falling short, etc. With programs like ours, seasons like this are not an every-year occurrence.

Of course, I can't compare the two THAT much. Mizzou's fall was to a 10-win season. I think Arkansas is going to be fighting just to make a bowl game. Little bit different (and more embarrassing).

He played a good game against AZ State.

He also played a poor one against GA. I know he had a decent first half, but in the 2nd half when GA decided it was time to play, he completely disappeared.

If a guy can step up his game against average opposition but gets beat up by the high-end guys, he's not a true difference maker.

Do you think he's been as good as Hood? Dominique Hamilton? Those are guys that didn't have nearly the fanfare and ended up being excellent. Richardson looks like he may slot in between those guys when all is said and done, but I don't see anything to suggest he'll surpass Hood.

That's the line I'm trying to draw here - being a highly regarded recruit doesn't mean you're going to just outperform other guys that were coveted, but not quite as much. Lucas and Hood are pretty good comparables. Lucas isn't crap, much as Hood wasn't. And just because DGB comes in here with much the same hype that Richardson has, doesn't mean he's just going to blow past Lucas.

He certainly has the skills to do it, but I don't think it's wise to just assume he will and suggest that if he doesn't our staff has somehow failed him.

You referred to him as a "massive, lazy idiot". I disagree with that characterization. That doesn't mean I think he's Suh.

Well he's unquestionably massive and yeah, he's an idiot. Listen to the guy speak - he's dumb as a bag of hammers.

The only real word to take exception to there is lazy and frankly the only thing that keeps him from being Suh (or at least better than Hood) is his willingness to take plays off.

Would you feel better if I referred to him as a supremely talented, massive, idiot with a questionable work ethic?

So, do we even have a chance against South Carolina, or should I just brace myself for another Chiefs/Mizzou weekend of southern curbstomping pain?

There is a very good chance that every local football team, college and pro, gets crushed this weekend.

I don't see any way we get crushed. Should be a defensive game, stay smart on offense and don't make stupid turnovers inside our own 10 yard line and we'll be in the game in the 4th quarter.

Connor Shaw has a hairline fracture in his shoulder and is still getting the start, he will be timid and will be taken out of the game if we hit him good 1 time.

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/po...-get-any-worse

I'm not overly confident in our Offense's ability to score against their D, but I like our D's chances of keeping the score low. Probably going to be a boring game of old man football coming down to who makes fewer mistakes late.

Pinkel: Franklin will practice Wednesday, almost "symptom-free"

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/19...#storylink=cpy

Hmm. I don't know if that's good or bad. I'm really starting to lose faith in Franklin - just seems like a fragile Brad Smith at this point, and I don't think that will work in the SEC. I'm afraid he'll just keep getting hurt, but Pinkel will keep going back to him, and reerun the development of the kids behind him.

Kind of thinking the same thing..But maybe the way Berkstresser played last week (which I think he did pretty good considering it was his first start), he might get more playing time and considering what Pinkel said... "Pinkel also reiterated that the offense was more conservative last week with redshirt freshman Corbin Berkstresser making his first career start.

This team is better off with a healthy Franklin, and it's not even close. It's not even close to being close.

I officially can't tell who the **** anyone on this message board is anymore.

I don't think Berkstresser showed anything that would move him into more PT with a healthy James Franklin around. It wasn't an ideal situation for a first-time starter, but Berk was not overly accurate, and his YPA were disappointingly low.

If Franklin is healthy and can go, he's the starter. He's got 20+ games left as the starter at QB for Mizzou. And that's a good thing. His dual-threat blend makes Missouri's offense more efficient, in my opinion, than with a stone-footed guy back there (Berk, Gabbert).

If Berkstresser had lit up ASU, it might be different. But a game where he merely "was OK" isn't going to change the picture.

James Franklin is a much better thrower than Brad Smith. He isn't as explosive a runner, but his passing makes up for it.
Franklin completed 64 percent of his throws a year ago. Smith only reach that mark one time and was almost 10 points worse over the course of his career.

I fear that Clowney is going to clown our tackles. It's more of a reality than a fear.

Haven't watched my SCAR film yet (tonight, hopefully!). But I remember from the Vandy game thinking that he wore down significantly in the second half.

He's a different challenge than Jarvis Jones. Will be interesting to see if they can do a better job of playing around a traditional end.

Healthly Franklin is good - I'm just worried that this shoulder injury will be an ongoing problem.

And also, with regard to Berk, the offensive line didn't exactly give him great protection. Tough to judge him based on that one game.

THIS - couldn't agree more on both counts.

I believe the coaches said the lapses in blocking scheme the past two weeks were due to guys "not getting the calls correctly".

That's at home - with zero crowd noise. I fear for James, and his patched up shoulder, taking the middle of that line between the hedges.

Also, I feel like we'd be better served going with Britt, Boehm, McNulty, Meiners, Morse on the OL.

I think McNulty is actually a better snapper and I think Max Copeland, while a nice story and an "effort" guy, is in way over his head. Obviously not a coach, but I'd think the right side of the line would be better having Meiners and Morse over there vs Copeland and Meiners.

Agreed on point two, but he didn't set the world on fire when he had time, either (I can think of three "outs" where he just made an awful throw at a guy's feet, with no pressure. Also, the INT was a terrible throw that turned a TD into a turnover).

He was OK. Just not much more than that (which is what he would need to be to earn more PT).

I'd take Franklin at 85-90 percent over the kid at this point.

You still believe this? I re-editerate, I still think the more Playing time Berk gets, the better he will get and in my humble opinion...I think he should start.

Honestly, I'm not sure anymore.

Franklin is not cut out, mentally or physically, to play against top-flight SEC competition.

I Agree.

Substitute "Pinkel" for "Franklin" and "coach" for "play" and I also agree with that, too.

Healthy Franklin? The guy we saw last year? Absolutely.

The guy we're seeing this year? The one that doesn't trust his shoulder, and is rattled/making the wrong reads consistently?

You can talk about that. Much more room to talk about it than after a meh performance against Arizona State by Berkstresser.

It's not a thing to be happy about, IMO, though.

Playcalling is hilarious

QB option-reads all day long = FAIL

Recent scouting report on Sheldon Richardson (from ESPN):

"I scouted the Missouri-South Carolina game in person, and each team had an early-round prospect who stood out.

First, I was very impressed with Tigers DT Sheldon Richardson. A well-built prospect who is well proportioned with a thick lower half, Richardson (6-foot-2¨þ, 290 pounds) was an imposing presence even during warmups. Once the game started, he looked even better.

He uses his hands well, and Richardson has good mobility and lateral quickness for his size. He showed the ability to get some surge on the inside, using a good swim move to pressure Gamecocks QB Connor Shaw on the first possession of the game and force what ended up being Shaw's only incompletion of the day.

Richardson also showed plenty of versatility, lining up all over the formation and even standing up at middle linebacker in some passing situations. He showed good instincts and recognition from that spot on a pair of passing plays, reading the play and redirecting to make the tackle on a screen pass and an underneath throw.

His motor and effort are outstanding, and with his combination of size, athleticism and versatility, Richardson lived up to his second-round grade. He finished with seven tackles, a forced fumble and a half-sack, and if he continues to play like this he'll move up the board to the early part of the second round. He certainly played like a top-40 overall pick in this game."

He'll be gone unless someone sells him on his stock increasing enough with another year to be a potential top 10 pick.

Sheldon has been outstanding all season so far. I'm not sure how we replace him next year.

Nation's No. 1 WR, Laquon Treadwell of Crete-Monee (Ill.) will be in Columbia for the Oct. 6 game against Vanderbilt. Unofficial visit.

Still, HUGE.

MEH...It doesn't matter, if we still have a QB who rather run than throw.

If we get the #1 receiver in the country two years in a row, it might attract interest from some of the top throwing QBs in the country. #wishfulthinking

We got a look from Gunner Kiel and ended up snagging the most prolific passer in HS football history last year.

I'd say we're already attracting interest from some of the top throwing QBs in the country, wouldn't you?

How 'bout we take DGB out of the bubble-wrap this week? Vandy shouldn't be able to apply the overwhelming pressure that's been keeping our routes short. Franklin should have time to look downfield if he wants to.

Lets send DGB on some go routes if nothing else and see if he can make a play on a ball or two. It's time to start using this kid if we have any interest in continuing to snag the high recruits. Don't think for a moment that the SEC HCs aren't going to use DGB against us in the recruiting wars if they don't start using him a little more.

I'm concerned that our offensive line can't block for a go route, although I'd sure like to see us try it sometime.

Pretty obvious Franklin's shoulder is FUBAR, but our staff has no confidence in Berkstresser taking over and running the offense.

South Carolina went from a pro-style to zone read offensive scheme last year when Stephen Garcia got kicked off the team and replaced by Connor Shaw. Not sure why we can't do the reverse if Franklin really can't throw the damn ball beyond 5 yards.

Sounds like Fisher may be back soon, and Ruth could be back by November.

The KC Star article on Franklin is not encouraging:

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/24...ts-to-cut.html

I actually have a frayed labrum right now; it's creating a lot of tendinitis and inflammation in the shoulder and it hurts like crazy anytime I throw. I've had to move across the infield because I have to put a hump on the ball to get it across.

If he's feeling anything similar to what I'm feeling (and it kinda sounds like he is), there's no way he can be effective out there. The shoulder feels loose and fire shoots through it anytime you try to muscle up. The only thing you can do to keep it tolerable is to essentially flex the shoulder as you throw and give it more wrist/elbow snap to compensate for the decreased whip motion in the joint.

If this is honestly his labrum acting up again, he's toast. Even if he can fight through the pain, the velocity isn't going to be there.

Replace Franklin with Berkstresser and I would agree. IMO I think Berk has a sronger arm and a quicker release than Franklin.

Pinkel's last three QBs at Mizzou are in the NFL, and he developed a ton of future NFL QBs at Washington. If he's not playing Berkstresser, there's likely a good reason why.

A go route really doesn't take a lot of time. From a protection standpoint, it's relatively easy to block for.

Probably because the kid:

Is inconsistent
Doesn't consistently make good decisions
Takes away a big part of the run game playbook

It's funny how people (especially on PowerMizzou) panic after one quarter season in which Missouri doesn't receive star quarterback play. The Tigers have had almost a decade of strong QB play under Pinkel, with the only exceptions being Year 1, Year 3, and the start of this season. That's a pretty amazing success rate.

Berkstresser has a big arm. But a big arm doesn't a magical offense make...

Seems to me that the superior competition takes away a big part of the run game playbook. We need a big arm. This bringing a knife to a gunfight shit isn't working.

Franklin is the better QB, I just don't think he is healthy.

The biggest concern I have isn't his health. It's that he took the snap and immediately stood flat-footed again. He should be beyond that by now. It's an entirely unathletic posture, and it slows down everything he does. If I were coaching, I'd have pulled him after the first play. The moment he does that shit, he needs to be benched for the series.

Franklin isn't a viable runner against SEC defenses.

Berks did it too against Arizona State. Until proven otherwise, I'm forced to conclude that the flat-footed stance is something that the quarterbacks coach is teaching Mizzou quarterbacks.

hmmm..Interesting thought....Also think that Yost is designing plays to match Franklins strengths(which is the option of running)..maybe design the plays to match Berks strength(which is his arm, a true QB) and he would be better than Franklin.

Bustin in.

I think that's the long and short of it.

In the SEC you have to be a passer or a runner - Franklin is some hybrid version where he is both but neither.

Newton and Tebow were winners because they were runners, elite, powerful runners. Franklin isn't that. He's not as strong, fast or agile as either of those 2.

Alternatively you can be a strong-armed passer like Bray, Wilson or Murray. Gabbert would have fit this mold. Berkstresser is close if he can develop his decisionmaking.

But Franklin strikes me as stuck in the middle and I don't think you can get away with that unless you're extremely accurate. Connor Shaw looks like that may be the type of QB he is. Chase Daniel could have been very similar to Shaw. You have to hope that Mauck is as well.

Oh, you can also have the most hellacious defense in the world like LSU or Bama and NFL talent everywhere but quarterback, that's one way to go about it.

I just don't see the hybrid passer thing working very well against this kind of competition.

I didn't get to watch much of that game. Was it a constant thing? Your post gave me a sick feeling. I hadn't even considered that it could be institutional stupidity.

I think Franklin does that flat-footed thing more and/or more radically than other MU QBs. I remember last year (Franklin's first as a starter) my Dad mentioning to me how much that drove him nuts, and I agreed. If Daniel and Gabbert did it too, it sure didn't stick out nearly as much.

Re: Run game vs. SEC defenses... with Missouri's trouble on the offensive line, that's going to be difficult under any circumstances. I'm a firm believer that even with a running QB, Missouri needs to add more triple option to its running game (Either from a two-back set, or from a areceiver in motion, or from a shovel pass on the backside, etc) to be successful running out of the zone read with any consistency.

Re: the flat-footed delivery...

That's something that's been around since Chase Daniel started at QB. I'm not sure what the reasoning is there or what the mechanic is, but it seems to be something they do when there is a pre-snap read dictating where to go (Seems to happen most vs. cover 3/on out patterns).

Mauk is (reportedly) pretty accurate and has a pretty strong arm. His release is a little odd, but it's not bad.

He doesn't have the cannon Berkstresser does, but reports on their accuracy coming out of HS are quite different. Mauk is supposedly much more advanced (which makes sense, considering Berk had crap QB coaching until Thomas took over before his SR year).

Just don't know if Franklin is going to be healthy enough to be effective this year. The player we saw last year was certainly a powerful enough runner and an accurate enough passer to be successful, even in the SEC. But this year's version sees him running tentatively and checking down practically as soon as he gets the football.

What I've read out of Mauk actually reminds me a bit of Colt McCoy.

Well, to be honest he reminds me a lot of Daniel, but that comparison just seems lazy.

He's faster/more athletic/less chubby than Chase.

So he's got that going for him, which is nice...

Adding to the problem is that the snaps, even when accurate, aren't crisp, accentuating any and all protection issues and speeding up the defense.

Mizzou has had success on quick slants and patterns to the middle of the field. And, FFS, the offense has to make some effort, any ****ing effort, to stretch the field, even if it's just for show.

Chase hauled ass for a fat kid.

I'm faster. /CP poster

Yeah, that was weird. You may be right, but I sure have no idea why anyone would coach that.

Did he do that stupid flip thing with the ball that Franklin does after catching the snap? I mean, as long as you're coaching terrible habits, you might as well coach them all.

4 days away from seeing Mizzou play in person for the first time since I moved from KC in 99. :)

Bump for Big Shel playing like a top 10 pick today...

Saw this outside the stadium today and it seemed appropriate for this thread.

That dude's a force.

Sheldon is on pace for 86 tackles, 13 TFL, and 5 sacks. He also leads the team in QBH.

Is this his last year of eligibility? I know It might not matter.

We heard how good he was for ages. Now we're seeing it.

He has another year if he wants it. If he keeps this up, I don't see how he won't be a first round pick. He's going to destroy the combine too.

So....

You're saying there's a chance.

He's dominated all this year and the last part of last year as well. Of course, some will still claim he isn't doing enough.

Recruiting update:

Removed Marcus Loud from the commit list. He visited Colorado this weekend and was quoted after the game as saying "he was done with Mizzou for now."

Not sure what the guy loves so much about Colorado (Pot?), but oh well.

Also, there were reports that Missouri got a commit from Darren Hambrick, the son of the former NFL player by the same name, but that isn't rock-solid yet. Might have been a premature report due to a misunderstanding.

Missouri has played the 3rd toughest schedule to this point.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt12.htm

Elvis Fisher looks to return against Vandy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/01...#storylink=cpy

I was surprised to hear that. I thought we might not see him again.

Quote from TJ Moe regarding injuries on the O-line:

"It's just hard to maintain. The defense is getting tired, but so is the offensive line, who is hanging on by a leg anyway. Half of them got knee problems. We got Jack, we got Elvis, we got a bunch of other guys you probably don't know about. They're just hanging on."

I love how Moe actually says things that mean something. Not just your typical sports cliches over and over.