“Why Stop Grinding?”

I know this is kind of long for a blog post, but I thought that this would be a great story to share on Oklahoma State cornerback Yves Batoba. I hope you enjoy.

No matter what Yves Batoba is doing, you can guarantee he’s not taking it for granted.

He has been through too much for anything to be dismissed.

Batoba, an Oklahoma State junior cornerback, was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

“People always ask me, ‘Did you see lions?’ but it’s nothing like that,” Batoba said. “It’s really just like South Dallas, just the houses probably weren’t as nice.”

Batoba lived in Democratic Republic of Congo until he was 6 when the Congo War broke out.

“We had to escape,” Batoba said. “We had to live as refugees for a bit because of the war. We were actually in Brazzaville, where the war began, because we were visiting my aunts and uncles.”

Leaving the war-torn country was difficult. To leave Brazzaville, Batoba, his parents, and four of his siblings (his youngest brother wasn’t born) had to take a boat across the Congo River back to Kinshasa.

The boat ride across the river would be easy. Getting to the boat was a different story.

“The only way to leave was to actually go through the war zone,” Batoba said. “We were on our elbows and knees, bullets flying above us. I just remember I was around 6 at the time, and just seeing bodies drop left and right.”

After Batoba and the rest of his family made it safely back to Kinshasa, it was time to pack up and move. Johannesburg, South Africa was the destination.

With Batoba’s family focusing on their home country, they didn’t realize South Africa wasn’t much better off.

“It was terrible over there,” Batoba said. “We moved there right at the end of apartheid and we didn’t know what apartheid was because we were living in Congo so we didn’t really know what was going on in South Africa. When we got there, we moved into a white neighborhood, and we would got robbed at least once a week. We got death threats and all sorts of stuff. So we left from there and moved to New York.”

Those two years spent moving from Democratic Republic of Congo to South Africa and the United States, were hard on Batoba.

But Batoba is a firm believer that every thing happens for a reason.

“Going through that experience, and seeing how my family was able to make it out of that, when so many people weren’t able to, you know that you’re here for a purpose,” Batoba said. “I don’t know what that purpose is, but I do know that God is moving. He’s making major moves and I pray every day, to just include me in those plans.”

After moving from New York to Irving, Texas, when Batoba was 8, his family moved to Keller, Texas, a place where Batoba lived for eight years before attending Oklahoma State.

Despite the problems Batoba encountered in Africa, his sister, Patricia, says home  holds a special place in his heart.

“Yves is so proud of where he came from and he will always stand up for his country,” Patricia said.

There is a six-year age difference between Patricia and Batoba, but the two are close. Patricia is one of Batoba’s two older sisters.

“When you have a big family, there’s always going to be one sibling that you’re closer to,” Patricia said. “He’s a guy I know I can always talk to, and he knows he can talk to me about anything.”

Although not everyone shares as close a bond as Batoba and Patricia do, Patricia said Batoba finds a way to get close with anyone he meets.

“I always admire his personality, he gets along with everybody,” Patricia said. “We had a fire in our house in Keller, and Keller is not too much of a community. Most people go to work and then come home and hang out with families. But Yves knew everybody in the neighborhood.

“The firefighters came and all the neighbors came out and they all asked how Yves was and he wasn’t even there. We were all standing there, but they just asked about him.”

His personality caught the eye of Terry Henley, a senior academic counselor for football at Oklahoma State University.

“He’s very well liked by his teammates,” Henley said. “You wouldn’t be able to tell that he was a walk-on. He’s very well respected.”

Batoba went to Keller High School before walking on to the football team at OSU.

When it came to deciding on a college to go to, Batoba’s personality played a role in the decision. With an outgoing personality like his, a communications major seemed to be the perfect fit.

“It really came down to LSU and Oklahoma State because of the broadcast programs,” Batoba said. “I knew that OSU was one of the only schools in the nation that had a sports media program. And LSU had a pretty good media program, too.”

Batoba initially came to OSU for the media possibilities, but he switched majors to Sports Management and Marketing shortly after arriving on campus.

The switch had nothing to do with the class schedules or other conflicts. The reason for the switch had more to do with something that involved him on the football field.

“Two summers ago, whenever the whole conference realignment stuff started happening, I got really interested,” Batoba said. “When Nebraska left, and then Colorado left, just keeping up with that and doing all the research I did with that just to keep my self informed, I got really interested. I started to see what was going on and I really like that field.”

Even though Batoba doesn’t pursue a communications degree, his personality and communication skills have helped him assume leadership roles.

Henley said Batoba is setting himself up nicely for success after school.

“He is the guy that needs to get his masters because he is management material,” Henley said. “He has those qualities that if I was hiring him, I would sit there and look and be saying to myself, ‘This is a young man that I’m going to groom to put up in a higher position after he learns the ropes.’ ”

Batoba is putting himself in leadership roles on campus.

He is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, an organization that provides help for student-athletes at Oklahoma State.

“Two years ago, I found out about the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee because of Deron Fontenot, who used to play football here,” Batoba said. “He was the marketing guy for SAAC, so I asked him about it because I had just switched over to sports management. He told me to come to some of the meetings and you’ll find out more about it. So I got involved with that as just a representative of the football team.”

That was Batoba’s freshman year. By his sophomore year, Batoba was the vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Batoba said some of the main goals of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee include helping out other student-athletes and keeping all the athletes informed about NCAA rules.

“We try to support each other in the athletic department,” Batoba said. “We pretty much try to get a representative from every sport to just tell their teammates about things that are going on within OSU Athletics and different events that we can participate in. We also have a leadership summit that we go to every summer with other members of the Big 12 to discuss NCAA rules and regulations. As far as the legal side of the NCAA, I’m pretty familiar with it. Like that story with Ochocinco.”

Unfortunately for Batoba and his sneaker collection, he knows the law.

Chad Ochocinco, the entertaining New England Patriots wide receiver, tweeted back at Batoba after Batoba commented on wanting a pair of Louboutin shoes, like the ones Ochocinco had.

Ochocinco tweeted back, offering to give Batoba a free pair, but Batoba had to decline because of the possibility of breaking an NCAA rule. The story got a lot of media coverage.

“My position coach (Jason Jones) came up to me and said, ‘I heard you’re talking to celebrities now.’ He told me it was on the front page of MSN.com,” Batoba said. “People are always like, ‘I would have taken the shoes,’ but I know the rules.”

After declining the shoe offer from Ochocinco, Batoba made sure to tweet the NCAA.

“Don’t worry NCAA, I turned em down… I know y’all were on yall’s way over here,” Batoba tweeted.

When Batoba isn’t doing school stuff, or working with football or the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, there is a good chance he’s doing something to better himself spiritually.

Patricia said Batoba shows his faith all the time, even if it’s not the cool thing to do.

“He’s always been the popular guy among his peers, but he’s not afraid to stand out for his faith,” Patricia said. “He is very confident with who he is.”

Batoba says his dedication to his faith comes from his family.

“I come from a religious family,” Batoba said. “And over the past couple years, I’ve been trying to grow spiritually. My No. 1 goal every day is just to seek God, and become more Christ-like. Whenever you look at Jesus’ life, every single day he had a purpose. He always knew what he was going to do that day. I can’t just not do anything one day.

“When you look at John 5 or Matthew 8, Jesus talks about how God doesn’t rest.  Whenever the disciples ask him why he isn’t eating or sleeping, he says because he has a job to get done. I feel like if I’m striving to be like Christ, why stop grinding?”

Even if Batoba wanted to rest, he rarely has time to do so. When class is over, it’s straight to homework, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, or football.

“Time management is just the biggest thing,” Batoba said. “There’s no time to be wasted.”

Football is a year-round thing at college programs like Oklahoma State. There is no down time.

When the season is over, the Cowboys start preparing for the next one. With the amount of time Batoba has spent working out during the past three years, it would be expected that he would be muscular, which he is. It would also be expected that he would love to work out, which he doesn’t.

He will do it, just don’t plan to become L.A. Fitness partners after school is done.

“I actually don’t like working out,” Batoba said. “I can run. I could run all day. I mean I’ll do it and I won’t complain about it, but whenever this whole football thing is over, I don’t see myself going to the weight room three times a week.”

Batoba won’t complain about working out, going to school or anything else.

Henley said Batoba’s work ethic and attitude stand out, even from afar.

“Yves falls into that category of guys that I don’t work with a lot because they are so professional with how they take care of business,” Henley said. “You can tell Yves is goal-oriented and his work ethic is off the charts.”

When Batoba isn’t busy with school, football, or the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, he fills his time with sports, friends and his faith.

“I play beach volleyball, of course,” Batoba said. “We have this thing called men’s group; it’s a Bible study, at my house every Monday night. Other than that, I really like to just focus on spiritual growth and just hanging out.”

Batoba doesn’t know where he is going when he graduates from OSU, but he is not the only college student to feel that way. Throughout his life he has learned to go with the flow and things will eventually work out.

But as a man who is so focused and goal-oriented, Batoba knows where he wants to end up.

“I want to eventually become an athletic director at a major college program,” Batoba said. “I wouldn’t mind going to the pros, but college athletics is where my heart is at.”

You have been warned, Mike Holder.

Breaking Down OSU’s 2012 Schedule

On Valentine’s Day, the Big 12 finally released its 2012 conference football schedule. This came after nearly a month of waiting because of West Virginia’s legal troubles leaving the Big East. But now that everything is set in stone, it’s time to look at OSU’s 2012 schedule. I didn’t want to pick a score, because so much can change between now and September. Instead, I chose to give my confidence level in OSU getting a win.

September 1 – Savannah State

Ah, the always exciting game FCS game. Honestly, there is nothing good that can come out of these games. Either you win by a lot (which is expected) or you barely win/lose or some key player can get hurt. Never good.

Confidence level of OSU winning: 10 out of 10

September 8 – @ Arizona

The third game in three years against Arizona for OSU. Arizona struggled all last year and it’s in the same boat as OSU with both teams losing their quarterback and best wide receiver. This game will be the first big test of the year for the Cowboys. No matter what happens in this game, there will be ridiculous exaggerations made by OSU fans.

If OSU wins, OSU is on the path to a second straight Fiesta Bowl!! If OSU loses, oh well, at least the last two years were fun. (The season will most likely be somewhere in the middle.)

Confidence level of OSU winning: 8 out of 10

September 15 – Louisiana-Lafayette

Another year, another game against the Ragin’ Cajuns. Another team the Cowboys have played three years in a row. Much like the first two, OSU should roll.

Confidence level: 10 out of 10

September 29 – Texas

This is when it gets fun. Having the first Big 12 game of the year against the Longhorns is awesome. Both teams start the year with questions at quarterback, so I’d expect a close game. OSU having a bye week the week before could be huge.

Confidence level: 5 out of 10

October 13 – @ Kansas

Interesting schedule twist: The Cowboys will play one game in the three weeks leading up to Kansas. Does that mean they’ll be healthy or come out flat? It shouldn’t matter against Charlie Weis and the Jayhawks.

Confidence level: 9 out of 10

October 20 – Iowa State

Oh boy. The Cyclones might as well wear OU on their helmets when they come to Boone Pickens Stadium. There will be no mercy from the Cowboys. Add to that the fact that it’s Homecoming and this has all the makings of a huge revenge game.

Confidence level: 7 out of 10

October 27 – TCU

The first of the two new Big 12 teams to come to Stillwater. It’s hard to tell what the Horned Frogs will look like (especially with all the news coming out of Fort Worth this week), but I’m looking forward to seeing the Frogs play in Boone.

Confidence level: 5 out of 10

November 3 – @ Kansas State

Last year’s most exciting game (not named the Fiesta Bowl). The Cowboys struggled against Collin Klein last year, but the defense is a year older and a year wiser. This game is scary for Oklahoma State because it’s in Manhattan.

Confidence level: 4 out of 10

November 10 – West Virginia

Welcome back, Dana Holgerson. Luckily for OSU, West Virginia plays TCU the week before and OU the week after they travel to Stillwater. A tough stretch for West Virginia, but they’re a strong team.

Confidence level: 4 out of 10

November 17 – Texas Tech

The last home game of the year. Last year, the Cowboys won 66-6 in Lubbock, I’d expect more of the same next year.

Confidence level: 9 out of 10

November 24 – @ Oklahoma

Bedlam moves back to Norman after two years in Stillwater. The Sooners will be looking for revenge after last year’s beatdown, and if healthy, they should get it.

Confidence level: 3 out of 10

December 1 – @ Baylor

It feels weird to end a regular season playing someone other than OU, and playing in Waco in December doesn’t make it feel any more normal. The Cowboys crushed Baylor with RG3 last year and this year should be more of the same.

Confidence level: 7 out of 10

NFL Conference Championship Picks

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (3:00 ET Sunday, CBS)

The Patriots, and specifically Tom Brady, put on a show last week against the Denver Broncos winning 45-10. Tom Brady threw six touchdowns, including five in the first half, to make sure this game was never in doubt. The Patriots come into this week’s game on fire, winning their last nine games.

The Ravens did not look so spectacular last weekend. Baltimore unimpressively beat the Houston Texans 20-13. Ray Rice ran for just 60 yards on 21 carries, but the defense carried the Ravens to the win. That, or T.J. Yates was really bad. (Probably a little bit of both.)

Needless to say, the Patriots have the momentum coming into this game. The Patriots are on fire, Tom Brady is in the zone and the Patriots get to play at home. The status of Ed Reed’s knee is concerning for Ravens fans, as well as his comments about his QB Joe Flacco. I’m not sure calling out your quarterback before going on the road for the AFC Championship is a good idea, but I’m glad someone called out Flacco. Flacco has looked bad all year. Maybe they should just have Ray Rice run and throw the ball. He is 1-for-1 with 1 TD on the year.

Some people have the Ravens as an upset pick, but I don’t see it. The Ravens just aren’t that good of a road team. They went 4-4 on the road this year with losses at the Jaguars, Seahawks, Titans and Chargers. Not exactly the cream of the crop in the NFL.

Tom Brady will keep rolling because no one can stop the tight ends and Wes Welker.

Pick: New England 30-16

 

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers (6:30 ET Sunday, FOX)

The Giants and 49ers both have a lot of momentum coming into this game. The Giants beat the 15-1 Packers in Lambeau thanks to some mistakes from Aaron Rodgers and his receivers, but the Giants deserved the win. They made the big plays and they didn’t make any crucial mistakes.

The 49ers won the most exciting game of the weekend thanks to some great play calls (See: Alex Smith’s 28-yard TD run) and great individual performances (See: Vernon Davis and his 180 receiving yards with 2 TD’s).

These teams played each other on Nov. 13 in San Francisco and the 49ers won 27-20. The Giants didn’t play well that day, Eli Manning threw 2 INT’s and they only had 93 rushing yards. Some of this can be attributed to the 49ers great defense, but the Giants didn’t have RB Ahmad Bradshaw who is such a big factor in New York’s offense. Unlike his fellow RB Brandon Jacobs, Bradshaw is quick and his ability to make a difference in the passing game opens up the field for the big play wide receivers.

I like that Bradshaw is back for the Giants, I like that the Giants defense is finally healthy and I like Eli Manning in January. But mostly, I don’t like picturing Alex Smith winning the NFC Championship.

Pick: NY Giants 27-18

NFL Divisional Weekend Picks

New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers (4:30 ET Saturday, FOX)

The second round of the NFL playoffs starts Saturday afternoon with the best matchup of the weekend. The Saints offense got off to a rough start against the Lions last week with two fumbles in the first half. After halftime, Drew Brees and his friends took control of the game scoring five touchdowns on five possessions.

I think the Saints offense will build on the momentum they built up last week to beat the 49ers. The 49ers have an outstanding defense, but the Saints have proved they can score on anybody. The big issue people were having with the Saints advancing deep into the playoffs this year was the fact that the Saints were going to have to beat teams outside, rather than play in their cozy dome. The weather doesn’t look like it will be an issue, so I’ll take the Saints big.

Pick: New Orleans 31-10

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots (8:00 ET Saturday, CBS)

Tim Tebow led the Broncos to a huge win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. 316 passing yards with 2 passing TD’s and one rushing score was pretty impressive for Tebow’s first-ever playoff game. With all the talk about Tebow in the past week, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas’ performance got completely overlooked. Thomas had 204 yards receiving and the game-winning TD. I like Thomas’ skills and his size, so it was good to see him play well in a big game.

Unfortunately for Tebow and the Broncos, we’ve seen this game before.

And there’s no reason to expect anything different this time around. The Patriots are healthy and this time they have the luxury of playing at home. Even though the Pats are the one-seed in the AFC, they are still vulnerable to an upset on their way to the Super Bowl. But not this week.

Pick: New England 38-13

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens (1:00 ET Sunday, CBS)

The Texans dominated the Cincinnati Bengals last week, but the Baltimore Ravens are a different animal. The Ravens have a great defense and they also have running back Ray Rice on offense. Rice finished second in rushing yards this season with 1,364 yards and 12 TD’s. Rice also caught 76 passes for 704 yards and 3 TD’s and he even threw a passing TD.

Rice will be nice and I think T.J. Yates will struggle with the staunch Raven D. Yates has looked component in the starting QB role, but it takes more than a component quarterback to advance far in the playoffs. (Unless you’re Super Bowl-winning Trent Dilfer.)

Pick: Baltimore 17-9

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers (4:30 ET Sunday, FOX)

In most cases, I would say that it is better to have a bye in the first week of the playoffs than to have to play another game. But for high scoring teams that rely on tempo like the Giants and Packers, I would rather play in the first week of the playoffs to make sure I’m firing on all cylinders. The Giants are rolling, while Aaron Rodgers and most of the offensive starters for the Packers haven’t played a game in two weeks.

The Packers may come out sluggish, and if the Giants can pounce, the Pack will be in trouble. We’ve seen teams struggle going into Lambeau Field on cold, January days. Fortunately for the Giants, they play well in the cold with their power running game duo of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs.

Eli Manning has had a fantastic year and I think he keeps it going in this game. The rust will show for the Packers in the first half. I think the Giants will get the early lead and ride it to another victory.

Pick: New York Giants 34-31

 

NFL Wild Card Weekend Picks

Sorry for the lack of posts over the past week. I’ve been busy getting ready to head back to school, but you can expect more regular posts starting on Monday!

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans

I want to pick the Bengals, but Andy Dalton’s health concerns me. The Texans must think it’s laughable that people are concerned with the health of the Bengals starting QB. Houston’s entire roster has been on the injured list at some point this year.

Houston will win this one because Arian Foster is way better than Cedric Benson. Neither team is going to let their QB’s fling the ball around in this game because there is too much at stake. A better running game, along with home field advantage will carry the Texans to the next round.

Pick: Houston 24-16

 

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints

I have a feeling this game will be a lot like the last game these two played against each other.

Drew Brees will get his team out to a big lead, only to see Matthew Stafford and the Lions rack up big yards to make the score look semi-reasonable. The Saints are too good to lose to this Lions team. They have the home field advantage and as we’ve seen all year with the penalties that the Lions continue to rack up, this Detroit team is not mentally prepared to win in January.

Pick: New Orleans 38-28

 

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants

This is the game I’m looking forward to the most. Both teams have won three of their last four. The Falcons are 4-4 on the road, while the Giants are 4-4 at home. Both teams have great WR’s: Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz vs. Roddy White and Julio Jones.

The main reasons I’m taking the Giants are because I like the ability for the G-Men to get pressure on Matt Ryan and because this game is being played outdoors. The Falcons are a dome team that was built to play fast under pristine conditions.

Also, Eli Manning at home seems a lot safer than picking Matt Ryan on the road.

Pick: NY Giants 31-27

 

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos

The Steelers have injuries everywhere. That list doesn’t even include starting safety Ryan Clark, or starting RB Rashard Mendenhall, who tore his ACL last week.

If this game were a month ago, the Broncos would be picked to win this game. But Tim Tebow has struggled mightily (In two games against Kansas City this year, Tebow completed a total of eight passes) and the defense isn’t helping either.

This Pittsburgh defense is too good, and they will be able to stop Denver’s one-dimensional rushing attack.

Pick: Pittsburgh 20-6

Thoughts from the Fiesta Bowl

Things looked bleak for the OSU Cowboys as Andrew Luck drove Stanford down the field with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter of the Fiesta Bowl. The score was tied and Luck was picking apart the tired Cowboy defense.

Luck was 8-for-8 passing in the fourth quarter, including 5-for-5 on the last drive of regulation, setting up his team to win back-to-back BCS Bowls.

Stanford was a chip shot field goal away from sending Andrew Luck out on top. The last chapter of Luck’s historic college career looked to be his greatest.

With 52 seconds left, the Cardinal offense became inexplicably conservative. The second coming of Peyton Manning was resigned to handing the ball off twice before Jordan Williamson came on to kick a 35-yard field goal to put an exclamation point on the end of Luck’s book.

But the kick went left.

Overtime.

Twenty minutes, and another missed field goal later, the Oklahoma State Cowboys were celebrating their school’s first BCS bowl victory in the middle of University of Phoenix Stadium.

Stanford may have had Mr. Luck, but Lady Luck was on the Pokes side.

Here are some of my thoughts on OSU’s biggest win in school history:

• Crazy stat from CBSSports.com college football writer, Brett McMurphy: Mike Gundy was 13-15 before the “I’m a man, I’m 40″ rant. Since then, he is 46-15. 46-15!!! He’s more than a man, he is the man!
• COLTON CHELF!!!!! Five catches for 97 yards for the 5’9″ former walk-on. Before the Fiesta Bowl, Chelf had 27 catches for 394 yards for his career! Tracy Moore’s absence opened the door for someone to step up, and Chelf did. What a fantastic game and a great way for the senior to go out.
• Justin Blackmon is really good. He was born to catch touchdowns and he did just that in Glendale. Blackmon’s three receiving touchdowns tied a Fiesta Bowl record and his 21-yard catch on 4th & 3 in the fourth quarter was one of the biggest plays in school history. If Blackmon doesn’t get that first down, Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson would have had a much better Fiesta Bowl experience.
• I’m glad I had a chance to see Andrew Luck in person. Viewing him from afar, I was a bit skeptical of all the hype surrounding Luck. He’s been talked about nonstop since the middle of last season. Now that I’ve seen him in person though, I’m sold. He was 8-for-8 in the fourth quarter, he can throw on the run, he can scramble for positive yards and even though he handed the ball off 45 times, you could tell he was in complete control of this game.
• Oklahoma State’s defense did not play as poorly as the final score would indicate. It seems like OSU apologists have been saying that all year. However, the defense’s ability to contain Stanford was impressive considering they were on the field for a staggering 41 minutes and 47 seconds, not including overtime. (Compared to OSU having the ball for only 18 minutes and 13 seconds.) They gave up a lot of yards on the ground, but they made plays when they had to. They kept OSU in the game when the offense struggled at the beginning of the game and they forced a critical field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter to keep the Cowboys within a score of Stanford, 31-24.
• Stanford’s band is the most overrated band of all time and completely classless. No one I was with could understand what they were doing. All we could hear was annoying banging of drums. It didn’t sound good because you couldn’t tell what they were playing and their lack of respect was ridiculous. The band played throughout the trophy presentation and OSU’s alma mater. Very disappointing.
• Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor was impressive. His O-Line was opening up huge holes, but Taylor’s ability to push for the additional yards was outstanding. It seemed like it took two or three OSU defenders to take him down every play.
• Brandon Weeden tore another defense to shreds. And his mobility was on full display (Granted, it’s not much of a display) with his two-yard TD run to tie the game at 21 before halftime. (I winced, I held my breath, I closed my eyes, I cried, I cheered and then I passed out during the two-yard score.) After a terrible first pass that resulted in an interception, Weeden went 29/41 for 399 yards and 3 TD’s. Weeden went 12-for-14 in the fourth quarter and he threw a perfect ball to Colton Chelf on the 24-yard gain in overtime that sealed the victory.
• As Quinn Sharp’s game-winning field goal split the uprights late Monday night, the OSU crowd cheered on their champions as the players donned “Fiesta Bowl Champs” shirts and hats. A 12-win season, Big 12 Champions and Fiesta Bowl Champions. What a year.
• Hearing the cheers of “Orange Power” as we walked out of University of Phoenix Stadium was awesome, but it left me with one question: When does next season start?

Why RG3 should go pro

Robert Griffin III has had a busy year.

He won the Heisman, led the Baylor Bears to a 10-win season and won one of the most exciting bowl games in bowl history.

While he’s had a busy year, there’s still one more big decision for him to make.

The redshirt junior has the option to return to Waco, Texas or he can go to the NFL Draft.

If I’m RG3, there is no way I’m going back to campus next fall and here’s why:

• His draft stock will never be higher. Griffin just won the Heisman while throwing for 4,293 yards and 37 TD’s. Griffin also ran for 100 yards two times this year and had 10 rushing TD’s. His mobility was on full display last night when he broke multiple tackles and escaped a sack to score on a 24-yard run. RG3 is a hybrid between two highly successful QB’s that are bringing a new wave of quarterbacking to the league. RG3 mixes the great passing of Cam Newton with the quick speed of Michael Vick. He will be a first round pick, which means guaranteed millions for Griffin.
• Possibility of getting hurt. If Griffin comes back and gets hurt, his draft stock will fall and questions of his durability (warranted or not) will come up. Also, if Griffin does get hurt, it won’t be the first time. He had season-ending knee surgery in 2009 after getting hurt in the third game of the year. With two big injuries in the span of four years, it’s possible NFL teams would want to pass on the potential risk of taking RG3.
• Terrance Ganaway is not walking through that door. Two important pieces of this year’s Baylor team Terrance Ganaway (scored 5 TD’s in the Alamo Bowl) and Kendall Wright (108 catches, 1,663 yards and 10 TD’s) are both seniors. And let’s be honest, it’s not like the Baylor Bears will win 10 games again. RG3 should leave on top.
• RG3 has already graduated. Griffin received a degree in political science in December 2010 after only three years on campus. There’s no reason to pull a Matt Leinart and take ballroom dancing and waste time in Waco when he could be setting himself up for life.

Why Darren Sproles should be in the Pro Bowl

The Pro Bowl roster announcements came out earlier this week and all the names you would expect are there. Looking over all the positions, it’s hard to argue with any of the picks.

The NFC Running Back slot features LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte and Frank Gore. I don’t have an issue with these choices but I would have loved to see New Orleans RB Darren Sproles get a chance to play in the Pro Bowl. He deserves it.

The problem with Sproles is that it would be hard to justify putting him at running back. He has been splitting carries all year with Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and even Chris Ivory. “Splitting carries” is a very loose term. Usually Sproles comes in for a “quick change of pace,” while Thomas and Ingram handle a majority of the runs.

He doesn’t have enough rushing yards to warrant a Pro Bowl selection at RB, but it’s the other stuff that he does that make him so valuable to the Saints and has left Saints fans saying, “Reggie Who?”

Take a look at the stats:

81 catches for 681 yards and 6 TD’s as a 5’6″ running back. Sproles is fourth in the NFC in receptions and sixth in the whole NFL. This is truly amazing. The next NFC running back on the list of reception leaders is Matt Forte with 52. Yes, Forte is hurt. But before his injury, Forte was on the field nearly every snap for the Bears. Imagine if Sproles was on the field for more than just half his teams plays. Sproles has more catches this year than Tony Gonzalez, Larry Fitzgerald and Hakeem Nicks. Wow.

81 carries for 563 yards and 2 TD’s. Sproles average yards per carry of 7.0 is the best among all running backs in the NFC. In fact, he averages a yard more per carry than any other running back in the NFC. (Next closest is Redskins RB Evan Royster, who has only 36 carries on the year.)

38 kick returns for 1,035 yards (Second most in the NFC) and a punt return TD.

The man can (and has) done it all. The NFL needs to establish a new position for players like Sproles to get into the Pro Bowl. He won’t get the chance as a RB and being named to the Pro Bowl as a “special teamer” would diminish the fact that Sproles is a solid RB and a tremendous receiver.

Call him a Utility man, call him a flex man, call him a better version of Reggie Bush.

But for goodness’ sake NFL, call him a Pro Bowler.

Brandon Weeden’s Updated Draft Prospects

Brandon Weeden won’t be a lottery pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

I’m not breaking any news there, but with USC QB Matt Barkley announcing earlier today that he’s returning to L.A. next fall, the list of QB’s ahead of Weeden in the 2012 Draft has shortened again.

Andrew Luck (Stanford), Robert Griffin III (Baylor) and Landry Jones (Oklahoma) are the three quarterbacks consistently ranked above Weeden on lists of top quarterbacks in the draft. Even with a good Fiesta Bowl performance, Weeden won’t reach that trio, but he does have a chance to further separate himself from the likes of Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M) and Nick Foles (Arizona).

Interesting to note: After the Fiesta Bowl, Weeden and his Cowboys will have played all the quarterbacks I just listed throughout the season. We don’t know what will happen in Glendale on Jan. 2, but Weeden is 4-0 so far against his fellow highly-rated QB’s this year, and he has outplayed all of them.

The main reasons that Weeden is not projected to go higher in the Draft is because of his age and a lack of mobility.

The age conundrum is a much bigger issue for Weeden than his lack of RG3-like speed. Weeden merely needs to point out the success that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have had despite spending a majority of their time in the pocket.

As for the question of age: Yes, Weeden is 28. Yes, that’s six to seven years older than his fellow QB’s, but Weeden has proven that he is ready for the NFL. OSU Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken has said numerous times that there’s not a throw that Weeden can’t make. Weeden is also physically and mentally strong enough to step in and play in the NFL right now.

Quarterbacks like RG3 (who may return to Baylor next year, thus moving Weeden up another notch on the NFL Draft QB totem pole) will take time to mature and in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of the NFL, sometimes it’s better to roll the dice with the guy that is ready to start for your team  on day one.

There are plenty of NFL teams that could use a Quarterback like Weeden next year. (Houston and Kansas City would have loved to have him now.)

Look for Weeden to go somewhere where he can either start right away, or be a backup to a starter that’s on a short leash.

The three places that I would love to see him go:

1. San Francisco – The 49ers are having a fantastic year, but it’s been because of their running game and their superb defense that they won the NFC West. Alex Smith isn’t getting it done throwing the ball downfield and it would be cool to see Weeden pair up with Kendall Hunter again.
2. Seattle – Similar situation to San Francisco. The Seahawks are winning despite their QB play. Bringing in Weeden will put an end to the experiment that everyone knew was going to fail except for Pete Carroll (starting Tarvaris Jackson) and will open up bigger holes for Marshawn Lynch.
3. Baltimore – It’s no secret that the Ravens aren’t happy with Joe Flacco’s play. (Fantasy owners aren’t happy either. Thanks for nothing, Flacco.) A couple bad weeks at the beginning of next season could open the door for Weeden to go in and win the starting job. Weeden loves the spotlight and could thrive with the Ravens and all the weapons around him in Baltimore. (So many weapons, so little fantasy production from Flacco. But I’m not bitter.)