Thursday Maroon & White Links

Tim Griffin doesn't think too much of the Aggie offense heading into the season.  We're ranked 10th in the Big 12.

10. Texas A&M: Jerrod Johnson won the starting quarterback job this summer, but I was surprised that Ryan Tannehill will remain behind him as a backup rather than a wide receiver where he was the team’s leading receiver this season. Jeff Fuller might be one of the Big 12’s most underrated wide receivers and Jamie McCoy is a productive, pass-catching tight end. A bigger, stronger Cyrus Gray will get the start at tailback, although heralded freshman Christine Michael will push him for playing time. The biggest question remains an offensive line that struggled with injuries and produced only 89 yards rushing and 39 sacks. If they are healthy, they might be a surprise after last year’s consistent struggles.

 To put things in perspective, Griffin ranks Colorado's offense #8, despite the fact that they have no starting QB, and their offense was absolutely atrocious last season. The only offenses he thinks are worse than A&M's are Iowa State and Kansas State. I would rank both of those offenses above Colorado. Credibility, thy name is not Tim Griffin.

Griffin also lists A&M as having two games to watch in the Big 12 season to come; the games against Texas Tech and Baylor make his list of top ten games to watch in the Big 12 this season.

7. Texas A&M at Texas Tech, Oct. 24: It’s always a good time when the Aggies and Red Raiders meet, particularly after the verbal volleys between Mike Leach and Mike Sherman this spring. Leach has dominated this series in recent years. Leach has never lost to the Aggies in Lubbock, averaging 50 points there in his last three games.

9. Baylor at Texas A&M, Nov. 21: The "Battle of the Brazos" might end up determining a bowl berth this season. Baylor claimed a 41-10 win last year, but will need another big effort to win at Kyle Field for the first time since 1984 against an Aggie program that doesn’t want to cede anything to them.

R.C. Slocum went and spoke to the Aggie defense about the legacy of the Wrecking Crew. What was more interesting to me was this section of the article:

Slocum never stepped foot in the Bright Building, an incredible recruiting tool he helped get built, until Sherman was hired less than two years ago. He wasn't invited before then.

The fact that Dennis Franchione was so insecure he didn't want R.C. near the team or program, or even in the facility he helped build speaks volumes about Franchione.

Mike Locksley is looking forward to his beginning his head coaching career at Kyle Field.

"We like a challenge," said Locksley at the Lobos weekly press confernece on Tuesday. "As a program we're excited about the challenge of playing in front of the 12th Man at Kyle Field," added Locksley who came to New Mexico after being the offensive coordinator at Illinois the last four years.

I think Locksley is going to be a good head coach, but I think his debut may end up being a game he will want to forget. At least, I hope it is.

Lobos QB Donovan Porterie has been seeing a sports psychologist.

That, thanks to UNM’s forward-thinking sports administration, Porterie had done some extremely productive work with a sports psychologist.

That is what you want to hear about your starting quarterback heading into a season. However, this is what you want to hear from your new head coach:

I think, as a coaching staff, we’ve got to do a great job of adjusting throughout the course of the game," he said. "It’s gonna be a game of adjustments.

Clearly, Locksley embraces the challenge and believes he’s well-equipped. Ralph Friedgen, for whom Locksley worked at Maryland, established the blueprint.

"In games, we’re charting and evaluating," Locksley said. "What we saw on tape, is that what they’re doing?

"We need to make the (necessary) adjustments to effectively move the ball against what we’re actually getting, compared to what we thought we were gonna get."

 Those who suffered through the Franchione Era, and then watched the changes as the Sherman Era began last season, can attest to the fact that having a coaching staff that makes adjustments at halftime is indeed a good thing.