Has Bill O'Reilly weighed in on this yet?
Seems like everybody else on the planet has chimed in on Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy's now infamous postgame theatrics Saturday. It's something that isn't going to go away anytime soon.
Nor should it.
What we are talking about is a talented athlete — junior quarterback Bobby Reid. A prized recruit who was expected to be the one to take Oklahoma State football to the Promised Land. Listening to and reading the comments of those experts just a few years ago, you would have thought the young man from Houston was the No. 2 man on the O-State totem pole behind only deep-pocketed alum T. Boone Pickens.
As a senior at North Shore High in Houston, the 6-foot-3, 235-pounder accounted for 38 touchdowns — 22 passing and 16 rushing — and led his team to Texas' Class 5A state championship.
Before his arrival in Stillwater, there was a buzz about the program's next sports superstar. Heck, a book was written about him before he took a collegiate snap.
It also was written on more than one occasion that Reid would immediately challenge returning starter Donovan Woods for the quarterback spot. He was on campus early for the spring of 2004 and impressed plenty with his play during spring drills.
However, an injury sent him into the offseason, and a redshirt year was in order later that fall.
Coach Les Miles' last season in Stillwater resulted in a 7-5 record and a loss to Ohio State in the Alamo Bowl. Miles left for LSU and Mike Gundy, Miles' offensive coordinator, became the head coach.
Woods started the first two games of 2005 over Reid after a very competitive preseason. But after two underwhelming wins — 15-10 over Montana State and 23-3 at Florida Atlantic — the decision was made to send Woods to defense and insert Reid at quarterback.
Injuries would keep Reid on the field for just five games as a redshirt freshman. He completed 52 of 108 passes for 602 yards with four interceptions and two touchdowns as the Pokes fell to 4-7 and missed a bowl game for the first time since 2001.
His sophomore season was supposed to be the breakout time for Reid. There were 24 touchdown passes and 2,266 yards of passing, and Oklahoma State returned to a bowl game, where it beat Alabama.
But it wasn't smooth sailing.
Late in the game against Texas Tech in the second to last week of the season, Reid came off the field injured, with the Cowboys driving. He returned, but the Cowboys fell 30-24. It was one of four losses on the final play of the game during a 7-6 season.
In the final game of 2006, against Oklahoma, Reid was replaced by Zac Robinson on the game's final possession. The Sooners won 27-21, but going into the offseason it was evident that Reid would again be in a battle for the starting spot.
From all indications, there was no quarterback controversy when this season kicked off at Georgia. The OSU coaching staff made it clear that Reid won the spot and would be the quarterback this fall.
A loss to the Bulldogs didn't help Reid's cause. He completed 16 of 30 passes for 191 yards at Sanford Stadium and didn't look comfortable doing it.
Another injury, against Florida Atlantic in Week 2, sent Reid to the bench and Robinson under center, where he was part of a disastrous 41-23 loss at Troy in Week 3.
Gundy named Robinson the starter for the Troy game, not because of injury but because he practiced better, according to the coaches.
Robinson, a sophomore from Colorado, might be the starter for the remainder of 2007 after his performance in a 49-45 victory over Texas Tech.
Reid played a handful of plays against Tech, mainly blocking as a wide receiver.
That's where it ends. A big-time recruit hasn't lived up to expectations. It's not as if it hasn't happened before at every program in the country.
If anyone is frustrated about the whole situation, it is probably Reid, who happens to be one of the nicest young men you'll ever get a chance to talk to. And it's not as if the guy has been terrible, he just hasn't been playing like so many — including coaches — thought he would as a junior quarterback with a full season of experience.
Having to pull the trigger, naming Robinson as the starter, wasn't an easy decision for Gundy.
The Pokes weren't very good in Alabama. Less than a year after beating the Crimson Tide in the Independence Bowl, it was the Trojans of Troy who sent the Cowboys back to Stillwater with wounded egos.
The Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson made sure Cowboy fans knew how bad it was. The team was 1-2, and one of its biggest recruits in school history wasn't up to the task. He was most likely humiliated. Wouldn't you be?
If you watched Saturday's game against Texas Tech, then you probably noticed a team playing with some attitude. It seemed most of the Cowboys contingent was playing like a team whose manhood had been questioned.
After the game, Gundy took Carlson and The Oklahoman to task. It's been called a rant, a tirade, an explosion, a meltdown.
And the days since have been about choosing sides. Journalist with journalist. Coach with coach.
Those lines have become skewed as plenty of journalist types have found plenty of flaws in Carlson's story. Most of the Big 12 Conference's coaches, during their weekly teleconference on Monday, said the media has become more of a nuisance and that the relationship continues to sour.
The debate here is about a trust that has been deteriorating for years. Coaches have weekly press luncheons instead of taking calls during the week. Practices are closed and players aren't available after Mondays anymore.
There was a time when a cold beer or two was shared between coach and editor and the conversation remained "off the record."
You can blame the Internet, an oversaturated sports market, too many overzealous fans with too much time on their hands — whatever or whoever you want to blame, those days are long gone.
It's as simple as this: How can sportswriters, without first-hand knowledge of a situation, sign their name to an editorial? Even worse are the bloggers who come up with a catchy nickname and hide behind a rumor or something they were told by someone "close to the program."
Bobby Reid is not a kid. He's a young man the same age as many currently living — and dying — in Iraq. Should he be able to take some criticism from someone who really has no clue what it's like to be hit by a blitzing 250-pound linebacker? Yes.
Did Jenni Carlson deserve to be dressed down in public? No.
But perhaps she did get a taste of her own medicine, something that more and more of the new breed of journalist deserves.
Discuss Add this link to... Bury
Seems like everybody else on the planet has chimed in on Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy's now infamous postgame theatrics Saturday. It's something that isn't going to go away anytime soon.
Nor should it.
What we are talking about is a talented athlete — junior quarterback Bobby Reid. A prized recruit who was expected to be the one to take Oklahoma State football to the Promised Land. Listening to and reading the comments of those experts just a few years ago, you would have thought the young man from Houston was the No. 2 man on the O-State totem pole behind only deep-pocketed alum T. Boone Pickens.
As a senior at North Shore High in Houston, the 6-foot-3, 235-pounder accounted for 38 touchdowns — 22 passing and 16 rushing — and led his team to Texas' Class 5A state championship.
Before his arrival in Stillwater, there was a buzz about the program's next sports superstar. Heck, a book was written about him before he took a collegiate snap.
It also was written on more than one occasion that Reid would immediately challenge returning starter Donovan Woods for the quarterback spot. He was on campus early for the spring of 2004 and impressed plenty with his play during spring drills.
However, an injury sent him into the offseason, and a redshirt year was in order later that fall.
Coach Les Miles' last season in Stillwater resulted in a 7-5 record and a loss to Ohio State in the Alamo Bowl. Miles left for LSU and Mike Gundy, Miles' offensive coordinator, became the head coach.
Woods started the first two games of 2005 over Reid after a very competitive preseason. But after two underwhelming wins — 15-10 over Montana State and 23-3 at Florida Atlantic — the decision was made to send Woods to defense and insert Reid at quarterback.
Injuries would keep Reid on the field for just five games as a redshirt freshman. He completed 52 of 108 passes for 602 yards with four interceptions and two touchdowns as the Pokes fell to 4-7 and missed a bowl game for the first time since 2001.
His sophomore season was supposed to be the breakout time for Reid. There were 24 touchdown passes and 2,266 yards of passing, and Oklahoma State returned to a bowl game, where it beat Alabama.
But it wasn't smooth sailing.
Late in the game against Texas Tech in the second to last week of the season, Reid came off the field injured, with the Cowboys driving. He returned, but the Cowboys fell 30-24. It was one of four losses on the final play of the game during a 7-6 season.
In the final game of 2006, against Oklahoma, Reid was replaced by Zac Robinson on the game's final possession. The Sooners won 27-21, but going into the offseason it was evident that Reid would again be in a battle for the starting spot.
From all indications, there was no quarterback controversy when this season kicked off at Georgia. The OSU coaching staff made it clear that Reid won the spot and would be the quarterback this fall.
A loss to the Bulldogs didn't help Reid's cause. He completed 16 of 30 passes for 191 yards at Sanford Stadium and didn't look comfortable doing it.
Another injury, against Florida Atlantic in Week 2, sent Reid to the bench and Robinson under center, where he was part of a disastrous 41-23 loss at Troy in Week 3.
Gundy named Robinson the starter for the Troy game, not because of injury but because he practiced better, according to the coaches.
Robinson, a sophomore from Colorado, might be the starter for the remainder of 2007 after his performance in a 49-45 victory over Texas Tech.
Reid played a handful of plays against Tech, mainly blocking as a wide receiver.
That's where it ends. A big-time recruit hasn't lived up to expectations. It's not as if it hasn't happened before at every program in the country.
If anyone is frustrated about the whole situation, it is probably Reid, who happens to be one of the nicest young men you'll ever get a chance to talk to. And it's not as if the guy has been terrible, he just hasn't been playing like so many — including coaches — thought he would as a junior quarterback with a full season of experience.
Having to pull the trigger, naming Robinson as the starter, wasn't an easy decision for Gundy.
The Pokes weren't very good in Alabama. Less than a year after beating the Crimson Tide in the Independence Bowl, it was the Trojans of Troy who sent the Cowboys back to Stillwater with wounded egos.
The Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson made sure Cowboy fans knew how bad it was. The team was 1-2, and one of its biggest recruits in school history wasn't up to the task. He was most likely humiliated. Wouldn't you be?
If you watched Saturday's game against Texas Tech, then you probably noticed a team playing with some attitude. It seemed most of the Cowboys contingent was playing like a team whose manhood had been questioned.
After the game, Gundy took Carlson and The Oklahoman to task. It's been called a rant, a tirade, an explosion, a meltdown.
And the days since have been about choosing sides. Journalist with journalist. Coach with coach.
Those lines have become skewed as plenty of journalist types have found plenty of flaws in Carlson's story. Most of the Big 12 Conference's coaches, during their weekly teleconference on Monday, said the media has become more of a nuisance and that the relationship continues to sour.
The debate here is about a trust that has been deteriorating for years. Coaches have weekly press luncheons instead of taking calls during the week. Practices are closed and players aren't available after Mondays anymore.
There was a time when a cold beer or two was shared between coach and editor and the conversation remained "off the record."
You can blame the Internet, an oversaturated sports market, too many overzealous fans with too much time on their hands — whatever or whoever you want to blame, those days are long gone.
It's as simple as this: How can sportswriters, without first-hand knowledge of a situation, sign their name to an editorial? Even worse are the bloggers who come up with a catchy nickname and hide behind a rumor or something they were told by someone "close to the program."
Bobby Reid is not a kid. He's a young man the same age as many currently living — and dying — in Iraq. Should he be able to take some criticism from someone who really has no clue what it's like to be hit by a blitzing 250-pound linebacker? Yes.
Did Jenni Carlson deserve to be dressed down in public? No.
But perhaps she did get a taste of her own medicine, something that more and more of the new breed of journalist deserves.
Discuss Add this link to... Bury
LinksMarker is a Web 2.0 content management system
Comments