Monday, November 16, 2009

MU vs K State

WHAT I...


LIKE: Well it seemed as if the Tigers got back to the fundamentals of the game. You know the blocking, catching ,tackling, running etc. They came out smoking and didn't let up on the steam until the final whistle went off. Gabbert to Alexander for the touchdown, is my new saying. These two guys, off course with the help of the team, have shined on many occasions throughout this season. Alexander 10 rec 200 yds and 3 TD's IS one of the top wide-outs in the country. He continues to dominate and will leave his mark in MU history books. Of course with Alexander numbers, you have to give credit to the QB and O-Line for playing a solid game. The defense bounced back as well. As I stated before I think that the Tigers have a future in Aldon Smith at end, as well as a good ball player in Will Ebner at linebacker. The special teams was sound and solid, and as I know that's what any good coach is looking for at the least from its special team.


DISLIKE: When a team comes out and play a solid all around game, it's kind of hard for you to find something to dislike. I'm no hater by any means, so that mean it's kind of hard for me to dig for dirt and hate just to say that I disliked something about the game. I can say this, that the Tigers played a remarkable game, and what ever happened that I disliked, was over shadowed by my likes! Great Job Tigers!


SUGGEST: I'll say it again. Way to go Tigers! Build off this momentum and finish the season strong. With a even playing field in the Big 12 this season, only so many bowl games exist for only so many Big 12 teams. With almost all the teams having identical records, which are bowl eligible, the Tigers need to run the table and get the remaining of the wins on their schedule to be able to get a bowl game this year. Although Mizzou has a great advantage with fan support and a growing program, the bowl committee will still need to see WINS from MU for the rest of this season. MU goal is a bowl!


TC's Tiger of the Week:

D Alexander: (See picture above)

10 rec 200 yds 3 TD's

Sunday, November 8, 2009

MU vs Baylor

WHAT I...


LIKE: Well it's kind of hard to like something about this game, when you lose to Baylor.....not to under mind Baylor, they played a great game, but come on Tiger's, Baylor? The offense came out fast and played well in the first half. I don't care what anybody say, I believe Blaine will only get better with Time, like wine! Don't lose faith in him just yet. Dude is a raw talent. As far as my mans D Alexander, like I have said numerous times, he is one of the top WR in the country. It's a saying "men lie, women lie, numbers don't"! D Alexander 13 rec 214 yd 2 TD! Great job DA!


DISLIKE: DEFENSE (clap clap) DEFENSE! Yes I'm rooting for the D, but I think they let the team down in this game. As a former defensive captain and defensive back, I was truly sadden by the play of the secondary. These guys are out there playing with NO confidence. As a former Post Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year, and being rated as one of the top defensive backs in the country coming out of high school, I can tell you a few secrets on how to be successful in the secondary, and it's really simple. Trust in your technic and have a whole lot of CONFIDENCE! My attitude was always a me against the world mentality, but it paid off on the field. The way Baylor ran through MU defense on Saturday should make the Tigers wish that next Saturday was today! The D should have a chip on their shoulders to where you not only want too, but DO pitch a shut out in next week's game. Challenge yourselves, it will only make you better! I also disliked the attitude of the coaches in this game. Yes it is true that it's the players job to go out on the field and execute and make plays, but it's the coaches job to light a fire under the players behind when he is failing to do so! And if he can't do so, have another player ready to go that can replace him.


SUGGEST: Um at this point, I think that MU back is against the wall. My suggestion is to come out and play every game like it's your last. Like you life depends on it. MU still has a chance to at least have a winning record, but they posses little room for error. I would like to see the coaches let their hair down a little bit and throw the kitchen sink and some at the remaining opponents. In football, being conservative won't get it. You gotta be aggressive in all facets. Let's turn the aggressiveness up!


TC's Tiger of the Week:

D Alexander
13 rec 214 yds 2 TD

Monday, November 2, 2009

MU vs Colorado

WHAT I....


LIKE: The Tigers came out smoking in this game! One reason for this I believe, is that they where playing a Colorado team that's in struggle mode right now, and who first team players could have easily been the Texas Longhorn scout team players.....I'm just saying. It was good to see MU get off to a fast start though. The team executed the fundamentals, and played hard enough to win. The offense came out with a bang, and D Alexander ( 8 rec 123 yds 2 TD's) continues to solidify himself as one of the top wideouts in the country! D Washington had a pretty good game, and provided a solid ground attack along with D Moore, to help the Tigers prevail. The Defense in my mind, played one of their best complete games of the season. These guys where running and hitting, and looked to be having fun. The defense is also the reason the Tigers were able to hold the Buffs off when the offense went cold in the 2nd half! I continue to be impressed by freshman D End Aldon Smith (5 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 fumble rec)! During my time playing with MU, I've played with and seen some other impressive Smith's that have dominated this position and went on to become solid NFL players as well as dominate college players ( Justin Smith & Brian Smith) ! Aldon is one to watch, and I expect big things from him the rest of the season and the remaining of his career at MU!

DISLIKE: I really don't have a lot to complain about. The only thing I disliked about this past Saturday game, was how the offense went flat in the second half. The Tiger's need to be aggressive the whole game. Remember fundamentals! MU scored 33 of its 36 points in the first half. That mean only 3 points in the second half, and by Coach P standards, that's unacceptable!

SUGGEST:
Well I'm going to continue to say this until it resonate....FUNDAMENTALS! When you have as much talent as MU, the only thing that can stop you, is the the lack of preparation and not executing the FUNDAMENTALS of the game. MU's has a chance to finish out this season strong! Lets make that happen!


TC's Tiger(s) of the Week:

Aldon Smith 5 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 fumble rec.




Danario Alexander 8 rec 123 yds 2 TD's

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

MU vs Texas

WHAT I…..

LIKE: Ummmmmmmmmmmmm…ok I got one…..I like how the Zou (Mizzou Stadium) packed in 70k plus to see the game! That’s a winner for the Tigers!

DISLIKE: To be honest, I can say that I disliked the whole game. To me it seemed as if the Tigers just laid down for Texas. Trust me I can see this quickly when this happens. I experienced this first hand when I was a player. Guys who would not be ready to play in a big game and it shows on the field. It’s a variety of reasons why guys are not ready to play, their own mental preparations, lack of physical preparations or fear of the opponent. Now I can say that I’ve seen all three of them in my life time with the Tigers, but I can point out that I seen lack of mental preparation and fear of the opponent from the Tigers in this game. Not to make excuses for coach P, but I know that he had the boys physically prepared. There is no need to ring the alarm for Coach Pinkel to fire his coordinators and get more 4 and 5 star recruits, although I do agree with the 4 and 5 star recruit cry, but Mizzou has a team that if it comes out and plays hard for 4 quarters while executing the fundamentals, can compete with the best of them. I’m speaking from facts, not fiction.

SUGGEST: I suggest that the Tigers get back to the fundamentals of the game. Blocking, tackling, catching, gap control, leverage etc. If the guys get back to this, and do these things well and have more will then the guys they are playing against, then the Tigers will end up with a pretty good record, even if they have lost three straight. The Tigers still got a chance to win the north, but it’s going to be a fight and they must win every game from here on out. Let’s go coach P, get the boys going again. Get back to the basics, execute and have fun!


TC’s Tiger of the Week:

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Monday, October 26, 2009

MU vs Oklahoma St.

WHAT I.....


LIKE: Well I can say that the Tigers came out swinging this game. The defense was playing pretty good, the offense was smoking and the special teams where sound. Denario Alexander showed the nation that he is in my opinion one of the best receivers going in the country.....9 recs 180 yds 1 TD! Now that's production. Gabbert had a pretty good day to 22 of 44 for 325 yds...BUT I'll tell you in the dislike section about that BUT! Overall, I seen a pretty good Tiger team in the first half of the game, BUT...oops there goes that BUT again, so lets just go the DISLIKES!

DISLIKE: OK I disliked the whole 2nd half. It was like night and day with MU. Blaine with the 3 INTs, the first BUT and then a complete team meltdown in my opinion, the second BUT! To me, it seemed like an adjustment issue. OSU seem to have stole MU playbook or something. Some folks say that the Tigers can't adjust, but to me it all comes down to execution of the play, no matter if the other team knows the play or not. In the end, the whole OSU team and staff had more will. The Tigers gotta go hard for 4 quarters and some.....take it to the house!

SUGGEST: Come out smoking, end smoking! Stick to the fundamentals for 4 quarters of the game, blocking, tackling, execution, gap control, keep leverage...you know the basics. I know that they know these things, because Coach Pinkel emphasis them. I also know that the Tigers will be alright, because Coach Pinkle with lead them. Till next time!


TC's Tiger of the Week:

Denario Alexander
9 rec 180 yd 1 TD


Monday, October 12, 2009

MU vs Nebraska

WHAT I....

LIKE: Well there wasn’t too much that I liked about this game. The team started and finished slow. The defense played well for 3 quarters, but didn’t when it really mattered.

DISLIKE: My first worry, which played into my prediction, was if the Tigers come out slow as a team that they will lose. No I wasn’t wishing bad luck on my Tigers, I was just being honest as a guy who have been there and done that. Yes sometimes you can get away with starting slow as a team on less stellar opponents, but when you play good teams such as Nebraska, you have to come out smoking. I was disappointed in the offensive play calling. At times it seems as if the O coordinator was nervous up in the booth. To me it looks like they compressed their game plan, to help out Nebraska. The offense had a chance to play defense in this game and help the team when. What I mean by that, is when the Tigers where up 9-0 going into the 4th quarter, the offense should have been running the ball to kill the clock and control the tempo of the game, especially when you have a one legged quarterback at the helm. The O line disappointed me, in not being able to control the line of scrimmage. Just to be honest with you, I think that they where man handled by the Huskers d-line. The Tigers running game was absent at best. D Washington seems to be just a step slow on all of his running plays. I don’t know if it was the weather or what, but the run game was smothered. Defensively, the Tigers played good for 3 quarters, but collapsed when they where really needed. For three quarters, I saw a team that was running and hitting and totally shutting Nebraska down. But once the 4th quarter rolled in, the D-fense rolled out. It seemed like a totally different team out there playing. Giving up big plays, 27 points in like a 5 minute span. That’s just unacceptable. Although the D played well for three quarters, in the game of football, it’s not about how and where you started, but how and where you finish!

SUGGEST: It’s simple, shake it off and move on. The Tigers have two big games coming up with no time in between to pout and dwell on this lost. You know the saying, it is what it is. Learn from this game and continue to grow as a team. Learn how to start fast and finish strong. Football is a 4 quarter game, and with the remainder of MU schedule, they will have to play each team from quarter 1through 4! Learn how to do that as a TEAM!

TC's Tiger of The Week:

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Monday, September 28, 2009

MU vs Nevada

WHAT I......


LIKE: The one thing that I continue to see from this Tiger team that continues to impress me is the fight and resilience they display, and as a former Pinkel troop, I can say this is a direct reflection of MU's head coach and the way he runs his program! The offense got off to a slow start, but made crucial plays that I felt got the offense going. Gabbert once again displayed that he will be a force to be reckon with this season and beyond. I think that Perry and Alexander are becoming a dual threat in MU's receiver core. I look forward to seeing what else they have to offer as the season goes on, and they come up against better competition. Kendial Lawrence is also someone I expect to become a small but crucial part of the MU offense. Kendial is just a freshman, but I think he is one of those special freshman, if you know what I mean! The defense was OK. See I'm a defensive minded guy, so my attitude is to not give up any yards or points at all. They had some big hits, and stops when it mattered. I like how the guys are aggressive sometime, and how they continue to gel together as a unit. Special teams did their job!


DISLIKE: The thing that I didn't like about the offense was the slow start. With the better teams, which we are now facing, we gotta come out of the locker room smoking. It has to be dominate from the start. That goes for both the offense, D-fense and special teams! As a former captain, my biggest objective on game day, was to get the troops fired up from the start, rather it be by my vocal leadership, or my actions on the field going hard. This is what we need from snap one, from all facets of the game! I also want to see the D tighten up and become ummmmm, a bit more reckless. That's what's Defense is all about, being reckless right?..lol


SUGGEST: You may have herd it a few times in this article already, but my suggest is simple, keep doing what you do, but START FAST AND FISNISH STRONG!


TC's TIGER OF THE WEEK:

Danario Alexander

9 rec 170 yds 2 TD's

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

MU vs Furman

What I……


LIKE: The thing I like about this past week’s game is the way that the Tigers played team ball. The offense, once they got going, was fun to watch and from the looks of things tuff to stop. Blaine was once again a stud and showed the folks that his legs are just as valuable as his arm. He was 17 of 25 for 256 yds and 3 TD’s, one which was a rushing score. Jared Perry was just unstoppable, whether he was catching a ball from Gabbert or Alexander (on a double pass), Perry was in the in zone often and put up great numbers 7 rec for 161 yds and 2 TD’s! The other wide outs and the running game were also on point. I want to give BIG ups to the O-line as well, because those guys are doing their thing. The defense was running around hitting folks, and seems to continue to work to get better. I liked the hustle I seen out of the players….keep it up and we can go places. The special teams where ok and sound, which is what a coach is asking at minimum out of his special team crew during the game and entire season.

DISLIKE: The one thing that irked me from the start of this game, was not knowing where Furman was from…lol! So after surfing my blackberry and finding the answer to my questions, (South Carolina), I was able to tune back into what I didn’t like about the game. The first thing is the slow start by the offense. Against the better teams, this is something that will get the Tigers in trouble and I think that they have to put more emphasis on coming out strong and faster. I know that the coaches are doing this, but I won’t be satisfied, until I see it resonate on the field to the players. Another thing that I disliked, and I will continue to say this, is the yardage given up by the MU secondary. Of course yards won’t hurt you when a team is unable to turn those yards into points, but as soon as you meet a team that does, in the Tigers case Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma St, Kansas etc.., you will face problems in controlling the game. Lets get that cleaned up.

SUGGEST: I suggest that offensively, the Tigers continue to gel and put an emphasis on coming out strong and fast. Defensive wise, I suggest that we tighten up in the back in, and stop given up 8 yard hitches so easy, two of those equals a first down and more. I want to see the secondary become more physical and play makers as well. They have the skill sets to make these things happen; now they just need the attitude. Because when it boils down to it, defense is all about attitude.



TC's Tiger of the Week


Jared Perry 7 rec 161 yds & 2TD's





Monday, September 14, 2009

MU vs Bowling Green

LIKE: Man wasn't that a nail bitter we witness this past Saturday in Columbia, MO! The Falcons gave the Tigers a run for their money. I can remember when I was playing, and Bowling Green gave us some hell as well. I guess I have to give the Falcons their props, for having a program that competes on the national level every year. I really gotta give props though to the entire MU Tigers team and coaching staff. Even though they got off to a slowwwww start, this team showed resilience and heart to the very end. I guess the saying it don't matter where you start, but where you finish would be a good sub summary for this game. The team came together at the right time and settled for nothing more than a VICTORY!

DISLIKE: The one thing that I didn't like about this game is obvious, the slow start by the Tigers. This is something that when you play the bigger schools, not knocking Bowling Green, will get you killed! As a team, the Tigers have to come out smoking from the kickoff, in all facets of the game!

SUGGEST: I suggest that the Tigers continue doing what they do, and build off the momentum from the 2nd half of the game. The heart and fight that they showed in this game makes up for anything I can suggest at the moment!

TC'S TIGER of th
e week!

Derrick Washington 23 rushes for 120 yards & 1 TD!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

MU vs ILL

What I…..

LIKE: After watching the MU game this past Saturday I can tell you that there are a lot of things that I like. Of course I can start out by saying I like the win, which is obvious, but the thing that I liked the most about Saturday game, is how coach Pinkel had the guys playing team ball. To me, every aspect of the team was working well, offense, defense and special teams. I’m impressed by Blain Gabbert (319 yds & 3 TD’s + 1 rushing TD) and the way he lead his soldiers up and down the field against the Illini. D Alexander 10 rec 132 yds, J Perry was just shy of a 100 yds receiving, and displayed his separation speed on a 46 yd td run on a screen pass. Overall the offense was on fire, and deserve 2 thumbs up from me and the entire planet..lol! Now I really want to take my hat off to Coach Steck and the DEFENSE. I’ve been telling folks all off season that if the defense takes on the attitude of coach Steck and the efforts of Sean Witherspoon (their leader), that we will have a fun defense to watch. As they showed on Saturday against Illinois we will have a defense that if they continue to be better each week, will be one of the reason you will see MU enjoying another bowl season!

DISLIKE: What I dislike is something that may be personal for me. As a former cornerback for the Tigers, I would say that the only thing that I continue to see that I would like for the Tigers to approve on is more aggressive play by the corners. We need to stop giving up the 8-10 yd curl routes so much! I seen this done to easy on Saturday and although the DB’s didn’t give up any huge plays, I still think that we should be more aggressive on the corners, which I think will only elevate the play on the defense. As far as the offense, I don’t like how folks (yes the crowd and other reporters) where dogging the Tigers running game. I think that they did well and D Washington only had 14 carries for 61 yds (4.4 yard avg)….that’s a good stat to me.

SUGGEST: I suggest that the Tigers continue to do what they do, and grow as a team. Continue to follow the leadership of your coaches and chosen leaders (captains) of your team. I’m excited and can’t wait to see the Tigers in action next week. Also to the fans, I suggest that we bring back the roar of the MIZ-ZOU, it was kind of weak on Saturday!

LATER: Until next week folks, that’s all I have and I look forward to the Tigers next contest against Bowling Green! When I was playing for the Tigers (I was out that year though on IR), we where killed by Bowling Green…so you know I’m really looking forward to my Tigers to roll over BG!