ozark trout fisher

At this point we are at least getting into a bowl game even in that nightmare scenario.....unless you're thinking we'll lose to Kentucky. That said: James Franklin is a contender for being the SEC's best quarterback (yes, if you look at the numbers he's right there with Johnny Manziel, Aaron Murray, Zach Mettenberger, and well ahead of the rest.) But the guy thinks he is a fullback, even after last year's injuries. No one has taught him how to slide apparently and he barrels through defenders for a few extra yards WAY too often. It shows a hugely admirable will to win, but it almost can't last much longer. He has got to protect himself better, even if it means having to punt after a 3rd and long instead of getting the first down.

Whatever. Mizzou just beat an SEC team by 23 on the road that won nine games last year. And Indiana, the other worthless team we beat, beat up on Penn State. That said, I won't defend this team anymore, because it should be obvious to anyone that pays attention to college football that they are good, borderline elite. At a certain point, wins speak for themselves. IF people can not get excited about a 5-0 team that has obliterated every team they've played, then they are simply never gonna be pleased. Or, more likely, they just really don't like Mizzou and choose to nitpick at every accomplishment.

Mizzou is ranked. #25 in AP poll, though they are the first team out in the Coaches Poll. There will be a number next to Mizzou's name against the Bulldogs, which hasn't been the case since ASU in 2011. THAT feels good even if it doesn't last. You are right Quillback, if Gurley is in he will provide the kind of test we haven't seen so far. I hope he is too; if Missouri wins this one, I don't want everyone talking about how we only beat UGA cause they were too banged up to be competitive. And obviously Murray is the best QB we've played by a mile. But it's a good feeling to go into a big game like this thinking we've got a solid chance to come out with a win, even if I think our chances are well below 50%. Missouri will give up points to Georgia. But I do think our offense can put up enough points to hang with them for quite awhile. At this point I do think we lose next week, before splitting with Florida and South Carolina at home. Then win three straight against UT, UK, and Ole Miss before losing to A&M. That would put us at 9-3 if it worked out that way, which would be sweet. I'd still take 8-4 and be really happy, I think.

Missouri vs Georgia looks to be our biggest game for a second year in a row. And the first that will nationally be considered a "marquee" (and most likely, ranked) matchup since September 8, 2012. Except this time it's with the hope of taking the east division and running with it. Let's hope this one goes a little better.

Mizzou goes into Athens next week looking like a top contender in the SEC east. Win that one and we may be looking into ticket prices in Atlanta for the SEC championship game. Still unlikely for them to get there, but this team has Mizzou fans dreaming big again. This win should all but lock up bowl eligibility with Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ole Miss all looking like games we can expect to win from here on out. The real question I think is do we get to 9-10 wins or is it more like 7-8. Yes, now watch them find a way to lose 7 straight............

My problem is the willingness to shut down the government for a reason that has little to do with the matter at hand. BOTH sides are willing to sacrifice the good of the American people so they can make a political stand and come out looking strong. That's the reality. I have feelings on which side may be to blame more than the other, but it doesn't matter, really. The point is, the aims of the people in Washington by and large have nothing to do with serving their country. That's a problem, and come election day I hope that a whole lot of incumbents are voted out.

All I know is this crap is keeping me off the Current River, which we can all agree is pretty dumb.

The Pats are fine. Brady has pretty good receivers really, they are just rookies or second year guys. Now that there is a little chemistry between them they are starting to look really good. Not, to put it bluntly, Denver Broncos good, but they may get there when Gronk and Amendola are playing. I expect them to be right there in the Super Bowl hunt just like every year.

James Franklin has a top 15 QBR in the country, and is almost certainly the best duel threat in the conference who hasn't won a Heisman. Henry Josey, Marcus Murphy, and Russell Hansborough (who is terribly underrated) form one of the best running back trios in the SEC. LaDamian Washington and Marcus Lucas are supremely talented receivers. E.J. Gaines is one of the best cornerbacks in the SEC. Kony Ealy is emerging as a force on the defensive line. I can keep going for a little while if you want but this team has great top end talent. Depth is the only real concern but it's still better than last year. Green-Beckham is a great deep threat. But here are those recruiting rankings emerging again.....he's not even the best player on our team right now IMO, though he may be the best NFL talent. But the guy who we should be thanking the most for a 4-0 start is QB #1. Guy has been through it and it makes me incredibly happy to see him play well. I hope it continues and not just because it will lead to wins.

It'll be an interesting year in the AFC west. The Chiefs are pretty good and I see two teams finishing well in the double digit win range. Denver and KC are the clear two best teams in the AFC at least in this time. That may change when Tom Brady gets some receivers healthy, but it would be truly shocking if both are not playing in January. If there is a defense that can slow down Peyton Manning it might be KC. I still don't see it happening but that game in KC will be one of the best regular season games of the year. So it goes from the worst division in football to the best in one season. Even San Diego is pretty good and Oakland is at least interesting when Terelle Pryor is playing. Here's how I see it now..... Denver 14-2 KC 12-4 SD 7-9 Oakland 5-11

I agree, 6-6 would feel like quite the disappointment after how we've looked. This weekend at Vandy is massive. Win that and 8 wins seem like pretty close to a lock, with something like 9-3 or 10-2 and SEC east contention starting to look pretty likely. Lose and it's probably a 7-5 type season, with Kentucky and Tennessee still looking like solid wins but everything else pretty questionable.

Have you watched any Tennessee, Kentucky, or Vanderbilt games this year? Yep, all of their 49-14 losses have been super impressive. We have no chance.

Okay, a few things..... The concept that Missouri underachieves is a bit silly in my opinion, as exactly the opposite is true. I don't know why it's a surprise that Nebraska and Oklahoma get better recruits as they have been traditional powerhouses LONG before Gary Pinkel came on the job. All they really need is the name brand and they have four and five star guys lining up a the door. I also think that recruiting rankings skew how people think about Pinkel as a recruiter. A good recruit is not a highly rated one, necessarily. A 2 or 3 star recruit that wins you games is better than the 4 star that disappoints. Fitting in the system matters a whole lot more than anything else, especially in a spread offense like Missouri's. If you get someone like DGB then you take him of course, but Danario Alexander and Sean Weatherspoon were pretty darned good both on Saturdays and Sundays and they were guys "dragging down" our recruiting rankings. And Chase Daniel wasn't real highly rated either. I have no problem with taking on all the 3* recruits in the world and ranking last in the SEC recruiting rankings every year if Pinkel wins and keeps us in the mix in the SEC east. Right now, I am seeing a lot of signs that point to him being able to do just that.

Here's where I disagree.....you're right that Missouri doesn't haul in the 4 and 5 star recruits that Oklahoma does. But low recruiting rankings do not equal bad recruiting. Gary Pinkel is of the type that prefers to look for under the radar, high ceiling talent. No one needs to point out that he has been incredibly successful at this. Just look at all of the 3 and even 2 star guys from Missouri that have (or are now) playing on Sundays. Especially in SEC country, recruiting is like its own sport where there is a huge deal who is ranked #8 and who is #10. Me, I don't care. Pinkel recruits players who have brought in the best era of football that Mizzou has ever seen, or at least since Devine. I feel like we could go 10-2 this year (not saying it will happen but it could) and there would still be people talking about how bad of a recruiter/coach it is. My advice is just to relax and enjoy the fact that for now, we are winning. Evaluation of the coaching staff is for after the season or at least until it looks like the season is headed off the rails. We're very far from either scenario right now. In fact, Missouri might just creep into the top 25 in a couple hours if that means anything at all. If not we'll be one of the first teams out. Doesn't feel like a program in disarray to me like some are acting like.

Luckily this season our fanbase has been pretty solid and there are many who strongly, strongly, disagree with you. I am one of them and will leave it at that. No matter how many games this team wins there will still be some lining up to tear Mizzou down. Don't care......it's their loss. Mizzou clearly didn't have their best game tonight. But here's the reality; last season, down 16-14 that late in the game, MIssouri either folds and takes a devastating loss or wins 17-16 and we exhale while anticipating a whooping next week at Vandy. But no, they not only won but pulled away in a manner that gave us a lot of hope for the future. Maybe it's fools hope, but it's better than none. And wearing down teams in the fourth quarter is how you win football games in the SEC. The reality is, Vandy is coming off a similar escape at UMass last week and is immensely vulnerable. I think Missouri can pick up a win there and make us forget about tonight's struggles.....and continue to make this program's doubters look silly. I don't care, we are 4-0, two wins from bowl eligibility with 8 to go and I am going to celebrate what is still a vastly improved team. And at this moment, the only team not named Alabama to be undefeated in our conference. SEC play is coming soon enough.

The Chiefs are good. But a 5-1 division record seems optimistic.....I'll go 4-2. You should by all means sweep the Raiders. Then either split with or (more likely) sweep the Chargers. Sorry, got to predict ya'll getting swept by Denver as I think they are headed for an undefeated division (maybe overall?) record this season. The game in KC will be no cakewalk but like I said before come prepared to score 40 or so in order to beat a team with Peyton Manning and the best receiving corps in the league. But this still could very well end up being enough for a wildcard spot. I don't think there are great teams in the AFC outside of Denver. Whoever loses the AFC north between Baltimore and Cincinnati probably grabs one wild card spot but who gets the other.....the Dolphins, Texans.... Jets? None of those teams strike fear into my heart. 9-7 will likely do it and that seems conservative for the Chiefs, even with losing a game or two in the division.

In my opinion the biggest problem with the Eagles and Chip Kelly's offense in the NFL is what the fast paced offense does to the defense. The 1 minute long possessions do not give them any time to catch their breath.....so they get gashed for 30 points every week. The offense might continue to do okay but they are going to need to score a lot of points most weeks to even keep it close. They will get hot some games and shock a few superior teams.....but is it sustainable over 16 games? Probably not. They may be able to scrape their way up to 8-8 in a weak division (which admittedly would be a nice improvement) but that looks like the ceiling. And not just for this year but probably long term. Their ONLY chance is to get someone like Russell Wilson who can do what Vick does, only better and while taking care of the ball. They are not a team that will usually be able to survive turnovers given their porous defense. If he's available and Chip Kelly insists on sticking with his system, they should (IMO) look to Johnny Manziel in the draft. He is a great fit for what they're trying to do. I think he would give them a better chance week in and week out than Vick.

Well I'm working on the principle that it's a good idea to talk up an opponent the week of a game. That way a win feels impressive and it's easier to excuse a loss....but I hope you're right.

Good luck to the Chiefs. You all may stay close at Arrowhead (with an upset a remote possibility.) But if you want to do that you better score 35-40 points. As long as Manning is healthy, I think that's what it's going to take to hang with the Broncos this season. Many of those yards the Raiders got were given up well after the game was decided (well, that's kinda unfair since the game was already decided 5 minutes in for all intents and purposes.) Philly will be an interesting test next week. I think the only way to beat Denver is to just plain outscore them 45-41 or something (even good defenses like the Ravens have shown us are unlikely to slow this team down.) Philly may have a chance if Vick can play efficiently.

So Mizzou did what it had to do and moved to 3-0 with a big road win over Indiana. No, Indiana is not a juggernaut. But right now going on the road and taking care of business without the outcome ever being in too much doubt is a big deal and a cause for celebration. So now it's time to look ahead. Never look past an opponent after a nice win and Arkansas State has some talent. They have not put it together all that much this season. You'd think Missouri would win this one without too much trouble, but stranger things have happened. If that happens it's on the road to Vandy in one of those season-defining games. Win that and you are talking about a stretch ahead where Missouri can claim its spot in the SEC race. Lose and Missouri still has a good chance at a bowl game but it will be scratching and clawing to get into the 8 win range and a bowl is no lock. Then there is that three game stretch: Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. If Missouri is 5-0 entering that as we hope for, I think I would be pretty satisfied with taking one of those games. Florida still looks like the best chance, but none of those games is completely unwinnable. If Missouri can get out of that stretch with two losses we will be on the path to a special season. But first, don't look past Arkansas State. Please.

Rutgers isn't a bad team and it was on the road. It's not like this is the end of the season for you all. Teams like Oregon State started the season with MUCH worse losses and are coming back and looking pretty good. All you need is 3-5 in conference play to reach bowl eligibility which is tough but manageable. Mississippi State is a game you will likely win and Auburn is beatable. The third win would have to be an upset but Ole Miss and Florida are within reach. Looks like one of those seasons that will come down to the last game or two for bowl eligibility.

Missouri continues to look very solid. Franklin had a rough first half but rebounded as well as anyone could reasonably expect. The offense is one of the elite in the country at this point and the defense at least slowed down a very good IU offense. This is a good team, at least at the moment. You never know, but suddenly those predictions (like mine) of a 7-5 type season are looking pretty conservative. No one in the SEC east is even close to invincible. That's all I'm saying. We need to beat Arkansas State next week. If we get that done then Vandy is a huge, huge game for the program. Beat ASU and Vandy to start 5-0 and you are likely talking about a top 20 national ranking and contention for a major bowl. We can (and likely will) make a bowl with a loss to Vandy but you are probably talking 7-5 at best. Still, need to take it one week and a time and not forget about Arkansas State. A loss there would probably derail the season and any momentum we have. Still, 8-9 wins seem pretty likely if this team stays healthy and doesn't get complacent. Though Mizzou almost always finds a way to break your heart when your hopes get up. Not just in football, but in pretty much every sport. In other words, beware of Arkansas State this weekend coming off a big road win.

The Chiefs don't have to beat great teams to win the 9-10 games it will probably take to get an AFC wildcard spot this year. You have already exceeded last seasons win total and are in position to make a run at the playoffs. It isn't pretty but there's not too much to complain about. Not to say I told you so, but the Eagles are coming down to earth in a big fashion. I don't love the way they play so it's not exactly crushing to me. KC's more traditional "boring" system with a solid pocket passer will beat Chip Kelly's gimmicks 9 times out of 10 in the NFL. Even though (with the exception of last night) their offense has been strong, you just can't afford to leave your defense on the field as much as what happens with Kelly's offense. You've got to control the clock a little or your players will wear out. This isn't the Pac-12.

I agree with this. I am never one to contend that we don't need to make it better. I've long been a supporter of stricter length/creel limits as most on here would know, or perhaps even slot limits intended to produce trophy fish and keep the numbers of smaller ones down (a lot more reluctant on that point.) Really anything that has been shown to help create better fisheries in rivers similar to ours. The situation is just not as bad as it's made out to be. I am not a great fisherman by any stretch of the imagination and I somehow manage to catch a smallmouth or two around here:)

It's okay. The NCAA will not exist for much longer (at least for the big schools) if things keep going the way they are. The so called "Big 5" (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC) seems bound to break off from the rest of D1 and form their own organization whether that's in two or ten years. You can bet they will be paying players to create even more separation from the rest of D1 who still will be under the NCAA most likely and won't be able to. The only downside to this (in my opinion) is that it could leave schools in the Sun Belt, C-USA, AAC etc out in the cold with very little funding. But guarantee games between the Big 5 conferences and the rest would still pour money their way. And in this arrangement it seems likely that the bigger more attractive schools in those conferences (Cincinnati, UConn, USF, UCF etc) would be snatched up to fill out numbers. All said this would be an arrangement I could get behind in a big way. It's no longer a pipe dream either. Now this is just me talking, not speculation on what will happen: if/when this occurs, for the postseason you could still have your regular bowl games. But to decide a champ I would have all five teams compete in a playoff.....with the fourth and fifth ranked team having a "play in" game to make it work. That would be a pretty good way to handle it I think. No more ambiguity....win your conference and have an opportunity to play for the title.