Welcome to the Friday Feedback. I could think of no better way to start this week than to share a little bit of Pat McAfee’s brilliance.  

“This summer, I went to Canada and gave a man on the street — a bum — peddling for change a toonie, a $2 dollar thing in Canada. A $2 coin. Later that night — this is not a lie — I was at the roulette table and that same bum was playing with a $5 chip on the number 14. He lost, but where did he get that $5 chip? You tell me. You tell me where that happened. That’s the problem with the world today.”

Laughter subsided and McAfee was asked if perhaps said bum had turned McAfee’s toonie into $5.

“I could only imagine, but where did he take my toonie and where did he get that nickle? He suckers money out of all of us then he’s on the roulette table. He has a gambling problem. It’s ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.”

Would justice have been served if McAfee asked the bum for money?

“I should have. I lost all of my money that night. I was riding big when I gave him the $2 dollar coin.”

Things would get worse.

“I go into Canada and Canada is beating us with money, so I get less money. And then I came back on a Sunday, the first day in three months we beat them. So I lost money both ways. I lost money going in and I lost money coming back. It was amazing. I got screwed both ways. I’ll never go back. (Dramatic pause) I’ll go back. I’ll definitely go back.”

It was then agreed we’d meet weekly for a random tale from the kicker’s life.

“I’ve got some good stories. I don’t know if they’re for the paper.”

They’ve got a home here.

Onto the feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, sometimes you need to shy from the limelight.

glibglub said: 

Do not pose with the Mountaineers?

Top Five unreported ground rules for Fan Day:

5. Do not attempt to collect a piece of practice field turf as a souvenir. It is not real and will not grow back.

4. Do not taunt Noel Devine. Little dude can bench press over 400 pounds.

3. We know all about your feelings toward the all-yellow uniforms. No need to go on about it.

2. Please resist the temptation to tell Doc Holliday that you’re “his huckleberry.”

1. Do not ask “So where the @#$!& is Coach Rod?”

I will test all five next Sunday.

Homer said:

Kendrick says Fitzy paints a mean house, but Jacoby & Myers are the real architects.

Well played, sir. If Ken Kendrick had it all to do over again, would he change a thing? He was very much behind Rodriguez, which is understandable and certainly his right, but did P-Rod’s clinical embarrassment of himself and to WVU change his way of thinking? He’s a very, very significant graduate and supporter, but I really wonder where he stands right now. Can, will or should WVU have him if he maintains his position and beliefs?

X-Rayted said:

He may be able to shut down half the field, but what about the middle, that has seemed to be a major problem with teams in the past few years. QBs seem to love crossing patterns against us.

Ah, Chaz Russell, a refreshing breeze of bravado. I’m interested to see how this kid acquiesces when he begins practice next week because, quite frankly, WVU could use him. Yes, he’s got a steep learning curve and it’ll be weeks before the Mountaineers can rely upon him, but it’d be a tremendous boost if he was ready to play a few snaps at Colorado and gradually increase into a dependable option. To the point, though, the middle remains a concern and that safety position is not yet solidified. Quinton Andrews is playing the bandit and Boogie Allen the spur, meaning the two most experienced players aren’t in that free safety spot in the deep-middle of the field — though the skills, speed and experience of the linebackers will help a lot. The free safety spot goes to redshirt freshman Eain Smith or a rather scary kid named Robert Sands.

Shannon said:

Well … here comes the pain.  

I was thinking there probably hasn’t been a more natural nickname than “The Sandman” for Sands because it’s simple and obvious and maybe even appropriate, but I hereby recommend “The Pain” for this very reason.

glibglub said:

Something about this guy’s relatively narrow upper body makes him look freakishly tall in photos. Reminds of the alien from “Close Encounters.” Except that he obviously does not come in peace.

No, no he doesn’t. I’ve listened people interview him three different times now and each time he’s gotten around to telling the story about how he wants to and was taught to put fear in the hearts of receivers.

jmbwvu said:

Mr. Sands just looks mean in every picture I’ve seen. How long will it be until we hear the scoreboard fire up “Enter Sandman” after a big hit?!?!

Looks can be deceiving. We’re projecting him to be this monster on the field, which may very well be true, but he’s the opposite in conversation. And we’re not doing “Enter Sandman.” It’s clearly Method Man’s “Bring ‘da Pain.”

Came to represent and carve my name in your chest
You can come test realize you’re no contest
Son I’m the gun that won that old Wild West

Forget the lyrics. The music is just too good.

oklahoma mountaineer said:

If Mr. Kerns can hold onto the ball, it sounds as if we have this year what PRod would have killed for last year — a guy who can run inside or to the edge without a lead block. This puts another guy in the flat, down the field, etc. that draws an interior defender(s) out of the box. This will make Pat/Noel/(and Steve from last year) even more lethal.

If Kerns gets it together, yes, he does exactly what you predict, so long as he produces and causes the defense to react in such a way. It’s fun to watch him run. The best way I can explain it is that when he gets wide, he tries to get behind himself and gain momentum when he straightens up and heads forward. I think Zach Hulce starts as the No. 2. He’s a pretty big runner himself and the coaches think the presence of a change-of-pace back is overrated. The backup need only be someone who can get 12-15 snaps a game — not even touches — while Devine rests. Even if Hulce is the No. 2, Kerns seems to like the short yardage situations. That could be his niche.

Erinn said:

Funny, under P-Rod’s rule two or three years ago, Stew was the speaker at the event. I hope he gets fired up and again talks about how he is not Mr. Rogers.

You might want to hope he doesn’t have thin skin. The general opinion is Stewart’s monologue this week was prompted by something he read, disagreed with and felt he needed to address. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. At least he admits reading the papers, a lie his predecessor perpetuated to preposterous extremes. Maybe it’s something you can ask at the Countdown to Kickoff.

Mack Said: 

I saw on ESPN television today that Bill Stewart said that Pat White will be at receiver some this year. I hadn’t heard this before, but I admit I don’t post on Blue & Gold News 30,000 times per day (or even once per year). so maybe this has been out there. . . or is Bill Stewart shunning the local press in favor of giving the nationals the scoops?

Actually, here’s another change: He favors the locals. The coaches have talked quite a bit about the two quarterbacks sharing the field. Add Brad Starks and it’s three. Put White, Brown and Devine in the backfield and it’s like single wing football. The ball could be snapped to anyone. I don’t think a regular package will have two quarterbacks, but the coaches believe those two are among the best six skill players in specific situations.

Josh said:

maybe in a gimmick but I wouldn’t expect to see him there more than 5 plays all year

Oh, I’ll take the over on that one.

thacker said:

Perhaps, innovation is viewed as a gimmick only when poorly executed, e.g. the statue of liberty and hook-and-ladder vs Boise St’s execution of both against Oklahoma. The dual QB thing could be a scaled down offshoot of that A-11 offense that Alli pointed out a while back.

Exactly right — and by the way, I read about the A-11 offense and it blew my mind. I spent like 35 minutes going through it and going over it and I’m not sure I totally understood it. As best as I can tell, it wouldn’t work in college in regular situations, though there would seem to be ways around the scrimmage kick formation — like a muddle huddle, swinging gate or lonesome end. I suppose it’s years from the mainstream, but I liked the part where apparently Texas Tech’s Mike Leach was very interested in learning about it.

Alli said:

Hmm. I’m not sure how I feel about this. I want him to play, but I also know we’re scary deep at that position. Obviously, if he thinks he’s going to end up missing several games (half or more), then you redshirt. If you think you may only miss one or two, you play. I think he is realizing that he may miss more that a couple weeks.

This is the dilemma for Reed Williams. The elephant in the room is Reed Williams could be a NFL player with a big senior season.

oklahomamountaineer said:

Hopefully, he will be fine — this feels like there’s more wrong with him than is being let out.

What the heck is going on–I go to access the blog and there’s this God awful moose at the top instead of the flying WV…..

Second fiddle needs to be just that.

I think this is just a matter of strength and playing shape and that Williams lacks both right now. What has to be encouraging is he notices improvement week by week.

glibglub said:

Wow. Moment of panic when I couldn’t find the link to the blog. Oklahoma is right – out with the moose! Or bison. Whatever. (Question: If it’s “Thundering Herd,” shouldn’t there be more than one of them?)

If there’s any doubt about Reed’s shoulder, he should redshirt. He’s the premier native West Virginian on the team, and deserves to play out his senior season in style. (Although if I was in his shoes, I’d want my final season to coincide with Pat White’s.)

I think if he doesn’t play the Colorado game, he redshirts. Just my hunch. Heck, he can even play that game and shut it down afterward if it didn’t go as planned. As for the link, I can’t help you there. Someone can make that change. It’s not me, though.

Homer said:

Let’s talk worst-case scenario: if he’s out, can Lazear fill the void ?

This becomes the $64,000 question. The coaches love the potential, so much so that he was moved to middle linebacker in the spring, but right now all there is is potential. If he can’t hack it, Mortty Ivy will move over from the weak side. Lazear was a big-time recruit and one reason he landed at WVU was because the coaching staff stuck with him when he was in trouble for his involvement with an armed robbery that I won’t review here because I see no need to. Other schools were scared away. The WVU coach who kept the faith? Bill Stewart. Funny how these things work out.

Enjoy the weekend.