Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which is “swimming” and “spinning” if only because I’ve wanted to use those terms on myself after hearing them so often lately. After watching two weeks of the first hour of practice, I’m qualified only to set up an Oklahoma Drill and run a Jugs machine.

Camp ends Saturday with a scrimmage and then the coaches have to huddle and hustle as they prepare for preseason practice, but do so trying to incorporate far fewer players. It’s decision time, which makes the scrimmage so critical. Maybe major decisions aren’t made — I suspect few, if any, will be — but the staff figures out who it moves forward with as Liberty (and ECU) approaches.

All in all, WVU is pretty satisfied with where it stands right now. Offensively, the group is much further ahead than this time last year. Defensively — and you have to understand Jeff Casteel is difficult to impress — the group isn’t where it wants to be, but that has a lot to do with its own level of heightened expectations. Even special teams seems to be satisfactory, though it’s always the one thing you can’t properly prepare in practice.

So they go behind a thick veil of secrecy now without daily reports to the media, yet you figure this is what they’ll be working on: five starters and two to three subs on the offensive line, depth on defensive line and at corner, kickoff coverage, short-yardage offense, red zone offense.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, be careful even if “things like this happen.”

Jeff in Akron said:

Just a thought. What happens when a huge benefactors son Tweet’s, YouTube’s, or Facebook’s during a game. Is the SEC really going to tell this benefactor he’s got to pay a fine, be removed from a game, or he can’t attend the next game in his luxury box. Yeah, that’s definitely going to happen!

Hadn’t thought of that. I was just wondering how they’d track a Tweet to Section 214, Row D, Seat 21. And really, if someone’s at the game Tweeting or whatever, doesn’t that stand to increase the viewership of a game? Whatever publicity emanates from the stands to people not at the game is probably going to get people to tune in an — wait for it — benefit business. Nobody in Tuscaloosa is following the game via Facebook.

thacker said:

Wondering if one of those down home non-Robon [translated: competent] type attorneys are working on making this issue a First Amendment federal case.

Forget Robon. Why wouldn’t one of these social networks sue?

Mack said:

The Rick Pitino “tweet” is one of the funniest things ever.  

It helped me get through 9/11.

rekterx said:

Hertzel, I have decided, is a much better writer these days since he no longer works for a certain paper.

He still throws the fastball by people, that’s for sure.

rekterx said:

And by the way … I do see a court case coming somewhere in which it will be determined who “owns” a college sports event and what are their rights.

In fact it will probably be as simple as reinterpreting what “broadcast rights” actually are. That is what this is about. We, the network, pay league and school big money to broadcast the game. People in the stands pay money to watch the games. They have not purchased the right to broadcast any part of the game.

Someone, one unfortunate fan/sportswriter, will soon be sued by SEC/ESPN/CBS and the case will make history. Who will THE unlucky person be? If the network wins there will be no need for broad enforcement when it becomes apparent that anyone can be sued for illegally broadcasting a portion of a game.

Sorry Mike, but I can see this easily being enforced if fans realize they can be sued for big bucks by the networks. They could never catch everybody. But they will nail enough people to make most people think twice.

Freedom of speech? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m sure someone will try to turn it into that. But I don’t know how successful they will be.

Just because more and more people have the ability to broadcast, or rebroadcast, portions of an event for which someone else has paid money for broadcast rights, doesn’t mean they have the right to do so.

This is going to be a fascinating issue to follow.

Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to the Ole Miss Sig Ep rush who just dropped $300 on a Blackberry. There’s definite conflict potential. It’s just a question of who fires first and, in your example, how far the SEC/broadcast partners are willing to take it to make a point. See, I get your point about paying for broadcast rights, but then you say fans have paid for a ticket. The broadcast partners are making money off the fans, to be sure, so don’t the fans then have some right to do their thing in the stands? Devil’s advocate, I know.

Sam said:

So now I get to root against Syracuse (one of my alma mater’s least favorite opponents) and Duke (one of my least favorite programs ever) simultaneously? Heck yes!

Syracuse: Making people care in their own unique way.

EER96 said:

Mike:

They had to do something to take the sting out of moving some of their home games to the Meadowlands. The USC game was moved “off campus” and folks are none to happy about it. Good pr move if you ask me.

It’s really a no-lose situation. If it works, Marrone is a genius. If it doesn’t work, it’s Syracuse. 

Mack said:

Would USC and/or Notre Dame play Syracuse if the games were in the dome? Were these games originally slated for the dome?

I wondered the same thing… 

JeffWB said:

The USC game has been on the schedule for a couple of years since Dr. Gross came to Syracuse. Unless they had a side deal done everyone in Central NY thought it was going to be at the Dome.  

Thanks for the input. 

Erinn said:

Oh, please, let someone slap the turf when Paulus lines up for a snap (I’m looking at you, Chris Neild!).

… Joe would be so happy. http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0d7XgJucJZ0yi/610x.jpg

He’s going to be taunted, if not identically, then similarly. I’d also hire Jay Wright and His Cufflinks as my defensive coordinator, if only for a week.

Mack said:

Is Will Johnson not going to be the Fullback this year? Barely heard his name at all.

He’s part of the plans. Tyler Urban is your tight end and Ryan Clarke your fullback. Johnson happens to be a little of each, which has some value in WVU’s system, especially in the no-huddle when Johnson can be in the backfield one play, on the line the next and then in the slot on another. He’ll be used.

Jeff in Akron said:

WVU has become a destination for the “smallish” type of back. Devine 5″8″ 175lbs, Slaton 5′10″ 190lbs, Wilson 5′10″ 215lbs, and Cobourne 5″8″ 185lbs all fit that mold. These stats are taken from the player’s final season roster at WVU. In Devine’s case, this season.

A quick reference to Mike’s post yesterday. I’ve seen both Steve Slaton and Quincy Wilson in shorts and t-shirt. Personally, I find it hard to believe Slaton is 25lbs lighter than Wilson. From that, High School Coaches aren’t the only ones that stretch the stat sheets on certain players.

Instead of asking whether we should be recruiting these backs, flip the question. When was the last time WVU had a starting tailback, with the numbers these guys have put up, that fit the ultimate mold, 6′2-3″ 225-235lbs?

That’s the way football has gone, though. The spread offense is enormous now and the most talented athletes find their way to the offensive of the ball. That 6-2, 225 guy might not be fast enough to play offense, quite frankly. He then becomes a linebacker. To your point, though, WVU has a knack for finding the liliputians and then making the most of their talent. You can’t argue that point and with the way football is moving, that’s a positive for the future.

rekterx said:

OK Mike … who is telling stories that change?  

About the bowls? People who’d want a favorable/accurate message to accompany news of the Champs Sports Bowl. What struck me as odd was that the Big East would want back in given what the bowl president said about the league last year. Oh, that and it’s an awful destination. Sorry, but it’s true.

Karl said:

I say losing the Sun Bowl is great news. As you guys said before, it’s not exactly East Coast friendly. Plus …

This is our chance to insert the new bowl at Yankee Stadium. Starting out with the third place BE team (formerly sent to El Paso) would be perfect. Play that game a few years and watch it grow in stature. Start spreading the news!

I knew this would be good news to someone.

Dave said:

The Big East lost big with the Gator and there really is no shot at getting into an established bowl. The conference just does not travel well and does not have the fan base.

The problem is that many Big 12 and Big 10 teams have a tremendous following anywhere in the US, so they will fill seats and watch the television. In the BE, WVU fills seats but really the onus is on Syracuse, Rutgers, and UConn to draw the fans and the money to be able to unseat other conferences in the better bowls. How do you compete with an OSU, UT or PSU who fill a 100k stadium on a regular basis and who have alumni all over the place (especially in the south)?

If places like UConn and Rutgers can barely fill 40K during the season, then why would a bowl hinge their interest on a game 1000 miles away? At the very least, they’ll find a rabid 7th team from the SEC, or a 4th team from the Big Ten, or a 5th team from the Big 12.

For all of the “look at what we’ve done” arguments, the fact is that the BE teams are not consistent enough nor do they draw enough to have leverage with these bowls.

I’d agree with some of your points — travel, fans, etc. — but the Notre Dame factor is very intriguing. For that reason and others — the No. 2 team is usually ranked with nine or 10 wins — they can get into an established bowl, I promise. If it’s regional — we’ll get to one everyone’s mentioning in a moment — the fans will travel. To expect an annual exodus of Big East fans to El Paso was a bit jaded, I always thought. Now, to go in another direction, the Big East was looking at seven bowl games when it added Champs Sports and apparently had plans to maintain the Sun. That meant it had to drop a bowl. Well, did that just happen with the Sun stepping aside? One wonders if the PapaJohns.com or International saw the writing on the wall and jumped in bed with someone else (St. Petersburg Bowl isn’t going anywhere).

Shannon said:

I can buy the argument that the Big East not signing the Sun Bowl to a contract is a good thing. Distance wise, the El Paso area is no where near any of the football-playing teams in the conference. As far as the Sun Bowl, as a game, having a tradition-rich game like the Sun Bowl would have been a plus for the conference.

The Champs Sports Bowl as a home for the No. 2 team is not a big thrill for me. Yes, Orlando is a nicer location than Jacksonville. However, the Citrus Bowl is in heavy need of renovations of more than $170 million and the struggling tourism economy in Orlando has put those renovations on hold. So the conference trades an NFL stadium for a run-down stadium. Also, why not try to get into the mix to get one of the Capital One Bowl slots if Orlando is a prime location? It looks like a possibility the Cotton Bowl is going to increase its payout and may move up in the SEC pecking order. That might have left the Capital One Bowl open, though doubtful.

The Big East needs to secure a marque game and perhaps the Music City Bowl for the No. 3 team would be a good location. The conference had a relationship with the Nashville bowl before and it would be a better location than Toronto or Louisiana for many fans. Other than that, sign the Car Care Bowl and St. Petersburg and the conference is set at 5 bowls for 8 teams, a downgrade, but a better option than what is being discussed by the Conference Powers That Be.

And there’s the Music City mention. I suppose that’s going to get some traction now, which is fine. It’d make sense on a few levels and is probably the most agreeable/reasonable outcome. The Capital One was too ambitious, I think, for the Big East right now. At least the conference is under the same Florida Citrus Sports umbrella now. As for the stadium, it’s a big, big issue. It’s largely driven by taxes and the revenue there is down some 20 percent. There’ll be ongoing renovations for quite some time, it appears.

overtheSEC said:

Boxing class? Suddenly the black eye makes sense  

Innuendo!

Mack said:

Call me crazy, but quotes like Huggs’ about Casey Mitchell exemplify the things I loved about the Gale Catlett era. It was chock-full of guys who’d look great one game and horrible the next. At least it’s interesting.  

I’ll call you crazy, but, yes, that’s what makes some teams so fun/frustrating to follow. When a holder-of-court like Huggs is in charge, it’s frequently better.  

JP said:

Mack, Holman Harley comes to mind. He was a good scorer but a bit of a hot dog. In an NCAA tournament game against Old Dominion, he was leading a fast break, tried to bounce the ball from the floor up to the rim for a slam dunk, and completely whiffed. Catlett benched him and the game went downhill after that.

I remember Hargett doing that — I think during a game WVU was losing on the road — and a reporter next to me went, “This guy will never make it through a year of college.”  

Bill said:

My question is: if the “school” he “attended” has finally posted his grade(s), then WHY CAN’T WE AT LEAST CONFIRM THAT MUCH INFORMATION? I guess this means that his attendance is probably tied more to his “personal” issues of recently being married and having a kid.

Maybe we do know as much but WVU just doesn’t want to comment on him anymore since, at this point, even if he shows up, he may not even set foot in a game until October.

I don’t know anyone who knows anything about Finau’s grade being verified. Maybe I’m talking to the wrong people. Also, you’ll remember Terence Kerns, who kept telling people he was coming to WVU only because he got tired of people asking him and he hoped by telling a few people what they wanted to hear he’d keep a larger number of people off his back as he dealt with his own academic issues. Maybe we ought to keep that in mind.

Rob W. said:

Doesn’t much matter for this year. VERY FEW kids could come in this late into camp and contribute any appreciable amount before November. IF he shows up, he’d have to show something REAL special to keep a redshirt off his late back.

Figure he wouldn’t be a factor until, at the earliest, the Colorado game Oct. 1. WVU plays at Auburn Sept. 19 then has its first break before playing host to the Buffs.

drlove said:

Finau made EA Sports NCAA Football 2010 game but he is very average on the game and has difficulty getting to the quarterback, but does well against the run.

Enjoy the weekend!