Welcome to the Friday Feedback, now with almost 20 percent of the Twitter followers needed to confidently submit a bid for the WVU athletic department’s multimedia rights.

In case you missed it, Freedom of Information Act requests made earlier last month were finally granted yesterday. All the submissions from both rounds of  bidding were compiled on separate CDs, and while it was mostly standard and repetitive stuff that would occasionally distinguish itself slightly one way or the other, it was nevertheless enlightening.

Really, what have we been reading and talking about for months and months now? You can’t fully answer that because we didn’t have all the answers before yesterday. There were allegations and lawsuits and there was speculation and eventually involvement from the state’s attorney general.

Yet since this was established as an A vs. B conflict a while back, where A is Team Raese and B is Team WVU f/ IMG College and West Virginia Media,  we really only focused on the arguments and the qualifications of those participants. We still didn’t have the information we needed to think and thus speak intelligently about their arguments and qualifications — and you could extend that to the other bidders when they were dragged into the fray — until yesterday.

So now we can put A and B side by side and take a look at part of what actually happened to better understand and explain what’s been happening. And frankly, it’s not a good look for Team Raese.

Prepare for the spin cycle now because people are going to twist the monetary figures, both included and assumed, in a way that serves their side best. That’s fine, and honestly there is something to that, though not enough to bridge the chasm, especially as it relates to the all-important guaranteed revenue.

Here are the two things I think stand out most.

1) WVRC wanted to continue its arrangement and let WVU maintain the revenue from the current Mountaineer Sports Network contracts, which was listed in the first RFP at $5.3 million. That’s not insignificant. And again, many of those are the things WVU came to retain in the second bid, which is, at the minimum, cheeky.

WVRC also mentioned forming relationships with regional television partners to expand its operation, which is ambitious, and there was even a pledge to hire more people to sell ads and to add to the pregame and postgame show. Yet relative to that last part, I can’t help but think that when someone slid that note across the table, Oliver Luck opened it and thought, “… why weren’t you doing this before?”

2) “In both rounds, IMG guaranteed WVU the most revenue.”

That’s that. There was this idea that was released like balloon at a birthday party a while back that suggested IMG wasn’t the highest bidder both times. Its constant presence in a time when WVU couldn’t comment or reveal bids, generated legitimacy.

That balloon popped yesterday.

One more gesture of gratitude, if you’ll allow it: Thanks for spreading the word and tuning in for that extended spot on the radio last night. Apparently it was extraordinarily popular. Stay tuned, please.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, be honest.

Dann White said:

Hey Mike,

A suggestion from the peanut gallery: Many of us use the most recent string’s comment section to discuss the ongoing game, especially if the outcome is in doubt, or the effort is amazing. (think Orange Bowl)
How about a game-day chat, open to registered bloggers, to allow quicker commenting and, for that matter; additional quotable quotes for the Double-F.
It might also be a vehicle for you to pass along an observation or two of interest to your public (us).
If you needed help facilitating such a vehicle, consider me available.
I can’t believe that THE season to be jolly (not Christmas) is almost here….

D,a,double-n

The game day blog post is something I’m wrestling with before we start the new season. I agree I need to change my delivery and do less play-by-play, to so speak, and add more insight that’s unique to my game day privileges. Done. But what format? The chat is interesting because it invites more interaction than the live blog post, yet I wonder who’s chatting during a game. And I don’t have the time to be interactive in a chat room. Right now, I’m going back and forth between the live blog and the chat. They both have their merits, but I lean toward the live post.

Down South said:

Each year, two things tell me that football season has returned. (1) The obligatory article stating that cell service will be much improved at Mountaineer Field this season. (2) The obligatory article stating that Miami’s football program is ready to return to national prominence. I have seen the latter. I am waiting on the former. Come on, Ollie Luck, lie to me. Tell me it’s football season.

What about the inevitable Twitter photo of Porta Pottys? Or puffy prediction pieces?

Daniel said:

Dedicated lurker here coming out of hiding with a couple of questions that are needling me…

Question #1 is for the all the other followers of Mike’s work:

Can you guys, via the comments, make a list of the entities that seek to undermine WVU while pretending to cover them? I’m no longer giving Metro News any site hits, but what other publications and writers am I unwittingly doing a disservice to WVU by following?

Questoin #2 is for Mike:

Everyone is so stoked about how many bodies we have competing for spots. At what point is it a hindrance having umpteen bodies to spread reps around to in such a limited amount of time to make a sound decision, as well as for player improvement? Nobody seems to be wondering about this but me.

Oh man, I could go on and on about Question #1. As for No. 2, we’re past that point. I think that was the starting point for the complaints about inside receivers. You were maybe starting to see some signs of that at cornerback, too, even with just six people. It happens in just about every camp — you have a lot of players, they’re all good and then they’re suddenly not improving and someone says “Well, a lot of guys are splitting those reps. Concentrate those reps with a smaller group and watch what happens.” Conveniently enough, that usually coincides with the keg stands of the preseason Kool Aid.

SheikYbuti said:

Six cornerbacks are, in fact, more than enough, but the rules only let us play two at a time. Still, two would be a vast improvement over the zero we had playing back there last year.

But what if they start Bell and Worley (don’t dismiss that, by the way)? They’re converted safeties, so, technically, there are once again no corners.

Rugger said:

You might be an offensively oriented team if you have 17 receivers and 6 corners.

Possible. To be fair, Nana was seven! And some of those 17 are walkons, where as WVU has some walkons at corner. Chume!

Bobby Heenan said:

I’m looking for some optimism here, but I just don’t see good things happening with the CB (especially) and DB combo we have. I have no doubt Mitchell can teach them technique better than Roberts, and I’d LOVE to be wrong, I just don’t see the defense being good enough to deliver us a bowl game this year.

I think we will progress as the season goes along (unlike last year), but I see the biggest jump in success in 2014.

I don’t want to get too technical with it, but there’s been one noticeable change in philosophy. WVU just couldn’t backpedal last season. How many times did we see a cornerback running backward and then mess up the pivot to catch up with the receiver or defend the pass? The answer is 22. One reason we saw such huge cushions was to remove backpedaling. Brian Mitchell noticed this flaw early and decided his team will shuffle. It takes the turning out of the equation. It will remove some cushion. That might change your opinion.

Josh said:

Rugger, we may have as many as 5 receivers on the field at once, but we’ll only ever have two corners, and that includes packages with extra DBs. In the latter case, the extra DB will be one of the safeties. So there is at least SOME logic to this.

Still doesn’t explain the Vernon Davis move. If he’s not going to see the field as a receiver (and it looks like he won’t), why not keep him at corner? One more injury at corner and Davis WILL return to the defense. It just seems silly to me.

They can play more than two corners, and Rumph at safety is like an extra corner. Mostly, though, you’re correct. I wonder if Davis just wasn’t … good? … at cornerback. 

oz said:

Hey Mike
I know we talked about this last week concerning the leadership from last year. What do you think about the quotes from our current players in the link I am providing you, also wow Rex Ryan really??? Man the media in newyork is something else, by the way shouldnt rex ryan be focusing on his own team instead of worrying about WV.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2013/08/rex-ryan-defends-geno-smith-takes-shot-at-west-virginia

Stupid. I’d have to assume the comments were relayed to Mr. Ryan and that he never read the story. Not sure how one could have read the story and raced to smear WVU.

JP said:

Or maybe this one about DH ripping his buddy Ruffin McNeil’s team ECU

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/ecu-responds-to-wvu-coach-s-criticism/12738743/

Not as bad as Caulton Tudor playing the plane crash card in defense of Marshall, but not exactly poignant, either. What’s Ruffin supposed to say? Too many people who weren’t in the room with Dana when he said what he said and then didn’t bother to inquire about context have made this a bigger mess than what it was intended to be. And still yet, Dana wouldn’t take back one word.

Gordo said:

I don’t know why but Howard was one of the recruits I was most interested in. Maybe it’s the stories I keep hearing about him inching closer to 300lbs and converting to a DL. Whatever the reason I hope he makes it.

It’s not a story. He’s that big. Had he arrived this summer, he would have been a lineman. But it is fun to watch his tape. Find the one where he’s playing tight end. He’s a big athlete. He’d be good on the line or at linebacker and even at tight end

netbros said:

Holgorsen kept rattling off shoulder injury after shoulder injury. Shoulder surgery, shoulder ding, another shoulder in a sling.

Because of the targeting rule, has the point of contact been lowered from the head to the shoulder? Will we see more shoulder to shoulder hits, rather than helmet to helmet? Is the way blocking and tackling technique are being taught leading to more injuries? Are today’s shoulder pads not effective? Is it a complete coincidence?

I don’t want to say much for fear of getting it wrong, but it’s worth investigating, to be sure.

Daniel said:

I’m surprised Dana didn’t mention the acoustics of the presser room when he gave Mike a tour. They’re terrible.

He did. But he says that all the time. I usually edit that out at the start of the press conference.

AnxiousEER97 said:

I’m confused – I thought Cody Clay was the blocking back in the trey formation – yes/no? Now he’s lined up as an inside receiver. Really? If Tyler Urban couldn’t make that work, what makes Holgorsen think that Cody Clay can?

The short answer is Clay is better at it, but let’s account for the fact Clay has had more time to become better at it. Urban was never really experimented with like this. Tight end is a rare role for Clay, but he can and will swing from the slot to the backfield and vice versa and he’s a pretty decent blocker in both spots.

Eric said:

Kige Ramsey has 1,734 twitter followers. I wonder if he replied to the RFP.

Some things were redacted. Sadly, I fear that wasn’t one of them.

Rugger said:

Either those IMG guys are very good at what they do or the AD endorsers were on coke.

Depends on the pouring rights IMG acquires. Oh. Never mind.

Mack said:

TCU, UCLA, and Wake Forest? The video lacks star power.

Hmm.

Clarence Oveur said:

Mack,

I think those schools were chosen specifically due to their similar exposure situations as compared to WVU.

UCLA: competes with USC, Pac-12
TCU: competes with Texas schools, Big 12
Wake: competes with Carolina schools, ACC

While WVU has the state of West Virginia covered, it has to compete regionally with several major schools. I think that’s part of the reason IMG featured those schools: comparable exposure issues.

I can dance with that.

SheiYbuti said:

One goal of the video, undoubtedly, was to make WVU feel good about itself. And what better way than to portray the school as West Virginia’s “flagship” university, to reinforce the notion that it is the only game in town (heck, in the state), and to show our football team making a bunch of big plays specifically against Marshall. I doubt that any of this was accidental.

If they know us this well, imagine (I-M-a-G-i-n-e) what they must know about more populated, larger areas, and how to enhance our image (I-M-a-G-e) nationwide.

Heck, there were probably at least a couple dozen subliminal messages in that 4-minute clip.

Hogwash. Excuse me, I need to sign for the eight pairs of Nikes that just arrived overnight. 

Drew said:

After reading the article and skimming the documents on the RFP FOIA request, how can the lawsuit be considered anything but frivolous? If WVRC would have spent half of the time and money on their laughable proposal as they have on their lawsuits and smeer campaign they may have had a chance. I knew there would be a big difference, but that exceeded my expectations.

Interesting point to consider. It takes some steam out of WVRC’s nobility, I would have to think, but WVRC didn’t bid the second time, thereby unplugging the theory that it thinks it deserved the bid. It’s important to note that Team Raese continues to say the bidding process was wrong and even rigged, and to be honest, you don’t have to be  WVRC employee to think similarly. Whatever the standpoint, it’s not a good look for Team Raese. 

Mack said:

A guy named Dreamius does not need a nickname.

Now that’s true.

Down South said:

Karl Joseph – MarxMan

Keeper.

Josh24601 said:

I really, really hope 2013 doesn’t take a dark enough turn that anyone calls Sims Dorothy, instead of Toto.

Enjoy the weekend!