<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The Mizzou-Arkansas FB game will be played the Friday after T&#39;giving, where Ark-LSU used to be. This year: Nov. 28, 1:30 pm, at MU</p>&mdash; Blair Kerkhoff (@BlairKerkhoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlairKerkhoff/statuses/471305920308191235">May 27, 2014</a></blockquote>
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http://www.seahawks.com/news/article...c-d7807580095f

Seahawks sign Justin Britt, Garrett Scott

There has never been anything subtle about Justin Britt, so it’s not surprising that word of the Seahawks’ second-round draft choice signing his rookie contract came from Britt via his twitter account.

The tackle from Missouri then deleted the tweet, but Thursday Britt tweeted a photo of him signing his contract. The Seahawks made it official later in the day, when it was announced that Britt and sixth-round pick Garrett Scott had signed their rookie contracts. Scott also is a tackle.

With Britt and Scott signed, the team is down to two unsigned draft choices – fourth-rounders Kevin Norwood, a wide receiver from Alabama; and Kevin Pierre-Louis, a linebacker from Boston College.

The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Britt was working at right tackle with the No. 1 line in last weekend’s rookie minicamp. Coach Pete Carroll and line coach Tom Cable have said that Britt will compete with Michael Bowie for the starting spot that opened when Breno Giacomini signed with the New York Jets in free agency.

“He picked everything up,” Carroll said at the conclusion of the three-day minicamp. “He’s very well prepared technique-wise. He has real good footwork. His base is real good. His balance is real good for a big man. He moved well off of the line of scrimmage. He won’t have any trouble learning.

“It’s going to take some time, of course, but he won’t have any trouble picking stuff up. He’s a real serious, mature kid and I think he would jump right into the competition – exactly like we planned.”

On the day the Seahawks drafted him, Cable pointed to Britt’s background as a heavyweight wrestler in high school as an example of the kind of competitiveness that the Seahawks covet.

“I love it,” said Cable, who also called Britt “an ornery, mean guy that plays the game the right way.”

“Loves to grind. Loves to work. … He’s no nonsense. That’s our kind of guy – guys who love to compete. He doesn’t care about the flashy, whatever all that is. Just wants to get better every day. So it’s really a perfect hit for us at what we need to have right now.”

Britt went 45-0 in winning the state title as a senior at Lebanon (Mo.) High School, and recently discussed how that background in wrestling plays into being a blocker in football.

“I think that’s where my competitive edge comes from,” Britt said. “In football, O-line doesn’t get looked at a lot. But you know you’re one-on-one every play with somebody. So either you’re going to win or you’re going to let him win. It’s whoever works harder and prepares harder.

“Being a wrestler, you get pushed to limits you didn’t even know you could be pushed to. Everybody is looking at you, and you don’t want to be the guy that gives up in front of how ever many people are there. So the adrenalin kicks in. You get a second breath of fresh air and you start going again.”

The 6-4, 307-pound Scott, who played at Marshall, did not participate in the rookie minicamp because he had yet to pass his physical. But the Seahawks envision him providing depth at left tackle, where Pro Bowler Russell Okung missed eight games last season and now is sidelined after having foot surgery. Scott started 35 games for the Thundering Herd at tackle and guard.

“We like the shot of him playing left tackle, because he’s done it and it’s a difficult spot to find,” Carroll said after the draft. “He looked very comfortable there – really has the kind of quickness and light-on-his -feet ability that gives us the thought that he could do that.”

The Seahawks will get going again on Tuesday during the first of the team’s 10 OTA practices.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/ar...0-23cd0bff2868

Spagnola: If You Are Looking For A Guy To Root For ...

IRVING, Texas – There are guys in our lifetimes we automatically pull for. Good guys, hard-working guys, ones dealt pretty raw deals through no fault of their own, yet don’t succumb to taking the easy – and usually the wrong – way out.

Must admit, I didn’t know the backstory on this one, just what he has done the past three years at the University of Missouri, becoming a football player the rest of the nation should have known about, but not sure many outside the Mizzou family did.

Normally I wouldn’t do this, would recuse myself from a story like this because of my heartfelt affiliation with the University of Missouri, but this is one you need to know about no matter if he played his football at Missouri or, geesh, even Kansas.

And no, this is not about Michael Sam, who has made a national splash by admitting nationally his sexual orientation while embarking on a journey into the National Football League this week. This one, at least to me, is even better, will tug at your heartstrings.

Please meet L’Damian Washington, 6-3 7/8ths, 188, wide receiver, 23 years old, University of Missouri. And if you didn’t know where he was from already, the thick black bracelet on his wrist screaming in gold letters Mizzou Pride would undoubtedly let you know. He’s from Shreveport, La., born and raised, the soul of the Missouri team winning the East Division of the SEC, playing the pants off Auburn in the conference championship game and beating Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl right here at AT&T Stadium this past January. He would catch 50 passes for 893 yards and 10 touchdowns as a fifth-year senior this past season.

And brother can he run, 4.38 at the combine, one of the most clutch receivers in Missouri football history, and believe me, I know my Missouri football history, going back 40 some years. Now, he’s thin, like real thin, and maybe the reason a guy projected to be a third-day draft choice went undrafted, causing him to admit, “I’ve never felt so hurt in my life. Like a nightmare I’ll never wake up from.”

He would go on to say, “the worst three days of my life,” which you will discover must have been some really bad days.

Well, he is here at The Ranch, having signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys, going through his first two NFL practices at this weekend’s rookie minicamp on Friday, and wearing No. 13. Can’t imagine he is superstitious, not after what he’s been through. Bad luck has been his bedfellow.


Seems as though every year at this time a guy emerges who you will like, will want to pull for. You know, the Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Patrick Crayton, Cole Beasley, Ronald Leary. You’ve seen them come through, the mighty underdogs who persevere. This will be L’Damian. And here is what you need to know.

At six years old, his dad was murdered, so his mom Sonya was left to raise L’Damian and his three brothers – he was the third oldest – as a single parent in a rough part of Shreveport. Tough. But the story grows worse.

At age 15, while playing in a high school basketball tournament game his mom came to watch, she suffered a massive blood clot and died of a stroke his sophomore year. The four boys were left parentless, guardian-less and basically homeless.

So they decided to make a go of it themselves. L’Damian’s oldest brother, L’Courtney, 19 at the time, assumed leadership of the family. They found an apartment and somehow made ends meet without meeting a life on the streets. With proper guidance in high school, L’Damian qualified for an athletic scholarship to college. And this is where life sometimes comes back at you.

He was headed to Louisiana Tech, just east down I-20 in Ruston. The head coach there was going to give the kid a chance. His name was Derek Dooley. That’s right, the same Derek Dooley who is now the Cowboys wide receivers coach. And although he and his brothers grew up huge Cowboys fans in Shreveport, his affiliation with Dooley at the time led him to sign the undrafted free agent deal with the Cowboys.

“He was the first coach that gave me a chance,” Washington said of coming out of high school and a week ago receiving another recruiting call from Dooley. “Felt like I kinda owed him.”

Dooley scoffed at the payback notion.

“He’s given me more than I’ve given him,” Dooley said.

Here is why. Dooley knew the kid’s background at the time he arrived for the home visit. Usually that means meeting the parents, family and high school coach. Not this time. It was just Dooley and Washington in a room at the home of a family friend. The two of them.

“I remember my home visit with him, it was incredible,” Dooley says. “Just me and him, and was the longest home visit I ever had. Must have spent eight or nine hours with him. It was emotional. How could you not root for him, what he’s been through?”

Dooley said he went home and shared L’Damian’s inspirational story with his wife and kids. For the Dooley family, he became of life’s lesson. A good one.

Unfortunately for Dooley, Missouri came in at the last minute, and the senior at Oaks High decided to go to Missouri at the urging of his oldest brother. They were thinking ahead: Playing at La Tech and close to home or a major university like Missouri, a member of the Big 12 Conference then with much more exposure? What would give him the best chance at a pro career, something that would provide for him and his brothers?

So away he went to Columbia, Mo., and found a new family, one he would discover is “really tight, and all over.” He red-shirted his first year in 2009 and then became Missouri’s deep threat the next three years. Size and speed, can’t beat it, especially the last two years playing in the SEC. And he made good use of his time, already having earned his degree in psychology.

On top of that, he earned the respect of his Missouri teammates, coaching staff and anyone who watched him play, especially over the past two seasons. In Week 6 of the 2013 season, he was nominated for the Orange Bowl Courage Award. In Missouri’s only SEC loss during the regular season he caught a 96-yard touchdown pass against South Carolina. In what was then thought an improbable win at Georgia, he hauled in a 40-yard, end-around TD pass to seal the victory over the Bulldogs after starting quarterback James Franklin had been knocked out of the game.

Unfortunately for Washington, he would suffer a badly sprained left big toe the latter part of the season. He could still run, but had problems planting, cutting. He became a straight-line receiver the final five games of the campaign, likely hurting his draft status. In the final regular-season game, he still caught six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in the division-clinching victory over Texas A&M – despite the toe.

In fact, the toe still hurts, and likely will until he rests for a lengthy period of time. Problem is, he doesn’t have time to rest. Even when the Cowboys trainers suggested holding him out this weekend, allowing that toe some further rest, he said, “No, please don’t. I can’t afford to do that.”

Remember, those brothers, “I got three brothers waiting on me.”

That has been on his mind the past five months, ever since the Cotton Bowl victory. His motivation while training for the combine, training for his Pro Day workout, working hard so he would be drafted and have a good chance of making an NFL roster were those brothers, wanting to one day provide for them.

“When most go home they’ve got a place to stay,” Washington pointed out of his peculiar circumstances. “I go stay in a hotel.”

That’s what happens when your brothers, your one brother’s girlfriend, a niece and nephew are sharing a house in Shreveport. It’s that, or sleeping on the couch.

So now you might better understand why going undrafted over those three days last week just had to be excruciatingly painful for Washington, and as he pointed out, not just for him, but that “we was all hurt.”

In fact, even though he was here on Friday practicing with the Dallas Cowboys, you could still see that hurt in his eyes, the pain of feeling deep inside he let someone down. He knows no matter what, drafted third round, seventh round or signing as a rookie free agent, he still has that chance, but he sure didn’t feel like celebrating his signing with the Cowboys. The feeling were that raw, that that bad, and really to this day.

“I just left Shreveport the next day and came here,” he says. “Just wanted to get out. I never felt so low. Wasn’t the best of birthdays (May 10th), but I guess that’s perfect for the life I’ve been given. I think I respond better with adversity.”

Well, here he goes again, and there does not appear to be any give-up in L’Damian Washington. If there was, he would have given up a long time ago, just as many others in similar circumstances have before him.

But not him, mom or no mom. Dad or no dad. Good toe or bad toe.

“My mom instilled in me at a young age to be a man, to be a standup guy,” Washington said.

So now there is this: He doesn’t get drafted. The toe aches. The percentages are against him, the Cowboys having four veteran receivers, Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Dwayne Harris and Cole Beasley, and just having used a fifth-round draft choice on Pitt wide receiver Devin Street.

That’s five, the normal number an NFL team keeps on a 53-man roster, unless a sixth forces them to go long. So you see, the odds are long for L’Damian and his three brothers. Nothing new, though, right?

But at least this time we all know his story now, and my guess is for sure there will be more than just those three brothers rooting hard for LaDamian Washington.

Who’s in?

https://missouri.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1647791

You may have to be a subscriber to read, but this is an awesome piece. Insanely talented FLA QB Jack Allison is interested in Mizzou. Dude grew up a Mizzou fan since age 8. We may not ultimately land him, but it's nice to seen long-term success begin to pay off.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>JUST IN: The <a href="https://twitter.com/Atlanta_Falcons">@Atlanta_Falcons</a> announce LB Sean Weatherspoon ruptured his Achilles today and will miss the 2014 season.</p>&mdash; FOX Sports NFL (@NFLonFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX/statuses/476522578090024961">June 11, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Ugh... That sucks!

Tanner Owen commits to Mizzou! Kid hasn't been highly rated, but that's likely to change. Ran a 4.8 40 at 6-6 270 with a 28" vertical.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/col...-Missouri.html

WR Kalif Jackson's top five includes Missouri, Duke, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech (no order) per teh twitterz.

I feel bad for Spoon, he's been a good pro but can't stay healthy.

That's a fast 40 for a guy that size.

The latest Tiger commit:

Corey Fatony
Franklin (TN)
http://kohlskicking.com/profile/corey-fatony/9055/

KC Chiefs connection. And he's from the land of Colquitts.

See ya Baggett

I'm hearing rumors that DGB might go to Oklahoma. I hope its BS, I wish the kid well but its Oklahoma so he will probably lead them to a National Championship.

Looks like Ole Miss bought a recruit from us. I cant believe they havent got caught. Hope you guys skull **** them.

Bubba Starling to take his spot?

Well if you aren't winning then it don't really matter who you bought.

Don't worry Freeze will waste his talent. Ole Miss ****ing sucks, we beat them last year but we only play them twice a decade.

This kid visited Alabama and said he didn't like it because they were "all about business" then commits to some third world university because his mom likes it.

Sounds like a imature kid anyways, sucks to lose a kid like that though.

DGB can't play this season for an FBS school, and there is a zero percent chance he doesn't declare for the NFL Draft next year. So yeah, BS.

He thinks he can get his suspension waived by the NCAA and OU was the team that popped up in the rumor. I would be done with college athletics if that happened.

It's not his suspension from Mizzou that would cause him to have to skip a season, it's NCAA transfer rules. You can't transfer to an FBS program and play immediately (unless you've graduated, still have a year of eligibility, and the new school offers a grad program that your first school doesn't).

Ofodile gives his verbal to Nike U.

I knew that kid wasn't coming. Recruiting has hit a wall this sucks. They better get some more guys, the few 4 stars they got will start decommitting. They better have a solid year or its all going to go up in smoke.

Never really cared if Ofodile went to Mizzou or not. He did not show much at the camp he went to whcih was not shock.

Over-reacting man to the rescue :thumb:

Sorry dude but when Mizzourah kids would rather lose week after week with Arkansas than play for us that doesn't bode well.

I don't blame the kid. Nor do I think it is some insurmountable loss. We've done more with "less star/hype" players than just about anyone in college football.

Does it also not bode well for LSU, who only has 1 of the states top 5 players staying home? Or how about Oregon...who could only do the same to get one of their top 5 in-state kids signed?

Look, I'd have loved to get Ofodile, but I don't think it's the end of the world either. And the fact the kid wants to get out of Columbia for the first time ever and was likely swayed by the shiny shit they have at Oregon doesn't give me the doom and gloom it apparently does for you. I think we'll be just fine...and we'll continue to see less and less of this as the program becomes a stronger consistent name.

I could live without getting Ofodile but it's just sickening how many guys they miss out on. Hentges,Ofodile,and Beckner were the key to getting a few more guys to join. That won't happen now since we've lost out on two of the three already. You see how many 4 stars are going to kentucky? Like 10. I can't believe these kids want to lose every single week. smh

We're still in good shape with Beckner.

Urban Meyer has stopped recruiting him. Speculation I've been passed from a buddy in Ohio who follows recruiting closely is that Meyer knows he's not getting him away from Missouri.

Just speculation but still good.

Drew Lock continues to be active recruiting guys and Missouri is in great shape with guys like Miles Boykin, who is the No. 2 player in Illinois (behind Beckner and in front of Strong).

Losing Ofodile sucks because he's a legacy and local kid, but it's not end of the world (and really not unexpected if you've been following that kid at all recently).

I hope we get him, it would be HUGE.

If we didn't lose DGB I wouldn't be worried, they need some immediate help at WR, I really don't think Sasser and Hunt can carry the load. Of course Ofodile couldn't help this year obviously. It's going to be a couple years before Nate Brown will step up imho.

J'Mon Moore will play this year, and if he's as good as some of his camp hype, that helps a lot. But the receiving corps is likely to look a lot more like the 2010 squad than before.

It also sounds like they might use Murphy in the slot to create some plays, which is a good use of his skills.

Hopefully 2010 minus Jerrell Jackson.

Your argument is ok until you added this....we should never, ever compare ourselves to UK football in any way. It's like comparing our football program to KU's football program to make a point.

You missed the point. We are nothing like Kentucky and it's sad that top recruits will commit to a perennial loser like them while Mizzou struggles to pull in top hometown talent. It shows you that there's no excuse for missing out on this many in state kids.

No...I completely got the point. But just because a 4 star recruit commits to UK, doesn't mean we should be upset.

so,..who's the really talented gay guy on the team this year ?

I dont get post like this. Mizzou loses 4 star kids from the state every year and its the differnce of winning 12 games every 5 years and winning 12 games every year.

This. There's no excuse for it, the biggest homers can't defend that one even though they will try. Last year was awesome but if they want sustained success they have to lock down some of those in state guys. Georgia and Florida will be back soon as will Tennessee. It's crucial that recruiting picks up. They won't think I'm overreacting when the Kentucky game is no longer a gimme.

Well, part of the reason I posted that was probably because I didn't really think his decision was a surprise since a lot of the more reputable "rumors" were saying he was likely leaving Columbia.

And on one hand, I completely agree with your take. It does make a huge difference and it'd be just completely awesome if we could seal the borders and keep every single piece of in-state talent. Truth is though, there are VERY FEW schools that keep every top 5 kid from their state every single year on a consistent basis. And for someone like Ofodile, who's lived in Columbia his entire life and has never really shown himself to be a unwavering Mizzou fan with a lifelong dream of playing for his hometown school. That being said, I think it's a mistake on his part to go to Oregon and that his pro potential would likely be helped more by playing in our offense.

Hopefully we land Beckner, land another receiver from one of the southeast states who we have offers out to, and lock down one of the better classes we've ever had.

hentges and ofidile weren't must-gets. Lock and Beckner are. It's that simple.

Agreed. Hentges was a pipe dream for us seeing as how we've utilized a TE the last few years.

Beckner will be heartbreak if we lose him, but I feel pretty good about it at the moment.

Thinking that UK is going to be that good because they picked up a 4 star recruit (even if it is 4 of them) to me is over-reacting.

Start talking to me about losing guys to GA, FL and TN but please don't bring the crap about UK. Until UK does something more than promise big and deliver small on whom they pull into the program, using them as a measuring stick for how well MU is doing or not doing lessens your argument.

And makes you sound like Chicken Little.

They picked up 10 of them. And already have 5 coming next year, no way that many guys bust out. They're going to be an 8-4,9-3 team in 2-3 years.

Because Mark Stoops' recruiting efforts translated to lots of wins during his Arizona DC run.

His recruits at FSU didn't truly take off until after he left.

Take a look at this and tell me you're not a least a little worried about Kentucky being legit, this is ridiculous compared to the guys we are pulling in.

https://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrec...14/Kentucky-69

Not unless they change their mentality....and coaches.

Even when they had their best group of athletes several years back they still only managed to pull one, maybe 2 decent years.

I've watched them the last 7 years.....only the most rabid UK homer has confidence in them now even with their recruiting class.

And it's not like UK has ever done much with the 4 Star recruits they have brought in. I remember a few years back a hot recruit named Aaron Boyd from right in their back yard in Lexington.....MU was one team that recruited him....but he decided to stay at home.

His Senior year he caught over 50 passes for 1100 yards...but otherwise wasn't really a factor in his career at UK. When the draft came around I believe he was rated 299 out of 342 WR's.

One of my good friends is a Kentucky fan and yes they've sucked balls in football for years but I think Stoops can do for them what Franklin did for Vandy. Kentucky will never compete for the east even with those recruits but I think he can make them a bowl team that will trip us up every now and then like KU used to do.

So? The SEC is a big boy league. Most of the teams will be outstanding. Fortunately, MU has the staff to not only play with the big boys, but to beat them as well.

I get that it's your MO, but you don't have to go nuts every time a recruit goes elsewhere. Again, Hentges and Ofodile would have been great, but their worth really had more to do with perception. Lock and Beckner are the guys we need to land as they'll likely be impact players.

That's the thing, it's not one or two players its damn near ALL OF THEM that go elsewhere.

If your friend is a Wildcat fan, then I am sure he has probably told you that there are already rumors that if he can't produce this year, then he may not be long for this place.

UK fans don't have that much faith in Stoops yet and are very impatient. I could actually see them asking Rich Brooks to come back and coach for them just like K-State did with Snyder.

ROFL.


Henson is using the exact same concepts that they use at Oregon.


Mizzou is the Oregon of the midwest.

mati mak

So, it's understandable when the Davis twins go to Nebraska because their uncle played there (and it's in a different ****ing state) but "Oh well" when Ofodile, who lives in the mother****ing town, whose dad played there, and whose dad coaches the ****ing Rock Bridge team, goes to Oregon.

Stop settling.

The Davis twins recruiter also went to Blue Springs High School so Mizzou had that against them as well.

Don't bother these homers can't get it in that skull. If it's not positive they're not hearing it.

I don't get the "if we don't close the borders we fail" mentality.....

As far as Ofodile......I think we put too much emphasis on "legacy" players, you know the kids of former MU stars coming to their parent alma mater. Most don't want to live in the shadows of their parents legacy mainly due to the pressure to live up to it. Or they just want to escape the town...it's not like many of them move back here after graduation, right?

Now...if you want to talk to me about losing good players who REALLY wanted to play here but we snubbed them, I am all ears. That situation pisses me off more than losing some kid who never really showed any interest in coming to MU.

Me a homer? You have a better chance at being Bart Starr or Brett Favre than I do being a homer.

Good news.

So here's the real question....did Ofodile every really express any desire to come to MU? All I have heard was 2nd hand information that he wanted out of town and MU was never really into the game.

I'm not "oh well" or understanding on either situation.

I have been resigned to Ofodile leaving for quite a while. That writing has been on the wall for a few months.

The Davis twins hurt. Talented, big kids that I hope Andy Hill is still dug in on. They were huge early favorites to Mizzou but we didn't get them locked up early enough and the Nebraska offer swayed them.

I've mentioned before that the Davis brothers went to Blue Springs, they are no longer a friend to the program. Their coach is a KU guy, we will never get a Blue Springs kid as long as he's there, never ever.

The Davis twins are ones that I can get irritated about......that should be one that we should get.

Regardless of whether or not the coach is a former KU grad, we should have dug in hard....it's losing kids like that I get irritated over.

I guess I don't lose as much sleep for the kids who don't really want to come here at all.

KU fans will go to the depths of hell to **** over Mizzou, and they always succeed.

It's especially irritating because if there's one thing Mizzou should be able to sell to recruits, it's that the Tigers' staff will prepare them to be NFL linemen.

Sheldon Richardson, Aldon Smith, Kony Ealy, Ziggy Hood, CJ Mosely, Aatiyah Ellison, with Markus Golden and Shane Ray waiting in the wings.

Even less-recruited guys like Michael Sam, Stryker Sulak, and Domonique Hamilton have gotten looks in the NFL after working with Coach Kul.

Who are you talking to?

The Davis twins were much bigger misses, IMO.

Lock is going to realize he committed too early and open his recruiting back up, this is why we can't have nice things.

Because Mizzou

Well said. I agree. There's no excuse for it. There's a reason they're missing out on all of these guys. I'm having second thoughts about locking pinkel up.

Update:

OL Coach Bruce Walker (and waste of sperm recruiter) is retiring, for good, this time.

My guess for his replacement is current team GA Nick Oetterbacher, who has been with the program for a while. I believe he played at Washington and got connected to Pinkel through that coaching tree.

You really are insane.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/esuZabCBgrM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Omari Stringer chooses Indiana over Mizzou. You just have to laugh.

btw someone on SEC rant made that outrageous claim about Lock but it irritated me because it can possibly happen if Beckner doesnt commit.

Was not a priority target and was not highly rated, either. I don't get the outrage.