Ice pick please.

I'm fairly certain that Berkstresser really does suck.

Yup.

I think they will make Franklin the starter but Mauk as the #2. Should be a short leash on Franklin.

Franklin has nice hips and a nice wrist.

I don't even want Franklin on the sidelines passing out Gatoraid. Holy shit, Tiger Cassel needs to GTFO. 4321

Sadly, this.

I think James Franklin is probably a really good dude.

But if Mauk isn't good enough to win the starting spot convincingly, we're in even deeper shit than I feared.

I think we're ****ed until Pinkel is flushed regardless.

FIRE PINKEL & HAITH FOR BETTER TOMORROW -saveourtigers.com

COLUMBIA — After starting all 13 games at left tackle as a sophomore in 2011, it’s safe to say Missouri senior Justin Britt didn’t see the 2012 season unfolding for him the way it did.

“You see someone go down with an ACL or something like that and you say no, that will never happen to me - I’ve never had an injury in my life,” Britt said. “And then I have two surgeries in one year, so it can happen.”
The first came last summer, when Britt opened preseason camp in a boot due to a foot fracture he suffered during conditioning. He returned for the season opener and proceeded to start Missouri’s first nine games at right tackle until he was lost for the season when he tore his ACL against Florida.
“Some people take it harder than others,” said the 6-foot-6, 320-pound Britt. “The first couple of days were hard on me. Then I realized it’s not the end of the world, I still had another year, things could still work out as planned. So I stayed in Columbia over the Christmas break, and I was here everyday with (trainers) Rex (Sharp) and Casey (Hairston). I haven’t skipped a day…and they’ve been awesome.”
The hard work has paid off, too. Britt rejoined his team on the practice field last week, and got some action in the Tigers’ first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday.
“It was good to get (him) out there,” said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. “He’s still rusty.”
Britt knew this would be the case – he even said so before the scrimmage, when he estimated his knee was feeling about 80 or 90 percent.
“I do have to improve a lot,” Britt said, “but that’s expected after not playing football for a while.”
Regardless, Britt is excited to be back at left tackle, where he feels most comfortable. He moved to the right side last season to accommodate Elvis Fisher – a four-year starter who missed all of 2011 with a knee injury – and though he was beaten a few times, was generally happy with the way he performed.
In last year’s offensive scheme – which featured plenty of five-wide and empty sets – Britt and Fisher were often asked to hold up on the edge with little help against some of the biggest, most athletic defensive linemen the country has to offer. That includes South Carolina star Jadeveon Clowney, who jumped into the nation’s consciousness with this hit in the Gamecocks’ bowl win over Michigan.
“We battled for a half before he got his first sack,” Britt said of Missouri’s 31-10 loss to the Gamecocks last September. “It definitely was a learning experience…I went into it as a challenge, and I think I did well.
“I feel a lot more confident this year. My knee is feeling stronger and stronger, more strong than it was.”
Now, Britt – and his coaches – hope he's ready to build on that experience.
“Left tackle is where I’ve wanted to be since I came here, and once again I’m back,” Britt said. “Let’s hope it stays that way.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/09...#storylink=cpy

MISSOURI SPRING FOOTBALL NOTES
•Missouri’s ongoing quarterback competition between senior James Franklin, sophomore Corbin Berkstresser and freshman Maty Mauk continues to intensify, with Mauk surpassing Berkstresser for No. 2 in Tuesday’s pre-practice stretch lines, an indication of the current depth chart.
The switch was likely a result of the first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday, which Mauk starred in while Berkstresser struggled.
However, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel quickly shot down the notion Tuesday that any of the quarterbacks had separated themselves from the pack.
“I don’t discuss evaluations in the spring,” Pinkel said. “We’ll just see where it goes…that kind of competition, that’s our business right now, nobody else’s business. I don’t know where it’s going to end up, and that’s OK. We’ve got three talented guys competing, and I’m in no rush to make a decision. Generally, it takes care of itself. We will set the depth chart after spring ball.”
•Pinkel went out of his way Tuesday to state that several young players have shown enough growth this offseason to emerge as possible contributors. Two of them, it appears, are sophomore guard Connor McGovern and sophomore cornerback David Johnson, both of whom he praised for their rapid improvement.
“This is the time of year when you see young players…and you say, this guy is close to being ready to play,” Pinkel said. “It’s nice to see we’ve got a lot of guys that fall into that category. It makes you sleep a little better…you normally have four or five. I think we have 10 or 11 now. Other than learning plays and the system, that’s what spring practice is about.”
•Pinkel said freshman tight end Sean Culkin, who wore a red non-contact jersey, has a hip pointer, while senior tight end Eric Waters has a foot injury.
“Other than the tight end position, we’re pretty healthy,” Pinkel said.
Pinkel noted that walk-on sophomore Clayton Echard, who is listed at 6 feet 5 and 260 pounds, has moved from defensive end to tight end. With Waters and Culkin as the only scholarship tight ends on the roster, Pinkel had previously said Missouri will need to find a third tight end somewhere, whether it be incoming freshman Jason Reese (who will arrive this summer) or someone like Echard, who has apparently impressed Pinkel.
“He runs well and he’s 257 (pounds),” Pinkel said. “He caught the ball well and I was stunned. We’re looking at different options.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/09...#storylink=cpy

It's a slow burn.
6-6 or 7-5 is easily attainable w/ this schedule and given the way MU and Alden operate that means yet another underwhelming season for Pinkel.
It's a very depressing time as a fan for me. Little hope now and little hope for the future under this regime.

I agree, but you never know what might happen....If we do end up with another 6-6 or 7-5 record...Pinkel should be gone and probably Alden too.

duncan_idaho, the Mercury of MU football, just informed me that it's best to not even look at Mizzou recruiting this year...it will be that bad.

Yep. It's gonna be slow until the fall and the teams on field success will drive any kind of recruiting successes we may have. So don't hold yer breath.

There is a rumor flying around we got a commitment today from a ESL safety named Greg Taylor.

COLUMBIA — Lucas Vincent was frustrated and angry, two emotions he’s dealt with plenty over the last nine months or so. He needed to vent, so like so many other people his age, he took to Twitter.

“I can’t afford to have another day like today,” Vincent typed. “THIS IS MY YEAR DAMN IT.”
This happened shortly after Missouri’s first spring football scrimmage Saturday. Vincent, a junior defensive tackle from Olathe North, remained atop the depth chart, but his performance fell short of his own expectations, which have grown after a disappointing 2012 season in which he endured a painful chest injury and lost his starting job.
“I wasn’t making enough plays, so I wasn’t happy with myself,” Vincent said. “I set myself at a really high standard, and if I don’t go out and achieve that standard, I’m not going to be satisfied with myself.”
The fact Vincent, 6 feet 2 and 295 pounds, expects so much is a good thing for Missouri, which needs to replace standout defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, a projected first-round NFL Draft pick.
“I have a high expectation level for him — I want him to think of overachieving,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said of Vincent. “That’s kind of my push with him. He’s got a lot more in him than what we’re getting, but we’re seeing a lot more now, and that’s good.”
Particularly after last season. Vincent entered spring practice as the starter, but sophomore Matt Hoch flew past him on the depth chart in the summer. In July, Vincent suffered a torn pectoral muscle while bench pressing.
“It just felt like a knife with an electric current cut me from under my armpit all the way to the top of my shoulder,” Vincent said of the injury. “I could tell how bad it was, the way (trainer) Rex (Sharp) was looking.”
Vincent healed in time to play in 12 games, but he only made three tackles in limited action behind the gifted Richardson and ever-improving Hoch, who finished with 36 tackles and two sacks.
“I’m really glad (about) the way Matt played,” Vincent said. “He came into his own. In the same way, it was frustrating for me … I felt like it was my turn. But it was Matt’s.”
Hoch is expected to start again at one tackle spot. But Vincent has done everything he can to make sure nothing will derail him in a competition with talented redshirt freshman Harold Brantley for Richardson’s spot. Vincent’s bench press is around 440 pounds and rising — he could lift 500 pounds before his injury — and he is also working on his hand strength and placement.
“I’ve got (guys) at my heels, so I’ve just got to keep going,” Vincent said. “Harold is a great athlete — he’s going to be good here. Marvin (Foster) is a senior, it’s his last year so of course he’s motivated. So I’ve got to set myself apart from them.”
Pinkel has repeatedly spoken highly of Brantley, an athletic 6-3, 292-pounder from Hershey, Pa., who says he played running back, defensive line and even returned kicks at around 275 pounds in high school.
“I don’t think the surprise came until they saw me running full-speed,” Brantley said of his high school opponents. “They were like ‘Yeah, they’ll put a big guy back there to break a few tackles.’ But in the open field, I’ve got a little boost.”
Brantley said he’s been begging Missouri’s coaches for a chance to play fullback — “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he said with a laugh — but is serious about overtaking Vincent for the starting position at defensive tackle.
“He’s definitely a big strong guy,” Brantley said of Vincent. “And people don’t know it, but he’s pretty fast, too. It won’t be easy … we’re both fighting for the No. 1 spot, and that’s going to make each of us better.”
Both players are clearly embracing the challenge.
“I want to be talked about the same way they talk about Sheldon,” Vincent said. “This is my time.”


Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/11...#storylink=cpy