Bleacher Report - Articles by Jesse Meade

How the Big Ten can Get its Groove Back

Jesse Meade — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:13:13 -0400

Its been a fast and hard fall from grace for the Big Ten in the NCAA football landscape. Once prominent programs Ohio State and Penn State find themselves incapable of beating top-ranked competition, while the winningist program in the country: The University of Michigan, is struggling just to win. The Conference has failed to remain relevant in the national spotlight since Ohio State's 2002 National Championship. Other conferences have risen and surpassed the Big Ten in quality of competition. Most would place The Southeastern, Big 12, Pacific Ten, and Atlantic Coastal Conferences all well ahead of the Big Ten. The time is now for the Big Ten to make a move to modernize itself along with the other major conferences of the NCAA and to make its return to the national stage. Here's how it can be done.

Begin Slideshow

Battles of Mankato: Vikings Training Camp 2009

Jesse Meade — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:24:40 -0400

With time winding down until the beginning of Vikings training camp August 1st at Minnesota State in Mankato, now would seem to be the perfect time to take a look at the position battles that will be resolved heading in camp. The Vikes find themselves standing on a razor's edge at the moment. The team has locked up a solid core of a run dominated offense with All-Star Adrian Peterson and one the largest lines in the NFL. Their defense is one of the most stout in the NFL and is the best at stopping the run behind both Kevin and Pat Williams at the Tackle Positions. With only one or two more pieces needed this training camp may be one of the most important ones the Vikings have ever held, as its results will determine if the franchise will progress towards contention of a NFC title and possibly a Superbowl or continued mediocrity So let's take a look shall we?

Begin Slideshow

The Unstoppable Force Of Mount Union College

Jesse Meade — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:41:48 -0400

Here's an easy question to answer: "Who's the most dominant program in college football?"

Southern California? Please... They've won two national titles since 2003.

What about Florida? Three titles in 12 seasons is a pretty good mark, right?

Not even close.

If you want to find the most dominating program in America, you have to travel far from the beaches of Florida, the glamour of LA, the swamps of the bayou and out of the shadow of Touchdown Jesus.

In fact, in order to see it for yourself, you'll have to travel to tiny Alliance, Ohio. It's the home of the Mount Union Purple Raiders—the dominating force of NCAA Division III football.

I can hear a couple of you laughing while reading this, scoffing at the Division III label, and that's OK. It won't take a lot of effort on my part to convince you. I'll just let the numbers speak for themselves.

Entering the 2009 season, the Raiders have won 10 national titles.

What's that you say? Michigan and Notre Dame have won 11? Perhaps I should mention that all of Mount Union's National Championships have come since 1993.

That's just 15 seasons ago.

This means that since 1993, Mount Union has won the championship two out of every three seasons while playing in 12 of the last 15 title games. During that time the Raiders and their head coach Larry Kehres have posted a record of 245-11-1.

245-11-1.

The Purple Raiders have won 95.3% of all of the games they have played since 1993.

Mount Union has not failed to win the Ohio Athletic Conference title since 1992, much to the devastation of their conference-mates.

Kehres has engineered an unstoppable juggernaut. The Raiders are also the owners of both of the two longest winning streaks in college football history at 54 wins (1997-99) and 55 wins (2000-03).

Both.

The record for most points in a quarter belongs to Mount at 52 against Averett College (2007).

Mount Union is also home to the two most dominating offensive players in NCAA history.

Greg Micheli (2005-08) finished his career with a blistering 197.0 quarterback rating, making him the most efficient QB who has ever played football statistically. The record previously belonged to, you guessed it, Mount Union Alum Bill Borchert (1994-97) at a little over 194. Micheli finished his career with 81 touchdowns to just nine interceptions.

Mind numbing, isn't it?

Mount Union also is home to Nate Kmic, a running back who has rushed for more yards than any player in college football history with 8,074 yards and has scored more rushing touchdowns than any player at 125.

Did I mention Kmic holds the all-time single season rushing record as well?

His 2,790 yards last season set the all-time mark ahead of NFL legend Barry Sanders and Danny Woodhead. His 14 games of over 200 yards rushing place him ahead of Marcus Allen, Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne's 11 games.

Has your head stopped spinning? If it has, I'd encourage you to read this article over one more time as it takes a couple of tries to let it all sink in.

If you want what most people think is dominance, then you can keep your USC's and Florida's. I'll keep my Mount Union.

We'll meet in the record books.

Why America Loves to Hate Jim Tressel and Ohio State

Jesse Meade — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:11:56 -0400

Recently, it has become trendy across the country to hate Ohio State Football.

Why it's as American as apple pie.

The Buckeyes are nothing but pretenders, sheep in wolves clothing. Heck, the only reason they keep finding themselves in the big games is their weak schedule against the Big Ten right?

America's cinderella story in 2002 has now become one of its most despised programs.

And then there's Head Coach Jim Tressel. The Vest. Can there be anything more satisfying than watching his perplexed look as another "real" program puts a hurting on his Buckeyes?

So why the hate? Well its obvious, the country has grown tired of spending their holidays watching the Buckeyes get thrashed by the SEC and Big 12.

Ohio State is a pathetic 4-7 since 2005 in nationally televised games.Three of its four wins have come against Michigan, the other against Texas.

Its easy to see why America has grown tired of Tressel and the Buckeyes: all they have seen is the Buckeyes lose. The last time the nation as a whole saw a Buckeye victory that wasn't against Michigan was in 2006.

So why are the Buckeyes so bad in prime time now? The answer has to rest with Tressel.

It's as if the man is stuck in the sixties, both in fashion choice and in coaching philosophy. Anyone who harps that the punt is the most important play in football has got to be joking.

And that is exactly why he is adored in Ohio.

It's really too bad that most of the country has chosen to hate Tressel and his program. If they only would dig a little deeper into his story, they would see just why an entire state thinks sweater vests are cool.

Let's take a small stroll back in time to the year 2001. The Ohio State Buckeyes had just fallen to the lowly South Carolina Gamecocks in the Outback Bowl. Head Coach John Cooper was soon to be out the door and the Bucks needed someone to resurrect the program.

Enter Coach Tressel, an already four time national champion coach at 1-AA Youngstown State. Ohio born and raised, Tressel assured the Buckeye faithful that they would have a team to be proud of once again.

Eight seasons later, the Buckeyes have won a national title and at least a share of the Big Ten title five times. Oh and they have absolutely owned the Michigan rivalry, winning seven out of eight.

The Vest has a winning percentage of .814 during those eight years, placing him third amongst Div. I head coaches since 2002, behind only Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer.

The numbers aren't the only thing that he is loved for around Ohio. Tressel's work with the The Tressel Family Fund for Cancer research has advanced his image around the state more than any team record could.

Tressel is the last of a dying breed. A coach that plays games like a chess match. And therein is why his teams have begun to fail.

As time goes by his method of having just enough offense to get by and a ball control defense has been outdone time and time again by explosive offensive teams.

Now is the time for Tressel and the Buckeyes to open things up. America saw what the Ohio State is capable of in their 24-21 loss to a Texas team that many thought was worthy of playing for a national title.

Jim Tressel has the state of Ohio conquered. Now it is time that his program re-enter the big stage and regain the respect of a national audience. It will not be easy, the Buckeyes will have no credibility until they can defeat a great non Big 10 team in prime time.

They will get their shot on September 12th, when the USC Trojans will enter The Shoe. If they win, suddenly the Buckeyes are contenders. If they lose, well, everyone likes apple pie don't they?

The Four Most Insane Minnesota Vikings of all Time

Jesse Meade — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:17:34 -0400

With Brett Favre news (or a lack thereof) sill dominating the Vikings landscape, now marks the perfect time to look back into Viking history. Today’s lesson: the craziest Vikings to have ever played the game. Every team needs at least one. The one guy who doesn’t care what the media or public thinks of him. They draw the attention and accolades for their on and off the field actions. Doing things that could only be loved by their own fans are what these players are known for. They’re not always positive and they don’t usually follow the rules on the field; and that is what makes them great. An endless source of entertainment, these players were and are some of the top players of their time and they made sure everyone else knew about it. Their actions have carved out a special place in Viking lore. When looking back on these players, one can feel only love (and maybe a little bitterness in one case). Don’t expect to find any wrong-way safties, love-boats or “original whizzinators” here, only some love for Viking players who have made the team fun to watch and be apart of. Some things to remember about this list: it’s completely subjective! I want to hear your feedback on this. Did I leave anyone out? Disagree with one of my picks? Let it be known. I also avoided players who were just plain insane (otherwise this list would have just been the “Steal of the Draft” Onterrio Smith four times). I hope you enjoy looking over this short list and hopefully it will serve as a brief distracter from the Brett Favre saga.

Begin Slideshow

The Odyssey Of BJ Mullens

Jesse Meade — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:52:36 -0400

There was a time when all of Ohio and the basketball recruiting world were abuzz about BJ Mullens.

Now things are for the most part silent as Mullens will board the next flight to Oklahoma.

The 7"1' Center from Canal Winchester was to be the "Next Big Thing," in the basketball landscape. A lock top five pick. It was his destiny.

Mullens certainly played the part four of the last five years.

The accolades came in droves throughout high school. Mullens averaged a double-double 26 points and 15 rebounds his senior year. The scouts had nothing but glowing reviews.

His size was the perfect frame. His speed and footwork would pay off at the next level. With a verbal commitment to Ohio State while he was in the eighth grade, Mullens was headed for the big time.

Finishing second for Mr. Ohio Basketball seemed only a minor setback. The national stage was coming fast, and Mullens was ready.

On the national stage however, is where the wheels came off. The “displays of athleticism” in High School became “inconsistent effort” against NCAA competition. The “quick feet” became “unsure and confused.” His double-double average became nine points and five rebounds a game. The perennial star slid into obscurity.

To the surprise of few, Mullens declared himself after only one season at Ohio State. No longer a top prospect, fans hoped he would go as high as 15th to the Detroit Pistons. It was over a half an hour later when Commissioner David Stern announced that Mullens was drafted by the Mavericks. It would only be minutes after that when his final destination was announced via trade: Oklahoma City.

For Mullens, the clock of opportunity is ticking fast. His counterpart at Ohio State and 23rd overall pick of 2008 Kosta Koufos has been sent to the Developmental league. The learning curve will be even more steep now but his options are few. The “Next Big Thing” has arrived, with much less style and bang than anticipated. It was his destiny.