Hello followers. Hope you all had a very calming and relaxing weekend.
Well, as brother Sean alluded to last week, I’ve been in deep conversation with the WSU Athletic Department over the past week or so about our campaign to help raise money for Martin Stadium. (This truly is not a joke!)
And here is the latest news:
First of all, many of the fine details of the overall effort are still being worked out, and for that reason, I really can’t give you all any specifics about the ins and outs of the whole deal.
What I can tell you is that the campaign is going to be much bigger and much more central to the overall Stadim development plan than we could have ever realized when we launched the idea of a campaign earlier in the year. In fact, the effort portends to be so big, that I am giving our brethren at the Athletic Department, four solid Carma Chameleons for all of their work and vision in putting this whole thing together!
I can also tell you that REAL time line for the launch of this campaign is the first two weeks in September.
With that in mind, we have two requests of the faithful over the coming weeks (again, this is NOT a joke):
1) Take some real time with your family members and business partners and budget out what you can give to this campaign. We want to make an early splash to generate publicity with the media, so please be ready to give whatever you can in the campaign’s early days.
2) Start to identify people who have not yet frequented the WSU sports blogosphere who might be willing to get involved. Currently, we think we have about 700 who frequent this blog regularly. Out of this 700, we’d like to generate anywhere from two to three thousand donors for the effort. Translation: that means that each of us is responsible for getting three or four others on board with us.
So, over the coming weeks, get your contact lists together. In no uncertain terms, we all have a chance to make history here. Lets makes sure we take advantage of the opportunity to move our university and football program into the 21st Century!
Now, onto football….
Followers, as training camp nears, I wanted to take a moment to talk about our beloved position of Quarterback. And believe me, I’d like to approach this subject with a bit more maturity than I did when I had a different incarnation.
So, with that in mind, I want you all to know that I am going to broach the issue of Kevin Lopina DIRECTLY only one time this season: Today.
As those who followed this blog during the Alex Brink era know, I was much too quick and harsh to blame Alex for all of the things that he couldn’t do on the football field. And that was a big mistake on my part. Instead, I should have blamed the coaches, and not Alex, for not recognizing that other options needed to be explored sooner-rather-than-later in order for us to shake our losing ways. So, I want to be particularly sensitive in how I approach the possibility of another QB controversy that again could threaten the welfare of our beloved program.
Anyhow, where Kevin is concerned, I have been FEVERISHLY researching stats that WSU and the Pac-10 keep on quarterbacks in order to find Kevin’s current place in both Cougar and Pac-10 Lore. And, while I did not find what I was looking for (they don’t keep much on futility), I am also pretty confident in saying that through his 8 starts last year, a solid case has to be made that Kevin Lopina is on track to be the worst quarterback with a near season’s worth of starts in Pac-10 history.
Now, before this turns any more negative about Kevin, there are two really big things that I want everyone to remember about Good Ole Number Nine.
1) Kevin led the good ship “Don’t Quit” last year when everyone else on the team and university was driving out of town. IF this program ever gets turned around, Kevin Lopina will be known as one of the principle leaders who made the program’s return happen.
2) After exhibiting one of the single WORST performances of any quarterback in Apple Cup history, Lopina nutted up BIG TIME on that last drive to save the game, the season, and possibly the program.
Seriously all, think about it: What would we all be talking about right now if Lopina hadn’t come through in that game? Would ANYONE who even sniffs this Blog pick us higher than 10th if we had finished last year 1-12? Would we have lost most of our incoming recruiting class??
So, Kevin, Fans and Supporters of Kevin, and others in the Kevin Cosmos, please know that on one hand, your back is totally covered on this blog. And for that, four Carma Chameleons for you, my brother.
At the same time, the sample size is large enough to know that Kevin doesn’t have the goods to be a good Pac-10 Quarterback. And, while I sense that the coaching staff would suggest that Kevin does a good job now of making reads and not turning the ball over, I am also pretty certain that “not turning the ball over” also means not trying to make a whole lot of plays (e.g. LOSING). Furthermore, when you’re trying to hit a WR on a 10yard “in” and he runs a 12 yard out–well, it doesn’t really matter much how talented you are, does it? And trust me, faithful, we’re going to see a lot of W-T-F routes run by our WRs in the first six weeks.
In short, as we all head toward the start of Fall Camp, it is important to remind ourselves about what this season is about:
1a) Improvement
1b) Improvement that leads directly to having a real shot at winning NEXT year.
Because Kevin is a senior, there’s not much that he can do as a starter to contribute to 1b–at least in my book. So, with that in mind, let me say the following for the first and last time this year:
1) Kevin should not start
2) We will not win more than one game if Kevin starts
3) We will not build for the future if Kevin starts
4) Wulff will find himself unneccesarily with VERY unstable job security at the end of the year if Kevin starts.
So, given the above four parts of the Sutra’s “Number 9 Axiom”, I have 100% convinced myself that because the above seems so completely obvious to me and the rest of the universe, Kevin will NOT play much this year.
Consequently, as you all read my predictions and opinions for our team this year, please know that #9 is not figuring into my plans or visions for our beloved team.
With that all in mind, please stay tuned tomorrow for a great DB preview by Sean and then I’ll have Lucas’ takes on the upcoming schedule and season on Wednesday.
And to all, a harty “Coug-De-L’Amor.”
-Osho Rojo
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