If you are looking for WastedOptimism, it isn’t here anymore. I guess it’s here, but it isn’t here here. We are now a part of the SBNation group of sports blogs.  You can find us at http://cowboysrideforfree.com

If you are looking for an old post, all the archives from here were transferred to the new site so head on over and join in the discussion.

Pasted Optimism is a place where we periodically post a collection of links, quick

New locker room renovation pics went up on coachtravisford.com over the weekend. I hope everyone likes bubbly walls and crazy tile patterns. I’m still trying to get confirmation as to whether they are building a locker room, or a set for a 1983 movie that is about the future.  Either way, there is no way that that place isn’t hosting an orgy at some point. Also, jokes aside, it looks pretty bad ass.
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Gundy doesn’t want to ban his players from the bars. From a Bill Haisten article:

“Most bad things happen after midnight,” Gundy said on Tuesday. “(However), I am not a firm believer in saying to the . . . guys on our team, ‘You can’t live the normal life of a college student.’ Maybe that’s wrong, but right now, I just don’t feel like you can do that. How can I punish the other 119 guys (as a result of) one guy making a terrible decision?”

What is this? A coach having some perspective and not overreacting to prove to the media and the university that he will take decisive action, even if that action is ineffective and might serve the opposite purpose as its intent? No sir…not on my watch.  As a 61 year old average white Oklahoman, I know that student athletes respond best to being punished, screamed at, isolated, and humiliated.  They hate you at first but eventually learn to love you as they realize that you were borderline torturing them for their own good.  Didn’t Gundy see the movie Coach Carter?
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Nebraska SBNation site previews their matchup with Oklahoma State, and has a poll regarding expected results.  I feel like I should mention that it is a really classy poll.
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Cowboys are arriving in Stilly today!  YEEEEESSSS!  Football!  Today is a day of paperwork and first practice is set for 8:00 am tomorrow morning.
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Also, don’t forget that Fan Appreciation Day is this Sunday from 2:00 to 4:00 at GIA.  Doors open at 1:00.  Come get some autographs of Cowboy footballers and footballers.  See, the soccer team is there too, so I am sorta playing with the dual use of the word “football” as it applies to both sports.  Did it become funny after I explained it?

WO packing intern and future plaintiff

For those that may have missed the announcement, we are moving soon.  It looks like most of the development work at the new place is done, and the move to sbnation.com looks imminent.  So as we are preparing for all the changes, we wanted to update all of our readers on a few things… so Evan and Mikael, listen up.

1. As mentioned previously, we will have a new url that we feel more accurately reflects the tone of the site. Since we are all sex partners friends here, I am going to level with you… when this site was started in 2008, it was intended purely as an outlet for us to entertain each other and a small group of friends through writing some of the dumbest shit you will ever read, and mocking our mutual love and frustration with Oklahoma State athletics (mostly football). The name WastedOptimism came to us one day, and once the name was first uttered we all thought it felt right for the purposes of the site, so we went with it.  As our writing, and interest levels in the site fluctuated and eventually progressed throughout the past two years, the site began taking on a different feel, and eventually turned into what it is today.  A way for us to easily meet high school girls. A much more thorough look at Oklahoma State Athletics, with plenty of self-deprecating humor, and Nebraska insults thrown in.  As such, we feel like we have progressed beyond the good-natured jab of a name that WastedOptimism represented, and have been wanting to switch to a url that has doesn’t have any negative connotation to it.  This move to sbnation provided the perfect opportunity to make that change.  So take note of the new name…. once we move over, the new url for the site will be:  CowboysRideForFree.com
2. With the new name, and hooking up with a legitimate site, you may be wondering if we will be changing our format in any way.  Oh, you weren’t wondering that?  Ok. Well in case you do wonder that some day, the answer is NO (ALL FUCKING CAPS AND BOLDED).  SBNation in no way wants us to change anything.  And even if they did… well… we would probably do whatever they told us to do.  We have a huge fear of authority types.
3. The next 3 to 10 days may consist of a less frequent post schedule.  We are in the final stages of setting up the new site and it will require a decent chunk of our time. What kind of work are we doing on the new site you ask?  There is the building, the crafting, and the lubing just to name three things we are working on.  So if we go a day without posting, don’t freak the eff out about the unavoidable flaccidity that comes with missing out on some daily WO… just read back through some archives and your wastedoptimism chub will return.
4. I think we need to gameplan some angles with everyone here before we move over to sbnation.  We have a unique opportunity to introduce hundreds of million of thousands of people to Oklahoma State culture, and we should take advantage of this.  What I mean is, this sites readers have no idea what we are like, we can be whoever we want and they will assume that we are an accurate representation of Oklahoma State. So what if we mix Swedish words into our sentences here and there.  Or constantly discuss the details of sex reassignment surgery. All the new readers from all over the world will think that is just who Oklahoma State fans are. Or we could be respectful and articulate and clever and impress the pants right off everyone with our O-State loyalty and staggering knowledge of everything Garth Brooks.  Any of those options work for me, or suggest your own and we will work this plan out.

I think that is all for now. Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday Cowboys… and get ready to ride… for free.

Previous Position-alysis:

• Wide Receivers
• Linebackers
• Backfield
• Defensive Line

With today’s Position-alysis we will be taking a look at the quarterbacks.  While we all know who is at the #1 spot here, thanks to 2009 we also all know how quickly things can change.  On any given play, the #2 can become the #1, then #3 becomes #2, then… well, you get the idea of moving everyone up a spot.  So let’s take a look at the starter, and who will be backing him up at the QB spot.

The Starter

Brandon Weeden | 6-4 | 225 | Ju | Edmond

This seems like as good of a place as any to introduce everyone to Weeden’s new nickname:  The Million Dollar Man, Brandon Weeden.

He is a millionaire right?  His signing bonus was for $565k in 2002, and he played in the minors for four years.  Although I can’t find any other details of his pay during that time, I do know that he was traded two years into his contract.  And one thing I know about the MLB farm system, is that for the most part only guys with value are involved in trades.  So I have to assume that for at least two years he was valuable enough to receive his normal minor league pay, plus some sort of bonus, probably equal to at least half of his signing bonus.  And odds are, he received a bonus in his third year as well while he was with the Dodgers.  So all that adds up to a minimum of 1.3 million dollars, meaning that at some point in his life he is/was worth close to, or over, one million dollars.*

*The entire previous paragraph was intended to backup the validity of the photoshop above, and justify Brandon’s new nickname: The Million Dollar Man, Brandon Weeden (MDMBW).

As for Weeden’s abilities as a quarterback, we have only seen glimpses of him, but what we have seen has all Cowboy fans excited about his potential.  At 6’4″, with a rocket arm, and enough mobility to be able to avoid pressure, Weeden has all the physical tools required to be a top flight quarterback.  The question marks surrounding him are his inexperience and decision making ability.

We all remember Brandon’s impressive performance in relief of Alex Cate in the Colorado game (10/15 168 yards 2 TDs), and his Spring game performance seemed to pickup right where he had left off as he was 22/34 for 257 yards and 4 TDs.  Every account out of spring practice has had the same basic message – that Weeden looks extremely impressive and should not be looked at as a typical first time starter.

While we like to make jokes about Weeden being old and banging Golden Girls and going to HS reunions with Bill Snyder, at 26 he really is in the prime of his athletic career and has a mental advantage over everyone else on the field given his background and maturity level.  One of the most important attributes of a quarterback is that they are a leader, and at 26, having been through what he has already been through, there is no doubt that the rest of the offense will look to Brandon as their leader.  I think we are safe in expecting some big things out of MDMBW in 2010.

Click the Jump to read about MDMBW’s backups.

The Reserves

Johnny Deaton | 6-2 | 200 | Fr | Sand Springs
The best thing Johnny Deaton has going for him, is that his name is Johnny Deaton.  That is one of the most bad-ass, P-slaying, quarterback names I have heard recently.  Deaton was an early enrollee at OSU earning him the right to go through Spring practices with the team.  He saw some decent action in the spring game going an economical 14/18 for 63 yards with 1 interception.

Deaton was a highly acclaimed High School quarterback earning All-American and All-State honors and was ranked as the 6th best dual threat QB in the nation by Rivals.  Scout had him listed as the 46th best QB overall in the 2009 class.  I obviously have not seen Deaton play, but from the descriptions I have read and videos I have watched, he seems to fit the Z-Rob mold of a pass-first run threat, but with a much stronger arm.  Deaton is listed as the primary backup to MDMBW (is this nickname working yet?).

Clint Chelf |6-1 | 200 | RsFr | Enid
Clint saw some action as well in the Spring game connecting on 6 of 7 passes for 42 yards. While undersized with a relatively weak arm for a Big XII quarterback, Chelf’s accuracy and ability to throw on the run might be a good fit for the dink-and-dunk passing style that the spread tends to favor.

Collecting gold medals is a little hobby of Nathans

Nathan Sorenson | 6-3 | 200 | Fr | Texarkana
Just an all-around stud athlete.  Out of high school Rivals had him ranked as the #32 QB in the country, Scout had him at #41.  He was once clocked at a 4.5 forty, and was a member of the Texas state champion 4×800 relay team.  His senior season he passed for 1700 yards and rushed for another 769. According to his scout profile, Nathan’s best attributes are his arm strength and his size, while he needs to work on reading defenses and working through his progression.  So basically the same things that every 18 year old QB needs to work on. This dude could impress if he gets the opportunity.

Brayden Stringer | 6-4 | 216 | So | Lawton
Outside of the fact that Brayden went 9 of 14 for 61 yards and a TD in the spring game, I know absolutely nothing about him. I haven’t seen him play and there is very little information out there about him. Well, I guess I shouldn’t say that I know nothing about him.  I actually do know some things about him.  I know that he likes chillin w/ no drama (count me in!), and I know that he loves the band The Last Goodnight (when is their next show?).  But sadly, that was as much information about Brayden as I could summon from ten minutes spent bing-ing the googles.

Summary
While I think we are all content with seeing what MDMBW can do, and letting him work out a few early issues should they arise, there is a lot of young talent behind him that is ready to step in if necessary (unless MDMBW has Virgil take them out).  And looking past 2010, the next half-decade looks solid at the QB position with Deaton, Chelf, Sorenson, and next years addition of JW Walsh.

Harold Nusten

“It is just unforgivable that he would hurt another person like that,” began Nusten, “It is just sickening is what it is.  This is a kid that is in a bar, fighting… when he should be preparing to knock the snot out of Washington State quarterback Jeff Tuel in a few weeks. Everyone knows that the Cougars line wouldn’t have been able to stop him and he would have had numerous open shots at a completely defenseless Tuel’s ribcage and head.  Now, come September, instead of basking in the glory of breaking an opponents ribs, he will be sitting in a jail cell or at home questioning his unacceptable violent actions.”

Nusten, his face now flushed and wringing his hands, continued, “It’s just too bad this had to happen.  Jaime had such a promising, socially-acceptable outlet for knocking heads and inflicting pain on others on the field.  It is a just a shame that he would purposefully hurt another person in this manner when there is no scoring involved.  Why can’t athletes that are trained to play one of the most violent sports ever known keep their emotions in check?  I mean they have been taught for years to unleash the warrior within them, to inflict as much pain as possible on whoever stands in their way, to completely beat the hell out of anyone wearing a different color shirt than them, but they are supposed to behave this way only when between the white lines.  I just don’t get how this could happen.”

Nusten had to pause for a few seconds to catch his breath, then continued, “Well hopefully Richetti Jones can step up in his place week 1 and lay some people out. Hopefully he will drive some bodies into the dirt, crack some Cougar heads, and wreck some sternums on the way to a Cowboy victory.”

Nusten finished with, “But this violence off the field just can’t happen.  That energy should be spent punishing your opponents.”

Pasted Optimism is a place where we periodically post a collection of links, quick

I wasn’t planning on posting a pasted optimism today, but this Bill Haisten story about what Jamie Blatnick did to Steve Denning’s face with a beer bottle needs to be posted. Ouch! There are many more details in the article. Eyewitnesses are saying that Blatnick was the instigator.  Bad shit going on in the hot Stilly summer.

In a more lighthearted story, Tulsa World published the results of a players survey from Big 12 Media Days, and there were a few surprising results.  Most notably, the OSU-black uniforms were the top vote getter in the best uniforms category… and BPS finished 2nd behind Nebraska in “most hostile environment”.  There was not yet a category for “guy you least want to piss off at Murphys”, but I think we know who would win that.

I am Austin box.

Last Friday, The OU Sports Blog at NewsOK.com reported that you shouldn’t sleep on Austin box; and aside from the capital B on box, they’ve really got a point. We all know that Austin box is primo. And truth be told, there probably aren’t a lot of college towns that have the selection that Austin has from top to bottom. 

But with college football around the corner, let’s not forget about the other premium box in the Big 12 South. Click the jump for more…

Stillwater box

We are Stillwater box

It can be a little “small townish”, but that doesn’t make it bad. Mostly cute and a little innocent but not at all shy when it comes down to business.

Norman box

Sooner Box

Maybe a little on the trashy side, but who cares? We’re talking box here, not wife potential. There are a few really pretentious ones that wonder up from Dallas so beware. The fake tots dad bought her for graduation and the fresh brazillian are great, but the bitching and entitlement can be a little over the top.

College Station box

We are College Station box

Seemingly normal at a glance,but really weird once you get to know her. The big negatives are she chants weird shit regularly and wears a huge shiny class ring. (as an adult) But on the upside, she wants to get it on everytime she sees her team score a touchdown. You can’t beat that…

Lubbock box

Texas Tech Box

No explanation needed. She’ll drink you under the table (or at least that’s what you’ll make her think she’s doing while you’re getting her wasted!) Works every time…

Waco Box

Baylor Box

Underrated box. You don’t want to sleep on this AT ALL. Sure, it’s  a Baptist school in the middle of nowhere. And yes, there were some really crazy people there  in a compound in the 1990′s but listen to me. This box is not to be overlooked. A diamond in the rough, if you know what I mean. And you’ll get a prayer warrior out of it.

So the moral of the story here is don’t sleep on any box. Yes, Austin box is primo. But what reasonable box isn’t? The bottom line is we’re about a month away from college football, and that means tons of box.

This is a new feature here at WO where Cincy and Sam will each offer our take on a variety of questions, most of which will focus on how things will shake out for Oklahoma State, and the Big XII, in the 2010 football season.  Some of these questions were submitted by our loyal readers, some came up in everyday conversation, some were part of a Chinasa sex-dream, and some were just made up.  As always, every answer and prediction should be taken as 100% fact… wager accordingly.

Question #1. Which Big XII team will be the biggest disappointment compared to their pre-season projection?

Sam: In my opinion, there are two great candidates here, but I am going to pass over A&M and go with Nebraska (sorry Peliniacs).  I will try to keep this brief, but my main reasons for thinking Nebraska will not be a national title contender mainly have to do with losing Suh. I understand that one player does not make an entire defense, but in Suh’s case… maybe he did. Bill C from Rock M Nation and Football Outsiders does an excellent job of explaining this in his Nebraska D preview:

“When we read about how the Pelinis have figured things out, and how the defense was more than just one person, and Nebraska can expect to be just as good or better on defense despite the loss of House of Spears, all I can say is … prove it.  I don’t mean that in a smack-talking way, I just mean that … damn, Suh was amazing last year.  He commanded double- and triple-teams, opened up the blocking for the rest of the line, and still put up those stats.  There is no doubt in my mind that the Nebraska coaching staff had something to do with his success, and that they can be expected to coach up Jared Crick and other tackles in the future … but that was a once-in-a-decade type of performance last year.  And the thing about once-in-a-decade performances is … they don’t happen every year.  (Brilliant observation, I know.)”

Outside of that, I am down on Zac Lee, and really the offense as a whole who was just a mess of inconsistency last year, highlighted by the up and down efforts of QB Lee. The O-line ranks about the middle of the Big XII in talent, and the receiving corps doesn’t have much punch outside of Niles Paul, so Helo Jr is going to have to stay healthy and have a 1500+ yard season (which is very possible) to keep the offense moving.

Because of all these briefly summarized factors, I predict that Nebraska will not meet expectations in 2010.  Now I don’t mean to completely dash the hopes of Ivory Nation… I do think a 10 win season similar to last year is possible, I just think the high end hopes of running though conference play undefeated, followed by a BCS title game berth, are quite a stretch.  I don’t see Nebraska staying the the top 5, I don’t see them heading to a BCS bowl, and I can’t actually see their fans as they are practically translucent.

My prediction is 8-4, which should still be enough to take the North.

Cincy: Texas Tech.

Under Mike Leach, the Red Raiders became one of the most high powered offenses of all time. New head coach Tommy Tuberville has stated that he will keep things “mostly the same” and will just “refine the offensive scheme that Leach had in place” with a more balanced attack that is focused on running the ball.

In my opinion, Tuberville is from the old school. He wants to play solid defense, control the line of scrimmage and run the ball with authority. Sure, he went out and hired Troy Offensive Coordinator Neal Brown to run the offense, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be dinking and dunking it like they were under Leach.

Mike Leach didn’t recruit guys that were meant to play in a Tuberville style system. He mostly focused on small wide-outs that could get open, lineman that really didn’t have to do a lot of run blocking and defensive guys that were leftovers from all of the other Texas and Oklahoma schools. Simply put, he recruited niche players. That niche worked in the Leach “system”, but  it won’t work for Tubes.

I honestly expect Tech to finish 6th in the South, behind Baylor and Texas A&M.

After the Jump, a few more questions, and some even hotter answers

Question #2: Which Big XII team will finish much better than their pre-season projection?

Cincy: This one’s an easy one. Oklahoma State.

Sure, we lost our starting QB, WR and stud O-lineman to the NFL.  Call me crazy, (or a homer) but I really don’t see that as a huge setback.

Robinson certainly wasn’t the same quarterback last year that he was in 2008 and we lost Dez after the Houston game. Okung will be missed, but we were without all american running back Kendall Hunter, so maybe Hunter’s skills make up for that loss.

I believe that Holgorsen will be Holgorsen, and Bill Young will be Bill Young. That translates into an  offense that puts up big numbers, and a defense that is better than most.

I think OSU will be a lot better than people think. At a minimum, we’ll be better than Baylor. Sorry Art.

Sam: I think the obvious choice here is Oklahoma State (and hey, it works out perfectly that this is an O-State site), but in an effort to add some variety here, I will go with the team most publications are picking to finish 6th in the North division, Iowa State. While you may scoff at the idea of the Cyclones making some noise in their first season in the Big XII, they may have the pieces in place to surprise us in 2010.

First off, their schedule is just brutal, so expectations need to be tempered based on playing such a tough schedule (aka: the schedule South teams play every year + Iowa).  A six win season would be outstanding with this schedule, but I think they are capable of this, and maybe more. (and in the North, 7 wins can equal a trip to the title game!)

ISU returns 8 starters to the offense including standout running back Alexander Robinson, and experienced QB, and smooth MF, Austin Arnaud.  On the other side, the defense loses 6 starters but all were either on the line or at the linebacker spot and were part of a unit that was widely considered one of the worst in the Big XII last season… so really, are they losing anything that great?  They do return all of an effective secondary, including Big XII newcomer of the year David Sims, and although the Clone defense is prone to giving up a lot of yards, their bend-but-don’t-break approach proved effective against some elite teams last year.

Mostly I have faith in, suddenly everyone’s favorite, Paul Rhodes. A rational dude that is a good motivator, and seems like someone a player would want to play for.  Check out this interview with him for proof.  How likable is that guy? Don’t you just want him to show you how to execute a perfect form tackle?

I think a 6 win season is doable, putting them somewhere between 1st and 4th in the North.

Question #3: Does Landry Jones have a mustache?

Sam: Absolutely not. I mean it varies from picture to picture, but even in his most mustachy-looking pictures he does not have a man’s mustache. Tom Selleck has a mustache.  Sam Elliott has a mustache.

You are welcome ladies.

That thing Landry Jones has, and every hipster out there wants to have, should not be called a mustache.  It is peripheral lip hair… it is the male landing strip.  Good, honest mustaches should not be lumped into the same category as Landry’s vulva-stache.

note: I kinda feel like Jones is one of those guys that grows facial hair only on his upper lip, and a little on his chin, so that when he goes a week without shaving it looks like he is growing a mustache… so really he may not be trying to have a mustache at all. This may all be one big misunderstaching^TM.

Cincy: I can’t compete with the answer above so I’ll say….Kinda.

Well the first three questions ended up running a lot longer than we expected (yes, this is radio), so let’s go ahead and break this into a few parts.  Look for Part 2 to be up next week.

Previous Position-alysis:

• Wide Receivers
• Linebackers
• Backfield

Ugo Chinasa

There’s no question that the best athlete on the line is 6-5, 252-pound Senior Defensive End, Ugo Chinasa.

Chinasa led the team last year with 6.5 sacks, and 30 tackles total. Since 1991, only one cowboy has had at least 10 sacks – Greg Richmond in 2003. Chinasa has the speed and tenacity to be a special player. It’s time for him to step up, and be All Big 12 caliber.

Working with Chinasa, on the other end, will be Jamie Blatnick. The 6-3, 270-pound junior was serviceable last year with 28 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss.  He seems to have good size and is smart, but he hasn’t shown the speed to get to the quarterback, even with all of the attention being paid to Chinasa. Word out of Stillwater is that he’s dropped some weight and added some muscle. Hopefully that translates to more “flash” and a better pass rush.

Is this the year for Richetti Jones?

Richetti Jones was considered one of the nation’s top end prospects before suffering a hip injury late in his high school career. He has been “good”, but he hasn’t been anywhere near what was originally expected. I expect him to grow into even more of a factor. He has turned into a bit of a pass rushing specialist and the 6-3, 264-pound junior has the raw skills to live up to his original billing.

Defensive Tackles

Chris Donaldson

Chris Donaldson wasn’t a major piece of the defensive puzzle last year, but he played in every game after Georgia and finished with nine tackles. He’s a smart player who, at 6-1 299, has the size to anchor the middle this season.  He’s much better than his stats show and could quickly become one of the team’s most important linemen, especially when it comes to stopping the run.

Shane Jarka is a versatile veteran who is able to play both inside and out. Although he’s battled the injury bug, he had a decent year as a key backup making 18 tackles, 1.5 sacks and five tackles for loss.  He’s 6-3 and 295 pounds with good speed to pressure the quarterback and present problems in the backfield. The key to Jarka’s success is staying healthy.

At 6-3 and 265 pounds, Nigel Nicholas is undersized but as proof from his play in 3^rd down packages last season, he can move.  He’s extremely quick off the ball and is very strong for his size.  He’s built to be an end in a 3-4 but he’ll be just fine in the Bill Young 4-3.
Overview

This should be a solid Defensive Line.   The Defensive Ends (Chinasa, Blatnick and Richetti) should all take turns having big games on the outside, so the hope is they blow up each game with their combination of size, quickness, and experience.  Hold down the middle with Donaldson, Jarka and Nichols and you’ve got yourself a solid D.

Pasted Optimism is a place where we periodically post a collection of links, quick

With Big XII Media Days taking over the week we haven’t put one of these together in a while. Is everyone alright?  Good.  OK, on to the links.

Oklahoma State picked up commitments number 15 and 16 this week.  Number 16 being Quentin Sargent who has three of my absolutely favorite attributes for a football player.  1) His name is Quentin.. you show me an unsuccessful Quentin and I will show you a picture of Gundy with tousled hair.  2) His entire name is about as bad-ass sounding as it gets. 3)He is listed at the position of “athlete”.

Cowboy Caravan heads to Tulsa tomorrow evening.  Here is a short recap by NewsOK of the OKC one from Wednesday. I couldn’t make it as I was playing week 1 of my NCAA 11 online dynasty and completely forgot about it, but it sounds like a pretty good evening.  A lot of Gundy getting fired up and telling everyone not to believe pre-season projections… Unless they are the 2009 ones that had us as a top 10 team… those are projections we can get behind.

The Victor Johnson situation is still up in the air.

And lastly, Orie Lemon may have given us a taste of the absolutely badassness that will be the Cowboys 2010 poster with a twitpic.

I can’t wait to see what Dan Bailey looks like all orange blooded to the left of Orie there.