Hi, I'm Your Tour Guide

The student television season started this week and thus my show, MT Sports Live (9 pm CST on MTTV!), did just that, went live. About halfway through the show we were discussing the weekly football press conference when I remembered a particular question that had really bugged me when it was asked of every player and coach. "Does the mindset change going from a conference to non-conference game?" I proceeded to go on a mini-rant (and for the record my co-host Zac Defrancesca, a fellow former athlete backed me up) about how this might be dumber than asking Bill Belicheck for an injury report. Its a question you've heard asked a million times by media members and the answer never changes: it's always no. This is why I now present to you the fans and all my fellow media members an explanation of why, so that hopefully we can never hear this ridiculous question asked again. So come with me, as I take you on a guided tour inside the mind of an athlete!

The modern athlete is trained in media speak, and most of them have learned how to answer many questions put forth by us in the media in a simplistic answer that really doesn't provide any new information. This is why its such a breath of fresh air for me as an interviewer to interview someone like MTSU starting point guard Chelsia Lymon, who simply tells it like it is. However to say this stale, mundane routine of obvious question leading to obvious answer is the athletes and overprotective coaches faults is ridiculous. Its our fault in the media too. Many media members are former athletes who couldn't make it on a higher level (this is not an indictment as this includes me) but still have a love for sport and want to stay as close to it as possible. However it seems like many of these people forget what its like to be an athlete as soon as they cross over the athlete/media line. The question in focus here "does your mindset change now that we're in conference" is a perfect example.

As soon as an athlete steps on their particular playing surface it's game time, no matter who the opponent. It doesn't matter whether MTSU is stepping on the field versus North Texas, Maryland, or Texas, for each individual player, they are just playing football. Does that mean they don't adjust based on who they're playing? Absolutely not. If you're playing Alabama you're probably not going to run right at Mt. Cody in the middle of the defensive line, but it has nothing to do with the name on the front of the jersey. Unlike an athletes attitude, game planning has nothing to do with the name on the front of the jersey, it's all about the names on the backs.

I am about to crush a longstanding mathematical anomaly in sports, and that is no athlete plays 100% all the time. This is because it's impossible unless you want to be dead by the end of the first quarter of your game. There is also no such thing as 110%. Once again this is because it's impossible this time not because of physical limits but because of mathematical ones. Athletes play at about 85-90% for most of the time than elevate their games as they see fit. The great athletes, or at least those with superior mental makeup (you don't always get the superior athletic ability with the Michael Jordan mind, trust me. I know because I got the brain and a 5'11" body that runs a 4.8), are able to tell when it is time to elevate their game better than the standard athlete, and they are also able to sustain it longer. This has nothing to do with mindset going into a game, its simply reading the game as it comes along. Kobe Bryant doesn't go into a game knowing at the 8:48 mark of the 4th quarter its go-time; he assesses the game is it progresses and chooses his time to jump. This is also why I can become unguardable in many pickup games despite rarely being the best athlete on the floor. I see its go-time and turn my game up to 100% while everyone else is playing at 85% and at that point its as Lee Corso would say, goodnight sweetheart!

The same is true on a football field. In football when the ball is snapped you go and then the whistle blows so you stop. In theory you would go 100% for that time, but anybody who's watched a football game knows that's not the case. No, not because the tackle got beat by the defensive end on a particular play (someone has to win every battle). However, the evidence lies when about once a game a guy gets blown up on a block because he didn't keep his head on a swivel, or a receiver gets leveled over the middle because his quarterback left him out to dry. Paying attention is part of playing 100%, and in football the result of not playing at 100% is typically quite devastating for you or one of your teammates.

As Herman Edwards would say, "you play to win the game." This doesn't necessarily mean you play your hardest. You have to play better than the person opposite you. That's it. No matter how hard they play you have to play better. If you're 50% is better than your 100% than why play your best? It's wasted energy. If you have that much of an advantage than you play well enough to win decisively and that's the end of it. Does that sound great? Of course not. If a player admitted that to the media would his coach have a fit? You better believe it! However that's the truth and now you have to deal with it.

The important fact out of all of this though, is that it is not determined before a game how much effort a player will put in. Sure a player or a team can start on fire because they've preached putting forth the extra effort but eventually its the same game you've played all your life and you play it as such. The goal of an athlete is to maximize his or her abilities for the entirety of the game and it is up to them to figure out how to do that. "Leaving it all on the field" does you no good if you've left it all by halftime. Remember, a game is a game is a game is a game and a play is a play is a play is play is a play, no matter who an athlete is playing. So now that we have this understanding can I PLEASE never hear the ridiculous conference question again?

Alright that's enough, rant's over. And now that I mention it, so is your tour. Watch your step on the way out. Oh, and tips are gladly accepted!

That Went Well

When people come up to me and say, "I have a question," I typically respond by saying "I have an answer. It may not be right, but I have an answer." Going into week 2 against Memphis, we all had questions for the MTSU football team, and we were hoping they had the right answers. The questions I had went as follows:

1) Will MT run early and often?

In week 1 against Clemson, the coaching staff made a conscious decision not to run the ball early because of the size advantage the Tigers had. The strategy worked late as holes opened up in the spread out Clemson defense, however there wasn't nearly enough short to intermediate passing early in the game to make up for the running game in keeping Clemson honest, which led to limited offensive success in the first half. However these Tigers (Memphis), weren't as big as those Tigers (Clemson) and I wanted to see the ball in our best players hands early, and that would be Phillip Tanner (who, in case you don't know, plays running back).

Answer: No. New offensive coordinator Tony Franklin can't seem to figure out that our best player running the ball doesn't wear #9, he wears #21. Unfortunately, Tanner got hurt in the second half and will be out a significant amount of time and now Franklin will get even more used to calling plays for Dwight Dasher instead of the running backs. Don't get me wrong, Dasher played well and is absolutely electric with the ball in his hands, however he's more effective the less carries he gets. Typically it's "go big or go home" when Dasher runs the ball. He's not going to get 4 or 5 yards a carry, he's going to get tackled behind the line of scrimmage or go for a big play. That's all fine and dandy considering he will inevitably come up with the big one, however that's not what you want from your primary ball carrier. It doesn't wear down the defense and since Dasher apparently never played baseball as a kid and thus never learned to slide, he's going to get himself killed. The solution is simple: call more run plays that aren't options where Dasher can't keep the ball. Just hand it off Dwight; just hand it off.

2) How in the world will we guard the mammoth wide receivers of Memphis?

Our secondary is really good, but its strength is definitely not in its size. Alex Suber is no taller than 5'7" and Rod Issac no taller than 6'1". Normally that's not too much of a problem because both have solid cover skills that make up for their lack of size. However Memphis had two receivers that were 6'4" and 6'9" respectively, not to mention a 6'8" tight end (I know they're a basketball school but are you serious???).

Answer: I'm not quite sure how they did it, but Suber, Issac, and nickleback Marcus Udell along with the rest of the secondary did it! Granted, Memphis didn't exactly fling it around to their monster targets but when they did, the Middle Tennessee defensive backs performed admirably. They challenged every ball as best they could, breaking up multiple passes, as well as hitting the tall, lanky receivers every chance they got. Kudos to the secondary on a job well done.

3) Can the defense force turnovers?

The defense kept Middle Tennessee in the first game against Clemson single-handedly (see "limited offensive success in the first half" above) and it did it with stops and turnovers. If MTSU doesn't force turnovers, it's not going to win many games this year. That's not saying it can't be done however as MTSU has a very opportunistic and aggressive defense that not only can, but will cause multiple turnovers this year.

Answer: No, but it didn't matter because the special teams made up for it in the turnover department, and although the defense didn't force turnovers it did make stops and a lot of them, holding them to 219 yards of total offense, and forcing Memphis to punt 10 times. Speaking of punts, in the 2nd quarter Kenneth Gilstrap shot out of a rocket covering one and lit up Memphis's return guy causing a fumble which Middle Tennessee recovered. They would go on to score a few plays later and never looked back.

4) Blackout anyone?

The blackout promotion was a success last year and it helped get fans into the seats and into the game. The question was, will it work again?

Answer: Yes! A record crowd of 28,105 showed up to Floyd Stadium Saturday night and nearly all of them were wearing black. The student section was buzzing nearly all game and only stopped when the game was out of reach. A majority of the even was dedicated enough to stay till the end. There was a much better alumni turnout than usual however the spirit is still lacking when it comes to the non-student areas of Floyd Stadium. I spent the entire game on the sidelines, the first half on the alumni side and the second half on the student side, and it was so much louder on the student side it wasn't even funny. So on behalf of the students to all the non-students who come to the games here is a challenge: be loud, be proud, and be blue! Oh and by the way, non-students and students alike: you're allowed to stand up! Sit down during timeouts, stand up during play. Did you not go to a high school with a football team? I mean really, everybody knows that.

So now that my questions have been answered here are a few more odds and ends that need to be mentioned from Saturday's intrastate clash:

1) What is Tony Franklin doing on 3rd down?

The Blue Raiders were a pathetic 35% (6 of 17) on 3rd down and I'm whole heartedly blaming the playcalling. It seemed like no matter the distance we were running a read option (which was normally kept by Dwight Dasher). That call is fine on 3rd and 3, but if it's 3rd and 8 don't you think we should try throwing it? Also, did we really try a fumblerooskie? A fumblerooskie is a trick play run from under center, so the second Dasher is not in the shotgun like he is for every other play in our offense, the defense automatically knows something's up. 3rd down in a close game (they tried it in the first half, if not the first quarter) is not the time to try out not only your one play under center, but your only gadget play from under center. Not smart.

2) Hurry up!

Middle Tennessee needs to play at a much faster pace on offense to be more successful and that was blatantly obvious Saturday night. In the third quarter MT went no huddle and played at a quick pace and it worked to the tune of two touchdowns in two drives. This not only has to do with how quickly they snapped the ball but the playcall. There were more short to intermediate passes which helped Dwight Dasher get into a rhythm. How do I know this? 1) I was paying attention and 2) I asked Dwight after the game and he told me so.

3) Everybody loves points in the red zone

Middle Tennessee's execution in the red zone was flawless Saturday, scoring all 4 times they were inside the 20 yard line, including 3 touchdowns. The Blue Raider offense is capable of big plays but isn't really designed for it, instead the goal is to, as Hank Stram once said, matriculate the ball down the field. This is harder to do once a team is in the red zone because there is less space for the defense to defend, making their job easier and what MT was able to do Saturday night all the more impressive.

For more on Middle Tennessee football be sure to listen to the Wild World of Sports on the radio 8 am CST on 88.3 WMTS. Curtis Nolte and I will break down the games every week as well as have interviews with coaches and players. Speaking of interviews with coaches, I will sit down every week with Blue Raider Head Coach Rick Stockstill for my tv show which will air Wednesday nights on MTTV Channel 10 (time TBD). I'd love to tell you the name of this show but it doesn't have one yet and this is where we get to the interactive section of the program. I want your help naming my TV show. It will be similar to PTI on ESPN and will be hosted by myself and Zac Defrancesca. Tweet me your suggestions at twitter.com/choffman223.

5 Things You Need To Know To Fulfill Your Fantasies

Football season is upon us and that means fantasy football season is also upon us. For a lot of us, this isn't our first fantasy football rodeo, while for many others this is their maiden voyage. Yet rookies and veterans alike all seem to make the same mistakes every year which cause them to lose. I've won leagues every year I've played (at least the past 3 years, if not more) and I'm going to share with you 5 tips to not make yourself looking like a fantasy football dummy. You're welcome.

1) Know the rules!

This might sound incredibly stupid but simply knowing the rules separates the men from the boys in fantasy football. Standard leagues give 4 points for passing TD's and 6 points for rushing and recieving TD's. This is why running backs are almost always your number 1 pick. However if you check your rules and passing TD's are worth 6 and you don't take a QB in one of the first two rounds you shouldn't be allowed to play any more. Also double check to see if your league is a PPR league, meaning a point per reception. This instantly makes Wes Welker into a late first to mid second round pick when he otherwise wouldn't go till far later.

2) Don't take a kicker till the last round! Ever!!!

This is because your kicker doesn't matter. As long as you get a fairly accurate kicker from a relatively high scoring team (think Stephen Gastkowski, Nick Folk, etc) you'll be just fine. However do notice this is Rule #2 not Rule #1 and Rule #1 comes first. If your league's kicking scoring is done by distance on field goals get guys who will take and make a decent amount of long field goals (such as Jason Hanson of the Lions who would otherwise be 100% worthless).

3) Brady and Moss are great for the Patriots, not for you.

The same goes for Manning/Wayne, Rodgers/Jennings, and any other QB/WR combo. Although its great on weeks where they connect for 3 TD's that may happen once a season and for the other weeks you better hope the entire offense is on. This might happen rather frequently for the Patriots but you don't want to sacrifice a week where they're off. Instead you could have an off Brady and an on Calvin Johnson and be fine. This is far more important on bye-weeks where all of a sudden your two best offensive players are on the bench and you're royally screwed. This could also be the case in your fantasy playoffs when Bill Belicheck decides to not expose Mr. Brady's knee and gives 81 the week off with him and your two best offensive players are on the bench in your fantasy Super Bowl so they can possibly be healthy for the real one.

4) Pay attention to your bye weeks!

ESPN has been ever so nice to put bye weeks in the first column next to a players name in their drafts. There's a reason its first! If your starter is Aaron Rodgers, don't make your backup Philip Rivers. They have the same bye-week. You wasted a pick. Good job. Also pay attention to schedules. Brett Favre isn't a good fantasy QB because he often forgets what team he's on. However if he's your backup for Drew Brees your fine because Brees's bye week is the same week Favre plays the Rams. This is especially important when drafting your defense. The Chargers are a good fantasy defense but they become a great 14th round pick when your starting defense is the Steelers. They play the Raiders on the Steelers bye week.

5) Don't Draft Rookies!!!!

I know it's tempting to draft your favorite college player who you swear will be an NFL star from play 1 in your fantasy draft, but don't. If you're right and they do explode into stardom you can get them off the waiver wire. Rookies are unproven commodities and you want stability and consistency in your fantasy lineup. I think Mark Sanchez is going to be fantastic this year and have very few rookie moments, but I'm avoiding him like the plague in fantasy. If he's tearing it up in Week 3 and he's still available that doesn't mean I'm not going to pick him up then, and put him on my bench to observe, but I'm not gonna go grab him after he has one good game and dump a proven commodity.

So there it is: your fantasy football survival guide. Have fun with it and be successful on your fantasy quest (unless you're in a league with me, in which case I hope you fail miserably). With all that being said, remember this is fantasy football! Don't let your fantasy team get in the way of your real football fandom. If you have Willie Parker and you're a Titans fan, you don't have to sit him the weeks the Steelers play the Titans, but you shouldn't be jumping up and down in your Titans jersey when he scores. Football first. Fantasy football second. That's like getting excited when your team wins a pre-season game. It's against the rules. Unless you're a Lions fan. Then you just take what you can get.