Great game versus Green Bay on Brett Favre night at Lambeau. Broke up pass in the end zone on fourth down to ice game. Lots of positive mentions all night for him and Rice.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/col...olumn.html

A few days old, but an interesting article on Callahan. Has several Rice mentions and a Thurmond quote in it.

It's kind of interesting but one could make a good case that Rice NFL guys have had more of an impact in the 2015 season than the Rice professional baseball players did i the MLB season this year. You might have to go back to the early 1980's to find a similar comparison between the two professional sports.

(11-27-2015 12:48 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/col...olumn.html

A few days old, but an interesting article on Callahan. Has several Rice mentions and a Thurmond quote in it.

It's kind of interesting but one could make a good case that Rice NFL guys have had more of an impact in the 2015 season than the Rice professional baseball players did i the MLB season this year. You might have to go back to the early 1980's to find a similar comparison between the two professional sports.

Given Rendon's time on the DL, you may be right. Brock Holt and Tyler Duffey gave a pretty good accounting of themselves though.

It probably will come down to the final month-plus of the NFL season. I think if at least 3 Rice guys get in the playoffs (Boswell, and Sendejo are the best bets, but you also have Willson, Covington and even Callahan as possibilities), then that might tip the scales. Duffey did have a big impact on Minnesota's near playoff appearance though, so it's still a tough call. If Covington replaces Wilfolk as the Texans starting NT, that might also sway the comparison.

Speaking of the NFL, how crazy would it be if you have undefeated New England and Carolina teams playing each other in Super Bowl 50?

(11-27-2015 12:48 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/col...olumn.html

Any chance you (or someone else) can copy-and-past the Callahan-related portion?

My impression of Thurmond is that he is an excellent CB coach, but merely an OK defensive coordinator. That's why he's been a CB coach at some very good schools and really helped Gaines & Callahan, but hasn't really taken Rice's defense overall to the next level. He's certainly been better than Driesback as a DC, but he hasn't been able to adapt to the loss of 2 NFL-quality CBs.

Happy for Bryce as a few plays earlier he slipped and his guy made big play to get Pack down in the red zone so to come back and know he was going to get targeted as the FA Rookie was an awesome play. Great to see him get a shot.

For Rice, just head scratcher that you have three DB's that are/were starting in the NFL this year plus a bunch of other guys that have made it to that level, others who were all conference, etc. over past few years but the D play is just been so poor (sans one year and even that I believe was around 50ish).

Now we are without any real NFL talent (maybe Lyons gets a FA look) and you are seeing what happens as Rice ranked #112 in FBS playing a schedule of poor offensive teams (7 of 11 Rice's games were against teams ranked below 75 in Total Offense). You look at top 25 of FBS for Total D and see schools like Georgia Southern, Air Force, Appy St., Cent. Mich, SD St., Utah St., etc. Top spots are hardly occupied with Alabama and other SEC schools. No reason why Rice can't play solid D. If DB manages to cling on for another year, he has to make a DC change and inject some energy, personality, and new schemes into action.

(11-27-2015 12:48 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/col...olumn.html

A few days old, but an interesting article on Callahan. Has several Rice mentions and a Thurmond quote in it.

It's kind of interesting but one could make a good case that Rice NFL guys have had more of an impact in the 2015 season than the Rice professional baseball players did i the MLB season this year. You might have to go back to the early 1980's to find a similar comparison between the two professional sports.

Rendon had an injury-plagued, down year for sure, and Cingrani was injured just about the whole season, but Holt was one of the Red Sox's best players and Tyler Duffy was a revelation once called up.

(11-27-2015 08:12 AM)owl40 Wrote:  Happy for Bryce as a few plays earlier he slipped and his guy made big play to get Pack down in the red zone so to come back and know he was going to get targeted as the FA Rookie was an awesome play. Great to see him get a shot.

For Rice, just head scratcher that you have three DB's that are/were starting in the NFL this year plus a bunch of other guys that have made it to that level, others who were all conference, etc. over past few years but the D play is just been so poor (sans one year and even that I believe was around 50ish).

Now we are without any real NFL talent (maybe Lyons gets a FA look) and you are seeing what happens as Rice ranked #112 in FBS playing a schedule of poor offensive teams (7 of 11 Rice's games were against teams ranked below 75 in Total Offense). You look at top 25 of FBS for Total D and see schools like Georgia Southern, Air Force, Appy St., Cent. Mich, SD St., Utah St., etc. Top spots are hardly occupied with Alabama and other SEC schools. No reason why Rice can't play solid D. If DB manages to cling on for another year, he has to make a DC change and inject some energy, personality, and new schemes into action.

Again, the blame has to sit with Bailiff who came here as a defensive coach.

"Glad" that a thread acknowledging how well a former player performed in an NFL game can't avoid the eventual conversation about how good of a coach DB is. At least it's the same sport, I guess.

It was great to see Bryce get a lot of positive coverage and help the Bears pull out a victory in Green Bay. I bet a few other teams are kicking themselves for passing him up in the draft.

Edit: just noticed that the Thanksgiving thread also went down that road. I'm much more impressed about that one.

(11-27-2015 09:49 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  "Glad" that a thread acknowledging how well a former player performed in an NFL game can't avoid the eventual conversation about how good of a coach DB is. At least it's the same sport, I guess.

It was great to see Bryce get a lot of positive coverage and help the Bears pull out a victory in Green Bay. I bet a few other teams are kicking themselves for passing him up in the draft.

Edit: just noticed that the Thanksgiving thread also went down that road. I'm much more impressed about that one.

And the UT vs TT thread...

Some good and interesting points made by Owl40, but I'd rather keep this about Bryce, or at least about Owls in the NFL, so I'll respond in a more appropriate thread.

(11-27-2015 10:34 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Some good and interesting points made by Owl40, but I'd rather keep this about Bryce, or at least about Owls in the NFL, so I'll respond in a more appropriate thread.

Here is hoping that Bryce and all the other Rice guys in the NFL keep it up and play deep into the playoffs.

So why didn't Bryce get the turkey leg? Did they give it to Houston, or Long? Or even (gasp) Cutler?

I'm so glad The Texans never made a run at Cutler. I can only imagine what he was like when he was a loose cannon.

Based on the few times I have seen them on the field, Green Bay seems like they should be a better team on the field than they actually produce. A real head scratcher.

But I have another favorite NFL team to follow now. Go Bears!