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Each week, PowerMizzou.com publisher Gabe DeArmond answers questions from Tiger fans in the mailbag. This format allows for a more expansive answer than a message board post. If you missed this week's mailbag, keep an eye out next week or send your question to Gabe at powermizzou@gmail.com. On to this week's entries.
amhorrell asks: Within about 30 hours we lost Tony Adams, Larry Boyd, Trevon Walters, and a game in Italy. Is everything looking up from here?
GD: Well, Mizzou is ranked 13th in the SEC Power Poll by ESPN this morning, so it's getting better!
In all seriousness, one of those things (the game in Italy) means nothing. One means little (sorry, but Trevon Walters was at best fifth on the depth chart). The other two may or may not mean anything, but certainly don't for at least two years.
I know all fans are like this, but sports fans have a unique ability to focus on the negative.
mufootball1 asks: Anything at all happening with the recruitment of Chester Graves?
GD: Not really. Graves is very, very quiet. The only times we've ever talked to him have been when we've caught him in person. Missouri's in the mix. Whether they get him or not, who knows?
mexicojoe asks: Suppose it is 16 or so months ago and Mike Alden has "retired" to take the job in the College of Education. MU is looking for a new AD to replace Alden. Both Mack Rhoades and Jim Sterk express interest in the job when Alden retires. 1) Of those two, who would you hire at that point in time?2) Is it reasonable to say that after all the duress, angst, and interims, MU got a better replacement for Alden the second time around?
GD: On the first one, it's incredibly easy to use hindsight and say Mack Rhoades was a terrible hire. He wasn't. Absolutely no one thought that at the time. No one. If they'd hired Sterk then, I probably would have thought that was a solid hire as well. But hiring Rhoades wasn't a bad move. It didn't work, but at the time, it seemed like a solid hire.
As far as No. 2, it's reasonable to assume they got a better hire because I can't imagine it being a whole lot worse. Again, not all of it (not even most of it) was Mack's fault, but the last 16 months will not be viewed as a high point in Mizzou athletics history.
So the short answer to your question is I have no idea.
muenger03 asks: Can you file FOIA request against AD employees and/or head coaches?
GD: It depends on what you're looking for. I can FOIA emails and communication of pretty much any University employee. I can't get personnel files or anything. Honestly, I've never filed a single FOI request. The first reason is, it costs money. The second is, you very often don't get what you're looking for. Mizzou is pretty liberal in redacting or withholding certain information based on privacy laws so I'm not all that interested in spending my own money (the difference between me and, say, a newspaper or TV reporter is that their companies will cover the cost, whereas I am my company, so it's coming out of my pocket) to not be sure what I'm going to find out.
Sherm Stick asks: Can we bad mouth Lovie Smith on your site?
GD: Sure, I guess. What do I care? It's the Internet. Everyone badmouths everyone.
lotigerfan: Should Barry Odom and staff be concerned with Lovie Smith in Illinois in regards to recruiting?
GD: Wary of him, yes. Concerned? That might be a bit strong. I mean, Lovie was a good hire. Anybody who didn't think so was burying their heads in the sand a little bit. The guy's coached in a Super Bowl and he's been a very successful coach. I don't know if he will be in Champaign or not, but he'd scare me as a Mizzou fan a whole lot more than Tim Beckman did. I can see Smith taking a few guys from Missouri. I can't see him decimating Missouri's recruiting in St. Louis or anything.
sewelld asks: Based on what you've heard, give us one surprise and one disappointment that fans will be discussing after the season but is not being speculated on the board currently.
GD: I don't really like to identify individuals as disappointments, so I'm not going to pick out a player. I'd say the greatest possibility for a disappointment is the opening weekend. A road game at West Virginia with an unknown offense and a brand new coaching staff is not an easy assignment. Just from what I've read on the message boards, I think there are a lot of Missouri fans that are expecting to just go roll in that game. Now, I get that it's August and everybody is optimistic and all that. And I fully recognize that Missouri could win. That said, I don't think a 10 to 14 point line in favor of the Mountaineers is unfair.
As far as a surprise, I'll go with the passing game. I'm not saying it's going to be great, but I think it's going to be a fair amount better than last year and will surprise some people that follow Mizzou on a more casual basis.
muenger03 asks: The basketball team makes it to the tourney as a low seed and loses in the first round. Does that guarantee Kim another year, if so what does that contract look like?
GD: I won't say guarantee because there's a new AD, but yeah, if Missouri makes the NCAA Tournament, even as the last team in, I think that makes it a pretty safe bet that Anderson returns. Now, as to the chances of that happening...
MizzterMizzou asks: Do you think the coaches are annoyed that their players are giving away info that we technically should not be aware of? For instance, we shouldn't know that Mason scored two TD's and should have had a 3rd in the scrimmage.
GD: No. I mean, what's that hurt? Do you think Dana Holgerson is scouring the Internet thinking "Oh, hell, now we've got to be ready for this Dimetrios Mason cat?" I don't. Coaches are much more concerned with schemes, formations, unknown injuries. I can't imagine Barry Odom has lost one second of sleep thinking about any of us knowing which receiver caught two touchdown passes. There's secrecy and then there's paranoia. If they're scared about information like that getting out, it's paranoia. Full blown.
Tigergilly asks: How many running backs do you see signing in the 2017 class? Who would be the most likely to commit (rb) at this time?
GD: I would say the likelihood is just one running back in this class, but they could take two if they're the right two. You have Ish Witter, Damarea Crockett, Nate Strong, Ryan Williams. With Deon Jackson and Chase Hayden (at least for now) off the board, I think Jalen Holston might be a guy worth keeping an eye on. Other than that, as far as the running backs Mizzou has offered, I don't see someone who really jumps out to me. And honestly, I'm not sure if Mizzou is in good shape with Holston, just seemed the most likely based on looking through the list of guys they've offered.
Tigertiger65251 asks: I keep hearing two different stories about the oline. One minute there giving the oline all they can handle or its there looking sadder then ever what have you heard?
GD: The same, really. I've heard more positive than negative. But this is really the difficult part about so much of camp being closed. When we could see everything, even if we couldn't report on it all, we had an idea what was going on. I'm not a talent scout, but I could tell who was playing well or poorly practice after practice. When you can't see the meaningful part of camp like live periods and scrimmages, all you have to go on is what they tell you. And nobody's going to come out and tell you "Yeah, this guy's really struggling" or "I think we might suck at this position." You always take everything coaches and teams say with a grain of salt. When they know you can't dispute what they're telling you, take it with a whole truckload of salt.
Mizzou918 asks: If Kim Anderson has another Below 15 win season - do you think the new Athletic Director will fire Kim or give him one more year to try and sort it out? Also, What's the number of wins Kim needs to secure his job?
GD: As has been the case for more than a year, I can't say I know for sure what it takes. My guess--and I stress the word guess--is that Missouri needs to be over .500 this year for Anderson to get year four. And I'm not saying that guarantees it, but I think that's probably the minimum bar to show you that enough progress is being made to give it another season. 15 wins wouldn't be .500. So I guess going by my standard, it's gonna take more than 15.
geebert asks: Can you express interest in an international player you might of just played against? Italy tour teams for example.
GD: If he's eligible to play college basketball, I assume so. I really liked the guy named Number Twenty One on that one team. And, yes, that's a joke.
mufootball1 asks: Does Mizzou have a good chance of signing any other 4 star players in the 2017 class?
GD: Yes. I think they have a good to very good shot at Chester Graves, Donovan Johnson and Jeff Thomas.
