Get your team ready to watch all the big games with a stop at Macadoodles. Whether it's beer, wine or spirits you're looking for, Macadoodles will make your house or tailgate the game day place to be in Columbia this season. Who does game day like nobody else? Macadoodles does. Click on the image below to learn more.
Every 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. Keep your eye out each week to submit your question for the mailbag or send them to powermizzou@gmail.com. On to this week's inquiries.
Bmorrow23 asks: If Murray State, Buffalo and Vanderbilt games are basically over by halftime, do you think Drink will give game time to some of the promising freshman who are not likely to burn a redshirt? Lacy, Miller, Crutchfield, E. Williams, Dendy, Greco, Keys, Hancock, Hafer, James. You have been on record that Nwaneri will not be here four years, so it seems like he will burn his redshirt early this season. Thanks.
GD: Absolutely. Virtually every scholarship player should see the field against Murray State. Maybe Buffalo too. Basically at this point, the freshmen fall into two categories. The first category is guys that you're evaluating in the first four games to see if they can help you past that. You might as well play them in at least a couple of those games and then you're delaying the decision by a month. The second category is guys they're pretty sure won't skip the redshirt already. Even those guys, when you get the chance, you should give them a little bit of action. First, they might surprise you. Second, it keeps them more engaged. They work just as hard as the starters. Reward them with a little bit of playing time when you can. If they know there's a good chance of that, it's likely they're working harder in practice and the weight room every day.
As far as Nwaneri goes, I think I'm changing my tune. I'm not at all sure he plays in more than four games. It's possible, but less likely than I originally thought. I think Lacy, Cruchfield and Dendy are almost certainly redshirting off your list.
trueson82 asks: 1) If you had to put a percentage on it, what percentage of last year’s D do you attribute to the players, compared to Blake Baker?2) What are the top three hottest seats in Power 4?3) Eli has softened in terms of his approach with the media. He’s providing more access and at one point even acknowledged that you all have a job to do and that he understands that. What do you attribute to that?
GD: 1) I always lean to the players. Percentage? I don't know really. 75/25? That seems fair. It's the guys on the field. Yes, the coaches have to know what they have and play to the strengths of those guys and put them in the right position, but if you don't have guys who can execute and who are smart enough and athletic enough, it doesn't matter what you call. The issue, for me, is not that Blake Baker's gone. It's that five guys who NFL teams thought highly enough to draft are gone. Maybe Mizzou's replaced every one of them and won't miss a beat, but I have to see proof of that before I buy it.
2) Baylor and Florida for sure. I'd go Arkansas next, but USC and Ohio State are sneakily in that conversation.
3) I think he's smart about PR and knows that it's another way to spread the message about his team. But I also think he likes his team and thinks they're going to be pretty good and might be relaxing some of the restraints just a little bit.
