In an effort to give Tiger fans more of an inside view of the college football season, PowerMizzou.com has added an expert to the staff. Former Missouri defensive end Brad Madison will lend his expertise each week. A different take from Madison will be posted each Thursday throughout the college football season. The format and content of Madison's contributions will change from week to week. Today, we start things off with a simple introductory Q&A and get Madison's thoughts on the Tiger program.

I signed with the Kansas City Chiefs after my senior season at Mizzou.  I spent a few months with them before being cut that pre-season.  After I got cut from the Chiefs I decided to move to Columbia and train there and stay in shape in case another opportunity to play came.  My brother who some of you might remember played offensive line at Missouri from 04-08 now lives in Columbia also, and I stayed with him while I was training.  I am now currently living in Kansas City transitioning from football to the work force.  Right now I work at a training facility in Kansas City working with high school athletes.   

I have a couple different goals in mind currently.  I am not exactly sure at the moment which path I am going to take yet, but one thing I do know is that I want to eventually do something that involves college football.  To me it is the greatest sport on the planet.  It is the reason I am so excited about joining PowerMizzou. 

I have kept really close tabs on Mizzou football since I left the program.  I have great friends that just recently graduated after last season and some that still play.  Having spent five years in the program and being a follower the Tigers for most of my life, I loved seeing them succeed last season.  I really feel like I am a part of a family with Mizzou football and I will continue to follow the program for the rest of my life. 

There are some big differences when you talk about the transition from college football to professional football.  One of the biggest things is competition.  The level of competition rises to new heights.  As you can tell from this year's NFL training camps there are some great football players that ended up getting cut from teams in the league.  Another thing that jumps up a level is speed.  Speed being the main factor in being able to go from high school to the Division I level, it is also a major factor in jumping from college to the pros.  Everyone in an NFL camp was a great college player and a lot of times it takes getting in the right spot at the right time to make a team.  Mizzou has done a great job of developing players and getting them ready for the next level, as you can see most teams out there have a Tiger or two on their roster. 

This is a question I get all the time.  The first thing that pops in my head is my sophomore year when we beat number one ranked Oklahoma on with GameDay in town.  The atmosphere of that game beats nearly any that I ever played in.  I can still remember sitting in the hotel watching GameDay and the fans coming out on the field like it was yesterday.  The second memory I have is a game that I didn't even get to play in.  The year that I redshirted I was able to travel to the Nebraska game.  You could feel the electricity in the stadium and the Tigers went out on the road and not only beat the Cornhuskers but annihilated them.

I really like the fact that Missouri scheduled Toledo.  Not only is there history with Coach Pinkel being there, but some of the staff also played there.  I know that Toledo is a special place for Coach Pinkel and that will be a big game for the Tigers.  Sometimes it can be hard to go into a smaller school's stadium and play, but this is one thing I believe that Coach Pinkel and the staff to a very good job of working with.  Coach Pinkel does a great job of making sure his team is ready each week no matter who they are playing.  I believe that the Tigers will go in there focused and ready to play. 

I have been pretty lucky in the fact that right when I started closely following the Tigers was right when Coach Pinkel and his staff got to Mizzou.  For the most part I have seen nothing but good years of football.  Although I have seen and been a part of great football, I have heard enough horror stories of the past to understand just what Pinkel has brought to the program.  I know many players that played before the Pinkel era and know some of the things that they went through.  Really, all you have to do is look at the record from years in the past to see that the culture has changed.  Mizzou football is now on the map and I am proud to say that I played a small part in putting it there.