Time to Circle the Wagons and Promote Missouri Tigers Big Time

This article was written prior to Gary Pinkel being arrested for DWI in Columbia. The opinions are the same. Everyone in Missouri needs to think about rallying around the Tigers as they brace for entrance into the South East Conference in 2012.

I have a bone or two to pick.

I am officially on the record tired of hearing Missouri Tiger football bashing.

Randy Karraker, sit down. You stood on the sidelines at MICDS and said the Tigers haven’t found a good enough replacement for Chase Daniel and Blaine Gabbert at quarterback.

That is clearly stated incorrectly. Check it out.

Mizzou’s sophomore QB James Franklin ran circles around the nationally-ranked much ballyhooed Texas defense. For heavens sake, Mizzou’s rapidly improved defense kept the Longhorns out of the Faurot Field end zone for four quarters. It was a team victory all the way around.  Randy, you stated clearly the Tigers could not hold their own with their new rivals from the Southeastern Conference.

Oh mullarky.

Do you think playing Texas and Oklahoma and Nebraska was chopped liver in the Big 12? Frankly, the SEC is no better than the Big 12, pound for pound.

The SEC has Florida and Alabama and Arkansas and LSU and they have weakies like Vanderbilt and Kentucky and Georgia who is up and down like a yo yo.

Check out the record books for yourself. Mizzou has claimed previous wins over Alabama and Arkansas and other vaunted SEC legendary programs over the years. The Tigers swept up nationally-ranked Texas and hold their own with the rest in both conferences. The Tigers won the Liberty Bowl over LSU. It’s in the record book.

Call me a sportswiting homer, I don’t care. I bleed Black and Gold. My passion is Missouri Tiger football, end of story.

What do you think those scribes do in Atlanta and Birmingham and Memphis? Think they encourage the local stars to opt for Mizzou?

Heck no. They lean on the local talent from below the Mason-Dixie line to stay put from pee wee league to high school graduation. Our Missouri coaches and writers and fans ought to start doing the same. Show some uncompromising allegience to a great program.

I hated to see Ronnie Wingo go to Arksansas and Duron Neal skip to Oklahoma. I hate Oklahoma altogether. Don’t care much for Nebraska, Kansas or Texas either.

The local talent ought to stay home. The state should circle its wagons in Missouri and do everything within its power to keep the stars where they belong, in Missouri. Michael Scherer of MICDS could have gone to Bama or USC, he chose to perform at Faurot Field so his family could see all his games.

Dorial Green-Beckham, the 6-foot-6 super star wide receiver from Springfield Hillcrest ought to commit to the Tigers right now. Green-Beckham, you live in Springfield, Missouri, not Springfield, Illinois or Springfield, Oklahoma.

Gary Pinkel has done wonderous things for our program. Remember the students storming the field with home wins over Oklahoma and Nebraska. Are memories so short?

Local prep coaches complain from time to time that Mizzou recruiters are not baby sitting them enough to their satisfaction. Coaches, hear me clearly: its not about you. Those coaches are all over Texas budgeting their time because that’s where they can get guys like Chase Daniel and James Franklin and Will Ebner, Kip Edwards and the rest.

They can’t wait on local coaches who seem to have mixed loyalties to their program.

The blend of Missouri-Texas kids is what is going to make the Tigers great. Trust me, many little kids grow up with a super passion to play for Mizzou. However, most are not good enough to earn a Tiger suit, even with the scout team.

Look at the entire 95 man roster in Austin. Ninety three of the 95 man roster will hail from the Lone Star state every year.

Give me 25 gifted players from Missouri, Texas and a few from Illinois and Oklahoma in the next recruiting class and I’ll take my chances with the SEC bretheren any day.