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Jayhawks in the News

'Grandpa' Collison?

By Ryan Greene
November 7, 2007 | 1 comment

Each week, KUSports.com will get you caught up on Jayhawks both former and current getting some ink from outside of the area.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Sonics success centers on Collison

Quick. Name the longest-tenured StudentSonic.

If you knew it was Nick Collison, you ought to think about developing a hobby.

Such is the talent churn in this fragile franchise that Collison, who turned 27 last week in his fifth pro season, has assumed the Edgar Martinez position.

Collison's senior tenure is, however, tenuous. He was drafted 12th in 2003, about 20 minutes ahead of Luke Ridnour, the Sonics' second first-rounder that June.

More remarkable than Collison's gray eminence is the fact that, despite subsequent drafts that added up to 21 feet of centers, Collison found himself starting in the post Thursday night as the Sonics commenced their 41st and most mysterious home season.

Whatever national attention trickles toward the Sonics goes to rookie star Kevin Durant (good) or owner Clay Bennett (bad). But the oddest local development about this odd collection is that Collison the Elder remains the best man for the worst job.

"It's weird," Collison said, offering a small smile before the game against the Phoenix Suns. "I definitely feel different this year. All of us with three or four years here are some of the most experienced guys with this team.

"I'm fine with that."

Local Take: Even if the team is going to be up-and-down and take some lumps with all the youth, playing with Kevin Durant still has to bring out the little kid in you as a player. That dude's just fun to watch.

Minneapolis Star Tribune: Defensive schemes leave Chargers QB confused

Lost in the excitement of Adrian Peterson's rushing record Sunday was the fact the Vikings' defense played very well despite being without cornerback Antoine Winfield.

A hamstring injury forced Winfield to miss only his third game in three-plus seasons with the team. Rookie Marcus McCauley, who a week earlier had been taken out of the nickel package, played the entire game at left corner. Charles Gordon was used in the slot in nickel situations for the second game in a row.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier used a variety of different looks, and Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was lost for much of the afternoon. He completed only 19 of 42 passes for 197 yards and had no touchdowns and one interception (by Gordon) in the Vikings' 35-17 victory.

Local Take: Gordon's pick was the first of his fledgling NFL career. As long as he keeps taking advantage of opportunities like these, he'll always be on someone's radar and stick around in the league for a bit.

Regina Leader-Post: Ti-Cats playing for next year

NOWHERE TO GO: The Tiger-Cats have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, so players are quite literally playing for jobs next year. There's not much else to prove. Sixteen of their starters are new from last year and only a handful have made lasting impressions, led by defensive end Charlton Keith and middle linebacker Zeke Moreno.

Local Take: Keith finished the season with 24 tackles, four sacks and two fumble recoveries. Even if he never lands a regular gig in the NFL, it looks like there'll always be a job for him north of the border.

The Charlotte Observer: Broken thumb limited Hartwig

While there are no excuses for the play of Carolina’s offensive line (seven sacks allowed) in Sunday’s 20-7 loss at Tennessee, you might consider giving center Justin Hartwig a pass.

He broke his right thumb in the first quarter, but stayed in the lineup and played the rest of the game with the aching digit.

This afternoon, it was swollen to almost twice its normal size.

"A lot of pain," he said of playing through the injury. "I had trouble gripping the ball and I had problems grabbing people. I was kind of just stabbing at people. So it definitely wasn’t helping my game out."

Hartwig thought he might have caught the thumb between helmets during a pile-up at the line of scrimmage.

Hartwig had talked at length after the game, but never mentioned the thumb.

"It’s one of those things you deal with," he said. "The adrenaline kind of carried me through the game, and afterward I told the trainers about it. It is what it is right now."

If it still "is what it is" come Sunday, veteran Geoff Hangartner or rookie Ryan Kalil would start in Hartwig’s place.

Local Take: The only way Hartwig wouldn't get a pass from you is if you had David Carr on your fantasy football team and sacks count against your quarterbacks (sorry, had to let my inner-fantasy football dork out for a second to get some air).

And here are some current Jayhawks making national headlines...

Sports Illustrated: Talk, Talk Jayhawk

CBS Sportsline: Where's the big fuss over the Big 12?

USA Today: Kansas shows few signs of weakness in BCS ascent

An update from last week's Jayhawks in the News...

...where a story published in the Calgary Sun made it sound like former Jayhawk Jon Cornish would get his first shot at significant time in the backfield in the Calgary Stampeders' second-to-last regular season game against British Columbia, with the playoffs officially out of reach. It sounded like he'd be splitting time with former Oregon State standout Ken Simonton.

Simonton had 114 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown in the 25-24 BC win, and Cornish never touched the ball on offense.

Calgary may have only one game left - Sunday's playoff opener at Saskatchewan. That game kicks off at 5 p.m. central time, with updates available at www.stampeders.com.