Rudy Carpenter: Crybaby or Competitor?

“But I also think I’m an easy target since I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I get mad and fiery and do things quarterbacks don’t do. But I just want to win. I think it gets misconstrued that I’m a crybaby when I’m just competitive.”

First impression of Arizona State’s QB Rudy Carpenter: Relax.  The guy always seems to be pumping his fist, screaming, or generally, just acting annoying.  But, does that make him a jackass or just a really emotional player?

When you aren’t an Arizona State fan he looks like a jackass.  The kind of guy you want to get his head taken off by a safety on a delayed blitz.  From this article, he may just be a guy who really wants to win.  There is two ways to show your competitiveness.  One, is to act like Carpenter, you scream and gesture at the other team or slams his helmet to the turf after a bad play.  Two, is more like Brett Favre (since no one is talking about him these days), you show emotion, pump your fist, high-five but you do it with your teammates, not directed at the opponent. 

As a sports fan, we want our players acting in the second manner.  Nothing good can come from antagonizing the opposition, expect maybe a desire to drill you into last Saturday.  And if you slam your helmet, you better be sure you don’t make a teammate think your showing him up in public.  In Carpenter’s case, a receiver drops a pass and Rudy screams at him.  Does that help?  Does that make Carpenter a good or bad teammate?  

So, is he a crybaby you deserves to be pummeled, or is he a competitor showing his emotions? 

ASU’s Carpenter aims to shake reputation, build on legacy [East Valley Tribune]

Paul Wulff: Solid, Inspiring

New Washington State football coach Paul Wulff has been through a lot.  His mother disappeared when he was 12, most likely because his dad kidnapped and murdered her, then he held his wife when she died from brain cancer at 38.  These events has been chronicled before, but Bud Withers really does a beautiful job putting you in Wulff’s shoes.

Is there a guy you want to root for more in the Pac-10?  From starting out as an unpaid assistant at Eastern Washington to now coaching his Alma Mater, Wulff truly has succeeded in life.  Let’s just say this, if those events happened in our life, getting out of bed would be an accomplishment. 

As the late Randy Pausch taught us, the brick walls in life are there to keep out the people who really don’t want it.  Any brick walls setup in front of Paul Wulff have been blown up, just like USC linebacker Junior Seau in the article.

We were at the Cougar basketball game this December at KeyArena in Seattle with Wulff was introduced to the crowd at halftime, just a few days after being hired as coach.  He received a standing ovation, a much deserved standing ovation, yet he hadn’t coached a game.  If anybody is more qualified to change the attitude and culture of Cougar football please point him out.

Congratulations to Paul Wulff for not giving up and achieving his dream.  Now let’s win some football games. 

Wulff completes a long road home [Seattle Times]

Roaming With The Pac: August 4

*A daily look at what’s happening in the world of college football, west coast-style.

The UW Football Blog will be joining the Sports Blog Nation, and they offer us up their picks for the Pac-10. Congratulations on the move. [UW Football Blog]

Husky freshmen are preparing for their first day of college practice this morning, including highly-touted WR Chris Polk. [Bob Condotta]

It’s Bowl-or-Bust for Mike Stoops in Arizona, according to the University President. [Arizona Star]

Autzen Stadium has been renamed into……The House of Loud???  Good luck with that one Duck Fans. [Rob Moseley]

A training camp preview of the Stanford Cardinal. [Jon Wilner]

Oregon State expected starter Sean Canfield is building up his arm strength after surgery on his shoulder. [Cliff Kirkpatrick]