40 Acres Sports

Freshman defensive tackle [tag]Andre Jones[/tag] has turned himself in after an arrest warrant was issued for a felony aggravated robbery charge. The charge stems from a July 27th robbery involving former teammate [tag]Robert Joseph[/tag], who was kicked off the team last month. According to the Austin PD, Joseph and Jones entered an apartment in east Austin last Friday. Joseph waved his gun at residents, including a 14 year old boy. Jones never flashed his gun, but made threats to indicate he was carrying a weapon.

Things are getting out of control this summer with 5 arrests in the last 2 months. I think it is clear that Mack Brown needs to take some serious action. Obviously Andre Jones should be kicked off the team, but Mack needs to find another way to prevent things like this from happening in the future. Recruiting efforts need to change. Discipline policies need to be more severe. Something needs to happen.

One thing I don’t understand about all of this is how some of these players can be so dumb. Do they not watch ESPN? Do they not see Pacman Jones losing millions of dollars because of his actions. Do they not see Michael Vick throwing away $100 million? I just can’t understand what makes you think you can pull a gun on people, steal their possessions, and then expect to still be able to play football. Frustrated just doesn’t express how I feel right now.

Mess with his teammates and Vince Young will knock you the heck out. Okay maybe not, but he’s going to make sure you know when he’s not happy.

Today Tennessee Titan safety and special teamer Donnie Nickey learned one more way Vince isn’t your normal quarterback. He’s not afraid of a little confrontation. After a neck high tackle by Nickey on wide receiver Courtney Roby, Young got in Nickey’s face and let him have it over the dirty play. After Nickey shoved him, Young shoved back and took a swing at him with his right hand.

He’s lucky he didn’t land a solid shot and that he avoided serious injury. Not a smart move at all by Vince to go after the guy with his throwing hand but it’s good to see him standing up for his receivers. He’s got to be able to control it but this kind of fire is exactly why Vince is able to get his teammates to play so well around him. By the time practice was over everyone had cooled down but I bet Vince earned a little more respect from guys on both sides of the football.

Nickey may be a little dirty and may not be too bright manning up with the franchise QB, but at least he had some amusing comments on the situation. He put Vince and President Bush up on the same level (and in that order) and had some advice for the next time Young wants to scrap: “At least not with your right hand man. Jab with the left and wait for the cavalry.” With all the former Longhorns on the roster, that seems like some pretty sound advice.

Update: Added an image of the “punch” courtesy of Tummer over at Orangebloods. (8/2/2007)

Update 2: Video from a local Nashville newscast added below after the jump. (8/4/2007)

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Can Vince Young be a fantasy winner too? Leadership and wins mean nothing in fantasy football.

Is Chris Simms still hurt? Sounds like he’s still experiencing complications from his splenectomy.

Vince Young is wise beyond his years. Titans may struggle this year but it won’t be long till VY makes them a winner. (via)

Pac 10 threatens to leave BCS if plus-1 system implemented. If true, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Well, since this was downloaded so many times last year, I figured I would go ahead and make this year’s complete Excel spreadsheet schedule available. Again, each conference is broken down into separate tabs, including a simple matrix showing who is playing who. Enjoy.

Download Now (File Size = 6 MB)

Updated Schedule

• Complete 2008 NCAAF Schedule

Ready to see the best 8 year old running back of all-time? This kid is just sick. His name is Cody Paul and he plays for the Los Alamitos Griffins in Pop Warner.

I am thinking Texas needs to start recruiting this kid now. And as crazy as it sounds, I read somewhere that he is already a silent commit at USC.

Note: Music not safe for work.

Texas linebacker [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag] was arrested Saturday morning by the Austin PD and charged with driving while intoxicated. Kindle was pulled over for swerving lanes in downtown and arrested around 2:30 am after he failed a field sobriety test. He was later released from Travis County Jail. Coach [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] released the following statement on Kindle’s arrest:

“We’re aware of Sergio’s situation and are disappointed anytime one of our players is accused of wrongdoing. We take a strong stance against drinking and driving and will thoroughly investigate this situation.'”

Kindle, probably the defense’s most promising young player and a possible future superstar, is the second Longhorn to be charged with a DWI this summer. Defensive end Henry Melton was arrested on June 1st.

College students drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. They also get into the occasional scuffle. I can let those types of transgressions go, but this is different. Drunk driving kills innocent people and ruins families. It only takes a second to change lives forever. This is not a “boys will be boys” situation. It’s time for Mack to put a stop to this kind of behavior.

Kindle and Melton may not be bad kids and these may just be isolated mistakes, but they must be punished severely. You can’t (and shouldn’t) stop players from having the occasional good time, but you can make them realize there will be consequences for their actions. The two players must miss playing time, suspend them both for at least the season’s first three games. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to make an example of someone. The next time a player goes out to party maybe he’ll think twice before he gets behind the wheel under the influence.

Men’s basketball announces 2007-08 schedule. Games against UCLA and Michigan State in December should be fun to watch.