A welcome break

Michigan State cranked it up right from the first Orlando practice on Friday, with Mark Dantonio ordering some dreaded "half gassers" -- the width of the football field and back -- to test his team's conditioning.

   After a few feeble efforts, Dantonio was none too happy. So he ordered 10 of them.
    "I think we ran 14 total," said left tackle Rocco Cironi.
    Some guys dropped out, but the Spartans got through and the tone was set. While on the practice field in the heat and humidity, MSU was going to push it. The Spartans apparently responded well, because Dantonio gave them the day off Monday.
    "I was surprised, because I never thought it would happen with him," Cironi said.
    "It was a good surprise, we've been working hard the last couple days," said linebacker Adam Decker. "It was refreshing."
    MSU will have one more practice, Tuesday in shorts and helmets, before Thursday's game. There's apparently a bit of flu going around, and MSU also had a Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast on Monday morning that went long, bumping into the scheduled practice time.
    The legs got a rest. The Spartans spent the time watching film instead. It sounds like Dantonio is pushing hard for physical toughness in this game, along with an angry reaction to the Spartans' last appearance in a football game.
    "He stresses (toughness) every day and it's getting old, but it's coach D., so what are you gonna do?" Cironi said.
    "Coach D. and Coach Narduzzi came up to us (at practice) and said, 'We've still got the taste of that game in our mouths,'" Ross Weaver said of the 49-18 loss to Penn State. "I'm still kind of mad about it, too, but we put it behind us. Basically, we have to go back to the fundamentals in this game."

Other notes from today:
    * In case you were wondering, Greg Jones will indeed get the start at middle linebacker even though Georgia runs more of a conventional offense. Ryan Allison earned his spot on the outside, linebackers coach Mike Tressel said, although Adam Decker and Brandon Denson will both see time in the game.
    * Tressel talked about some of his young linebackers, who got an extended look in the bowl practices in East Lansing. Steve Gardiner is "finding the ball a lot," Tressel said, while David Rolf, Drew Stevens and Jamiihr Williams all took a stab at defensive end. He said Rolf brings power to that position, Stevens is a speed/DPR guy, and Williams has played there some in high school. But they're all still linebackers at this point.
    * Asked for an assessment of Georgia's defensive line, Cironi said it has speed and strength, but that the coaches have termed their ends "shady," as in unclear on just how good they are or what they'll do. The injury-stricken Dawgs have not been able to get much production from their ends, but it's a safe bet they have physical ability.
    * On his offensive line, Dan Roushar said: "We'll be competitive in there and we'll find out if we're worth a flip." He's looking for Jesse Miller to bounce back mentally from a rough game at Penn State.
    * If you were wondering about the team's Best Buy shopping spree, the most popular item bought was the iPhone. Some guys wheeled and dealed, with Jeff McPherson paying $320 in cash to Decker for his $400 card and turning it into a 50-inch plasma TV. Brandon Long also bought a TV, but it wasn't in stock in Michigan to be shipped to him, so he had to walk out with it and take it onto the bus.
    Cironi bought his girlfriend some items -- late, free Christmas gifts. Javon Ringer apparently had a rough time deciding and finally had a time limit put on him. In general, it was a lot of big dudes buying a lot of stuff.
    "We ran in there and there were some people in the store, and they just got out of the way," Cironi said. "They didn't want to get trampled by us."

   

Comments

[Jerry]

Joe, you have a great blog, packed with lots of newsworthy info.

[tanfan]

I hope Hoyer bought an arm at Best Buy?

[Body by Barwis]

I laugh at MSU needing a break. We at UM train the best conditioned athletes there are. That is why we were beat down, err, hung in there in the second half during the season.

[Rich Rodriguez]

You people need to get a life.

[Stone]

"Jeff McPherson paying $320 in cash to Decker for his $400 card and turning it into a 50-inch plasma TV."

Sounds like a possible NCAA violation?

The team needs to watch the UGA v Hawaii Sugar Bowl last year. That's what UGA can be. That was physical domination. If our kids aren't ready, aren't primed, and aren't tough, they will go down 45-17 in another non competitive affair.

I worry this team isn't angry anymore about PSU, isn't irked by the Champs Bowl anymore. Complacency buries teams in Bowl games.

[Idiots Out Walking Around]

We would have traveled better and our team would have bought the entire store.

[Rob Parker]

My moles are telling me Kurt Cousins is likely shoplifting a boom box.

[Mitch Albom]

Joe...I am writing this from the UM basketball (man we look good). I can't believe that Mark Dantonio would give a day off to the team. UM never takes days off. And whats this about Best Buy? Is that a violation of NCAA rules? As you know from my Fab Five book, I can spot violations a mile away.

[Jennifer Granholm]

They should have used those gift cards in Michigan so they could help fulfill my promise of blowing the economy away.

[Will from Holt]

Stone,

You are correct. Another that concerns me was the comment that Cironi made about being tired of the "toughness" message from Coach D.

This team will not have the talent ot match up with Georgia, but it can be mentally prepared. Georgia as imploded all year. But we need to make them pay for their mistakes.

The comments the team are making in Joe's blog suggest they are complacent.

I hope I am not correct.

GO STATE!

PS - pistongirl, a tad racist are we?

[RCMB]

Will...

Racewar.... ahhhhhhhh.....

[scott skiles]

I think tanfan is Joe Rexrode incognito. How else can he get one of the first posts in almost every blog?

I'm a tanfan fan! Keep it up dude, you make me laugh.

[Woody Hayes' Ghost]

You g-damn better believe im gonna be pursuing this as a recruiting violation! Giving free gifts to student athletes....sheesh

[SpartyOn]

I must have missed the story about WHY the football team was given best buy giftcards... anybody care to enlighten me?

[Parrot Head]

Good Lord folks, the Best Buy card deal is perfectly legit. State recevied them last year if I am not mistaken. Even UM received them last year.

Quit being negative nancy's, debbie downers, etc.

[Parrot Head]

I want official credit for my previous comment as well.

[Kevin]

"UM never takes days off" except for say, right now... but this doesn't count.

I am interested in what the actual rule is Joe that covers those Best Buy gifts. I am sure it's fine or MSU wouldn't have allowed it (and allowed you to know about it) but I wonder what else is within the rules...

[Doug]

For anyone wondering, the gift cards were the gift the Capital One Bowl gave each team. Every bowl gives the participants a gift. It ranges from shopping sprees at Best Buy (like this one) to a specific item (one Bowl this year gave every player and XBox360).

It's common place and done every year. The players are welcome to do whatever they choose with their gifts.

[Mike Farrell]

Most if not all teams are given gift cards with the bowl game. FSU had a segment on it on their rivals site. Chill out guys, nothing is illegal.

[Lorenzo]

"I hope Hoyer bought an arm at Best Buy?"

I almost spit out my coffee when I read this it was so funny. Hoyer is serviceable and I give him credit for what he has done. Yeah he has a rag arm, but he has led us to a New Year's day bowl. We will get plenty of opportunity to see Cousins next year.

Go Green!

[rexrode(evil twin)]

glad to see some people researched the best buy cards before coming on here like Elliot Ness thinking they had uncovered some kind of major crime. are you people serious, you really think Rexrode would blog about the shopping spree if it wasn legal. think for two seconds before you post something...morons! every bowl gives away goodies to the players and coaches. nevermind that the players should be getting paid anyway.

[Mitchqs]

That really worries me about the Flu going around. My whole family just got the flu bug and it took us all out. I really hope that is not the case with Dantonio's boys. That could be a game changer if the whole team is sick before or during the game.

P.S. Lets not start the whole "college players should get paid" Debate. That one is even older than the playoff debate.

[Bill Ford, Sr.]

Bobby Williams did such a great job in East Lansing why didn't they just promote him to athletics director?

[Roundhead]

bill carmody is a much beter cocah than Dantonio

[Rod Marinelli and Rich Rodriguez]

football is a game of execution and practice makes perfect. why take our teams for example. they practice great during the week and practice their tails off. in fact i think that we should have player awards for the most outstanding practice performance. who cares how teams play on saturday and sunday that is just window dressing as our good friend mark dantonio likes to say. what really matters is whether or not we are making progress during the week in practice