'Twas the Night Before Camp...

Sophomore DB Drew Cuffee just popped into my office for a visit. I can report with some certainty that he has NOT been sitting on his couch in Arlington eating Cheetos all summer.

Wow.

There's no way to prove what I'm about to say - short of doing real research - but I'd venture to guess Cuffee - did I mention he's a defensive back? and did I really just utilize a second dash in the same sentence? - is bigger than anyone who played for ACU up until about 1970. I picked that date because I think I can probably outrun the pre-1970 players who might take offense at my suggestion.

You know what they say, "Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes...after that you can do whatever you want because you're a mile away from him and you've got his shoes." (Just to be safe, I hope I'm at least a mile away from any former players who are reading this.)

Seriously, it's amazing how much bigger, stronger, and faster the average player is today - at all levels and in nearly every sport. Doesn't mean they're better, but they are, by and extra extra large, bigger. When they're bigger and better, they're Tony Washington.

Coach T and his staff have a lot of work to do between now and the season opener against Northwest Missouri State three weeks from Thursday. But then so does every other coach, including Mel Tjeerdsma at Northwest.

The great Bum Phillips was always quoted as saying what made Don Shula such a good coach was that "He could take his'n and beat your'n or take your'n and beat his'n." Every coach would say he could get better in his Xs and Os, but Coach T is already among the best in the business at the other stuff it takes to be a good football coach, like convincing young men of every imaginable profile and background that the next few years of their lives would be best spent on a Hill far away from where many of them live. And then doing everything in his power to see that it happens, on and more importantly (to him) off the field.

As much as the 'Cats lost from last year's 11-1 team, there is a ton of talent still here - and that's just the O line. The 7 guys who'll see the bulk of the playing time in the trenches probably total 2000 lbs, bookended by tackles Trevis Turner (right) and Tony Washington (left), the human stimulus package who's sparking the local economy by drawing drooling NFL scouts to Abilene in droves. (Bet you weren't expecting to see "Washington" and "stimulus package" used positively in the same sentence.)

There ought to be plenty of room to run for whichever 'Cat carries the rock. Identifying exactly who should do that most often is among the major issues the coaching staff will deal with over the next couple of weeks. Since last season ended, a lot of promising names have been bandied about as potential ball carriers. But those guys have to make their grades and get to camp before they can take the field. Count on two things from whoever's in the backfield:

1. He'll be good.
2. He won't make us forget about Bernard Scott anytime soon.

But remember, two years ago this week, few of us had ever heard of Bernard. Now, he's camping with the Cincinnati Bengals, hoping to make a name for himself in the NFL.

There's also the small matter of determining who'll be handing it off to the mystery back or chucking it downfield. You'd figure Zach Stewart, by virtue of his 2-0 record as a starter last season when Billy Malone went down with a busted thumb toward the end of the WT game, would be the odds-on favorite. But there's no gambling at Bushwood, sir, or ACU. And Clark Harrell - who's older brother, Graham, only threw for about 4 zillion yards at Tech the last few years - had a terrific spring and will compete with Stewart to start under center.

Whoever's in the game will likely be called upon at least a couple of times per quarter to throw it as far as he can downfield where Edmund "Clyde" Gates will be slowing down to catch it. ACU players don't have their names on the back of their jerseys. With Gates it wouldn't matter anyway. There's not a d-back in the Lone Star Conference who could read it from that far back.

The defense will be big, fast, and - most importantly - deep. Aston Whiteside's just a sophomore but already the reigning LSC South Lineman of the Year and Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Tony Harp from his safety post will quarterback the defense.

Couple of questions for you with Training Camp upon us:

1. What's your prediction for ACU this season? Give me a record and whether or not they make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.

2. How much Training Camp coverage do you want to see? Weekly, daily, multiple times a day? Video, too?

3. Should I agree to the challenge from Coach T and Tony Harp to suit up with the Wildcats during a day of Training Camp to see what it's like? They thought it would make a great package for our first episode of The Chris Thomsen Show, which debuts Aug. 22 on KRBC Channel 9 here in Abilene and will be available for viewing online, too. And by "great," of course, they mean abject misery for me.

4. How much would you be willing to shell out to go see all three former ACU players currently on NFL rosters play on the same field? It's happening Oct. 25 when Danieal Manning and Johnny Knox of the Chicago Bears visit Bernard Scott in Cincinnati. I can tell you an interested group is already forming.

Answer these questions here in the comment area or find me on campus.

The Cheetos are on me. Or at least they will be when we're done.