A Fansided Family Shout Out!
As you can tell from my bio I am not a one sport guy. I love playing and watching all types of different sports. The Utah Jazz is my favorite team of all my favorite teams but I thought I would give a little insight into my sporting interests and let everyone get to know me a little better.
BYU Football
I am a big BYU football fan. I ask all you readers who are Utah fans to not hold that against me and to remember we share a common love for our Utah Jazz. I remember as a kid being really undecided for a while as I had friends that were both BYU and Utah fans. What turned me into a lifetime BYU fan however was the greatness of Ty Detmer. He was my favorite college football player for a long time and being able to watch him play for the Cougars was a lot of fun. I’ll never forget him leading BYU to that win over #1 ranked Miami in 1990 when I was 10 years old. I hope that one day Ty Detmer comes back to BYU in some capacity, but in the meantime I like the direction the team is going.
Dec 20, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Cody Hoffman (2) hoists the Poinsettia Bowl Offensive Player of the Game trophy after the Cougars beat the San Diego State Aztecs 23-6 at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
This year’s BYU football team is going to be exciting. The offense has a ton of weapons at its disposal and a quarterback that will be able to get them the ball. The receiving corp is deep lead by Cody Hoffman and talented wideouts Ross Apo, Mitch Matthews, JD Falslev and Skyler Ridley. I also expect the receivers to get some help from the Tight Ends this year. Kaneakua Friel, Richard Wilson and Devin Mahina are back and they are joined by some intriguing tight end/receiver hybrids in Marcus Matthews, Brett Thompson and Terenn Houk. Let’s also not forget about the depth at Running Back. Lead by Super Sophomore Jamal Williams looking to build on his amazing freshman season, BYU also has Michael Alisa, Adam Hine, Algernon Brown and AJ Moore to help out with the carries. Last but certainly not least, QB Taysom Hill looks to get this BYU offense back into the top 25 rankings nationally. He has backup QB Ammon Olsen pushing him to be better every single day. For the first time in a long time I feel good about the QB situation at BYU.
The biggest question mark will be the offensive line. The coaches knew this was a problem and went out and recruited 8 new lineman to give this line the depth it was lacking. I am very excited to see Brayden Kearsley’s impact on the line and how all the lineman have adjusted to the new “Go Fast, Go Hard” style of play. Others I expect to have big contributions on the line this year are Terrence Alletto, Josh Carter, Ryker Mathews, Manaaki Vaitai, De’Ondre Wesley and Michael Yeck.
Oct. 13, 2012; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars linebacker Kyle Van Noy (3) waits between plays against the Oregon State Beavers during the second quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas C. Pizac-USA TODAY Sports
On the defensive side of the ball BYU will be solid as usual under Bronco Mendenhall. Lead by All-American Kyle Van Noy, the front 7 for BYU should give opponents headaches on almost every down. Van Noy will receive plenty of help from fellow linebackers Alani Fua, Spencer Hadley, Uani Unga and Tyler Beck. On the line a lot will be expected from Eathyn Manumaleuna, Bronson Kaufusi, Marques Johnson and Remington Peck. They should expect some help from fellow linemen JonRyheem Peoples and Kalolo Utu. The BYU safeties are solid with Daniel Sorenson and Craig Bills leading the way and Mike Hague to fill in when needed. The corners are the biggest question mark on this defense and they are going to miss Jordan Johnson and Trent Trammel. While the corners that will fill in may be lacking in experience they certainly are not lacking in talent. Dallin Leavitt and converted WR Michael Davis look to have immediate impacts with their speed and athleticism and they will be helped out by Skye PoVey, Robertson Daniel and Sam Lee when he is healthy. I expect this D to be in the Top 10 nationally once again.
If my little breakdown of BYU football has left you wanting more, please go check out the boys at Lawless Republic. Mitch Harper, Jeff Hansen and Brian “Bean” Mace do a great job of delivering you much needed BYU content daily. Go get your BYU fix and check out Lawless Republic today!
My San Francisco Teams
I am also a big time San Francisco 49ers and San Francisco Giants fan. The Giants are having a terrible season and have been bitten once again by the injury bug. They seem to have quite the pattern going as they won the World Series in 2010, were ravaged by injuries in 2011, bounced back to win the World Series in 2012, and are once again having injury problems in 2013. Odd numbered years are just bad news for them which is why I expect another World Series Championship in 2014!
Aug 25, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) throws a pass for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The 49ers are looking to get their season started off right with a home win over their NFC rival Green Bay Packers at home on September 8th. They are one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl once again and how great would that be to do it on the 20th anniversary of their last Super Bowl win. This team, while battling injuries themselves, are still loaded with talent. Colin Kaepernick, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Anquan Boldin and LaMichael James lead the way on the offense. Hopefully at some point in the season Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham will be able to play and give those WRs a boost. Patrick Willis, Navorro Bowman, Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks return one of the most talented linebacking corp in the NFL. Justin Smith is a beast on the line and Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner and CJ Spillman lead the way in the secondary. Also not to be overlooked is the signing of kicker Phil Dawson. He is a major upgrade at the position and 49ers fans everywhere will rejoice at the consistency and distance he brings to the table. It should be another fun year for Niner Nation and I’m looking forward to the ride. For all your 49ers and Giants news please go check out Around the Foghorn and Golden Gate Sports.
Utah Jazz
Mar 8, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Utah Jazz point guard Alec Burks (10) drives to the basket against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center. The Bulls beat the Jazz 89-88. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports
I of course could not end with out a little Utah Jazz love. We appreciate you all coming here to The J Notes for your Utah Jazz news. We look forward to bringing you great new content day in and out especially as training camp, preseason and the regular season are near. After you’ve read everything we can throw at you please go give David Locke, Radio play by play voice of the Utah Jazz, a listen at Locked on Jazz. He gives great insight on the Jazz. He’s not just some company pitchman trying to get you to buy in to the product. He is a numbers guy and bases his analysis on the numbers he compiles and his observations on the 82 games a year he is able to call. He’s one of the best in the business and his interactions with Jazz Nation are really cool and something he doesn’t have to do but he is first and foremost a Jazz fan just like you and me.
I hope you all have enjoyed this look into my favorite teams and I hope you go give those fellow Fansided sites a look. I appreciate your readership and look forward to providing a lot of Jazz content for you this season. Thank you!