Fall camp lull

Boy, the amount of profiles and stories leading up to the season have slowed down a bit. I think we've hit the mid-camp wall. The excitement has worn off a bit and everyone just wants the games to start. Am I right? Sure seems that way from the beat writers point of view.

I watched the Oregon State preview on FSN and it was a bit weird this season. It seemed thrown together. Coach Riley's interview was a bit strange and he seemed to be dodging the questions a bit. That can't be good. It's replayed tonight and probably the rest of the week on FSN.


Finally, I think the Beavers should find a way to roll this product into Phase 2 of Raising Reser. The players would love this and if it actually works then it would be a way better investment than some flashy locker rooms.

This is a football simulator that's like the PS2 video games, but customized to the school and their players exactly.

Pro Simulator: The Six Figure College Football Video Game

"This is the next best thing to practicing or playing," Hollenbach says. "Watching film is a passive experience. This is as close (as you get) to the real thing without getting hit." Besides, what college kid isn't going to want to play a souped-up video game?
Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen knows this. That's why he's smiling as he gazes out his office window at Byrd Stadium. A phone behind his desk rings. He ignores it. He wants to talk about this new gizmo.

"Decision making and vision are the two most important qualities a quarterback can have," Friedgen says. His voice rises. "It's all about accelerating learning and augmenting the learning curve. They need to learn to make decisions off what they see."

What makes the simulator better than the video game you bought at Best Buy is the fact a school can customize it with its playbook. Any play, any formation, any personnel grouping. The possibilities are limitless.

But the simulator will cost you -- as much as $250,000, according to developer GridIron Technologies. Arizona State was the first on board. Oklahoma State, Wake Forest and Virginia, among a dozen other schools, soon followed. The NFL might be next. Coaches around the country are pleading with their A.D.s for blank checks.

"A guy from the company told me he needed 20 minutes to pitch his product," Friedgen says. "I said I'd give him 10. Almost two hours later, I had bought the system."