You may say "why are we worrying about next year when we still have a national championship to play for this season? Dvoracek can't help us against USC!" And you would be correct.
But it is never to soon to start looking ahead to the future. That is what keeps the elite programs elite. And the addition of Dvoracek in 2005 will help solidify a defense that will be taking some big hits to graduation.
The Sooners will be losing 2nd team All-American Dan Cody, Jonathan Jackson, Lynn McGruder, Gayron Allen, Lance Mitchell, Antonio Perkins, Donte Nicholson and Brandon Shelby. All were key contributors for Oklahoma's title runs the past two seasons. If Dvoracek is reinstated, it will soften the blow.
The reason I say if is because coach Bob Stoops has not said whether Dvoracek will be allowed back on the squad. Stoops has not forgotten that Dvoracek let his teammates down by getting in a fight at a local bar which forced him to be removed from the team.
However, I would wager that he will be wearing the crimson colors next year since it was the university that applied for the medical hardship for Dvoracek.
According to the NCAA, for a player to qualify for a medical hardship "they must be unable to compete because of injury or illness for a portion of a season and have documentation from a medical doctor." Dvoracek has been through counseling and anger management.
It is very unusual for the NCAA to grant medical hardships, yet Oklahoma has gotten two in the past two years. Quarterback Jason White received one, which allowed him to compete in a sixth year.
Yet, whether Dvoracek will help the Sooners next year is not the question many will be asking. Should he even be given the opportunity to be on the team is a entirely different matter all together. He did injure a friend during the altercation at the bar. In most cases he would of had to have his day in court, but the friend didn't press charges.
It's true that if Dvoracek was not a member of the football team and a talented one, he would most likely be seeing jail time. But we must face facts, that is one of trade off the fans give players. If they help our teams win and provide us with entertainment and titles, we sometimes let inappropriate behavior slide. Right or wrong, it happens.
However, if Stoops allows him back on the team, Dvoracek will have to prove he has earned the 'Get Out of Jail Free Card' he was given. We all make mistakes in life and if we are fortunate enough, someone will give us a second chance.
It's up to him to prove he is a man that has owned up to his responsibility and not the stereotypical jock people in the outside world see him as.
Will the Heisman vote inspire the Sooners?
You will never hear Jason White or Adrian Peterson complain about the outcome of the Heisman vote last Saturday. Both individuals are class players and really are all about the winning.
However, it would not surprise me if the duo and their Sooner teammates may be a little peeved. It's not so much by the outcome of Matt Leinhart winning, but by the amount of votes between them.
In what many predicted would be the closes race in the award's history, Leinhart outdistanced Peterson by more than 300 votes. That's a lot of people who thought the USC signal caller was more valuable than the freshman tailback. Throw in the fact that White was selected as the third-team quarterback on the All-American squad, both players could be playing the Jan. 4 Orange Bowl with chips on their shoulders.
Complete Coverage
In the coming weeks the Altus Times will be offering in-depth coverage from Miami of the 2005 FedEx Orange Bowl. Stories and photos surrounding the Sooners' chase for a national title can be seen in the Times.
I will be in Miami in the days leading up to and through the Orange Bowl and I hope to bring to you entertaining and informative stories about Oklahoma and Southern California's battle for college football supremacy.
Post a Comment
