The Old Saying About Opinions

There's an old saying that opinions are like grass holes. Everybody has them. Especially people with gophers and dogs who like to dig up stuff.

I'm no different. I have a grass hole. In fact, I'm so well known for it that my neighbors sometimes simply refer to me as "Grass hole," or that grass hole Bill who walks out to get the newspaper in his boxers and leaves his Halloween jack-o-lanterns out until St. Patrick's Day.

And, true to the saying, I also have opinions. I don't think pineapple belongs on a pizza. I think some of the smarter animals should be allowed to vote. I think if you call your product Grape Nuts it ought to include something resembling grapes and/or nuts.

As you might have guessed, I also have some opinions about the 2008 Cornhuskers and the Big 12. Opinions such as...

• Considering he is a lightly recruited, undersized quarterback who has started all of three college football games, I am surprisingly confident in Joe Ganz's ability to lead this squad. Obviously, his performance in those three games has a lot to do with it, but moreso it is the way he carries himself and the way his teammates respond to him. He's clearly the leader.
• I'm hoping the end of the Bill Callahan era also marks the end of Nebraska quarterbacks using the baseball slide to avoid a hit. That's just not Cornhusker football. Cornhusker football is getting every yard you can, even if you have to lay a shoulder into an opposing linebacker to do it.
• If there was ever a hire that just made sense on every single level, it was bringing on Tom Osborne as the NU athletic director.
• I think Larry Asante could emerge as a difference maker at safety. Last year's collective defensive performance was so poor, it was hard to pick out anyone who had a good year. Still I thought Asante showed some natural ability that will only get better with a year under his belt and superior coaching.
• Same goes for Ricky Thenarse. Once he gets comfortable and can be in the right place at the right time on instinct, he'll be an animal.
• Of all the coaching hires other than Bo, I am most jazzed about bringing back Marvin Sanders. If you'll recall, the 2003 Blackshirts ranked first in the nation in pass efficiency defense during Sanders' first stint in Lincoln. The next year, essentially the same secondary (under the tuteledge of a new staff) experienced a huge drop off in performance. Sanders' credentials are top notch, and the guy is a Husker through and through. Welcome back Coach.
• Hey, Quentin Castille, hold on to the ball! Just because you're big and tough like former Husker I-back Dan Alexander doesn't mean you need to be philanthropic with the rock like he was. Just hold on tight and you'll be great.
• I can't say I like Missouri QB Chase Daniel. He's cocky. He's smug. But he's also a heck of a quarterback.
• I'm not buying Colorado as this big team on the rise. Yes, they have scoreboard over the Huskers and they somehow upset OU last year. I'm not like the Monkees -- I'm not a believer. Other than defensive tackle George Hipolyte, their defense is thin. Their O-line has little to no depth. And I think it's fairly easy to rattle Cody Hawkins. Call me nuts, but I'm more concerned with the K-State game this year than the CU battle.

That's all for now, but don't worry. I have plenty more grass holes (damn gophers!), and a lot more opinions on Husker football.