Mizzou Links, 4-11-07

For anybody looking to avoid getting excited about Mizzou football...whatever you do, do not read this.

the Tigers return 10 offensive starters and a handful of other key receivers. Plus, everyone inside the program is fired up about the return of Jeremy Maclin, a speedy redshirt freshman receiver who missed last year with a knee injury. Better still, they also have a favorable schedule with Nebraska, Texas Tech and Texas A&M all having to come to Columbia this fall.

"With the people we have coming back, there's no way we shouldn't compete for the Big 12 title," said Daniel. "I don't see there being any way where we don't finish first or second in the nation in total offense. We have the ability to score 40 points a game. We can easily win 10 games."

As impressive as Daniel was in his debut season, the Mizzou coaches are anxious to see their QB's next step in the evolution of their offense. The offense did sputter at times in the middle of the season, which they say was due in part to not being committed enough to the running game. Some of that was a by-product of coping with standout tailback Tony Temple's fumbling problems.

Expect Daniel and the Tigers to be greedier in 2007.

"We are going to use the whole field now," Yost says. "Last year it was, 'If they do this, we'll take that.' Now it's, 'If they do this, let's take this vertical route we can get. Let's not just take this hitch.' This time, we're not going to just take what the defense gives us, but rather attack what the defense does."

Me? I'm just going to continue reminding myself how good I thought we'd be in 2004. It's a defense mechanism at this point, but...yeah, it's a necessary one. Optimism never ends well for me.

And while you're at ESPN, you can read this Big XII Spring notebook...you know...if my own Spring Previews aren't enough for you...

And from mutigers.com...softball was postponed yesterday (if you live in Columbia, all you can say is...DUH...it rained here a wee bit more than they thought it would yesterday), and gymnastics is on its way to Berkeley for the West Regional. They need to pull a bit of an upset--they're the #3 seed in the region, and the top two make it.