Chizik to Auburn

Two years ago when Pollard hired Chizik, I loved the hire. I knew and understood Chizik's motivation for taking the position as a steppingstone. If I would have known Chizik would be coaching at Auburn two years after being at Iowa State, I probably still would have accepted the hire. Why? No one certainly could have believed Chizik would be here forever, and for Chizik to be the head guy at a perennial SEC power, surely would have meant he proved something at ISU. He did not however prove much, although I am still confident he could have turned it around. I am somewhat upset at the outrage from some of the ISU fans. There is not a single fan that can tell me they would not take over a one million dollar pay raise and a promotion to your dream job after performing sub-par at their current position. I feel for the recruits, most of which, would not even have considered ISU, let alone sign a letter of intent to play four years here. This recruiting class had to think Chizik would be there at least for their time at ISU. I think Chizik can be successful at Auburn, and I hope for his family's sake he is not a complete bust. Afterall, Chizik did do this for his family. I don't believe that for one second. With Chizik gone, and the verdict still out on him, Pollard is given a mulligan. The pressure is entirely on him now, for this hire to be a success. With that being said, I think he should listen to coaches who actively want to be at ISU.

Two years ago Brian Kelly and Jim Harbaugh threw their names in the hat for the ISU job. Pollard did not like the fact that these coaches made themselves candidates. I guess I can agree with him, I mean who wants a coach that feels they are qualified and can turn around a program that most people consider "career suicide". People Pollard needs to at least interview:
Steve Loney- considers ISU his "dream job" -not often you hear that
Bob Elliot- also considers ISU a dream job, although used differnt words
Turner Gill-give him an interview, if he even wants one
There are other candidates out there as well. Don't bring in another coordinator, minus Charlie Strong.

Longshots that Pollard needs to at least survey for interest.

Tuberville...Great coach, has recruits with a chip on their shoulder toward Auburn....He's not coming here though.

Gary Patterson...Another good coach, just beat ISU in the Houston Bowl in 2005 and is probably looking for a better job than State.

Brian Kelly...could easily be here right now, already has said he is staying at Cincinatti and took his name out of the Tennessee running. He is on to something with that Big East automatic BCS bid.

Chris Peterson...Couldn't think of a better coach available right now. He might like the chance to rival with his predecessor Dan Hawkins.

One thing I am thankful for after all of this is that Chizik left. When the rumors started, it would have been mighty tough to reunit that locker room.

Notes from NFL Week 14

Texans @ Packers

Packers fans continue to impress. The place is packed even with the starting temperature of 6 degrees. Green, yellow, camoflauge and safety orange make up the most unique crowd scene in the NFL. Packers fans know their football. The first Green Bay punt of the game was a duck, travelling only 25 yards. It was the punter's first kick for the team and it had to be like trying to kick a block of ice. The second punt was boomed for a respectable 48 yards or so. The Lambeau field crowd started cheering as soon as the ball left the punter's foot. They appreciated and acknowledged the better punt. The crowd cheered after the third punt as well, even though it resulted in a touchback. Fans in Houston (and many other NFL cities) would have been halfway to the nacho cart instead of in their seats cheering for a punt.

Schaub just threw an interception. Williams jumped an out route, something that has happened a couple times earlier in the season. This is never a good sign.

I dislike the sports guy, but he's right about one thing. Gus Johnson makes every game a big game. He's called the last couple of Texans games and they have been enjoyable. Every play is a big play. FUMBLE!!! HE FUMBLED THE FOOTBALL!!! Jim Nance should take notes.

Eagles @ Giants

Fox showed a stat that John Carney led the NFL in points. Earlier this year, Carney was benched for Lawrence Tynes, a kicker they thought about cutting last year because of inconsistency. All Carney had done up to that point was make all of his FG attempts and all of his PAT. The Giants are back to Carney, probably for the rest of the year. It still goes to show that even 11-1, reigning Super Bowl champion teams aren't immune from dumb decisions.

Taking the ball up 17-10 with 9:26 left in the 4th quarter, the Eagles ran the ball with Westbrook 11 times on the 13 play drive, taking more than seven minutes off the clock. I didn't think I'd ever see this type of drive from Andy Reid and the Eagles. Sure I love it because I've got Westbrook on my fantasy team, but also because it's the right way to play against the best team in football when you've got one of the best running backs in the game.

Browns @ Titans

Ahmard Hall caught TD pass for the Titans in this one. It's another chapter in a pretty special story for Hall. He served for 4 years in the Marines, walked-on at Texas and played on the national championship team. For him to get a chance in the NFL, at least 4 years older than most players get a shot, playing the endangered fullback position, is remarkable. As this story mentions, Hall has good perspective. With all the problems the NFL has been facing recently, it would be nice to see a player like Hall succeed.

Promoting Manufacturing Jobs

Manufacturing jobs aren't first on many students' minds. Perhaps the downturn of the financial industry will change the outlook on jobs that help create tangible goods. While the U.S. economy has been service based for a while, our country still has high-quality jobs in manufacturing. While overall employment has decreased in the industry, it is because of automation and engineering. This has created a demand for more highly-skilled workers. The demand is such that wages have really outpaced that of the workforce as a whole. The starting wages at my company have increased almost 25% over the last three years! It is a unique opportunity for engineers with only a bachelor's or master's degree.

This article, from the Evansville Courier and Press, speaks of the promotion of jobs in the manufacturing sector. The article speaks of improving "the standard of living and quality of life for area residents" and "resources within the region, student scholarships and funds available for teachers." I think they would be better served showing how much money can be made in manufacturing! Chemical industry jobs in the Houston area have a median income of $84,000 a year. That's a ton of money. That includes engineers, operators with a high school degree, new operators and technicians with a two year degree and managment and research.

Manufacturing is often thought of as dirty and labor-intensive. This is no longer true. Government regulations have made manufacturing environments clean and safe. Companies are constantly working at reducing their environmental impact and energy requirements. These improvements come from within. Jobs within the "manufacturing" industry include projects, laboratories, operations, managment, electrical engineering, civil engineering, drafting and design, maintenance and other technical-based crafts. No company that manufactures anything is without a research and design group. Many of these skill sets translate across different sectors. The opportunity within manufacturing is great, and the impact is tangible.