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The title is my way of implying that the kicking game has been beaten to death this off-season, and probably rightfully so.  Outside of possibly offensive line play and short yardage situations (which go hand-in-hand), the complete failure at kick coverage was our Achilles heel last year.  But this is a new year, and Coach Stewart is giving it a lot of attention, both on the field and in the media.

As our friend Mike Cassaza mentions in today's Daily Mail:

The team is in shells today and full pads Wednesday. Coach Bill Stewart said the focus will soon go to kickoff coverage, which was a major weakness last year. The Mountaineers allowed 28 yards per return and ranked No. 117 out of 119 Division I-A teams.. 

We averaged nearly a full 7 yards less on our own kickoffs -- once a strength -- than we allowed to opponents. Not good.

Well that begs the question then: how do we fix it?

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Nothing earth-shattering happened over the weekend (other than fall camp opening, of course, and I'm sure you're already tired of hearing about that), so how about a Monday morning smattering of various newsworthy nuggets from around Mountainner nation:

• I've heard a few rumors that the Capital One Bowl may be an option if the Big East and Gator Bowl go their separate ways.  Yes, the COB currently features an SEC team v. a Big 10 team (I think it's SEC #4 v. Big 10 #3 off the top of my head), but if the Gator can put together a package (read: piles of money) that the SEC considers worthy, the conference may elect to jump out of its current negotiations with the COB and head to Jacksonville, leaving a void for the Big East in Orlando.  I've had some great times in Jacksonville, but honestly, I'd prefer the Capital One and its greater prestige and, yes, better location. 
  
• Pat White had a pretty good first scrimmage with the Dolphins, going 10 of 19 with a TD.  I can't wait to watch Pat this year in the NFL.  Something tells me he's going to be a dynamic player for the Fins.  Maybe that something is the fact that he was unbelievable for 4 years at WVU, I dunno.  Yes, it's going be a little bittersweet not seeing him at WVU.  It's almost like seeing your ex girlfriend out with her new squeeze.  Except this time the new squeeze is someone way more important and who makes a lot more money than you do, so you really can't be all that mad. 
• More after the jump.
  

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It seems that Jarrett Brown is a bonafide story to the news media, and really, why not?  Fifth year senior who has sat patiently behind superstar quarterback for his turn in the rotation.  When called upon due to injury, all Brown has done is go 2-0, including a massive win over Rutgers in 3 OTs.  Oh yeah, he played basketball, too.

But it's football he's waited on, and after four years of watching Pat White dominate and a full year learning Jeff Mullen's system, Brown has his opportunity.

From the Washington Times:

West Virginia was in the middle of spring practice when coach Bill Stewart ended one session with a simple gesture.

He walked toward Jarrett Brown and wedged a football into the fifth-year senior's hands, leaving no doubt to the answer of the greatest uncertainty surrounding the Mountaineers' program.

"It's my team," Brown said of the moment's significance. "It's officially my team."

At long last.

So, after all these years, it's Jarrett Brown's show.

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The New York Post is reporting that Big East officials are considering a couple of proposals that could help tip the balance of power in the college football world back in the conference's favor.  The first is a potential New York City bowl game played in either Yankee Stadium or the New York Giants football stadium and would match a Big East team against a team from the Big 10.  The second---get ready for this bombshell---is the potential targeting of Boston College and Maryland for conference membership (or remembership?). 

Let's tackle these proposals one at a time because frankly, the magnitude of all this is too much for me to handle while I'm hungover at 1:30 p.m. on a Wednesday. 

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The 25314 is back after a 6 month absence.  Where have I been and what have I been doing?  That is really none of your business, and I would thank you to stay out of my personal affairs.  Let's jut say I fought the law, and the law won.

With the opening of fall camp, I will be here to bring you a different perspective than the liquid sunshine 5th Year has been forcibly bonging down your throat. 

Maybe I'm a Pessimist Patty or Debby Downer or Negative Nancy, but before you tread on me, let me crack an egg of knowledge all over you.  These are some real facts to think about heading into August.

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Instead of just blindly predicting wins and losses for 2009 (cough, 5th Year Senior, cough), I thought I would try to take an objective look -- or as close to one as is possible when you run a pro-WVU blog -- at the point spreads of this season.  Obviously, a lot will change in just a few weeks and months, but hopefully, this gives us all a pretty good expectation of each game throughout the season.

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Well, kind of.  In today's mailbag, Mandel fields a question on WVU's prospects in the Big East this season.  I don't have a huge problem with what he says, really.  I mean, I expect better, but until we prove it on the field, I can't argue too loudly.  I do have a problem with one sentence, and one sentence only, though:

I saw an article last week that had West Virginia predicted to finish fifth in the Big East this year. I know they lost Pat White, but they also have a lot coming back, and some great recruits. Is fifth place really realistic for my Mountaineers?
-- Paul, Louisville

First of all, the Big East is so small, and so tightly bunched, the difference between being picked second and fifth isn't as significant as in other conferences. For instance, last season Cincinnati won the league at 6-1, while the next three teams (Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Rutgers) all finished 5-2. So it's not inconceivable the Mountaineers could finish fifth and still be right in the mix for the title until the end.

That said, most reasonable observers would expect West Virginia to take a step back this fall. There's simply no replacing a leader as uniquely talented as White. The good news is his replacement, Jarrett Brown, has seen significant playing time the past few years and certainly seems capable of running the offense. But he's still not White, and remember, this team managed to lose four games last year even with White.

It's going to be a big year for nice-guy coach Bill Stewart. He drew a load of criticism early last season when the Mountaineers dropped consecutive games to East Carolina and Colorado, but inspired some confidence with a comeback bowl win over North Carolina. Still, there remain plenty of doubters out there -- myself included -- curious to see how he fares post-Pat.

Did you catch the sentence?  We'll find out after the jump.

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