Last week, we presented the cases of four Boise State football nemeses, each one a dastardly threat to the sanctity of Bronco football (and there was also Robb Akey), and each one a candidate for Boise State's new Public Enemy #1. Today, it's time to pick ourselves a winner.
The people have spoken. Graham Watson and Colin Kaepernick were the top two vote getters in last week's poll. Now it's time to hear from the OBNUG editorial team. Read on after the jump for a quick roundtable and the reveal of Boise State football's next Public Enemy #1.
The Public Enemy #1 roundtable is being sponsored by The Fugitive, starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. Your participants:
kevanlee: Harrison Ford
FFBSU: Tommy Lee Jones
njkroes: Biggs
Once again, the candidates were Colin Kaepernick, Robb Akey, John Swofford, and Graham Watson. Let's get our roundtableau on!
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kevanlee: I very much dislike Graham Watson. I can't stand to hear people talk about Colin Kaepernick. I actively hope for John Swofford to be caught in a firable offense involving an inappropriate email forward. I find Robb Akey hilarious.
What to do, what to do. I guess that first off, we need to make sure that we have chosen the right four individuals. There was commenter furor over us not considering Oregon, Oregon players, Oregon fans, Oregon announcers, and some combination of Mark May and Craig James. Did we make a mistake? Should one of these been our fifth candidate instead of the agreed-upon favorite of "bye"? I don't think so.
The way I see it is that we got the most loathesome coach, player, media personality, and symbolically referential BCS person. If we're going to be adding Mark May to the discussion, I'd say that Graham Cracker already has him beat. Same for Craig James, Joe Giansante, and any other TV or media person who gets our goat. Watson is the epitome of anti-Bronco bias. It says so on her MySpace page.
And Oregon fans? While I find them highly annoying and unnecessarily defensive, they are not actively hurting Boise State on the field, in the media, or at the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meetings held by conference commissioners. It would be like someone hating me for talking smack about Fresno State. That person does not exist. (link to Fresno State person hating me in the comments)
If I had to choose my least viable Public Enemy from the above list, I'd probably have to go with Akey. I find him entertaining for 11 months and three weeks out of every year. It is only during Idaho week that I truly can't stand the guy. Is that really enough to make him a Public Enemy #1? I don't know. Someone help me out with that one.
FFBSU: I had to admit as much in my post about Akey. Is he annoying? Yes. Is he kind of a douche? Yes. Is he somewhat endearing in a Lawrence-the-nextdoor-neighbor-from-Office Space kind of way? Yes.
I do believe that Akey has to be on the list by default, though, since he is the current coach of the Vandies and he fully embodies their hopelessly optimistic, beer-swilling, jealous fanbase. Do I think he is Public Enemy #1 for the Broncos? Not really. But he's an easy target.
I am hesitant to pick Kapernick because it gives the Pack fans fodder in thinking we're jealous of his "unique" skillset. That leaves Swofford and Watson. I enjoyed hearing the arguments for/against both, and I'm kinda leaning toward Watson though she does on occasion go to bat for the Broncos (although she usually changes course and bags them the next day...hence her inclusion on this list).
I'm giving a tentative vote for Watson unless Nick has more to say about Swofford.
kevanlee: I am not jealous of Kaepernick's "unique" football skillset any more than I am jealous of Keanu Reeves' "unique" acting skillset. But you're right. Picking Kaepernick would add significant amounts of fuel to Nevada fans' fires, most of which are currently being fueled by Keno tickets and boredom. I'm borderline agreeing with you that we don't need to make this any worse than it already is.
But then again, shouldn't Public Enemy #1 be about which player, coach, "journalist," bigwig we dislike the most? I feel like I'm letting Bronco Nation down by giving a free pass to Kaepernick based upon drawing undo attention to a scrambler with high school passing skills. Let's dock him points for a) being a junior and thus still having at least one year of PE eligibility left, b) posing less of a threat to the Broncos this year than he did last year, and c) an unspoken rule that we not choose anyone currently going through puberty.
With Akey out of the picture due to his being mostly harmless, I guess that leaves us with Watson and Swofford.
Here's what I like about each of these candidates: they both encapsulate the most disappointing, frustrating moments during the past year of Bronco football. Watson routinely dogged on the Broncos week after week, praising their wins then picking them to lose. Swofford is the postermillionaire of the antiquated system that screwed the Broncos over.
I'm leaning toward Watson if only because she makes a regular practice of ticking me off. Swofford only does so annually.
njkroes: I feel like we should distinguish between Kaepernick and the hype about Kaepernick. I feel like it's below us as Boise State fans to single out a Nevada quarterback. I think most of our fury is directed to the hype surrounding him including the WAC offensive player of the year award. I believe indignation can be correctly channeled toward the one person that embodies this hype in every word she writes -- Graham Watson.
Swofford is a figurehead -- a sorry, unconvincing one but a figurehead nonetheless. I don't believe he is at fault for the BCS, he just signifies everything wrong with it.
Graham Watson captures everything that's wrong with media coverage of the mid majors. Her waffling, her renewed belief in Fresno State each year and her belief that Kaepernick is a gifted thrower.
FFBSU: I don't just hate Kaepernick's hype...I hate that he is able, on occasion to put up pinball numbers. It defies all logic. If you would've told me that in 2007, a 150 lb. gangly stork of a freshman would get his first collegiate start at Boise State and make our "vaunted" defense look like a bunch of JV flag footballers I would've said you were crazy. Hey, we had an excuse though, right? Luke Lippincott's "falling forward" routine was getting 4 or 5 yards a pop against our soft '07 D-line and linebackers and Kaep was an unknown quantity that exploited our overpursuing (and probably a bit tired) defense. But then, in 2008, as the hype machine was running at capacity...Kaepernick goes out and again busts off 70 yard runs against opponents like he's Rocket Ismail. What gives? Is the that fast? Is he that elusive? Does his 50% passing keep teams "honest"?
The reason I hate Kaepernick (kinda throwing my own argument out the window here about giving Pack fans fodder) is that he exists. Isn't this Division 1 football? Why is a lanky windsock with a good arm able to semi-routinely run or pass on anyone?
My guess is that it's because of the 2007 Boise State game. Teams are afraid to drop everyone back into coverage because off goes the skeletor...and they are too afraid to blitz everyone because he'll throw the ball (inaccurately) downfield like he's trying to kill a rabbit with it. I hate the Kaep hype...but if BSU hadn't had about the sorriest performance of all time against Nevada in 2007 (a game we won, by the way...remember Pack fans?), Kaepernick might not even still be the starter...he'd be Tanyon Bissell.
So maybe I am okay with Kaepernick getting the vote after all...but only with the addendum that his nomination be grouped in with the 2007 defense. They made him the boogeyman, afterall.
kevanlee: Interesting. I can actually see Tanyon Bissell going 7-6 as Boise State's quarterback. Not a stretch at all.
Let me recap thus far, for my own sanity: Robb Akey is out, Colin Kaepernick is back in, John Swofford is on the fence, and Graham Watson is Graham Watson.
If I had my druthers (and I do love me my druthers), Swofford would be gone due to the fact that he is out of sight, out of mind and merely a scapegoat for a system that blows. I don't blame Chadd Cripe for the Idaho Statesman Sunday edition being $2.00, so I struggle blaming Swofford for the worst way of crowning a champion in any sport ever.
Can we agree upon Kaepernick and Grahamalot being the final two? Here's some food for thought: Kaepernick will be around for at least another year. Graham Watson could be fired tomorrow.
I'm just saying.
FFBSU: The Kevan has spoken! Adjourn the tableau!
kevanlee: Graham Watson being Public Enemy #1: It's the right thing to do.
Well, that ended abruptly.
For her crimes against Bronco Nation, for her unerring ineptitude and personal biases, for her love of Notre Dame and her hate of facts, and on the off chance that she gets fired before we have the opportunity to nominate her again next year, Graham Watson is Boise State's new Public Enemy #1.
Congratulations, and we despise you.