OBNUG Roundtable: Public Enemy #1

Public Enemy #1 has been a raging, ribald debate at OBNUG. The distinction of being the most hated villain for our website is not to be taken lightly, which has made the decision all the more difficult. Whoever wins will receive our scorn for the next 365 days, so we want to get it right.

Recently, a few of OBNUG's finest discussed the candidacy of our Public Enemy nominees. Here is that conversation:

kevanlee: Dan Hawkins, Sean Renfree, Colin Kaepernick, Robb Akey, Mike Prater, and Hal Mumme. Just seeing this list makes me rather upset. As a Boise State fan, these six people are some of the most despicable I have ever seen. A liar, a loser, a fink, a slanderer, a traitor, and a blowhard. What a group.

Picking just one will be a hard task, but at least we can't go wrong with any of these guys. The interesting thing is that each one of these candidates stands as a different burr to Bronco Nation. Some are threatening and some are annoying.

I'm leaning toward Kaepernick, Akey, and Hawkins. Kaepernick has the potential to absolutely ruin the lives of BSU fans this season, and he seems to have a hidden agenda to take down the Broncos. Akey is Idaho's coach, and he grows more and more intolerable every day. And I have a personal vendetta against "Hawk" for the way he left BSU.

Which crime is worse? Being a life-ruiner, being a cad, or being a Judas?

Nick: It's really too bad we are having this discussion this year instead of last. I mean, Kaepernick, Mumme, and Akey really all pale in comparison to the douchebaggery last year in Hawaii's duo of June Jones and Colt Brennan. For those reasons alone, I'm probably leaning against those three.

I'm also leaning against Hawkins. It's been two full seasons since he left, and although he did so in the lowest of fashions, some of Boise State's greatest moments have happened since then. If he were in the same conference or even succeeding at Colorado, I might find more contempt in my heart for him. Unfortunately, I just don't care enough.

By process of elimination, that leaves Renfree and Prater. I think it's a little premature to vote for Renfree. He hasn't even had a chance to not live up to his potential at Duke.

So that leaves Mr. Prater. The fact that he hired Brian Murphy is more than enough reason for me to dislike the guy. Fortunately, there are many more including the aforementioned debacle that he is on the radio along with his Vandal blood. Could KTIK get a less charismatic personality on the mic? I'd rather listen to a confused Paul J any day over the apathetic and uninspiring Prater.

Kenton Arthur Lee: I think that Dan Hawkins could still be Public Enemy #1, and here's why:

1) He's kind of a freak compared to Peterson. There is a huge contrast there.

2)I don't really like his kid, either. And I hope his kid doesn't succeed down there. He could have been awesome at BSU and then we wouldn't be having this quarterback controversy right now.

3) Not everybody knows the names of people on that list, but every BSU fan remembers Hawkins. I think more people identify with not liking Hawkins.

kevanlee: Maybe we would have been better off nominating the entire Hawkins family.

I agree, Nick. Robb Akey and Colin Kaepernick are very similar to WAC nemeses like June Jones and Colt Brennan. It seems like we will always have someone to hate in our conference, and that is the way it should be. That said, should they be considered less since they are merely iterations of past enemies? I don't think so.

Now to Hawkins and Prater. Hawkins has an interesting case because he has been out of the public scorn of Bronco Nation for a few years now, yet we all seem to still have a total distaste for the guy. That should count for something. Prater's offenses are evident, and he has the opportunity and power to seriously affect how Bronco fans get their news. The main reason I hesitate to support Prater's case is because his indiscretions are harder to quantify. That, and I can't find any good pictures of him.

Sounds like Renfree and Mumme are safe. Let's give Kaepernick a pass on this year's P.E.#1 since he will still be around to hate for a couple more season. That leaves Akey, Prater, and Hawkins.

Nick: In response to Akey, Kaepernick, and Mumme, it's not that they are past iterations of past enemies. It's that they pale in comparison to past iterations. Can you really take Akey seriously with a mustache like that? I feel like we would be giving too much credit to Kaepernick when he's really not done anything else. It's hard for me to hate Mumme too much when I get so much joy from watching him prance around on the sideline imitating a drunk Gary Busey.

I would not be opposed to Prater or Hawkins. I definitely had more hatred in my heart seeing Cody run around in Colorado's backfield and thinking about how he reneged on his verbal commitment to follow Daddy to a guaranteed starting job leaving us into this never-ending cycle of trying to find a starting quarterback. I might be able to get behind that.

kevanlee: Hawkins or Prater, huh? The ghosts of our past or the bane of our present? The case for Hawkins is so completely different than the case for Prater that it is hard to even compare the two. On the one hand, you have a former coach who spurned a loving fanbase. On the other hand, you have a local media personality who roots for the local team's rival. Both are terrible people, but in different ways.

Who will it be? We might need to sleep on this one for a day or two. Keep your fingers crossed, Hawkins and Prater. We'll have our answer on Wednesday.

OBNUG roundtable: QB situation

Last week, we ran a post regarding our choice for the Broncos' starting quarterback this fall. We are as upset as anyone that we have to go through this garbage again, but having four good quarterbacks to choose from isn't the end of the world. What is the end of the world? Another senior, first-time starter. Do you hear us Bush Hamdan?

Two of OBNUG's finest got together last week to discuss our QB dilemma. Here is that conversation:

kevanlee: What Jared Zabransky lacked in game management and smarts, he made up for in longevity. And while this quality was alternately a blessing and a curse ("maybe he'll be better next year" and "I can't believe we have another year of this bozo"), I find myself valuing staying power almost more than anything else in this Boise State QB competition.

Taylor Tharp wasn't a bad quarterback last year. But he was inexperienced, and it showed in big games. Obviously, we are going to get the same deer in the headlights looks from this year's crop, but I would prefer to go through growing pains with the future promise of success.

My heart goes out to Bush Hamdan. I wanted him to win the job last year so badly because I thought he could have been an excellent QB for this year's team. With a season under his belt, people would have been talking about Boise State rather than Fresno as preseason favorites. But now that he still has no experience, I couldn't be more against him starting for BSU this season.

That leaves Coughlin, Moore, and Lomax. While a four-year starter sounds like a great idea, I'm not sure that Moore has even hit puberty yet. We saw a lot of Coughlin last season in mop-up duty, and his running ability is intriguing. There's nothing like a white running quarterback to get the blood pumping.

But my vote goes for Lomax. He has great QB size, and he came in with a lot of hype. I want to see him come through on all that promise, and I want him to have two years to do it.

Nick : The one thing we dealt with last year and are dealing with again this year that I absolutely hate, uncertainty. While I can definitely empathize with Bush Hamdan (I too wanted a strong armed quarterback throwing those out patterns last year), I too would feel much better down the road to see a younger qb take the helm.

Things I can live with? Growing pains from a young qb that will be beneficial down the road. Things that make me want to throw myself off the top level of Husky Stadium? Watching our senior qb throw a pick while attempting to throw the ball away and knowing that next year we will have someone else possibly making that same mistake. With that being said, my vote's with Coughlin. He's almost as tall as Lomax and actually got some playing time last year. Furthermore, he'll be a sophomore and a possible 3 year starter. Other 3 year starting quarterbacks from past Bronco teams? Zabransky, Dinwiddie, and Hendricks. Not bad company.

kevanlee: Here is the thing that really bothers me: we have too many likable quarterbacks. This would be my ideal situation: Lomax starts this year and next year. We get a highly touted quarterback in the 2009 recruiting class, who either backs up Lomax during his senior year or redshirts, then we have this hot prospect for the next three or four years.

But for this plan to work, it means that Coughlin will never see the field and Kellen Moore will never see the field. I want to see what these guys can do with this team, but I don't want to go through first-time senior starting quarterback roulette. It's not fair to us, and it's not fair to the team.

Maybe the problem is the BSU coaches' approach to recruiting. I've heard before that they only want to recruit one quarterback in each class. Why? How about having some competition and not spreading the QB position out so thin. Would there be something wrong with two junior quarterbacks? No. I think they should recruit one really good QB and one really bad one, that way the really good one thinks he's all that and he's full of confidence. Something needs to change.

Nick : I see where you're coming from, however, I understand the approach to recruiting a qb in each class. Things happen, someone might get hurt, someone might get caught with the ganja in his car late at night, so I understand the idea of having multiple qb's spread over multiple years. I guess this comes down to Boise State recruiting good to very good qb's without having one rise above the rest to claim the position.

When Hamdan was recruited, we all heard about the hot qb prospect from Maryland with the strong arm. When Lomax was recruited, his height and NFL pedigree was highly touted. We've all heard similar accolades from Coughlin and now Moore. I guess I feel like if Lomax was going to be a great qb for the Broncos, he would have seized the position last year when it was wide open. My guess is that the coaching staff was hesitant to send a red shirt freshman out there with Coughlin and decided to play it safe with Tharp after Hamdan got hurt and Lomax failed to impress, especially coming off the Fiesta Bowl hype. After another year on the sidelines and seeing some game action, I feel like Coughlin is ready to take the reigns.