Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas played football for N.C. State and Smithfield-Selma High School before playing in the NFL. He is the co-host of "The Insiders" from 6 to 9 a.m. weekdays on 620 The Buzz.
By Mark Thomas
May 4, 2011
There have been a lot of comments and questions of late about the decision by Russell Wilson to ask for and receive his release from NC State. It seems very popular right now to wonder why Tom O’Brien would be willing to grant such a request from his All-ACC quarterback.
In doing so, he is essentially setting up Mike Glennon to be the starting quarterback. On the surface, this move would seem perplexing to some. Especially those people who absolutely love to stir the pot of controversy in order to sell newspapers or have something to talk about on the radio.
Glennon is and should be the starting quarterback for NC State. And no, Wilson wasn’t “pushed” out the door by O’Brien.
Before I go any farther, let me state for the record that I believe Russell Wilson is the best quarterback ever to play at NC State. Phillip Rivers has passing numbers that set ACC and NCAA records. Rivers was incredible and continues to be in the NFL. But what I saw from Wilson was the ability to make all the throws in the passing game to go along with great leadership on and off the field. The aspect of his game that I think separated him from all the rest is how he could run the football with the strength, field vision and quickness of a running back. His complete package as a quarterback was lethal.
So it does beg the question, why would the coach think that it’s better for NC State to go with Glennon? Well here you go.
First, it has to
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By Mark Thomas
Apr 18, 2011
Spring football. Gotta love it. Most football diehards, this time of year, are gearing up for the NFL Draft. But nothing gets you wanting more football than seeing college football teams buckling it up for their spring football game. Although we get to see so many of these now that they’re being televised on ESPNU, they are still a rough product of what fans hope to see of their teams come September. The Kay Yow Spring Game for the NC State wasn’t far from that. Fans got to see a rough product of what appears to be a different football team than the one that finished the year 9-4. It’s difficult to say right now if that means better or worse than last years team. Without Russell Wilson and Nate Irving, the Wolfpack is looking for leaders to step up as leaders, on and off the field. Here were some observations from the game.
- The first thing that jumps out at me after the game is the impressive play of the defense. The front 4 of the Wolfpack outplayed the offensive line. The same offensive line that will be the most experienced and arguably the best line since the arrival of Tom O’Brien. D-lineman McKay Frandsden, J. R. Sweezy, Markus Kuhn, and Jeff Rieskamp won the battle in the trenches when the offensive and defensive starters were going against each other. Linebacker play improves when the defense gets a push from the front line.
- Linebacker
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By Mark Thomas
Mar 18, 2011
Lorenzo Brown and C.J. Leslie like what they see during the Georgia Tech vs. NC State game on February 26th, 2011 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Could there be a more popular question right now among Wolfpack fans?
Who is going to be the next NC State basketball coach? Any name you here is absolute speculation. The cool thing is. you'll hear someone say things like,"My cousin's wife knows coach X, and he's interested in the job." Or in a tweet,"This coach is not interested in entertaining any job options. He likes where he is."
What's even more entertaining is reading sports writers opinions of where the NC State head coaching job ranks. The column is written by a guy who has absolutely no say so or impact on the current coaching search. Most of the posts are in a comparison to the one that took place five years ago. This one will be different. Much different.
First, it starts with a different athletic director – Debbie Yow. Just so you know, this isn't the "Lee Fowler didn't know what he was doing" band wagon. Because even his decisions five years ago will not impact what Yow does. Her approach to a coaching search will be different because you're dealing with a different personality. She has different goals and different objectives.
That's not to say Fowler's ways were wrong and Yow's are right. However, she fully understands that when it all comes right down to it, regardless of who the next coach is and how she got him, he's got to win. The most important thing she's done thus far is hire the right people in her administration who understand how to keep the "sources say" group
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Mar 8, 2011
Duke's Nolan Smith during Duke's 70-59 victory over Clemson at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 in Durham, NC. (Photo by Jack Morton)
What a joke! What a farce! Seriously. That's how I view the All-ACC teams now.
Not because college basketball and football players don't deserve the recognition for the season that they've had.
It's because when I played in college, I had a totally different view of how players were selected for those teams. I was aware that the media chose the players on these teams. I was aware that the "stat stuffers" typically got the nod for recognition. But there were two things about the selection process that if I'd known then what I know now, I would have lost it.
First, let me tell you that being dubbed All-ACC is a big deal to players and coaches. It's something that is a proud moment at the time of selection and for all time. For the rest of your life, you are an All-ACC player.
I would even say for most, it is as big of an honor as being All-American. You know how good the players are in your conference because you've played them. There's nothing more special than being honored among your peers – the ones who truly know how good you are. A lot of times an All-American list is a group of guys you aren't really sure how good they are compared to the ones you've competed against. It doesn't make it less of an honor. It's just different.
Maybe that's part of the problem I have with the selection process. The people selecting these teams are ill-informed and unaware.
When I got into the media side of college athletics, I
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By Mark Thomas
Feb 24, 2011
North Carolina State head basketball coach Sidney Lowe could not go over the film with his team enough in the days leading up to the North Carolina game.
After the 20-point beat down in Chapel Hill that saw the Tar Heels win the battle for second-chance points 18-6, Lowe made sure he emphasized to his players the importance of keeping John Henson and Tyler Zeller from getting the easy two off of misses.
For the first half of their meeting in Raleigh Wednesday, the message stuck. NC State was keeping the Carolina bigs off the boards. Even with the Tar Heels up by two at halftime, there was room for optimism in the Wolfpack locker room.
Then the second half hit, and it looked very familiar to what we saw in Chapel Hill.
Harrison Barnes lit it up, scoring 14 of his 16 points. John Henson dominated the boards, grabbing 15.
Even when the Wolfpack tied the game at 50 in the second half, the outcome was never in doubt.
Scott Wood got into foul trouble, which meant Lowe would be without his best perimeter threat for most of the second half. Roy Williams countered with a 2-3 zone that allowed Carolina to protect Zeller's foul trouble while forcing State to find a shooter not named Wood or Smith.
They couldn't do it.
Two Harrison Barnes dunks off of rebounds put the game out of reach.
The tale of the first game ended up being the same in the second.
Carolina's second-chance points ended up winning
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By Mark Thomas
Feb 8, 2011
Getting recruited out of high school is incredible. Everywhere you turn it seems some school you've seen on ESPN is sending you a letter wanting you to go to their school. The coaches of those schools call you and say such nice things to you when you get on their campus. Then on top of that, those coaches ask you to come visit their campus for an all-expense paid visit. They even fly out to your home to sit down in your living room to talk to you and your parents. It's the dream of a lifetime to be loved by so many important people. Then the day comes when you have the opportunity to tell one of those coaches that you're coming to play for him.
Getting recruited is a pretty cool thing, except for one part. Telling one coach "Yes" is telling all those other coaches "No." It stinks. They were all so nice. And they told you everything you wanted to hear.
UNC freshman Harrison Barnes knows the feeling. Except he decided to take it one step further. While saying yes to Roy Williams, he said no to Mike Krzyzewski and UNC's rival Duke. But that's not the only thing. He said no to Duke, on ESPNU. I have to believe that whether or not Duke was aware of Barnes decision to go to Carolina before November 13th, 2009, they may not have been too happy to have the whole world watching. Sure it was a big day for Barnes. And being around him, you can tell that he has
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By Mark Thomas
Jan 24, 2011
Two hours before NC State tipped off against Miami on Sunday, more than 80 former players, coaches and athletic directors got together on the second floor of the RBC Center to celebrate the history of Wolfpack basketball.
Looking around the room, there were big names and people who have made Wolfpack basketball something that fans can be proud of. Among those in attendance were Tommy Burleson, David Thompson, Rodney Monroe, Bucky Waters and Chris Corchiani. It was an impressive group to see.
When former players and coaches get together, there's always the time of telling stories and reminiscing about the times you spent together. Regardless of the years you played or the records attained, there is commonality and a brotherhood that exists. There are conversations about the blood, sweat, and tears that went into playing a game for a university of which you are so proud. Those stories are unique to athletes who understand what it takes to be successful on the basketball court and in life. The work you put in on the 330 days a year that fans don't get to see allow this common language.
The history of NC State basketball was laid out for all who attended – in video, pictures and in person. A video was played to remember former coaches Everette Case, Norm Sloan and Jim Valvano. Photos showed the life of Reynolds Coliseum and the construction of the RBC Center.
But the most engaging part of the brunch was when Athletic
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By Mark Thomas
Oct 27, 2010
What's wrong with Russell Wilson? That's the main question I got following the East Carolina game. The NC State quarterback has guided his team to a 5-2 record, but the question on fan's minds is not what went right in the 5 wins. It's what went wrong in the 2 loses? And in those 2 loses, what was Russell Wilson thinking in the final drive of the first half against Virginia Tech. How can Russell throw that ball into coverage in overtime verses East Carolina. Russell Wilson has thrown 9 picks this year. Where's the guys who set an NCAA record of 379 passes without an interception? I can't answer the inopportune interception question against Tech or ECU for that matter. He made two very costly mistakes. However, there are some things Wilson can do from here forward to improve his play.
1- Play underneath the secondary- Another name for this is "compressing coverage." In the second game of the year against UCF Russell Wilson threw the ball 30 times. His pass attempts have gone up every game after that (CIN-40 GT-41 VT-49 BC-51 ECU-52). The more passes Wilson attempts the more defensive backs play deeper. If a safety's depth is 15 yards, he will tend to play at 18 against a guy who passes more. He then has a better shot at picking a pass when the plays in front of him as opposed to knocking it away when it's behind
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By Mark Thomas
Oct 15, 2010
Maybe this is what got UNC's Marvin Austin, Greg Little, and Robert Quinn in trouble to begin with. These guys were considered the top recruits in the country at their position by draft experts like Mel Kiper. And agents went out of their way to "financially" recruit these underclassmen because of that evaluation. I've heard fans say that ranking a college athlete's draft status before they declare for the draft is unethical. It's absurd! NFL scouts, NFL coaches, and even college coaches are constantly evaluating their players. So it stands to reason that there are resources for college fans to see where their favorite college players stand compared to other players around the country.
This past off season, NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper had put 7 UNC players in the top 5 at their position for underclassman. Meaning, 7 guys who had to make a decision about coming back for one more year of college football. They all decided to come back. It's just sad that three of them decided to come back while taking money, gifts, and trips from agents. So what does this mean now for their draft status in next years draft? How does sitting out a full year of football affect their slotting in the draft?
On Mel Kiper's Big Board, former UNC DE Robert Quinn is considered the best DE in the country and the second best player in the whole draft. We asked Kiper if sitting out changes
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By Mark Thomas
Sep 22, 2010
UNC vs Rutgers –
Greg Schiano's program has bee trying to gain back the respectability they got in 2006, when the Scarlet Knights finished the season ranked 12th in the country. Of course that was with WR Kenny Britt and RB Ray Rice. Without those two North Carolina was able beat down Rutgers in 2008 44-12 on Thursday night football. It was a dominating performance all the way around by the Heels and DE Robert Quinn. Everyone saw the excitement and direction Butch Davis was giving to the football program at North Carolina. Two years later, both programs are at crossroads in their seasons. Only three games into the season, both teams are looking for a win that could drastically change the confidence of their respective teams.
But don’t think your going to convince Schiano about that. "I don't believe in that stuff,'' said Schiano when asked about this game being a "measuring stick'' game.”Our measuring stick is us; not the other team. Our measuring stick is how well we do compared to how good we can be.'' I have to believe that beating his former boss when his team isn’t playing at full strength has to be on his mind.
The Tar Heels need a win against a team they should beat after starting with two tough opponents. Even at 0-2, and without key members of their highly touted defense, North Carolina still has looked very good at times. But looking good has to turn into wins, or Butch Davis will be asked
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