My Father Loves Entourage and a Good Running Game

Hello All,

Today we continue with the position breakdowns for the upcoming season. But before we begin, I would be remiss to not talk about the biggest night of every year in the Stein household: The season premiere of Entourage.

My brother and I have been enjoying the show since its first season on the air, and a couple of years ago we turned our dad on to it. At this point, even our mom watches it, making it the only show embraced by all four Steins.

On Sunday night, Season 6 premiered, and I have to say that it received four thumbs up.

In anticipation of the big night, I watched the first five complete seasons on DVD in one week. I then sat down with my dad and had a serious talk about my concerns for the show's future. At the root was the sense that the show was moving away from what had made it so good in the first place: five friends having the time of their lives in Los Angeles.

Last season was great, but consisted of Vinny Chase getting knocked down time and again, with little room for fun from the crew when their brother was hurting.

At the end of the season there was a ray of hope in the form of an offer for Vinny to do a Scorcese movie, and that got the Stein men excited.

The creators of the show seem to have read my mind, because the new season started down the exact road I would like to explore. The boys are back in the same house they loved so much before being forced to sell it. Vinny and his best friend/manager Eric are pulling girls left and right, and Drama and Turtle (Vinny's brother and other best friend, respectively) provide comic relief at Eric's expense. At the same time, the group is beginning to grow up, which is also necesarry. There is even talk of an Oscar for Vinny.

Vinny is finally getting his driver license. Eric is thinking about getting his own place. Turtle is dating Jamie Lyn Siegler. Drama has his own successful television show and condo.

The premiere was made even better when Vinny's super agent, Ari Gold, sauneters on to the screen and announces that his agency is performing well even in bad times thanks to the addition of an old friend, Andrew Klein. The only one who seems to be unhappy is Ari's longtime assistant, Lloyd, who has decided the time is now to demand a promotion.

The feather in the cap of this episode was the return of Eric's ex-girlfriend and current "friend", Sloan. Sloan is my favorite character aside from Ari, and the reason that my dad thinks Eric (the smart one) is "a stupid idiot".

At this point, we can only guess where the season is going. However, a few things are certain.

-As my brother said, they have "returned to the Entourage we fell in love with". R- rated comedy, sex, and undying friendship; a formula that works.

-Although this has always been true, now more than ever the show is about Eric, not Vince. As Eric goes the group has always tended to go, and that was very obvious in the premiere.

-This is a season of change. Lloyd is finally standing his ground against Ari. Vinny is becoming more independent, as are the rest of the boys. Eric is finally playing the field, perhaps using this as a strategy to get back with Sloan. Turtle is finding love (which made my mom very happy), and perhaps a career of his own.

These are all good things. This show maybe has two seasons left in it before going the way of The Sopranos and Sex and the City before it. The tagline for the season stated that "Life Changes. Friends Don't." It seems as though the boys of Entourage are becoming men, and realizing that in order to grow as people they have to embrace change. I am excited for the ride.

As Entourage returns to its roots, my dad and I hope Miami will do the same. The Hurricanes built a number of great offenses around a dominant running game. These teams featured not only great lead runners like Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, Alonzo Highsmith and Willis McGahee, but they also had a fleet of stud backups (Warren Williams, James Jackson, Frank Gore). With any luck, this season will see a return to the old school 'Cane way of using a smashmouth running game to set up a big play passing game.

RUNNING BACK

Last Season

Graig Cooper was forced to carry too much of the load, but still responded with more than 800 yards rushing.

Cooper is built to be more of a complimentary back so as to maximize his burst.

Javarris James, who showed what it takes to be the workhorse back as a freshman, struggled through his second straight injury-filled year.

Derron Thomas and backup fullback Eric Houston graduated.

Roll Call

Graig Cooper, Junior

The coaching staff says that they want one guy to gain 1000 yards this season and to stop relying on the running back- by- committee approach. Cooper is certainly at the front of the conversation for this role; however, if Cooper continues the bad habit of dancing in the backfield for one beat too many he will get passed by others on the depth chart. Cooper also might make a contribution on punt returns.

Javarris James, Senior

Baby James is always solid when healthy. However, it is rare that he is healthy. He has the versatility to stay between the tackles or work out of the slot as a receiver. If he can stay healthy, he will see a lot of carries in his final season.

Lee Chambers, Sophomore

Chambers has shown flashes of big play ability but, like James, has been injured frequently. The difference is that Chambers is still a relative unknown. If he can show a consistent all-around game, he will certainly be an intriguing changeup to Cooper and James.

Damien Berry, Junior

Berry tore up the spring game in his first extended action at running back. He has always been a personal favorite, and I think he has the ability to be Najeh Davenport if he can pick up the blocking scheme. Regardless, he is one of the top special teams coverage players on the team.

Mike James, Freshman

James was a sensation in the spring, but he will have to stand out again in the fall to gain a consistent workload with the talent in front of him. He is perhaps the best all around package on the roster at this point.

Lamar Miller, Freshman

Miller is an explosive runner who will contribute on special teams from day one, but is behind Mike James in terms of picking up the overall offense.

Patrick Hill, Senior

Hill has one purpose: smash linebackers. Hill serves as essentially an extra offensive lineman. He is a short and stout tank, and his best chance for carries is as a goal line back.

John Calhoun, Freshman (Redshirt)

Calhoun will play in the H-Back role, and may see extended playing time with the dearth of depth at Tight End and no true backup for Hill. Calhoun is not often talked about but could end up being quite important if the cards fall the right way.

PREDICTION:

Cooper is not the every down back that this team needs. He is a very effective player when he gets 12-15 touches per game, but anything more is asking too much from a player who is essentially a scat back. That is where Javarris James comes in. The two have always had the potential to be a Thunder and Lightning combination, but they have yet to play a full healthy season together. The dream scenario is that James would go over 1000 yards rushing and Cooper would contribute 700 yards of total offense as a receiver and runner. However, it is more likely that they each get around 700 if they share the lead role. Something tells me that by the end of the season, either Mike James or Berry will be getting serious playing time as well. The runners all have their lives made easier by Hill, who is a great lead blocker that is in much better shape heading in to his second and final season. The one thing to be sure about is that depth will not be a problem in this stable. This will not be an old-school Hurricane running game, but it should be enough to get the job done until one guy can emerge as a 1,000 yard back.

Always guard the inbound passer.