Friday, October 30, 2009

“Broncos' Moore shrugs off praise for season - Nevada Appeal” plus 4 more

“Broncos' Moore shrugs off praise for season - Nevada Appeal” plus 4 more

Broncos' Moore shrugs off praise for season - Nevada Appeal

Posted: 30 Oct 2009 05:46 AM PDT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore will take substance over style any day, a fine philosophy to live by since playing in this college football outpost doesn't bring the kind of attention heaped on quarterbacks at the nation's marquee schools.

That could soon change for Moore. At the season's midway point, his statistics are good enough to match or best most of his peers.

He is not a flashy scrambler, doesn't have a cannon for an arm and is not a vocal or animated leader. But his ability to make good decisions, spread the ball to all his receivers and outwit opposing defenses are the biggest reasons the sixth-ranked Broncos are undefeated and making a case for another BCS bid.

Through seven games, Moore leads the nation with 21 touchdown passes and has just two interceptions. He's the nation's most efficient passer with a rating of 172.15 and has completed 68 percent of his throws for 1,627 yards. His 69 percent career mark is second only to Texas' Colt McCoy among active quarterbacks.

With a modesty he's shown since becoming the Broncos' starter as a redshirt freshman last season, Moore shrugs off the growing praise for his achievements on the field and the simmering chatter that his name be added to Heisman debates.

"Some people want to throw a name to this team, and if it's mine, that's exciting for the program," Moore said. "But I've got enough to deal with week in and week out. If I get caught up in myself, then it takes away from something else."

For now, that something else is helping Boise State remain undefeated.

They're 7-0 headed into Saturday's matchup with San Jose State (1-5, 0-2 Western Athletic) and in position to win their second straight conference title.

Last year, Moore guided the Broncos to a 12-0 regular-season record, with the only loss coming in the Poinsettia Bowl against TCU, the team that leapfrogged Boise State in the BCS standings this week.

But don't blame Moore for the Broncos slight dip in the BCS rankings.

Last week, he threw five TDs in a 54-9 victory at Hawaii, putting together his best game of the season and helping unleash an offense that had sputtered in the red zone the last two games against lesser opponents like UC Davis and Tulsa.

Against the Warriors, Moore was 18 of 30 for 223 yards, hitting nine different receivers — including his younger brother Kirby — and managing to sidestep the rush just enough to avoid getting sacked, the fourth game without being sacked this season.

It was the kind of smart, mistake-free performance Broncos coach Chris Petersen has come to expect since making Moore the first freshman to start a season opener in school history.

Last season, the lefty threw for 3,486 yards and 25 TDs and was WAC Freshman of the Year. If there is a lasting stain on the season, though, it may have been Moore's interception in the final minutes of that 17-16 loss to TCU in the season finale.

So this season, Moore decided to focus even more on the mental and fundamental aspect of his game, vowing to make fewer mistakes and off-target throws.

In many ways, the extra attention to detail has paid dividends for a quarterback Petersen acknowledges is the sometimes one step ahead of the coaches on the field and in the film room.

"Its interesting from the sideline, because when I think he missed something or could have gone somewhere else with a throw, you put the tape on and you see why he did what he did. And coach is wrong again," said Petersen, who helps keep Moore focused on football by limiting his media access to once every other week.

"That is probably the most impressive thing about him, the way he continues to play at a pretty high level."

Moore, who threw for 4,269 yards and 67 touchdowns as a high school senior in his father's pass-happy, spread offense at Prosser, Wash., doesn't get to air it out like he once did because the Broncos have such a potent running game. Led by the tandem of Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin, the Broncos are averaging 192 yards a game on the ground and 5 yards per carry.

With that kind of rushing attack, Moore has had just three games this season with 30 or more passing attempts. So far, he's managed to make the most of his chances by focusing even more on improving his practice and game prep habits.

"All off season we were focusing on being more efficient, being more accurate with the ball and making better decisions," Moore said. "And I think that definitely translates to the games, working on details a little more."

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BSU's Moore takes Heisman talk in stride - Twin Falls Times-News

Posted: 30 Oct 2009 01:14 AM PDT

By Dustin Lapray - Times-News correspondent | Posted: Friday, October 30, 2009 1:25 am

BOISE - Quarterbacks at Boise State regularly rank among the most efficient in the nation, but sophomore Kellen Moore has taken the position to a higher level. His success in 2009 has put his name on the list of Heisman Trophy hopefuls. But, don't expect Moore to get caught up in the hoopla.

"I think it's maybe that they need to stick a name to our team," Moore said. "I think it's pretty cool, but there's some work to be done."

The No. 7 Broncos are undefeated through seven games, thanks greatly to Moore's precision passing. He has 21 touchdowns this season against only two interceptions, completing 68 percent of his passes. That precision doesn't come easy.

"It's a focus," Moore said. "All offseason we've been focusing on it, just being more efficient, more accurate with the ball, making better decisions. That definitely translates to the games."

The signal-caller from Prosser, Wash. consistently ranks in the NCAA top five for quarterback efficiency, hovering around that 170 rating. As other quarterbacks stumble, Moore remains balanced. His rating after seven games is 172.15, almost 11 percentage points higher than Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen (161.30), the No. 2 rated passer in the NCAA. His numbers - and his position - back up the Heisman talk.

Since 1935, 28 quarterbacks have won the award. Since 2000, Reggie Bush is the only non-quarterback to win.

"The Heisman (is) an exciting thing," Moore said. "It's that one big award for college football. It tends to be quarterbacks."

This year's success, and the spotlight that comes with it, hasn't affected Moore.

"It doesn't really change him at all," said Kirby Moore, Kellen's younger brother and a wide receiver for the Broncos. "He's still the same person. I don't think he takes a day off."

Kellen Moore witnessed first hand the pressure Heisman talk puts on a player via former teammate Ian Johnson. The school got behind Johnson, promoting a "HeIsmAN" campaign for the senior tailback. Moore said Johnson's experience helps him deal with it now.

"I never really thought about (the Heisman)," Moore said. "I always thought there were other guys. It brings a little more recognition to our team. I.J. went through it too, so certainly we've been around it before and know how to deal with it.

"Ian was a good example. You want to be very upfront with it, open to things, but you have to restrict yourself. You can't get too overwhelmed with everything outside of football."

Moore has the physical tools: a strong arm, pocket presence, patience, timing and touch. And he has skill players around him who run crisp routes and rarely drop balls.

"When you have a quarterback like Kellen who can take what they give you, it highlights everybody's strengths," BSU head coach Chris Petersen said.

Moore is 132-for-195 passing this season. There are players across the country with slightly better percentages and more yardage, but no one has more touchdowns. He threw five TDs last week against Hawaii, three to speedster Titus Young.

"We got Titus rolling last week," Moore said. "There's a lot of guys we get rolling each week. It's not just Austin (Pettis) or Titus, or just Jeremy (Avery) in the backfield. We have a lot of guys who can do stuff. You can't pick one."

Ever humble, Moore's a bit of a confident comic, an undersized hurler and a self-tagged slow guy. His ability to handle attention comes from his parents.

"That's the way they do things, so I do it the same way," Moore said. "Certainly here, it's translated. We got enough things to deal with to not get too excited with yourself."

Moore may not claim college's football highest individual honor in his sophomore season, but if he continues his current play, he'll be impossible for voters to ignore in the future.

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Peyton Manning profits from Eli's tips, but no scouting report for ... - FOX2now.com

Posted: 27 Oct 2009 02:00 AM PDT

By Associated Press

4:01 AM CDT, October 27, 2009

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Lifestyle Fitness Maintains a Green Philosophy - Woodlands Online& LLC

Posted: 30 Oct 2009 05:46 AM PDT

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- When co-owners Ken Crowell and Scott Bauer opened Lifestyle Fitness in 2005 it was to help adults resume or maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, and to do it with a minimal impact on the environment.

Maintaining a green lifestyle or a green business is more about the little things than major reengineering changes. From day one Lifestyle Fitness installed fluorescent lighting in most areas of the club, and during most days half of those lights are turned off. In addition, they maintain an average temperature in the club of 74 degrees. Lifestyle uses high-efficiency washers and dryers to launder the towels that are provided to members, and they clean the equipment with Simple Green—an environmentally-sensitive non-toxic cleaner/degreaser. They also recycle the plastic beverage bottles used at the club, and have a drop off center for used cell phones and printer ink cartridges.

Bauer and Crowell encourage their colleagues in the health and fitness community, as well as all Woodlands businesses, to think green. According to Crowell "The Iroquois had a philosophy of considering the impact on the seventh generation to come whenever making a decision. That's not a bad way to think."

Lifestyle was the first health club in The Woodlands created exclusively for adults. They specialize in helping you resume an active lifestyle in a non-intimidating facility with user-friendly equipment and expert staff. This beautiful facility boasts state-of-the-art cardio and weight equipment and a wide variety of classes, free for members that include Nia, Zumba, Pilates, Yoga, Cycling and others.

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The Precedented Peace Prize - Spectator.org

Posted: 30 Oct 2009 02:21 PM PDT

A Further Perspective

The Precedented Peace Prize

By on 10.30.09 @ 6:07AM

The Nobel Prize Committee has been faulted for awarding the 2009 Peace Prize to someone short on concrete accomplishments. Critics, however, should realize that President Barack Obama's Peace prize is not unprecedented. Another Peace Prize recipient, Sir Norman Angell, won the prize primarily for his ideas, philosophy, and aspirations for the world. And the philosophy that earned Angell his Nobel had a profound influence on world history.

President Obama's received his Peace Prize, according to the Nobel Committee, for his "efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between nations." Norman Angell's Nobel was awarded for similar reasons.

Neither a diplomat nor great statesman, Angell was primarily a writer, an author of books and leader of academic discourse. When awarding Angell his Peace Prize, the Nobel Committee stated "in the work of international peace, there must be a division of labor between technicians and educators." Angell, they noted, was "an educator, one of those who instruct public opinion, who pave the way for reforms."

Angell authored numerous books constructing his model for international relations. These included Patriotism Under Three Flags, and his most popular, The Great Illusion. The latter's central thesis, according the Nobel Committee, is "war is an inadequate method for solving international disputes." The Great Illusion advocated for a system of international interdependence and a world where large powerful nations did not have greater international relevance than smaller weak nations. Obama's address to the United Nations tracked Angell's philosophy so closely it would be surprising if the similarities were accidental.

Angell wistfully advocated for "relinquishing the principle of isolated national defence…and erecting an international authority" to replace "the self interest of individual nations." The Nobel Committee described Angell as "cool and clear," and that he "spoke to the intellect." Most notably, Angell argued, "you cannot kill ideas with bullets." He believed that an enlightened citizenry, once someone or something enlightened them, would render war obsolete.

Norman Angell won the Nobel in 1933, a most dangerous year for his ideas to gain currency. In January 1933, Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany. And in the following years, Norman Angell's ideas flourished and were adopted as policy by a British Government unwilling to acknowledge the Gathering Storm. Winston Churchill, however, regularly and vociferously opposed Angell and his allies. It took Churchill's courage to stand against this national naïveté throughout the 1930s, usually alone, and always jeered in the House of Commons. The British government followed Angell's model for international relations and ignored Churchill, adopting timid diplomatic and defense policies.

The 1933 Peace Prize winner profoundly influenced British policy in ways that led directly to German tanks rolling into Poland in September 1939. War did not break out because nations ignored Angell's advice; instead, the ensuing carnage in Europe happened because European democracies made Angell's ideas government policy. Europe gambled that Angell's model would ensure peace, and by the time everyone saw that the gamble had failed, it was too late. Winston Churchill rose to greatness precisely because he opposed, from the beginning, the philosophy of a Nobel Peace Prize winner whose name few now recognize.

Ultimately, the idea of Nazism was killed with millions of bullets and bombs, and millions more brave men and women. Confronting bloodthirsty evil demands more than dialog.

 Angell's arguments were comfortable in 1933 for the same reasons many today find comfort in the primacy of negotiation as the best tool to confront militant Islam, Iranian nukes or a belligerent Russia: prosperous nations are deluded into thinking talk is always the best way to preserve prosperity. Your familiar comfort and daily routine simply cannot be inconvenienced by wars or rumors of wars. The lessons of an entire century, both Neville Chamberlain's errors, and Ronald Reagan's successes, aren't enough to shake awake a populace blessed with comfort and material satisfaction.

Churchill, responding directly to Angell, asked "who is the man vain enough to suppose that the long antagonisms of history and of time can in all circumstances be adjusted by the smooth and superficial conventions of politicians and ambassadors?" The Nobel Committee may have answered Sir Winston's query for the 21st century.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Nobel Peace Prize, Sir Norman Angell

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