Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Fighting loaded depth charts and an uphill battle to continue playing football into the NFL, former Wildcat players Collin Klein and Braden Wilson have found themselves in different situations from the two NFL teams most connected to Kansas City. While Wilson was not among the Kansas City Chiefs cut yesterday, Klein was informed the Texans would not be in need of his services this fall.

The Chiefs drafted Wilson in the sixth round, but traded for Arizona fullback Anthony Sherman shortly thereafter in a move that remains a significant obstacle to Wilson making the final roster of 53. However, another FB – Patrick Sherman – was released last month to reduce the competition in the backfield. Yesterday Nate Eachus was also released, solidifying Wilson’s predicament to a two-horse race for the fullback job.

Eachus is not a traditional fullback in any sense of the word, standing at only 5’10″ and 212 lbs. However, on a team that had no defined FB, he often served as a blocker in the backfield with the potential to roll out in the flat for passes.He made the team as a rookie free agent last year and started two games while seeing action in 11 total. He only totaled 18 yards rushing on five carries and had one catch for 19 yards, but was previously kept around for his physical presence and not his yardage production. The move demonstrates Andy Reid and company are definitely committed to having a true fullback on the field this year, and hopefully that man is Braden Wilson.

On the flip side of the coin, Collin Klein will not be suiting up for the Houston Texans this year (I say they have strong ties to Kansas City b/c the Chiefs were originally the Dallas Texans before moving north in 1963). Regardless of Klein’s physical abilities, he was a longshot to make the roster with four other quarterbacks already in Houston: starter Matt Schaub, T.J. Yates, Stephen McGee, and Case Keenum. And due to his continued insistence that he play the quarterback position and not line up as a tight end, Houston made the decision this morning not to retain his services.

As of this writing, no other team has offered Klein a contract to try out. However, he did leave the Texans with a glowing verbal recommendation from his temporary employers. Over the weekend Texans coach Gary Kubiak discussed Klein, commenting:

I tell you what, it was impressive, I’m fixing to go up and have a long talk with him. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but to watch how far the guy came in two and a half days… probably his best day out here today. He’s found a way his whole career, and he’s probably going to find a way this time, too.

He’s got a ton (of talent). For what he did in college and what Jake (Plummer) has been doing with him, he’s come a long way, as far as working under center and stuff. The arm strength is there. The delivery is a little different but you work with that. But his instincts as a football player you can’t coach; the way he just takes off and stuff like that.

Update: FB Ryan D’Imperio was also released after being signed by the Chiefs in March of this year.

Drafted

LB Arthur Brown; Baltimore Ravens – Brown was selected in the second round when Baltimore traded up to get its replacement for retiring future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis.

WR Chris Harper; Seattle Seahawks – Seattle selected Harper in the fourth round to bring toughness to a unit lacking an identity last year.

FB Braden Wilson; Kansas City Chiefs – Wilson was selected in the sixth round by Kansas City. The Chiefs were without a true fullback last year, and Wilson has an excellent shot at filling this spot on the roster.

Undrafted Free Agents

CB Nigel Malone; Indianapolis Colts: Malone was accused of being burned at times but was also expected to play aggressively against the best quarterback league in the nation the past two years while hauling in interception after interception. You can never have too many cornerbacks in the NFL, and with the Colts looking to upgrade last year’s lackluster defense, this could be an excellent fit.

QB(?) Collin Klein; Houston Texans: Numerous speculations around the league considered the prospect of a team ignoring Klein’s demands to be taken seriously as a quarterback and pick him up in the fourth round as the next breakout tight end. Instead, Klein fell out of the draft and will get his chance to prove himself as the signal caller to back up Matt Schaub.

RB Angelo Pease; Green Bay Packers: Pease was clearly the back up last year in receiving 60 carries while John Hubert ran the ball 180 times and Collin Klein 207 (he also had five receptions to Hubert’s 18). However, he still displayed the strength and speed to warrant a healthy look in the league and could easily land on someone’s practice squad in August.

LB Justin Tuggle; Houston Texans: Joining Klein in Houston will be Tuggle, the converted junior college quarterback to linebacker who became a household name across the state after helping demoralize and demolish Landry Jones and the Oklahoma Sooners’ passing attack last fall. He will be given a look at inside linebacker for the Texans.

CB Allen Chapman; Indianapolis Colts: While teammates on Saturday afternoon, Malone may be one of Chapman’s biggest competitors this summer as both vie for a spot on the Colts’ secondary. Chapman brings the same acumen to the table as Malone (strong, aggressive, risk-taker), indicating the Colts believe their defense was too passive last year and desire at least one of these players to enhance the physicality of the team.

K Anthony Cantele; Indianapolis Colts: Marking the third Wildcat making the drive north to Indiana, Cantele will be given a shot to replace Adam Vinatieri – one of the greatest kickers in NFL over the past 20 years. Vinatieri has been with the Colts since 2006, but at age 40 the team may be looking to acquire a fresher kicking leg.

TE Travis Tannahill; Cleveland Browns: Cleveland maintained four tight ends on the roster last year, which is absurd in its own right. They combined for 79 of the team’s 328 receptions and were led by Ben Watson, who accounted for 49 catches. The 6’4″ Tannahill was a beast over the middle last year and seemed to catch everything Klein threw his way, no matter how hard he was hit by opposing linebackers. It will be difficult to make Cleveland’s roster given the  depth already present, but expect to see his name on someone’s roster this fall.

LB Jarrell Childs; Oakland Raiders: The third piece of the three-headed monster known as K-State’s linebacker corps this year, Childs has been given the opportunity to give Kansas residents one reason to roots for the Raiders. Personally, the Jug will be rooting for Childs to make the team and record 14 sacks – one for every loss the team suffers. Nobody roots for the Raiders.

P Ryan Doerr; Denver Broncos: Doerr will be in Denver this summer to compete against the brother of Chiefs’ punter Dustin Colquitt – Britton Colquitt. Britton ranked third in the NFL last year with a net average of 42.1 yards/punt (although the thin Denver atmosphere gives the ball a slight boost). Denver’s intentions for Colquitt are unknown – they have discussed signing him to a multi-year deal before training camp in July, but also lowballed him with a low right of first refusal that allowed teams to bid on Colquitt without surrendering a draft pick should they make a better offer to him. At the end of the day, Doerr is in a tough spot here and the extremely talented punter will likely be forced to look elsewhere for a spot in the league.

The big name missing from this list of course is DE Meshak Williams. Although his name was not widely circulated following draft workouts, I half-expected him to go in the first seven rounds and certainly didn’t expect 12 Wildcats to be brought in without his name on the list. Obviously my expectations in January have since been tempered, but there’s no way he goes without an invitation from someone before the week is up.

Editor’s note: as of Monday Meshak Williams has joined Brown in Baltimore. More on that story here.

With the 2013 NFL Draft coming up, I decided to look into the crop of Wildcats that were invited to the Scouting Combine and see where they may go.

Arthur Brown – LB

Brown’s stock has seemed to rise after many were disappointed that Brown’s shoulder injury kept him out of the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine.  But a strong Pro Day has pushed Brown anywhere from mid first to early second round.  I have always liked Brown’s pro potential and under the right coaching, think Brown could really excel.  Brown has already met with the Bears, Rams, Jaguars and Bengals.

Prediction: Bears – 1^st Round, 20^th pick.  The Bears add Brown to replace Urlacher.  Sounds easy right?

Chris Harper – WR

Harper possesses great speed and strength that should translate to the NFL level.  The type of possession receiver many teams look for, Harper has been Collin Klein’s safety value and led the team in receiving the past two seasons.  I have seen him going as early as the second round all the way to the fourth.

Prediction: Ravens – 3^rd Round, 94^th pick.  Ozzie Newsome looks to replace Anquan Boldin.

Collin Klein – QB

One of the most decorated Wildcats in recent memory; Klein hurt his stock by not working out as a tight end despite many teams interest.  We all know the knocks on Klein, bad mechanics, and inaccuracy, not an NFL arm.  You can’t knock his leadership and determination.  Most mock drafts and rumors have him going seventh round or undrafted.

Prediction: I think someone will give him a shot in the seventh, due to his work ethic and hopes they can move him to another position.

Nigel Malone – CB

A key contributor for the Wildcats had eleven interceptions in two seasons with the team.  Size will hurt Malone, who is short by NFL standards as a corner at 5’10”.  Good hands and reaction time help his cause.  Mock drafts have him going 6-7 round or undrafted.

Prediction:  It’s a passing league; someone will give him a flyer in the late rounds.  You can never have enough corners.

Braden Wilson – FB

Wilson had a pretty productive career at Kansas State, considering he was very limited in touches.  His production came in the form of blocking for former second rounder Daniel Thomas and Heisman Trophy candidate Collin Klein and teammate John Hubert.  Some see his athletic ability translating better for a tight end.  I think Wilson could be a FB/TE hybrid in the league, or at least a special teams player.

Prediction:  Undrafted.  Fullbacks usually don’t get drafted unless you’re Mike Alstott.  I do think that he will sign with the flurry of undrafted players after the draft and will be a contributor to a team.

Anthony Cantele – K

Cantele was a reliable place kicker during his tenure with Kansas State.  Cantele hit on 82 percent of kicks last year, earning Second Team All-Big 12 honors.  Kickers usually don’t get drafted, but I have seen projections of Cantele possibly being taken in the seventh.  I would expect him to be one of the first kickers taken, if one is chosen.

Prediction:  Undrafted.  He should definitely earn a shot somewhere as a training camp leg, with the opportunity to maybe win a job.

Feb 24, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Collin Klein throws a pass during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Collin Klein tied for the fifth fastest 40 time among quarterbacks at the NFL Combine on Sunday, registering a 4.78 to tie with Colby Cameron from Louisiana Tech. West Virginia’s Geno Smith ran a 4.59 to lead a group that was unimpressive overall in its display of speed given the game’s evolution to value fast and nimble signal callers. Among Klein’s other recorded workout performances:

Bench Press: no official QB stats

Broad Jump: 111 inches
Top QB performer: Smith, 124 inches

Vertical Jump: 29 inches
Top QB performer: EJ Manuels (Florida State), 34 inches

3-Cone Drill: 7.17 seconds
Top QB performer: Matt Scott (Arizona), 6.69 seconds

20 Yard Shuttle: 4.40 seconds
Top QB performer: Scott, 3.99 seconds

60 Yard Shuttle: no official QB times

Although Klein is known more for his speed than quickness, he had still hoped to perform a little better today. Still, having the fifth fastest 40 time is nothing to sneeze at, particularly considering how much inertia it takes to get Klein’s 6’5″ frame up from a crouched stance (not even Usain Bolt ever won a race in the first 20 meters). However, even going into today it was understood that short of a diametrically surprising outcome, Klein’s make-or-break day wasn’t going to come until March. That’s when K-State will be hosting its Pro Day, giving him a chance showcase his throwing ability and conduct any drills that potential suitors wish to see.

Chris Harper also participated today, engaging with the other wide receiver prospects. His results:

40 Yard Dash: 4.55 seconds
Top WR performer: Marquisse Goodwin (Texas), 4.27

Bench Press: 20 reps
Top WR performer:  T.J. Moe (Missouri), 26

Vertical Jump: 35 inches
Top WR performer: Justin Hunter (Tennessee), 39.5 inches

Broad Jump: 116 inches
Top WR performer: Hunter, 136 inches

3-Cone Drill: 6.89 seconds
Top WR performer: Moe, 6.53 seconds

20 Yard Shuttle: 4.39 seconds
Top WR performer: Moe, 3.69 seconds

Harper wasn’t expected to leave the track smoldering, although a slightly faster 40 time would have definitely assisted his draft stock. However, he displayed impressive strength in tying for third for number of repetitions on the bench – lifting 225 pounds, twenty straight times.

40 Yard Dash: 4.55 seconds
Top WR performer: Marquisse Goodwin (Texas), 4.27

Bench Press: 20 reps
Top WR performer:  T.J. Moe (Missouri), 26

Vertical Jump: 35 inches
Top WR performer: Justin Hunter (Tennessee), 39.5 inches

Broad Jump: 116 inches
Top WR performer: Hunter, 136 inches

3-Cone Drill: 6.89 seconds
Top WR performer: Moe, 6.53 seconds

20 Yard Shuttle: 4.39 seconds
Top WR performer: Moe, 3.69 seconds

Additionally, Braden Wilson worked out with the running backs today. Wilson is a bit of a different animal, expected to make his way as a blocking fullback while the other players in his group attempted to showcase the speed that will win them starting tailback roles. Wilson ran a 4.81 40, and made 22 reps in the bench press. He did not participate in any other drills.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Collin Klein cannot catch a break. He was invited to the NFL Combine under the auspices of working out with his quarterbacking peers. As discussed here earlier this week, he has been working with former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer to prepare for the event. Yet according to a report released 30 minutes ago from the League, NFL.com’s Gil Brandt has officially stated that Klein is being asked to work out at the tight end position.

This does not mean Klein won’t participate with the quarterbacks as well if he accepts the invitation - tight ends are showcased on Saturday alongside offensive linemen and special teams players. Quarterbacks throw  and go through their other drills on Sunday. However, accepting the invitation would mean a significant symbolic blow to Klein, who reaffirmed his intentions to play QB in the NFL last week and rejected the notion of engaging in Saturday’s drills. However, his journey is an uphill battle as the record-setter is currently projected to go in the last rounds or go undrafted at the QB position. His stock was further hurt by an East-West Shrine Game in which he completed less than 50 percent of his passes with no touchdowns and an interception.

In total, 19 players will be asked to try out at different positions during the event, including another quarterback – MarQueis Gray of Minnesota, who was also asked to work out with the tight ends group. Although Klein developed some experience as a wide receiver as an underclassman before taking over for Carson Coffman, he’s much more comfortable assuming the role of field general and having the game flow through him. Over at Jug of Snyder we discussed this challenge in early January. We’re in store for learning a lot this weekend, so stay tuned to the Jug for all your combine coverage.

Wildcat kicker Anthony Cantele will be participating in special teams drills on Saturday (for more on Cantele, please visit Jug of Snyder’s assessment of his pro prospects here).

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas State’s indominable leader, Collin Klein, has been working with former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer to prepare for the NFL combine, which kicks off this Saturday. The Denver Post ran an interesting article on Monday focusing more on Denver’s winningest (by virtue of winning percentage) quarterback in franchise history than Klein himself, noting that Plummer is taking advantage of an opportunity to reconnect with the game he famously walked away from seven years ago. However, it also provides a look at how high Plummer is on Klein based on his coachability, skills, and willingness to work hard.

Klein, who accounted for 37 touchdowns while leading the Wildcats to an 11-2 record and Big 12 Championship in 2012, is anxious to demonstrate the progress he’s made on the delivery front over the past two months. Working in Klein’s favor during the combine will be the time he’s had to heal since separating his shoulder against Oklahoma State. The injury knocked him out of the game, and he struggled to deliver the same accuracy during the rest of the season as, say, the West Virginia game when he torched the Mountaineers by completing 19-of-21 passes for 323 yard and three touchdowns.

Klein is a prima facia perfect quarterback. Standing at 6’5″ and possessing the strength to bully defenders that get in his way, he ran around, over, and straight through would-be tacklers while operating the read option to perfection. Yet Klein was unable to quell questions about his accuracy at the East-West Shrine game, where he finished just 5-of-13 for 43 yards and an interception. However, that performance merely put him in the same boat as the other 11 quarterbacks that struggled to produce at both the Shrine Game and Senior Bowl (the two all-star games were completely controlled by defensive play). Since then he has been working diligently to prove The Jug wrong and show he’s more than just an option at tight end in the NFL. Says Plummer of his time with Optimus Klein, “I just want Collin to have success. I want him to feel good about what he can do, where he can go. He’s such a good kid. I’m having fun working with him. And he makes all the throws, and he can do some things other guys can’t. Hey, what’s not to like there?”

For more information on Collin Klein’s NFL draft prospects, visit our January draft preview here.

Jeff Griffith-USA TODAY Sports

After being snubbed by the Senior Bowl, Collin Klein accepted an invitation to attend the East-West Shrine Bowl – viewing the spot as an opportunity to demonstrate his ability to thrive outside of Kansas State’s offensive scheme. However, his intentions of moving up the NFL draft board by demonstrating his abilities as a passer were impeded by a rough night, completing only five of 12 passes. Klein finished the night with only 43 yards and an interception, failing to allay fears that his motion is too exaggerated to complete the quick passes necessary in the NFL.

While Klein only recorded 3.6 yards per attempt, he demonstrated tremendous overall athletic ability. Klein led the East in rushing with 35 yards. Of the game’s six quarterbacks, he was the only threat to carry the ball and recorded his yards on five carries, averaging seven per carry. Also notable was that Klein’s longest run of the day was for eight yards – while never breaking a long run, he consistently gained yardage every time Klein tucked the ball and ran.

Klein also struggled due to an imbalance of talent in the game. His East team was defeated 28-13, and the East’s three quarterbacks combined to go 10/24 on the night, with no one completing more than 50 percent of their throws. Perhaps the worst statistic of the night was the East’s failure to convert a single third down in nine attempts. The team finished with 95 yards passing and three interceptions against a stingy West secondary that featured fellow Wildcat Nigel Malone. In fact, Malone was named the Most Outstanding Player on defense after returning an interception 30 yards for a touchdown and helping shut down the East’s passing attack all night.

The performance will only boost Malone’s draft chances – being the best player in an All-Star game is never a bad thing – while Klein may have moved closer to being drafted for a different purpose in the NFL. For more information on the draft prospects of Nigel Malone and Collin Klein, please click the players’ names in this sentence, click here and here.

April 2012 only saw one player from K-State find a home through the NFL draft – and even that was a stretch, as Bryce Brown saw little playing time and quit the team his first year after transferring to Manhattan before conference play started. 2013 should be a much more profitable year for departing Wildcat players. Over the next two weeks, Jug of Snyder will be assessing the players entering 2012 with draft hopes and how they finished their careers with K-State. For our second installment we go to perhaps the team’s biggest question mark, quarterback Collin Klein. 

Heisman runner up. Team captain. Big 12 quarterback of the year. Usually these accolades promise a first round pick and a whole lotta ESPN love, but Collin Klein has never really followed in the footsteps of his peers. The unwanted kid out of Loveland, Colorado mastered K-State’s zone-read offense but failed to receive a Senior Bowl invite despite completing 65 percent of his passes while averaging 8.7 yards/attempt (although Klein was recently announced as an East/West Shrine Bowl participant). Combine those numbers with a 16:9 touchdown:interception ratio, and you come out with Klein’s 149.2 season passer rating. With prototypical size (6’5″, 225 lbs), he was difficult to tackle and almost impossible to sack (only going down 14 times this year). Plus he won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. So why don’t NFL teams want Collin Klein?

It starts with an unorthodox throwing motion. Many projects have been taken in the draft with the belief that a quarterback possessing all the necessary tools (size, strength, field vision, intelligence) can be ‘retooled’ in how they throw. The success rate been less than stellar. The hitch he demonstrates while cocking back takes Klein longer to fire the football than is desirable, allowing defenders more time to react while delaying the moment the ball reaches its target.

In going up against Oregon’s fast defense, Klein failed to further prove himself an effective deep passer. With a long throw on the night of just 21 yards, Klein often picked out his checkdown receiver while failing to find Wildcat players downfield. In completing 17 of 32 passes, he averaged just under nine yards per completion and less than five yards per attempt. And while the entire offense sputtered in the Fiesta Bowl, K-State’s success is predicated on the reads of its quarterback and Klein had a difficult time ever gaining traction.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The better question for many teams to ask is where else could Klein be utilized. Going into the season, I was intrigued as to his prospects as a tight end. During Klein’s sophomore season, he played half the year as a wide receiver (a position currently assumed by his younger brother), catching six passes for 38 yards and a touchdown. He makes smart decisions and would excel in a system that relies heavily on its receivers’ ability  to make adjustments. Additionally, the NFL is evolving into a place where Collin Klein can be a brilliant playmaker as more and more teams choose to not only feature a tight end in their passing attack, but often play two of them. The Patriots have been the most successful with this scheme, employing Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez at the same time to exploit defenses that don’t have the size to match up against the bigger tight ends. For perspective, Klein is bigger than Hernandez by four inches but has a better 40 time than Gronkowski.

CBS has projected Klein the quarterback to be drafted in the sixth or seventh round. While the last Wildcat quarterback drafted has found success at the professional level (Josh Freeman of Tampa Bay), the last running quarterback to be drafted out of K-State was Michael Bishop in 1999. As a seventh round pick he lasted two years in the NFL. While Collin Klein isn’t truly comparable to either of these players, his NFL career will parallel more with Bishop than Freeman if strictly confined to the role of quarterback. However, his big frame and physical style of play should cause a team to jump in the middle rounds. San Diego was a trailblazer when it signed the undrafted 6’4″ Antonio Gates out of Kent State in 2003, even though Gates played basketball in college. As injuries mount and Gates nears retirement, don’t be surprised if the Chargers give a hard look at the 6’5″ Klein as his potential replacement in the fourth or fifth round.

Previous Draft Stock articles:
Arthur Brown

Collin Klein was forced to look on as Johnny ‘Football’ Manziel
lifted the Heisman trophy last weekend. Was it the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx?

A quick programming note: over at Jug of Snyder, we love Sports Illustrated. With a weekly readership of 23 million fans, the magazine has been the premier sports magazine for over 50 years. Their website also gives The Jug a special section of their K-State page. However, K-State seems destined to finish 2012 with one of the best season’s in school history. It’s Sports Illustrated’s fault that 2012 wasn’t the single greatest year EMAW nation has ever witnessed.

SI published their first edition on August 16, 1954. The cover featured third baseman Eddie Matthews of the Milwaukee Braves, who was enjoying a breakout year. Following the release of this publication, the Braves saw a nine-game winning streak come to a halt and Matthews would go on to break his hand that season. The SI cover jinx was born.

Some may discount the SI cover jinx as silliness or confirmation bias. These people are 110 percent incorrect. The May 8, 1989 edition featured Jon Peters, a pitcher for Brenham High School in Texas who set the national high school record for games won by a pitcher. Before the cover premiered, Peters was enjoying a 51-0 record. Peters’ only loss of his high school career came the next game after the cover. In April 2010, the “Core Four” of the New York Yankees (Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada) were featured on the cover. Within one week, Rivera, Pettite, and Posada were on the DL. Although Jeter was spared injury, he suffered the worst offensive season of his career. These things don’t just happen, they’re manufactured in the dark room of SI’s publishing facilities.

The jinx is not limited to baseball players. Just this year, Denard Robinson was a major victim of the curse. Following a feature in the August 20, 2012 edition, Michigan went down to Jerry World for a neutral site meeting with Alabama. The Wolverines where humiliated 41-14, which would have been worse if the Tide’s back ups hadn’t entered in the third quarter. Robinson completed less than 50 percent of his throws with a 1:2 touchdown:interception ratio while being held to 33 yards rushing on 13 carries, and is no longer Michigan’s starting quarterback.

Sports Illustrated attempted to dispel the notion of the jinx in 2002 with a cover mocking the notion that the jinx is real. Why a black cat? Because black cats are historically recognized as harbingers of bad luck. Why just a black cat? Because Kurt Warner was asked to pose with the animal, but refused, knowing full well the travesties that would befall a man willing to mock the gods of sport in such a manner. So that cat was forced to go it alone. In fact, not even SI’s staff were brave enough for such a shoot – the first feline auditioned for the cover was entirely black, which the magazine’s photo editor stated “made me a little nervous.” The animal was swapped out for a mostly black cat with an (unseen) white patch on its chest. They just happened to choose a non-black cat for the cover? Don’t tell me there’s not a conspiracy within the ranks of SI’s upper management.

What does all of this have to do with K-State’s season? For those of you living under large rocks, Collin Klein was featured on the November 13 cover of Sports Illustrated this year. The headline proclaimed to inform its readers about “The Best Player On The Nation’s Best Team.” Seriously uncool, SI, seriously uncool. The juxtaposition of such a tag alongside the photo begged whatever supernatural force that enforces the SI cover jinx to immediately upend K-State’s season. The Wildcats would go on to lose an awful game to Baylor that weekend, 42-24. Klein would turn in a subpar performance and go from absolute Heisman frontrunner to Heisman afterthought.

How do we know it’s the curse’s fault? Seriously, K-State lost to Baylor. How does a team that blew out West Virginia in Morgantown, waltzed out of Norman with a victory, and destroyed Texas while going undefeated in every other game it played this year lose to a Baylor team that went 4-5 in the Big 12? There’s only one possible explanation: the curse. How’s a player that had no serious competition for the Heisman trophy throw three interceptions after only throwing three picks in his first ten games combined? Against the worst defense in the Big 12!? While only averaging 2.3 yards/carry?!! The curse.

The evidence is obviously there. Baylor had the single worst defense in the conference. It grounded K-State. Collin Klein is the best player in the nation. He looked pedestrian against an awful defense. Baylor did things that Baylor is not capable of doing. The game against Texas proved that Baylor was one of the biggest fluke’s of all time. Except it wasn’t a fluke – it was a curse. If K-State loses to Oregon on January 3, it won’t be due to coaching, player talent, or injuries. It will be because Senior Photo Producer David Kaye has some inexplicable beef with Collin Klein and K-State, and made a real butthole of a decision by jinxing the best player on the nation’s best team. I hope Kaye gets coal for Christmas.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

To the victor go the spoils, so it makes sense that K-State would take home some hardware on the heels of their first conference championship since 2003. Yet for a squad picked to finish in the lower half of the conference with few stars and no hope unless it played complete team football, here are the awards handed down by the conference yesterday:

• Coach of the Year
• Defensive Lineman of the Year
• Defensive Player of the Year
• Offensive Player of the Year

That’s four of 11 awards – not shabby of a haul. You can probably guess who took home each of the respective recognitions, but here’s your rundown:

Coach of the Year: Bill Snyder
This is the second straight year Snyder was recognized as coach of the year, and for good reason. The media expected K-State to have the sixth best team in the Big 12. And it’s not like Snyder fielded the catalog of four and five star recruits available to Mack Brown and Bob Stoops. So

Defensive Lineman of the Year: Meshak Williams
The JUCO transfer (who doesn’t start for this team on defense that isn’t a JUCO transfer?) has 13.5 tackles for a loss. That was good for third in the league. He also recorded 9.5 sacks, good enough for first in the league. And as ESPN.com’s David Ubben points out, 8.5 of those sacks were in league play while TCU’s Devonte Fields had just 4.5 sacks.

Defensive Player of the Year: Arthur Brown
There may be players drafted higher than Brown, but few defenders were more important to their team’s success. Brown owned the center of the field and roamed from sideline to sideline while clogging the line of scrimmage. Impossible? Apparently not. Brown is expected to be the highest drafted Wildcat in the NFL, and for good reason.

Offensive Player of the Year: Collin Klein
Who else in the conference could be expected to pull down this honor. Klein was awarded the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award earlier this week, which is annually presented to the best senior quarterback in college football (sorry Johnny Football, but you’ll have to take a couple more communications courses before you’re eligible for this one). It was only right he took home this recognition as well. Klein’s final stats: 2,490 yards passing for 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He added 890 yards rushing for 22 touchdowns. In sum, Klein was responsible fore 132 points.