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WSU Football's pace under Mike Leach

2013-06-18T23:25:40Z

SB Nation's Bill Connelly, of Football Study Hall and Football Outsiders, created an interesting data table on pace.

Bill is attempting to rank teams based on "pace", which he defines by the total number of plays in a game. He notes the caveat that some teams may run more plays in a particular game because the opponent they're playing against run a lot of plays, thereby raising their season average.

He adjusts the rankings based on an "observed - expected" statistic, the initial math in a chi squared analysis of a predictive model. Expected values were generated via linear regression using percentage run/pass, with total plays per game as the determinant variable.

What does this mean in English?

We are looking at two variables (run/pass percentage and total plays per game) that may relate to each other in any number of ways, most importantly; they may be independent (not related), codependent (trend together based on some other more influential variable), or dependent (one directly influences the other). By using a linear regression, you assume that the variance in total plays per game is due to the run/pass percentage and not 1. some other variable or 2. random chance.

So what is a linear regression?

When you have discrete data points, like individual statistics for every team, a regression allows you to project the value of one dependent variable when you can only measure the other. In this case, the percentage run/pass is being used to project the total plays in a game.

The difference in this statistic will essentially tell you how many (more or less) plays a game a team ran compared to the average number of plays a team with a similar run/pass percentage would run.

By ranking teams based on this number, Bill is listing teams based on how many more plays they ran than the national average of teams with a similar run/pass.

WSU ran 72.9 plays per game (rank: 43) but was 2.4 plays less than the projected 75.3 plays per game, dropping their rank to 72 when ordered by the difference (-2.4).

What can this tell us?

That WSU ran about two plays less than the national average for teams that had a similar run/pass. Since we've already established nobody had a similar run/pass percentage, a regression model based on that data is less accurate for outliers like WSU. I'm not entirely convinced this statistic relates pace very well, as interesting as it is to see.

When I think of pace, the first thing that comes to mind is plays per game. But, like Bill mentions, if you're playing an uptempo team, or a team prone to turnovers, or suffer bad field position, or don't get a lot of explosives, you'll increase plays per game without gaining much description by "pace".

For me, a different description of pace may involve counts of plays per scoring drive and plays between scoring drives. When a team decreases either, the "pace" of the game is significantly accelerated as the opponent tries to match scoring. Think of the Oregon game last season, and really most of Oregon's second half play all season, they begin scoring at a clip that can't be matched by the opponent. At that point game plan needs to be adjusted, and the game play is impacted.

What do you think of Bill's study? How would you look at pace? Here is Bill's full list for your perusal:

Offense	Games	Plays	Rushes	Passes	Plays/ Game	Rk	Rushes/ Game	Passes/ Game	% Run	Expected Plays	Diff	Rk
Marshall	12	1087	452	635	90.6	1	37.7	52.9	0.416	72.5	+18.1	1
Louisiana Tech	12	1052	512	540	87.7	2	42.7	45.0	0.487	71.5	+16.1	2
Nevada	13	1080	656	424	83.1	3	50.5	32.6	0.607	69.8	+13.3	3
Tulsa	14	1159	681	478	82.8	5	48.6	34.1	0.588	70.1	+12.7	4
Oregon	13	1059	669	390	81.5	9	51.5	30.0	0.632	69.5	+12.0	5
Baylor	13	1072	578	494	82.5	6	44.5	38.0	0.539	70.8	+11.7	6
Arizona	13	1080	526	554	83.1	3	40.5	42.6	0.487	71.5	+11.6	7
Clemson	13	1061	557	504	81.6	8	42.8	38.8	0.525	71.0	+10.6	8
Houston	12	984	375	609	82.0	7	31.3	50.8	0.381	73.0	+9.0	9
Rice	13	1025	592	433	78.8	14	45.5	33.3	0.578	70.2	+8.6	10
Ball State	13	1035	529	506	79.6	12	40.7	38.9	0.511	71.2	+8.4	11
Troy	12	963	442	521	80.3	10	36.8	43.4	0.459	71.9	+8.3	12
Syracuse	13	1028	540	488	79.1	13	41.5	37.5	0.525	71.0	+8.1	13
Arizona State	13	1012	561	451	77.8	18	43.2	34.7	0.554	70.6	+7.3	14
NC State	13	1037	432	605	79.8	11	33.2	46.5	0.417	72.5	+7.2	15
Oklahoma State	13	1014	507	507	78.0	16	39.0	39.0	0.500	71.3	+6.7	16
Air Force	13	952	795	157	73.2	40	61.2	12.1	0.835	66.6	+6.6	17
UCLA	14	1090	547	543	77.9	17	39.1	38.8	0.502	71.3	+6.5	18
Ohio	13	996	569	427	76.6	24	43.8	32.8	0.571	70.3	+6.3	19
Penn State	12	930	454	476	77.5	20	37.8	39.7	0.488	71.5	+6.0	20
Akron	12	945	342	603	78.8	15	28.5	50.3	0.362	73.3	+5.5	21
BYU	13	1000	475	525	76.9	23	36.5	40.4	0.475	71.7	+5.2	22
Fresno State	13	1006	443	563	77.4	21	34.1	43.3	0.440	72.2	+5.2	23
Indiana	12	934	381	553	77.8	19	31.8	46.1	0.408	72.6	+5.2	24
West Virginia	13	1001	446	555	77.0	22	34.3	42.7	0.446	72.1	+4.9	25
Offense	Games	Plays	Rushes	Passes	Plays/ Game	Rk	Rushes/ Game	Passes/ Game	% Run	Expected Plays	Diff	Rk
Nebraska	14	1040	627	413	74.3	31	44.8	29.5	0.603	69.9	+4.4	26
Army	12	847	730	117	70.6	59	60.8	9.8	0.862	66.2	+4.4	27
Georgia Tech	14	1000	794	206	71.4	51	56.7	14.7	0.794	67.2	+4.3	28
Northwestern	13	964	579	385	74.2	34	44.5	29.6	0.601	69.9	+4.2	29
Western Michigan	12	915	384	531	76.3	26	32.0	44.3	0.420	72.5	+3.8	30
Duke	13	989	420	569	76.1	27	32.3	43.8	0.425	72.4	+3.7	31
UL-Monroe	13	988	423	565	76.0	28	32.5	43.5	0.428	72.4	+3.6	32
North Carolina	12	897	446	451	74.8	29	37.2	37.6	0.497	71.4	+3.4	33
Texas Tech	13	992	380	612	76.3	25	29.2	47.1	0.383	73.0	+3.3	34
Ole Miss	13	961	519	442	73.9	35	39.9	34.0	0.540	70.8	+3.2	35
Northern Illinois	14	1023	596	427	73.1	42	42.6	30.5	0.583	70.2	+2.9	36
Kansas	12	871	533	338	72.6	46	44.4	28.2	0.612	69.8	+2.8	37
Toledo	13	961	494	467	73.9	35	38.0	35.9	0.514	71.1	+2.8	38
Arkansas State	13	951	525	426	73.2	41	40.4	32.8	0.552	70.6	+2.6	39
Texas A&M	13	959	479	480	73.8	37	36.8	36.9	0.499	71.3	+2.4	40
Tennessee	12	890	406	484	74.2	32	33.8	40.3	0.456	72.0	+2.2	41
Michigan State	13	956	470	486	73.5	38	36.2	37.4	0.492	71.5	+2.1	42
UAB	12	894	374	520	74.5	30	31.2	43.3	0.418	72.5	+2.0	43
Virginia	12	890	392	498	74.2	32	32.7	41.5	0.440	72.2	+2.0	44
Purdue	13	956	450	506	73.5	38	34.6	38.9	0.471	71.8	+1.8	45
Virginia Tech	13	943	482	461	72.5	47	37.1	35.5	0.511	71.2	+1.4	46
Buffalo	12	862	459	403	71.8	50	38.3	33.6	0.532	70.9	+1.0	47
East Carolina	13	946	430	516	72.8	44	33.1	39.7	0.455	72.0	+0.8	48
Missouri	12	867	424	443	72.3	48	35.3	36.9	0.489	71.5	+0.8	49
South Alabama	13	936	456	480	72.0	49	35.1	36.9	0.487	71.5	+0.5	50
Offense	Games	Plays	Rushes	Passes	Plays/ Game	Rk	Rushes/ Game	Passes/ Game	% Run	Expected Plays	Diff	Rk
Oregon State	13	946	408	538	72.8	44	31.4	41.4	0.431	72.3	+0.5	51
North Texas	12	850	473	377	70.8	56	39.4	31.4	0.556	70.5	+0.3	52
Florida International	12	854	452	402	71.2	52	37.7	33.5	0.529	70.9	+0.2	53
Ohio State	12	836	530	306	69.7	64	44.2	25.5	0.634	69.4	+0.2	54
Iowa State	13	923	445	478	71.0	54	34.2	36.8	0.482	71.6	-0.6	55
Wyoming	12	850	415	435	70.8	56	34.6	36.3	0.488	71.5	-0.7	56
TCU	13	911	483	428	70.1	63	37.2	32.9	0.530	70.9	-0.8	57
Massachusetts	12	854	378	476	71.2	52	31.5	39.7	0.443	72.2	-1.0	58
UNLV	13	918	427	491	70.6	58	32.8	37.8	0.465	71.8	-1.2	59
Louisville	13	915	432	483	70.4	61	33.2	37.2	0.472	71.7	-1.3	60
San Jose State	13	914	421	493	70.3	62	32.4	37.9	0.461	71.9	-1.6	61
Oklahoma	13	921	387	534	70.8	55	29.8	41.1	0.420	72.5	-1.6	62
San Diego State	13	885	543	342	68.1	81	41.8	26.3	0.614	69.7	-1.7	63
South Florida	12	836	405	431	69.7	64	33.8	35.9	0.484	71.6	-1.9	64
UTEP	12	831	425	406	69.3	69	35.4	33.8	0.511	71.2	-1.9	65
Notre Dame	13	893	488	405	68.7	75	37.5	31.2	0.546	70.7	-2.0	66
Hawaii	12	836	399	437	69.7	64	33.3	36.4	0.477	71.7	-2.0	67
Washington	13	904	428	476	69.5	67	32.9	36.6	0.473	71.7	-2.2	68
Texas	13	891	477	414	68.5	77	36.7	31.8	0.535	70.8	-2.3	69
SMU	13	916	366	550	70.5	60	28.2	42.3	0.400	72.8	-2.3	70
New Mexico	13	841	677	164	64.7	109	52.1	12.6	0.805	67.0	-2.3	71
Washington State	12	875	195	680	72.9	43	16.3	56.7	0.223	75.3	-2.4	72
LSU	13	883	495	388	67.9	84	38.1	29.8	0.561	70.5	-2.6	73
Utah State	13	892	456	436	68.6	76	35.1	33.5	0.511	71.2	-2.6	74
Bowling Green	13	895	438	457	68.8	72	33.7	35.2	0.489	71.5	-2.6	75
Offense	Games	Plays	Rushes	Passes	Plays/ Game	Rk	Rushes/ Game	Passes/ Game	% Run	Expected Plays	Diff	Rk
Kent State	14	942	563	379	67.3	88	40.2	27.1	0.598	70.0	-2.7	76
Middle Tennessee	12	812	461	351	67.7	86	38.4	29.3	0.568	70.4	-2.7	77
Colorado	12	829	376	453	69.1	70	31.3	37.8	0.454	72.0	-2.9	78
Stanford	14	946	529	417	67.6	87	37.8	29.8	0.559	70.5	-2.9	79
Wake Forest	12	829	375	454	69.1	70	31.3	37.8	0.452	72.0	-2.9	80
Florida Atlantic	12	826	384	442	68.8	73	32.0	36.8	0.465	71.8	-3.0	81
Wisconsin	14	924	607	317	66.0	100	43.4	22.6	0.657	69.1	-3.1	82
Vanderbilt	13	873	502	371	67.2	90	38.6	28.5	0.575	70.3	-3.1	83
California	12	817	414	403	68.1	79	34.5	33.6	0.507	71.2	-3.2	84
Pittsburgh	13	884	451	433	68.0	82	34.7	33.3	0.510	71.2	-3.2	85
UTSA	10	680	344	336	68.0	82	34.4	33.6	0.506	71.3	-3.3	86
Arkansas	12	825	349	476	68.8	74	29.1	39.7	0.423	72.4	-3.7	87
Boise State	13	872	469	403	67.1	91	36.1	31.0	0.538	70.8	-3.7	88
UL-Lafayette	13	872	467	405	67.1	91	35.9	31.2	0.536	70.8	-3.8	89
Miami-OH	12	834	302	532	69.5	68	25.2	44.3	0.362	73.3	-3.8	90
Central Florida	14	937	504	433	66.9	94	36.0	30.9	0.538	70.8	-3.9	91
Florida State	14	938	486	452	67.0	93	34.7	32.3	0.518	71.1	-4.1	92
Miami-FL	12	818	354	464	68.2	78	29.5	38.7	0.433	72.3	-4.1	93
Cincinnati	13	863	477	386	66.4	96	36.7	29.7	0.553	70.6	-4.2	94
Connecticut	12	807	386	421	67.3	89	32.2	35.1	0.478	71.6	-4.4	95
Southern Miss	12	791	450	341	65.9	101	37.5	28.4	0.569	70.4	-4.4	96
Utah	12	796	421	375	66.3	97	35.1	31.3	0.529	70.9	-4.6	97
Georgia	14	922	499	423	65.9	103	35.6	30.2	0.541	70.8	-4.9	98
Boston College	12	817	312	505	68.1	79	26.0	42.1	0.382	73.0	-4.9	99
Illinois	12	795	404	391	66.3	98	33.7	32.6	0.508	71.2	-5.0	100
Offense	Games	Plays	Rushes	Passes	Plays/ Game	Rk	Rushes/ Game	Passes/ Game	% Run	Expected Plays	Diff	Rk
Minnesota	13	846	496	350	65.1	108	38.2	26.9	0.586	70.1	-5.0	101
South Carolina	13	855	453	402	65.8	104	34.8	30.9	0.530	70.9	-5.1	102
Kansas State	13	840	512	328	64.6	110	39.4	25.2	0.610	69.8	-5.2	103
Navy	13	808	631	177	62.2	123	48.5	13.6	0.781	67.4	-5.2	104
Iowa	12	793	382	411	66.1	99	31.8	34.3	0.482	71.6	-5.5	105
Memphis	12	771	466	305	64.3	113	38.8	25.4	0.604	69.9	-5.6	106
Alabama	14	898	547	351	64.1	115	39.1	25.1	0.609	69.8	-5.6	107
Western Kentucky	13	839	481	358	64.5	112	37.0	27.5	0.573	70.3	-5.8	108
Kentucky	12	789	378	411	65.8	105	31.5	34.3	0.479	71.6	-5.9	109
Maryland	12	775	433	342	64.6	111	36.1	28.5	0.559	70.5	-5.9	110
Tulane	12	815	248	567	67.9	85	20.7	47.3	0.304	74.1	-6.2	111
Idaho	12	797	326	471	66.4	95	27.2	39.3	0.409	72.6	-6.2	112
New Mexico State	12	791	348	443	65.9	101	29.0	36.9	0.440	72.2	-6.3	113
Florida	13	825	501	324	63.5	117	38.5	24.9	0.607	69.8	-6.4	114
Mississippi State	13	848	406	442	65.2	107	31.2	34.0	0.479	71.6	-6.4	115
Temple	11	689	448	241	62.6	121	40.7	21.9	0.650	69.2	-6.6	116
USC	13	851	376	475	65.5	106	28.9	36.5	0.442	72.2	-6.7	117
Texas State	12	771	385	386	64.3	113	32.1	32.2	0.499	71.3	-7.1	118
Michigan	13	818	484	334	62.9	120	37.2	25.7	0.592	70.0	-7.1	119
Eastern Michigan	12	756	426	330	63.0	119	35.5	27.5	0.563	70.4	-7.4	120
Rutgers	13	823	420	403	63.3	118	32.3	31.0	0.510	71.2	-7.9	121
Central Michigan	13	826	400	426	63.5	116	30.8	32.8	0.484	71.6	-8.0	122
Colorado State	12	750	369	381	62.5	122	30.8	31.8	0.492	71.5	-9.0	123
Auburn	12	695	401	294	57.9	124	33.4	24.5	0.577	70.2	-12.3	124

Steve Gleason responds to classless radio bit in typically classy fashion

2013-06-18T19:54:49Z

You might have heard that a couple of Atlanta radio hosts tried to make some ill-conceived "jokes" about Steve Gleason and ALS on the air yesterday. I didn't write about it then because, frankly, I didn't want to give those guys any more attention than they already had gotten and wanted the focus squarely on Gleason's published work. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can catch up here.)

However, Gleason's response to the whole affair is exactly what we've come to expect from him. Posted via his Team Gleason Facebook page today:

Regarding the DJ skit in Atlanta yesterday. I would like to thank the public for their support. 'Defend Team Gleason' now has been officially redefined. Additionally, the DJs have provided genuine apology. Received and accepted. We have all made mistakes in this life. How we learn from our mistakes is the measure of who we are.

I think everyone can learn from this event. Its clear to me that, on a national & global scale, ALS is not understood, which is part of why its under funded and largely ignored. In the past 36 hours lots of people have been talking. Lets talk about this... There are zero treatments for ALS. If you take any action as a result of this event, I prefer it to be action to end ALS. See what we are doing to change that @ teamgleason.org. SG

My first reaction to hearing about the skit was, "Seriously, what kind of a person thinks this is funny?" Which is why my reaction immediately following was actually very similar to what Gleason writes in that second paragraph. I've learned so much about ALS from his struggle, and it's obvious that there still is a lot of learning that needs to take place.

The guys at the heart of this have lost their jobs, and while it's an appropriate response to their mistake, you won't find me dancing on the metaphorical graves of their radio careers. While nobody would want a national conversation about ALS to come about like this, the conversation is here. Let's follow Gleason's lead and have it.

As one Facebook commenter said, "Forgiveness doesn't excuse their behavior. Forgiveness prevents their behavior from destroying your heart." Gleason has learned this lesson well.

Mike Leach and the WSU coaching staff retreat to the Great Outdoors

2013-06-18T13:00:05Z

It was the third day of the Washington State football staff getaway, and it had been the most successful one yet. The coaches had banded together to catch more than enough food in the nearby river for the night's feast, with one fish in particular carrying the weight:

The WSU Fishing Crew did ok today! 9.5 foot sturgeon that weighed around 500 lbs! 1 of 2 they caught! #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/rnpFcnffr0
— Ken Wilson (@CoachKWils) June 12, 2013

It had been three days of fun, laughing, and bonding for the coaching staff. But for David, there was still something missing. It wasn't just that getting the proper bathroom time to take care of his beautiful mane of hair was nearly impossible in a cabin full of grown men, he just didn't feel the close connection with his coworkers and Washington State University that those around him were not shy about expressing.

As the group victoriously marched back to the cabin with their day's work in tow, Mike slapped David on the back and flashed him a big smile. David pulled it together to feign a half-assed grin back, but he sensed that his boss knew something was awry.

The rest of the night was full of fish, beverages, and boisterous conversation. That was until Mike perked up and glanced towards the window.

"Did you guys hear that?" he asked. He received nothing but head shakes and curious looks in response. "Come with me, Joe. Let's go find out what that sound was."

The rest of the staff went back to what they were doing and no one seemed to notice as Mike and Joe were gone for nearly an hour. No one except David, but even he could not anticipate what was about to happen.

(Click to animate)

Chaos reigned as the group of football-hardened men scrambled around the cabin screaming their heads off like the little girls they've so often made reference too when deriding their charges on the field. Many were wondering what had ever brought them to this moment, how they could have put themselves in harms way.

Others gathered around the heroes to shower them with hugs and praise. Just seconds earlier they thought of only their families, of the places they had yet to visit, and the Old European item menus they still haven't tried with Peri Peri Sauce.

David stayed back and watched the events in front of him. He glanced over at Mike, who sent a subtle wink his way.

"He couldn't have," David thought to himself, shaking off what seemed like a ridiculous notion. Then he had a different thought as he ran a hand through his golden locks.

While his peers were riding an emotional high, David felt as calm and content as ever. It was now that he knew his decision to join Mike in Pullman was fully validated. This was the type of place he wanted to be and the type of guy he wanted to work with.

"Go Cougs," David said quietly to himself, "Go Cougs, indeed."

Thanks to @WazzuCrew11 for another spectacular WSU football gif. He is the wind beneath our wings.

HCA: The top plays from 2012

2013-06-18T12:00:05Z

WSU released a video with the top 10 plays of the 2012 season and I'm guessing you'll be able to predict the top two.

The top two are hardly a surprise, but Jeff Tuel's scramble play in the Apple Cup is woefully underrated. Isiah Myers' touchdown against Eastern was nice, but it's well below the Tuel scramble in my book. Based on the sheer difficulty level, Tuel would be No. 1 in my book, but that's likely a losing argument.

Travis Long's sack being No. 5 was interesting, but I'm assuming that's a lifetime achievement sort of thing. Regardless, hopefully the top 10 players of 2013 features more plays that lead to wins.

Football:

**Warning** The numbers in this link are gruesome and may be offensive to WSU fans.

*****

Team rushing returning: Pac-12 North - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN
Today we're going to take a look at what each team has coming back in terms of yards, attempts and touchdowns in the run game. Earlier today we looked at the South. Now we'll look at the North. "Team" carries are not taken into account looking ahead to 2013, but negative yards in 2012 are. Remember also that sacks are (for some redonkulous reason) counted as rushing attempts.

The CougCenter Hour premieres Wednesday at 6 p.m.

2013-06-18T03:20:34Z

Something we've been itching to do since the CougCenter podcast made a triumphant comeback at the beginning of the year was finding a way to host a live one. We did a whole lot of research but the problem was most of the services were premium a.k.a. pay-us-money-to-host. As much as we love our community, well, we don't love you THAT much.

All that changed a short time ago. Thanks to a lot of hard work from the guys at SB Nation, we struck a deal with Blog Talk Radio to host as many live shows as we so please.

So what's the difference between the old podcast and the live show? Other than the fact that this is obviously live, not much. I'll still be hosting, we'll still have guests and we'll still have the same segments. After the show is over, we'll upload it to the site for later listening at your leisure. The best part though: you don't have to go to a third party sight to listen. We embed the player right here to make things even easier on you. Other best part: you can call in and voice your opinions or yell at me for mine.

For the rest of the summer, we'll be going every other week and shortening them to 30 minutes. Once we get into football season, we'll be doing a full hour each and every week. We're pretty excited about this and hope you guys are as well. We'll throw up a post with everything you need to know about the episode and the player Wednesday morning.

WSU football to schedule Rutgers for Seattle game in 2014 as part of series

2013-06-17T23:14:40Z

The Washington State Cougars are nearing a deal to host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at CenturyLink Field in Seattle as part of a two-game football series on the 2014 and 2015 schedules, according to Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger. The Cougars will likely play at High Point Solution Stadium (Rutgers' home field) for the return trip.

This is certainly good news for a number of parties. First, the WSU football players should be happy that they won't have to give up a home game in Pac-12 play against Oregon. The same goes for season ticket holders, who should have the perennial national championship contenders in their package. Finally, Bill Moos looks better for getting a major-conference team (remember, Rutgers is going to part of the Big Ten) in Seattle without sacrificing a Pac-12 game in Martin Stadium.

Of course, this is all assuming WSU won't be playing two games at CenturyLink in 2014.

Rutgers has turned itself into a solid football school, having won at least eight games in five of the last six seasons. Three of the last four have seen the Scarlet Knights win nine games, with just a four-win season in 2010 as the blip on the radar. Basically, this should be a higher-profile opponent than when Baylor came to Seattle in 2006.

The game in CenturyLink Field would mark the first meeting between WSU and Rutgers.

Steve Gleason guest writes Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback

2013-06-17T19:58:11Z

We say it a lot around here: Steve Gleason is one incredible dude. The all-time Coug and former New Orleans Saint has been living with ALS for the past couple of years, and he never ceases to amaze in both his attitude towards life and what he's still accomplishing with that life.

Another chapter came this morning, when Gleason filled in for NFL writer Peter King by writing his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback feature. If you're wondering how a man with no use of his extremities or own vocal cords composed a 4,500-word column, well, here you go:

I have a tablet PC attached to my power wheelchair. This tablet, my command center, sits about 18 inches from my face. At the base of my tablet, I have a black bar that houses infrared cameras that track my pupils. From there, I have a toolbar on the right side of my tablet screen that has mouse commands: left click, right click, double click, etc. So, I look at my on-screen commands for half a second, and those commands select. Then I look wherever I want to click on screen. For example, if I want to minimize my Spotify application, I look at the "left click" command, then gaze at the app's minimize button. If I want to read today's MMQB column, I select the scroll button from my on-screen commands, then gaze at an area in the column. The technology senses where my eyes are as I read, and automatically scrolls down the page accordingly.

Sweet, right?!

It works the same way with my keyboard. This is how I speak: I type whatever nonsense comes to mind, click "speak," and a synthetic voice that sounds hauntingly like my old voice belts out the nonsense for all to hear.

I can crank out about 20 words per minute. For 4,500 words, that's almost four hours to finish this column.

The first thing I thought was, "Man, four hours is a long time." The second thing, though, was "damn, 20 words a minute is actually pretty fast" when you think about that process. Pretty awesome.

Throughout the rest of the piece, Gleason talks about what ALS is, how he's living (and parenting) with it, how he views football's role in his condition, the work that Team Gleason is doing for patients with ALS, and other random thoughts -- including how he got in tight with Pearl Jam. (Hint: It involves another Coug. Because of course it does.)

Please go read it. It's the best thing you'll read all day -- probably all month -- and it's especially informative if you're not as familiar with Gleason's journey as others of us.

The coolest part for me as I made my way through it was finding myself forgetting the painstaking process Gleason went through to write it, essentially forgetting the man who wrote it has no use of his limbs. I think that's exactly how he'd like it to be.

Gleason is living one pretty awesome life, but as he says, awesome ain't easy. No white flags. Go Cougs!

HCA: Monday morning trivia

2013-06-17T12:00:11Z

WSU's quarterback depth chart is going to be undecided heading into fall camp and with the highly-touted Tyler Bruggman arriving in Pullman this summer, some have speculated he could win the starting job. While that isn't likely to happen, there could be a scenario where Bruggman plays next season. That leads to today's trivia.

Q: Who was the last true freshman quarterback to attempt at least one pass for WSU in a season opener?

Football recruiting:

WSU is a top target for high school wide receivers and Dvonte McKneely could be close to getting a WSU offer.

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Nifae Lealao and Bobby Okereke are focus of Pac-12 Conference
The days of flying underneath the radar appear to be coming to a long-awaited end for Dvonte McKneely. The senior-to-be from Corona (Calif.) Centennial doesn't have any offers, yet it appears as if Washington State is about to change that whole scenario. The 5-10 and 195-pound wide receiver will camp with the Cougars on June 22 and a follow-up visit in the works for mid-July. McKneely is about to pop, so stay tuned for updates.

Baseball:

We don't hear about baseball recruits like we do in football or basketball, but the Columbian has a nice feature on incoming pitcher Ian Hamilton.

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Skyview's Hamilton is All-Region baseball player of year | The Columbian
Late this summer, Hamilton will be headed to Washington State to prepare for his freshman year of college baseball with the Cougars. But there is still some unfinished high school business. The Storm are looking forward to when their rings arrive. They designed them because they earned them.