Ryan Wood will try not to outpunt his coverage when he fields your questions on the 2006 KU football squad.

rgreene

How’s married life?

cwrist

No matter how good Kerry Meier might be, he’s still going to need to have receivers who can catch. Will Brian Murph emerge as a top-tier receiver this year? Besides him, how do you see the KU receiving corps shaping up this fall?

Godfather

So just who is going to replace Max Falkenstien?

Godfather

You’ve been on the beat about two seasons now. What’s your favorite Big 12 city to visit?

cwrist

How many of the incoming freshmen are going to be redshirted? Of those who aren’t, which ones can we expect to make an immediate impact?

cwrist

How realistic are KU’s chances of winning at Nebraska after snapping the streak last year?

Romary

Do you enjoy the Spodcasters? And what’s it like to work with those other knuckleheads?

Godfather

Hey Wood, can’t you get Whetter banned for asking inane questions?

Moderator

Hi and welcome to our chat today. I’m Andy Samuelson the online sports editor for KUsports.com and I will be today’s chat moderator. Today we our joined by Ryan Wood, the Lawrence Journal-World’s Kansas University football beat writer. Thanks Ryan for taking time this afternoon to join with our ljworld.com and KUsports.com readers.

Ryan Wood

Pleasure to be here. I enjoy talking gridiron with KU football fans, and I’m ready for college football to get going!

Moderator

Ryan Big 12 Media Day was earlier this week, could you fill us in with what’s up next for the Jayhawks before their season-opener Sept. 2?

Ryan Wood

Well, the Jayhawks just finished the two-month grind of summer conditioning on Thursday, and coupled with summer school wrapping up today, they will have the next week to themselves to go home, visit friends and family or just hang out. They then report on Aug. 3, begin practicing on Aug. 4 for that first game on the schedule. I bet they’re thrilled about two-a-days coming up next month….

Moderator

Woody, Did you bring your pads today? Let’s tackle some questions.

Ryan Wood

I don’t need pads…let’s get it on.

Tron540

What do you think the chances are of Kerry Meier winning the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year award and the Jays taking the Rose Bowl? Dunk.

Ryan Wood

Kerry Meier would have to have a pretty good year in win Newcomer of the Year, and a legendary one to take KU to the Rose Bowl (especially considering the Rose Bowl is Pac-10 vs. Big Ten). Meier is going to be a good quarterback very soon, but maybe not immediately. The good thing for him is, he’s got a good supporting cast around him, from the O-line to Jon Cornish to Derek Fine. I think Kerry will have a pretty good year.

Moderator

Wood: There’s been all this talk about the freshman quarterback Do you think KU fans’ expectations of Kerry are unrealistic? What would you consider a successful season by the kid from Pittsburg.

Ryan Wood

A successful season would, number one, be a healthy season, which can’t be taken for granted. Past that, though, Meier just needs to be servicable, not make too many mistakes and just run the offense smoothly — not unlike Jason Swanson did last year. Meier has more talent than Swanson, though, so KU may get a little bit more out of Kerry even though he’s making his debut.

snake_eyes

I know we’re solid at one CB position with Talib, but how will we look at the other CB spot and the two safety spots?

Ryan Wood

I think the safety spots are in better hands than the CB spot opposite Talib. Jerome Kemp and Darrell Stuckey are projected starters at safety, and Kemp has proven to be very good at strong. Stuckey, in my opinion, will end up being one of the jewels of the ’05 recruiting class.

As for the other cornerback role, right now it is projected to go to juco transfer and Topeka native Blake Bueltel, but that’s not in stone. Mike McCoy, another juco transfer, is fighting for it, and true freshman like Anthony Webb and Phillip Strozier will get their chance, too. That spots comes with big responsibility, especially if teams choose to throw away from Talib.

rgreene

Do you see Jake Sharp getting carries out of the backfield as a true freshman?

Ryan Wood

Thanks for the question mwolves323. My hunch is that Jake Sharp won’t get a significant number if he gets any at all. Jon Cornish certainly will get his cut because he earned it, and Angus Quigley has spent a year in the system and is polishing up (and bulking up) nicely. Add to it Brandon McAnderson’s increased role as a ball carrier, and there might not be many touches left. It sounds like Sharp will definitely play multiple special teams because he’s got maturity that most freshmen don’t have. I’m guessing he’s going to get some cracks at returning kicks.

Godfather

Realistically, what are the road games KU can win – and why?

Ryan Wood

So many great questions…

Ryan Wood

Realistically, they can win a bunch of them. I think the Jayhawks have coin-flip chance against Toledo, Baylor, Iowa State and Missouri and should be underdogs at Nebraska. The big question is whether they can get the road monkey off their back. Whether it’s crowd noise, intimidation are just being uncomfortable, KU has been dismal away from Memorial Stadium the last four years. If they can shake the curse, they can do all right and maybe win two games away from home.

Moderator

Speaking of the road, another user asks what is your favorite Big 12 city to travel to?

Ryan Wood

I still haven’t been to College Station or Waco, but I had a good time in Austin last season, for sure. It’s like Mass Street times 100. Plus the cabbie we took back to the hotel had the Wu Tang Clan blasting out of its stereo. I love it.

cwrist

How long, if ever, will it take for Ron Prince to bring K-State’s football program back to a respectable level?

Ryan Wood

Thanks for the great question, cwrist. Enjoy your blog. To answer, I’m not sold on Ron Prince yet, and I know other writers disagree with me. He certainly has a gameplan that he’s committed to, but I’m not sure if his assistants have been battle-tested enough, and he is inheriting a team with two straight last-place finishes. I’ll have to defer my final answer, though, until he gets some games under his belt this season.

cwrist

Which Big 12 team will be the biggest disappointment this season and why?

Ryan Wood

That’s a really interesting question I haven’t thought of, but some names pop up right away. Texas is loaded everywhere at QB, but the reason the Longhorns were so good last year was an offense that put so much pressure on Vince Young’s shoulders. Can they adjust smoothly without VY around? Also, Missouri and Iowa State have very tough schedules, and I can see them not reaching the win total their fan bases would love to see. Texas A&M is another school trying to find its way back up top, but being among Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech is like getting three straight elbows to the nose. I’m telling you, it’s not fun.

Whetter

Who’s crazy, preseason hairdo has impressed you the most?

Ryan Wood

Great question. Though several of the guys looked like they’ve been stranded on a deserted island for half their life, I think Mike Rivera takes the cake. Dude’s hair doesn’t grow long and thin like the others. It puffs out. He’s like Jesus with a nipple ring.

Moderator

OK … well before this chat gets out of hand, I’ll pose one final question for you Ryan. What do you think KU’s record will be? And if the Jayhawks are able to make it to back-to-back bowl games for the first time in school history, what do you think will be the biggest key?

Ryan Wood

I predicted Kansas to go 7-5, and I’ll stick with it. I think Kansas certainly has a good chance at making it to another bowl game, and I think the biggest key is the schedule rotation. Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma don’t play KU again until 2008, and in its place are the Big 12 South’s bottom half — Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Baylor. That means a lot, especially when KU’s defense has a lot to replace and the offense is led by a redshirt freshman.

Moderator

That’s going to do it for our chat today with Ryan Wood, the KU football beat writer. Thanks a lot Woody for the time today, we’ll talk to you soon. Also a big thanks to all the readers of ljworld.com and KUsports.com.

Ryan Wood

Thank you moderator for the opportunity to chat. Have me back anytime.