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CHASE FOR THE COVER?

by Mag.com Staff

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Cover cursed?

There's a certain je ne sais quoi to the concept of a cover curse. Is the weight of publicity real, or merely retrospective clarity; the easiest (and lamest) of excuses? And where is the statute of limitations? When our latest issue hit newsstands on Thursday, Missouri looked darn good. They were clear favorites at home versus #17 Oklahoma State, their QB was a Heisman front-runner, and the game was a classic coming-out party, a showcase.

Woops.

Should Missouri quarterbacks Chase Daniel and Chase Patton have been on the cover? Was it too much (and too soon) for a Missouri team that had climbed to #3 in the polls, and sat undefeated? Not if you read the story. The one we highlighted said this:

"Back in 2008, scrappy and stumpy Chase Daniel is looking an awful lot like the best college player in the country. Funny thing is, he might not even be the best NFL quarterback prospect on the Tigers. That could be the statuesque specimen holding his clipboard, Chase Patton.…the biggest gap between the two is their build, and by virtue of that, their NFL futures. Daniel is listed at six feet, 225, but scouts have measured him as anywhere from 5'11" to 6'00". Patton, on the other hand, is designed for the next level: 6'4", 230 pounds, with 7% body fat and an arm so strong that after each practice, he stands at midfield and throws passes over the crossbar."

Ultimately the story we highlighted seemed to underscore the the questions at quarterback for Missouri. In the eyes of scouts, he's not even the best on the team in terms of potential. Daniel was decent against Okie State, but his three picks were the deciding factor in the contest. A throw he tried to squeeze into coverage as the Tigers were driving late in the contest was picked off, ending the game.

Patton has the prototype body and arm—the "it" factor, if you will—but the pudgier Daniel seems to fit the system now. Would the results have changed if one had started over the other on Saturday?

We can't know. But the reality is only one has a great shot to run the show on Sundays, and that means something. The cover wasn't a curse, but it wasn't a bad prediction either. The game made the idea behind the cover more relevant far more than it made the cover a curse.


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