http://www.charlotte.com/colleges/story/361903.html

IN MY OPINION
Pack's O'Brien is next great ACC coach
TOM SORENSEN

After beating the Carolina blue and white Saturday, N.C. State football coach Tom O'Brien celebrated by walking to a downtown Raleigh pub and drinking a black and tan.

A black and tan is a mixture of two beers, one of them dark, usually Guinness. The best way to describe the result is this: If you're sitting at a bar, and somebody orders a black and tan, you probably will, too.

I think O'Brien, who is in his first season, will be the ACC's next great football coach. After opening the season with five losses in six games, his team has won four straight, the last of them against North Carolina.

He didn't panic during the slow start. There's a confidence about him. It was as if he knew what he did would work. His players saw that, and they believed, too.

Compare this team with last season's. Instead of being disciplined by officials, N.C. State is disciplined. Practices are shorter, meetings more infrequent. The night before a game they might talk for five minutes. And nobody worries about O'Brien bolting to Arkansas.

He knows his role. O'Brien wore conventional adult clothing to his coach's show before the first nine games. Before the North Carolina game, he wore a Wolfpack red blazer.



• One good thing came out of the Carolina Panthers' 20-13 loss to Atlanta on Sunday. I didn't hear a single Michael Vick reference. I didn't hear it from tailgaters before the game and I didn't hear it from fans during it. There were no stale jokes, no bad lines. Here's a summary of Vick's NFL career: He ran fast, threw hard and made little impact.

• Have you seen the Boston Celtics? They look so good they could play in the West. The key isn't Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen. The key is Paul Pierce. Pierce, Boston's longtime star, has to acknowledge he no longer is Boston's best player and he has to defer to Garnett. So far he has.

• You want to make an Appalachian State fan mad? Compare the Mountaineers' football season-opening victory against Michigan to Gardner-Webb's basketball victory against Kentucky. They don't want to share.

• Who's the best team in college football? I guess we'll have to wait until the playoffs to find out. There is no No. 1. As impressive as Oregon has been, I'd vote for Louisiana State. I admit I have an SEC bias. I also believe LSU is ready to become the team we anticipated months ago.

• I've never been a fan of the Charlotte Bobcats' Raymond Felton. I like point guards who control a game, break down a defense, look for an open teammate and would rather pass than shoot. Felton would rather shoot. But he has been a different player this season. Suddenly, he understands.

• I forgot about former Charlotte 49ers center Martin Iti. I figured that by now he had probably retired after a successful professional career in Belgium. But there he was at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday with his New Mexico State teammates. A 12th-year senior, his maturity was not enough. Duke won 86-61. IN MY OPINION Tom Sorensen

11/14/2007 10:34:32 AM

Quote :

"And nobody worries about O'Brien bolting to Arkansas."

you must not've heard, TOB to notre dame is as good as done.

11/14/2007 10:36:19 AM

no, TOB is leaving for the White House in '08

11/14/2007 10:38:34 AM

you need to stop trying to spread that stupid rumor you keep overposting

its not funny

11/14/2007 10:38:55 AM

What doe those bottom bullets have to do with O'Brien?

11/14/2007 10:40:32 AM

^^ that's the second time i've posted it. it came from a clemson board. just saying.

11/14/2007 10:45:01 AM

oh shit, you said doe, now bethaleigh will certainly raid this thread.

11/14/2007 10:46:20 AM

seriously though, TOB needs to run for president.

11/14/2007 10:47:06 AM

^^lol

11/14/2007 10:54:07 AM

^^^ HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!

Too funny.

[Edited on November 14, 2007 at 10:58 AM. Reason : ^]

11/14/2007 10:58:01 AM

Cool.

But fuck Tom Sorensen. Worst sports writer ever.

11/14/2007 10:59:50 AM

o'brien wearing the red blazer too huh...he mine as well coach in it on the sideline during unc games

11/14/2007 11:05:04 AM

He's not Mike Nolan.

11/14/2007 11:38:29 AM

Quote :

"Cool. But fuck Tom Sorensen. Worst sports writer ever."

11/14/2007 11:48:57 AM

Quote :

"O'Brien wore conventional adult clothing"

lol

11/14/2007 12:17:24 PM

He got that entire article from a posting on packpride...must be easy when others do your writing and fact gathering for you.

11/14/2007 12:27:36 PM

and?

its not like every other article thats ever posted was copied from somewhere else, idiot

again, as i have said numerous times before....lots of people here dont read packpride so i repost

here so you people can enjoy it. if you dont want to read it...move on the next thread

pretty damn simple

do you realize that articles that are sometimes posted on packpride come from other forums as well

11/14/2007 12:36:14 PM

People really need to save the gay one-upping shit for Chit Chat. If you don't want to read it, fucking don't. Why does everyone feel the need to call out people who are only trying to post some things that bring positive attention to NC State..

11/14/2007 1:06:35 PM

STFU NyM410 you just copied what gunzz said and reposted the same thing. Try to have a unique idea next time!

11/14/2007 1:10:43 PM

I'm a follower..

11/14/2007 1:15:24 PM

gunzz:

you turned into a douchebag in error. what phish meant was that "he (Sorenson) got that entire article from a posting on packpride"

in that someone posted on PP that TOB showed up to Napper Tandy's and had a black and tan, and enjoyed a cigar. and then Sorenson reported it.

you are now informed.

[Edited on November 14, 2007 at 1:19 PM. Reason : .]

11/14/2007 1:18:50 PM

Quote :

"A black and tan is a mixture of two beers, one of them dark, usually Guinness. The best way to describe the result is this: If you're sitting at a bar, and somebody orders a black and tan, you probably will, too."

ive never heard of this, ever.

11/14/2007 1:21:42 PM

well then i apologize

11/14/2007 1:22:22 PM

11/14/2007 1:23:53 PM

Quote :

"ive never heard of this, ever."

you have some learning to do

11/14/2007 1:25:44 PM

im not saying its not done, but ive never ordered one and had some d-bag follow suit just because i did...

11/14/2007 1:29:00 PM

I wouldve loved to have a beer with TOB after the win on saturday

11/14/2007 1:38:29 PM

^I bet you they include it in one of the wolfpack club's donor packages....like if you pay so much then you get to have a victory beer with TOB

11/14/2007 2:13:11 PM

11/14/2007 6:59:54 PM

hahaha

way too much work put into that.

11/14/2007 7:01:16 PM

I was at the panthers game and the panther fans were barking at the atlanta fans, that statment is false

[Edited on November 14, 2007 at 7:03 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on November 14, 2007 at 7:06 PM. Reason : .]

11/14/2007 7:02:32 PM