Pssst! Hey, NIU football coach Jerry Kill:
If you think you get more out of players who have a chip on their shoulder you might want to pass this little nugget to your guys next week when training camp opens.
Caught ESPN's NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. last weekend on the radio giving his preview of the Mid-American Conference. Guess what?
Your Huskies didn't even rate a mention during the segment. Not one.
That's probably to be expected seeing as how they're coming off a 2-10 season, but your guys, defensive end Larry English in particular, might think differently.
Nope, the name of last year's MAC Player of the Year didn't come up, even though Kiper did say that "Defense is the big problem in this league."
You might want to mention that to your defensive staff.
His picks:
1) In the MAC East, Kuiper took Miami because "they play very good defense and not a lot of teams in this league can say that." He added that Kent State (a team NIU plays in a crossover game) and Buffalo could be "a little better than advertised."
2) "I like Ball State to win the league championship with quarterback Nate Davis. Although I like Western Michigan's defense. Central Michigan, with quarterback Dan LeFevour back has a great offense, but they can't stop anybody. Ball State is the best team in the (West) division."
Rick Armstrong 
Mike Knapp 
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