Corn Flakes: Reading, Reading, Reading

Take a quick peak back to the first part of the Tim Beck interview we're publishing this week.

Seven times Beck mentions "reading" the defense. He's referring to not only pre-snap reads (before the ball is snapped, the offense is set, the defense is typically lined up where they're going to be), but reads that are occurring during the play. These are nothing new, the same type of stuff has been going on for years in football (traditional option offense, for example you're reading a defensive end or linebacker and determining whether to pitch or keep the ball).

During the answer about middle screens, Beck goes into what they're doing a little more, which is basically saying that they're running packaged plays, or packaging runs together with a pass option and the quarterback is going to make a decision as to whether or not that play becomes a run or pass depending upon the reaction of the defense.

If there's one question we didn't ask but would be nice to know it's this: Will all this reading, reading, reading going on, how much time does it take for a quarterback (or any other offensive skill position player) to get good at it?

It's one thing to understand a subject, it's quite another to execute your task to perfection. A good example here? Your golf swing sucks, doesn't it?

Think about how much pressure is placed on a quarterback to make the right decisions on the fly. That's quite a bit for a first-year starter to grasp.

And I can't even get my 15-year old son to read a book. Man, he's going to grow up ignorant.

How TCU's defense works, and how it stops up-tempo offenses - SBNation.com

At least one team in the Big 12 actually plays top-notch defense. Here's how the Frogs consistently shut down high-octane attacks as well as anybody else in the country.

Read this one. It's actually about football.

Conference realignment cheat sheet 2014: Where college football teams are now - SBNation.com

Most of the ramifications of the flurries of conference re-alignment will finally take place in 2014. What do the new conferences look like?

Jameis Winston reportedly purchased $8M-$10M insurance policy - CBSSports.com
Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston reportedly purchased an disability and loss of value policy.

Ex-Alabama football star gets help to pay $10,000 in student loans - CBSSports.com
Birmingham environmental cleanup company is creating the Tyrone Prothro College Fund Account after Prothro's testimony at the Ed O'Bannon trial.

A closer look at Oklahoma's new alternate uniforms - Land-Grant Holy Land

Oklahoma released a gallery of photos of the "Rough Rider" uniforms the program will wear for select games this season.

Blech. It's not the uniforms themselves. It's the concept of them. I just can't get over that people care about this stuff. OTOH, the 15-year old will spend an hour making up his character before he ever starts playing Skyrim, so maybe it's a generational thing.

Key stretch: Nebraska Cornhuskers - ESPN
The days are getting shorter, which means the college football season is getting closer. With that in mind, we're taking a look at the pivotal three- or four-game stretch in the slate for each Big Ten squad. Next up is Nebraska, a team aiming for a return to the Big Ten championship game in a season that carries a lot of weight for coach Bo Pelini.

UNL | UNL News Blog | UNL Experts: Rare mix spawned Pilger’s twin tornadoes

Because the UNL News site produces good stuff too.

Indiana University Creates Bill of Rights for Student-Athletes - The Crimson Quarry
The Bill of Rights demonstrates IU's commitment to the success of its student-athletes, and is the first of its kind for any major university.

Will others follow Indiana Hoosiers student-athlete bill of rights? - ESPN
Indiana athletic director Fred Glass says he was only focused on his own university and not the problems facing college sports in general when he came up with the unique student-athlete bill of rights that the Hoosiers unveiled Friday afternoon. But if Glass' document ends up being like another famous bill of rights and becomes a model for others to follow, he would be happy to play the role of founding father.

Who's the NCAA's UNC academic SNITCH? - SBNation.com
We have no evidence that any of these people were involved, but we don't have any evidence that they weren't.

World Cup

Belgium vs. United States, 2014 World Cup: Final score 2-1, Red Devils hold off USA in extra time - SBNation.com
Belgium scored twice in extra time, and then held off a late surge by the U.S. to advance to the quarterfinals.

You don't have to wait 4 years to feed your U.S. Soccer addiction - SBNation.com
There's more to U.S. national teams than the World Cup every four years. The United States men, women and youth teams play great tournaments every single year.

Be proud of the USMNT, and be optimistic about their future - SBNation.com
Losing hurts, but the United States shouldn't have ever been in a position to come close to beating Belgium. They were, thanks to a 19-year-old who's only played a small handful of pro games, and maybe they won some new fans in the process.

You're still a hero, Tim Howard - SBNation.com

Even in a losing effort, Howard's 16 saves against Belgium will go down in World Cup history.

I actually watched quite a bit of this game on my phone, thanks to Dish Network getting the WatchESPN app going. Howard was incredible. At one point, it was like he was under constant barrage, yet Belgium only won the game 2-1, and only by scoring goals in extra time. It was a heroic effort by Howard.

Sad USA eagle man is all of us right now - SBNation.com
This is what it sounds like, when eagles cry.