One Less Day Til Football Season, No. 79, Neal Deiters

So, it's job search time! So if any of you run newspapers, magazines or any publication that could use a writer, keep me in mind. Will also work at a bar, restaurant, pizzeria, grocery store, locksmith, dry cleaners, blacksmith, cable guy, selling fake watches in Times Square, exterminator, or as a rickshaw driver, or any other profession. I will also be your indentured servant.

No. 79, Neal Deiters, Senior, Offensive Line

Who he be: Neal is a senior who has filled various roles on Northwestern's offensive line since his redshirt freshman year. That year, the 6-foot-8 Deiters went from backing up to starting at right tackle, but he was bumped from that role as a sophomore. Since then he's been a reserve at right guard, at first behind Doug Bartels, then behind Ben Burkett this season. He only played games this year, though, and I can't for the life of me remember or find out why. (I am bad at what I do.) I'm also just realizing that this is a football player that was a freshman when I was a freshman and he's still in college and I'm crying uncontrollably why why why make it stop.

Random song I feel like posting: "Helpless", Neil Young and the Band. I think Neil Young is probably one of the musicians who most definitely falls under the "musicians I really liked back when I only listened to music my dad listened to, didn't like for a long time, and now sort of appreciate", but only in a Billie Holliday-esque "wow, this guy is so much better at everybody else at sounding depressed" sort of way. Well, I mean, he's awesome in other ways, but mainly in that way. The Band never really fell under that definition - they've always been awesome to me - and Young's performance in their last show is pretty spectacular under the Holliday definition. Also, the urban legend is that Martin Scorsese needed to hire special film editors to remove a visible hunk of coke from Neil Young's nose during this performance, which, well, good for Neil.

I before E, except...: When in "Neil", unless your last name has a spelling where I follows E, in which case you should spell it "Neal". (As someone with an alternate spelling, I'm very attuned to the ins and outs.)

Player Profile Tidbits: I feel like the "something people would be surprised to learn" is a ringer in terms of which question in the Q-and-A players have to fill out will be most entertaining.

Q: Something people would be surprised to know about me is:
A: I enjoy watching the show "So You Think You Can Dance" on TV. It's fun to watch and very entertaining.

I eagerly await an offensive-linemen-only version of that show.

Looking forward: I'll be honest, I once again did a bad job. I was at spring practice this year and didn't take note of who was where on the line as well as I should. The gist is Patrick Ward has shifted from right tackle to left to replace Al Netter. With no incumbent at either position, you have to assume Deiters is a presumptive starter at either right guard or right tackle. His size and former starting gig has him suited for the latter, but I think the coach's plan right now is to have him start at the guard spot and Chuck Porcelli at RT. That makes for an awful experienced and awful big - Deiters is 6-foot-8, Porcelli 6-foot-7, both weighing in at 315 - right side of the line. I look forward to Kain Colter running many an option to that side of the line without having to worry about any trouble coming from anybody that's supposed to be blocked.