SEC Media Days have come and gone. Preseason predictions are rolling in. Recruiting heated up over the weekend, as did some presidential campaign rhetoric. Thoughts on those topics, plus Hugh Freeze, Shea Patterson, Tiger Woods, my AFC East predictions and more follow here, thanks to Oxford-based RE/MAX real estate agent Harry Alexander. Check out his website, www.harryalexander.com.
1. I attended Southeastern Conference Football Media Days on Thursday (I actually got to Birmingham on Wednesday afternoon in time to tape an interview with a production company out of Chicago; the show will air on Sept. 19 and I suspect a Hollywood contract will follow for me shortly thereafter) and didn’t get a chance to vote for the All-SEC team or for the media’s predicted order of finish. Had I voted, this would have been my ballot.
SEC East:
1. Georgia
2. South Carolina
3. Missouri
4. Tennessee
5. Kentucky
6. Florida
7. Vanderbilt
SEC West:
1. Auburn
2. Alabama
3. Ole Miss
4. Arkansas
5. Mississippi State
6. LSU
7. Texas A&M
SEC Champion: Auburn
All-SEC:
Offense:
QB Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
RB Nick Chubb, Georgia
RB Leonard Fournette, LSU
WR Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
WR Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
TE Evan Engram, Ole Miss
OL Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss
OL Cam Robinson, Alabama
OL Denver Kirkland, Arkansas
OL Vadal Alexander, LSU
OC Ryan Kelly, Alabama
Defense:
DL Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss
DL A’Shawn Robinson, Alabama
DL Carl Lawson, Auburn
DL Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
LB Kendall Beckwith, LSU
LB Kris Frost, Auburn
LB Reggie Ragland, Alabama
DB Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida
DB Tony Conner, Ole Miss
DB Will Redmond, Mississippi State
DB Cyrus Jones, Alabama
Specialists:
P JK Scott, Alabama
K Elliot Fry, South Carolina
RS Speedy Noil, Texas A&M
2. I did keep an eye on SEC Media Days while I wasn’t there. Here are some quick leftover observations:
A. Steve Spurrier likes his team. He was funny, as always, but I thought I sensed a quiet confidence.
B. Bret Bielema is a breath of fresh air. His retort to Dan Mullen’s shoe selection was hilarious and well-played. Bielema arrived in Fayetteville and began the slow process of building his kind of team. I don’t believe the Hogs can win the SEC West, but I have zero doubts they’ll impact the race.
C. Speaking of Mullen, I still can’t believe he didn’t even take a swing at the Confederate flag question. He had to know it was coming. I’ll never understand why he didn’t take a firm stance.
D. There’s been a long debate about whether Nick Saban was whining when he talked about the change in chemistry on his team between its SEC Championship Game win over Missouri and its loss to Ohio State in the national semifinals almost a month later. Saban clearly pointed the blame at the NFL, which hands out evaluation grades to juniors around mid-December. While he might have been whining and the detractors have solid points against his argument, one can’t completely ignore Saban’s hypothesis. Of course NFL grades are distractions. I’m just not sure anything can _ or should _ be done about it. But that doesn’t mean Saban was wrong or that Media Days was the improper forum.
E. Gus Malzahn made a statement of sorts by bringing Jeremy Johnson to Hoover. The young quarterback, Malzahn said without saying a word, can handle pressure. The kid is the total package, and with Ole Miss and Alabama having to travel to Auburn, the road to the SEC title will go through the Plains.
F. Talking to some LSU beat writers, there’s a sense among those in the know in Baton Rouge that this team could lose five games or more. There’s no confidence in the Tigers’ quarterback play, and the schedule is a tough one. If that scenario unfolds, there will be pressure in Baton Rouge to make a change. When and if that happens, this league will miss Les Miles. The veteran LSU coach is a unique, personable guy. His annual update on his children and the family’s summer is a reminder for all of us who cover the sport that the men coaching these teams are more than multi-millionaires coaching at college football’s highest level. They’re also human beings with families.
3. Hugh Freeze met with the local media prior to entering the big room at The Wynfrey. You’ve likely heard all about everything the fourth-year Ole Miss coach said. My thoughts:
A. I believed Freeze when he said he didn’t know how the quarterback competition will play out next month. All three guys _ Ryan Buchanan, DeVante Kincade and Chad Kelly _ will get opportunities. I’m guessing here that the Rebels will hold some scrimmages and quarterbacks will be judged on their decision-making ability, ball-protection, leadership and on their ability to engineer drives. I’m guessing here, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see three quarterbacks divide snaps against UT-Martin and two to get reps against Fresno State, with one emerging as the clear No. 1 in time for that Sept. 19 trip to Tuscaloosa.
B. Laremy Tunsil’s situation was obviously a main topic on Thursday. I asked Freeze what I thought was the ultimate question regarding his feelings on the matter. If the season began today, I asked, would Tunsil be on the field. Freeze’s answer was a quick, emphatic “absolutely.” If Ole Miss’ administration was worried about Lindsey Miller’s accusations about improper benefits, academic fraud and interactions with agents, Freeze’s answer would have either been very wordy or a no comment. That’s my opinion, anyway.
C. Freeze expressed more confidence than I expected in his offensive line. It all comes down to health, obviously, but Freeze seemed to believe the guys up front are going to be OK.
D. Freeze seemed far more concerned about tight end, for example, admitting that Jeremy Liggins’ professional future is likely at offensive tackle but acknowledging that the Rebels need the former Lafayette High School quarterback at tight end right now.
E. By the way, kudos to Freeze for his stance on the Confederate battle emblem. Some media members pushed for more and tried to turn Freeze into a history professor on trial, but I felt he handled the questions well. The (Memphis) Commercial-Appeal’s Geoff Calkins generally agreed.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/spo...freeze-takes-a-stand-proposes-change_65264594
4. On Friday, Freeze’s attention was back on recruiting. The Rebels entertained prospects in Oxford all weekend, the final weekend schools around the country can conduct camps. Ole Miss landed a pair of commitments over the weekend as well, picking up a verbal pledge from offensive lineman Chandler Tuitt on Friday and running back Jarrion Street on Saturday. The Rebels also made up ground on top Mississippi targets Nigel Knott, Raekwon Davis and Jeffrey Simmons.
One thing I found interesting was the presence on campus of 2017 quarterback prospect Jake Fromm and 2018 prospect Allan Walters. Fromm will make a decision soon, and Ole Miss has a real chance. I have no idea about Walters, and given the fact that he has three years of high school remaining, it really doesn’t matter yet. However, it’s fast becoming cool for top quarterback prospects to check out Ole Miss. One would think Shea Patterson’s commitment to Ole Miss would have thwarted the Rebels’ efforts at quarterbacks in the ’17 and ’18 classes, but Patterson’s looming enrollment has had the opposite effect.
5. Speaking of Patterson, there’s a rumor out, one that originated on a Scout.com site covering UCLA, that Patterson took an unofficial visit to see the Bruins while he was out west earlier this month for The Opening. Did Patterson check out Westwood? I don’t know. He says he didn’t. The UCLA site reported on its own site that he did and then begged subscribers to leave the information there. I could have told the reporter in question that he was kidding himself if he believed that news would stay on his board. No chance, my friend, though the effort was admirable.
As for Patterson’s visit or lack thereof, I’m of the opinion that it’s much ado about nothing until I hear otherwise. Look, Patterson is the best quarterback in the country, and there’s a decent chance he eventually nabs the top spot in Rivals.com’s overall prospect rankings. Schools are going to continue to recruit him. They just are. Until he enrolls at Ole Miss, other schools are going to chase. I don’t blame them, either.
Still, until Patterson makes public comments that indicate he’s having a Deandre Jordan-like change of heart, I don’t think Ole Miss fans should worry. As many prospects as Patterson has been around and talks to regularly, if he’s having any real second thoughts about Ole Miss, that will inevitably leak. So far, I haven’t heard a peep about that.
6. News broke last week that Collin Cowherd, the host of ESPN Radio’s “The Herd,” is leaving the network. His last show, according to reports, will come Friday.
http://thebiglead.com/2015/07/16/colin-cowherd-leaving-espn-whats-next/
I’ll miss Cowherd on the radio. I know many in the South don’t like his show, but I love it. I appreciated Cowherd’s take on sports and his focus on the big picture rather than mundane Xs and Os.
I have six years of daily radio experience in Mobile, and I was always awed at Cowherd’s ability to host a show flying solo. I was forced to host my show without a co-host a few times in Mobile and I can’t begin to describe how taxing it was. It required incredible preparation and focus to pull it off. When those three hours were over, I was spent. Cowherd has done that for more than a decade at ESPN. He won’t be easy to replace.
I have heard ESPN officials are considering Dan LeBatard’s show, one that currently airs in the late afternoon, for Cowherd’s slot. I like LeBatard’s show. It’s funny, and like Cowherd, it’s not the hard-core sports talk that I detest. However, LeBatard is sillier than Cowherd, and his political leanings are far left (Cowherd is pretty moderate), and I suspect LeBatard would be far more alienating for a morning audience.
Regardless, I’ll miss Cowherd, especially during football season. I thought he was tremendous talking both college and pro football, what with his focus on betting lines and overriding topics.
7. The British Open is scheduled to wrap up today as weather conditions on Friday pushed everything back a day. Jordan Speith has been incredible once again, and he’s quickly becoming the face of the sport. The sport’s last icon, Tiger Woods, meanwhile, has become a sympathetic figure as his game continues to fall apart.
http://espn.go.com/golf/theopen15/s...open-tiger-woods-weakened-weight-expectations
Woods was once the greatest golfer on the planet. He intimidated the rest of the field with his mere presence. Those days are long gone, and if this weekend was any indication (and it probably was), they’re never coming back.
8. I round out my AFC predictions this week with a quick preview of the AFC East. You may have heard of the New England Patriots. They go to the Super Bowl almost every year, win it a good bit and generally invoke fear and trepidation in the rest of the NFL.
The Patriots remain the favorites this season, but the pack is closing in. Tom Brady could miss four games due to his role in Deflategate (Personally, I’m betting it’s a one-game suspension when it’s all said and done). There’s not much depth at receiver after Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski, and running backs Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen are gone. On defense, Darelle Revis and Brandon Browner are gone, and their replacements will struggle to guard some of the division’s elite receivers.
The New York Jets are 11-18 with Geno Smith as their starting quarterback, and the clock is ticking on Smith. He will have Brandon Marshall as a target this season, and Ridley and Zac Stacy should improve the running game. On defense, Revis and Antonio Cromartie should bolster the Jets’ defense.
Former Jets coach Rex Ryan takes over a Buffalo team that was special on defense last season. The Bills were fourth in both yards allowed and points allowed and third in takeaways last season. Ryan’s presence typically improves defenses. On offense, the Bills gave LeSean McCoy a five-year $40 million deal and are clearly counting on him reverting to his 2013 form. Matt Cassel and E.J. Manuel will battle for the quarterback job. Look for Buffalo to ask the winner to manage games, not try to win them.
Miami, 8-8 a year ago, has made Ryan Tannehill the seventh highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. He’s got a plethora of weapons at his disposal, including Jarvis Landry and Greg Jennings. The Dolphins also invested on defense, giving Ndamukong Suh a six-year, $114 million deal. The pressure is on in Miami for the Dolphins to break through and get to the playoffs.
Prediction: New England wins the division, but it does so with just 10 wins. One of the other three teams _ I’ll go with Buffalo _ gets a wildcard.
9. The 2016 presidential race is heating up, and Donald Trump is playing a huge role in it. Trump has been polling well in recent weeks, but Saturday, he got himself into a verbal war with John McCain, and he very likely took things much too far. A day after the senator from Arizona referred to people at a Trump rally in Phoenix as “crazies,” Trump disparaged the former Republican nominee at a Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa.
“He was a war hero because he was captured,” Trump said of McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. “I like people who weren’t captured”
Trump attempted to clarify those statements on Sunday, but he refused to apologize. Instead, he has clearly put an even larger target on his back by attacking McCain’s war record. If you hate nasty politics, you might want to tune out for the next few months. The race for the Republican nomination promises to be downright hateful. Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley could make things interesting, at least a little bit, on the Democratic side.
If presidential politics fascinate you, as they do me, the next 16 months should be nothing short of spectacular. While Barack Obama fights to secure his legacy, a former first lady, an internationally famous real estate mogul and the son and brother of former presidents pursue the White House. Yep, if you’re a political junkie, it’s manna from heaven.
10. Here are some other links I found interesting this week. I hope you do as well.
Forbes released its list of the world’s 50 most valuable sports teams, led by Real Madrid at No. 1 and the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees are tied at No. 2. FC Barcelona is No. 4 and Manchester United is No. 5. The Los Angeles Lakers are the most valuable NBA franchise and No. 6 overall. The New England Patriots, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Redskins round out the top 10. My Chicago Cubs, winners of a World Series just 107 years ago, are No. 17.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbad...he-worlds-50-most-valuable-sports-teams-2015/
They may finally have found the Loch Ness Monster, and it’s as anticlimactic as you think.
http://www.esquire.com/news-politic...atfish/?src=spr_TWITTER&spr_id=1456_209521782
I’ve been thinking about a career change. Specifically, I’ve been contemplating becoming a professional surfer. Upon further review, though, nah.
http://thebiglead.com/2015/07/19/surfer-mick-fanning-fends-off-shark-competition-suspended/
The Wall Street Journal’s Rich Cohen, like me, is a lifelong Cubs fan. He had an interesting column about his emotions as the franchise known for losing actually tries to, you know, not lose.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/please-cubs-dont-win-1437076466
It turns out that beer and wine can make better chocolate. Hey, fellas, I could have saved you those research dollars. Beer and wine make everything better.
http://www.foodandwine.com/fwx/drin...ocolate-flavors?xid=soc_socialflow_twitter_fw
Last week, we saw pictures of Pluto (it’s a planet, by the way). Stephen Petranek thinks some earthlings will be living on Mars in 12 years. The average temperature on Mars: Minus-81. Sounds wonderful after the last week in Mississippi. I wonder if they’ve got the NBA League Pass there.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/sci...-when-will-humans-live-on-the-Red-Planet.html
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