1. National Signing Day brought out the predictable. It contained drama, prima donnas (or pre-Madonnas), flips, confusion and the inevitable outcry from media about the need for an early signing day. Listen. There's nothing that can be done about some of the drama involved in recruiting. There will always be prospects (usually, their families/handlers/advisors) with their hands out, looking for the best deal. And there will always be overly invested boosters eager to grease those palms. That's not going away, regardless of the timing of a signing period(s).
However, if we really want to take away some of the histrionics of recruiting, there's a simple fix. Allow prospects to sign a binding letter-of-intent when he receives his offer. Pick a date when written offers can be made --- screw it, make it May of a prospect's junior year --- and allow kids to make decisions.
Two things will happen. One, kids who know where they're going and have offers can get it over with. They'll never have to go through a process that is unnecessary for them. Two, coaches will think twice and three times before passing it offers that really aren't offers at all. Further, when a kid doesn't sign an offer, a coach will know where he really stands in that kid's mind.
It's just not complicated. It's an easy "fix," if you will. I just don't think any of it will happen. Everyone complains about recruiting, but people seem glued to the TV on the morning of signing day. Drama, after all, sells.
2. Here's another fix for the recruiting cycle, and it's not happening either: Eliminate emotionally involved media from the process. In this recently completed cycle, I watched more cheerleading than I've ever seen before. One "media entity" also coaches a 7-on-7 team that includes prospects. No, there's no conflict of interest there (sarcasm).
Coaches, meanwhile, complain about the impact of social media on prospects and the process and then subtly beg their fan bases to get more involved. No, no, no. We don't need more fans tweeting at 17-year-olds, and we don't need coaches passively-aggressively asking them to do it.
But the media can be controlled. It's a simple fix, really. When media cross the line from reporting to becoming involved in the recruiting process, schools should strip their organization of credentials. That would do it. Take RebelGrove.com, for example. If we participated in the recruiting process, punish us all the way up to the corporate level (Yahoo) by stripping us of credentials. I assure you the message would be received. Again, it's an easy, logical fix, which is precisely why it won't happen.
3. Here's proof. Too many schools and coaches feel like Illinois' Tim Beckman. At his National Signing Day press conference Wednesday, Beckman told the media in attendance they need to be more positive about his program.
"Let's build this thing into a championship," Beckman said. "And the more positive stuff you can talk about, the better off we all are."
Oh, dear God, no. As the Chicago Sun-Times' Steve Greenberg wrote, it's possible Beckman "simply doesn't understand the role of the media who cover a college football program? In short --- not to insult anyone's intelligence, because the rest of you surely understand it --- it's about gathering and disseminating information and offering analysis. Nowhere, not here, not anywhere, not ever, is it supposed to be about root-root-rooting for the home team. It's not about rooting against the home team, either."
Beckman was asked to clarify his statement. Surely, surely, he wasn't asking the local and state media to cheerlead for the Fighting Illini, was he?
"I'm going to leave this up to you guys, OK?" Beckman said. "We're all in this state. We all want to build the best football team that we can. We want to build a champion, be a consistent champion, OK? So I'm going to put it on you. What are they reading?
"Everybody. I think if they want to build champions, we're all in this together. Not everybody's going to see the same thing, but as much positive stuff as we can continue to broadcast about this great institution and the athletic programs that we have … . Let's just, let's build this thing into a championship. And the more positive stuff you can talk about, the better off we all are."
I give up.
4. I've always liked Les Miles. He's witty, funny, charming, personable, a great quote. What's not to like? However, on Wednesday, the LSU coach went too far with his comments on Louisiana kids leaving home. Perhaps because I'm a Louisiana kid who left home, it struck a nerve.
"If he finds a way to wiggle out of the finest state in America, if he finds a way to not enjoy Louisiana, if he doesn't want to stay home, the hell with him," Miles said at a gathering of LSU fans Wednesday night.
Shut up, Les. Seriously. Just shut up. You're from Ohio. You went to Michigan despite Woody Hayes recruiting you to the Buckeyes. Do you say that about kids from Texas or Florida who come to LSU? I realize those were statements made for the local folks, the ones who believe Louisiana is the greatest place on earth, but damn, it's a really stupid thing to say.
Most 17-year-olds didn't choose where they're living. It was a choice made for them. They don't owe their home state one damn thing. I didn't owe Louisiana anything. I had better opportunities elsewhere, so I left. My kids are growing up in Mississippi. I dare say none of the three owe Mississippi anything. I'll be shocked, actually, if any of the three decide to make it their adult home. To hell with them, right, Les? Give me a freaking break.
The statement was such a straw man. It deserved to be burned down. I feel better now.
5. Ole Miss pulled away from Auburn in the second half Saturday night, 86-79, giving the Rebels their fifth straight win and further solidifying their suddenly solid NCAA tournament resume. The Rebels continue to find new ways to win games, which is the ultimate sign of a really good team. On Saturday, it was Ladarius White making all sorts of plays at the basket and then knocking down a big 3-pointer. Earlier in the week, it was Stefan Moody's scoring and strong low-post play from M.J. Rhett, Dwight Coleby and Sebastian Saiz.
The Rebels (RPI: 38) are now 7-3 in the Southeastern Conference heading into a big week that features a Thursday trip to Florida (RPI: 67) and a Saturday night home date against Arkansas (RPI: 25). Ole Miss, in my opinion, just needs a 5-3 finish to clinch an NCAA tournament berth. In other words, win out at home (Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia and Vanderbilt) and one win of its remaining four road games (at Florida, at Mississippi State, at LSU and at Alabama) and the Rebels will head to Nashville playing for seeding.
The way Ole Miss is playing these last few weeks, however, that might be underselling the Rebels' potential. Ole Miss is better away from Tad Smith Coliseum than it is in the giant spaceship. A 2-2 road finish isn't out of the realm of possibility, and a deep run in Nashville next month would shock no one.
6. One of the key ingredients to the Rebels' recent strong play has been the emergence of swingman Anthony Perez. The 6-foot-9 junior was all but buried on the Rebels' bench in early January. However, he's found his game in recent weeks and his presence as a perimeter threat and as a defensive nuisance at the top of the Rebels' 1-3-1 zone has given Andy Kennedy an added dimension.
Perez scored 10 points Saturday at Auburn, helping Ole Miss overcome Moody's first-half foul trouble and an off night of sorts from senior point guard Jarvis Summers.
"He was really struggling early, coming off last year, where he was a starter and a big contributor for us," Kennedy said. "He got caught up in the mix. We were trying to figure out our top eight or our top nine, as we were getting into a rotation, and he wasn't in the rotation because of production. To his credit, he stayed the course. He continued to practice hard, and when got his opportunity, he made the most of it against Florida.
"I was trying to get some separation early in the year, and it's really, really difficult to play 10, 11, 12 guys because you can't get into a rotation, and you're not really giving numbers nine through 12 an opportunity to play with comfort and understanding. Through practice and the receptions they were getting early in the early game, there started to be some separation. Unfortunately for him, he was on the outside looking. He couldn't break in. There was no opportunity for him."
Perez said earlier in the season he was "scared to do something bad and he was going to take me out. That was on my mind every time I was playing."
Then came the break-through performances in home wins over Florida and Mississippi State. Now his confidence is back, and with it, his ability to help make the Rebels a more dangerous opponent
"Coach (Kennedy) always told me to stay ready, and that's what I did through the season," Perez said. "I kept putting shots up, and thank God I started making some."
"We have had to evolve based on some things I have learned about our team," Kennedy said. "When (Perez) responds the way he has, he can really be an important piece for us."
7. Jackson, Miss., guard Malik Newman, a McDonald's All-American and one of the most sought after uncommitted players in the Class of 2015, is planning five official visits.
"Unofficially I have been to Kentucky, Ole Miss and Mississippi State and I am looking forward to my official visits that will start soon," the 6-foot-4 Newman told Reggie Rankin of ESPN.com weeks ago. "I am still working out the dates but I will visit Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina State, LSU and Ohio State. These five schools have been recruiting me very consistently."
According to Zagsblog.com, Kentucky signee Isaiah Briscoe was also in touch with Newman after committing to the Wildcats, and a source close to Briscoe believes Newman will ultimately land there, joining Briscoe and Charles Matthews as incoming guards.
Newman's father, former Mississippi State guard Horatio Webster, said his son won't announce until the spring signing period, which runs April 15-May 20.
"I think it's a smart decision to sit and wait and see who's coming and who's going," Webster told Zagsblog.com. "But at the same time he needs to be making some trails towards somebody you know, so that's all I'm saying."
Newman is projected as the No. 6 pick in the 2016 Draft by DraftExpress.com.
I don't want to get anyone's hopes up here, but I'll simply add that Ole Miss sources are more and more confident that the Rebels are a real player for Newman. Per sources, Newman wants to see the Rebels be a viable program (read: make the NCAA tournament) without him, knowing he could step in immediately as Summers' replacement in a new arena next year and be a star on a tournament-caliber club.
Kentucky and Kansas remain the favorites, but Ole Miss is a legitimate threat to pull off a program-changing upset.
8. Ole Miss opens the baseball season Friday afternoon against William and Mary. As always, I'll leave the baseball analysis to Chase Parham. He and Jeffrey Wright know more about the Rebels' baseball hopes than I do, and I'm not going to pretend that's not the case.
I'll simply say this: It's refreshing that we're finally entering a season not talking about Mike Bianco's job security. Bianco got the Rebels to Omaha last summer, and now that absurd speculation has gone the way of the dinosaur. It was always ridiculous, and when I said as much, the leaders of that movement would respond with incredulity that I could defend Bianco.
I'm glad we've moved on. I suspect Bianco is as well.
9. If the NBA season ended today, New Orleans and Oklahoma City would be left out of the playoff picture despite having better records than Charlotte and Miami, two teams that would make the playoffs due to the Eastern Conference's weaker composition.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants to do something about that.
"Ultimately we want to see your best teams in the playoffs," Silver said last week. "And there is an unbalance and a certain unfairness. There is a proposal (from one of the broadcasters)… where the division winners would all automatically go into the playoffs and then you'd seed the next 10 best teams. I think that's the kind of proposal we need to look at. There are travel issues of course, but in this day in age every team of course has their own plane, travels charter. I don't think the discussion should end there. And as I've said, my first year I was studying a lot of these issues and year 2 is time to take action. It's something I'm going to look at closely with the competition committee. I do think it's an area where we need to make a change."
10. Pete Carroll's career won't end due to one boneheaded second-and-goal play call that likely cost the Seattle Seahawks a second straight Super Bowl title last Sunday night.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for Bob Gibson, who was the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants in 1978 when they lost in nightmare fashion to the Philadelphia Eagles.
At the end of a game that the Giants were about to win, he instructed quarterback Joe Pisarcik to hand the ball to Larry Csonka, rather than having Pisarcik take a knee to let time expire.
The play went famously awry. Pisarcik fumbled. Philadelphia defensive back Herman Edwards scooped up the ball and ran 26 yards for the winning touchdown. Gibson was fired the next day and has never coached football again.
The New York Times caught up with Gibson, now 87, recently. I've linked that story for your reading pleasure. Have a great week. Happy Valentine's Day.
This post was edited on 2/9 6:10 AM by Neal McCready
Call to end a career
