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Hoop Schemes: Our ACC basketball preview

By
Stephen Patrick
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USA Today

As the calendar changes to October, that round, orange ball and hardwood courts usher in one of the greatest times to be a college sports fan. Sports Radio America looks at this year’s Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) contenders.

North Carolina

North Carolina followed their 2017 National Championship with a down year, losing in a second-round loss in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Roy Williams must replace his two, primary, offensive factors from last year’s team. UNC never rebuilds, only retools. And with three, returning starters, they’re looking at their best recruiting class in years.

Replacing Joel Berry will be UNC’s biggest challenge coming into the season. Williams will rely mostly on the incoming freshman. Coby White, a 6’5” top 25 recruit and the all-time leading scorer in North Carolina high school history, appears to be the likely favorite to win the starting spot. White will definitely bring a score-first mentality to the paint and light up the scoreboard. He’s an excellent perimeter shooter who can drive to the rim and finish 4-out 1-in offense opportunities. Joel Berry was also a score-first point guard, so it won’t represent a huge change for White to take over.

Virginia

Last season, Virginia won their third ACC regular season title in five years. March Madness was truly insane for the Cavaliers. They followed through on their regular season, becoming the first 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed in NCAA Tournament history. Now, they come into the season looking to recover from that humiliation. Minus two senior leaders, the same group of players return. This is without the addition of any key recruits likely to immediately contribute.

With Devon Hall’s departure, more pressure from the offense will be placed on the shoulders of the junior backcourt of Kyle Guy (14.1 ppg., 39.2% 3pt.) and Ty Jerome (10.6 ppg., 3.9 apg. 37.9% 3pt.). This duo has shown you can trust in the big games. The pair improved as sophomores, with Guy being named First Team All-ACC and Jerome being named to the third team. The rest of the team is where questions remain. Both Guy and Jerome can create off the dribble and find teammates as well as create their own shots and both men are excellent shooters.

Duke

Turning to the Duke Blue Devils, Coach Mike Krzyzewski has one the youngest squads of his tenure. It appears four, five-star freshmen will start to accompany a lone senior with additional young talent coming off the bench. Having great success is nothing new when Coach K has a young team, as the nation’s premiere recruiting class reached the Elite 8. Krzyzewski has the advantage of college basketball’s top recruiting class, despite the departure of his entire starting lineup.

Duke’s freshman class includes the top three recruits in the country. Running the team is point guard Tre Jones. He’s a top 10 recruit nationally and the brother of former Duke Blue Devils great Tyus Jones, who brought a National Title to Chapel Hill in 2015. Jones is a pass-first point guard who can create offense whenever needed. However, it will be particularly important for Jones to pass the ball. He’s not the greatest scorer, so it will be up to him to get the ball to other talented players in their sweets spots.

‘Go West, Young Man [And Expand the MLB Postseason]’

By
Jeremy Evans
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Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press: An aerial view of the first World Series between Boston Pilgrims & Pittsburgh Pirates at Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston OTD in 1903.

Years ago, as Lewis and Clark explored North America, treading across the continent from the Established East to the Wild West, it did so with expansion in mind.  Later with the Monroe Doctrine and “Manifest Destiny” driven by American Presidents, the Congress, and the Judiciary, the United States of America became a union of fifty states, spanning from sea to shining sea.

 

When organized baseball began play in the 1870s and 1880s, the Senior Circuit National League was growing and expanding and eventually teamed up with the start-up American League to create Major League Baseball.  It was, like America, westward expansion that grew the league and eventually its postseason schedule.

Major League Baseball’s league and postseason growth has mirrored America’s expansion west to the Pacific Ocean.  Starting with the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants move to Los Angeles and San Francisco in California, Major League Baseball later added the Angels in Anaheim, Astros in Houston, Rangers in Arlington, Texas (formerly the Washington Senators), Padres in San Diego, Twins in Minneapolis, Minnesota (also formerly the Washington Senators), Athletics in Oakland (formerly the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics), Royals in Kansas City, Mariners in Seattle, Rockies in Colorado, and Diamondbacks in Arizona, all of which were due west of the Mississippi River (a total of 13 teams).  Where there has been expansion and movement east of the Mississippi (New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals), Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays, Miami (Florida) Marlins, the movement mirrors either the growth of cities and towns, replacing teams that moved, or filing a long existing need.

On Monday, October 1, 2018, Major League Baseball found itself in a peculiar situation, a first of its kind, specifically two game 163’s to determine the Division winners in the Central and West Divisions.  Whereas most watching the postseason games would never complain about their team getting a shot to win, it does take a toll on head and heart ache and it could be improved, for financial, and health reasons.

Of the five major professional sports leagues in America, basketball (NBA), football (NFL), hockey (NHL), and soccer (MLS), nearly all accept more teams into their annual postseasons/playoffs compared to baseball (MLB).

As of 2018, the NFL has 32 teams and accepts 12 teams into its playoffs.  The NHL has 31 teams and accepts 16 teams into its playoffs.  The NBA has 30 teams and also accepts 16 teams into its playoffs.  The MLS has 23 teams and accepts 12 teams into its playoffs.  The MLB has 30 teams and accepts 10 teams into its postseason.  Breaking that down, the NFL with two more teams than the MLB in its league accepts two more teams into its playoffs, but every other league accepts 2-6 more teams into its playoffs/postseason compared to the MLB with nearly the same or fewer league teams.  Interestingly, the MLS has 7 fewer league teams compared to the MLB and still accepts more playoff/postseason teams (+2).

Historically, baseball has never been generous to teams seeking postseason eligibility.  In the beginning, the team with the best record at the end of the season was crowned the champion with some variations and oddities.  However, Since the beginning of what is accepted as the modern baseball postseason that existed between 1903-1968, although organized baseball began in 1876 and has had some semblance of a postseason since 1884, only two teams made the postseason, the winner of each League’s pennant (the team with the best record in each League), American and National, who went on to play each other in the World Series.  Starting with the 1969 season, however, instead of two Leagues with no Divisions, the East and West Divisions were added to each League so four teams made the postseason each season between 1969 and 1993.  The winner of the league series was crowned with the Pennant and went on to play the other League’s Pennant winner in the World Series.

For the 1995 season, when baseball actually implemented its new and now more familiar postseason structure, since the 1994 season was shortened due to a labor-management dispute, which led to a strike, Major League Baseball added one Wild Card spot and a Central Division to each League making three Divisions in each League.  By doing so, Major League Baseball added a Division Series to the postseason where the first seed in each League (the team with the best record) would play the Wild Card team (the team with the fourth best record in the same League), while the second and third seeds along the same formula would play each other.  When calculating both Leagues’ postseason entrants, the new rules allowed for eight postseason eligible teams.  The winner of the best of five series would go on to the League Championship Series with the winner taking their League’s Pennant onto the World Series.  Both the League Championship Series and the World Series were and still are best of seven game series, while the Division Series is a best of five games.

In 2012, Major League Baseball made its most recent postseason change by adding a second Wild Card team to each League, which is awarded to the team with the fifth best record, who plays in a one-game playoff against the second Wild Card team (the team with the fourth best record).  The winner then plays the first seed in a Division Series with the same format as described above.  Here, ten teams make the postseason, but two teams only get one game to decide 162, or 163 games.

Like the Louisiana Purchase, Major League Baseball would be wise to expand its postseason for three reasons:

  1. More Postseason Television Dollars

Simple, more teams in the postseason means more copyrighted broadcasts to sell to traditional television partners or streamers.  More advertisements.  More drama.

  1. More Division Series (eliminate the one game WILD CARD)

It makes sense that where the NFL plays 16 games per season it has a one-game elimination format based on injuries, timing, and the length of season.  It also makes sense that the NBA and NHL have series in the playoffs where they each play 82 games during the regular season.  The MLS has 34 regular season games per team and they play two (home/away) games per playoff matchup (most goals wins).  When compared to the NFL, the MLS plays a little more than double the amount of regular season games and has double the amount of playoffs matches.  However, the MLB plays 162 games during the regular season and yet has fewer postseason games in terms of ratio to games person season when compared to the MLS, NBA, NFL, and NHL.   Where the 162 game season is a strength of Major League Baseball in that it allows the teams to battle it out making the playoffs that much more exclusive, if the MLB wants to add more dollars, equity, and eyes, it would be wise to implement some change.

In terms of timing, the “Wild Card Series” between the fourth and fifth best teams could be three games in length to limit the length.  It would also help if the MLB went back to 154 games per season to limit length by eliminating length.  The MLB should also consider a football model of taking the top two teams from each division, plus the two wild cards for 8 postseason teams per League, more in line with the NBA and NHL playoff formats for 16 total teams.  Again, more television dollars.  More advertisements.  More drama.  More equity.

  1. More Teams Motivated to Win

When a team has a chance to make the playoffs or postseason, where anything can and does happen, the Murphy’s Law of Sports Playoffs (“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”).  Similarly, in the playoffs and lead up thereto, anything that can go right will go right.  Therefore, if teams have more opportunity to make a run for the postseason as opposed to trading players and giving up at the July 31 trade deadline every year, fans and teams might and will see more excitement down the road.  Furthermore, the longer series match-ups provide that a 80-90 win team will have to beat a 90-100+ win team for multiple games to advance.  Again, more television dollars.  More advertisements.  More drama.  More equity.

Baseball is a beautiful game, but a little postseason expansion will help the game survive, compete with other major professional sports, and succeed into the next generation.

Kentucky in the playoffs? “So, you’re telling me there’s a chance?”

By
J.T. Clifton
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Benny Snell vs. Florida USA Today

Kentucky and Syracuse are ranked in the top 25 this week, and I’m not talking about basketball season. Every week so far, I’ve thought, “this is the week Kentucky finally loses.” Instead, they beat Florida for the first time in 31 years; they defeated a hot, Mississippi State team by 21 points and now they’ve vanquished Will Muschamp and the Gamecocks for the fifth straight year.

The Wildcats jumped to number 13 in the AP poll today, moving up four spots after beating South Carolina. This is Kentucky’s highest ranking since Oct of 2007. It’s never easy in the Southeastern Conference, but there’s a real chance Kentucky could be 8-0 heading into a game against Georgia that will almost certainly be undefeated at that point, too. This could potentially be the biggest game in Kentucky football history.

Benny Snell celebrates. Image courtesy of: USA Today

This week, Kentucky plays a Texas A&M team that looked very bad at times against an abysmal Arkansas team. The Aggies won 24-17, but it didn’t come without stress, including Jimbo Fisher grabbing the facemask of a player on the sidelines that was widely criticized. If they get by A&M, the wildcats have Mizzou and Vanderbilt before Georgia.

Even with a loss to Georgia, the Wildcats would still be in the hunt for the playoffs. They play Tennessee, Middle Tenn and Louisville after the Dawgs. So, if the Wildcats play the Bulldogs close and Georgia ends up winning the SEC, they’ll have a real shot at the playoffs. The problem is, Alabama would also have potentially one loss if that happens and Kentucky is a Cinderella story. However, the committee doesn’t like fairy tails as much as they like Alabama.

So, what else do the Wildcats need to happen? They  need Ohio State to lose in the Big 10 Championship, which seems paved for them now that they’ve beaten Penn State. Kentucky would also need an Oklahoma loss in the Big 12 Football Championship Game. Notre Dame is also hurting the Wildcat’s chances with one loss, so they’d need the luck of the Irish to run out. LSU is also a big factor in the Wildcats getting in. Kentucky would need a huge loss to Alabama or Georgia by the Tigers.

How are they doing it? Two words; Benny Snell. He is the heart and soul of this team. Snell, a junior from Ohio, already had 639 yards rushing and 8 TDs. The Wildcats are also playing defense. They’re giving up 12.6 points per game and that includes holding Nick Fitzgerald from Miss State to 7 points. If they keep this up, the Wildcats could find themselves in a good position in January, win or lose, against Georgia.

So, in the words of Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber, “so, you’re telling me there’s a chance?”

 

Battle: Los Angeles: The Rams take over L.A.

By
Stephen Patrick
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USA Today

Who runs Los Angeles? If you ask the Rams, they’ll say they do. Yes, the landscape of the sports scene has been altered by the Rams-Charger move and LeBron James coming to town (sorry, Clippers fans).

Yet, while the City of the Angels bows to LeBron and the Lakers, they aren’t the only star-studded show anymore after the Rams posted a dazzling, 38-31 victory Thursday night against National Football Conference contenders the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings refused to buckle, despite getting out-gunned and overwhelmed by their hosts. But, the Rams showed just why they rank among the favorites to win a Super Bowl. They are elite and after the Vikings game, stamped their name as the top team in the NFC and perhaps the NFL. The Rams are loaded at every position since star quarterback Jared Goff is on a rookie contract. But, after last year (and thus far this year) a $100 million deal is on the way.

Is Goff an elite this young in his career? He was electric in picking apart the Vikings’ defense, which came into the season as one of the league’s premier units. The third-year pro sure is playing like a choice QB. In the first half, his stat line looked better than some starters’ entire games. In the second quarter alone, he completed six of eight passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams just have so many weapons a defense has to account for. And, with an offense mastermind at their helm, the league might be witnessing future Super Bowl champions in the making.

Indeed, Thursday’s matchup was a thrilling QB’s duel. The victor, Jared Goff went 26-for-33 for 465 yards and five touchdowns — and no interceptions. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins completed 34 of 48 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions. After a rough rookie year, Goff broke out 28 touchdowns, seven interception and a passer rating over 100 in 2017. But, he’s pushed things even further in 2018. Through four games, he’s emerged as an NFL MVP candidate.

The Rams were scary in 2017 when a more conservative version of Goff took advantage of teams that had to stop Gurley, too. Just think, one of the league’s best offenses played conservatively at times. But now, with more talent at the wideout positions, the offense seems invulnerable. With the improved, aggressive Goff, the Rams have scored at least 33 points in each of their games to win by double digits weekly. They haven’t done much different schematically from last year, they’re just better.

Their offense still leans on Gurley and uses Goff in a similar amount from 2017. The difference is, the quarterback is completing passes he didn’t make last year. He’s finding tight windows down the field and playing with a swag not seen since Kurt Warner guided the greatest show on turf to a Super Bowl. L.A., the Rams takeover is underway!

Puttin’ on the Fitz: It’s still Ryan’s time with the Bucs

By
J.T. Clifton
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USA Today

Ryan Fitzpatrick has gone through the same old cycle for what seems like forever in his career. He goes somewhere as the backup, the starting quarterback gets injured and Fitzpatrick comes in and plays lights-out….for a while. Once the tape is out, it’s usually time for Fitzpatrick to resume the backup role.

On the eve of Jameis Winston’s return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after his suspension, it looked like it was about that time for “Fitzmagic.” Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions and you could see it in the Bucs fan’s eyes as they thought, “here we go again, the magic is over.” Typical Ryan. But, the veteran didn’t fall apart and went on to throw for more than 400 yards and almost led a comeback in a 30-27 loss.

So now what? Who starts? The Bucs’ franchise quarterback is coming back this week and Fitzpatrick has Tampa Bay at 2-1, a record not many thought they’d have with the Steelers, Eagles and Saints as their first three games. Fitzpatrick has also thrown for more than 400 yards in each of those games and already has double-digit touchdowns. Two of the three interceptions featured a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage and Mike Evans cutting off a route that shouldn’t have been cut off. So, really only one of the picks was Fitz’s fault, but it did go for a touchdown.

Here’s what the Bucs are telling Winston if he starts this week; “Go get in trouble, get suspended and you automatically get your job back when you come back, no matter what.” This message doesn’t bode well for someone who obviously has a hard time controlling himself off the field.

USA Today

Through the first three games of the season, Fitzpatrick has 1,230 yards, 11 TDs and four interceptions while completing 70% of his passes. He’s also the only Tamps QB with consecutive weeks of 400 yards passing — (Weeks 1-3, 2018), the only QB to pass for 400 yards multiple times in a season and has the Most consecutive weeks of having a passer rating of at least 140.0 in a season — two.

Through the first three games of the season last year, Winston had 864 yards, six TDs and three interceptions. These games including matches against the Bears and Giants, two of the lower-tier teams last year. Winston finished with 19 TDs and 11 interceptions in 13 games last year. The way Fitzmagic is going, he could break that TD mark by week five.

It might be Winston’s job in the future, but it’s Fitzmagic time. He should keep the job until he really loses it with multiple bad games. He shouldn’t be looking over his shoulder every single time he throws an interception. The Bucs need to let him know it’s his job now.

Dollars and Cents: Comcast and Disney battle for industry dominance

By
Jeremy Evans
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Image courtesy of: USA Today

Comcast, an American company, is now majority owner of Sky, the pan-European entertainment, media and sports company headquartered in London.

To put the above sale in context, a deal worth $39 billion, Sky is Europe’s biggest, leading media company and largest pay-TV broadcaster.  By comparison, Comcast is the second-largest broadcasting and cable television company in the world by revenue and the second-largest pay-TV company (after AT&T), which just purchased for $85 billion, but is currently arguing on appeal with the United States Justice Department to keep its new hopeful purchasee, Time Warner.  The Comcast company includes the brand Xfinity (e.g. the NASCAR Series title sponsor) and subsidiary NBCUniversal. Comcast has millions of subscribers and viewers globally in the United States, India, China and Europe, and is easily one of the most recognizable companies in the word.

Comcast beat out Disney (via its new purchasee 21st Century Fox (or “Fox”) in the bid for Sky following negotiations and a United Kingdom-state-run bidding process.  Interestingly, 21st Century Fox was purchased by Disney including Fox’s 39% minority stake in Sky for $71.3 billion, beating out Comcast, but Comcast drove the price up nearly $20 billion by entering the negotiations. One also has to wonder whether Fox’s failed bid for complete control of Sky has any bearing on its deal with Disney. In all, this means while Disney beat out Comcast in its purchase for Fox, Comcast beat out Disney and Fox for its purchase of Sky.

Complicating matters, Comcast controls a 30% stake in steamer Hulu, while Disney now controls 60% through its original 30% stake and its purchase of 21st Century Fox’s 30% stake. The battle for majority control of Fox and Sky is over, but the war for supremacy in entertainment, media and sports continues, specifically for majority control of Hulu and the remaining minority stake in Sky. The above raises three questions for consideration.

  1. Who will make a move to purchase all of Hulu?

Disney has signaled its content will be distributed via its newly-developed platform Disney Streaming Services, LLC using BAMTech, LLC technology (on a product likely to be named), while its purchased-Fox content will be streamed on the Hulu platform. If Disney sells its 60% stake to Comcast or another buyer(s), it would need to find a new distribution partner or develop another new platform. That is unlikely, but maybe Netflix, Apple or Amazon Prime will play a role in distributing content as a result of the above possible deals. One thing is for sure, Disney is unlikely to distribute family-friendly and non-family friendly content on the same platform.

Comcast is well positioned here to sell high on Hulu if Disney would like to control nearly of all of Hulu and distribute content through an existing streaming platform. Either way, one company involved here is likely going to pay multi-millions for Hulu and will be able to use that money to pay off recent purchase debt. The Bottom line is, Disney needs Hulu if it wants to distribute Fox content now.

  1. What will Disney-Fox do with its ownership stake in Sky?

Disney might be inclined to hold out and sell high on its minority stake in Sky to Comcast. If Disney does not control all of Sky, it has little to no use for it as a distribution partner.  Sky was likely to become ESPN-Europe or ESPN-World if the bidding process was successful for Disney-Fox. Comcast would do well to turn Sky into NBC Sports-Europe or NBC Sports-World with its successful and complete purchase and control of Sky.  Disney should sell Sky to Comcast and use the proceeds towards purchasing Hulu and/or paying of Fox debt.

  1. What does all of this mean for Comcast?

Four words: Fox Regional Sports Networks. Disney needs to sell them as part of its deal with Fox and Comcast needs them to dominate the sports broadcasting space through NBC Sports.

In deal-making terms, Comcast and Disney would be wise to exchange ownership in several companies to get what they want. Comcast needs all of Sky to make a run at being a worldwide leader in sports and entertainment broadcasting.  Disney needs all of Hulu to distribute its Fox content. Disney also needs to sell-off the Fox Regional Sports Networks as part of its purchase agreement with the Justice Department. Those regional networks will likely find a good home at Comcast/NBC Sports.

In the end, Disney likely comes out on top financially from the sale of its control in Sky and the Fox Regional Sports Networks, despite having to pay for 90% control of Hulu and paying an extra $20 billion for Fox because of Comcast. Comcast will have to spend a significant sum to get both Sky and the Fox Regional Sports Networks, while making a good sum from its Hulu sale.

One thing to watch is whether Comcast and Disney work together as partners in distribution or as agitators to each other through Hulu and Sky, which is both unlikely and likely based on recent history. A second thing to watch is if the negotiations for Fox and Sky spill over into further deals for a majority control of Hulu, the twenty-two Fox Regional Sports Networks, and the remaining control of Sky.  Maybe no deal is done between them, but the implications for each company and the consumers are significant.

QB, or Not QB: Major ACC signal-caller shakeups

By
Stephen Patrick
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AP

There’s been more tune-ups among the quarterback position in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season than discount day at Midas. Here’s the Sports Radio America rundown:

Clemson

The Clemson Tigers made a quarterback change ahead of their game against Syracuse. Trevor Lawrence has been named starter over Kelly Bryant, while Bryant will be involved in game play in some capacity. Lawrence, a true freshman and 5-star recruit, has thrown for 600 yards and nine touchdowns with only two interceptions. He lit up Georgia Tech on Saturday, completing 13 of 18 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. Lawrence gives the Tigers’ offense life.

“He really played well,” head Coach Dabo Swinney said.  “It was certainly his best game. He was very poised, and I think the game has slowed down for him. He’s making good decisions, and he’s decisive with the ball.”

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech lost more than just the game on Saturday. After losing to Old Dominion, Hokies coach Justin Fuente announced quarterback Josh Jackson suffered a fractured left fibula. Jackson, a red-shirt sophomore, will undergo surgery this week. There’s no timetable for Jackson’s return. The coach acknowledged the injury could be season-ending. This a huge blow to one of the ACC’s top contenders.

The Hokies inserted Ryan Willis, a transfer from Kansas, into the game lineup. It was Willis’ second appearance as a Hokie, although he received plenty of playing time during his time at Kansas. Willis sat out the 2017 season after transferring. Before transferring, he was Kansas’ primary starter in 2015. Having experience playing in a Power 5 Conference will help. In 16 games at Kansas, Willis threw for 2,530 yards, 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Miami

Head coach Mark Richt is keeping his starting quarterback against North Carolina on Thursday a secret. But, he couldn’t hide the fact N’Kosi Perry was working with the first-team offense on Monday. The red-shirt freshman took over for senior Malik Rosier against Florida International University on Saturday. Perry gave the Hurricanes a much-needed spark on offense against the Panthers. When he entered the game on Miami’s third series, he went for 17-of-25 passing for 224 yards with three touchdowns and one interception to his credit. He also rushed nine times for 32 yards.

“I am going to leave it at we will play the guy who has the best shot at winning,” Richt said. “I’m going to observe a little bit more of practice. I’ve got a pretty good idea, but I’m not 100 percent sure. I do a lot of things based on what my gut is telling me.”

Louisville

Louisville’s offense came out struggling Saturday against the Virginia Cavaliers, which has been the story all year. The Cardinals had just 32 passing yards in the first half. Malik Cunningham, who initially looked like the second coming of Lamar Jackson, was terrible. Coach Bobby Petrino went with Puma Pass in the second half, but things didn’t get a whole lot better. Puma was solid with 10/19 for 113 yards in one half, which is not bad. But, the Louisville offense needs to be better. Malik Cunningham was the leading rusher with 26 yards and he didn’t even play in the second half.

School of Hard Knox: Pruitt needs time to change Vol’s culture

By
J.T. Clifton
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0
USA Today

“I don’t know how things were done around here before, but when you tell someone to go in and they don’t, aight, we’re not going to do that around here. So, I asked him to leave the sidelines.”

That was Jeremy Pruitt after the Florida game to reporters on asking Jr. linebacker Quart’e Sapp to leave the sidelines during a game that got out of hand quickly for the Vols Saturday night. By that one sentence, it’s clear from that statement Pruitt is frustrated with the culture currently among his players inside the program; “I don’t know how things were done around here before.”

It’s been the problem for years in Knoxville. Butch Jones was a very good composite-ranking recruiter. He went out and got 4-star and 5-star players, but not many of them panned out to be superstars. Why? Because he recruited players who don’t have the “it” factor, that elusive, highly-coveted trait that encompasses what it takes to win games. Some might call it being a “dog.” Jones recruited nice guys and big names because they were big names.

On defense, besides Shy Tuttle and Kyle Phillips, Pruitt’s juniors and seniors are a no-show this year. Jonathan Kongbo has all but gone into hiding while playing every defensive snap. Not to pick on Kongbo, but he’s the prime example of the type of player Butch loved. He’s built like a robot, he’s a good kid who’s never been in trouble, but he’s never made a great play.

The only noteworthy play in the Florida match-up on defense was made by freshman Alontae Taylor, who forced a fumble and changed the momentum of the game. The almost all-freshman cast of defensive backs Pruitt has starting play with an edge. They get up with their heads bobbing as they talk trash to the other team. They’re always around the ball and that’s a peek into the future of Tennessee football under Pruitt.

On the offensive side of the house, Tennessee’s running backs are another example of Butch Jones-style players. Chandler and Jordan are both very talented athletes, but they still don’t run with that edge. When freshman Jeremy Banks gets into the game, he runs violently. He ran brutally with two minutes left in a blowout game against Florida.

One thing that completely stuck out to me on Saturday, though, is the play that knocked sophomore Jarrett Guarantano out of the game. It seemed like a dirty play by Cece Jefferson of Florida because Trey Smith, who is Guarantano’s tackle and one of the so-called “dogs” of the offense, watched Jefferson do it and didn’t respond in the least. If that were Tom Brady, an offensive lineman for the Patriots might be in jail today. The quarterback has to trust his offensive line, and with a bad one already, that trust is inherently thin.

Pruitt needs time to compete in the Southeastern Conference. Sometimes, it looks like Alabama’s players couldn’t care less if their opponents live or die on the field. That’s what it takes in football. Football is a violent sport and if you don’t play with an edge, you’ll get destroyed. Pruitt knows that edge because he’s seen it firsthand. Unfortunately, there’s no tanking in college football. Otherwise, I suggest Pruitt play all freshman the rest of the year.

Name Your Price: Jimmy Butler seeks to be traded

By
Stephen Patrick
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AP

Jimmy Butler rocked the NBA after he requested a trade out of Minnesota. From the Timberwolves’ perspective, there’s lots of incentive to trade him, but it’s worth asking if other teams are willing to take the risk.

That’s because this is the second team where Butler, 29, has fought with teammates despite being good for a 22-5-4 average—one of nine players to do so last season.

As training camp approaches, news of Butler being at odds with young stars Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns have been at sustained levels all season. Although Butler has named the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and L.A. Clippers as teams he wants to play for, Sports Radio America examines other teams we believe should consider adding the controversial All-Star.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks barely made the playoffs last season. With the Eastern Conference weak, they seemed like a top four team initially, but finished at 44-38. Big man Thon Maker hasn’t quite lived up to expectations as he was picked 10th in the 2016 NBA Draft. Apart from the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks don’t have any other star players who can ignite a match during the playoffs. Butler could be the player they need to push Milwaukee closer to being a true contender in the East.

Boston Celtics

As currently constructed, the Celtics are the team to beat in the East and the biggest threat to the Golden State Warriors. If the Celtics gave up their core of young talent for Butler, they’d have four All-Stars (Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Holford and Butler). Jimmy could be the player who could push the Celtics side-by-side to the Warriors’ five All-Stars. I’m sure the franchise would be thrilled to have Butler starting on the court as their shooting guard.

 Los Angeles Lakers

Butler says he prefers the Clippers over the Lakers, but the Lakers have the trade pieces. Although LeBron James is a Laker, the team is no match for the top teams in the West. A possible trade could include Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart or Brandon Ingram. Hart playing the same position would be the bigger interest, as he was named MVP of the 2018 Summer League, averaging 24.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers are another team in the Eastern Conference that has the potential of winning the Eastern Conference Final. With two All-Stars, adding one more would put them neck-and- neck with the Boston Celtics. A possible trade of Robert Covington and a second-round draft pick for Butler would be a huge win for the Sixers. They had a strong 2018 season and with the foundations of players such as Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, adding another All-Star would definitely solidify them as one of two teams to beat in the East.

 

Raiders of the Lost Spark: Gruden trying to recover from Khalil Mack trade

By
J.T. Clifton
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USA Today

In his first year back in the NFL after 16 years, Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has really made a splash; that type of splash you make when you’re trying to dry off and some kid jumps in the pool and gets you all wet again.

In other words, it’s not going well for the Raiders. They’ve started out 0-2, but that’s not the worst part of it for the beleaguered franchise. It’s what they’re seeing in Chicago that’s the worst part.

Gruden has made it clear he wants his men and it’s evident in the fact they gave up a generational talent in Khalil Mack for two, first-round draft picks who could end up being busts. Mack has already out-produced the entire Raiders defense in the first two games of the season and to make matters worse, both Bears games were on prime time TV for the world to laugh at the Raiders.

Here’s a look at the numbers through two games:

Raiders Mack
Sacks 2 2
Interceptions 1 1
Forced Fumbles 1 2
Fumble Recoveries 1 0
Touchdowns 1 0

 

“It wasn’t my goal to trade Khalil when we got here,” Gruden said according to USA Today via The Associated Press. “One of the reasons I’m here is because of him. Unfortunately, we had a standoff with a contract, and we could not come to terms. The Bears made us an offer of two first-round draft choices and here we are today.”

In addition to calling the plays, Gruden’s job is to keep players like Mack happy  He should have done anything he could do to keep Mack. He was much more important to the Raiders than any other player on the team. With the success of mid-talent-range quarterbacks around the league, they could have traded Derek Carr and came out better in the long run.

AP

Instead, Gruden showed how hard-headed he could be and confirmed his reputation as a control freak. He’s already lost the locker room and they are two games into his first year. The Raiders’ locker room was not happy about the Mack news.

Bruce Irvin and Derek Carr took to twitter with Irvin saying, “No F***in way” and Carr saying, “no way.” Former Raiders great Charles Woodson also posted a crying meme, adding it was a facsimile of himself when he woke up and heard the news.

For Gruden’s sake, he’d better hope those two, first-round draft picks become franchise players, because if they don’t, he may have possibly traded one of the best players the Raiders have had in decades in the midst of his prime.

Gruden needs to win and needs to win soon. If not, he’ll completely lose the fan base and the locker room.

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