Special Breed
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
College basketball teams can have the perception of their program altered more than any other sport, based off of a single recruit.
We’re still an entire football season away from the start of the college basketball season, but it’s not too early to talk about how important Anthony Edwards could be to Georgia basketball.
To say that UGA hasn’t been a popular destination for top level basketball talent is a bit like saying Winterfell isn’t a popular vacation destination for anyone with the last name Lannister.
Even though Georgia has done a decent job in the past of recruiting within the state, they have struggled when it comes to bringing in top level talent.
There have been a number of in-state recruits that listed Georgia, or Georgia Tech for that matter, as one of their final schools only to spurn them for another program. (Most of these recruits never seriously considered staying in state, but the consensus thought is that by listing them it would give the schools a little notoriety and maybe help with lesser recruits.)
As big a deal as it was to get a Top 5 recruit like Edwards to sign, it carries even more weight since he’s from Atlanta.
Let’s assume Edwards has an All-SEC type season and helps lead Georgia back to the NCAA Tournament- all expectations that normally follow a recruit ranked this high- it could open numerous opportunities for the Dawgs on the recruiting trails.
For one, Tom Crean would be able to use Edwards as a recent example of the program’s ability to showcase one and done talent while preparing them for the NBA.
More importantly, it will be much easier to entice some of the higher rated 4-star recruits to come to Athens. I highly doubt Georgia will be able to compete with schools like Duke and Kentucky on the recruiting trail, but if they can start landing the kids ranked in the 30-50 range consistently, you’ll start seeing a program making deep runs in the tournament.
North Carolina made it to back to back championships with those same second tiered players, and Virginia did this year, to an extent.
If Edwards happens to struggle this season and his draft stock falls, it will undoubtedly have a negative impact. Programs that bring in Top 10 recruit after Top 10 recruit can afford to miss on one every now and again. When you’ve only had one, it’s hard to recover if it doesn’t work out.
It’s kind of like dating; if you have a lot of good times, you’ll overlook the toilet seat being left up or the hour and a half it takes to get ready. If not, go ahead and leave one scoop of ice cream in the carton and see how that works out.
And look, I’m not saying that if Edwards doesn’t work out quite the way Georgia hopes that all is lost and they should just shut down the program and go home. More than likely things will continue to be status quo; a middle to lower level SEC team that considers making the tournament a huge win.
No matter where the program is five to six years from now fans will be able to look back and see how pivotal a role Edwards played. All it takes is one player to change the future of a program, for the good as well as the bad. After years of trying, Georgia finally has that player.
Atlanta Un-United
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Atlanta United, the defending MLS Cup winner and source of rabid fandom in Atlanta, doubled their win total last week with a victory over the Colorado Rapids. However, the victory still seemed a little hollow.
It failed to assuaged the concerns that United’s system isn’t working. Atlanta had seemingly endless possession of the ball and scored just one goal.
With the same amount of time last season, they would have likely had five. There are, of course, many differences between last year’s team and this one. Many have focused on Frank de Boer’s 3-4-3 set up and the loss of Miguel Almiron.
That’s fair, as the 3-4-3 has definitely had its growing pains and Almiron was snatched up for what was probably a record fee. Atlanta paid what is probably a record fee for Pity Martinez right afterwards.
That being said, it’s a little suspect that United’s Julian Gressel scored shortly after Martinez was lifted in the 71st minute of the game and followed up that substitution with a show of emotion. A more accurate description – and I saw this one in person – is that Martinez, last year’s South American Player of the Year, threw a temper tantrum.
He let de Boer know he was unhappy, then sat down and kicked the (occupied) seat in front of him.
It’s understandable that he’s upset. He was brought in among much fanfare and was expected to dominate Major League Soccer, but he has struggled mightily in the early going.
That’s a heavy and unfair burden, but figuring out his struggles (and Josef Martinez’s) is the key to figuring out the team’s struggles and most of that is a lack of aggressiveness.
Much like the game against Colorado, Atlanta has dominated possession this season but they are also creating fewer chances and taking fewer shots in the box.
The 2017 and 2018 seasons under Tata Martino saw tons of shots and tons of goals (the first Atlanta United game I ever attended was a 7-0 victory). Frank de Boer has apparently asked his team to take a chill pill.
Since Martinez’s style isn’t as aggressive as Almiron’s, that should be working in his favor but that style also prevents him from taking the team on his shoulders. That means that the team’s failures might also come from a weaker squad around a superstar incapable of changing the game on his own (which, to be fair, isn’t realistic in professional soccer anyway, unless your last name is Ronaldo or Messi).
Because Atlanta isn’t incredibly deep, there’s more pressure on Martinez to be a superstar instead of a piece of the puzzle and that in turn means more people are going to make a mountain out of a temper tantrum when it’s thrown by an underperforming should-be superstar.
This isn’t to say that a player of Pity Martinez’s caliber (and paycheck) should be allowed to throw a tantrum when he gets pulled from a game (especially in hindsight, since the winning goal came shortly thereafter).
Martinez shouldn’t be acting like a prima donna. However, his attitude is far from the source of the problems with United’s season so far. Plus, at the very least, it shows that there is some life somewhere in Mercedes Benz stadium.
If de Boer can siphon off some of that attitude, refocus it towards something productive and share it with the rest of the team, Atlanta might be able to turn things around before it’s too late.
Leave It On the Field
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The University of Georgia is going to name the playing field at Sanford Stadium after long time head coach and athletic director Vince Dooley.
A ceremony has been planned for Georgia’s 2019 opening game on Sept. 7 against Murray State to dedicate Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium.
“I was very pleased for the family and pleased for all the ballplayers who have been so loyal and for all the friends and supporters,” Dooley told The Associated Press.
The plan, announced Thursday by University of Georgia president Jere Morehead and athletic director Greg McGarity, must be approved by the university and the board of regents, which is expected later this month.
Morehead said Dooley’s impact on the university carried beyond athletics.
“Coach Dooley’s many contributions to this university can be seen across campus, from Georgia athletics, where he achieved unrivaled success, to the learning environment, where today many academic programs and initiatives bear his name,” Morehead said in a statement. “The university community will continue to benefit from his service and dedication for generations to come.”
Personally, this is great news for long time Georgia fans. Coach Dooley was and is Georgia football to me. I attended Vince Dooley football camps as a youth and had some of the best times of my life with friendships I still cherish to this day.
Coach Dooley’s brand of football, which was the power run game, solid defense, and exceptional special teams is the brand Kirby Smart brought back to the program when he was hired in 2016 and you know those results over the past couple of years.
Dooley went 201-77-10 in his 25 years as head coach of UGA. That included 6 SEC Titles and the 1980 National Championship.
Coach Dooley is one of the top 5 coaches in SEC History, and the greatest head coach in UGA football history.
Once Dooley arrived at UGA in 1964 he did two things that made him the legend he is in Athens and that was he owned the Florida and Georgia Tech series.
The Yellow Jackets still haven’t recovered from the dominating Dooley years, and Florida was beaten in Dooley fashion over the past two seasons under Kirby Smart to the point to where their head coach takes veiled shots at UGA in the press consistently nowadays.
I still have UF friends that suffer from the “Vince Dooley Effect” to this day and I have one friend that still deals with that trauma by taking shots at UGA fans on social just this past week. Vince “The Gator Slayer” Dooley was 17-7-1 against those Gators in Jacksonville.
Eventually Sanford Stadium is going to become Sanford-Dooley Stadium, but this is a great first step.
I’m going to get chills when Notre Dame runs out onto Dooley Field this upcoming September.
And yes, long time Gators, it has been 39 years and counting since the last National Championship, but the Vince Dooley effect still controls you.
Coach Dooley is now 86 years old, and is a treasured person in our great state. He will always be my first and most cherished memory of Georgia Football.
Southern Draft
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2019 NFL Draft is in the books.
Some teams drafted well and others made some head scratching decisions. I’m going to take a look at the NFC South and rate each teams draft.
Atlanta Falcons: Picks: Boston College OG Chris Lindstrom; Washington OT Kaleb McGary; Ohio State CB Kendall Sheffield; Charleston DE John Cominsky; Pittsburgh RB Qadree Ollison; Washington CB Jordan Miller; Louisiana-Monroe WR Marcus Green
With the 14th pick, guard Chris Lindstrom was selected. The offensive line needs to improve but Lindstrom was rated as a late first round pick at best. Then they traded the second and third round picks to get the 31st pick. The Falcons selected tackle Kaleb McGary.
He was not going to be selected in the first round. If Atlanta wanted him, they could have waited. The trade up value was not good and McGary has issues handling edge-rush speed. The strength of this draft was defense, especially in rounds 2 and 3. Atlanta missed on adding impact players on defense. Grade: C
Carolina Panthers: Picks: Florida State DE Brian Burns; Mississippi OT Greg Little; West Virginia QB Will Grier; Alabama DE Christian Miller; Florida RB Jordan Scarlett; South Carolina OT Dennis Daley; Georgia WR Terry Godwin
Burns was a great pick. He should make an impact rushing the passer immediately and he can develop his game over the next few years.
Daley and Godwin were good value picks in Rounds 6 and 7. They also doubled up on pass rushers by selecting Christian Miller. Grade: B+
New Orleans Saints: Picks: Texas A&M C Erik McCoy; Florida S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson; Rutgers S Saquan Hampton; Notre Dame TE Alize Mack; Idaho LB Kaden Elliss
Erik McCoy was a great pick for the Saints. He has Day 1 talent mixed with intelligence, toughness and competitiveness. New Orleans needs him to protect an aging Drew Brees.
Safety Gardner-Johnson was a good pick as well, addressing a position of need. The first two picks were good but I’m not sold on the rest of the players they selected. Alize Mack was rated as a top recruit going to Notre Dame. He never played like it in college. The Saints need to win now so they don’t have the luxury to develop these players. Grade: C
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Picks: LSU LB Devin White; Central Michigan DB Sean Bunting; Auburn CB Jamel Dean; Kentucky S Mike Edwards; Iowa OLB Anthony Nelson; Utah K Matt Gay; Bowling Green WR Scott Miller; Missouri DT Terry Beckner Jr.
Devin White is a great pick. I expect him to be a Pro Bowler for the next decade. He has great closing speed and athleticism.
Jamal Dean is a questionable pick because of his injury history. He was medically disqualified to play football by Ohio State due to his suffering multiple knee injuries in high school. He sat out 2015, transferring from Columbus to Auburn, which cleared him to play.
Dean suffered yet another knee injury in preseason 2016 camp, which sidelined him for the year.
The Bucs ignored the offensive and defensive lines for some reason. They also drafted a second kicker in four years. Grade: C-
Teeing It Up For SEC Crown
By: Rich Styles
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC golf teams converged to Sea Island Resort for the 18th consecutive year to play their golf championship.
They played three days of individual and team play, then after elimination of sex teams, the remaining eight teams competed in match play. The results were surprising.
Auburn as a team smoked the other teams and led the team competition to get into the match play as the #1 seed. Auburn won by 16 shots. They shot -24 while the second-place team, Vanderbilt, shot -8.
Then followed in order by Texas A&M, +3, Kentucky +3, Georgia +6, Tennessee +6, Arkansas +15, South Carolina +16, LSU +17, Ole Miss +22, Missouri +35, Florida +35, Mississippi +38 and Alabama +42. The top 8 teams after Friday’s round advance to match play. The other teams went home.
Individual honors went to Auburn’s Jovan Rebula who beat his own mate, Graysen Huff in a playoff. Many of the past individuals who have won are now on either the PGA Tour or Web.com Tour.
Past champions include Michael Thompson (Alabama), Bobby Wyatt (Alabama), Lee McCoy (Georgia), Billy Horschel (Florida), Patton Kizzire (Auburn) and Justin Thomas (Alabama).
Several current PGA Tour players including Keith Mitchell (Georgia) and Thompson walked the par-70 Seaside course to watch their college teams.
On Friday, Seaside showed its teeth with strong winds that resulted in the 14 teams shooting a combined 214 over-par for the day. To play even par with the wind conditions was considered by many as playing under par.
To be able to play even in those conditions was nothing short of patience and determination. Many of these college golfers were being watched by their parents, friends and family and by sports agencies and club manufacturers who would like certain handpicked players to play their brand.
The crowds were about 300-400 people winding their way around the scenic course that hosts the RSM Classic in November.
Over the weekend, the top 8 teams played match play with one team being eliminated each round. That brought #1 seeded Auburn against #7 seed Arkansas on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
The crowds watched some great golf and like many sports, where you finish in the standings sometimes does not matter. Arkansas, which was 39 strokes apart from Auburn as a team, beat them 3.5-1.5. Quite an accomplishment for a team that was not picked to win this tournament.
Yet, as a team, they won. Julian Perico, the only Razorback to win all three of his match play contests, was tied with Grayson Huff through 17 holes.
Perico struck his tee shot like it was out of a cannon, while his playing partner had to play out of the fairway bunker. Bottom line, Perico won with a par and Arkansas was on their way to the SEC Golf Championship.
The SEC is known for football but now must be known for golf. All 14 schools received NCAA bids in 2018. Probably most will for 2019. Since 2013, the SEC has been represented in the NCAA championship match play every year.
The SEC Men’s Golf has won 3 National Championships in the last 6 years; 7 SEC teams ranked in the top 25, 8 Arnold Palmer Cup team members in 2018, most by any conference; 9 PGA Tour winners in the 2017-2018 season and 5 Major PGA Tour wins since 2000 including 2 Masters…Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed. Watson went to UGA and so did Reed however, Reed left UGA.
Great golf under some difficult conditions and greater golf over the match play earns the SEC Golf Championship to Arkansas.
Rosen’s New Waters
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s been 20 years since Dan Marino retired and over that span of time the Miami Dolphins have gone through more quarterbacks than there are characters in the Avengers.
Names like Daunte Culpepper, Jay Fiedler, and Ryan Tannehill we’re all supposed to help lead the franchise back to its glory days, but all three, among many others, had their Dolphins’ careers turned into wisps of ash.
After giving up a second-round pick in this year’s draft, and a fifth-round pick in next year’s, you can now add Josh Rosen to the first part of that list.
From Miami’s vantage point, I like the trade. Opinions were pretty high of Rosen coming out of UCLA last year, with many analysts predicting he would be the best of last year’s quarterback class.
Obviously, he didn’t have the level of success that many of his counterparts (Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Lamar Jackson) experienced last season, but he also had the least amount of talent around him. To judge him based solely on his struggles last year is a bit unfair.
There wasn’t a quarterback in this year’s draft graded as highly as Rosen was and nobody has any idea what may transpire between now and next year’s draft; if you think you have an opportunity to acquire your franchise quarterback, especially without giving up much in the process, you make the trade and live with the outcome.
It was clear to everyone that Rosen wasn’t in the Arizona Cardinals plans once they brought in Kliff Kingsbury to coach. He didn’t just need a change of scenery, but Rosen needed a place where he would be given an opportunity. I have to imagine from his perspective, he’s thrilled to be in Miami.
For one, he has the NFL’s version of a human rollercoaster, Ryan Fitzpatrick, in front of him; up one second, down the next. Even if the coaching staff decides to go with Fitzpatrick to start the season, which I imagine is probably 50/50 right now, Rosen will still have a better opportunity to learn from and watch the journeyman quarterback play than he would have in Arizona.
If Rosen does start, which is where I’d put my money, Fitzpatrick’s off the field guidance will be valuable.
Rosen is also joining the Dolphins as they embark on a fresh start themselves. Along with first year coach, Brian Flores, the newly acquired quarterback will be working with Jim Caldwell, the Dolphins Asst. Head Coach/QB Coach.
Say what you will about Caldwell’s head coaching career, he’s been very successful in the past with the same dual roles he currently serves in Miami.
Plus, and this is a big difference between Miami and Arizona, Rosen will actually have some talent around him on the field. The Cardinals offensive line was so bad last year David Carr thought he was watching “30 for 30” on his rookie season.
I have no idea if this decision will work out for both the Dolphins and Josh Rosen, but as I mentioned, I like move. For a franchise that has searched the better part of two decades for a quarterback they can depend on, they may have found one.
Only time will tell if Josh Rosen will be Miami’s “Tony Stark”, a strong foundation on which ten years of success will be built upon. Or if three years from now, at the snap of a finger, his Dolphin career, like many before him, will be turned into ash.
New Dirty Birds
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL Draft is a magical time. It is both a beginning and an ending.
One door shuts on the college career of young and hungry hopefuls, while the door to their professional career opens wide.
It’s a time of hope for fans as well, as they look for their favorite team to draft the players that will turn them around or help them take the next step.
People will debate until they are blue in the face which college player should be drafted at what point in the draft, or who is the best fit for what team and who will be the player that falls the farthest. The point is everyone has an opinion about the NFL Draft and that includes Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, apparently.
Word is that Ryan sent a text message to the Falcons’ General Manager, Thomas Dimitroff, thanking him for drafting offensive linemen with both their first and their second picks in the Draft. That says something profound about how badly Ryan needed protection after season that saw him get hit third-most in the league and sacked eighth-most.
Those offensive linemen were Chris Lindstrom at 14 and Kaleb McGary, whom the Falcons traded up for to draft 31st overall.
Lindstrom is a guard from Boston College and McGary played right tackle at Washington, though he could also be moved to guard.
Lindstrom was not likely the 14th best player in the Draft, but the Falcons made a statement by drafting him and by trading their 2nd and 3rd round picks in order to get McGary in the first round. The O-line is going to be better this year come hell or high water.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the Falcons signed two offensive guards during the offseason in Jamon Brown and James Carpenter.
It seemed fairly likely that those two would be starting for Atlanta come September, but with these two draft picks it now seems like a competition for those positions will be on. These are choices that potentially improve the team by leaps and bounds.
After missing the 2nd and 3rd rounds, the Falcons picked up cornerback Kendall Sheffield from Ohio State. Sheffield’s game is his speed and will play an important role for the team, if his pectoral injury doesn’t plague him the way it plagued Desmond Trufant.
Dimitroff then took John Cominsky, a Defensive End from Charleston, for his second pick in the 4th round. He’s got size and versatility, and his presence could keep the likes of Vic Beasley, Jr. and Takk McKinley on their toes and motivated.
Round 5 saw the Falcons draft a running back from Pittsburgh by the name of Qadree Ollison. Ollison is a big dude and should be capable of brining power to the short-yardage game of the Falcons, serving as a nice compliment to Devonta Freeman.
Atlanta’s second pick of the 5th round was another corner: Jordan Miller – also of Washington. Their second at that position of the draft, Miller will add depth to the secondary and join another former Washing player in Trufant there.
For Round 6, the Falcons branched out and took a wide receiver: UL Monroe’s Marcus Green. Green isn’t going to supplant Julio Jones, but he may be counted upon to make both kickoff and punt returns. He has the potential to provide some explosive returns and provides competition with free agent signing Kenjon Barner for the role.
Vicious Jaguar
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Joshua (Josh) Allen is now a Jacksonville Jaguar.
The 2018 SEC Defensive Player of The year will now set up shop in the River City and wreak havoc on AFC South quarterbacks for the next decade.
Allen played his college football at the University of Kentucky and led Kentucky to its first 10-win season since 1977.
Here are Allen’s 2018 career highlights and awards to date:
2018 SEC Defensive Player of the Year
Unanimous 2018 First Team All American
Chuck Bednarik Award 2018
Lott Trophy 2018
Nagurski Trophy 2018
First Team All SEC 2018
Allen is proof that recruiting rankings and stars don’t mean anything, as one highly thought of recruiting service had Allen rated as a two-star prospect coming out of high school in New Jersey.
Jacksonville didn’t think he would there at 7. They thought he would go at 3 or 4 or 5. I absolutely love this pick. Their identity is that defense. The Jags needed an edge rusher, and Allen fell to them and they took him.
Thank you to the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants for making this happen.
Allen was a star in the best football conference in the land, where he registered 17 sacks, 51 total pressures, and 28 hurries in 2018.
He finished his career with 31.5 sacks at UK and is the all-time sack leader there. Allen declared for the NFL draft after his junior season.
Allen is listed at 6’5 and 260 pounds, and is very quick. He is equipped to be one of those special speed edge rushers that keep opposing offensive coordinators up at night.
When it comes to pass coverage, he can drop into coverage with ease and is fluid in the hips, and moves like a safety. That will be a huge plus for a Jaguar defense that took a step back in 2018. Even with the addition of Nick Foles at QB this organization’s identity is defense. Now, with the addition of Allen, the Jaguar pass rush may get back to the standard it set during the 2017 season.
Allen runs a 4.6 40 Yard dash and looks to be another Pro Bowl caliber player on a talented defense. He is a high character young man that will come in, roll up his sleeves and go to work immediately. He is a Tom Coughlin type of player that eventually will take over leadership in that locker room.
I view this selection as a culture builder in Jacksonville. Allen is a winner and a producer and talks with his shoulder pads.
As I was watching the first round unfold, I could not believe Allen didn’t go to Raiders at 4 or the Giants at 6. And when the Giants went QB at 6 I said wow Josh Allen is going to be a Jaguar.
They say the NFL is an offensive league now, but do you remember the 13-3 Super Bowl contest that just concluded? The Patriots shut down the high-powered Rams offense and held them to 3 points.
Josh Allen was the absolute best pick the Jaguars could have made. The Jaguars got the biggest steal in the first round.
Draft Grade: A+
Coming Soon To Atlanta
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL draft is this week. I’m excited to see what my favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons do with their picks. I’m going to try to see who they should select in the first round.
There are several needs for the Falcons. The offense was very good with Matt Ryan finishing the season third in passing yards. Julio Jones was first in receiving yards. The offensive line had trouble protecting the 150 million dollar man, though.
Ryan was sacked 42 times this past season, the eighth most in the NFL and the second most in a single season during his career. The quarterback was hit 113 times in all, the third most in the league, tied with Tampa Bay, and ranking ahead of just San Francisco (124) and Houston (136). The Saints allowed the fewest quarterback hits (53).
Ryan was hit 32 times in the month of November alone, an NFL high in that span.
Running back is also an issue because Tevin Coleman left for San Francisco as a free agent. Devonta Freeman was injured and only played in two games in 2018.
The defense has the most glaring needs and I expect that to be addressed with the early picks. Safeties Keanu Neal and Deion Jones were injured for the season and that played a factor in why the defense struggled.
Atlanta cut ties with Robert Alford and let slot corner Brian Poole leave in free agency. That means corner back is also a big need. They need help at every level on defense but defensive line might be the most pressing need.
The Falcons earned two compensatory picks after the NFL determined that the four players lost by the Falcons — defensive end Adrian Clayborn, wide receiver Taylor Gabriel, defensive tackle Dontari Poe, and specialist Andre Roberts — were of greater value than the two free agents the team gained, right guard Brandon Fusco and tight end Logan Paulsen.
That’s good news because they have nine picks. The first is No. 14 and they should draft someone like Ed Oliver if he’s available. They may need to trade up into the top 10 to make that happen. Oliver is 6’2, 7/8 and 287 pounds. He isn’t considered tall for an interior lineman but I don’t think that matters.
Aaron Donald is the best defensive tackle in the league and he’s only 6’1.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor (Florida) is someone that might be a good fit. He’s 6’5, 328 lbs. so he has very good size. In 2018 he was named Second Team All-SEC and he started in 12 of the 13 games at right tackle.
Montez Sweat (Mississippi State) is a great edge rusher. Last season he had 50 tackles, 24 solo, 8.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble. In 2017, he had 10.5 sacks. Sweat is 6’6 and 245 pounds, which is prototypical size.
Brian Burns (Florida State) is also a great edge rusher that might still be an option if Atlanta doesn’t trade up. Burns had 31 solo tackles, 10 sacks and 3 forced fumbles this past season. He also fits the mold of what a dominant pass rusher looks like, standing at 6’5, 235 pounds.
We cannot say for sure who is going to be picked until draft night but I’m really looking forward to see who is picked. I think the first pick has to be a defensive lineman.
Save The Dates
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s all about the presentation.
In the past, when a recruit signed with a school, or a player announced he or she was turning pro, at the most they would hold a conference at their respective school to mark the occasion.
Now, it’s all about the theatrics; Instagram posts, professionally done videos, etc.
That same hype has trickled down now to the release of the NFL Schedule.
Instead of quietly releasing the upcoming season schedule, it’s all about the creativity from each team’s marketing and social media departments. I know I might come across like a millennial version of Archie Bunker, yelling at those “darn kids”, but I actually love it.
And thankfully for those of us in this area, both Atlanta and Carolina were the two videos battling it out for the top spot.
If you’re grading on the overall creativity and consistency of the video I think you have to go with the Panthers. Their idea to present the matchups as if they were competing in an actual video game was nothing short of brilliant.
As someone who spent the better part of the ‘90s navigating through his teenage years, I appreciated their nods to games like Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and Goldeneye. The only thing that could’ve improved their overall presentation was somehow slipping in a score of 28-3 for either of their matchups against Atlanta.
Now, since I am a big Game of Thrones fan, and even though it has become a popular trend of late, I can give the Falcons props for their homage to one of the most popular shows of my generation.
While you can debate the originality of the idea, the video did provide possibly the best five seconds put on film this year. There is certainly no love lost between Carolina and Atlanta, but the one thing both fan bases can agree upon is their complete disdain for anything associate with the New Orleans Saints.
So, when the Falcons video included a ram knocking over a Saints player, followed by a ref running up to the knocked player and waving off any infraction I almost gave them a standing ovation, in my living room. That’s pettiness at its finest, and I’m all in.
There will be numerous touchdown celebrations, quarterback sack dances, and taunts throughout the season, but I don’t know if any of them will be as brutal as that takedown the Falcons just performed on the Saints.
I do think there was some room for improvement though. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like they missed a golden opportunity by not including a “Jameis Winston running out of Publix” set piece.
I admit I haven’t actively searched out New Orleans or Tampa Bay’s schedule release video, but I doubt it compares at all to these two.
Oh, and as for the actual schedule itself, would it really matter all much if not for these videos? I mean, most of the games are already predetermined and no matter how difficult or easy we perceive a schedule to be, it all changes once the season begins anyway.
One thing the NFL does better than any other league- the NBA isn’t too far behind- is they’ve turned their season into a year around event.
The release of their schedule is just one more thing we as fans now have to look forward to. I know I sound like Meathead, but I almost don’t care how my team does this season; it’s all about the announcement video now.
