The Extra Guy
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This might just be unwarranted optimism, but it is kind of starting to feel like January again.
Not in terms of weather, but in terms of baseball. There seems to be a feeling that a truncated MLB season could start as soon as early July, with about half as many games as normal, expanded playoffs, modified divisions, and – our subject for today – a universal designated hitter.
I’m starting to get that anticipatory excitement I always feel right before spring training. We’ve all felt it once this year, only for COVID to pull the rug out from under us; but that feeling is back and baseball just might be on the horizon.
What could this mean for the Atlanta Braves?
For one thing, it could mean that neither Austin Riley nor Johan Camargo sees any time in whatever the minor leagues look like this season.
They had begun battling it out for the starting third base job before spring training was suspended, but that suspension could very well mean that neither of them needs to worry about not being on the big-league club.
Now, there’s likely going to be a significantly expanded roster at the major league level this season, which might factor into the Braves hanging on to both third basemen more than the DH would. Having that extra spot in the lineup could potentially mean that both guys are essentially starting.
Camargo might get the majority of the starts at third while Riley DHs, with a switch whenever necessary.
On the other hand, a DH could mean that Camargo and Riley platoon and Nick Markakis or Adam Duvall get the DH spot instead. The righty/lefty matchup works out, in a traditional sense, and it would keep both bats from getting stale, especially with Ronald Acuna, Jr., Marcell Ozuna, and Ender Inciarte likely keeping them on the bench otherwise.
There’s also the option of not having a consistent DH (or platoon). Having the extra spot in the lineup would allow manager Brian Snitker to rotate his starting eight through the designated hitter position throughout the week. That would allow rest for the likes of Freddie Freeman every half inning and replacing them on the field with their backup.
That also serves the purpose of providing relatively consistent at bats for the backups, who normally only see pinch hits and a start once every week or two.
The last option would be for the Braves to go out and get themselves a designated designated hitter (not a typo).
There are actually some intriguing options still on the market. For example, the Braves might not have wanted to risk the money or the potential headache of signing Yasiel Puig to a whole season for a whole season’s worth of money. However, with a much shorter risk period, Atlanta could now go out and sign the outfielder to a fraction of what he’s worth and make him their DH with occasional starts in the outfield.
Mark Trumbo is another guy who can be signed for cheap. He’d likely be exclusively a DH. He has lots of strikeouts but a ton of pop, too.
The point is, maybe the Braves will want a guy to show up and mash and not be required to do anything else.
Those are the kinds of possibilities having a DH for the entire season in the National League will bring for the Braves.
Waiting to see which way they go is just a part of the pre-spring-mid-summer training excitement.
Divisional
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As shelter in place rules begin to ease up our country is more sports starved than ever. Football is still king in this country and especially in the South. Let’s rank the all the divisions from worst to first in the NFL this week.
- NFC East: Dallas, Philadelphia, NY Giants, and Washington. This is a division where every member has won a Super Bowl. The division has 13 Super Bowl titles, but currently is the worst division in the NFL.
The Eagles won the NFC East with a 9-7 record in 2019 which speaks volumes. Who does less with more than the Dallas Cowboys? The Giants are rebuilding, and who the hell knows what the Redskins are doing.
- AFC East: Buffalo, Miami, NY Jets, and New England.
New England is the premier franchise in the NFL, but with Tom Brady in Tampa the decline seems real. Buffalo is a solid team, but do they have what it takes to win a playoff game? The Jets could be a dark horse for most improved team, and Miami is a total rebuild at the moment.
- AFC South: Houston, Indy, Jacksonville, and Tennessee.
I’m just not very high on the division simply because the brand of football is boring.
Tennessee is solid, but watching the Titans is the equivalent of watching paint dry.
Houston has internal issues, Indy is on the rebound, and the Jaguars are trying to revamp the defense.
If you want to catch up on lost sleep then tune into the AFC South this fall.
- NFC South: Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay.
All of the hype this offseason is with the Bucs with Tom Brady taking over, but this is a bad division.
New Orleans is clearly the class of the division. Atlanta has been searching for a defense since the Super Bowl meltdown against the Patriots. Carolina is a mess at the moment, and Tampa with a 43-year-old Brady, will be a disappointment in my opinion.
- AFC West: Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas, and LA Chargers.
The Chiefs are the best team in football with the best QB on the planet in Patrick Mahomes, but the rest of the division is weak.
The Raiders move to Vegas and the city is excited. The Broncos can’t seem to gain any traction as of late, and the Chargers have no fan base in Los Angeles. Build a stadium in San Diego and go back home Chargers.
- AFC North: Baltimore, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh.
Lamar Jackson is the reigning MVP for the Ravens; Pittsburgh will come back strong in 2020. Cleveland could be a surprise team, and the Bengals with Joe Burrow may be an exciting team this fall.
This is an underrated division.
- NFC North: Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, and Minnesota.
If Detroit could pull its weight this would be the best division in football.
Green Bay and Minnesota are solid playoff teams and the Bears are a QB away from being a contender with that defense.
Why didn’t the Bears trade for Cam Newton?
- NFC West: Arizona, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco and Seattle.
This is the toughest and best division from top to bottom in football.
Let’s start with the Cardinals. Write this down, this could be a division where all four teams finish with a winning record.
The Cardinals are building around Kyler Murray, and look out for them. The Rams were just in the Super Bowl two years ago, and just missed the playoffs in 2019. The 49ers and Seahawks rank in the top 5 best teams in the NFL. This division could produce three playoff teams in 2020.
2021 Super Bowl will be Kansas City vs Seattle and former Glynn Academy star Dee Jay Dallas will play in the Super Bowl as a rookie for the Seattle Seahawks.
Running Back
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In 2019, the SEC leading rusher was wide receiver Lynn Bowden of Kentucky. It was a strange season for running backs in the SEC.
There are star running backs in the 2020 season at nearly every SEC school. There might not be the star power of Todd Gurley and Derrick Henry, and there might not be a once in a generation player like Herschel Walker or Bo Jackson.
Here is my ranking of the five best running backs in the SEC heading into the 2020 season.
- Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M: Spiller started seven games as a true freshman at A&M in 2019 and led the Aggies in rushing.
He finished the year with 946 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He posted 217 yards and 3 touchdowns, tying the school’s freshman rushing record.
Spiller stepped up big time last season after the Aggies lost running back Jashaun Corbin to a season ending hamstring injury in September and Vernon Jackson to a career ending neck injury in the same month.
He was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, voted on by the SEC head coaches.
- Rakeen Boyd, Arkansas: Boyd was the lone bright spot in the Arkansas offense in 2019. He rushed for 1,133 yards and scored 8 touchdowns.
He started his college career at Texas A&M before transferring to Arkansas. Boyd spent one year at Independence Community College (Last Chance U).
Boyd has been the bell cow for the Razorbacks for the two seasons. New Head Coach Sam Pittman should continue to rely on him to be a major contributor in the Razorbacks offense.
- Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss: Ealy earned second team All SEC and All SEC Freshman accolades in 2019.
Ealy is a two-sport athlete at Ole Miss playing football and baseball.
He led the SEC in kickoff returns and fifth nationally in all-purpose yardage among freshmen.
He rushed for 722 yards and 6 touchdowns.
New Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has proven he can make a star of running backs, as FAU’s Devin Singletary set school records and was drafted in the third-round pick under Kiffin’s leadership.
- Zamir White, Georgia: White was the number one running back coming out of high school in 2018. With D’Andre Swift leaving for the NFL, now it should be White’s time in Athens.
White gave a sneak preview in the Sugar Bowl against Baylor, with 18 carries for 92 yards.
Health is a major concern with Zamir after the two torn ACLs. He should put up huge numbers in new offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s offense.
- Najee Harris, Alabama: When Najee Harris arrived at Alabama, the five-star prospect was expected to follow in Derrick Henry’s footsteps. Three years later and Harris has not posted the huge numbers some pundits predicted.
The main reason is because Tua Tagovailoa. Tua directed one of the most prolific passing attacks in college football the past two seasons.
In 2019, Harris finished with 1,224 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. He added 304 yards receiving and 7 touchdowns. In 2020, Alabama will have a new quarterback under center and Harris should benefit with a heavier workload.
He is a bona fide star on a team full of five-star athletes. It is not out of the realm of possibility Najee is a top Heisman Candidate.
Players just outside the top five: Larry Rountree, Missouri; Kylin Hill, Mississippi State; Trey Sanders, Alabama; Kenny McIntosh, Georgia and Eric Gray, Tennessee.
Breakout player of the year Dameon Pierce, Florida.
Running Wild
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC has produced a ton of talent over the years.
One of the strongest positions is running back. I want to examine the rich history of the position and see who the best RB in conference history is.
Darren McFadden (Arkansas): He’s the third leading rusher in conference history with 4,590 yards.
McFadden played for the Razorbacks for three seasons (2005-07). He improved his rushing total every year and rushed for 1,830 yards and 16 touchdowns in his final season.
He tied the SEC single game record with 321 rushing yards against South Carolina.
In the 2007 season finale against No. 1 LSU McFadden rushed for 206 yards, 3 TD’s and helped pull off a huge upset.
Bo Jackson (Auburn): Jackson is a legendary athlete and two sport star. He played four years at Auburn and had two seasons with at least one thousand yards.
As a senior he rushed for 1,786 yards and 17 scores. At the time it was the second most rushing yards in a season in conference history.
He won the Heisman trophy in 1985. Jackson is fifth in all-time conference rushing yards with 4,303.
As a sophomore Bo rushed for 1,213 yards, 12 touchdowns and led the Tigers to an 11-1 record.
Kevin Faulk (LSU): This is a forgotten name that deserves some respect. He spent four seasons in Baton Rouge and rushed for more than one thousand yards in his final three.
He was also a threat to catch passes out of the backfield. In that respect he might be the most complete back in SEC history.
As a senior he ran for 1,279 yards, 12 TD’s, 22 receptions and 3 receiving scores. He’s fourth on the all-time SEC rushing list with 4,557.
Errict Rhett (Florida): When we think of the Gators of the early 90’s Steve Spurrier and passing come to mind.
Rhett did a lot of damage on the ground, racking up two thousand-yard seasons. His lowest rushing total was 845 yards as a freshman, but he averaged 5.7 yards per carry.
He’s seventh on the SEC rushing list with 4,163 yards.
Herschel Walker (Georgia): Walker was a workhorse in Athens. He led the Bulldogs to an undefeated season and national championship as a true freshman in 1980.
He was phenomenal and that was his lowest rushing total of his career. Herschel ran for 1,616 yards, 1,891 yards and 1,752 yards.
He won the Heisman Trophy in 1982 and led the Dawgs to an 11-1 record. They were undefeated and ranked No.1 going into the Sugar Bowl.
He’s the leading rusher in conference history with 5,259 yards. His stats do not include bowl games, which is impressive.
Derrick Henry (Alabama): Henry is a big, bruising back.
His first two seasons weren’t spectacular. As a junior in 2015 he broke out with 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns.
He led the Crimson Tide to a 14-1 record and national championship. Henry also won the Heisman as a junior before departing for the NFL.
Emmitt Smith (Florida): Smith ran wild in Gainesville for three seasons (1987-89). His only season under one thousand yards was as a sophomore (988) but he missed two games due to injury.
He averaged over 5 ypc each year. As a junior he ran for 1,599 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Honorable Mention: Nick Chubb (UGA), Dalton Hilliard (LSU), Mark Ingram (Alabama), Charles Alexander (LSU), Cadillac Williams (Auburn)
There are several great backs to choose from but I think Herschel Walker has to be at the top of the list.
Place Your Bets
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
One of the things fans love about the Super Bowl are all the prop bets taking place.
Whether it’s who wins the coin toss, which song the halftime musician will play first, or which player will score the first touchdown, almost all the bets are just good-natured fun.
Why wait until the Super Bowl though, when an entire season of prop bets can be made?
Here are some prop bets for each team in the NFC South- some serious, some not so much- you can follow throughout the year in the NFC South.
How long until everyone gets tired of all the inevitable Tom Brady storylines coming out of Tampa? For most of you, I imagine the answer ranges somewhere between “Since the day he was born” and “Well, I’m a Tampa fan, so I’ve always liked him.” (I’m calling out anyone who claims the latter as a liar.)
Regardless of where you do fall on that spectrum, prepare for an onslaught of stories that may make even the most ardent NFL fan wish they had cancelled the season.
Number of games until the “Panthers are better without Cam Newton” argument begins to appear? There’s a slight (very, very, very, slight) possibility the Panthers could win 3 of their first 4 games, which would trigger the above statement, so I’ll go with four.
If that were to take place, those making the argument would likely pull a hamstring during the following weeks due to backpedaling from that statement; I just can’t bring myself to think the Panthers will be at all formidable this year.
Anything more than 5 wins and it should be viewed as a successful season.
What’s more likely to happen, Todd Gurley rushes for 1,000 yards or finishes the season on the Injured Reserve? Gurley is the only known entity in a backfield full of “I think that guy was my waiter at TGI Friday’s” names at running back.
If Gurley can stay healthy, he’s going to get 15-20 carries a game, which should be enough to get him over 1,000 yards for the season, even if he averages the same anemic yards per carry (3.8) that he did last year.
Of course, all this is predicated on Gurley making it through the season, which I’m not sure he’ll be able to do. I have no idea which of these two will happen, but it feels like it’ll be a feast or famine type of season for the Tarboro native.
Will Alvin Kamara finish the season with more yards rushing or receiving? A few years ago this question would’ve been as absurd as asking who the worst Batman is (George Clooney, obviously), but with players like Le’Veon Bell, Christian McCaffery, and Kamara it’s more relevant than ever.
After logging more receiving yards than rushing during his rookie campaign, the 3-time Pro Bowler saw those numbers flipped over the last two years; he also saw a decrease in production this past season, due to the addition of Latavius Murray. Because of the Saints array of weapons, Kamara’s overall numbers may mirror last seasons, but how they utilize him will be telling.
There may be other prop bets that will play a greater factor in the outcome of the season, but they’re all just a warmup to the most important one- what color will the Gatorade shower be in the Super Bowl? I have green as the early favorite.
Brave Title
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Fox Sports recently satiated our collective thirst for baseball, albeit briefly, by airing the Atlanta Braves’ greatest triumph: the 1995 World Series against the Cleveland Indians.
For six straight nights, Braves Country was treated to a Braves squad at the height of their powers, barely a third of the way into their 14-straight division titles. I don’t usually go for reruns – I never watch the next-day replays during the season – but this was compelling television, despite knowing the outcome.
The 90s and early 00s Braves went through little eras within those 14 years, but that 1995 team’s pitching staff and batting lineup is usually the one people could name.
Sure, the early 90s had Otis Nixon, Terry Pendleton, and Steve Avery in his prime, but no Chipper. The early 2000s had Andruw Jones and Rafael Furcal, but that scrappy Jeff Blauser/Mark Lemke tandem was gone (and then, eventually, so was Tom Glavine).
I think the 1995 team was almost perfectly constructed. Ironically, I don’t think they were the best team the Braves fielded in the 90s, but they’re the one that won it all. So, since they’re fresh on our minds, let’s look back at what made that team special.
Let’s get this out of the way first: the starting pitching was firing on all cylinders. Greg Maddux captured his 4th straight Cy Young award in 1995 (going 19-2 with a freaking 1.63 ERA), and Glavine and Smoltz were in their primes (they both had sub-3.20 ERAs, plus Glavine was World Series MVP and the next season Smoltz would be the first Cy Young winner in five years who wasn’t Mad Dog).
Avery was on the downside of his short career and Kent Mercker put up serviceable but not great numbers in the five spot. The three-headed monster at the top of the rotation made up for any deficiencies.
The bullpen gets little credit, but Mark Wohlers had a 2.09 ERA and led a stellar group of relievers with Greg McMichael, Brad Clontz, and Pedro Borbon. All of those guys had fantastic years on the bump.
The starting lineup was a classic baseball lineup. You had speed at the top of the order in Marquis Grissom, who won a Gold Glove in center field in 1995, followed by a scrapper in the two-hole in Lemke.
Then came the bashers: Bobby Cox thrust the weight of the three-hole onto rookie Chipper Jones, who rose to the occasion and was protected by sluggers Fred McGriff and David Justice hitting fourth and fifth, respectively.
Underrated slugger, Ryan Klesko was up next (he hit .310 along with his 23 homers in 1995), then catcher Javy Lopez, who hit .315 (the two highest averages on the team, for those keeping track at home).
Bringing up the end of the batting order was light-hitting (unless it was a contract year) shortstop Jeff Blauser (who I didn’t remember not playing the Series in ’95 due to an injury – Rafael Belliard took over in his place.)
The interesting thing about this lineup was that it was well-constructed enough that no one really needed to rise above the rest – note that McGriff led the team with 27 home runs and 93 RBIs that year.
McGriff and Klesko were the only members of the team that slugged over .500 (in just 107 games, mind you). But the offense worked and coupled with the pitching, they won 90 games.
More impressive is how that offense got the job done when stacked up against a Cleveland Indians team that was for the ages. A young Manny Ramirez was hitting 7th. And I’m not talking about a green, unproven Manny Ramirez; this guy hit .308 with 31 home runs and 107 RBIs. From the 7-spot.
But they couldn’t get it done. The 1995 Braves were a team of destiny but they were also a team of immense talent.
On The Prowl
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2020 NFL Schedule has been released. Let’s take a look and predict how the season will play out for Jacksonville Jaguars.
Week 1: September 13, Indianapolis Colts: The Jags open up the season at home against a much improved Colts team with Philip Rivers at QB.
Colts will have a very good defense, and with Rivers at QB Indy feels like they are the favorites in the AFC South. At home in the Jacksonville heat I’m going with Jacksonville 24-20. Jacksonville is 1-0 on the season.
Week 2: September 20, at Tennessee Titans: Jacksonville cannot beat Tennessee and will not in Nashville.
Derrick Henry chews up the Jags run defense and the Titans roll to a 31-13 win.
Tennessee is a sleeper team in the AFC. Jacksonville is 1-1 on the season.
Week 3: September 24, Miami Dolphins: Tua rolls into the River City and gets pressured all day by an inspired Jags defense. Jacksonville beats the Dolphins 28-13 to go to 2-1 on the season.
Week 4: October 4, at Cincinnati Bengals: Jacksonville travels to Cincy to take on Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
I’m not sure how much the Bengals improve in 2020.
Let’s go with Jacksonville as Gardner Minshew will out play the 2019 Heisman winner and the Jags win 27-17 on the road to go to 3-1.
Week 5: October 11, at Houston Texans: The Texans seem to be a train wreck, but it won’t matter when Jacksonville comes to town.
Jags will find a way to lose in Houston. Texans win 24-21. Jags go to 3-2
Week 6: October 18, Detroit Lions: I will be in attendance when my Detroit Lions roll into Jacksonville and leave with a victory over the Jaguars.
Matt Stafford leads a game winning drive with less than 2 minutes left in the contest to pull out a road win 31-28. Jags fall to 3-3 on the season.
Week 7: Bye Week
Week 8: November 1, at Los Angeles Chargers: Chargers will beat the Jags in LA 34-13.
This will be one of those head scratcher games for the Jags as they drop to 3-4 on the season.
Week 9: November 8, Houston Texans: The Jags split the season series with the Texans with a nice home win 34-23 to go to 4-4 on the season.
Week 10: November 15, at Green Bay Packers: Don’t even think about it. Packers drill the Jags at Lambeau 38-13. Jags go to 4-5 on the season.
Week 11: November 22, Pittsburgh Steelers: Jacksonville seems to have Big Ben’s number. Jags win a huge home game 27-24 to go 5-5 on the season.
Week 12: November 29, Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield is a bust repeat after me Baker Mayfield is a bust.
Jags win 33-21 to go to 6-5 on the season.
Week 13: December 6, at Minnesota Vikings: Not happening. The Vikings are a very good football team. Minnesota wins 35-17. Jags fall to 6-6.
Week 14: December 13, Tennessee Titans: Nope the Jags are not physical enough for the Titans. Titans win 31-10. Jags fall to 6-7 on the season.
Week 15: December 20, at Baltimore Ravens: I’m not wasting my time on this one. Ravens 41-13. Jags drop to 6-8.
Week 16: December 27, Chicago Bears: Will Nick Foles come in and put it to the Jaguars? The answer is yes 24-20.
Jaguars fall to 6-9. Jags go 0-4 against the NFC North.
Week 17: January 3: at Indianapolis Colts: Playoff bound Colts rest starters and Jacksonville wins 35-19 to finish 7-9 on the 2020 season.
Best case scenario is 10-6 with wins over Detroit, San Diego, and Chicago.
Worst case scenario is 4-12 with a loss at home to Pittsburgh, Houston, and Indy.
New Kids On the Block
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There’s a changing of the guard taking place at quarterback in the SEC this season, following the exit of three of the top passers in the league: Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Jake Fromm.
Ranking this year’s best is a serious challenge considering all the new faces. Of my top five SEC quarterbacks entering the 2020 College Football season, two are transfers.
Despite losing a phenomenal group of quarterbacks, the conference still has elite talent returning in 2020.
- K J Costello, Mississippi State: Costello should flourish in Mike Leach’s Air Raid system in Starkville.
He is a transfer from Stanford, and he has shown the talent to be a top tier quarterback not only in the SEC, but nationally.
In 2018, Castello was healthy and threw for over 3,500 yards and 29 touchdowns.
He is the prototype pocket passer standing 6 foot 5 and weighing 225. He is an accurate passer and has a chance to lead the SEC in passing.
- Mac Jones, Alabama: Jones is the toughest guy to predict on this list because of his limited exposure and a bunch of first round draft picks catching passes.
Looking at the numbers 68.8% completions, 1,503 passing yards and 14 touchdowns in four and a half games. The two interceptions against Auburn in the Iron Bowl make me question his decision making.
Bottom line, he is not Tua. He will be surrounded by talent on both sides of the ball. Alabama has the number 1 returning roster.
- Kellen Mond, Texas A&M: No one questions Mond’s arm strength, escapability or accuracy, but his consistency must improve.
Mond is a three-year starter under Coach Jimbo Fisher. He has shown improvement each of his seasons at A&M.
Last season, he threw for 2,897 yards, 20 touchdowns, rushed for 500 yards and 8 touchdowns. The Aggies are coming off an 8-5 season, in which they lost to Clemson, Alabama and LSU by double digits.
He has been productive but not at his best in the SEC level. Jimbo expects that to change in his senior campaign.
- Jamie Newman, Georgia: A season ago, Newman had 2,868 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, 574 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns for Wake Forest.
With a better supporting cast around him and new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Newman could potentially break out.
If the Bulldog’s can tap into Newman’s elite skill set while he trims down turnovers, he will be the best in the SEC in 2020.
My reason for Newman 2nd is the quarantine. He has not been able to work with Monken or his new teammates.
1.Kyle Trask, Florida: Trask wasn’t even the starter at the beginning of 2019, sitting behind Feleipe Franks (now a graduate transfer at Arkansas).
Trask, as is well documented, didn’t even start for his high school team, instead he was watching D’Eriq King (now a graduate transfer at Miami) light it up.
He got his opportunity when Franks went down and never looked back, leading the Gators to 11 wins and completing 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,941 yards, 25 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Trask is steady and he makes the plays that win games.
He needs to work on his quickness and getting the football out faster.
Florida has to replace Van Jefferson, Freddie Swain and Tyrie Cleveland, three starting wide receivers that went in the NFL Draft.
Now, entering the 2020 season, Kyle Trask is expected to be the top-rated quarterback in the SEC.
Outside The 5: A few players right outside the top 5 are Terry Wilson, Bo Nix, and John Rhys Plumblee. My sleeper SEC quarterback is Myles Brennan.
The First Mate
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In case you’ve been under a rock, you know Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent.
The Buccaneers also traded for his favorite target, Rob Gronkowski. They have not made the playoffs since 2007, but they are a preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl. I’m going to take a look and see who the best player in franchise history is.
The first pick in franchise history was defensive end Lee Roy Selmon, No. 1 overall in 1976. Selmon was one of the NFL’s most dominant pass rushers and the first Tampa Bay player elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played for the Bucs for nine years (1976-84) and he was selected to six Pro Bowls.
Selmon was Defensive Player of the Year in 1979. He was First-team All-Pro three times and second team twice. In his career he had 742 tackles, 78.5 sacks and 28.5 forced fumbles. His number 63 was retired in 1986.
Warren Sapp was drafted by Tampa Bay in 1995 as the 12th pick overall. The defensive tackle had 77 sacks, which is second-most in franchise history. He made seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 1997-2003. He was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1999.
Sapp was a four-time First Team All-Pro and two-time Second Team All-Pro. He’s First-team on the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and Second-team on the 1990s All-Decade Team.
He was pivotal in leading the 2002 Bucs to win Super Bowl XXXVII. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Derrick Brooks was also drafted in the first round in 1995 (28th). He played in Tampa his entire career, 1995-2008.
Brooks had 1,715 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 25 interceptions, 24 forced fumbles and 7 touchdowns. He was selected to 11 Pro Bowls, Five-time First-team All-Pro, Four-time Second-team All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. He is also on the 2000s All-Decade Team. He was selected to the Hall of Fame in 2014.
Warrick Dunn was drafted by the Bucs in 1997. He’s the first offensive player on this list.
In his first stint with Tampa Bay he played from 1997-2001. He was AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. He went to two Pro Bowls.
Jimmie Giles played for four teams but was with the Bucs from 1978-86. The tight end went to four Pro Bowls during that time. He holds the team record for touchdowns in a game with four.
Hardy Nickerson (1993-99) was selected to 5 Pro Bowls during that time. He was also a Four-time All-Pro and a member of the 1990s All-Decade team.
John Lynch was known as a hard-hitting safety. He went to 5 Pro Bowls as a member of the Buccaneers. He had three seasons with at least one hundred tackles.
Ronde Barber spent his entire career in Tampa (1997-2012). He is one of two players with 40+ interceptions and 20+ sacks alongside Charles Woodson. He led the league in interceptions in 2001 with 10. He went to 5 Pro Bowls and 5 All-Pro teams.
Simeon Rice is another defensive standout from the early 2000’s. He signed with the team in 2001 and went to 2 Pro Bowls. He recorded double digit sacks in his first three seasons.
There have been several great players to choose from.
I believe Lee Roy Selmon has to be chosen as the best Buc ever.
You’re Fired
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I was asked the other day to name my favorite Duke basketball player of all time, as well as my least favorite. It was easy to name my favorite (Grant Hill) because it’s one of those things I’ve actually spent time thinking about.
It took me a while to think about my least favorite though, since I tend to try and forget them much like I do with the name of my 11th grade English teacher.
So, with that in mind, I figured instead of writing about the best head coach each NFC South team has hired, I’d go with the ones they couldn’t get rid of fast enough.
To start with, Atlanta’s may have been the easiest. Regardless of what criteria you’re looking at- overall record, handling of the team, how the coach represented the team- Bobby Petrino makes it a clean sweep in all categories.
Petrino’s .231 winning percentage is the worst in franchise history, not counting interim coaches, and the way he left the team by leaving a note in every player’s locker is just the sugar free icing on the gluten free cake that was his coaching tenure.
Not only is he the worst coach in Falcons history, he’s worse than any of the other coaches I’m about to mention, making him the worst hire in the division’s history. (And just think, he became even more of an embarrassment at his subsequent stops.)
Choosing Carolina’s coach was almost just as easy, but for entirely different reasons. Before the Panthers brought in new head coach Matt Rhule, there had only been four coaches in their short history.
Of those four, two made it to a Super Bowl (John Fox, Ron Rivera) and another (Dom Capers) was coach of the year in 1996 and helped the franchise get off to a strong start.
The only coach left is George Seifert, who couldn’t repeat the same type of success in Charlotte that he had achieved in San Francisco. He is also the only coach of the four to have never led the team to a winning season or a playoff appearance.
New Orleans is where the task got a little more difficult because they’ve always had decent coaches since I started following football, beginning with Jim Mora.
There are a few coaches back in the 70’s who didn’t do well, record wise, but I can’t really speak to what they did beyond that. Therefore, I’m going with Mike Ditka as the franchise worst.
As great as Ditka was for Chicago, he was equally as bad for the Saints. He won six games in each of his first two seasons and only three in his third and final one. Plus, there was that year he traded all their draft picks, including their first round pick the following year, to draft Ricky Williams.
Tampa Bay’s coaches are similar to New Orleans, it would’ve been easier to go with an earlier coach based on records. But, like with the Saints, I decided to go with a more recent coach, Greg Schiano.
The current Rutgers head coach will be remembered in Tampa more for having his team rush the quarterback on a kneel down play than anything they accomplished on the field. His tenure was the perfect example of round peg, square hole.
Not all coaching hires can be winners, but these are a few that fan bases would like to forget, all together.
