Bishop Media Sports Network
The Big Game
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The matchup for Super Bowl LIV is set, San Francisco versus Kansas City. The 49ers are the top seed in the NFC and the Chiefs are No. 2 in the AFC.
The teams are polar opposites. San Fran (15-3) has an elite defense, ranked second in total defense. They only give up 19 points per game and 282 yards. They have a great front four and can generate pressure with them. They ranked fifth in sacks with 48.
They also rank second in rushing offense. They average 31 rushing plays and 144 yards per game. The only team that had more yards was Baltimore.
This is old school football we used to see in the 80’s and 90’s. The surprising thing is that the Niners don’t have a bell cow running back.
They have a true committee with Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert.
Each of them has at least 530 yards during the season. Mostert was the star of the NFC Championship game against Green Bay, rushing for 220 yards and 4 touchdowns.
“I did have a lot of doubters and naysayers,” said Mostert, who has been cut seven times in his career. “Now I get to actually tell them, ‘Look where I’m at now. I never gave up on my dreams.”
Kyle Shanahan is in his third season as head coach in San Francisco. He was the offensive coordinator for Atlanta prior to this and he coached them in Super Bowl LI.
The Falcons had a decisive 28 – 3 lead late in the third quarter but lost. Shanahan was criticized for being too aggressive and not trying to run the ball more to control the clock.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo only had 8 pass attempts in the NFC Championship. He’s the one obvious weak link on the team.
San Francisco is playing in their seventh Super Bowl. They are trying to tie Pittsburgh and New England for the most Super Bowl wins for a franchise with six.
On the flip side Patrick Mahomes is the catalyst for the Kansas City offense. He was the league MVP last season. He missed two games in 2019 and still finished 10th in passing yards. Garoppolo was 12th.
In the AFC Championship, Mahomes threw for 294 yards, 3 TD’s and 0 interceptions. He also ran for 53 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs (14-4) have not been to a Super Bowl since 1970.
KC has great skill players and a lot of speed. Travis Kelce might be the best tight end in the league. Tyreek Hill is a top ten receiver and the fastest player in the NFL.
The Chiefs do not have a running game. They were 23rd in rushing and average 98 ypg. KC also has an average defense, ranked 17th in total defense. They give up 350 ypg.
Andy Reid has the most wins without a Super Bowl victory. He’s looking to change that in Miami.
I think this will be a very close game. I think the 49ers can get pressure on Mahomes without blitzing. They have a good secondary, so they can slow down the explosive Chiefs offense.
Kansas City’s defense has to stop San Francisco from running and force Jimmy G to beat them.
I give the slight edge to the 49ers.
[metaslider id=211
Bringer Of Rain
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Late Tuesday, news broke that Josh Donaldson had agreed to sign with the Minnesota Twins.
Donaldson, 34, had suffered through a few injury-plagued seasons, as he fell from his former MVP status before signing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves in 2019 and reigniting his reputation as a slick-fielding third baseman, who can power his team to victory at the plate.
The immediate reaction from many Braves fans was one of dismay. After all, Donaldson had plenty to do with turning the team from a surprise division winner in 2018 to a legitimate powerhouse and a dark horse World Series contender last year.
There’s no doubt that Atlanta’s lineup won’t be as imposing on Opening Day 2020 as it was in last year’s playoffs.
But the Braves are positioned for success beyond 2020. And in the current structure of Major League Baseball and how its payrolls and contracts work, letting the Twins win the bidding war for Donaldson may prove to be a good move.
As much as Donaldson did for the offense and contributed to the team’s identity, last year’s performance was a personal showcase for exactly what transpired in the free agent market. Donaldson’s injuries left him with few options in 2019.
Plenty of teams would have taken him on at a low rate for a few years in hopes of getting a steal.
Instead, Donaldson bet on himself. He took a lucrative deal in Atlanta that came with the pressure of a single-year contract that could have spelled the end of his career if he didn’t produce.
But he returned to All-Star form and – because of that – was able to get right back on the open market for a premium price over a longer span.
And while the Braves are in a position where they could have competed with just about any team vying for Donaldson’s services, it is probably in their best interest to have bowed out and saved their money for other ventures.
Sure, Austin Riley might not be able to play third base at an MLB level. Sure, Johan Camargo is nowhere near the offensive threat as Donaldson in the everyday lineup. And sure, the stats of Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna could suffer a bit without a third true power bat in the order to keep pitchers honest.
But the current state of baseball is all about adjusting strengths to where money can be spent most efficiently.
Atlanta is currently enjoying the likes of Riley, Max Fried and Mike Soroka on dirt-cheap contracts, but those numbers will skyrocket in the next few years if those players continue to perform at their current levels.
There is also added spending for the Braves this season on the mound as they now own the full contracts of the high-price relief pitchers traded for last season, to go along with the offseason acquisitions of closer Will Smith and starter Cole Hamels.
In the end, the decision was probably a simple one for the Braves’ front office.
There is every possibility that Donaldson will have another huge year in 2020 that won’t help the Braves, but years of statistics suggest that the money the Twins will be paying him over the last couple of years of his new contract won’t be met with comparable results.
As for Atlanta, all of the money that could have been sunk into Donaldson can now be spent to lock up much younger and still-progressing players, or could be saved for leverage in a midseason trade to make a necessary move.
By letting Donaldson walk, the Braves will pay a price in offensive production on the front end, but will extend their financial flexibility as a younger core that continues to improve over the next few years.
Ballin
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened the season with cautious optimism. The hiring of Bruce Arians and staff brought a renewal light to Buccaneers fans.
That light flickered all season with glimpses of future hopes.
The Buccaneers finished the season 7-9 record and 3rd place in the NFC South division. The Buc’s were awful at home with a 2-6 record compared to a 5-3 road record.
The Bucs’ season was capped off with a 28-22 overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons. This game was a microcosm of the Buc’s season.
The Buc’s took a 22-16 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Falcon tied the game late in the 4th quarter with a Younghoe Koo field goal to send the game into overtime.
On the first possession of overtime, Bucs’ quarterback Jameis Winston threw his league leading 30th interception, a pick 6 for the Falcons. Game over, season over.
Jameis Winston was the first pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Buccaneers fans cheered that they finally had a franchise quarterback. Winston was selected to his first Pro Bowl game making him the first rookie quarterback in Buccaneer history to be selected. Promising, right?
This season he led the NFL in passing yards with 5,109 and interceptions with 30. He is the first player in NFL history to throw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season.
Winston made history on his final throw of the year with his seventh pick 6 of the season. Winston’s first and last pass as a Buc were both pick 6’s.
His five years in Tampa Bay have been nothing short of a nauseating roller coaster, with captivating highs and head scratching lows.
Don’t get me wrong, the Buccaneers have many holes to fill on their roster. Coach Bruce Arians and General Manager Jason Licht have a difficult decision at the game’s most important position this offseason, as quarterback Jameis Winston’s contract has expired.
The Buccaneers should have hope for Winston, despite his shortcomings at quarterback. He had a career year in his first season under Bruce Arians. Turnovers have plagued him throughout his NFL career, as Winston has thrown 88 interceptions and had 50 fumbles in 72 games.
Coach Bruce Arians’ season ending press conference addressed Jameis Winston’s pick 6 to end the season, “It smells as bad as it could possibly smell and it’ll smell that way for a long time.”
Here is the question Buccaneers fans: Is a 5,000 yard quarterback still worth 30 million a year if he can’t consistently win?
The Buccaneers must make a decision about Winston quickly so they can focus on other possible free agents.
Jason Pierre-Paul, Carl Nassib, Shaq Barrett, Ndamukong Suh, Demar Dotson and Breshard Perriman are all potential free agents that the Bucs must resign.
Offensive line and secondary must be addressed in the draft and free agency.
The Bucs offensive line was nowhere near NFL caliber. They ranked 24th in rushing yards per game and gave up 47 sacks this season.
After the Bucs released former first round draft pick Vernon Hargreaves, the trio of Jamel Dean, Carlton Davis, and Sean Murphy-Bunting began to produce some nice numbers with 31 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles and 4 interceptions. In a pass happy NFL, you cannot have enough quality defensive backs.
The Bucs have not made the playoffs since 2008. Will 2020 be the year?
Geaux Tigers
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The CFP National Championship game was a matchup of two great teams. No. 1 LSU (14-0) versus defending national champion No. 3 Clemson (14-0). Both sets of Tigers were trying to make history.
Louisiana State is led by Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. Burrow broke the single-season passing touchdown record previously set by Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan in 2006 with 58. Burrow had 60 this season.
Before this game Trevor Lawrence was undefeated as a college player. Early on Clemson had the momentum. They scored first to take a 7-0 lead. LSU scored on their opening drive in the previous six games but got off to a slow start.
Clemson squandered opportunities on their first two drives. They got inside the LSU forty, but they did not score and they had to punt both times.
Clemson led 17 – 7 early in the second quarter before the Bayou Bengal offense started clicking. Burrow finished the game with 463 passing yards, 5 touchdowns through the air and 1 rushing TD.
Biletnikoff Award winning wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase finished with nine catches for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns. Justin Jefferson had 9 catches for 106 yards.
“He’s one of the greatest players in LSU history,” Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said. “He’s done so much for the state of Louisiana and LSU. We are so grateful to Joe Burrow.”
Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire had 16 carries for 110 yards. He also had 5 catches for 54 yards. LSU won the game 42 – 25.
“This is what I wanted to do from the time I was 5 years old, was hoist this trophy, and bringing it back to Louisiana,” Burrow said, then caught himself. “I guess we’re in Louisiana, but staying in Louisiana, we weren’t going to let someone come in here and steal this from us in our home state. We have a great fan base that came out and supported us. We were going to keep this thing right here.”
Lawrence had 234 passing yards with no touchdown or interception. He also rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown. Travis Etienne had 15 carries for 78 yards and a TD.
“This team is going to be mentioned as one of the greatest teams in college football history,” Orgeron said, “15-0, as one of the greatest teams in LSU history. But that’s for you guys to decide.”
This team might be on the short list with teams like 1995 Nebraska and 2001 Miami. This is LSU’s first national title since 2007 and fourth overall.
This has been a very impressive year because LSU has struggled on offense for the last decade. They typically have great skill position players but poor quarterback play. Now they have a QB that probably had the best season ever at the position.
“What this offense has done, I’m amazed. I really am,” co-offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger said. “We changed the whole durn thing in one year, you know what I’m saying? We changed everything in one year. And these guys bought into it. They worked their ass off to get where they’re supposed to be, to get where they want to be, and they did it.”
The Fromm Factor
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When I heard Jake Fromm was entering the NFL Draft I started to think about where he ranks among Georgia’s quarterbacks, which naturally led me to Phil Simms. Let me explain.
Years ago, I got into a debate with an uncle of mine about who the better quarterback was, Dan Marino or Phil Simms.
Like any reasonable fan that doesn’t root for the New York Giants, I was on the side of Marino. My uncle argued Simms was better because one, he had won a Super Bowl and that automatically placed him above any player who hadn’t- in which case please help me welcome Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson to the NFL Elite.
The other reason was because Marino yelled at his teammates and Simms didn’t. I guess that means Robert Horry was better than Michael Jordan because he was nicer? Doesn’t make sense to me, but whatever.
Anyways, it was a great reminder that people’s criteria for what makes a team or player great differs from person to person, and in some cases, doesn’t make a damn bit of sense.
If you were to poll the Georgia fanbase on where Fromm does rank among his fellow quarterbacks, I imagine the results would be all over the place.
If you put a lot of weight into statistics, then you probably have Fromm ranked towards the top. As Fromm takes his talents to the NFL, he will leave Georgia as one of the winningest quarterbacks in school history, 2nd overall in passing touchdowns, and 4th in passing yards. It’s worth noting, too, that all the quarterbacks he trails in those categories were four-year starters, as opposed to his three.
If you’re someone who puts team accomplishments ahead of individual stats, you’ve also got a good argument in favor of Fromm. Three SEC Championship games, one SEC title, and a National Championship appearance in a three span looks pretty good on a resumé and stacks up well with just about any other Georgia quarterback.
Plus, he never lost to Florida, something you must go all the way back to the days of Buck Belue and John Lastinger to find.
Where it gets tricky is for those fans who go by the eye test. Let’s pretend for a second that you are about to enter your senior year as a Georgia football player. You have no aspirations of playing in the NFL, so your answer to the question I’m about to ask won’t be swayed by who can assist you the most in your quest to make it to the league.
If you could choose one Georgia quarterback, in their prime, to lead your final college season, how many other quarterbacks would you choose before you landed on Fromm?
Off the bat I imagine Fran Tarkenton, Belue, and probably Matt Stafford would be the first three.
How about players like David Greene, Quincy Carter, Aaron Murray, Ray Goff, Lastinger; would you choose any of them to lead your squad, over Fromm?
There’s no right or wrong answer- unless you choose Joe Tereshinksi and are not somehow related to him, then you’re just wrong. (Sorry, Joe).
You could certainly dive deeper into this discussion, but personally, I think Fromm departs Athens as one of the more accomplished quarterbacks to have played at Georgia, even if he wasn’t necessarily one of the best; and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Then again, he does come across as an extremely likeable guy who didn’t yell at his teammates a lot, and we all know that’s what really matters.
Burning Questions
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It has been an interesting week for southern sports topics. Here are my takes on various subjects.
Hey KB, what do you think about Jake Fromm declaring for the NFL draft?
If you are an Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech or a Tennessee fan then you are dancing in the streets because Fromm was a combined 12-1 against the four schools mentioned above.
We all know Jake had an off year in 2019 statistically, but at the end of the day Jake will always be known as the gator killer in the Jacksonville area.
Good luck Jake and thank you for your contributions to Georgia football. Next man up is? I’ll let Kirby sort that out.
Hey KB, what do you think about Cade Mays leaving UGA and going to Tennessee? I’ll do my Powers Boothe imitation from Tombstone and say “well bye” to Mays and his family who filed a lawsuit against UGA because dad could not figure out how to operate a folding chair.
We all know this is an attempt to gain an immediate waiver to play next year at Tennessee without having to sit out a year. Mays looked like a Matador in the recent Sugar Bowl, while assigned to guard Jake Fromm’s backside. See you in Athens next November Cade. Nolan Smith can’t wait to see you.
Hey KB, will Florida win the SEC East in 2020? We’ll see but the Danny Kanell’s of the world are already anointing Florida as the beast of the east in 2020.
We will see how Florida performs as the favorite in 2020. The Gators lost a pretty good running back, four good wide receivers, two great pass rushers, and their best cornerback when the final seconds of the Orange Bowl ticked away.
Hey KB, what do you think about Mississippi State hiring Mike Leach? I think it is absolutely fabulous.
MSU will struggle in 2020 as Leach gets guys to run his system, but it is great for the conference. I can’t wait until SEC Media Day this summer. You have Saban, Coach O, The Pirate (Leach), and Joey Freshwater (Lane Kiffin) representing the SEC West.
And can you imagine Egg Bowl week in Mississippi next Thanksgiving? Big Splash hires by the Mississippi schools. Let’s all laugh at Arkansas now.
Hey KB, what do you think about Tua declaring early for NFL the draft? Coach Saban was almost in tears, which speaks volumes about Tua.
With the 5th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft the Miami Doiphins select _________. I’m pretty confident you can insert Tua’s name in the blank.
Hey KB, will the Braves resign Josh Donaldson? I think the Braves end up resigning Donaldson and I hope he continues to be productive in the middle of that lineup.
Right now, he seems to be the missing piece of a team that is ready to contend for the World Series.
Hey KB, who will win the National Championship game on Monday night? When the playoff matchups were revealed I picked Clemson to beat LSU in the title game.
I am now going to pick LSU. The game is in New Orleans and Joe Burrow has had the best season ever by a college QB. Clemson is very good, but it just feels like this is LSU’s year. I’m picking the LSU Tigers to win 38-31.
Hey KB, what do the Jacksonville Jaguars need to be contender? I have a 600 word maximum for this article. It would take a 500 page novel to figure out the Jaguars. They need everything.
Eagle Departure
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Most Georgia Southern fans still hadn’t shaken off the haze of the always-blurry week between Christmas and New Year’s when they were surprised to hear that the Eagles will have a new person heading up the athletics department in the coming weeks.
With Tom Kleinlein’s announcement that he’s off to Ole Miss, Georgia Southern finds itself looking for an athletics director for the first time since it was an FCS school. While the university is roughly the same in terms of students, it will be a whole new ballgame for the next person to take the reins.
For starters, Georgia Southern Athletics is a much larger operation nowadays. The budget is now well over $20 million, where it hovered around half that mark before Kleinlein took over.
There are also more sports to oversee as women’s golf and women’s rifle began play in conjunction with the school’s move to FBS.
There is also the pressure to keep up with the Jones’ as the Sun Belt features large public schools that are continually growing as opposed to the Eagles’ former home in the private school-dominated Southern Conference.
So, with all the changes that have taken place since the school’s last athletic director hire, I think it’s time to keep that trend going.
It’s likely that – following Kleinlein’s final day on the job and during the school’s national search for his replacement – a member of the current athletics administration staff will be named the interim athletic director.
The Eagles definitely have an ideal candidate in current Deputy AD Lisa Sweany, who served as the athletic director at Armstrong Atlantic before the school was absorbed by Georgia Southern.
By all accounts, Sweany did a good job at Armstrong and has continued the good work in Statesboro. But the athletic program, in its current state, is in need of a shove forward and keeping the administration in roughly the same order isn’t the best way to accomplish that.
Five years ago, the school boasted a skyrocketing football team, a men’s basketball squad on the verge of making the NCAA tournament and a baseball and men’s golf team that were postseason regulars. Nothing has fallen off a cliff since then, but nothing has gotten significantly better either.
More importantly, the surge of money and fans that ushered in the FBS era has slowed. The stands haven’t been as crowded at any GS venues in recent seasons and balancing the budget is becoming a tougher task with each season.
It’s time for Georgia Southern to think outside the box.
The school and its athletic programs are too big and too notable to not transform into something bigger than they currently are.
Maybe that needs the touch of a business-savvy director, who can bring more donors and partnerships into the fold? Maybe it will take an aggressive and visible athletic director that will challenge the bubble immediately outside of Statesboro that is full of potential fans that don’t always fall on the Eagles’ side of the fence.
Kleinlein’s efforts were much-needed and he was the right guy at the right time for what had to be accomplished half a decade ago.
Now it’s time for Georgia Southern to find the right person once again. And if the athletic program wants to be more of a national presence, then it would do well to make sure it covers every corner of the map to find that person.
Low Tide On Jags In River City
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As the NFL playoff’s kick into high gear, let’s take a look at what went wrong in Duval. The Jacksonville Jaguars had a rocky season.
It started when Jalen Ramsey showed up to OTAs in a security truck (armored bank truck) and the downhill slope started.
Hopes were high when the Jaguars signed Nick Foles to a four year, 88 million dollar deal with 50-million guaranteed. In Week 1 of the season, Foles suffered a shoulder injury and was placed on the injury reserve.
On November 5, Foles was activated and returned as the Jaguars starter against the Indianapolis Colts. He had a respectable day throwing for 296 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in a 33-13 loss.
In Week 13 against the Tampa Bay Bucs, Foles was benched due to poor performance. He was 7 of 14 for 93 yards, one interception no touchdowns and two fumbles.
After the game, head coach Doug Marrone announced that Foles would be benched and Gardner Minshew would retake the starting job.
Minshew was drafted by the Jaguars in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Minshew may be the lone plateau in the Jaguars downhill tumble.
Gardner Minshew or Minshew Mania was the topic on every sport station in Jacksonville. As a starter, Minshew lead the Jaguars to 6 wins, throwing 21 touchdowns, 6 interceptions and 3,271 yards.
In a Week 2 loss against the Houston Texans, Jalen Ramsey was involved in a verbal altercation with Head Coach Doug Marrone. Ramsey and Marrone had to be physically restrained from each other. Ramsey, the Jaguars best player, demanded a trade the next day.
On October 15, Ramsey was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2020 first round pick, a 2021 first round pick and a 2021 fourth round pick.
On December 16, the NFL Players Association warned players of signing with Jacksonville because of excessive fines and player grievances.
On December 18, Jaguars owner Shad Khan fired executive vice president of football operations, Tom Coughlin. In the grievance letter, former player Dante Fowler was fined more than $700,000 for missing rehab during the 2018 offseason.
After the Coughlin firing, surely nobody would survive after Black Monday (the Monday following the final game). I was wrong. Head Coach Doug Marrone and General Manager Dave Caldwell hang on for another season.
The Jaguars have many questions to answer leading into the 2020 season: Is Doug Marrone the coach to lead to the playoffs? Who will be the starting quarterback in 2020? Who will Dave Caldwell draft with extra picks? Can the Jaguars trade Leonard Fournette? Where is the defense?
Tom Coughlin was definitely a huge problem, but it is unfair to put the entire blame on him? Jacksonville is a total rebuild from the roster to franchise culture.
The biggest question heading into this offseason: What have the Jaguars learned from the 2019 season?
Building the Hive
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season is almost over but one aspect never ends, recruiting. The early signing period was last month and signing day is in February. I want to look at a team that is making a splash in recruiting in 2020, Georgia Tech.
So far, the Yellow Jackets have the 26th ranked recruiting class in 2020. Under Paul Johnson, they routinely finished almost last in the ACC. This is a major improvement by them after head coach Geoff Collins’ first season. They had a rough year finishing 3-9 but they are attracting better talent.
The first player I have to mention is four-star wide receiver Bryce Gowdy. By now, I am sure you heard his tragic story. The talented Deerfield Beach, Florida native took his own life and was hit by a freight train December 30.
He was supposed to start classes at Tech this week. He was an honors student that graduated early but suffered from mental-health issues and homelessness. This was a big loss for the program and I’m not referring to on the field.
One of the best running backs in the state of Georgia, Jahmyr Gibbs is a hard commit. Gibbs played for Dalton High School and in 11 games this past season he rushed for 2,554 yards, 40 touchdowns and averaged 11 yards per carry. The four-star recruit played in the All-American Bowl last week.
Four-star dual threat quarterback Jeff Sims from Jacksonville, Fl played in the Under Armour All-America Game. Sims is 6’3, 205 pounds and very athletic. He was initially committed to Florida State before he signed with Tech.
There is another QB from Florida that signed with GT, three-star recruit Tucker Gleason. Gleason played for Plant High, which is a very good program. He 6’3, 220 lb. pro style quarterback.
Collins is recruiting the state of Florida very well and more specifically the Jacksonville area. Four-star cornerback Miles Brooks played at Trinity Christian Academy. Brooks is 6’2 so he has great size for the position. He also had offers from Alabama, Auburn, Virginia Tech and Ohio State.
Brooks has an official forty time of 4.52 and a 35.3-inch vertical.
It is interesting to see players come to Tech that were also recruited by major programs. Under CPJ you would see guys and the other teams recruiting them would be Wofford and Middle Tennessee State. The best offer they had was from GT so that is why they committed.
Defensive End Jared Ivey from North Gwinnett High School is another four-star. He’s 6’6, 225 pounds so he has prototypical body for the position. In the 2019 season, he wreaked havoc with 80 tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss and 20 sacks. He also broke up four passes and has a forced fumble.
Wide receiver Nate McCollum is also a Georgia native from Dutchtown High (Hampton). He’s a small receiver (5’11) but he is very fast, running the forty in 4.41 seconds. He’s also a stand out in baseball and we will see him on the diamond at Georgia Tech.
There are seventeen more three-star commits in this class. They are getting faster and more athletic at every position. We will see if these players can turn the program around in year two under Collins.
The Rear View
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As we ring in the new year and a new decade, it dawned on me that I’ve been writing for The Southern Sports Edition for just over five years now- and I haven’t been fired yet.
Over that time frame, there have been a number of things I’ve either learned, or have had reinforced, about sports in our area.
For example, there are a few things you just assume to be true, like the SEC is the best football conference in the country, or that the ACC is usually the strongest in basketball.
And while I’d argue both of those are true, I didn’t realize how dominant both conferences were combined, when it came to the three major college sports.
In the six football championships that will have taken place by the end of this month, five of those champions will have come from either the ACC or SEC.
The two conferences can also stake claim to three of the past five championships in both basketball and baseball over that same period of time. (If you want to include Coastal Carolina in our “area” then it’s actually four of five in baseball.) That’s not quite “Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl” dominance, but it’s pretty close.
One important lesson I learned early on is nothing brings Florida and Georgia together like their hatred of Tom Brady.
I’ve written over 300 stories since I started in October of 2014, and I don’t know if I’ve received more comments on any single article than the one I did on Brady being the best NFL quarterback of all time.
One on hand, I get it. Even though I wrote it after the Patriots beat Seattle in the Super Bowl, it was during the height of Deflategate, so the timing was a bit off.
On the other hand, Brady did lead New England to three of the next four Super Bowls, winning two of them, so I do feel a little vindicated.
Also, if I was paid based on the number of “Joe Montana never cheated” responses I got from that story, I’d be making Stephen A. Smith money right now.
One of the evolutions that has been a bit surprising is the SEC’s transition from being a more defensive minded league to an offensive one. That’s not to say the defensive side of the ball isn’t still the calling card of the conference, but you’re more likely to see a 45-38 score than a 17-13.
I must admit, the two stories I enjoyed writing the most didn’t teach me anything, but rather reminded me of why sports can mean so much to so many.
The first is the Father’s Day story I wrote about my dad and I watching a Braves game for my 10th birthday.
The other was about the Pink Out game that took place in Athens a few months ago.
Neither were especially well written, it’s just there’s so much negativity around sports nowadays it was nice to remember how athletics can bring people together.
I’ve really enjoyed these past few years and I appreciate you taking the time to read, pop culture references and all.
Here’s to the next five years of learning, reminiscing, and if my track record is any indication, being wrong on 80% of my predictions.
Unless it has to with Tom Brady; I’m pretty spot on with those.
