Bishop Media Sports Network
SSE Minute Feb 2
Top Dawgs
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Yes, it has almost been a month now since the most heartbreaking loss in UGA football history in the National Title game to Alabama. The pain for die hard UGA fans may never go away, but honestly the Dawgnation did not honestly expect to be in this position in year two of the Kirby Smart era.
Most insiders around Athens are saying the 2017 Dawgs are just the tip of the iceberg as the talented roster continues to grow with 6 Five Star prospects alone coming into the program.
Looking back on a fantastic 2017 season the SEC and Rose Bowl Champion Bulldogs had some talented players that will earn many pay days in the NFL.
Let’s take a look at some draft prospects for a few of those players.
Roquan Smith: Simply put Smith is the best linebacker to ever roam the sidelines in Athens. He is fast and his football instincts are off the chart.
Plug in the Georgia Tech tape from last season and you will see how one man can stop the triple option and how you run sideline to sideline, which will have NFL scouts camping out in Athens until draft day.
Smith is a special talent and should go as a top ten pick in the first round of the upcoming draft. I have Smith going at #10 to the Oakland Raiders who will be moving to Vegas soon.
A lot of Roquan Smith jerseys will be purchased by Raider Nation. In my opinion the only player from last year’s team that is irreplaceable in Athens. Smith was a generational talent.
Nick Chubb: Chubb will always be a favorite in Athens because of the way he overcame that horrific knee injury in 2015 and battled back and became the SEC’s second leading rusher of all time behind the GOAT whose name I won’t mention in this article but he wore #34 in Athens.
Chubb will impress at the combine with his strength and will be a solid NFL running back. I expect Nick to go in the second or third round to a team like the Lions that need a solid back who can run between the tackles.
Sony Michel: The versatility is what makes Sony special. Dawgnation would be wearing Natty shirts right now if Sony would have been used more in the second half of the title game.
Michel can catch the football and at 215 pounds can run inside or outside. Sony will be a fantastic pro. I think Michel goes in the second round to a team like Packers, Bears, or Bucs that need infusions of talent at the RB position.
Lorenzo Carter: Who doesn’t need an edge rusher in the NFL? Carter is long and fast and will carve out a fine NFL career. His speed will shock people at the combine and he has first round talent and could move up high on many teams draft boards.
Carter will probably go in the second round. Carter came back for his senior season and the blocked Rose Bowl FG in OT puts Carter in the all-time UGA highlight reel.
How Long Can Falcons Fly?
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcons had a disappointing season in my opinion. Coming off an 11-5 2016 with a Super Bowl appearance they regressed. There was only a one game difference because they finished 10-6 this season.
That one game made a huge difference in playoff seeding. The 2017 team barely made the playoffs, getting the #6 seed. That means every playoff game is on the road. The 2016 team was the #2 seed and both of their playoff games were at home.
The biggest difference was obviously the loss of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Atlanta was the highest scoring offense in the NFL last season. They were second in the league in total offense, averaging 416 yards per game.
Shanahan left to become a head coach in San Francisco. Steve Sarkisian replaced him and I thought that was a poor hire when it happened. The offense slipped to eighth averaging 365 ypg. The only thing to look forward to is maybe the team will play better in the second year in Sarkisian’s system. The same thing happened under Shanahan.
The team did improve drastically on defense. The 2016 team finished the season 25th in total defense. They surrendered 25.4 points per game and 371 ypg. The Falcons jumped to ninth in 2017 allowing 19.7 ppg and 318 ypg.
Head coach Dan Quinn has the defense going in the right direction. I think they can be even better in 2018, possibly finishing in the top five.
Defensive end Takk McKinley was a rookie this season and he played fairly well. He finished the season with 6 sacks and 20 total tackles. Not very impressive but I expect him to make a big jump in his second year.
The same thing happened with Vic Beasley and in his second season, he led the league with 15.5 sacks. He also regressed and only had 5 sacks in 2017. I think the emergence of McKinley will force teams to stop double teaming Beasley and his sack total should go up. I think they can become the best pass rushing duo in the NFL.
Matt Ryan was named the NFL MVP in 2016. He passed for nearly 5,000 yards, 38 touchdowns and completed 70% of his passes. This past season his totals dropped to 4,095 yards, 20 touchdowns and 64.7% completion rate. He also threw 12 interceptions compared to just 7 the previous season.
Ryan has showed us that he is a top ten quarterback for the past decade. He has the potential to be a top five QB once he becomes acclimated to a system. He has elite weapons like Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman to help him.
The best-case scenario for Atlanta in 2018 is to be one of the most balanced teams on both sides of the ball.
The offense needs to return to an elite level while the defense improves. With the young talent added from the last two drafts this should happen.
If the team does not improve next year then I think the championship window for Atlanta is almost closed. It will be time to reevaluate everyone on the roster and possibly start over.
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch Jan 27
SSE Min Jan 26
Jaguars On The Prowl
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Most Jag fans felt like this was going to be the year at the beginning of the 4th quarter last Sunday in Foxboro.
New England came back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, the Jaguars had no idea what hit them. Sure, Tom Brady doing Tom Brady things played a major role here. Tom Brady is the best QB in NFL history and Jacksonville became another Brady victim in the AFC title game.
The Jaguars went 7-2 with a playoff win over Buffalo at Ever Bank Field in 2017. The Jags went 5-5 on the road with a signature win over Pittsburgh in the playoffs.
The biggest turnaround for Jacksonville in 2017 was the running game. In the five previous seasons the Jags ranked no higher than 22nd in the league in rushing offense.
In 2017, the Jags were first in the NFL in rushing offense averaging 141.4 yards a game. The biggest reason for this was the addition of Leonard Fournette. The rookie from LSU had 1,040 rushing yards and 268 carries for 9 TD’s and carried the ball over 20 times in each of the Jags three playoff games. Fournette had 109 yards in the big road playoff win against the Steelers.
The Jaguars offense finished the season ranked in the top 6 of the league in rush yards, points per game, yards per game, and time of possession, but yet Blake Bortles takes a lot of heat from the fan base for underperforming.
Bortles passed for 3,687 yards which was in the top half of the league. He passed for 21 TD’s which is middle of the pack and threw 13 interceptions. Cam Newton and Ben Roethlisberger threw more picks than Bortles but yet they don’t get the heat from the fans and media that Blake does.
Bortles is still a young QB that will continue to improve. The Jaguars averaged 224.6 passing yards per game which ranks 17th in the league. Did I mention that the Jaguars led the NFL in rushing offense? Translation is that Jacksonville is right on track on improving the offense which is what Doug Marrone has stated all along.
With the addition of Cam Robinson, the OL improved dramatically. The running back position is set with Fournette for a decade. The WR corps probably needs upgrading in the upcoming draft. The perception is that the jury is still out on Bortles.
On defense, the Jaguars finished in the top two in the league total yards allowed, points per game, and sacks with 55. Jacksonville led the NFL is pass defense only giving up 169.9 yards per game.
The only warning sign for Jacksonville is rushing defense where the Jags allowed 116.3 rushing yards per game which ranked 22nd in the league. The Jags may need to add some depth at middle linebacker and some run stuffing road grader depth in the middle of the defense.
The Jaguars have the best CB tandem in the NFL in A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey and maybe the best overall secondary in the NFL that totaled 21 picks in 2017.
This defense is special at rushing the passer. Calais Campbell had 14.5 sacks, Yannick Ngakoue had 12, and Malik Jackson and Dante Fowler had 8 each thus earning the title “Saxonville” in 2017.
Telvin Smith led the team with 102 tackles and Myles Jack followed with 90.
This team isn’t going anywhere folks. The Jags are built like a cold weather team that can run the football and play defense in January.
The New England Patriots run may be over after this Super Bowl because I guarantee you a 41-year-old Tom Brady in 2018 does not want to see this defense again.
If I told you before the season the Jags would play in the AFC title game you would have said pass me some of what you are smoking.
No more tarps covering empty seats in the upper decks Jaguar nation. This team has earned your support.
Underwhelming Wildcats
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Kentucky is one of the blue blood programs of men’s college basketball. Every year they’re expected to at least compete for a national championship. The Wildcats also have some of the best recruiting classes every year under coach John Calipari.
They started the season ranked in the top five. So far, the Cats have not lived up to the hype with a 14-5 record. Their only 4-3 in conference play which is the biggest surprise. The SEC is one of the weaker power conferences and Kentucky has dominated the league for decades.
Kentucky has lost two consecutive games to South Carolina and Florida. The Gators won a close game on the road 66-64. They also snapped Kentucky’s 30 game home win streak against conference opponents.
“At the end of the day we had our chances, and I love the fact we fought,” Calipari said.
Currently the Wildcats are unranked and tied for fourth place in the SEC.
At this rate it looks like they’ll struggle to make the NCAA tournament. We will see if Kentucky can right the ship and become a contender.
They’re led by talented freshman again this year. Forward Kevin Knox leads the team with 14.3 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. Knox was Mr. Florida in 2017 and he was considered a top-10 prospect by several publications. His father was a wide receiver for Florida State and a member of the 1993 national championship team.
Hamidou Diallo averages 13 ppg and 4.5 rpg. The 6’5 shooting guard was rated No.1 at his position in 2016. He actually had to redshirt last season because he was a midyear enrollee in January 2017.
Canadian guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averages 11.9 ppg and 4.3 assists per game.
With young talent, sometimes it takes time for them to adjust to college. At a school like Kentucky they have star players at each position so it can be difficult for them to play as a team.
Saturday January 27th they participate in the Big 12/SEC Challenge at No.6 West Virginia. This is the best opponent on the schedule and I think this game can determine the rest of the season.
I think a win will give the team great momentum. It will boost the teams’ confidence and encourage them to play as a team. Based on what I’ve seen I give the advantage to the Mountaineers.
The next game is home versus Vanderbilt. They beat the Commodores 74-67 earlier this month. I expect a season sweep.
February begins on the road at Mizzou. This is the first meeting of the season but I expect Kentucky to prevail since they have more talent.
I expect the Wildcats to stop struggling in conference play and put a decent winning streak together. I don’t see them catching up with Florida to win the regular season conference title.
Super Bowl Preview
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There’s a line in “Spaceballs” where Rick Moranis’ character, Dark Helmet, says “So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb.”
As soon as New England defeated Jacksonville, cementing a spot in their 8th Super Bowl over the past 16 years, that was the first thing that popped into my head.
Of course, after Philadelphia completely manhandled Minnesota, I suddenly had that part of movie playing in my head on a loop. (Good lord, I hope the commercials will be enjoyable).
That being said, allow me to be one of approximately 7,385 articles you’ll read on Super Bowl LII.
There will be fair number of juicy stories, mainly coming from the Patriots side. (Did Tom Brady finally win Patriot of the Week?!?!?)
You’ll get your share of “experts” over analyzing every last detail, down to the Eagles conversion rate on 3rd and 3, during their 1st possession of the 2nd quarter.
To me, it’s all going to come down to how Philadelphia performs. I know that sounds kind of basic, but let me explain.
You pretty much know what you’re going to get from New England, for the most part. Their defense will give up a fair amount of yardage, but will tighten up in the red zone. Besides the two drives Jacksonville had at the beginning of the game, they were only able to score 2 fields goals.
Offensively, Tom Brady will do what Tom Brady does in the Super Bowl, basically he’ll throw for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns.
You can almost count on all those things taking place.
So, the question is what will we get from Philadelphia? In regards to this, there are two specific things I’m curious to see.
The first, revolves around Philly’s defense. The Eagles are known for being opportunistic on the defensive side and that hasn’t changed over the past few years.
As great as Tom Brady is, and has been in Super Bowl games, he does take chances that Philadelphia should be able to take advantage of. As someone who had their defense in his fantasy league, when they get an interception they are looking to score. More often than most, they find the end zone.
Don’t get me wrong, Brady will take advantage of their aggressiveness; can Philadelphia capitalize on Brady’s mistakes as well?
The next concerns both the Eagles head coach and offensive coordinator, Doug Pederson and Frank Reich, respectively.
You know the Patriots are going to come up with some sort of scheme to slow down Philadelphia’s running game, which has been one of the league’s best throughout the season.
Knowing that, can Pederson and Reich put together a game plan that will ease the comfort level of Nick Foles, so that he’ll be confident to make the throws you know he is going to have to make.
So far in playoffs, they have done a terrific job with this against two defenses in Atlanta and Minnesota, that should have been more dominant than they were.
Philadelphia has an awful lot of talent on that side of the ball and should be able to move the ball with more success than New England’s first two playoff opponents.
When all is said and done, who will walk away victorious? Well, I’ve learned not to bet against New England, so I guess I’ll go with the Patriots.
Then again, I may not even watch the game- it’s been a while since I sat down and watched “Spaceballs”.
The Miami Marlins Curse
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Miami Marlins have a short history of existence and long track record of winning championships and pissing off their fan base.
When former owner and Floridian supervillain Jeffrey Loria sold the team last year, baseball fans from across the globe wondered what kind of change this would bring to a team with 25 years of winning every single postseason series they’ve ever played in, along with never winning a single division title and constantly trading away their most popular players.
This is the team that wholesaled sold off their big guns after both World Series wins and the team that fired Joe Girardi the season he won Manager of the Year.
They have constantly developed superstars and then shipped them elsewhere. In 2012 the team built a new stadium and hired Ozzie Guillen to manage the team, which included freshly signed free agent superstars Jose Reyes, Mark Beuhrle, and Heath Bell.
Guillen was fired after one season and not one of those three players saw a second season in a Marlins uniform.
So, the team being sold was cause for celebration for the handful of Floridians who live and breathe Marlins.
After all, the team was chocked full of talent and maybe a new guiding hand would be able to supplement the likes of Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna with players that would help Miami take a huge step forward.
Another wrinkle was that the group buying the team included Yankees legend Derek Jeter among its members. This was a true baseball guy, someone who knows how the game is played and what’s more, knows how to win. All in all, things were hopeful for the Miami faithful.
But the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Jeter and the ownership group moved quickly to do the same thing to the Marlins that the previous two owners did – strip it down for parts. Over the course of one week, just seven days, Miami traded away three of their most valuable assets.
Dee Gordon was the first to go, packing his bags for Seattle. Marcell Ozuna was part three, being traded to St. Louis exactly one week later.
Ozuna was just an extra kick in the ribs, as three days prior, reigning MVP Giancarlo Stanton was traded away. It should be noted that he was traded to the Yankees, because there is no justice in the world.
In the span of just seven days all the promise that the concept of new ownership had brought to the team sank into the familiar sense of utter betrayal that must by now feel like a warm hug to Marlins fans.
Rebuilding isn’t inherently an awful thing and it may not even be the wrong thing to do for Jeter but what a wrong foot to start out on for this new regime.
For a franchise that has repeatedly been torn down to be rebuilt and then torn down again, trading away some of the most talented players the team has ever seen as a first move will not instill trust between owners and fans. Stanton is probably the second greatest Marlin in their team’s short history behind Miguel Cabrera (who was traded), ahead of the likes of Gary Sheffield (who was traded), Josh Beckett (who was traded), and literally any other Marlins player was any good at all (who was traded).
He was incredibly popular and now he’s gone, along with Ozuna and Gordon and Christian Yelich isn’t going to be too far behind.
No one liked Jeffrey Loria. He didn’t have a good relationship with his players and they were usually happy to leave south Florida but Derek Jeter is a likeable guy.
Yet Christian Yelich’s agent claimed that the relationship between Yelich and the team was damaged beyond repair.
The Curse of the Bambino prevented the Red Sox from winning a World Series for 86 years.
The Curse of the Black Sox prevent the White Sox from winning a World Series for 88 years.
The Curse of the Billy Goat prevented the Cubs from even participating in a World Series for 71 years, extending their championship drought to 108 years.
The Marlins have won two World Series in the past 25 years but are they cursed to forever be a front office mess?
SSE Minute Jan 20
