Happy Friday, everyone.
What a week.
And you guys and gals were great. Awesome feedback and interaction all week, but especially with all the breaking news in the back half.
No kidding, we got close to 20 mailbag questions this week, so we are going to try to have more questions (some of them overlapped of course, and we will condense and paraphrase when needed) and shorter answers. (Shut up, Spy.)
Let's handle our business first.
Rushmore of major U.S. sports coaches over the last 50 years -- Saban, Belichick, Coach K and Summitt. (I went Summitt over Geno because there is no Geno without Pat Head Summitt. So there's that.)
Rushmore of historical events that became accepted phrases in our dialogue -- "Paint the town red," "crossing the Rubicon" (which also gave us "the die is cast"), Trojan horse and the great story behind "turn a blind eye."
Rushmore of "common." And a Rushmore of "sense." Common -- The rapper, common decency (which we are in short supply of these days), common courtesy (which we are in short supply of these days) and the common cold. Sense -- Horse sense, "Sixth Sense," Spy demanded his all-time fav movie "Sense and Sensibility" be included, and we'll go old-school Pop Greeson with the all-time Southern saying, "Doesn't have enough sense to come in out of the rain."
Rushmore of people who use the nickname "The King" -- This one was tough since there are a lot of Kings in a lot of sports. Arnold Palmer has to be there. He was the catalyst that brought golf to the masses. Elvis has to be there. He's Elvis. The King Richard Petty has to be there, too. And with all apologies to the wrestling co-Kings Harley Race and Jerry Lawler and LeBron James, we'll go with Bob Wills. Do you think I am going to take a musical moniker from MTV (Michael Jackson) over the suggestions of Willie and Waylon? PUH-lease.
To the bag.
From SteelerFan
Hey Jay,
One reason Belichick might give the Falcons a long look is his keen understanding of the advantage of playing in a weak division like the NFC South. For most of his tenure, the Pats were the bullies of an otherwise putrid AFC East, which resulted in five or six near automatic wins a year and perpetual home field advantage in the playoffs. While others focus on the existing talent at teams that might court him, the division destination is about as important -- but never mentioned. The NFC South was the only division in the League this year with no team with double digit victories. Thoughts?
SteelerFan,
Which is more intriguing at this point: Where Belichick goes or where the Pats go to replace Belichick?
Side note: World-class ninja move here would be Kraft breaking the bank and hiring Saban. Wow. That would overshadow the actual NFL playoffs.
Side note on the side note: Galaxy-class reverse ninja/wrestling heel move would be Saban taking the job and then 24 hours later recanting like how Belichick -- Saban's longtime chum -- did with the Jets before going to New England. Stephen A.'s head would pop off and Finebaum would have a coronary.
The weakness of the NFC South has to be appealing to Coach Hoodie, who must be exceedingly careful in his next destination choice.
Which leads us to bigger mushrooms in terms of legacy and GOAT-ness.
If Belichick goes somewhere -- say Atlanta -- and flops, it will add another ding to his claims to be the BAHHHHHdest. Because remember, Brady went South and climbed to the top.
But you are 100% correct, for the majority of the two decades Brady and Belichick were together, the Pats started 6-0 because the Jets, Dolphins and Bills were garbage.
The NFC South is bad, but does Bill really want to go someplace that is looking find, train and establish a QB1.
Which leads us to ...
From several of you
Black Monday became coaching carousel free for all.
Which NFL opening is the best?
Gang,
I think Alabama is the best NFL job that's open. Kidding. Mostly.
We have more on Bama in a moment.
I think the Chargers job is attractive because of Justin Herbert. If I am Belichick, this is my first call, and yes, Mahomes and the Chiefs are in that division, but the Broncos and the Raiders are too.
I think the Seahawks job is attractive to a younger coach because of the patience the ownership group showed Pete Carroll early in his tenure. Plus, I think Drew Lock could be a dude and I know DK Metcalf is 100% a dude.
I think the three least attractive jobs are the three closest NFL teams to where I am sitting in my kitchen on Signal Mountain this morning.
The Titans are devoid of stars and have arguably the second-worst owner in the game in Amy Adams.
The Panthers do not have a 1 this year, own the worst roster in the league have a No. 1 overall QB1 who looked overwhelmed last season and are owned by a billionaire who takes heckling in Jacksonville by slinging his Appletini at fans like he's a floozy at your neighborhood waterhole.
From a slew of you
Jay,
Where does Alabama turn?
Gang,
On a scale of 1-to-100, with 1 being the sun rising in the East and 100 being a three-headed chicken walking up to me in the newsroom smoking a cigar and drinking a Hi-Ball before asking me "Do you come here often" my shock number with the Saban announcement Wednesday was a 272.
(Side note: We all know three-headed chickens drink white wine and smoke Marlboro Lights.)
It was made doubly so by the words Saban offered in postseason interviews, but as Paschall wrote earlier this week, it did make a lot of sense in terms of the timing.
And, as I wrote earlier this week, I firmly believe the NIL and the portal greatly changed Saban's enjoyment of this. And it altered his biggest advantages, too, and there's no way I can see Saban at 72-plus enjoying an every-other trip to Nashville if/when the NIL changes leveled the field.
(Side note: I just really pray that no one in Saban's immediate circle is facing something that caused him to walk away. Amen.)
This hire is almost impossible, for the school and the successor.
Because, while Alabama's history is forever rich, Alabama's current, historic glory run is about the coach and not the Capstone.
This was not about the Tide it was about Terry's husband.
And simply put there is not another Nick Saban. Know or ever.
As for who is next, well, the odds have shifted faster than the eyes of a guy named after a city sitting at the Texas Hold 'em table in the Golden Nugget satellite site off the old string in Vegas.
The only guarantee here is every name that gets mentioned will get a sizable raise.
Dan Lanning was the favorite. Now he has reaffirmed his commitment to Oregon.
Now Kalen DeBeor is minus-125 according to sportsbetting.ag.
Also high on the list are Dabo, Mike Norvell and even Tommy Rees.
Anyone who takes that gig will face some unprecedented hurdles to match the eye-popping success of the clear GOAT.
But as an Auburn grad, as long as they hire anyone not named Lane Kiffin, I'll be A-OK with that.
Hey, heard Derek Dooley is on staff and for Bama analyst Butch Jones could be interested.
I will be back with NFL picks and a few other things after halftime.
Got to get ahead of the weather.
Have a great weekend, friends.