Good-bye old friend
While an NFL team breaking up with its kicker does not normally raise an eyebrow this time of year, well, this one is different for a couple of reasons.
First, not many kickers are first-round draft picks like Sebastian Janikowski was. Second, not many kickers complete 17 consecutive seasons with the team that drafted them. Third, this leads to a couple of interesting draft talking points, and as we have covered many times before, I love the draft. You know this.
With news that Janikowski will not be retained in Silver and Black, that leaves only one player from the 2000, 2001 and the 2002 drafts still with the team that selected him. Yes, that player is Tom Brady.
It also allows for a couple of old-school Mr. Destiny-level hypotheticals as well as a practical draft decision-making question. Let's explore:
As for the hypothetical question about draft decisions, we'll ask this to the group: Was picking Janikowski with the No. 17 overall pick in 2000 a good pick?
If you, like many of the folks who panned the move back then, think it was a bad pick and at best a reach and he could have been available later, then that's certainly a talking point. The draft is as much about value as it is making the home run selection, and there is no better review of that balance than last year's Saints draft, in which they got the defensive rookie of the year in Round 1 and the offensive rookie of the year in Round 3.
If you grade it on scale, though, wouldn't any first-round pick who remained with your team as a starter for 17 years and made a pro bowl be viewed as great value for a first-round pick, regardless of position?
(We lean toward the latter, in truth, and it's one of the reasons we would have picked Jalen Ramsey first in 2016 - yes even over Carson Wentz and Jared Goff - because Ramsey is going to be a no-doubt Hall of Famer if he stays healthy. As for the others, while the future is bright, we're still not entirely certain how much better those dudes are than say Nick Foles or Case Keenum.)
As for the Mr. Destiny approach and the changing the course of the future, well, the 2000 draft was the one in which pick 199 became the No. 1 winner in the modern-era of the game.
And of course, the team with the top pick that year was your Cleveland Browns.
So before we redo the top 10 of the 2000 draft, try to picture what would have happened if the Browns had picked Brady? (Heck what would have happened to that franchise if they had picked Chad Pennington, the only quarterback to go in Round 1 that year? Yes, the Browns picked Tim Couch the previous year No. 1 overall, but you get the idea. Heck for that matter, what if the Jets had picked Brady with No. 18 instead of Pennington?)
Here's betting that in either instance, Brady is not the GOAT, Belichick is not the GOAT and the Patriots are not the most impressive dynasty in modern-era team sports.
As for a reboot, like we normally do, in most cases we'll try to stay similar to the positions picked by the team at the time. But in extreme cases like Brady, well, in retrospect and with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, not even the Browns would mess that one up.
1. Cleveland - Tom Brady, QB, Michigan (Brady went 199 to New England) - actual pick was Courtney Brown, DE, Penn State
2. Washington Redskins - Brian Urlacher, LB, New Mexico (Urlacher went 9 to Chicago) - actual pick was Lavar Arrington, LB, Penn State
3. Washington Redskins - Chris Samuels, T, Alabama (Samuels was picked here by the 'Skins and made six Pro Bowls as a left tackle in 10 seasons before injuries forced him to retire)
4. Cincinnati Bengals - Jamal Lewis, RB, Tennessee (Lewis went No. 5 to Baltimore) - actual pick was Peter Warrick, WR, FSU
5. Baltimore Ravens - Shaun Alexander, RB, Alabama (Alexander went No. 19 to Dallas) - actual pick was Lewis
6. Philadelphia Eagles - John Abraham, DE, South Carolina (Abraham went No. 13 to the Jets) - actual pick was Corey Simon, DT, FSU
7. Arizona Cardinals - Julian Petereson, LB, Michigan State (Peterson went No. 16 to San Francisco) - actual pick was Thomas Jones, RB, Virginia
8. Pittsburgh Steelers - Simon, DT, FSU (Simon went No. 6 overall to the Eagles) - actual pick was Plaxico Burress, WR, Michigan State
9. Chicago Bears - Keith Bulluck, LB, Syracuse (Bulluck went No. 30 to the Titans) - actual pick was Urlacher
10. Baltimore Ravens - Laveranues Coles, WR, FSU (Coles went No. 78 to the Jets) - actual pick was Travis Taylor, WR, Florida.
Medical personnel tend to a victim following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)Another tragedy
Add Parkland, Fla., to the list of heart-broken hometowns in which mass shootings and senseless violence will forever alter almost every aspect of life.
There will be time for outrage. There will be time for anger. There will be time for discussion and debate, and that conversation has to start with eliminating semi-automatic assault rifles among the population of this country. It's past time, and each incident like this continues to add to the life-altering heartbreak that is becoming far too familiar.
Think of this: The headline read that the shooting that killed 17 people at Douglas High in Florida on Valentine's Day was the worst school shooting in this country in five years. Yes. Five years.
We have to be better than this.
The Potomac Two-Step that will be performed by the politicians who cash monster checks from the NRA and other Second Amendment advocacy groups (aka gun manufacturers) will try to peg this as a mental health problem. And the answer to that is, yes it is. But that these types of weapons are so easily available to anyone - especially those with mental health issues - is staggering.
And while it is a mental health issue, it is also the next call for change in how we allow these hand-held-killing machines to be re-instated time and time again into our society.
This is stupid, and worse yet, tragic. And while we can never completely prevent the nightmares that can be inflicted by the people who have zero regard for human life - others and their own - without the semi-automatic, Wednesday's killer may have only killed seven instead of 17.
Is that still a senseless tragedy? Of course it is, but those 10 lives could have been your niece or someone you know's granddaughter.
Maybe it could have saved Coach Aaron Feis.
Feis was a security guard and assistant football coach at Douglas. He graduated from the school in 1999 and has spent his entire coaching career at his alma mater, according to the school's website. He died Wednesday night after being shot several times by the crazy killer while using his body to shield students from potential death.
Maybe the time it would take for our latest loon to stop and reload a non-semi-automatic weapon rather than just removing one clip, replacing it with another and restarting the blanket of bullets would have allowed some one to escape.
Someone like Feis on Wednesday, or maybe it could save someone you know wherever the tragedy may land the next time this happens.
Because all of the unknown in the hours and days after our most recent shooting, as the tears and blood dry and the sadness becomes rage, the only thing we know for sure is that unless we as a collective nation start taking purposeful strides to try to prevent this, it will happen again.
And, like the rain of bullets from the rapid-fire killing machine that crazy man had in his hand, again and again and again and again.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl claps for his team in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Crystal LoGiudice)Back in court
Auburn basketball posted a monster win Wednesday, beating Kentucky by double digits in front of a sold-out crowd on national TV.
Good times.
The biggest headline for Auburn in particular and college basketball in general today has nothing to do with the surprising No. 10-ranked Tigers or any of the other action by the nation's top teams.
No the biggest news today for college basketball comes from inside court rather than on it.
Attorneys for the three defendants in the FBI probe into the college basketball recruiting scandals of money laundering through AAU and shoe companies will argue today to have those federal charges dismissed. Among those accused is former Auburn assistant Chuck Person.
In a strange turn of events - and as we talked Wednesday, there never seems to be a sensible or logical turn of events when college sports and the NCAA are involved - one of the defendants who was not a coach had his charges dropped because he actually kept the bribe money for himself rather delivering the promised $150,000 to the players. Honor among thieves, yeah right.
Anyhoo, there appear to be cracks in the FBI's case, which makes perfect sense. Attorneys are going to argue today that the wiretap application was improper, and the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that an FBI undercover agent involved in the case has been accused of using the government's money on gambling, food and drinks before being removed from the case.
One source told ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach: "It's not the mid-major programs who were trying to buy players to get to the top. It's the teams that are already there."
Where it goes from here is anyone's guess, but as many as three dozen major programs could be part of the evidence and in the NCAA crosshairs.
This and that
- Here is a trend that is growing and stunning: Female participation in high school football is at an all-time high with more than 2,000 girls participating. Among the highlights and record-setters in this trend are Holly Neher (first female to throw a TD pass in a Florida varsity game), Becca Longo (who got a full ride to Adams State to become the first female to get a scholarship to Division II or higher) and Toni Harris (a safety who is believed to be the first non-kicker to earn a football scholarship with a ride to Bethany College, an NAIA school).
- Because just about everything around Lane Kiffin is somehow amusing, comes news that his defensive coordinator is leaving to coach with the San Francisco 49ers. And, because everything around Lane Kiffin is somehow head-scratching, that former DC was his brother Chris. It should be noted that after his former OC - Kendal Briles, son of Art - bolted, Lane hired Charlie Weis Jr., son of Charlie Weis the Heavy. (Side question, that may be a little too inside baseball: Would there be a more fun beat to cover in all of college football than the FAU Owls under Lane Kiffin? Discuss.)
- Radio personality Patrick Connor was fired by the Cumulus station in San Francisco for comments he made about 17-year-old Chloe Kim after her gold-medal-winning run in the winter games. Here's more, and well, there you go.
- Speaking of that, WEEI, one of the most powerful and controversial sports radio stations in the country, informed its listeners that Friday will have taped or national programming so its employees can attend a mandatory, all-day-long sensitivity training. You may remember that WEEI was the station that had the young dude get in trouble for calling Tom Brady's 5-year-old a pissant. It also suspended midday host Christian Fauria last week for using a fake Asian accent to mock Brady's agent Don Yee. Here's the released statement from the bigwigs at WEEI: "Nothing is more important to WEEI than the close-knit and diverse Boston community we call home, and we are committed to actively contributing to its betterment," Mark Hannon said in a statement on Wednesday. "WEEI is in the process of closely reevaluating our policies and procedures in an effort to ensure that our programming is never intolerant or harmful to our listeners or our city." Uh, crap. The need to act was forced because five advertisers cancelled deals after the latest suspension and the Red Sox have voiced concerns. This is a station with a list of offenses too long to name. It - sensitivity training for sports radio hosts, i.e. shock jocks in major markets - also was described by one of the industry insiders as trying to teach NFL players to tackle more gently. Good luck with that.
Today's question
Mailbag. Go.
There's also the comedy remakes pondering.
As for today, Feb. 15, well, what happened?
Well Socrates was sentenced to death on this day in 399 BC for corrupting the minds of the youth of the city.
The first Teddy Bear was introduced in America in 1903.
Susan B. Anthony would have been 198 today.
Galileo would have been 454 today.
Nat King Cole died on this day in 1965.
Matt Groening is 63 today. Thanks Matt for the Simpsons. Seriously.
Chris Farley would have been 54 today. Dude has been dead for more than 20 years. That's staggering.
As for a Rushmore, let's try this one: Is it really that hard to come up with a new Hollywood idea? As Stewwie referenced around these parts on Wednesday, LeBron James and his production group is going to reboot "House Party" which was not exactly robbed of an Academy Award back in the day. Now comes news that the trailer for the remake of cult-classic and TBS mainstay "Overboard" has been just killed on social media.
Rushmore of comedy movie remakes. Go.