Wow, it has not rained in like 40 hours. Crazy, right?
From the "Talks too much" studios, remember the mailbag.
NFL schedule
Here's hoping you did not waste your time on the NFL back-slapping hour-long special of announcing its schedule.
Yawn.
If you did, well, that's OK too.
Here's what you need to know (and it likely will take far less than an hour).
We also found it quite interesting that 19 Super Bowl rematches will be featured next season.
And to make sure we are ahead of the rush for you loyal reader, here are the earliest of early Week 1 NFL lines (according to Vegasinsider.com):
FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2014 file photo, New England Patriots tackle Nate Solder (77) reacts in the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Foxborough, Mass. Solder reportedly had surgery for testicular cancer last spring. He went on to start every game, including the Super Bowl victory. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) Thursday, Sept. 10
Pittsburgh at New England (-6.5)
Sunday, Sept. 13
Green Bay (-4) at Chicago
Kansas City at Houston (-2)
Cleveland at N.Y. Jets (-1.5)
Indy (-3) at Buffalo
Miami (-2.5) at Washington
Carolina (-3.5) at Jacksonville
Seattle (-3.5) at St. Louis
New Orleans at Arizona (-2.5)
Detroit at San Diego (-1.5)
Tennessee at Tampa Bay (-3)
Cincinnati (-3) at Oakland
Baltimore at Denver (-4.5)
N.Y. Giants at Dallas (-5.5)
Monday, Sept. 14
Philadelphia (-1.5) at Atlanta
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Draft dancing
Jameis Winston passes during Florida State football pro day in Tallahassee, Fla., on March 31, 2015. The Tennessee Titans have emerged as the swing team of next week's draft.
By almost all accounts, the Tampa Bay Bucs will take Jameis Winston No. 1. (
Then comes Tennessee at No. 2 and if they do not want to go quarterback with Marcus Mariota, there are several teams looking to move up that believe Mariota is a franchise guy.
Here are four interesting scenarios that could be floated:
* We have covered the Chargers deal in this space previously. To recap, it would be the Titans dealing the No. 2 pick to San Diego for Philip Rivers and the No. 17 pick in Round 1. This has some appeal on a lot of fronts - as long as the Titans are assured of being able to sign Rivers to another contract - and addresses the team's glaring lack of a franchise face.
* The New York Jets are picking at No. 6, and there has even been talk about them moving up to No. 1 to mark sure they get Mariota. Tampa Bay has since entered the "We'd be willing to trade the first pick" song and dance, but that feels more like a hollow offer and the Bucs trying to see if someone will pay a king's ransom. Either way, the Bucs need a QB, and they only way they would move back to No. 6 is if they still believed they could get Mariota or Winston. The Jets may hold out a small glimmer of hope of that scenario - after the Titans, the picks go Jaguars, Raiders, Redskins, and each of those teams have much bigger needs than quarterback - but that's not assured. The Jets would offer a very high pick back to the Titans and would likely have to pay something similar to what Washington paid for RG III, which became three first-round picks.
* There have long been whispers that the mad scientist that is Chip Kelly would love to make Marcus Mariota a Philadelphia Eagle, but Kelly already has four quarterbacks on his roster, including three former first-round picks. So there's that.
Injured Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler walks around the field during team warmups before an NFL football game between the Bears and the Dallas Cowboys in Chicago.* Then there is talk of several crazy scenarios that include a host of teams such as St. Louis, Chicago and Cleveland. The Rams have a wealth of talent at positions such as running back and defensive line - areas the Titans could use help. The Bears looking to part ways with Jay Cutler and would love to ship him to Nashville, but that would mean the Titans taking on his monster contract. This one would have to be very rich in picks for the Titans, and it seems a lot like the Braves' deal when they packaged Craig Kimbrel in a deal so the Padres would take Stinky Upton's awful contract. Then there's the Browns, who now seem to be back into the interested parties looking at quarterbacks despite taking Johnny Football last year. This seems like a stretch, but the Browns need something, and some times desperate times generate desperate offers.
We believe the first two could happen and the last two seem like longshots.
Either way, the Titans are the central point of the NFL draft. And it continues into round two, when the Titans have the first pick Friday, which means any projected first-rounder who falls and is coveted by a particular team could elicit enticing trade options.
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Movie history
We talked earlier this week about Independence Day 2 and the potential of it being on the Rushmore of worst sequels of all time.
Columbia Pictures -- Bernie McInerney runs afoul of security officer Kevin James in "Paul Blart: Mall Cop."Then this comes forward. Yep, according to Rotten Tomatoes, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2" is the worst movie possible.
Yes, it has a zero rating, making it not just the worst movie any review has seen, but making it the worst movie imaginable.
We will stand with Caddyshack 2 being the worst sequel because of a) it was a steaming pile of dreck; b) it was a sequel to one of our favorite movies ever, ergo, we wanted it to be good; and c) there's the whole Dan Aykroyd doing a bad Carl Spackler impression Let's just agree not to speak any more about Caddyshack 2, OK?
As for Paul Blart No. 2 - and apparently that's an apt description - the above review gives it the most direct backhanded compliment slap we've heard in recent memory in that the best thing about the movie is there are no jokes about farts.
So there's that. Egad.
We do have to wonder what two Hollywood dudes were sitting around and thought
[Scene: Cramped associate producers office with a pile of scripts on the desk and empty water bottles (Evian would be appropriate) and some fast food wrappers. Overworked Tom is sitting behind the desk looking lost and perplexed. Enter Sam.]
Sam: "Man, you know what we need a sequel of?"
Tom: "Hmmmm. Another Fast and Furious?"
Sam: "Of course, but they've made like seven of those and there are likely another three coming."
Tom: "Really? How are they going to do that with that kid from Varsity Blues dying?"
Sam: "James Van der Beek died?"
Tom: "No, the other one. The good-looking one."
Sam: "What difference does it make. Fast cars. Fast women"
Tom (giggling): "That's why the guys down at the car club call you Cruiser right?"
Sam: "Shut up. Listen, I've got a sequel that will get us out of these tiny offices and into the big time."
Tom: "Well, what is it?"
Sam: "Paul Blart, Mall Cop 2. Only this time we make it shorter, less funny and tap into Kevin James' dramatic side as well as him falling down a lot."
Tom: "Wow, that sounds well, that really sounds kind of dumb."
Sam: "You just wait. When it hits, it's going to be record-setting."
Tom: "OK, let's make it happen. Do you think we can get Kevin to sign on?"
Sam: "No problem, it's Kevin James. What, do think he's doing Shakespeare in the park or something?"
Tom: "Good point."
Close scene.
(Of course the next scene is three months from now with Sam and Tom reading Variety on a break from the counter at a Hollywood Chick-Fil-A.)
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This and that
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2014, file photo, Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher reacts after his team won the NCAA BCS National Championship college football game against Auburn in Pasadena, Calif. Finish No. 1. Start No. 1. Even Bobby Bowden’s best Florida State teams never did that but Fisher’s Seminoles will. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File) - We have believed this from the start and this screams volumes about the power football culture. Apparently on one of his recent "Draft Academy" interviews, Jameis Winston said the famous crab legs incident was a "hook up" from a Publix employee who gave free food to FSU football players. This of course would be an NCAA violation. That the FSU powers that be would let Winston fall on a criminal sword rather than address a potential NCAA dust-up does not reflect well on Jimbo Fisher.
- Interesting story here from TFP golf ace David Uchiyama on a local guy with 15 holes in one. That's a lot.
UTC head football coach Russ Huesman shouts to players during the Mocs' first spring football scrimmage Saturday, March 28, 2015, at Scrappy Moore Field in Chattanooga.- UTC football coach Russ Huesman was aces on Press Row on Tuesday. Thanks coach.
- Trevor Cahill took another loss for the Braves. He pitched better until an error in the fifth led to four runs in the 7-1 loss to the Mets. In fact, Cahill's four innings and three earned runs allowed dropped his ERA to 9.95.
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Today's question
We'll keep it simple. What's the Rushmore of worst sequels?
Also, today is the 139th anniversary of the first game of the National League. What's your Rushmore of National League moments?
Go, and remember the mailbag.