New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady holds up his Pete Rozelle Trophy during a news conference after the NFL Super Bowl XLIX football game on Feb. 2, 2015, in Phoenix, Ariz. The Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24. Brady was named the game's most valuable player.We know that the Super Bowl has come and gone and that these are questions from timesfreepress.com readers. If you want to participate in the weekly mailbag, email your question to jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.
From JL12:
The "5-at-10" (timesfreepress.com) has been great recently during the Super Bowl stuff and then recruiting. Thank you for making the work day go faster.
I have two questions. Now that football is over, what are you going to write about and talk about on the radio, and do you think Tom Brady's Super Bowl success is tainted like (Charles) Haley said?
JL12 --
Thanks for the kind words and for playing along here and on "Press Row."
As for subject matter, well, it seems there's always something, you know? Whether it's Tiger or LeBron or the next scandal. In fact, that's one of the reasons a bunch of these sports dramas get so much attention and the suffix "-gate."
Yahoos like us and Yahoo have to fill an unfillable bandwidth with stuff. So it goes.
As for specifics, well, we are more into the NBA than we used to be. We also will commit to amp up the college hoops talk since we are a month from March Madness -- crazy, right? And let us not forget that we are about a week from pitchers and catchers reporting, and since the Braves are going to stink out loud, there will be no shortage of hand-wringing for the Southern baseball follower.
As for Brady, in no way does any of the off-the-field stuff taint his accomplishments in our view. Now, his claims of having zero idea that the balls were being tampered with seem so farfetched that if that changes your view of Brady the dude, well, we get that. Brady the QB, though, has the most complete resume ever.
From Sportsfan:
Turned on the LSU-AU game (Thursday), and the first thing I see is ESPN's bottom line reporting Tiger withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open with a "back injury." When will he just admit he's not playing very well rather than always having an excuse? It's getting a little old, in my opinion.
Also, were (Bruce) Pearl's kind comments on Saturday's broadcast a message to Dave Hart that he'd entertain a return to K-town if (Donnie) Tyndall doesn't survive the fallout from Southern Miss?
Sportsfan --
We think there was a time when Tiger may have pulled the WD out of midair when he was struggling, but the run of struggles and injuries has been so consistent recently that who's to say what's really happening. We do know this: Golf is the overall loser in this latest setback.
Quick, what was the storyline of the golf world Thursday: Tiger Woods hurting or Nicholas Thompson going low?
The game of golf needs Tiger way more than Tiger needs golf, and the scariest thing for golf fans in particular and sports fans in general is that at some point, if he can't contend and can't play pain free, he'll hang 'em up and move along. And the game is not ready for that right now.
We say no on Pearl's kind comments having the multiple intentions you mentioned. If Donnie Knoxville is sacked, Hart will have to go cleaner than clean, and as exciting and polished and good as Pearl is, he's hardly cleaner than clean.
From Justin:
I have noticed that you know a few things about betting.
My buddy and me were talking about Vegas the other day and wondered what the future of sports gambling will be. What do you think?
Justin --
Great question.
We wrote last month that we believe states should look at legalizing casinos and sports betting. There's too much to gain -- and to lose, if you are behind the curve of becoming the Vegas of the East -- from the attraction and river of money.
As for sports gambling specifically, well, we have seen the first step in the explosion of instant fantasy sports leagues for real money against total strangers. It's the Rotisserie leagues' version of the online poker boom of a decade ago. This will be regulated and micromanaged sooner rather than later, and in truth, we believe the NFL, NBA and MLB will try to get their hands around it to their benefit as well.
In fact, we now have MLB and NBA commissioners openly saying that legalized gambling should be examined and considered. It's a position that until recently always has been considered taboo.
The reason, of course, is the NFL has exploded into the biggest monolith in all of pop culture, and a big part of that is because it has quietly and subtly embraced the gambling environment that has helped it become must-see TV. There are injury reports and easy point spreads and a slew of avenues that nod to the gambling culture. In fact, here's a conspiracy theory for you: Maybe the NFL is looking to make the extra point tougher to create more drama in regard to point spreads. Think about it, and there are crazier notions out there.
We believe that gambling avenues will be easier as technology continues to make us the most-served/laziest society ever.
We believe that betting will be everywhere. And it will still be the house that wins and makes big shiny buildings and offers $5 lobster dinners.
And remember, gang, it's always for entertainment only.
From Chas:
You say the LeBeau hire is a Titans home run. How many bases for the Falcons' Quinn hire and how many for the Vols' DeBord hire?
Chas --
Dick LeBeau is definitely a home run hire for the Titans, especially as an associate head coach. We get the feeling Ken Whisenhunt has brought in LeBeau -- a Hall of Famer as a player and a coach, mind you -- to coach the coaches as much as the players, and to share his insight in constructing a defense that stands the test of time regardless of injury or salary reduction.
There are some similarities in the LeBeau move and the other two you mentioned.
As for Quinn, we give it a solid B-to-B+ and think it could be better than that. We're lowballing Quinn out of the gate because this is his first head coaching gig, and let's remember he was an SEC defensive coordinator like three years ago. That's a meteoric rise. But, like LeBeau, he has crafted a slap-nasty defense with a collection of hodgepodge pieces and late-round picks. That's a big-time feather in his cap as a coordinator and a talent evaluator -- two things the Falcons are craving.
The connection between Butch Jones and new OC Mike DeBord -- something that Whisenhunt and LeBeau shared in Ken's time in Pittsburgh -- obviously had a great deal to do with the move in Knoxville. The DeBord hire has been met with a fair amount of consternation from the Vols masses, but we agree with the sentiment that while the hire is a little head-scratching, Butch has earned the benefit of the doubt.
So a quick recap of grades: LeBeau -- A+; Quinn -- B+; DeBord -- Incomplete.
Contact Jay Greeson at sports@timesfreepress.com