Happy Friday friends.
Here's hoping your Co-Colas are cool and your team plays offense like Cincinnati and their opponent plays defense like Cincinnati. Buckets, the Bearcats ran 100 plays and gained more than 750 yards last night and lost to Memphis. Put that in your analytics and calculate.
From the "Talks too much" studios, to the mailbag.
LSU running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs past Auburn defensive back Blake Countess (24) on a touchdown run in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. From TT
If you were Leonard Fournette, would you try to enter the draft this year?
Your new community conversation column in the A section is great. Thanks.
TT -
We would certainly investigate it, but it's hard to think he could get something that intricate changed in such a short amount of time.
That said, dude is completely ready.
One thing we would do today if we were in Fournette's inner circle would be to take out a monster insurance policy.
Take the news from this week that NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. said that if Fournette was eligible he'd be the No. 1 player on Kiper's big board. Then load up the policy for $5 million if he falls out of round 1 and $5 million more if he doesn't make the league because of injury.
Here's hoping that someone did that for Marcus Lattimore before his injuries ruined what would have been a productive and lucrative NFL career.
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From Sportsfan
Hey. Pretty busy most days. Don't get to read the 5at10 every day and post almost never. With the new job do you ever think about hanging it up? The TFP needs to grant some leniency on online access to the 5 at 10 to get some new blood for the comments section.
Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton throws a pass during the NFL football team's practice in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) Sportsfan -
Good to here from you and thanks for the kind words.
The 5-at-10, in truth, has become part of the family. We've done one every Monday-through-Friday since Monday, Oct. 25, 2010 - back when Cam Newton was at Auburn for crying out loud.
No we've never really thought about hanging it up.
As for the comments section, before the paywall went up we were averaging between 25-40 comments, and there were some really good regular commenters who were lost in the transition. (Nevermind the fact that we used to regularly quote John Blutarsky's epic, "Don't cost nuthin'" and that's no longer true. Alas.)
That said, the daily discussion here is still for the most part good-natured and that has always been a big part of what this family-oriented, interweb-based sports column wanted to be.
In truth, we can do a better job of participating back and forth, and we'll make that happen.
Thanks as always for the feedback.
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From Jomo
Is this really a big deal for UTK, to beat one of the worst Florida teams in history ?
Jomo -
We kind of believe that this question was as much rhetorical as it was mailbag-intended, but if you have questions, we try to have answers.
Yes, this game is a very big deal.
First, this game is the biggest game of the season because it's the next game of the season. ( trademark to Butch Jones, LLC, patent No. 15 from page 12 of the coach-speak handbook.)
Actually, there are several reasons beyond the coach-speak rhetoric.
Head coach Butch Jones watched his Tennessee Volunteers practice at Haslam Field on Aug. 6, 2015.This game is a toss-up in the eyes of Vegas. So this is a chance for Butch and Co. win an even game. That's something that is becoming a bigger question mark about this staff.
Butch is 3-7 away from Neyland, with wins at Vandy, Kentucky and South Carolina.
Plus, after the meltdown against Oklahoma this game is even more important.
Plus, there's the streak, and the fan base's real need for this one, and winning this game is very important.
Will this Florida team be viewed as a great win in the history of Tennessee's program? No, this Florida team is likely a 7-5 team.
But the reverse of your question magnifies the stakes: Would UTK losing to a very mediocre Florida team be a big deal? Absolutely.
Add all of that to the jagged edge where Johnny Vols Fans reside, and Saturday's game - win or lose - is a very big deal.
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From John
Making sure you saw this Bama fan getting an Ole Miss tattoo.
Any people make fun of Southerners . . . .
John -
Thanks, we did see that, and it got us thinking two things:
First, like you suggested, wow, it's not a big secret why Southerns are the last open target of mockery in our ever-PC-ing world.
Heck, imagine if you said the stereotypical comparable words to "Redneck" on TV? You'd be Archie Bunker 2.0 and Jesse, Al, and the rest of the protest brigade would be lining up outside your office.
Second, under what circumstances could you ever imagine betting a "loser gets a foe's tattoo" on the outcome? This had to be a wager made after multiple, multiple Co-Colas, right?
C'mon people. Be better than this.
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From Chas
I say that no player comes close to Yogi's excellence as player AND manager/coach. Friday question: who are the next three (any sport) in the Rushmore?
Also for Friday: Will Cam 2's replacement contend for the Heisman?
Chas -
Second part first. If Cam 2's a contender for the Heisman, it will be in 2017. Deal? Deal.
As for the best playing-coach combo, that's an awesome question.
File-New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra poses at spring training in Florida, in an undated file photo. Berra, the Yankees Hall of Fame catcher has died. He was 90. (AP Photo/File) A big part of it is that greatness as a player on the highest levels normally include some sort of physical gift that can't be taught or learned or shared.
The list of OK players who became great coaches is huge. The duality of greatness is something rare. (Although current Titans assistant Dick LeBeau may be the best ever in this category, but he was never a head coach.)
We'll grant you Yogi.
We'll add Larry Bird, who we all remember as a player, but he also was NBA coach of the year in 1998 with Indiana. Mike Ditka was a Hall of Fame player and won a Super Bowl, so he'd challenge for a spot. The final spot, we'll give to Boris Becker, who was a great player and has been given a ton of credit for coaching Novak Djokovic to the No. 1 spot in the world.
The Celtics dynasty of the 1950s could make a case for several spots. K.C. Jones was a hall of fame player and won two NBA titles coaching Boston in the 80s. Bill Sharman was inducted to the basketball hall of fame as a player and a coach, so that's something. Bill Russell won two NBA titles as a player/coach, but that had more to do with his playing than his coaching.
As for one game, with a tattoo bet on the line, the best player-manager would have to be Pete Rose, right?