From Skip
Love the tournament moment Rushmore. Is NC State in '83 far left?
Also, since this is March Madness does that make the Rushmore of best sporting event nicknames?
Thanks and love the 5-at-10 and listening to you guys on the ride home.
Skip -
Thanks for playing along, and yes, the NC State win over Houston in 1983 is far left. In fact, we have made the argument that considering what the Jimmy V foundation has been able to do - raising more than $150 million to fight cancer - it's right there with the single most important moment in sports history. (Jesse Owens sprinting past the Furor, Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier, and of course Wes Byrum making the field goal that gave the Tigers a 22-19 national championship won over Oregon are the others. Order is debatable.)
As for March Madness moments, we'll go Texas Western beating Kentucky, Bird-Magic meeting in the Finals in '79, NC State in '83 and Laettner's shot in '92.
As for sporting events, March Madness is a contender. Back story: March Madness was first used in the 1930s to describe the Illinois high school basketball tournament. In 1982, Brent Musburger used it on the CBS broadcast. (The Illinois high school governing body owns the rights to "March Madness" in high school sports; the NCAA has copyrighted it for all other purposes. The NCAA shares the same copyright deal with the state of Kentucky in use of the "Sweet 16" for whatever that's worth.)
We know "A Tradition Unlike Any Other" for the Masters makes it. We like Fall Classic a lot, even though a lot of them are far from Classic. If we took March Madness and Super Bowl as the final two, what bumps it out.
Now, if you wanted to get into college football rivalries, well, that's a whole different Iron Bowl of fish.
FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2017, file photo, Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) rolls out as he looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in Pittsburgh . A person familiar with the decision says the Browns are releasing quarterback Robert Griffin III after one injury-marred season. Griffin is being let go one day before he would have been due a $750,000 roster bonus, said the person who spoke Friday, March 10, 2017, to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the move. (AP Photo/Don Wright, File) From Phil
Hey, Draft Guy, as a Browns fan, what should they do with that many high picks and most importantly is there a Dak Prescot in this draft?
Phil -
Great question about Prescott, and in a lot of ways that goal should be a key talking point for the powers that be in the draft rooms around the NFL.
Think of it this way: Of the five teams atop the Vegas board to win the next Super Bowl, three of teem found starting quarterbacks in round three or later. New England (a staggering 5-to-1 pick according to VegasInsider.com) got Brady in round six. Dallas (11-to-1) got Dak in round four. Seattle (12-to-1) got Russell Wilson in round three. That leaves Atlanta and Green Bay, each also listed at 12-to-1, with first-round franchise quarterbacks. (Side note: Next on the list is Denver, who is trying like heck to sign Tony Romo, who was undrafted.)
And teams should be looking for that third-round-or-later surprise more than ever this year, since there seems to be little confidence in any of the projected first-round quarterbacks. To be clear, nothing sets a franchise back more than missing on a first-round quarterback pick. It's a four-year commitment, and if he struggles, the questions become about the personnel around him. Then about the play-calling. Then a coaching change. Check this out:
Here are the first-round quarterback of the last five years (and not all of them would we consider busts):
2016 Rams - Jared Goff
2016 Eagles - Carson Wentz
2016 Denver - Paxton Lynch
2015 Bucs - Jameis Winston
2015 Titans - Marcus Mariota
2014 Jags - Blake Bortles
2014 Browns - Johnny Manziel
2014 Vikings - Teddy Bridgewater
2013 Bills - EJ Manuel
2012 Colts - Andrew Luck
2012 Redskins - Robert Griffin III
2012 Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill
2012 Browns - Brandon Weeden
Let that list soak in on you for a moment.
Now know that if our math is correct, that combined group of first-round QBs who franchises pegged big money and bigger hopes on is a combined 3-5 in the playoffs, and Luck has all three wins.
Compare that to 2012, when Wilson and Kirk Cousins were picked in rounds three and four. Or 2013, when Mike Glennon was a third-rounder, and now is pegged as the Bears savior. Or 2014 when Pro Bowler Derek Carr was an early second-round pick, Jimmy Garoppolo was a late second-rounder and Tom Savage, who is pegged to be the Texans' starter if Romo does not land in Houston was a fourth-rounder. Or 2015 when Trevor Siemian was a seventh rounder or last year when Dak was the eighth quarterback picked.
It's also worth point out that on the list above, ever organization that has drafted a first-round QBs in the last five years other than the Colts has had at least one coaching change in the last five years. And we thought this was interesting: Falcons undrafted defensive back Brian Poole and Prescot got the most money in unwritten performance incentives.
So, for the Browns, that means roll the dice, and use a later pick, especially if it's a QB you are not wowed by. And can't we all be fair and say that other than Luck, RG III before the injuries and Winston (and maybe Mariota), there are not a lot of wow names on that above list.
What we would do:
Option one: Spend your picks on talent and difference makers. Pick one, we'd take Jonathan Allen but if they go Myles Garrett on potential, well we get that. His numbers are scary. Pick 12, we go either OJ Howard if he's there or Mike Williams, who ran a 4.54 official 40 and has the look of a legit No. 1 wide out. There are a slew of second rounders, this year.
Option two: Deal for Garoppolo. We believe he has the goods.
As for there being a Dak in this class, would Josh Dobbs not be the best comparison? We think Deshaun Watson is also in that conversation, but is DQed because he will be a top-15 pick.
All three are smart, engaging and motivated dudes who had a ton of experience in college. They won a lot of games, and other than the Alabama game this past year, Dobbs was a fierce competitor, something that all of Prescott's coaches have praised.
Great question.
Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg speaks during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Friday, March 9, 2012, in Atlanta.From Bill
Who is the most unbearable guest you've had to interview on the show?
Bill -
Man, we have been blessed to have a lot of great questions.
Side note: The Q&A will be in the paper in the days ahead, but we had Keith Mitchell, the former Baylor School star golfer, on the show earlier this week, and he was excellent. Great stories. Great sense of humor. It's worth your time here.
As legend has it, the most unruly guest we've had is ESPN college hoops analyst Seth Greenberg, who got his boxers in a bunch about a straight-forward question about Steph Curry going to Davidson rather than Virginia Tech, his pop's alma mater and where Greenberg was coaching then.
Sadly, I was not there during this interview. Alas.
That said, we've had a great run of guests on Press Row, and thanks to all who join us and those of you who listen along.
In this Friday, March 11, 2016 photo, a crowd watches as the cast-iron fountain in Forsyth Park sprays water dyed green less a week before the St. Patrick's Day parade in Savannah, Ga. While dying the fountains in Savannah's parks is a longstanding St. Patrick's Day tradition, many visitors believe the city dyes the Savannah River as well. That happened only once in 1961. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum) From Mike
Happy St. Patrick's Day, Jay. Hope you enjoy the festivities and wear green.
What makes the Rushmore of 'holidays' that we embrace because we love to drink Co-Colas?
Mike -
This of course has to come from you.
Well-played my man. Well-played indeed.
Here's our list, and know that we are not really bagging on any of these, because, hey, another reason to knock back a few Co-Colas, regardless of color, is cool with us.
Yep, we think St. Patrick's Day is certainly there. Have another Green Co-Cola everyone. We also think New Year's Eve deserves a mention. We also think New Year's Eve is most likely the most overrated holiday.
We were leaning toward Valentine's Day, but that's made up to get into your wallet for other reasons. We'll go with the 'holiday' that is Super Bowl Sunday.
Finally and far left here is Cinco de Mayo, which most of America believes is Mexico's version of July 4 as we pound chips and salsa and cervezas. In truth Cinco de Mayo is the Mexican celebration of a victory over France in the Battle of Puebla. So Americans celebrating that is not unlike Mexicans celebrating the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.
Sam Adams' Co-Colas for everyone.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) goes up for a layup as New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, left, watches from the floor in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Sunday, March 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) From Stewwie
False on the Curry question. I think we'd start with Unibrow, KAT, Greek Freak, and Gobert. Then maybe Durant, Leonard, Westbrook, and Harden. That leaves two more. Boogie Cousins would be taken by someone just because of his talent (and of course optimistic that his attitude issues wouldn't be a problem). So for the last spot, do you take an out-of-prime LeBron or an in-prime Curry? Simply due to the age difference, I think Curry would be taken. It's close though because I think LeBron still has 5-7 respectable years left and can play multiple positions. Thoughts?
And
I have a simple solution that will all but eliminate the excessive resting during the season. Ready? Give the higher seeded team in the playoffs Game 6 at home. That means games 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7 at home in a playoff series. Don't you think teams will take their conference positions much more seriously after that?
Stewwie -
Great stuff, and too much to decipher in normal conversation.
The second part first: It would never happen. But it's at least an interesting concept and something has to be done to motivate teams to do more in the regular season. There needs to be discussion on both sides of the CBA table. The owners could spread games more; the players have to see the need for this issue to be addressed.
First, there are the league's TV partners, and those folks are the reason the salary cap has almost doubled in 10 years. Then there are the fans, and the high prices paid for big-name stars who may come one to Memphis each year but sit out as a family of four from Clarksville has paid a month's house note to see little Jimmy's favorite athlete ever, LeBron James.
If we reshuffled the NBA entirely right now, and we love stuff like this:
Depending on your system and whether you went big or small, we concur with the four in each category.
Anthony David, Karl-Anthony Towns, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert are no doubters. (And how many people know about the last two, one's a walking triple-double and a 7-foot point guard and the other may be the modern defensive version of Bill Russell.)
We also concur that Durant, Leonard, Westbrook and Harden are there.
We'll even concur that someone will talk themselves into taking Boogie Cousins No. 9 because he's 25-12 every night.
And before we get to the Curry-LeBron discussion at 10, we think there are few other names to be discussed.
Does Isaiah Thomas get a discussion here? If Damian Lillard and Steph Curry were swapped, would we really know the difference? What about Steph and Kyrie or even Kyle Lowry? If you are Golden State, and you had to pick between Curry and Klay, who are you keeping? Would you rather Steph or Jimmie Butler or Andrew Wiggins or Paul George?
Now there are also the freakish big men in the league - Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan - that will catch someone's eye.
As for the names you referenced, we'd go with LeBron.
Steph has more life left. He's 29 after all, and LeBron is 32 and has a ton of miles on his tires. But LeBron on any team for the next four years is right there as the favorite to win it all. Curry on any other team not named Golden State or San Antonio is the favorite to lead the league in scoring.
In fact, the looming playoffs and the Warriors going from a place of fan-favorite to front-running target is one of several intriguing shorelines this postseason.
Giddy-up.