5-at-10: Enabling LaVar and Nick, Mock drafts, Spring football big kickoff, One-word Wednesday

Texas A&M defensive lineman Myles Garrett (15) makes a one-handed sack as he pulls down UTSA quarterback Jared Johnson (15) during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Texas A&M defensive lineman Myles Garrett (15) makes a one-handed sack as he pulls down UTSA quarterback Jared Johnson (15) during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Mock-tastic

We love the draft. You know this.

Mel Kiper released his updated mock draft on Wednesday. There are some interesting developments.

Myles Garrett appears to be a universal slam dunk to go first overall.

Kiper now has Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas going second, jumping Thomas a lot of spots after a great combine and a tremendous pro day.

As for the quarterbacks, Kiper has Mitch Trubisky going 12 to Cleveland and Deshaun Watson going 13 to Arizona. That would seem a little strange since Cleveland did not even attend Trubisky's pro day. (That said, Kiper told an excellent story about pro days on Mike & Mike on Wednesday, noting that what are you going to learn about a QB in the perfect setting in which he is completely comfortable and relayed the memories that JaMarcus Russell had a great pro day and Peyton Manning had an awful pro day.)

The question for us would be, would you rather have Trubisky at 12 or deal that pick to New England for Jimmy Garoppolo?

Also of note: Kiper mentioned that Joe Mixon, yes, that one, could very well sneak into the back end of round one.

photo Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James watches from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Saturday, March 18, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Perception

The run of quotes and news conference appearances for a few stars has left me puzzled.

Case one, there is LaVar Ball, who has become a cartoon character wrapped in an after-school special mixed with a cautionary tale. In truth, should we not have realized that everything out of this guy's mouth should be taken with a truckload of salt considering he said in all seriousness that he would beat MJ in his prime in one-on-one.

From that point forward, it's all nonsensical, and why should we expect any credence or credibility or any semblance of logic on any other topic. It would be like someone saying they would have whipped Mike Tyson at the height of his powers and we then want this guy to deliver meaningful and insightful answers to other questions.

At some point that's on us, right?

We know he's going to be a nonsensical gasbag that makes all the headlines for all the wrong reasons we give people headlines now a days. (That said, we applaud LeBron James, who has spent more time in the public eye than any three celebrities anywhere, for trotting out there that Ball can say whatever he wants about him and everything else, but he needs to keep his trap shut about James' kids. Of course, Ball then had more to say about it because he's a spotlight-hungry jackwagon.)

Now, let's flip to the opening news conference for the Alabama spring practice and Nick Saban's explosion at some reporter for asking if the Tide is going to be more ball control. Here's his two-minute rant and we all giggle and snicker and sit back mouths open at a grown man who makes millions acting like a bully.

Let's face it, Saban threw a coach's kindergarten tantrum, and be it planned or random, it was a tired routine that would have caused most of our kids to get punished.
The connection?

In both ways the media is part of the problem.

We degrade ourselves and our mediums giving jackwagons like Ball a platform. Then we fold against someone like Saban, who either planned to blow against someone just because he had not done it in a while, wanted to find a way to blast the NCAA or simply did not want to talk about ball control offensive changes. (In a perfect world, the reporter who got baptized should have followed up with, "So that's a no coach to more ball control?")

The media - and this comes with the admission that we are a) a full card-carrying member of the media; b) we likely would not have asked Saban that follow-up, especially if our livelihood depended on having a working relationship with the Dark Lord and c) if Lonzo Ball wanted to have a one-on-one with us, we'd have a hard time saying no - enables each kind.

photo UTC football coach Tom Arth watches his team during spring drills Tuesday afternoon at Scrappy Moore Field.

Big kick off

Saban's eruption aside, it was a crazy day as several area spring football practices started Tuesday.

Locally, Tom Arth opened his first spring and talked about it with TFP UTC ace Mean Gene Henley.

Up the road, the biggest question in Knoxville certainly centers on who will take the keys to the offense from Josh Dobbs.

Here and here are some interesting looks at leading contenders Quenten Dormandy and Jarrett Guarantano from TFP UT ace Downtown Patrick Brown. And of course TFP all-around SEC ace David Paschall was going full speed with stories on Georgia and more on Alabama, including Lord Saban's chat with the media.

This and that

- Man, who's picking our teachers and coaches these days? According to this story, a high school football coach from Spokane, Wash., has been suspended for his antics at a leadership conference last summer that included allegations that he was drinking in front kids and called a female student a "puck slut" because she hung out with hockey players. He also alleged but his unit in a hot dog bun, showed it to his players and asked, "You think that is a big dog - take a look at this."

- Speaking of the high school football coach, famous Chinese marshal He Long was born on this day in 1896.

- Chuck Barris, who created a nine-figure game show enterprise that produced home run ideas such as the Newlywed Game, the Dating Game and of course the Gong Show, died Tuesday night. He was 87.

- Not exactly a surprise all things considered after the stories that circulated this year with the UTC basketball team, but Peyton Woods is leaving the Mocs program. Here's Mean Gene's report.

Today's question

Have you offered a mailbag question?

If not, why not? If you need more, let's go here on a one-word Wednesday.

LaVar Ball is ____________.

Nick Saban is ___________.

The biggest concern for UTC's spring practice is _______________. (Remember, one word people.)

Go, and enjoy the day.

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