From Justin
Did you see the report that NFL teams are worried about Reuben Foster's X-and-O abilities? I have said this for 4 years and even said it on your show. Freak athlete. Struggled badly with learning the defense.
Justin -
We did see that report, and in today's NFL there really is no place to hide anyone that can follow the playbook.
But, in a lot of ways, this feels a little overblown for a guy who was a human wrecking machine this year.
Were the early parts of Foster's career clouded with missed assignments and the wondering of when the potential would match the production? Yes, but in some ways you have to credit Foster for his decision to come back.
That extra year - and his play behind a dominant defensive front - has but him in a position where he is a top-half-of-round-one guy. That also comes with people looking extra hard to try to find any nits to pick.
It happens every year at almost every position other than quarterback. (Quarterbacks in most years go the other way as teams desperate for a QB start talking themselves into "Jared Goff could be the guy" or "Man, that Carson Wentz can make all the throws.")
For every other position, player X shoots up draft boards and then folks start poking out this negative or that potential problem. We believe teams have a big hand in it too.
Teams from picks 8-14 - Cincy, Cleveland and Arizona are among the folks in that group - are happy to hear the whispers about Foster's shortcomings in the playbook area. That gives those clubs better options for the guy who is Webster Dictionary picture of what a monster middle linebacker looks like.
FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2016, file photo, Chris Berman introduces former Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith during his jersey retirement ceremony at halftime of an NFL football game, in Orchard Park, N.Y. Berman isn't disappearing from in front of the cameras or from behind the microphones.He's simply stepping to the side a bit. The longtime ESPN fixture is giving up his regular on-air NFL and baseball spots for a new role at the network.(AP Photo/Bill Wippert, File) From Pete
Did you have any opinion on the ESPN shake-up on its NFL stuff?
Thanks, and love what you guys do on Press Row.
Pete -
ESPN has been creating a lot of news with its lineups and its future.
There's the 1,000-pound elephant in the room that is the looming layoffs because of dwindling cable subscribers. (We have covered this.)
There's the talk that Mike & Mike will split and Greeny will be a morning TV host and Golic will continue on radio with, reportedly Trey Wingo as his cohost and a bigger role for Mike Golic Jr. (We have talked about this, too. That said, if you listen to Mike & Mike regularly, do you feel a bit more anger and tension between the two Mikes than ever before? We think so. Give it a listen on 105.1 the Zone and tell us what you think.)
Then there is the confirmation of the folks who will split up the main NFL duties left with Chris Berman's departure.
Wingo will host the draft presentation. To that we say, Hallelujah. Wingo is very solid, and we love the draft. You know this.
Suzy Kolber will host the Monday Football studio show. No reports as of yet whether Joe Namath will be involved or will be paid with smooches.
Sam Ponder gets the prime gig of hosting the Sunday NFL shows, before the games and the recap shows.
And we believe Ponder to be one of the best and most prepared folks at ESPN. Congrats to her and a well-deserved chance at one of the network's most prominent gigs.
Karl Malone (32) of the Utah Jazz looks to pass to a teammate after drawing two Seattle SuperSonics including Gary Payton, left, during their NBA playoff contest in Seattle on Sunday, May 2, 1993. (AP Photo/Gary Stewart)From Scott
Curious to hear your thoughts on the Karl Malone rant?
Scott -
We have mixed views on Karl Malone's recent diatribe about the frustrating trend of marquee NBA players sitting out marquee NBA games.
Here's what The Mailman had to say: "If you don't have at least 10 years experience, get your ass playing," Malone told ESPN's Sage Steele. "It's not work - it's called playing. Besides, tell our underpaid service members and police and first responders to rest. They can't."
OK, before we start, let's remember that The Mailman delivered on that premise. He played 80 or more games in 17 seasons and played all but one of the regular-season games in the strike-shortened year. So he walked his talk.
But the service members, police and first responders angle is trite. Forget the rest, here's betting they'd prefer to have similar paychecks as the LeBrons, Stephs and Durants of the world more than having similar work flexibility.
The sentiment is proper, and we've discussed this problem facing the league about players resting.
On the other side, even for someone who was as great as Malone was - and he was legit top-five at his position ever - the "Back in my day" argument, regardless of topic often rings hollow.
Across all sports, the views and discoveries of science and player development and protection advance.
Whether it's pitch counts or head safety or more breaks in tennis or whatever may come next, it really is a common business practice: Protect your most valuable resources.
Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway tries to get around Arkansas linebacker Brooks Ellis during the Tigers' 56-3 home win over the Razorbacks in October. Pettway finished the game with 192 yards on 27 carries, including two touchdowns.From Stephen H.
Any interest in reading this thread? Or, keep referring to UNC as the "biggest academic scandal we've ever seen"
Stephen -
Since this question came via Twitter, and the thread was related to Auburn and generated in mass by the Twitter feed of Walter Byerz.
And as best as I can tell, Stephen, this is something from more than a decade ago that involved the New York Times investigating the sociology department and football players at Auburn. Here's the link we found to the main story.
Yes, we went to Auburn, and yes, you appear to be a UNC fan.
And, no, we will refuse to get to the "Everyone does blank" in the back and forth of comparing dirty college sports tales.
But, we do know that story came out in 2006, and considering the time the NCAA spent on the Auburn campus a few years later with the whole Cam Newton allegations, we firmly believe that if there was anything they could make stick on the Auburn football program, the NCAA would have cut off a pinky toe to do it.
Please note that we did not say "didn't find anything" because we firmly believe that 9 times of out 10 when the NCAA gets around to looking into your school they will find something. That's because more times than not most major athletic programs have people willing to bend if not break the rules to be better, get better or have better. The stakes are so high - be it career-wise for coaches, which is at least somewhat understandable or in terms of passion for misguided fans and supporters of these programs.
As for your question, and we normally hate doing this, but we'll have to start this answer with a question of our own: Are you really comparing one New York Times report - and Pete Thamel has tried more than once to lead the NCAA to Auburn's door - about "18 members of the 2004 football team" to the UNC scandal, which reportedly covered 19 years, at least two Hall of Fame basketball coaches and thousands of student athletes?
If that's the case, well, the rest of this likely will not matter because at this point you are simply trying the political trick of, "Yes, this is bad, but what about the other bad things happening over there."
The UNC case could be the one that actually either redirects the NCAA or forces the Power 5 to move along entirely.
First, the NCAA makes almost all its money from the NCAA basketball tournament. So, teams like UNC, Kentucky, Kansas and Duke are, barring something so egregious and directly provable that there is no other choice, really have a license to steal.
CBS and the Turner folks pay billions for the NCAA tournament coverage, which has been great. But image one year that Kentucky is 33-1. But because Cal is Cal, the NCAA folks had to put UK on probation.
That would taint the entire draw because if the best team is sitting on the sideline in the best tournament in team sports, well, there you go.
Knowing that UNC has wisely dug in its Heels. (Sorry.) That appears to be the smart play, considering Ole Miss is getting hammered for cooperating with the NCAA folks. In a lot of areas of life, cooperating with the authorities is the wise play. But for Ole Miss and any other school wondering if/when this could happen to them, cooperating with the NCAA in a lot of ways alienates you from the rest of the Power Five programs because you are admitting guilt.
UNC has taken the opposite tact.
And their argument that these classes were not 'extra benefits' to the athletes because these cakewalk classes were also offered to students is inspired to the place that the NCAA mixture of Antonin Scalia/Matlock/McConaughey's character in "Time to Kill" is smiling somewhere. In turn, the fact that it was not an extra benefit means this is a thing for the accreditation boards rather than the NCAA.
Cue the Guinness "Brilliant" guys. We'll see, but the longer this drags, the better it will be for UNC.
From scole023
Stupid Nevada. Stupid Gonzaga.
Hey, you are going to do the Masters contest, right? I like to win stuff.
What has been your biggest surprise of the tournament so far?
Thanks, and you still talk too much.
Scole023 -
Yes, we are in for the Mastering the Masterful Masters Challenge. It's a peach hun.
Before we get too far, here are the Final Four entries for the tie-breaker for our "First-Out, Last-In" Challenge:
5-at-10 - Florida, UCLA, Kansas, Arizona
Scottie B - Wisconsin, Arizona, KY, Kansas
Sportsfan - Baylor, Arizona, Kansas, UCLA
Kyle O. - Wisconsin, Gonzaga, UK, Kansas
Chas - Florida, 'Zona, Kentucky, Michigan
Carl T. - Baylor, Gonzaga, UCLA, Kansas
As for the biggest surprises of the NCAA tournament, let's go with a top 5, and try to explain them it in 10 words or less. Yep, the ever-popular, 5-in-10 form the 5-at-10:
1. Tight games. Tension and drama magnifies in all these one-possession finishes.
2. Bad announcing, worse officiating. Maybe they go hand-in-hand, but UGH.
3. Basketball bloomers. How many hipsters wear pants these days.
4. Age still matters. Look at the teams left, and you'll see seniors, citizens.
5. Should have followed my original picks. In November, had Kansas, Xavier and UCLA in Final Four.