From a few of you Johnny Titans Fans (paraphrased and combined)
How about that big mouth? You have been hating on the Titans/Mariota all year and we dropped the hammer last night.
Playoffs, Big Shot, what do you think about that?
Maybe this will case you to stop saying Marcus is overrated. He's a winner.
Titans faithful -
First, uh, we picked the Titans to win and cover last night. The Jags turned their offensive over to something called a Kessler.
That was a win that absolutely had to happen.
That said, well, the artist we used to know as Derrick Henry was amazing last night. (Side note: With a lot of fantasy football playoffs starting last night, anyone who had Henry, who put up 230-plus rushing yards and four TDs, including a record-tying 99-yarder, got the highest scoring game of the season by a single player. And he was only started in 14.9 percent of the ESPN leagues last night, which means a whole lot of folks are kicking themselves for leaving his 47-plus points on the bench. Ouch-standing.)
As for the Titans, they handled their BID-ness last night. At home. Against Cody Kessler.
And that keeps them right in the thick of the wildcard chase.
But let's not go printing Super Bowl passes just yet, OK.
Also worth noting, I can't ever recall using the overrated tag on Marcus Mariota. Now the conversation of whether he's a franchise dude must be had, and it must be had right quick for these Titans.
Marietta was 18-of-24 for a whopping 162 yards, no scores and a pick. That's a whole lot of 6-yard checkdowns, friends. Is that line - or Mariota's 69.1 percent completions for 2,330 yards with 11 TDs, eight picks and eight fumbles - worth the $22-plus million that franchise QBs get?
We'll wait for your answer, because I do not think it is. I think that is replicated by a lot of young quarterbacks sooner rather than later. And that youth at QB allows for financial freedom and an array of other positions, right?
Congrats on the win Titans.
You are officially the Atlanta Hawks from a generation ago in which you are always going to be good enough to contend for the 4, 5 or 6 seed and may win a playoff series.
But under current construction, can you see this team - and that quarterback - win a Super Bowl?
From Ernie
(Tuesday) was national cookie day and I thought that was for sure going to be your Rushmore. What's on your Rushmore of cookies?
Ernie -
We thought about it.
And truth be told, we had a couple this year that we started with, but then for some reason thought we'd already done them. Let's face it when you've done more than 2,100 of these morning chats, and a vast majority have had a Rushmore, there's going to be some overlap.
We had the feeling that we had done the cookie Rushmore before. (The other was, in honor of the Greak Freak's birthday, international basketball players, and we looked that one up and have had that one fairly recently.)
As for personally, and not official cookie Rushmore, our MJ is the homemade chocolate chip. There are few sweets we'd rank ahead of it to be honest. And please do not be cut with walnuts or caramel or some ancient Chinese secret. The chocolate chip cookie formula is pure and as close to perfect as man should strive. As Paul and John wrote, "Let it Be, Let it Be."
We'd then go to the shortbread cookie. That's a high-quality cookie, and it should go without saying that a nice cold glass of milk is prominently involved with each of these.
Next we'll list the Oreo, but we must make this clear, it's only the original Oreo. The Double Stuff, not unlike Godfather III and Ghostbusters II - or if they ever decided to make a Caddyshack sequel (because we believe in our soul that has never, Never, NEVER been attempted) - is too much of a great thing. And don't even get us started on the array of various flavors.
Finally, we'll go with those Girl Scout peanut-butter numbers. They are > Nutter Butters. And sorry friends, but the GS Thin Mints are OK if that's your cup of cookie but the Samoas are wicked overrated. On the opposite end of the spectrum of underrated cookie is the Keebler Fudge Strip. Goes exceedingly well with milk.
Side question here: Is there a cookie with as much swing room as the Sugar Cookie. Done properly, especially around the holidays, it's a treat. Not unlike Sweet Tea or the kid you knew growing top whose mom put about a cup too much sugar in the Kool-Aide, the Sugar Cookie that has too much sugar is a chore.
That brings us to this week's Rushmores.
Rushmore of Johnny: Cash, Be Good, Carson and Nicholson saying "Here's Johnnnnnnyyy" in The Shining. (On the shortlist of all-time scary movie scenes, right? Did we just offer up a Rushmore of a Friday? I think we did. If we did a Rushmore of all-time scary movie scenes, starting with "Here's Johnnnyyyy" and moving to any of the last 45 minutes of the Excorist. We'd also add - and this movie is not a classic, but for those of us a certain age, when the babysitter calls the cops, and the cop says, "The call is coming from inside the HOUSE!" is creepy. What am I missing?
Rushmore of movie remakes better than original: Ocean's 11, The Departed (was a remake of a popular Chinese movie even though people assumed it was based on Whitey Bulger), Casino Royale (and there could be a lot of Bond movies on this list considering the improvement of effects and movie making tools, but this one is far and away the leader of that genre in this Rushmore), Cape Fear. And while we are here, can we just all agree that the world does not need another King Kong or a Planet of the Apes vehicle? Deal? Deal. (Side note to this category, for Alejandro and a few others: We struck the Batman and Superman and the super hero movies from this category for clear reasons.)
Rushmore of 'Dude': Of course, The Dude from Big Lebowski is far left. We'll follow with Dude Ranch, the Dude definition scene in Easy Rider, and of course the Bud Light commercial run in 2008 of "Dude." which led to "Whassup?" which eventually led us here. Dilly! Dilly!
Rushmore of hugs: Apollo and Rocky in the surf after the training to get ready for Clubber Lang; Yogi Berra and Don Larsen after the perfect game in the 1956 World Series; the hug between Will Hunting and Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting. Michael and Fredo hugging on New Year's even in Cuba in Godfather II. "Fred, I know it was you. You broke my heart. YOU BROKE MY HEART!" (Side note: We are completely open to this being a very man-oriented Hug Rushmore - we can call it a Hugmore if you'd like - so we are open to a kinder collection that would include, Forrest and Jenny in D.C., E.T. and Elliot, Charlie and Willie Wonka in the elevator, and any non-Frozen Disney hug - there are too many to count, but we'd like start with the Little Mermain and her daddy. Deal? Deal.)
In this Jan. 28, 2018, file photo, rapper Kendrick Lamar accepts the award for best rap album for "Damn" at the 60th annual Grammy Awards in New York. On Monday, April 16, 2018, Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for music for his album "Damn." (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)From Sandy
Did you see the Golden Globe nominees? Did you have any thoughts because I did not see anything you wrote on it?
Sandy -
I did see the list of Golden Globe nominees, and there were two main takeaways. Before we get to them, here's the complete list for those curious.
And you are correct, we did not write about them because, in truth, we are familiar with exactly zero of the nominees. Bagel.
In a lot of ways, this was expected in the movie department. Unless the Hollywood Foreign Press comes up with an animated movie award or the best Star Wars-related/Superhero-related category, there's little chance with kids 8 and 11 the Mrs. 5-at-10 and I are getting to the theater anytime soon. (Yes the family has seen Black Panther, but that's about it. And yes, we know there is an animated category and let's say all the support from Team 5-at-10 s behind The Incredibles 2.)
And while our TV viewing habits skew less artsy than the nominees for the variety of TV GGs out there, I was surprised that nothing from Better Call Saul was there this year.
The rest of the nominees are very niche viewing with small fan bases and lofty critical acclaim. We know a lot of folks who swear by "The Americans" and that's cool, but how many of the five nominees for Best Drama do you eve know what channel they are on? (The five are "The Americans," "The Bodyguard," "Homecoming," "Killing Eve," and "Pose.")
Of the 10 nominees for drama or comedy, exactly one - "The Good Place" on NBC - is on what used to be called mainstream TV. (Now we might as well call it the four main stations with news and NFL in some combo.)
The other takeaway is the number of A-list monster stars who are now working in TV series. Whether it's Julia Roberts or Amy Adams or Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Hugh Grant or Jim Carrey, the names on the nominee lost are folks who used to headline blockbuster level movie projects.
From Chas
For Friday's bag: Josh Allen wins the Bronco Nagurski award (!) and you can't spill a drop of 5@10 ink to note that? Really? Dude was a two-star coming in, and goes out as a possible top three pick. Also unanimous 1st team SI All-American.
Chas -
OK, my man. Josh Allen was the Nagurski Award winner as well as the Badnarik Award winner and he had a monster season for the Kentucky Wildcats. How big?
Before the season, he was a preseason All-SEC second-team pick, and now he's a unanimous All-American and, barring a combine disaster, a lock first-round pick. Monster props to a kid who made himself into a multi-million-dollar asset.
Top three is too high. Heck, we likely can name at least five SEC players - Drew Lock, Q. Williams and J. Williams from Alabama, Greedy Williams from LSU and Jeffery Simmons - who will get picked before Allen, but that does not take away one lick of the admiration or respect Allen deserves for being a self-made star.
That also brings us to last night's college football awards presentation. We did not watch a lick of it, but the results were rather interesting. (Complete results can be found here.)
Of note, in no specific order:
There were 19 total awards last night, including the touch-feely awards. Of those 19, the SEC won 10 of them.
The awards circuit has not given any clue about the Heisman. First, let's just all agree that while Dewayne Haskins has had an excellent year at THE Ohio State, this is a two dude race between Tua and Kyler Murray. Well, Tua Tagovailoa has now won the Maxwell and Waler Camp awards given to the player of the year. Murray has won the AP college football player of the year and the Davey O'Brien Award given to the best quarterback. Tie-breaker tomorrow night in NYC.
I think I can name five dudes who did a better job this year than Brian Kelly, who was named coach of the year. And yes, Chas, one of them would be Whichever Stoops is at UK. (Side note: Aren't the Stoops brother to coaching what the Baldwin brothers are to acting. Other than the family's proverbial sibling big fish - Alec or Bob - the rest of fairly interchangeable and easily confused for one another.)
Not sure how many 'tough dude' college football fans who bemoan the 'everyone gets a trophy' culture in youth sports realize it, but college football has embraced 'as many people as possible getting a trophy.' How else do you explain a QB (Tua) getting both player of the year awards and not even being the best at his position. Same with Allen getting the two defensive player of the year awards and Devin White of LSU being the best linebacker?
There. Is that enough ink? (And truth be told, we're pretty sure that other than the Heisman, these are pretty forgettable for everyone other than the nominees and winners. Truly, is there anyone other than Paschall who can tell you who won the Nagurski or the Bednarik from five years ago without looking it up to prove a point?
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan fumbles as Baltimore Ravens cornerback Tavon Young closes in during Sunday's game in Atlanta.From Jules
I am not a huge NFL fan, but I love the Braves and I love the city of Atlanta. So Jay, I don't think you could convince me there's a worse loss for anyone EVER considering what it means to a city than the Falcons in that Super Bowl. Not ever. Seriously, did the Falcons Coaches know that the clock runs when you run the ball?
Jules -
Excellent question, and yes, the Falcons' Super Bowl loss is an all-timer, whether you are a Falcons fan or not.
This for those wondering, was in response to our little diatribe earlier this week on the various types of losses for a fan. And yes, the Georgia SEC title game loss combined a lot of the extremely painful levels to a point that when the good times come in the not too distant future for Kirby and Bulldogs, the diehard fans that suffered through last week - and what could very well be an underwhelming effort in the Sugar Bowl - will deserve to celebrate it even more.
But this begs an excellent question: What are the worst losses of all-time?
There has to be shock, and awe crap (or Bleepin' Bleeper Bleepers) involved. There has to be lofty stakes involved in which the losing team's dreams were dashed. There has to be a relatively reliable expectation of success. And there has to be a moment in which, as sweet as the win was, the loss was actually more painful.
The Falcons' Super Bowl loss is a strong contender. Up 28-3 looking for the franchise's first Super Bowl, and then it unravels and becomes 22 minutes of agony and choking.
The 1986 Buckner game has to be considered. Yes, that the 2004 Red Sox snapped the streak - and did it with a historic rally in the ALCS over the Yankees - makes the memories a little less soft, but man that was a bomb.
The 1972 US-USSR basketball game, with the multiple endings and the stakes and multiple endings and the gold medal on the line. We do not remember it, but wow.
And we think the Kick Six, because Alabama was headed for a three-peat with a win right there and then that miracle falls out of the sky. (Wow, considering the dysfunction around Malzahn right now, we Auburn fans better have strong and fond memories of November 2013 and November 2017 because it's going to be a long wait until those return.)
From a slew of you -
Who do you think (my school) will hire as (HC/OC/whatever)?
Gang -
Deep breaths. And to quote Aaron Rodgers "R-E-L-A-X Relax. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPEcDg6mUsM
If we had to guess, we think each of you are going to be talk yourself into why/how whomever your school gets is a good hire or can be a very good hire.
I will say this: If I was a die-hard UT fan, I'd keep my head on a swivel with the discussions of Kendal Briles being a top candidate for the OC gig. Gang, a whole bunch of the UT Twitter Mafia that jumped on Greg Schiano with both thumbs - and eventually overhauled the entire athletic department and indirectly the leadership of the entire system - better be ready for the backlash coming if Briles is the hire.
Because a lot of the angst started with Schiano's role/part in the Sandusky thing at Penn State. And while that is the worst scandal in college football history all-things considered, the second worst, in my view, is the Art Briles cover-ups at Baylor University that included multiple sexual and domestic assaults that the football program tried desperately to hide. And Kendal Briles was right there through all of it.
And now comes news that HugH Freeze is headed to Liberty, according to several reports this morning, which only adds to the OC intrigue across the south that includes Alabama, Auburn, FSU and of course UT.
From Gary -
Thanks for doing the bowl contest again! I didn't notice UCF/LSU on the list? Did I miss it?
AND
From Mike R.
I started reading the 5-at-10 after listening to your radio show. I enjoy it and look forward to it every workday.
I was planning on entering the bowl thing. You got any advice?
Guys -
First, as for some advice, well, you can either pick by your favorite colors or which mascots you think would win a fight.
You could pick all the underdogs and see where that lands, all the smaller programs under the thought that they will be more motivated or all the larger programs under the thought of they have more talent. (Side note: The talent vs. motivation part of bowl season is the biggest unknown variable this side of injuries in sports betting. Period.)
That said here are the details for the contest friends. Enjoy - the contest and the weekend.
The rules are simple. Please submit your picks before Dec. 15. (That's a week from Saturday, Spy.) One entry per person. Feel free to share with friends and family. We are picking the games against the spreads listed below. If there's massive line movement between now and kickoff time, well, that's part of the charm of Bowling for Bowls of Bowl Game Success (Bowler optional).
Also, a correct pick gets those points; no lost points for incorrect picks. We will do all the bowl games so that everyone has at least some tangental interest in every game.
And since there is no hat required, let's remain casual and enjoy the process. (Copyright Nick Saban.)
One-point games (max of 6 points)
Autonation Cure Bowl: Tulane (-3.5) vs. Louisiana
New Mexico Bowl: Utah State (-9.5) vs. Texas State
Las Vegas Bowl: Fresno State (-4.5) vs. Arizona State
Camellia Bowl: Georgia Southern (-1.5) vs. Eastern Michigan
New Orleans Bowl: App State (-7.5) vs. MTSU
Boca Raton Bowl: UAB (-1.5) vs. Northern Illinois
Two-point games (max of 14 points)
Frisco Bowl: San Diego State (-3.5) vs. Ohio
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall (-1.5) vs. South Florida
Bahamas Bowl: FIU (-5.5) vs. Toledo
Idaho Potato Bowl: BYU (-11.5) vs. Western Michigan
Birmingham Bowl: Memphis (-4.5) vs. Wake Forest
Armed Forces Bowl: Army (-3.5) vs. Houston
Dollar General Bowl: Buffalo vs Troy, pick 'em
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii (-1.5) vs. La. Tech
Three-point games (max of 21 points)
First Responder Bowl: Boise State (-3.5) vs. Boston College
Quick Lane Bowl: Georgia Tech (-4.5) vs. Minnesota
Cheez-It Bowl: California vs. TCU, pick 'em
Independence Bowl: Temple (-3.5) vs. Duke
Pinstripe Bowl: Miami (-3.5) vs. Wisconsin
Academy Sports & Outdoors Texas Bowl: Vandy (-3.5) vs. Baylor
Arizona Bowl: Arkansas State (-1.5) vs. Nevada
Four-point games (max of 28 points)
Camping World Bowl: West Virginia (-4.5) vs. Syracuse
Alamo Bowl: Washington State (-3.5) vs. Iowa State
Belk Bowl: South Carolina (-3.5) vs. Virginia
Military Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech, pick 'em
Sun Bowl: Stanford (-6.5) vs. Pittsburgh
Red Box Bowl: Oregon (-2.5) vs. Michigan State
Holiday Bowl: Utah (-6.5) vs. Northwestern
Five-point games (max of 45 points)
Music City Bowl: Auburn (-3.5) vs. Purdue
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Michigan (-7.5) vs. Florida
Liberty Bowl: Missouri (-7.5) vs. Oklahoma State
Gator Bowl: Texas A&M (-4.5) vs. NC State
Outback Bowl: Mississippi State (-6.5) vs. Iowa
Citrus Bowl: Penn State (-6.5) vs. Kentucky
Rose Bowl: THE Ohio State (-6.5) vs. Washington
Fiesta Bowl: LSU (-7.5) vs. UCF
Sugar Bowl: Georgia (-10.5) vs. Texas
Eight-point games (max of 16 points)
Cotton Bowl: Clemson (-11.5) vs. Notre Dame
Orange Bowl: Alabama (-13.5) vs. Oklahoma
For a 10 point bonus: (Pick the winner of the national championship; no spreads, just the winner).
If we need a tie-breaker going into the title game, we'll come up with one.
Good luck.