From the "Talks too much" studios, don't forget the mailbag.
Context
A couple of interesting quotes came out Monday on a couple of interesting characters.
First, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was credited with saying "I feel like I'm the best quarterback in the league," which in the world of 140 characters and sound bites turns heads and pops out eyeballs.
In this photo taken Dec. 28, 2014, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) warms up before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Landover, Md. Griffin fifth-year contract option for the 2016 season will be exercised by the Washington Redskins. New general manager Scot McCloughan says the team will submit the proper paperwork to the NFL by next week's deadline. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) RGIII was amazing as a rookie but has been terrible since injuring his knee and leaves serious questions whether he can return to the upper echelon of the NFL quarterbacks without his ability to move and gain yards running.
But RGIII, even at his best, was far from the best QB in the league, and the above quote is nonsensical since he's likely tied with Sam Bradford as the worst starting quarterback in the NFC East. We even discussed this on Press Row on Monday.
That said, RGIII's quote is way more understandable when viewed in its entirety:
"I don't feel like I have to come out here and show anybody anything or why I'm better than this guy or better than that guy. It's more about going out and affirming that for me, I go out and I play, I know I'm the best quarterback on this team. I feel like I'm the best quarterback in the league and I have to go out and show that," Griffin said, via the Washington Post. "Any athlete at any level, if they concede to someone else, they're not a top competitor, they're not trying to be the best that they can be. There's guys in this league that have done way more than me. But, I still view myself as the best because that's what I work toward every single day."
We sometimes wonder why sports stars and coaches are cardboard dull when asked questions, well, there you go.
Here's another one: ESPN.com writer Chris Low had great access and an interesting story on the Auburn Tigers preseason practice.
The pulled out quote from almost 3,000 words Low penned was Malzahn saying Auburn "should have put 60" on Alabama last year.
Mississippi wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (1) is taken down by Auburn's defense during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014, in Oxford, Miss. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)In that context, it sounds like anything from big-lipping to sour grapes to fill in the blank.
Here's the passage Low wrote: The manner in which Auburn lost last season to Alabama still gnaws at Malzahn. The Tigers scored 44 points, rolled up 630 total yards -- the most ever gained against an Alabama defense -- but still lost.
"We didn't score touchdowns in the red zone. We should have put 60 on them, and we didn't," Malzahn said. "That was the most disappointing thing, when you have a chance to do something special and don't, and then we gave up all those fourth-quarter points.
"We let them off the hook, but we've got them at home this year."
Now, remember that Auburn scored only two touchdowns in eight red-zone trips, and that claim doesn't seem so outlandish.
Does Alabama deserve some credit for holding Auburn to those field goals? Sure it does.
But Malzahn saying that - or a formerly great QB holding out hope or working to be the best in the league - is not as outlandish as it was under first glance.
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Tuesday's Fantasy primer
OK, we have had a multitude of fantasy football questions recently, so we promised to expand this a little bit.
Last week we talked about top-ranked running backs.
Today (and each Tuesday from now to the start of the NFL season), we'll break down something related to your fantasy football draft.
Let's look at drafting a quarterback.
First, there are a multitude of ways to approach this.
The most important thing is to know your league and its rules. If all your opponents are super high on QBs and it's a league that gives six points for passing TDs, then going QB early can make sense.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck celebrates a touchdown pass against the Denver Broncos during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015, in Denver. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney) And if you believe having an Aaron Rodgers or Andrew Luck is the way to the top, then go at it.
Our personal preference has always been to try to be the drafter that starts the run rather than one that reacts to it. That does not always equate to quarterbacks however.
If you start the run on wideouts with Antonio Brown or Julio Jones, that can offer big value over the next wave of receivers.
At quarterback, though, so much of it is about matchups and scoring chances. Sure Rodgers and Luck have high floors and huge ceilings. But start clicking off in your head if the other teams start plucking QBs as you are filling roster spots at RB and WR - or better yet drafting an elite tight end - you may be in the better spot in the end.
Think of it this way: If you take Rob Gronkowski or Jeremy Graham as all the other teams are picking QBs and you still get a Tony Romo or a Ben Roethlisberger or Eli Manning (guys who will put up big numbers - each threw for more than 3,700 yards and 30 TDs last year), you are better off in the long run.
Also, you could have the chance in rounds six through 10 to steal Tom Brady, who is going to be in Terminator mode whenever he gets on the field. And it also would give you a guy lighting it up come fantasy football playoff time.
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NLRB saves college sports - for now
The National Labor Relations Board said no to the Northwestern football players' request to unionize.
Thank Goodness is all those of us who love college sports on all levels can say.
If the Wildcats had been allowed to unionize, it would have been the giant rip at the final fabric that is college athletics.
Northwestern football players are reflected in a helmet during drills at practice at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside campus on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, in Kenosha, Wi. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) That would have led to collective bargaining agreements and eventually organized work forces among every sports program.
That in turn would have led to the courts or arbitrators deciding about stipends or costs of attendance across every level rather than if the schools could handle the financial requirements needed to offer the extra money to its athletes.
Yes, it would have been a while before the unionization argument got to the state schools - Northwestern is a private institution, which allowed the players to avoid the state employee agreements - but it would have gotten there sooner rather than later.
You think Alabama or Auburn or Ohio State or Michigan would allow its football programs to lose five-star recruits to Northwestern, Vandy or Duke because those schools had better benefits? No way.
And once the Alabamas or the Ohio States looked into it, the rest of the state schools in the Power Five conferences would have followed suit. From there, it could have easily and quickly spread to UTC's level.
Thankfully, that final leap into professional college athletes has been avoided - or maybe just delayed - for now.
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This and that
- Donald Trump says he's crafted his foreign policy by "watching a lot of shows" and learning a lot from TV programs like "Meet the Press." Oy vey. Well, if Trump gets elected, it sounds like Law & Order alum Jack McCoy will be in consideration for the Attorney General.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump leaves the courthouse after serving on jury duty in New York on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015.- We did not see this Monday when we say who won the weekend and who lost it. But here's another nominee for a weekend winner a day late and a lifetime whenever at any time: Ernie Els, who with his wife Liezl opened the doors Monday for the Els Center for Excellence, a glorious school for autistic children. Els chipped in $6 million for the project and helped raise way more of the $30 million construction. Here's the story and it's great on every level.
- Three cheers for Hailey Dawson, a life-long Orioles fan who threw out the first pitch using her robotic hand that was downloaded and created using a 3-D printer. Yes, you read that correctly.
- Got moves like Jagger (plus 160 pounds). That's Keith Wilson, the 300-pound Arena Football League player who has won the interweb recently with his dance moves.
- Major League Baseball announced their postseason schedule. AL wildcard game will be Oct. 6 with the NL wildcard game Oct. 7. The ALCS begins Oct. 16 with the NLCS starting Oct. 17. The World Series begins Oct. 27, which means baseball will almost surely be played in November, and depending on delays and travel, it could conclude around Thanksgiving.
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Today's question(s)
OK, we shared our 16 questions 16 days before the start of college football in today's TFP.
It's your turn to ask a college football question. You can offer the answer if you'd like or toss it out to the group (or even earmark it for the mailbag if you'd like).
Whatcha got?