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Former Alabama QB AJ McCarron says NFL teams are telling him he could be a 1st-round pick | AL.com
"They felt like I could go anywhere from 16-35," McCarron said. "I believe that, too. At the same time, I don't have my hopes set on anything. Whatever happens, happens. It's a blessing for me to even be in this situation."
Uh, AJ, you're my boy and all but...
Maybe I'm wrong here but I don't see AJ as first round caliber talent.
"Here's a pool of players -- these seven, eight, nine quarterbacks we're talking about. McCarron's production speaks volumes -- 36 wins, four losses.
He's the all-time record holder at Alabama in a lot of different categories," Gruden said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday. "He doesn't have the flashy statistics that some of the other quarterbacks do because of the system he comes out of. "Alabama comes out of a huddle, they only throw the ball 26 plays a game, which is about 100th in college football.
He takes care of the ball, he has a big-picture understanding of the game. He's been well-schooled, disciplined, he's durable."
Well, again maybe I'm wrong here and AJ could go in the first round but if I were an NFL team, I'd wait till the mid to late 2nd or even 3rd to grab AJ. I know QB's are highly sought-after but taking a guy in the first round typically means you expect him to start right away. Does anyone actually think AJ is ready to start for an NFL from day one?
The SEC Network's Real Challenge - Team Speed Kills
If you're not able to click that link to see the image (hey there, office drones), it comes from page 23 of this report. It's for the UK (Britain, not Kentucky), but the situation in the US differs little.
Among all those polled (age 16 and up), television is the media form people say they would miss the most if they didn't have it. However, its lead comes from having strong majorities among the oldest age groups.
Those aged 45-54 still picked TV as their most-missed media, but its the first age group coming down where TV didn't get over 50% of the mentions. Jump down a demographic to age 35-44, and smartphones and Internet use on PCs and tablets combined outrank TV.
Go down one more to age 25-34, and smartphones by themselves outrank TV. Go even younger to 16-24 and just 13% say they would miss TV the most, compared to 18% for Internet on PCs/tablets and 47% for smartphones.
The polling data doesn't surprise me but I would think the SECN would appeal mostly to those in their late 20's and up, not those in their teens or early 20's.
With that said, a rising number are choosing to do without pay TV anyway. The pay TV companies and large studios are doing everything they can to keep people in the old system, from making TV a cheap addition to Internet service to having Hulu run ads even on its Plus offerings to causing content to disappear from Netflix randomly.
Now this is a good point. The only reason I still have cable (Directv) is because I can't get ESPN on Hulu or Netflix. And as the article also points out attendance among students is slowing declining across the board and it does seem like the younger generation is becoming less enthralled by college football. Maybe it's a generational thing but I didn't become "obsessed" with not only watching sports but following them until my mid to late 20's. So maybe those youngsters who seemingly aren't interested will one day join the rest of us but maybe not.
The flip side of this is that technology is making it harder for some of us to choose live football over the comfort of our own home. Why go to the 12:30 pm, 95 degree kick-off when you can sit in your air conditioned home, drink you own adult beverage, cook your own food, all for a fraction of the price of attending a game?
CECIL HURT: John Servati understood what was important in life | TuscaloosaNews.com
I don't know Donald Sterling, either, although I have heard enough about him in the past 72 hours to fill a long, and rather sordid, novel. I watched the press conference in which Adam Silver cast him out from the NBA, exorcising Sterling to near-universal praise, in which I concur. But even as I watched, there was still a thought of John Servati. It wasn't there to make some simplistic and unfair comparison, but the thought was there about one difference.
Donald Sterling was a racist but, paradoxically, racism isn't so much what we think about others as what we think about ourselves. When we equate "different" -- different color, different religion, different sex -- with "inferior," we are simply trying to establish a sort of superiority, to feel good about ourselves based on some false automatic criteria. We are thinking, invariably, of ourselves. When Sterling complained about his girlfriend posting pictures of herself with black men on Instagram, or told her not to bring them to Clipper games, he was worried primarily about how her actions reflected on himself, about how it would make him look.
A billion dollars in the bank wasn't enough to make Sterling feel good enough about himself. He needed more.
I thought this was an interesting perspective on both the tragic death of John Servati and the NBA's case against Donald Sterling. Honestly, I was quite surprised when the article took the turn towards Sterling but I'm glad it did because it hit the nail on the head of the cause of racism— selfishness.
What I hope the NBA is doing here isn't just reacting to one moment of racism but setting a precedent for owners, coaches and players, announcing the league will have no leniency, not only on racial issues, but criminal actions as well. I don't want to see players on the court just days after being arrested for drunk driving or domestic violence. If we are going to ban a person for life due to extreme racial comments, let's treat all heinous crimes with the same zero tolerance standard.
His lawyers suggest that Franklin and former Director of Performance Enhancement Dwight Galt contacted the victim four days after the alleged assault took place. This was one day after the MNPD's investigation went public, so it does not implicate the coaching staff in any kind of cover up.
However, it may be construed as a form of inappropriate contact between Vanderbilt employees and the victim of a crime that may have taken place on campus. The report also implicated that Franklin had a prior relationship with the victim, and he may have planned to use her to coordinate a group of student "hostesses" to aid in football recruiting. From the Tennesseean:
Referring to records, the attorneys said the victim was contacted by Franklin and Galt during a medical examination four days after the rape to explain "that they cared about her because she assisted them with recruiting." It went on to say that at some point, "Coach Franklin called her in for a private meeting and told her he wanted her to get fifteen pretty girls together and form a team to assist with the recruiting even though he knew it was against the rules. He added that all the other colleges did it." - Tony Gonzalez, The Tennessean
Jebus. Penn State fires one legendary coach for covering up a child rapist and now their newly hired coach may have also tampered with a rape case while at Vandy. Again, these are all alleged allegations but this can't make PSU fans feel all warm and fuzzy about how Franklin will handle similar issues in the future.
Crimson Tide Win Third Straight SEC Championship; Wyatt Captures Medalist Honors - ROLLTIDE.COM
The No. 1 Alabama men's golf team won its third straight SEC Championship and the fifth in school history Sunday with a 16-shot win on the par-70, 7,005-yard Seaside Course at the Sea Island Golf Club. The Crimson Tide carded a 12-under 268 for a school and SEC Championship-record 806 (-34).
I meant to talk about this earlier but it slipped through the cracks. If you haven't been paying attention Alabama is no longer just a football school. Women's tennis (see below), softball, gymnastics, men's golf, and track have either recently won a national title or are currently in contention for one.
Roll Tide
Alabama women's tennis No. 2 overall seed for NCAA Tournament | TuscaloosaNews.com
What has already been a season for the ages for the University of Alabama women’s tennis team added another historic footnote Tuesday afternoon. Coach Jenny Mainz and her Crimson Tide (22-4) received the No. 2 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament during the selection show. UA hosts the four-team Tuscaloosa Regional beginning May 9. "It’s incredibly exciting," Mainz said. "This obviously is the first time and making program history. It’s thrilling to be in this position."
Film examines Alabama-Georgia rivalry that has fueled championship programs | TuscaloosaNews.com
In "SEC Storied: Sarah & Suzanne," which airs tonight on ESPNU at 6, director Joie Jacoby brings viewers a look back at the rivalry that fueled two championship-level programs and the sport of college gymnastics for more than two decades.