Gang, it's a monster week, and you guys were money yesterday. Mondays are crazy for us so we didn't respond, but we'll pull a couple of mailbag possibilities out of the dialogue. Oh yeah, remember the mailbag.
From the "Talks too much" studios, is that Lane Kiffin's intro music. Side question: What would be Lane Kiffin's intro music if dude was a wrestler? "You're so vain" seems like an early contender.
SEC asked and answered
Alabama quarterback Blake Sims talks with offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, left, during what has become an unprecedented early-season offensive display for the longtime national power.1) Alabama (4-0; off this week): How well is the Lane Kiffin experiment going? We'll say off-the-charts good. As much as a collection of UT and Raiders fans who frequent these parts may not want to read it, Alabama offensive coordinator Kiffin is making the most of his chance with the Tide, as TFP SEC football ace David Paschall tells us here. Dude can call plays and is a real quarterback whisperer. In fact, Kiffin has so expanded and improved the offense, the biggest question mark is the secondary - the area of expertise of Mr. Saban and Smart.
2) Auburn (3-0; vs. La. Tech, 4): Did you know the Tigers are pretty salty on defense, too? Everyone know the Gus Bus runs on high-octane pace, and last Thursday that offense was held to 20 points - the lowest in Malzahn's tenure as the head coach at Auburn. So the Tigers leaned on a defense that has allowed less than 110 yards in the last 10 quarters, including the second half to ground game juggernaut Arkansas.
3) Texas A&M (4-0; vs. Arkansas in Dallas, 3:30): Should Kenny Hill be the Heisman front-runner right now? We'll say not the front-runner - we'd go Amari Cooper No. 1 then Hill and Gurley right there together at No. 2 and No. 2b - but he's in the conversation. Raise your hand if you thought All-SEC QB would be between Blake Sims and Hill a third of the way into the season. Didn't think so.
4) Ole Miss (3-0; vs. Memphis, 7:30):
5) Mississippi State (4-0; open): Was that the biggest win for MSU coach Dan Mullen? We asked him that question before the season on Press Row on ESPN 105.1 and he said his biggest wins were his first Egg Bowl against rival Ole Miss and his return to Florida. We do not want to speak for Dynamite Dan, but the Bulldogs going into Death Valley at night and controlling the game was a statement win by any measure.
South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier.6) South Carolina (2-1; vs. Missouri, 7): How great is Steve Spurrier going to be as a TV analyst when he hangs up his visor? It could be off the charts, to tell the truth.
7) Georgia (2-1; vs. Tennessee, noon): Is there a more crucial position group Saturday than Georgia's linebackers? We don't think so. As much as we love to discuss the Bulldogs' embarrassment of riches at running, those if linebackers, led by Leonard Floyd and Amarlo Herrera, can create pressure on Justin Worley, it could be a long day for the Vols offense.
8) LSU (3-1; vs. New Mexico State, 7:30): How important is balance? Ask the Tigers, who were shocked by the Bulldogs on Saturday night primarily because they are having a difficult time throwing the football. Anthony Jennings is completing only 51.3 percent of his throws, and if SEC defenses can crowd the line of scrimmage, well, good luck with that.
9) Arkansas (3-1; vs. Texas A&M in Dallas, 3:30): What did you just say, and how does that explain Arkansas? There's a difference between not needing to pass and not being able to pass. Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen is averaging only 17.5 attempts a game because the Razorbacks rushing attack is so dominant. When he does throw, he's completing better than 60 percent of his throws and his 8-to-1 TD-to-interception ratio is second in the league behind Kenny Hill.
10) Missouri (3-1; at South Carolina, 7): What was that and did Calbert Chaney and Steve Alford return to school? Missouri dropped a sloppy 27-24 loss at home against Indiana, which was housed by Bowling Green the week before.
11) Tennessee (2-1; at Georgia, noon): If Georgia's linebackers are a monster key for the Bulldogs on Saturday, what's Tennessee's biggest group of importance? It would be easy to say the offensive line going against the Bulldogs front seven, and that certainly would have merit. Still, we'll take the undersized and quick defensive front. Tennessee's front four - and front seven in truth - has to battle Georgia's big O-Line and try to contain the expert firm of Gurley, Chubb and Michel.
Florida Coach Will Muschamp speaks at SEC media days Monday.12) Florida (2-1; open): What was that, Muschamp? We expected Florida to lose at Alabama, but for a defense crafted and stocked by Will Muschamp to get completely shredded to historic proportions, well, that's inexcusable. It looks like there are going to be two serious big-boy jobs open this offseason, considering Michigan's Brady Hoke is a dead coaching walking and Muschamp's Gators are going to have to completely reverse fortunes now.
13) Kentucky (2-1; vs. Vandy, noon): Is this a must-win for UK? We think so, because breaking down the schedule, if UK - and UT for that matter - are going to get to a bowl game, you have to take care of the ones you are supposed to win. After a buy week, we expect UK to truck Vandy.
14) Vanderbilt (1-3; at Kentucky, noon) Is there any way Vandy can get three tries to return the kickoff rather than three tries to get a first down? After taking two back to the house against South Carolina, Darrius Sims is averaging 36.5 yards on his 10 kickoff returns and is by far the most explosive option the Commodores have.
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NFL Power Poll
There was a sigh of relief across the NFL landscape this weekend as the discussion returned to the field, leaving the courtrooms and news conference podiums behind.
Yes, the swirling stories of seediness will return, but at least for a Sunday, we had football, and it was good.
1) Seattle (2-1) - The most complete team in the hard salary-cap era, these Seahawks are balanced and fast and good. And if they get home-field advantage and the NFC playoffs roll through Seattle, well, good night and thanks for playing.
2) Cincinnati (3-0) - The AFC's version of Seattle, the Bengals have a complete roster and have a small window before quarterback Andy Dalton's big paydays alter the team's cap space. The Bengals have the best scoring differential in the league and can beat you in just about any way you'd like.
3) Denver (2-1) - A serious contender as long as No. 18 is taking snaps. Seriously, that game-tying drive Sunday in Seattle was like what Martin Riggs said in the first "Lethal Weapon" when he describing how lethal he was. There was only five guys in the world who could make that shot. Manning continues to do things that you find hard to believe or quantify.
4) Philadelphia (3-0) - The worst thing for specific SEC fans about the Eagles' success is Chip Kelly is proving that pace and spread can work in the league. Some enterprising owner sometime soon is going to call Gus Malzahn or Kevin Sumlin sooner rather than later.
5) Arizona (3-0) - This week's Bill Parcells honoree as the team that is what their records says they are. The Cardinals have one of the game's best pass rushes, and in a pass-first, pass-last league, if you can get to the opposing quarterback you have a chance every week.
Bottom five
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell talks on Sept. 19, 2014, in New York during a news conference addressing the rash of NFL players involved in domestic violence.28) Minnesota (1-2) - The Vikings ship is sinking, and you could see this bunch finishing 1-15, right? When you offense in a pass-happy league is built around an elite running back and a terrible passing game, and you lose that running back, well, buckle up buttercup because points are going to be tough to find.
29) Oakland (0-3) - There was a Darren McFadden sighting this weekend, which is always nice. Still, the Raiders are not really good at much of anything.
30) Jacksonville (0-3) - You could make an argument that you could flip the Jaguars and the Raiders, since Jacksonville at least feels like it's building something. Blake Bortles will be taking the training wheels off sooner rather than later. Plus, the Jags have a pool in there stadium. Pool or a pond... pond would be good for you.
31) Tampa Bay (0-3) - What was that? The Bucs were down 56-0 at the end of three quarters last Thursday at Atlanta. Man, that's almost Goodell bad, but not really.
32) Roger Goodell (0-for-2014) - No where to go but up, right? Tick-tock, tick-tock Roger. Senator, love the suit.
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Kudos Butch Jones
And with that, Butch Jones has proved to be more qualified to be the NFL commissioner than the current NFL commissioner.
Tennessee head coach Butch JonesAs TFP UT ace Downtown Patrick Brown details here, Jones dismissed reserve running back Treyvon Paulk for punching his girlfriend in the mouth.
Good for you coach.
Sure, the naysayers would ask, "What if it was the starting..." and those questions are fair and ultimately unknown until that situation arises for Jones. Hopefully it never will, but that scenario is not apples to apples when comparing the Paulk case.
Still, Jones moved quickly and decisively and set a strong standard for this kind of transgression in his program. When a lot of your success is dependent on how many star players - and their families - you can convince to come play for you, this is truly a brick-by-brick moment.
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This and that
Fredi Gonzalez- On a day when Atlanta GM Frank Wren was fired and Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was given the dreaded vote of confidence, how did the players respond? With a listless 1-0 loss to the Pirates. Way to rally around the cause, guys.
- Dodgers starting pitcher Dan Haren pitched six innings last night and triggered a bonus clause in his contract that guarantees him $10.5 million next year from the Dodgers. That's a good night you know it?
- Fun story here about Giants rookie Chris Dominguez, who hit his first MLB home run and got the ball back after it was caught by a little girl named Estella who was at the game celebrating her birthday. Estella's sister wrote "Happy Birthday M" on the ball for her sister and Estella gave the ball back to the Giants and signed "Congratulations (heart) Estella. We're sure A-Rod has a ton of stories just like this... Wait.
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Today's question
We are going to throw both of these out there on Press Row:
If you had a Heisman vote and the ballots were due - like your TPS report - by the end of the day, who you got?
Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.Secondly, let's say you are an NFL GM that needs a quarterback. Jameis Winston is on the board when your team picks, which could be the case for the Titans next May, do you draft the talented but troubled Heisman winner?
Go - and remember the mailbag