AP poll questions
So the AP poll was released Monday evening.
As it should be, Georgia is No. 1.
But the questions after the Dawgs abound.
Michigan and THE Ohio State at 2 and 3. Is that right? Is that too high?
Alabama at 4? Again, too high?
Of course around these parts, the details will be about the SEC, which has schools at 1, 4, 5, 12, 22 and 23. Those would be Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, respectively.
Among the others getting votes are South Carolina, Arkansas, Kentucky, Auburn, Mississippi State and Florida.
I think Kirby Smart and his pack of Dawgs are an easy pick to be 1.
I think Alabama is overrated at 4, but I also understand putting the Tide there because a) they are the Tide and b) Nick Saban is still roaming the sideline.
I think Arkansas is underrated, but I also know the West is flat-out nasty.
I think Ole Miss is overrated, because in large part I know the West is flat-out nasty.
But here's my biggest takeaway:
Even at 12, Tennessee is a true national title contender, people.
If the Vols split with a trip to Bama and a home game against Georgia — the latter being most important of course — UT should be 11-1.
With or without a trip to Atlanta — that will hinge on the date with the Dawgs — 11-1 in the SEC will likely get you in the playoff, right?
Heck, what are Joe Milton's Heisman odds? Someone call Phil Mickelson, stat.
Marion County debacle
No, this has nothing to do with the longstanding feud with South Pittsburg folks.
This is about all of us and what it should mean to be an American. What it should mean to be free.
How is it that Colin Kaepernick or Megan Rapinoe get a thousand headlines and all the cover in the universe because they are exercising their First Amendment rights — and they were — but the actual true definition of that brilliant start to our Constitution can be violated in Kansas?
Here's the story of the police raiding the local fishwrapper in Marion County, Kansas. It's chilling, horrifying and downright deplorable.
Yes, the modern version of journalism would make Woodward and Bernstein turn their heads and cough.
But this screams of Gestapo tactics and feels like it would happen in North Korea not north Kansas.
Form the USA Today story, here's a quote from Marion County sheriff Gideon Cody, who executed the search warrant and seized the computers from the newsroom and reporters' cellphones:
"I believe when the rest of the story is available to the public, the judicial system that is being questioned will be vindicated. I appreciate all the assistance from all the state and local investigators along with the entire judicial process thus far."
Wow.
Either way, this is some scary stuff. Either someone or ones in the newsroom was so corrupt that it demanded this overreach of law enforcement to breach the First Amendment or the overreach of those on the bench and behind the badge was so un-American it's inexplicable.
Heck, it's sickening either way.
NFL QBs
Rookie QBs are going to struggle. That's part of the learning curve. For Pete's sake Peyton Manning threw a billion INTs his first year in the league, and Peyton is the best to ever do it.
(Side note: Yes, Spy, I said Peyton is the best. He was and will forever be a better QB than Brady. Brady is the GOAT, and resumes matter greatly in that discussion. But as a QB, Manning > Brady. Not unlike LeBron as a basketball player > MJ. Wow, this became a whole different thing. Let's move along.)
So, as we asked Monday, what were the takeaways from the first- and second-year QBs in our preseason NFL avalanche? Feel free to offer up your views in the comments.
Here are my thoughts:
— Anthony Richardson has a long, long, LONG way to go. Egad. That was sloppy and sketchy. That said, his ceiling is off the charts.
—CJ Stroud looked like a rookie, and he looked like a rookie with a rookie head coach and arguably the worst NFL roster around him. I think he will be fine.
— Will Levis is everything we believed him to be. Loads of potential. Loads of miscues.
— Bryce Young looked itty bitty. Wow, I know Kyler Murray is undersized, but Kyler has jets. Bryce looked like a middle-schooler getting called up to the high school team, you know?
— Stetson Bennett gets it. Period. End of conversation. Heck, if I told you Stetson was going to be a 12-year starter in the league would you doubt it?
— Former UCLA star Dorian Thompson-Robinson may have won the weekend in his 9-of-10 debut with the Browns. DTR was so good he may push Josh Dobbs toward that NASA job sooner rather than later.
As for second-year dudes, Justin Fields is going to be an MVP at some point, and Trey Lance may very well be the Ryan Leaf of this generation.
Discuss.
This and that
— Trump is a clown. Dear Lord, and I find myself asking for his guidance more and more, but why is Trump still considered anything other than a schmuck? Come on people, Trump is 100% about Trump, with catchy slogans while pandering to the fears and angst of the masses. Someone give me one good reason — that is not "he's better than Biden," because OK but they are both terrible — to support Trump's attempts to return to the White House? I'll wait.
— And if we go a step further, as a lifelong conservative, if we can't nominate someone better in 2024 than Donald flippin' Trump, then we deserve to lose, to be honest.
— Stephan Jäger joined David and Wells on Press Row on Monday, and the interview is worth your time. I think the former Baylor School and UTC star has a legit case to be on the European Ryder Cup team.
— You know the rules. Here's Paschall on soon-to-be superstar Bru McCoy with the Vols.
— So as downtown is mired in controversy with the Police Department and questions swirl about the county mayor's office having a slew of folks with fancy titles, this email announcement caught my eye. Weston Wamp and his crew are going to host tailgate parties at four high school football games this fall. Seriously.
— Rest in peace Alex Collins, the former NFL RB who died in a motorcycle crash. Most will remember Collins for this crazy fourth-and-25 conversion while he was a star at Arkansas. I will remember him for the recruiting drama when his mama would not let him fax his letter of intent to Arkansas because she wanted him to go to Miami.
— Bad news for right-thinking Americans. Looks like we are going to pay the $38 billion of more than 800,000 student loans. Dear Lord, help us and our leadership.
Today's questions
True or false, it's Tuesday.
True or false, you are running late as you get adjusted to the kids going back to school.
True or false, Will Levis will start a game for the Titans this year.
True or false, you followed my picks Monday. (If you did, congrats.)
True or false, the Jets are going to implode.
True or false, you think Alabama is underrated at No. x in the AP poll.
True or false, you would support Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
You know the drill, answer some T or Fs, ask some T or Fs.
As for today, Aug. 15, let's review, and this one is heavy.
The Mayflower set sail on this day in 1620. Yeah, that could lead us to the Rushmore of ships.
The "Wizard of Oz" premiered on this day in 1939. Yeah, that could lead us to the Rushmore of all-time movies, which seems borderline impossible.
Woodstock started on this day in 1969. Yeah, that could lead us to a slew of hippie/concert Rushmores depending on your ilk.
Jennifer Lawrence is 33 today. J-Law, overrated, underrated or properly rated.
And Ben Affleck is 51 today. What's Affleck's Rushmore?
Go.