5-at-10: Friday mailbag with SEC media days wrap, Braves bullpen question, ACC contenders, Vandy, Rushmores and hate mail

Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt speaks during the NCAA college football Southeastern Conference Media Days, Tuesday, July 16, 2019, in Hoover, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt speaks during the NCAA college football Southeastern Conference Media Days, Tuesday, July 16, 2019, in Hoover, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

From a slew of you

Biggest takeaway from SEC Media Days?

Gang -

There were more than a few. In no specific order.

One, Jeremy Pruitt likes his team.

Two, Vandy has some future NFL skill position guys.

Three, Coach O really likes his QB. And Grant Delprit does a great Coach O.

Four and five, Joe Moorhead is funny and Matt Luke looks like he knows that his time is short.

Six, Jake Fromm is going to be the best QB in the league. Dude is amazingly charismatic and normally football players need charisma and cool like pigs need silk gloves. But for QBs it's different and you can tell Fromm is a guy who has 'it.'

Seven, Dan Mullen's aw shucks charm and swagger was cute in Starkville. It's kind of annoying on Gainesville. Plus, it's quite telling that the most telling quote from a Gator about the Gators came from Steve Spurrier, who told the world that Feliepe Franks is his Heisman frontrunner.

Eight, Arkansas coach Chad Morris realizes that his Hogs have a lone, Long, LONG way to go. When a coach spends that much time discussing his recruiting class, well, you know the cupboard is pretty empty.

I do not remember a single thing from South Carolina. Wait strike that: South Carolina is the only team in the country that plays the consensus 1-2-3 in Clemson, Bama and UGA. Also, quarterback Jake Bentley was just the fifth player to make three SEC media days trips and he is on the Stan White/Tommy Hudson/David Greene/Jay Greeson shortlist of guys who spent 14 years at the same SEC school.

It's hard to look at Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher and not think 'Snake Oil Salesman.' But considering he keeps landing dudes at QB - Haynes King, the ESPN No. 1 QB in the 20202 class being the most recent - and the Aggies spend money like they are part of the Ewing clan in Dallas, well, A&M is going to be a player for a while.

Missouri's Kelly Bryant is going to have a big season. Side note: Considering the schedule and the offensive pieces returning for the Tigers, I picked them second in the East behind UGA. So there's that.

UK is letting its QB where 22 in honor of Jared Lorenzen. I'm good with that tradition, and I think each school should have that 'special' number they give to a player who sets a standard within the program. UK could have 22. Ole Miss has 38 for Chucky Mullins. Doesn't LSU do Jacob Hester's old number? What would your school's number be? (For Auburn, I'd lean toward Cam Newton's 2 over Bo's 34, but I could be convinced either way.)

Commish Greg Sankey is getting very comfortable in his shoes.

Alabama coach Nick Saban is clearly the biggest star in a league filled with $4-million-a-year coaches and he knows it. Also, Alabama seems good and ticked off about the way last season ended. And I agree with Spy C'mon Dylan Moses. Clemson punched you in the face and the Tide whispered back. Own that beating. (Here's betting they have and considering the way Alabama self-motivates, they are rallying around it.)

Finally, Gus Malzahn was more relaxed this week than any other time I've ever been a round him. It was strange. Maybe it's the almost unfireable contract. Maybe it's going back to calling plays. Or maybe, just maybe, it's returning every starter across the offensive and defensive lines, three dudes in the secondary, the fastest player in the league in rusher Anthony Schwartz (Yes, that the fastest player in the fastest league in the country has that names is, well, may the Schwartz be with you) his two three rushers and a belief that this bunch has the bones to do a '13 or '17 type of run in 2019.

Thoughts?

From Jeff

Jay, where is this hatred of the Bullpen come from? It's one of the better ones in the NL.

Jeff -

Disagree. Bullpen ERA has been strong, but I believe a lot of that was in blowouts during a red-hot June. Inherited runners stats are bad. Pen is in the bottom half of the NL in HRs allowed, blown saves, walks and WHiP. Who in that pen do you trust with a must have inning?

It can't be Luke Jackson, who has caused more drinking issues among Southern males than late-arriving daughters and the Falcons in big-game moments.

And if you think it's the Swarzak guy - who has been by the numbers very effective - well then you're telling me simply that a team with World Series components everywhere else is turning to a journeyman nine-year vet who was acquired for a bag of donuts and two hats for must-have outs in must-have moments.

And that puts the exclamation point on why I have a problem with the Braves bullpen.

From Godfather

Let's give Vandy a pass for being academically prestigious and bad at football because they play in the SEC. However, let's not afford the same luxury to Stanford, NW and ND (even Duke sort of) who are good at football, but don't play in the SEC.

Godfather -

Not sure Vandy gets a pass. At least not from me. I said very publicly that I thought Derek Mason was going to be out after two years.

I was wrong. Very publicly. (Not the first time; assuredly will not be the last time.)

Stanford got the same pass until Harbaugh made it hip to be there/square.

Notre Dame only wins when the alumni get tired of losing and they lower the academic standards.

Duke got a kind of a pass last year considering they had the top-overall QB pick with an offensive whiz and went 8-5 in a dreadful ACC that included a 59-7 boatracing by Wake Forest.

And to be fair, if Vandy did get a pass, it's not so much because of the 'big, bad" perception of the ACC, it's that Vandy is playing with difference standards as the rest of the league.

Stanford and Cal and some of the elite Pac 12 schools are similar. Duke and UVa and Tech and even UNC (for football players) have academic hurdles. Northwestern (which gets a much bigger pass because of the influx of national media members with a NW degree) has over-achieved with one of the top 5 or 7 coaches all things considered in the game.

Heck, Vandy's standards compared to a whole bunch of the rest of the SEC is apples and pineapples. Interesting point: Want to know the second-hardest SEC school to get into these days? It's likely UGA. As for Auburn, well, I decided to go there when they threw a diploma in my car window as a drove past Toomer's and yelled "War Eagle!"

From Spy

ACC Media Days began yesterday and finish today in North Carolina. Aside from Clemson, is there anybody else who can contend for that title? Anybody? Hello? Anybody there? Yoo hoo! Anybody out there?

Spy -

Nope. And it's not close.

We'll counter with this question: If they put together an All-ACC team from the other 13 football-playing conference members and pitted them against Clemson, the Tigers are still what, a 6-point favorite?

Not exactly the neck-and-neck conference drama one may want to break in the new ACC Network this fall, huh? (That said, since Clemson will be a preseason No. 1 and wear that crown like the royalty Dabo has crafted - and with Trevor Lawrence's Heisman campaign and those dreamy flowing follicles - the national interest will be more about the title frontrunner than conference competition.)

This week's Rushmores:

Rushmore of golf's biggest gags: Our man Jean van de Velde has to be there. Only needing a double and playing a couple out of the soup for a triple and a playoff loss is the therapy-level implosion. Roberto De Vicenzo signing the wrong scorecard that cost him the 1968 Masters. Norman at Augusta. Pick one. And right now I'll take Lefty's "I'm an idiot" driver into the trash can at Winged Foot in the 2006 Open that is the biggest gaffe among his six runners-up at our national championship - and the only hole in Mickelson's career grand slam.

Rushmore of TV automobiles: General Lee, Starchy and Hutch's pimpin' ride, Magnum's Ferrari narrowly over the A-Team van and of course KITT from Knight Rider. (The movie Batmobiles were way cooler. Those offering the Mystery Machine deserve special credit including bonus points for a couple of you for noting that there likely was 'Shaggyin' in that wagon going on. Also, how did the Brady's get by with only one automobile? Seriously? Did they make Alice walk to the butcher and get Sam's meat? Wait never mind.)

Rushmore of Will Ferrell movies: Old School, and Anchorman are no brainers and outstanding. Fight me. Step Brothers, and Talladega Nights. Elf was very close. Very close.

Rushmore of in movie athletes from non-sports movies. Seems like there was a little confusion on this one. All-state Ridgemont football player Jefferson from Fast Times was there for sure. Forrest Gump, All-American kick returner for Alabama. Sack, the pass rushing OLB from Wedding Crashers (played by that downright dreamy Bradley Cooper - "Big Chief fall hard" - in an all-timer) Finally, we'll go with Emilio Esteves' all-state wrestler on a full ride in Breakfast Club. Although for heart, the Cable Guy getting amped for the hoops scene is pretty stellar too. And of course if we need a umpire, Frank Drebin behind the plate is a great place to start.

From Tommy

Jay, What the Hell?!?!?

No British Open contest?!?!?

C'mon man!

Tommy -

Sorry. Covered up at SEC media days this week and it slipped up on me.

My bust. And I appreciate all those who asked about it and said they missed the contest.

As for the hate mail this week, well there were just a few, and I'm going to answer these briefly.

"I have enjoyed your SEC football columns. I have enjoyed your lack of A2 columns even more."

(Ouch-standing.)

"I thought you were one of the few media hacks who understood that Trump is doing right by us everyday Americans. I am disappointed in you betraying the President. I knew you were a liberal phony. #IStandWithTrump"

(OK, whatever. #IStandWithAmerica)

"When did you start hating UT and LOOOVVVINNNNGG Vandy? You know Vandy's a joke. You'll be back on the Big Orange when Pruitt wins 10! GBO!"

(Uh, hi, I'm Jay Greeson. Auburn fan. Class of '95.)

Finally

"Is there anyway you could stay in Birmingham?"

Have a great weekend friends.

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