Horns Down? The Oklahoma Sooners’ hand gesture is in the OU logo

Oklahoma-Big-12-Championship-2018

There are certain things you can’t unsee, and the Oklahoma Sooners might just have a case for throwing “Horns Down.”

From the Oklahoma Sooners to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, players have been flagged on multiple occasions and throughout multiple seasons for throwing “Horns Down” while playing the Texas Longhorns. The biggest issue many have with this is that nowhere in college football history can fans truly recall a situation where a team’s brand is protected to the point of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for “disrespecting” hand gestures.

Was Bowling Green flagged after the “Gator Chomp” back in 2012?

USC’s drum major was prohibited from stabbing the 50-yard-line at the Rose Bowl, and Kansas banned Bevo from the sideline this year. But never in history has an entire conference been put on notice that any misuse of a particular team’s hand gestures will receive penalties, which is why any preferential treatment is laughable.

But for the Oklahoma Sooners, they might just have a real case for using the “Horns Down” hand gesture: it’s in their logo.

You be the judge.

It might seem like I’m revisiting an old issue here, but with Oklahoma playing the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Orange Bowl, it will be interesting to see banter between the two teams. I don’t think we’ll see any hand gesture exchanges–especially with the offensive numbers both teams are expected to put up. But given how ridiculous the “Horns Down” debate has become, if the Sooners can pull off a win, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it in some capacity.

Last month during the lead up to the Big 12 Championship game, Sooners’ head coach Lincoln Riley confirmed that the Big 12 put them on notice, and if the “Horns Down” gesture was used, they would be penalized. Most fans in the Big 12–including Texas fans–agree the conference shouldn’t be involved in this, and should let the teams settle this where it matters.

Texas players, however, disagree.

After Texas lost to West Virginia, several Longhorns’ players said the hand gesture was “disrespectful,” and that they didn’t disrespect other teams’ hand gestures, so the issue should be mutual. Considering this is the second consecutive season where teams have been flagged for throwing “Horns Down,” I don’t expect this issue to go away anytime soon, but it’s certainly something to think about, especially with Texas back on a winning trajectory.

In 2012, former Texas head coach Mack Brown had this to say in response to a Texas Tech player throwing “Horns Down:”

Apparently, Texas has spoken to the league about it, because here we are… still talking about it. What do y’all think: Should the Big 12 let players settle the “respect” issue on the field–where it matters? Or should this be an issue conferences control?
If it’s an issue the Big 12 tries to control, then does it only apply in games where Texas is playing? Consider when the West Virginia sideline used “Horns Down” in a play in its loss to Oklahoma State this season:

At what point does the conference decide to focus on things that matter, like expansion and promoting competition to build a stronger overall brand? Until then, we can only speculate why there’s such an emphasis on prohibiting “Horns Down” from the Big 12 playing field, but in any event, it’s still technically in the OU logo, so let’s see if Sooners’ players get creative with it next season.

Pac-12 Football: Cal Golden Bears Looking Good After Spring Game

On a beautiful spring day in Berkley, California, the California Golden Bears open up the gates and welcome everyone to the Spring Game and showcase its talent.

The Cal Golden Bears football team finished last season with a wining record of 7-6, giving them just their third winning season in nine years. Looking forward, the PAC-12 conference appears to be wide open and the Bears are poised to bring back 13 players from last seasons stingy 10th ranked defensive units.

The defense features Sr. ILB Evan Weaver a 2nd team All-American, and redshirt Jr. CB Camryn Bynum, leader of the #Takers, the defense, is working towards being even better.

The #Takers, Cal’s defensive back unit was live on the scene when sophomore Safety Daniel Scott made a beautiful play. Dropping back into zone coverage Scott read the eyes of quarterback Robby Rowell and elevated snagging an interception.

Cal Golden Bears gear at Fanatics.com

Kuony Deng the 6-foot-6 Jr. ILB dropped back into coverage and somehow managed to avoid detection from sophomore City College of San Francisco transfer Jack Newman, and get setup with for a pick-6.

Transfer student Deon White, OLB, laid down the Hitstick “Crush of the Game” when he stuffed a Gun zone run and completely blew up the ball carrier. The Bears have a long way to go and will find it difficult to fill the shoes of Jordan Kunaszyk, but they appear ready to #EarnIt and be up to the challenge.

Cal Golden Bears gear at Fanatics.com

Offense

Cal has 4 quarterbacks on the roster Chase Garbers, UCLA transfer student Devon Modster, freshman Robby Rowell, and Jack Newsome. Collectively in the spring game the quarterbacks went 23-32 177 yards 1TD 2INTS. Modster recorded the only passing touchdown of the day and would finish 6-7 27 yards and 1TD. Garbers completed 7-10 for 60 yards with a rushing touchdown. Rowell looked sharp early with the ball coming out on time and with zip. He had the offense in a nice rhythm up until feeding Scott the interception. Rowell’s stat line was 7-10 for 68 yards and 1INT.

Offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin has his work cut out for him as the Bears offense seeks ways to put more points on the board. Returning quarterback Chase Garbers appears to be the likley starter, and his confidence in his ability in the passing game is growing. Last years Bears scored 280 total points and averaged 21.5 points per game.

Baldwin must also find ways to replace Patrick Laird’s production. Laird’s 223 carries accounted for 47% of the run game and his 9 scoring plays (5 rushes, 4 receptions) were 29% of the Bears 29 scores in 2018.

Luckily for Bear enthusiasts everywhere, the 2019 have a healthy sized stable of young workhorses ready to carry the load. Alex Letherda had a team longest run of 29 yards, and would finish the afternoon with 12 carries for 76 yards. Deshawn Collins rushed nine times for 39 yards including a 2yd TD run. The Bears offense appears to be featuring two special players.

Dancing Dancy and J-Hawk

Marcel Dancy turned in one of the top performances of the day, Dancy is a playmaker with vision, speed, power, hands, some shimmy/wiggle, and an ice cold spin move. Dancy would finish the day with 8 carries for 33 yards and a TD, he would also catch 3 passes for 29 yards including this 16 yard catch and run ending in pay dirt.


Jeremiah Hawkins introduced himself to the Golden Bear family with impressive displays of speed, moves, and a punishing stiff arm. Hawkins brings a very much needed shot in the arm to the speed department. What shouldn’t be understated is Hawkins knowledge of how to use his speed. Knowing that the best application of it is actual changing speeds and mixing it up so as to throw off the timing of defenders.

These two dynamic young players look to factor in heavily into Cal’s offensive attack and rightfully so. Dancy runs with power can churn through tackles and freeze defenders in their tracks when he puts them through spinning off of defenders.

Hawkins is 5-foot-8 185 pounds of pure dynamite, and if he’s not blowing past you, he’s embarrassing you with a smooth peel-back block or a merciless stiff-arm to the ground. Hawkins is one tough cookie, and we should hope that he has remedied his ball security issues.

Two Ways to Improve College Football Playoffs and the Pac-12

Pac-12 College Football Playoff

Recently, Larry Scott said it was “painful” that the Pac-12 once again missed College Football Playoffs. It’s a regular lament because it seems like the Pac-12 is always left out. Every college football fan, athlete or staffer knows that the Pac-12 is the odd one out. Washington and Oregon are the only teams from the Pac-12 to make it. Just 2 out of 24. Not good for the Pac-12.

So, the idea of expanding the college playoffs or bringing more parity to the selection process sounds perfect. First off, College Football Playoffs are a huge success. It was a long time coming and fans of all programs and divisions love it. With a four-team playoff, rather than selecting just two teams, college football moved to greater competition. From that, it was easier to conclude with the rightful champion.

Now, in its sixth year of success playoffs, the FBS needs to evolve further. For the sake of fans, collegiate programs and football itself.

Expand College Football Playoffs to Eight Teams

First off, the easiest way to increase the likelihood of crowning the just champion is to increase the sample size. Honestly, the NFL has 32 teams and still lets 12 into the playoffs. On the other hand, the FBS has 130 football programs (64 from Power-Five conferences) and only selects four. From such an abundant source of talent and diversity, the current four-team playoffs is restrictive.

Considering how slow and/or unwilling college football is to change, it’s best to keep an expansion small. Adjusting College Football Playoffs from four teams to six or eight is ideal. With six teams, the first and second-ranked teams are afforded a bye. Essentially, With eight teams, playoffs would be similar to the NCAA basketball tournament seeding. But, drastically smaller.

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With each set up, there would be three rounds of College Football Playoffs. This would work best for multiple reasons. First, as said above, expanding to more teams gives college football a clearer, less controversial champion. Additionally, it would add to revenue. As everyone knows, the NCAA loves money (even though it only pays college athletes more than a 550 dollar gift for bowl participation). So, instead of just three playoff games, there would be five to seven. Fundamentally doubling the amount of big-time matches and viewers.

Does Larry Scott support expansion?

Yes. But also no.

“I completely get that it would really release the pressure of being the one that’s been on the outside looking in the most in the first six years to say that automatically we’ve got our champion [in],” Scott said Thursday. “But we also have agreements through 2026 [the championship game] that I think will be very challenging for us to all agree how we’re going to amend and change.”

Larry Scott

Even though expanding playoffs to six or eight teams increases the odds the Pac-12 makes it in, Larry Scott needs a guarantee. He supports an eight team expansion only if each Power-Five conference champion gets a spot in the tournament. This makes sense for Scott because he wants to end the Pac-12’s embarrassing record of playoff participation.

However, he’s wrong in his idea. For two major reasons. First and foremost, expanding the playoffs automatically helps the Pac-12. It lowers the risk of a Pac-12 snub. Because the Pac-12 has little leverage in the situation, he can’t ask for more. Additionally, he’s misguided because mandating that each Power-Five conference champion gets in lowers college football parity. What if the overall competition of the ACC or Big Ten was significantly lower than Pac-12, SEC or Big 12? That hurts the playoff picture.

Granted, an eight-team playoff model like Ross Dellenger depicted would be extremely exciting. Five auto-bids, two at-large and one group of five sounds excellent. Nonetheless, greater freedom in selection creates a chance for greater competition.

Larry Scott refuses to give up the Rose Bowl

Also, of note, Larry Scott and the Pac-12 would be protective of the Rose Bowl. Yes, history is on his side. The Rose Bowl and the Pac-12 have over a century of history together. Nonetheless, Scott needs to be willing to change, to adapt and to give in order to gain. Yes, the Rose Bowl means a great deal for Pac-12 fans. It’s a monumental bowl game. With that being said, the audience would grow substantially if the Rose Bowl had greater competition. If the FBS combined the Rose Bowl, college football’s oldest bowl game, with playoffs each year, ratings and excitement would follow.

Yes, Scott and the Pac-12 have every right to be protective of the Rose Bowl. It’s ours. However, in order to increase the chance of a Pac-12 champion, the Pac-12 must be willing to sacrifice it’s most historic safety blanket. Keep in mind, there could also be a happy medium. If a Pac-12 team gets into the playoffs, they could get automatic entry into the Rose Bowl game. And if they missed the six or eight team playoff selection, they would sacrifice the Rose Bowl. It’s a risk, but one the Pac-12 needs to take.

Play at Least 10 Power-Five Opponents

In addition to Scott, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby also added his own idea. Bowlsby suggested a new requirement for College Football Playoff selection.

  • Each Power-Five team has to play at least ten Power-Five opponents

Excluding conference championship games, only Clemson and Oklahoma played nine, regular season, Power-Five opponents. Ohio State chose to play Florida Atlantic, Cincinnati, and the Miami Redhawks. Likewise, LSU scheduled Georgia Southern, Northwestern State, and Utah State. If they played one more Power-Five team, it’s completely possible they would have an additional loss.

In order to make College Football Playoffs, each team selected needs to have at least ten (excluding conference championships) games against Power-Five opponents. If 2018 Notre Dame can do it, any program should be able to.

College Football Coaches are Threatened ​by ​NCAA Transfer Portal

Transfer Portal NCAA college football

What an interesting college football off-season this is shaping up to be. College football players are wielding their newly found freedom with the NCAA’s transfer portal. Last summer, the NCAA announced the creation of a new transfer portal that would allow college athletes to pursue transferring to another school without first obtaining their coaches permission. […]

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Reaction: Is Jim Leavitt Leaving the Oregon Ducks? Why? What’s Next?

Jim Leavitt Oregon Ducks Mario Cristobal Fired

*updated 7:43am 2/14/19

Reports came out Wednesday evening that the Oregon Ducks would be parting ways with their defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt. Yet, no official statement has been made by the university or Jim Leavitt. He did remove “Oregon LB coach/defensive coordinator” from his Twitter profile. And Bruce Feldman tweeted that Oregon and Jim Leavitt have reached a financial settlement. The biggest questions are why have Leavitt and head coach Mario Cristobal struggled to co-exist, and will he be fired, resign, or will they make up? There had been grumblings of discord within the coaching staff for the quite some time. Apparently, those frustrations have come to a head.

There are four possibilities in this situation: Oregon fires Leavitt and pays out the rest of his contract, Leavitt resigns, Oregon fires Leavitt for cause, or athletic director Rob Mullens and the rest of the decision makers get the coaches to work out their differences.

It seems unlikely that the Ducks would want to fire Leavitt who is under contract through January 31, 2022, at $1.7 million per year. Technically, that could be done, but that would be a high price to pay to get Leavitt to go away. It also seems extremely unlikely that Leavitt just quits without having another job lined up. He would forfeit the remaining money he is guaranteed. I don’t know one person who would leave that kind of money on the table. If Leavitt did something for Oregon to fire him for cause, we would have heard about it before now. So, that leaves Leavitt and Cristobal kissing and making up as a viable option.

What will the fallout be if Leavitt leaves? Will players enter the transfer portal? Who will be the next defensive coordinator?

Download the podcast with more details or watch the video. Leave a comment


Dakota Allen’s senior leadership should have answered questions ahead of NFL Combine

Dakota Allen Texas Tech NFL Draft

Former Texas Tech linebacker Dakota Allen’s perseverance through adversity has landed him a spot in the NFL Combine.

Dakota Allen’s career at Texas Tech began as a promising one. The Red Raiders needed stability at the position, and he was, by all assessments, one of the cornerstone players in the 2014 recruiting class. Allen held offers from 12 schools, but it became clear that Texas Tech was where he wanted to play, and so, the three-star linebacker enrolled, with experts lauding his talents up and down the board.

Fast forward to the Summer of 2016 when Allen and two other Texas Tech football players were arrested on charges of burglary and gun theft, several speculated on whether this was the last we’d see of Dakota Allen.

Charges were dismissed, and the rest of that story is history, but it’s safe to say that Dakota Allen has created a legacy of an athlete who was able to make a triumphant return to fulfill the promises he had made to Texas Tech years prior.

Coming off his final and senior season at Tech, Allen has now accepted an invitation to participate and compete in the biggest job interview in his entire life, the NFL Scouting Combine. While this isn’t exactly uncommon territory for Texas Tech players, it is on the defensive side of the ball, making the stakes even higher, and the urgency for Red Raider scouts to build a true defensive arsenal under first-year head coach Matt Wells.

For Dakota Allen, the last few years have been an opportunity for reinvention, but you couldn’t watch a Texas Tech football game telecast without color commentators mentioning Allen’s backstory. Now he gets the opportunity to answer questions from all 32 NFL teams and set the tone for how he’ll be perceived and remembered in the National Football League.

After an injury last season, Texas Tech message boards were almost convinced Allen would sit for the rest of the season, but his commitment to the team quelled most of the rumors and should set the tone headed into the Combine.

The Texas Tech defensive unit as a whole last season made a few improvements, which included finishing No. 26 in the nation in red zone defense. With the NFL adapting to faster-paced offenses, Allen could be particularly useful in red zone scenarios. Allen is 6-1 and 235 pounds, which is slightly shorter than the prototypical NFL linebacker, although, that shouldn’t hinder any abilities.

At the end of Allen’s junior season, many wondered if he would leave Texas Tech and declare for the NFL Draft early, however, his decision to stay should have put to rest all fears from NFL personnel as to whether he had matured since the incident, and was ready for the big stage.

He’s cerebral, explosive, and a natural leader, so in terms of measurable statistics that scouts expect to see from Draft picks on Day 1, Dakota Allen fits the bill. Whether he’d be a Week 1 starter in the NFL is another story, as he needs to work on eying his targets with greater efficiency, and he can’t be afraid to hit or move around the field. If Allen can become more confident in his skills and stay healthy, he has a tremendously high ceiling in the NFL and could provide much needed veteran leadership down the line.

One thing that’s certain, however, is that when he was given another chance at EMCC, he learned very quickly things that take some athletes an entire lifetime to realize and grow from. With how Dakota Allen has learned to tell his story, NFL scouts and general managers can expect to interview a humble guy from Humble, Texas with a track record of working his tail off for people who believe in him.

Want More? Check Out: Dewan Hernandez’s Reinstatement Case Exposes NCAA’s True Purpose

The NFL Needs to Mirror College Football’s Overtime Rules

nfl Overtime Rules college football

On Sunday, football fans witnessed one of the most exciting NFL Championship Sundays ever. Both the NFC Championship game and the AFC Championship game went into overtime. There is nothing better than watching two teams fight it out so effectively that the game ends in a tie and is forced into overtime. Overtime is almost like a second game where both teams get an equal shot at becoming the victor. However, that is not exactly true for NFL overtimes.

A Coin Toss Decided the Outcomes of Both Championships

To no one’s surprise, the teams that won the two coin tosses won the games. The implementation of the “sudden death” rule on Sunday left many fans upset that each game was essentially decided by a coin toss. The games were decided by a coin toss as it was an almost certainty that the team that won the toss would take possession, score first, and win. Both teams did exactly that.

Although some may argue that the NFC Championship game was decided by a blown call at the end of the fourth quarter, the game still went into overtime.  The team that won the toss, the Los Angeles Rams, won the game without the New Orleans Saints ever getting an opportunity to score. In the AFC Championship game the team that won the toss, the New England Patriots, won the game without the Kansas City Chiefs ever getting an opportunity to score.  Accordingly, fans were upset that the NFC and AFC Championship games were essentially decided by a coin toss.

The NFL Needs to Change This, Especially for Championship Games

The NFL needs to change this. This is especially true as it pertains to championship games. The team that does not take possession at kickoff (usually the team who loses the toss) is essentially at an unfair disadvantage. Some may argue that there is no disadvantage because the defense should be able to hold off the opposing offense. This is a fair argument. However, it would be better if both teams were guaranteed a chance to perform on both offense and defense. Such a change would ultimately make the game more competitive. It would force both teams to prove they deserve to win offensively and defensively.

The NFL Needs to Adopt Some Variation of College Football’s Overtime Rules

The college football overtime rules are much better than the NFL’s. The NFL can certainly learn from college football in this area. Like the NFL, overtime in college starts with a coin toss.  Where it differs is in the fact that both teams are guaranteed a possession.  This means that both teams will have the opportunity to play both offense and defense. This is better because it forces both teams to earn the win on both ends of the field.  

If the team that gets the ball first scores, they must defend it and hold off the other team’s offense. The college overtime period starts at the 25-yard line.[i] If the game is still tied at the end of the overtime period it keeps going until a team wins.[ii] However, once the game reaches a third overtime period, the teams may no longer kick after a touchdown and are forced to attempt a two-point conversion.[iii] This goes on until a team wins.

Some may argue that this type of overtime makes for a long game.  That is true, a game could be extremely long if both teams keep scoring.  However, that is an extremely rare occurrence. Even with that possibility, the NFL needs to consider some variation of college football’s overtime rules.  Allowing who gets to advance to the Super Bowl to be determined by a coin toss is simply unacceptable.

[i] Chris Chavez, How Does College Football Overtime Work? Rule, NFL Differences Explained, Sports Illustrated (Aug. 14, 2017), https://www.si.com/college-football/2017/college-football-overtime-rules-explained.

[ii] Id.

[iii] Id.

Kliff Kingsbury Interview: NFL is Ready for Bold Coaching Philosophies

Kliff Kingsbury Interview: The NFL is Ready for Bold Coaching Philosophies

As former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury transitions into the NFL, his thought process shows just how far he’s matured since becoming college football’s youngest head coach.

When Kliff Kingsbury was hired as Texas Tech’s head coach in 2013, he was coming off an exciting year. Kingsbury, then 32, had just coached the youngest Heisman winner in the award’s history in Johnny Manziel. As offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, the national spotlight was focused on a coach with a penchant for details, who proved his high powered offense could be successful in the SEC; which was viewed as the gateway to the NFL.

Fast forward to Texas Tech’s loss vs. Baylor on November 24, 2018, where Kingsbury’s head coaching record hit 35-40 (.467).

In Tech’s 24-35 loss in Dallas, it was pretty much guaranteed that he would not be returning to Lubbock in 2019. Days later, Kingsbury’s termination was confirmed, but just as the news came in, Kliff Kingsbury’s name escalated to the top of every offensive coordinator vacancy position available. Just as Red Raiders began embracing “The King’s” new destination in Los Angeles as the Trojans’ OC, USC allowed him to interview for the Arizona Cardinals’ head coaching position. While the idea of a coach with a losing record seemed insane at first, the Cardinals’ decision was on-trend with the NFL’s sudden shift to the very offensive installation that Kliff Kingsbury had become notorious for throughout his entire playing and coaching career.

Record-breaking numbers and fast-paced offenses are becoming the identity of the Big 12. Now it’s also trickling into the SEC and specifically Alabama with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. For years the Crimson Tide’s identity was in its defensive fortitude, but Tua’s arm strength and cerebral talents prove that to outmaneuver opponents means you have to outsmart them. This can be attributed to why Rams’ head coach Sean McVay has seen the success he has in Los Angeles. Just as defenses understand what “Halle Berry” means, quarterback Jared Goff catches them off guard with another audible. “Obama Obama. Ric Flair Ric Flair.” Score. It’s poetry.

It’s easy to understand why NFL purists who believe the offensive philosophies and avant-garde schemes in college should stay in their lane, but the NFL has to source talent from somewhere. And with two of the top producing conferences in college football transitioning, it’s the perfect timing for a Kliff Kingsbury-type coach.

Kingsbury might be young by NFL standards, but his playing resume spans from New Braunfels, Texas to Europe, so he’s cultured in a way that he understands his players. His coaching career started on a roll of the dice, and he’s been on a G6 ever since. Sure, there’s been turbulence, but like most successful people, adversity and struggles haven’t taken him off course. He’s learned from every role and opportunity he’s been given, and his work ethic combined with his detail-oriented mentality is why he’s now one of 32 NFL head football coaches.

But with the man responsible for coaching up six current NFL quarterbacks–including the frontrunner for the NFL’s MVP Award in Patrick Mahomes–suddenly in charge of a team worth $2.5B, questions have been raised, and rightfully so.

Thankfully, Kingsbury was kind enough to sit down with me to clear the air on some of those concerns.

Q: What was the most transformative event in your time as head coach at Texas Tech that let you know you were ready for this step?

KK: “I’m not sure you ever know that you’re ready, but having been fortunate to coach guys that have played at this level and seen the success they’ve had in similar offensive trends going on in the NFL, I’m just excited for this opportunity, and I’ll try to take what we’ve done at the college level into the NFL.”

Q: If you could break the internet with one unknown fact about you, what would it be?

KK: “I’m straight forward. What you see is what you get.”

Q: You’re one of the coolest and most composed guys on the sideline at every level. So, schematics aside, who influenced that aspect of your coaching philosophy?

KK: “I try to only show positive reactions. I think that when I was with New England watching Coach Belichick, he was the one where ‘great play or bad play’ [he was composed]. And I always thought that was good for the pulse of the team. You never really knew what he was thinking either way, but he never showed panic or any sort of overreaction, and I think that’s just a good mentality for a coach to show to his team.”

Q: Thoughts on angry coaches coming from a former players’ perspective?

KK: “Players respond differently. For me, I was just never a guy who fed off the coach losing it. I was more like, ‘Hey, let’s figure this out, keep our heads together,’ and come up with the best solution to whatever the issue was at the time.”

Q: You coached Pat [Mahomes] and were with him the night he was drafted, and you were drafted by the Pats and played with Tom Brady. How are you feeling about the AFC Championship game?

KK: “I’m pulling for both offenses, so… a high scoring affair. Hopefully, they tie! No… it’s tough because obviously, I have a lot of respect for the head coaches and the teams and Tom and Pat, so I just want them both to play really well, and I’m sure it will be a heckuva a game.”

Q: So you have no rooting interest?

KK: “I don’t. I’m just trying to stay neutral and hope everyone plays well and stays healthy.”

Q: What was the biggest challenge in your first few years as head coach at Texas Tech? Did you face any issues or setbacks that might have throttled Tech’s progression, and ultimately your win-loss record?

KK: “I’m sure there were specifics, but just as a young coach, I think I was probably a little too ambitious on some things. Instead of just really trying to build it from the ground up, I thought we could make some quick fixes here and there. It probably set us back, and I think it’s just something that you learn as you go. There isn’t anything that can prepare you for that, but I think that probably pushed us back a little bit in the beginning.”

Q: Did you think your limited time in the coaching profession had an impact on your coaching tree?

KK: “No…I’m not sure. Obviously, I hadn’t been a coach for very long when I was given that opportunity and probably had some limited connections as opposed to others. I think that’s something that moving forward, I’ve really tried to be thorough in the hiring process, and making sure that we’re always getting the best candidates possible. I’ve been fortunate to coach with a bunch of coaches who have done a tremendous job for us, but that’s one of the biggest things I took from [that job]; you have to get the right tools for that program at that time, regardless of your relationship with people. It’s just about getting the right people.”

Q: What’s your favorite quote?

KK: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, and live the life you’ve imagined.” — Henry David Thoreau

Q: You haven’t announced an OC yet, but noted that whoever you hire will help you mesh some traditional looks into your system. With how much the NFL is changing offensively, is it important to bring in traditional coaches to transition veteran players into new schemes more efficiently?

KK: “The experience factor in this league is [what’s] important for me, to be able to learn from everyone that has been here before and dealt with an NFL schedule, game planning, and break downs. There are just different aspects that will be new to me, so the more experience you can rely on, the more ideas you can get from people who have done it at a high level from different organizations, the better off we’ll be.”

Kliff Kingsbury is an anomaly–especially to the coaching world. He’s a charismatic guy with Texas swagger but places a great deal of emphasis on intelligence. From his custom suits to one of his favorite books, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the details he pays attention to are a nod to old school elements of the game; it’s his system that provides an upgrade. And with another NFL team getting on board, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the ‘Year in Football’ in 2019 includes an increase of “system experimentation.”

Want More? Check Out: Preseason Polls are Worthless and Mess Up the College Football Playoff

Trevor Lawrence Should be Able to Receive his Worth While at Clemson

Trevor Lawerence

On Monday, Clemson decisively defeated Alabama for the College Football National Championship. The Tigers overcame the Crimson Tide 44-16. Not only did Clemson defeat the almighty “Bama,” Clemson sent a strong message defeating them by 28 points. Leading Clemson to victory was true freshman quarterback Trevor Lawerence. Lawerence undisputedly emerged as the star of the game. He threw three touchdown passes and amassed 347 passing yards. Accordingly, Lawerence’s performance was truly unprecedented. He defeated the most powerful team in college football who boasted a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback.

After the game, sports fans and commentators began criticizing the fact that Lawerence is ineligible for the upcoming NFL draft. Critics argued that it is unfair that players do not have the option to enter the draft when they see fit. Similarly, they argue that is not fair that elite athletes are told when they may go professional and make money off of their athletic abilities.

Division 1 college football is a billion dollar industry. However, the athletes who propel that industry receive essentially no compensation above a cost-of-attendance scholarship. However, the coaches make millions of dollars each year. Perhaps, the real issue is not when Lawerence or other similarly situated players should be eligible for the NFL draft. Perhaps the real issue is why playing professionally is the only option such players have to make money for their athletic abilities?

Why is Trevor Lawerence Ineligible for the NFL Draft?

Lawerence is ineligible for the draft because the NFL’s rules say a player is not draft eligible until he is three years removed from his high school graduating class. Proponents of the rules argue that they are in place to protect future NFL prospects from prematurely entering the league before they are physically ready. However, opponents believe that it is unfair that Lawrence and other NFL prospects do not have the option to start their professional careers whenever they see fit. Accordingly, fans and critics argue that Lawerence and other NFL prospects should have the ability to chose when to start their NFL careers.

Perhaps elite athletes should have the ability to freely decide when to turn pro. However, this issue is not the real injustice. The real injustice is the fact that elite NFL prospects cannot make money off their athletic abilities while in college. This is especially true given the fact that the coaches make millions off of the labor of the athletes.

Coaches Make Millions Off of the Labor of Elite Talent, While the Talent has to Wait for a  Professional Career That May Never Manifest.

Take the two coaches who were in the championship game for instance. Those two coaches were Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Alabama’s Nick Saban. Saban’s base salary was $7.5 million. He made an additional $400,000 for appearing in the CFP semifinal game. Even though the Crimson Tide lost, Saban still cleared an additional $600,000 just for appearing in the championship game. Swinney’s base salary for the season was $6 million.  He received an additional $200,000 for his CFP semifinal appearance.  Since Clemson won the championship, Swinney will receive an additional $250,000.

Meanwhile, the labor force (the football players) that makes these incredible salary numbers possible receives a very small amount in comparison. A scholarship for a college education is invaluable. However, when compared to coaches salaries, television deals, and other sponsorships, does it really seem fair that athletes are limited to their scholarship?

The Focus Should be on Lawernce’s Inability to Profit off his Athleticism in College Instead of on his Inability to go to the NFL

It is not fair for athletes to have wait to reach the NFL to be adequately compensated for their athleticism. What if a player suffers a career ending injury before he is eligible for the NFL? Such a player would never have the opportunity to be adequately compensated for his athletic ability.  It is for this reason that the conversation should be focused on college athletes rights to receive adequate compensation in college.

Yes, an injured player may have a degree.  It is also true that the degree could yield high earnings for the player in the future. However, the injured player would still have missed the opportunity to be adequately compensated for his athleticism in college.  Meanwhile, his coach made millions in games that the injured player’s labor largely contributed to.

There is a lot of money in Division 1 college football.  This is evident from the coaches salaries.  More of that money should be funneled down to the labor force who makes it all possible.  It would be nice if Lawerence had the ability to opt for the NFL. However, it would be better if he could receive more for the fruits of his labor while in college. At the very least, Lawerence and other similarly situated athletes should be allowed to profit off of their own name, image, and likeness.  Therefore, the conversation should be about Lawerence’s ability to receive his worth while in college instead of his ability to go to the NFL.

Tucker Carlson Wants to End the War on Scrubs. As a Scrub, I say “What War?”

Tucker Carlson Fox News

I remember how hard it used to be to convince my wife to join Twitter. About the sixth time during each day that I’d burst into an immature cackle while scrolling through my feed, she’d roll her eyes, and I’d take that as my cue to try and convince her that Twitter was indeed a public good. I’d exalt the virtues of its use during instances of government suppression during the Arab Spring, or point out its real-time efficiency in figuring out traffic issues (people love to tweet about traffic while in traffic), but she knew the truth. I was in it for the nonsense.

Sometimes I wish I hadn’t have taken up the task of persuading her to join the fray. For one, I’d be able to avoid seeing all the Kliff Kingsbury-related tweets she favorites. (Apparently, he’s good looking?) But the biggest reason I regret my wife’s presence on Twitter is that she recently alerted me to a piece of video that has launched me into a tailspin of mind-numbing internal debate and dissonance.

“Studies Show”…

Maybe you’ve seen it, and perhaps I’m just reopening old wounds, but Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson recently let this bit of “wisdom” fly:

“Study after study has shown that when men make less than women, women generally don’t want to marry them. Maybe they should want to marry them but they don’t. Over big populations, this causes a drop in marriage, a spike in out of wedlock births and all the familiar disasters that inevitably follow, more drug and alcohol abuse, higher incarcerations rates, fewer families formed in the next generation.”

Here’s the point that Tucker Carlson was trying to make, summed up. White rural modern families now resemble urban families of the 1980s in that there’s rampant male unemployment, a drug epidemic, and an increased rate of births out of wedlock. And his culprit? Women making more money than men.
“This is not speculation; it’s not propaganda… it’s social science. We know it’s true.” Carlson opined, without citing any of the studies he so confidently referenced.
And who did Tucker Carlson blame for his assertion that poor white men can’t afford to put a ring on it? Rich, married folks.
“Here’s the bewildering and infuriating part. The very same affluent married people, the ones who make virtually all the decisions in our society, are doing pretty much nothing to help the people below them get, and stay married. Rich people are happy to fight malaria in Congo, but working to raise men’s wages in Dayton of Detroit? That’s crazy. This is negligence on a massive scale. Both parties ignore the crisis in marriage. Our mindless cultural leaders act like it’s still 1961, and the biggest problem American families face is that sexism is preventing millions of housewives from becoming investment bankers or Facebook executives.”

Modern Family

I don’t know where to start here. I suppose I’ll define where I’m coming from. I’m a work-from-home dad supporting a spouse whose income at her second job greatly outweighs my primary income. I know that on the whole, there’s little value in anecdotes, so take it for what it’s worth when I say I’m not just content in my complimentary role to my spouse, but that I feel, as much as anyone with four kids can, that we’re thriving. I mean, we’re drowning in life’s unceasing avalanche of responsibility, but as far as drowning goes, I feel like we’re doing a decent job. If we were on a metaphorical drowning talent show, I like to think Simon Cowell would be impressed.
Anyway, I’m happy. So maybe it’s the fact that I can’t relate that causes these comments to fail to resonate with me. Or perhaps it’s that I tend to be on the conservative side of things politically, which is where I thought Tucker Carlson resided. It’s hard for me to place the blame for society’s woes on the fact that women aren’t falling all over themselves to wear a white gown and recite vows across from “Cletus the unskilled laborer,” who grew up residing in a manufacturing graveyard and refused to pivot so he could support himself, much less an eventual theoretical family.

Correlation or Causation?

Is my gender having a crisis? Sure. And we always have been. The fact that some women make some money now isn’t the root of our ills. Correlation doesn’t prove causation. I seem to remember learning that one of the things that historically hyper-accelerates women’s participation in the workforce are the wars we testosterone-possessing Homo sapiens show an affinity for both generating and participating in.
There’s nothing more emasculating to me than Tucker Carlson’s assertion that the L’s that the male gender has been collecting aren’t even L’s that we earned. We’re all just victims in a dark timeline, and the reason we’re strung out on the trailer sofa, playing Xbox, and waiting for the coal mine to reopen, is so that we can at least enter some kind of tunnel since the fairer sex has abandoned us. And it’s all because some well-adjusted suburban couple was busy helping reduce the global malaria death rate 48% from 2000-2015. Those charitable bastards.

Is He Right?

Maybe Tucker Carlson is right. I mean, he isn’t. This is an aggressively anti-woman diatribe that also manages to make America’s men completely dependent on government assistance to get them a job and a partner. But for the sake of argument, let’s say that he at the very least has a point about the fact that women should be attracted to men who don’t make a whole lot of money.
I mean, that’s something I’m not going to spend too much time fighting him on. Especially since it worked out for me. My wife seems to have failed to heed the words of Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas, who once famously said, “Wanna get with me, with no money, oh no, I don’t want no scrub.”
I suppose another option for our gender would be to man up while manning up still implies exerting effort in order to overcome adversity. We could learn and develop marketable skills in order to attract a mate, and help take care of the kids we sire. Maybe we can stop acting like scrubs altogether?
But why would we do that when our TV talking heads are hanging out the passenger side of their Fox News ride, trying to holler that there’s someone else to blame?