McCready: 10 Weekend Thoughts, presented by Harry Alexander
1. I was in Washington D.C. with my daughters last week, but there was no escaping the drama that surrounded Ole Miss football.
On Wednesday, National Signing Day (and yes, the early signing period is fast becoming National Signing Day) went badly for Ole Miss. Period. It just did.
Ole Miss built a campaign around #MississippiMade and then lost on virtually every top Mississippi prospect making decisions known on Wednesday.
There's no getting around how those misses change the narrative around the program going into 2019. Had Ole Miss landed Nakobe Dean, Brandon Turnage, Raydarious Jones, Jaren Handy and others, it would have taken some of the pressure off the 2019 season. It's easier to sell a rebuild to customers if there is tangible evidence of help coming.
Without that, there will be heat on Matt Luke and Co. if the wins don't pile up. How Ole Miss manages that message will be fascinating, for it's very complicated calculus.
2. Why is it complicated? Well, a public relations specialist would likely advise Ole Miss officials to give Luke a strong, public show of support right now. Given the difficulty that winning games will be next fall, telling fans, likely via the media, that Luke isn't on the hot seat in 2019 would help to stabilize the program.
OIe Miss, after all, is still working on the 2019 class, and the 2020 class will be every bit as vital as this current recruiting cycle is.
However, given the instability at the top of the university, it's almost impossible for anyone to make promises right now. Would a new chancellor come in and make sweeping changes to the university, including in the athletics department? Would a new athletics director want to hire his own head football coach, especially if the Rebels struggle to win games in the fall? No one knows the answers to those questions, which only leads to more awkwardness heading into the 2019 season.
3. On Thursday, Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall took his name out of the offensive coordinator race after Luke informed him he was slowing down the Rebels' search for Phil Longo's replacement.
If my phone is any indication, people all over are wondering what really happened. Did Ross Bjork veto Hall? Did Hall decide not to risk tying his fate to Ole Miss? Was Luke telling the truth when he said he just felt he needed to slow down and make sure he got this hire right?
I'm normally a cynic and a skeptic, but I choose to believe Luke and take him at his word. I also believe Hall really likes Tulane coach Willie Fritz and didn't want to leave him hanging past the end of the week. Hall likely could have remained a candidate, and it's certainly possible, at least in my opinion, the search would have turned back to him. However, Hall was happy in New Orleans, and he likely didn't feel comfortable stretching his candidacy past the holidays.
And Luke's right; he has to get this hire right. Unless he's 100 percent comfortable with any candidate, he needs to be patient. Luke said he wants to talk to some coaches after the NFL regular season, and I've heard a couple of names who will be free after next weekend. I suspect we'll get 10 days into January before anything is done, and as long as the new offensive coordinator is a good communicator, that's plenty of time to help Ole Miss finish the 2019 recruiting cycle.
4. Ole Miss finally moved away from Maurice Harris on Friday.
The long-time Ole Miss tight ends coach was hired as the offensive coordinator (in title only, I can assure you) by former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze at Liberty.
Christmas came early for Ole Miss fans, who have been befuddled by Harris' job security despite the fact the former Memphis-area prep coach had virtually no success whatsoever on the recruiting trails in the Bluff City.
Luke absolutely must figure out a way to have at least some success in Memphis. It's my opinion he should've fired Harris the day after the Egg Bowl. Insiders said Harris' presence was critical for the early signing period. However, Harris provided no wins in December. The decision to retain him a year ago and then again for a month after the Egg Bowl remains one of the more baffling moves of the Luke area.
As an aside, I was told last week another Ole Miss assistant had an interview last week. I won't be surprised if there's more movement on the Rebels' staff soon. Frankly, it's needed.
5. Ole Miss improved to 9-2 Friday with a win over Middle Tennessee in Nashville.
I wasn't in Bridgestone Arena and I didn't see the game, so I can't make any observations.
The Rebels will be heavily favored on Saturday when they face Florida-Gulf Coast, and assuming a win, they'll be 10-2 when Southeastern Conference play begins a week later in Nashville against Vanderbilt.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi, in his most recent bracket projection (yes, that's as ridiculous as you think it is), has Ole Miss as one of the last four teams into the NCAA Tournament if it were seeded today. Of course, Ole Miss has at least 20 games left, so that's terribly premature, but the point remains: Through the first two months of the season, Ole Miss has done enough to enter league play with plenty to play for.
Wins will be tough to come by, not just for Ole Miss but also for everyone in the SEC, but this Rebel team is interesting and it plays incredibly hard. In my opinion, an NCAA Tournament appearance is unlikely but I'm not ready to count this group out.
6. So, just how good is the SEC? Well, here's perspective. Ole Miss is considered a bubble team as of today, per Lunardi. I'll give my SEC rankings in this space each week, but for today, I'll use Lunardi's rankings instead of mine. Here they are:
1. Tennessee
2. Auburn
3. Mississippi State
4. Kentucky
5. LSU
6. Florida
7. Ole Miss
8. Vanderbilt
The rest of the SEC wasn't included in Lunardi's bracket projections, but Alabama, Arkansas and Missouri are all 8-3. Georgia is 7-4. Texas A&M is 6-4. Only South Carolina has been a disaster.
It's a brutal league, but it should be 2 1/2 months of exciting basketball.
7. The NFC playoffs are going to be superb.
New Orleans defeated Pittsburgh Sunday to assure that the route to the Super Bowl will go through the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The Rams and Bears won on Sunday as well, and the battle for the No. 2 seed will go to the final weekend of the regular season.
Nick Foles led Philadelphia to another win on Sunday, although Dallas won the NFC East with a win over Tampa Bay. Seattle and Minnesota are both scary potential first-round opponents.
The Saints are the best team, but their offensive line is shaky right now, making them vulnerable. The Rams are not a good road team and the Bears are an elite defensive unit. Bottom line: The road to Atlanta will be fascinating and likely full of great games.
8. I won't bore you with an entire thought dedicated to the NBA. Instead, I'll bore you with some random sports thoughts and life observations from the past week:
1. It sure looks like the Los Angeles Dodgers are creating room for Bryce Harper, but there is a lot of buzz that the Dodgers are going a different direction. If L.A. signs A.J. Pollock or trades for Nick Castellanos instead of Harper, what's his market? The White Sox? I'm not convinced he wants to play on the South Side. The Phillies? Perhaps, but they seem to be more focused on Manny Machado. It appears Harper's free agency will stretch well into January, which is just fascinating, considering his talent and advertising appeal.
2. Paul George stunned a lot of basketball people when he shunned the Lakers to stay in Oklahoma City. As the league gets to its first real measuring stick (Christmas Day), George is playing like an MVP, leadings the Thunder to a very strong record while the team plays without Andre Roberson and while Russell Westbrook continues to shake off the rust caused by knee and ankle injuries.
3. If your kid is screaming on an airplane (I'm not talking about painful yelling; I'm talking about screaming for attention), you should make sure your child knows that screaming isn't tolerable. The little angel in front of me on the flight from Baltimore to Memphis Saturday was an absolute nightmare.
4. Terron Armstead's health could shape the NFL playoff picture as much as anything. The Saints aren't the same without him at left tackle.
5. Every time I see the Vietnam memorial, I am awestruck by the names and moved to tears.
6. I finally went to Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday. I'm so glad I did. It was amazing, moving and powerful.
7. The Toronto Raptors are for real, which is what makes Philadelphia's 25-point win over the Raptors on Saturday night even more impressive. Ben Simmons went for 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers. The Eastern Conference playoffs are going to be fantastic.
8. Buddy Hield is so much fun to watch. The former Oklahoma star can fill it up, and with Hield leading the way, Sacramento is 17-15. If the playoffs began today, the Kings would be tied with Houston for the No. 7 seed. They'll almost certainly fade, but they're a fun, young team to watch.
9. If you've never been to Ford's Theatre, it's worth the trip. I've been twice, and sitting in that theatre and imagining that night when John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln is a powerful exercise. To think how much history changed in that space is incredible.
10. For the second time in my life, I got a chance to peer my head into the Oval Office. Once, that office was Barack Obama's. On Friday, it was Donald Trump's. Both times, I was struck by the power of that room, the responsibility of that room. We were in the West Wing on Friday, guests of my friend Hogan Gidley, on a day when the White House was crazier than usual. I have such respect for that office and, after watching people work so hard behind the scenes, I have a newfound respect for the people who occupy that building every day.
9. Normally this spot is dedicated to Jonathan Howard's drink of the week. Jonathan has the week off to spend the holidays with his family, so I'll fill Jonathan's spot with a few toasts.
Here's to Jonathan, who gives freely of his time each week, showing off his skill and knowledge of his craft so we can all have some ideas. Over the years, he's become a good friend on top of being an amazing resource and a blessing for this site.
Here's to Harry Alexander, who has long sponsored this column. That stability, amazingly, has made this content item our most consumed almost every week. Sometimes I wonder what the hell I'll write about each Sunday. And sometimes I wonder what I'd do if I didn't have this outlet. Thanks, Harry, for your long-held belief in me and this site.
Here's to Ben Craddock, Corey Clark and so many other advertisers, who have allowed Chase Parham and I to not only build RebelGrove.com into a top 15 site but also build a podcast network that has changed our lives. We'll be forever indebted to Ben, for without his belief in us, it just never happens. Corey helped us take things to another level, and those guys have become great friends over the years.
I'll forget someone here, and I hope no one will be offended, but our advertisers have meant so much to us. I know there have been times when advertising with us was risky, but we've built a family of sorts. Here's to Gene and Sandy Grass, Stacy Wall, John Edwards, Oxford-University Bank, Nick Weaver, Blake Cocanougher and Blue Delta Jeans, Cass Dodgen, The Westin Jackson, Dead Soxy, Home2Suites in Oxford, Majure Markow and the people at Cathead Vodka, Austin Barbour, Wes Ehrhardt, John Calvin Patterson, Greg Jones at LBs Meat Market, Jason Lowe at Community Mortgage, the Oxford Park Commission, the City of Oxford and others who have invested their businesses with ours over the years. It's been so much fun to learn how to build a business.
Here's to our subscribers and listeners. Without you guys, obviously, there's nothing. I know at times things get a little contentious. Sports are emotional. However, know we care deeply about the product we produce and we take your praise, criticism and feedback very seriously.
Here's to Chase Parham and Russell Johnson, who frequently answer my request for a thought to flesh out this content item. College baseball and recruiting aren't always my areas of expertise, and their contributions are always of great benefit to me and to those who read this piece each Sunday night/Monday morning.
10. I anticipate a slow week, but we'll have coverage of Ole Miss basketball along with any recruiting and coaching news that may develop. In the meantime, here are some links of interest to me _ and hopefully, to you _ for your reading pleasure:
Why the Pelicans are in serious danger of losing Anthony Davis
To those who knew Reggie Lewis best, fond memories are always front and center
Media Circus: What makes a good podcast and some notable ones worth your time – The Athletic
Michael Jordan, and the Hornets game that changed Charlotte | Charlotte Observer
Carolina Panthers | Cam Newton on shoulder problem, decision | Charlotte Observer
How climate change will have a major impact on hockey’s future – The Athletic
Donald Trump’s Plan for the Middle East and Syria – Rolling Stone
Rising Waters Are Drowning Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor
WhatsApp co-founder tweets time to delete Facebook
Whiskey Lovers, Here's Why You Should Be Drinking Cognac Instead | Food & Wine