McCready: 10 Weekend Thoughts presented by Harry Alexander

1. Van Jefferson was angry last year when he learned he would redshirt and not contribute to Ole Miss’ offense.

Rather than rebel, however, Jefferson talked to his parents, calmed down and embraced the opportunity to improve his skills outside of the limelight.

“I wanted to make an instant impact, but that wasn’t God’s plan for me, so I sat and waited patiently,” Jefferson said. “This year, I’m ready to go.”

A year later, Jefferson is ready to go, indeed. He appears to have earned a spot in Ole Miss’ starting lineup and is a strong candidate to have a breakout season in the Southeastern Conference.

“It’s what I expected,” Jefferson said. “The hard work I put in and the effort I put in, I expected to come out in the spring and make a good impact. I really do (feel a carryover). Fall is going good right now. …I just go out and play and get ready for Florida State.”

He’s yet to catch his first pass at the college level, but Jefferson is already a mentor of sorts for the Rebels’ trio of freshman wide receivers – D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown and Tre Nixon.

“I just told them, ‘(Ole Miss wide receivers) Coach (Grant) Heard is going to get on you a lot. That’s normal coming in,’” Jefferson said. “They understand that if they make a mistake, just play the next play. All three of them are looking really good. I’m ready to see what they can do as well.”

Jefferson doesn’t have to look far for mentors of his own. His father is Miami Dolphins wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson. The elder Jefferson played for San Diego, New England, Atlanta and Detroit during his 13-year NFL career. He taught him the fine art of separating from the defender and refined his footwork.

“I owe that to my father, actually,” Jefferson said, adding that he’s learned a lot working with former LSU star/current Dolphins’ wide receiver Jarvis Landry as well. “With him playing in the NFL and him coaching some high-talented guys, I owe that to him. When I was growing up, he’d put me in the field and put me through drills. That’s just something that God blessed me with.

“Having him as a mentor towards me and him teaching me those things, I owe that to him. You have to rep it, rep it and rep it and eventually things will stick.”

2. No position coach has more work to do this August than Ole Miss offensive line coach Matt Luke. The Rebels lost Laremy Tunsil, Fahn Cooper, Aaron Morris, Justin Bell and Ben Still from last year’s offensive front, but Luke isn’t worried about his guys this fall being too green.

“We lost a lot of seniors and some guys to the NFL, so we have to step up,” Luke said. “We do have some guys who have played before, and a lot of those guys are young, so that’s a good thing. (Sean) Rawlings, (Jordan) Sims and (Javon) Patterson are young guys but they’ve played a but of football, and you’ve got (Robert) Conyers who is a senior. So really what you’re trying to do is find a starter at left tackle.”

The player with perhaps the most upside in Luke’s room is freshman offensive tackle Greg Little. Luke’s role with Little is complicated. He’s tasked with developing Little’s abilities all while tempering expectations and dousing comparisons to Tunsil

“That was the thing with Laremy,” Luke said. “He played about 30-40 percent in (his) first game. Emmanuel McCray was the starter through three games and people forget that. They just think he stepped on and started his first day, but he didn’t start until after the Texas game. It took some time to bring him along and get him acclimated into the offense.

“People don’t remember Laremy as a freshman. They just say he’s going to be as good as Laremy was as a junior. Well, that’s not a fair comparison. Laremy is also one of the top linemen, from a talent standpoint, I’ve ever coached, so that’s a lot of shoes for (Little) to fill. But he is a very good talent and he will compete for that job.”

Luke said he’s most excited about the potential for a major improvement this season for his sophomore guards, Sims and Patterson.

“I think they were still kind of feeling their way (last season),” Luke said. “Right now, because of the situation we’re in with young players, they’re being forced into a leadership role as sophomores, so that’s kind of a unique thing. Usually your leaders are seniors. …They are very mature guys that can handle a lot of information and have played a lot of football. They just kind of get it. They’re not typical sophomores.”

3. This time a year ago, Ole Miss was working three quarterbacks _ Chad Kelly, Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade _ with the starting offense. A year later, Kelly is the SEC’s best signal-caller and a likely first-round draft choice.

Therefore, Ole Miss is polishing its offense this August, not inventing it.

“We’re putting in a lot of option routes in the last couple of weeks,” Kelly said. “We’re just getting more familiar with those and just kind of getting on the same page. If you see a safety stay high, you’re supposed to break it off. We’re just out here working every single day, trying to get better and getting on the same page.”

“I feel really good about it,” Ole Miss offensive coordinator Dan Werner said. “With the success we had last year and all those guys leaving, the younger guys sort of took it upon themselves, (saying), ‘Look, I’ve got to step up to make this thing right.’ So far, it seems like they worked really hard in the offseason. The strength coaches, with Coach (Paul) Jackson, they’ve done a great job. They’re in great shape and they’re locked in mentally.”

4. Fadol Brown didn’t practice on Saturday as he continues to recover from foot surgery. His status for No. 11 Ole Miss’ Labor Day opener against No. 4 Florida State in Orlando is unknown. So is the Rebels’ plan for the Seminoles if Brown can’t go. Ole Miss plans to give several players, including converted linebacker Shawn Curtis, a long look before deciding what to do if Brown can’t go.

“If that’s not what we want, then we’ll take a look at one of those inside guys and move him out there,” Ole Miss defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said. “We’re doing all the right things right now. We’ve got the big scrimmage (Sunday) and we’ll kind of make some decisions after that.”

One player trying to work his way into an increased role is sophomore Victor Evans, who has bulked up to 245 pounds. Evans got a long look on Saturday while the Rebels gave starters D.J. Jones and Marquis Haynes a light day of work (or a day off, in Jones’ case).

“I feel like after two years, I’ve learned the playbook fully and now I have to take advantage,” Evans said. “In high school, you don’t really have to have technique. You just have to know how to hit somebody. In college, you have to have technique because the other guys are going to be just as good as you. Technique separates you from everybody.”

5. Another player excited to finally make his presence felt at Ole Miss is redshirt freshman huskie Montrell Custis, who is smart enough this fall camp to keep a constant eye at the starter at his position, All-American candidate Tony Conner.

“Everybody knows who Tony Conner is,” Custis said. “Us young guys have to follow in his footsteps and learn what he does to add to our game so that one day hopefully we can be like Tony or even better than Tony.

“I’m an undersized husky, but I can fit and I’m very physical and stuff like that. I feel like I have to work on getting bigger, faster and stronger.”

Custis said he and fellow young defensive backs Zedrick Woods and Myles Hartsfield call themselves “The Young Savages” because they feel, “One day it’s going to be our secondary.”

6. The much-anticipated date with Florida State is now just two weeks away.

The staff at Warchant.com broke down the Seminoles’ fall camp at the midway point Sunday.

Warchant.com’s Ira Schoffel and Ryan Kelly broke down the Seminoles’ suspension of backup quarterback Malik Henry.

Linebacker Matthew Thomas is “in a good place.”

Even without Jalen Ramsey, Florida State’s defensive secondary is developing a ‘savage’ mentality.

7. With the season just two weeks away, here’s a weekly look around the SEC:

Alabama’s Nick Saban isn’t tipping his hand about the Crimson Tide’s quarterback race.

Auburn’s quarterback race, meanwhile, remains a three-man affair.

Arkansas continues to look to settle its offensive line.

LSU’s K.J. Malone is working at both guard and tackle during the Tigers’ fall camp.

Texas A&M’s Noel Mazzone is happy to have Christian Kirk on his side this year.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart is getting closer to a decision at quarterback.

How Vanderbilt upgraded each position group on offense.

Tennessee’s foundation class of 2014 is living up to its reputation.

Add Will Muschamp to the list of coaches not ready to name a quarterback.

8. It took two months, but we’ve arrived at the final NFL division yet to be predicted in this space. A year ago, the Washington Redskins emerged as the unlikely champs in the NFC East, leaving three underachieving teams home for the postseason. A year later, the Giants and Eagles have new coaches, and at least on paper, the Cowboys appear poised to regain their divisional crown.

My predictions for the NFC East:

Dallas Cowboys 10-6

Washington 8-8

New York Giants 7-9

Philadelphia Eagles 6-10

9. This entry is liable to be a rambling mess. You can’t say you weren’t forewarned.

A week ago, Oxford was rocked by the news that six local residents had been killed in a private airplane accident in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Drs. Jason and Lea Farese, Dr. Austin and Angie Poole and Dr. Michael and Kim Perry died in the accident. The three couples left a total of 11 children behind.

It’s been a brutal week to live in this town. It’s also been a beautiful week to live in this town. We have mourned. We have hurt. We have rallied.

I didn’t know any of the victims particularly well. I had coached Oxford Park Commission basketball, I think, l against Jason Farese. I had spoken to Angie Poole at an Oxford Soccer Club practice not that long ago.

Still, the tragedy hit close to home. The Perrys’ oldest child, 13-year-old Sarah, is a friend and classmate of my middle child, Caroline. My other children, Campbell and Carson, have connections to some of the other children who lost their parents a week ago, but Sarah Perry’s loss made this story personal for us.

We moved here eight-plus years ago, just before Caroline began kindergarten. Over the years, she’s built a large base of friends. I’ve watched those little girls grow up. They’re eighth-graders now, young women on the cusp of high school. They’re in soccer and dance and cheerleading. They’ve spent the night at our house countless times, weekend after weekend. I grill burgers and hot dogs, bake brownies, goof around with them and then get out of the way.

When I heard about Sarah’s parents a week ago, I shook. Laura and I broke the news to Caroline that night and she sobbed. A day later, she was at the Perrys’ house, along with so many of those girls I’ve watched grow up, comforting and entertaining their friend. They held vigil all week. I have been so proud of Caroline and so many of those other little girls who have stepped up in a moment of remarkable adversity. Don’t listen to that crap about the younger generation being spoiled or lazy or whatnot. These kids who are in junior high school right now are going to be just fine when they’re adults. Trust me; I’ve seen it with my own eyes all week long. They’re tough. They’re resilient. They’re empathetic. They have huge hearts. The end.

Oxford is a special place. I’ve seen that this week. This community has rallied around these three families in more ways that I can describe. From Ole Miss football to Ole Miss basketball to Ole Miss baseball to Sam Kendricks to the Oxford Chargers to businesses around town, people have done what they could. #OxfordStrong is more than a hashtag.

So have people all over Mississippi. My minister, Eddie Rester, told a beautiful story on Sunday morning. Oxford Middle School was to play host to a jamboree on Saturday at 10 a.m. One of the teams scheduled to compete was West Point Middle School. However, there was a memorial service _ one that was attended by at least 3,000 people _ at that time on Saturday at Tad Smith Coliseum. When the coaches at Oxford asked the other teams if they could push the jamboree to the afternoon, the other coaches acquiesced. West Point went a step further. Their players asked if they could come to the memorial service and sit with the Oxford Middle School team. Yeah, the younger generation is going to be just fine. Yeah, they like their cellphones but they love their neighbors.

Caroline spent some time with Sarah on Sunday. (Note: I’ve never eaten at Big Bad Breakfast; I’m terrified of calories. However, as of today, I’m a giant fan. You guys are the best. You're the very best. You did a good thing Sunday. Sometimes the smallest gestures move the heart in the largest ways. Thanks). Sarah is the strongest, most courageous young woman I’ve ever met. I’m in awe. Michael and Kim, I’m sure you’re watching. I know you’re proud.

Speaking of Michael and Kim, their funeral is Monday. I was moved late last week when Caroline was talking about her desire to attend the service. I told her the church would be packed, but she was insistent.

“I knew Mr. Michael and Ms. Kim really well, Daddy,” she said. “They were nice to me. I’ll miss them.”

Caroline had spent the night there a number of times. Kim played host to an annual Christmas ornament swap for little girls and their moms. The Perrys were special people. They’ll be deeply and sorrowfully missed, not only by their patients and friends but by the their children’s friends, little people who looked up to them and loved being in their home.

So say a prayer today for the families. Say a prayer for Sarah. Say a prayer for her brother and sister and the rest of the 11 children who lost parents. Say a prayer for those children’s friends. Do so, however, knowing everyone is going to be OK. This is a special place. I've always said I love Chicago because I can feel its pulse. Oxford has a pulse, too; I felt it this week. It's strong. The people who supply that pulse are going to support those families, and you can bet your life savings those people are going to love those babies.

I told you I’d ramble. Thanks for listening.

10. We'll have football access again Tuesday. Until then, here are a few links of interest to me (and hopefully to you) for your reading pleasure.

Carmelo Anthony said he would never trade his three Olympic gold medals for anything.

Trevor Knight is Kevin Sumlin's most important recruit.

I need a laugh. Do you need a laugh? Here's one: How big is a fart?

His friend dreamed they killed a man. Then they were both charged with murder.

Uber's first self-driving cars are set to arrive in Pittsburgh this month.

Why did Josh Brown only get a one-game suspension despite his troubling history?

CBS Sports ranked the biggest preseason AP Top 25 flops over the past 10 years.

Donald Trump is wrestling with his pledge to deport an estimated 11 million people.