It's time for The Mailbag, presented by Whitney McNutt of Tommy Morgan Inc. Realtors, Edition 159.
I asked for your questions. You delivered. So here we go...
From PA_Reb: Do you hear of any secondary recruiting targets emerging with Williams, Oatis maybe trending in the wrong direction? Would we circle the wagons again for an Aaron Bryant or the ATL kid committed to GA Tech we were on for a while?
As we've been saying for a bit, everything we're hearing is that Ole Miss is only going after a select handful of high school recruits and will lean heavily on the transfer portal. I've heard nothing about Bryant recently, but I'll ask around again.
From nyc-tup: What role do the NFL and Agents play in the portal? When athletes go to get graded might they be encouraged to play against better competition?
The NFL doesn't, but if you told me runners for agents pushed guys to play at different places, I'd buy it.
From North Tampa Rebel: Acknowledging its an overrated holiday, what is your best Thanksgiving memory?
I don't know. When I was a kid, we would play football in the 'hood on Thanksgiving. Sometimes, we'd use socks instead of flags and play in the back yard at my house. One year, the Oilers beat the Cowboys on Thanksgiving and that was awesome because all my friends had jumped on the Dallas bandwagon and it was fun seeing them lose.
One year, when I was working at the Oxford Eagle, I did Thanksgiving alone. I grilled a steak, made those green bean bundles wrapped in bacon and made a pumpkin pie. I was really proud of my myself. That night, I put up a Christmas tree and watched the NFL. In hindsight, I should have been miserable, but it was a funny day. Sometimes, one must entertain one's self.
From RebelPike: How does your industry fix the credibility and integrity issue? Education system is overly progressive and is the primary reason we are in the position we are today. I feel like we are at a tipping point. Too much right or left in the boat will cause it to topple over. How do we all come together in the middle and have common ground as Americans - who are entitled to unique beliefs - but can get along?
Journalism is dead. Seriously, I think it's over. Society is so divided. Everyone has taken a side. Journalism is no different.
I agree with you about education, by the way. It's broken, too.
I have no faith in coming together and finding common ground. We're a pendulum. Recently, we swung too hard to the left. The pendulum is still swinging that way but it's slowing down. It's going to apex soon and swing back to the right. The wilder the swing, the wilder the correction. On and on.
From UnconfirmedSource: You get to know the full truth and details of any event in American history. What are you choosing and why?
It would either be the Lincoln assassination or the Kennedy assassination. I mean, I think I know most everything, but I'd love to know if there was actually a conspiracy and if so, how deep-seeded was it. Did Johnson know about the plot to kill Lincoln? Were people in high places aware of the danger to Kennedy and let it happen anyway?
From robert90: What position does Ealy play in the NFL? Doesn't seem to be an NFL receiver. And doesn't seem big enough to be a true Tailback. Is he a smaller Kamara?
I think he's a slot receiver/third-down back/return specialist at the next level. He's got a real burst.
From OleMiss1982: What’s the difference in Kiffin letting an AD, either directly or indirectly, that he’s interested in a particular job and Bianco interviewing for the LSU job. I don’t see any difference in that Bianco “interviewed”. If Kiffin is letting them know he’s interested and the word is out, fans, players, admin, etc. all know it so the end result is the same. Does the fact that so many on RG seem to want Bianco gone and since he didn’t leave, they feel slighted that he’s still here?
Behind the scenes happens all the time, even gets reported. However, it's well known that if a coach goes and interviews for a lateral job, he better take the job. As long as everything is behind the scenes, there is plausible deniability. Agents can be blamed. So can media. But if you go physically interview, there's no deniability.
As for the second part of your question, the last thing I would ever do is try to speak for Ole Miss fans.
From larryjoe1979: there seems to be a rumor that Memphis might fire their coach, I know it’s a long shot but if they do:A - Can you have Jeffry on at least once a week to give us a reportB - I am not proud to say this but I may or may not have dated an Asian girl in college that has owns a massage parlor in the Memphis area, I can ask her weekly for a Freeze report on what she is hearing(I lied, I’m pretty proud to say that cause she was very attractive)C - either way, if you ever get to ask him questions, can you ask him if he ever got with Falwell’s wife and if yes, can we call him Coach Cuck now?
A. Maybe
B. That seems a bit creepy on our part, but keep me posted.
C. No, I can't ask that (but I'd be lying if I said I weren't curious as to who all should be asked that -- not saying anyone in particular should be).
From Rebel901: If you had to say…does Kermit survive a bottom 3 SEC finish this year?
I don't foresee a scenario where there's a change in basketball. That's just my opinion today, Nov. 22.
From pockreb: Gut feeling on Kiffin. Does he stay or does he go.
Yes, he goes to Starkville Thursday night. No doubt in my mind.
From jbander2: What happens if Rich Rod ends up at Bama instead of Michigan and Nick Saban still doesn’t end up with Drew Brees with the Dolphins?
That's a great question. I think Rodriguez would've had a mediocre three or four years in Tuscaloosa. Saban would've likely taken a different college gig a year later. I'm not sure where there that would've been. Oh, and Ole Miss wins the West in 2008.
From SaladThunder: I just started running again and I get why you’re a fan. Have you ever ran far and then all of a sudden had a panic attack and had a fear you’re gonna die? I like the serotonin hit but sometimes I’ll have these panic attacks mid run and I won’t see any car or person around me and start freaking out. Hard to explain.Any tips to keep calm and run on?
No, Salad, I've never had that occur. If anything, I've gotten lost running and run too far and realized I had a long way to go to get back to home/my hotel/etc. My advice is find music you enjoy, find a pace that you're comfortable with and try to relax. Also, you should seek some therapy for that, I'm thinking.
From CAO310: How do you feel about wearing masks to protect from the flu? Does it work?
I'm all for anyone who wants to wear a mask anywhere he or she wants to wear a mask. I reserve the right to think you're weird and to assume you're a Karen, but I support your right to wear them. I am totally against mask mandates. Not only do I believe masks, the way they're worn in society, don't work, but I firmly believe the wearing of masks for ridiculously long periods of time do damage to the mental health of some young people. Others disagree.
From coachnuke: Will Army vs. Liberty be in the your weekend picks? And is it almost UnAmerican that Tenn pulled out of their game with Army next season?
Army won't be in the picks, but Army will be in my heart. I hope Army destroys Liberty. Not liberty, mind you. I hope Army sustains liberty, but I do hope Army ends Liberty.
And yes, everyone knows Tennessee has a real anti-American streak.
From DgreenReb: Where has Gabe been on GPITS? Y’all are a tripod. What is the best MLB stadium you’ve been to as far as game day fan experience?
As I've said before, the show simply doesn't have the ad revenue necessary to support all three of us. It's as simple as that.
As for stadium experiences, I mean, I love Wrigley because of my Cubs fandom. However, I really enjoy games in Cincinnati and San Francisco. Those are cool parks. I also really liked Washington and Minnesota. It's been a minute, but I really enjoyed Milwaukee and loved the sight lines in Pittsburgh.
San Diego is cool, and I have a soft spot for Anaheim, as it was the site of my first Major League Baseball game and I got to take my son there a few years ago. I wasn't as crazy about Phoenix.
I loved the old Yankee Stadium for all the tradition, but I haven't been to the new one yet. I will withhold comment on St. Louis as a display of my holiday sentiment.
From walnutreb: Alright Neal, I have serious life issues. I've seeked counsel in other threads, but I have not had any sure fire responses.So I've bought a dog, good little pup. I named him Kiff, these recent rumors have me concerned though. I can't have a dog named after Miami's HC. He's still young only about 3 months. And I have an out. My favorite movie character is Cliff Booth from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Should I make the transition to Cliff before it's too late or do I ride it out?
I'd name him Cliff. We have a dog named Rizzo. I'm scared his namesake will become a Brewer or a Cardinal now, and it's too late to rename him. If I were you, I'd change the name now.
From kylethehoss: If you could cover any other team for rivals what would it be? Pay stays the same.
Arkansas, of course.
:-)
From downshall: If I wanted to be bald and not take the route of a razor, would you recommend trying to track coaching carousels as a possible path to no hair?
That would do it, especially if your job depended on getting it right. Luckily, those days are over for me now.
From LARebel83: In your opinion, how devastating is it really for a D1 head coach to lose his job? On one hand, it's a black mark on your resume, it means you have to potentially move, and it upends your assistants and their families. On the other hand, you get paid millions to not work and if you want to work, there's usually a small tier school willing to hire you to lead their program, or a big school will hire you as a coordinator (and there's always Saban's Career Rehabilitation Program available too). I know not every firing is the same, but what are your thoughts?
It depends. For example, if you're a young coach who fails in his first shot at head coaching job, you have to sort of start over. However, if you're a guy like Dan Mullen, I have to think it's a relief. You're getting millions to walk away, you get a chance to take a break, catch your breath, reset and reflect. Maybe you go into television. Maybe you go down a level. Maybe you take a rest year and go observe and improve your skill set. I think the time away from the ridiculousness that is recruiting likely adds years to your life and lets you figure out what you want to do and how to do it better next time.
From BigRouse: Who’s the starting quarterback next year? Doesn’t have to currently be on the roster.
I have no way to know. I seriously doubt he's on the current roster. Maybe Spencer Rattler? Maybe Myles Brennan? I just have no idea.
From Usp94: The year is 1621 and your preparing the first Thanksgiving meal (keep in mind your setting the traditional Thanksgiving meal for the next 3 centuries ) what are you cooking?
So I did some research, and there are only two surviving documents that reference the original Thanksgiving harvest meal. They describe a feast of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, a bounty of cod and bass, and flint, a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.
Likewise, walnuts, chestnuts and beechnuts were abundant, as were sunchokes. Shellfish were common, so they probably played a part, as did beans, pumpkins and squashes.
Who am I to mess with tradition? Unless we're talking about gray pants. I don't like gray pants much, unless they're part of a strong gray baseball suit, at which point gray pants are fine.
Happy Thanksgiving.
