It's time for The Mailbag, presented by Whitney McNutt of Tommy Morgan Inc. Realtors: Edition 205.

I asked for your questions. You delivered. So here we go…

I think it speaks to his play-calling and the attitude he's instilled into his program. Also, there's some luck involved. Any time games come down to one play, there's some luck involved.

I've not talked to Kiffin about this but I've talked to others. I'd say it's the second-most important thing behind long-term salary commitment. But again, that's not based on any direct conversations with Kiffin whatsoever.

I actually heard Auburn has raised $15 million. However, I don't know if that's a one-time deal or what. As for what Ole Miss has in its coffers, I simply don't know. @wl3 is here a good bit. You should ask him. I doubt he's going to hand over that number, mind you, but he'd have a better idea than I.

We discussed in length on McCready & Siskey on Monday. Here's the audio version:

https://traffic.megaphone.fm/BLU7150058667.mp3?updated=1667250275

Here's the YouTube version:

Nick is a great guy. I was thrilled for him. He'd been trying to land a gig like that for a bit, so when he landed the job covering the Titans, I'm sure it was equal parts joy and relief. He simply had to get out of Mississippi. This can be a launching pad, but it can also be where journalism careers go to die. He's immensely talented and a very creative thinker. He's a genuinely great guy. He'll be missed on the beat but I was happy for him. I was beginning to worry he was stuck. I suspect he was as well.

To answer your question, yes, I think those days are really numbered, with the exception of beats at the major metro newspapers -- Los Angeles Times, Arizona Republic, Philadelphia Inquirer, Washington Post, etc. I just don't see how newspapers survive long-term. I really don't. Young people don't read them. They didn't grow up with them. Their kids damn sure won't. You know the rest.

I wouldn't bet against that number. Media has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. I mean, 20 years ago, I was covering Auburn for the Mobile Register, working on what was basically an unlimited budget. I traveled to away basketball games, for God's sake. Some 20 years later, that paper basically doesn't exist, and al.com is a clickbait monster that has a very limited staff. What does the industry look like in 2042? It's not good; I can assure you of that.

I'm on record here. I'd hire Hugh Freeze and demand he let my department handle his Twitter account. I think he'd do quite well there. I'm not sure that's the path Auburn will take; in fact, it's doubtful. However, he would do all of the corny crap Auburn wants and he would be successful recruiting there.

I looked her up after I got this question. I'd likely enjoy her act more than Jay, but maybe I'm wrong on that. Here's one of the negatives of being a beat writer: Dec. 2 is prime coach hiring territory, so I doubt he could commit to being in Memphis that day. And I won't even finish the rest of that thought.

Texas A&M 37

Ole Miss 23

It was a combination. He was tired when he got here, failed to recruit and then didn't have the energy to fix it before it was too late. I think he thought he could win six or seven games a year for perpetuity. Then it fell apart.

No, but they can have "advisors" who become agents when they become professionals.

I see what you did there. You are hoping I'll go off on a diatribe. I won't. I just will never forget the middle school principals standing in the carpool line, yelling at kids -- outside, mind you -- for not having their useless cloth masks up over their faces. I'll never forget the contact tracing BS and the virtue signaling. Others can forget. Some may even forgive. I'll do neither. I suspect I know the horrors of what was done to kids, and I suspect it was intentional.

As for global warming, the planet is, what, 4.5 billion years old? The arrogance to think that a few factories or some cow farts are changing things in a 50-year span is incredible.

I wouldn't think so, at least not at this point. They're both terrific young coaches though.

I'm not sure. What does that look like? What does that entail? Does that make us part of the program? For me, professionally, that is bridge too far. As it stands, I've done five NIL deals with Ole Miss student-athletes, two of whom are in The Grove Collective. I've not done any NIL deals with non-Ole Miss athletes. Of those five deals, after I pay for art and production, I've made very little profit. Seriously, from a business model perspective, the shows make no sense for me. I do them, I suppose, because the business partners get some benefits -- some actual, some residual goodwill -- and because it gives you, the subscriber/listener/viewer some degree of insight into the programs.

So I would argue I have been involved with NIL. I don't know what competing sites have done. I honestly don't. Maybe they're doing more. I just don't know.

As an aside, I've openly admitted I'm not sure I want to do those shows moving forward. That has nothing to do with NIL or the Grove Collective. It has to do with my time and what my time is worth to me.

I feel strongly it's not my job to play a role in Lane Kiffin being here or not being here long-term. Why? Because I have to cover Kiffin. If there's ever a scandal of some sort, it's my job to cover it professionally. What if he leaves? If I'm emotionally attached to the idea of him staying, I can't do my job effectively. If I'm also somehow financially attached to that concept, it's even worse.

Yes, Kiffin is good for business. Absolutely. But if he leaves, life -- and my business -- must carry on.

Here's what I know: I don't want to be a booster, my employer would not smile upon my becoming a booster and I don't think MPW Digital should be a part of the program. I realize that if you look around this "industry," you see more and more fans, and yes, that includes the Rivals network. I don't like it but I accept that's where things are going. I acknowledge that at 52 -- and a fairly young 52, to give myself some credit -- I'm a dinosaur.

But I guess to answer your question, we are involved with NIL and we have done deals with Grove Collective athletes. I don't think they want an exclusive media partnership, and at this point, if they did, they wouldn't choose us.

Personally, I don't want to blur the line any more than it has already been blurred. In three years, I want to be able to explore options if I so choose. Becoming a booster is a sure-fire way to kill those options.

I don't know whether you'll find that answer satisfactory, but it was transparent.

Yes.

Unless you believe a professional athlete, in the prime of his career and at the peak of his physical fitness, was truly "too shy" to have his bare chest exposed.

I like the Astros. My brother cheers for them. Lots of oil and gas companies support them, and these days, I'm cheering for the oil and gas companies.

But his explanation falls flat.

I don't know if he's being overlooked or not. I don't pay much attention to outside coverage. He's playing quarterback in the same league with Hendon Hooker and Bryce Young, who are leading Heisman candidates. Stetson Bennett won a title at Georgia last year and the Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 right now. Will Levis gets tons of attention and scrutiny. On and on.

Judkins has become Ole Miss' dominant story line. He's been amazing. I feel like we talk about and write about Dart quite a bit. I think he's been tremendous. I believe he can become an elite quarterback.

I think it's possible he was taking jabs at DJ Durkin. That said, I think it's more likely he knows the rules were tweaked a bit in the offseason and he's trying to set the stage for some aid in games the rest of the way. Right now, it's becoming obvious that faking the injuries is a way to slow Ole Miss' offense and allow defenses to make personnel changes. It's all chess played out in the press.

As for hypocrisy, look, it's college football. I'm not sure that's where I go when I'm searching for wholesome values, virtue and role models, to be perfectly honest.

You know how you need oxygen to breathe and therefore live?

Yeah.

We'll get out stuff out this weekend. Why? Well, Ole Miss has an open date and I don't have to work Saturday. That's the big reason. Next weekend, I have work. The weekend after that, I'll be in Fayetteville and I'll race home on Sunday to do 10 Thoughts, three player shows (though practice schedules could mess those up) and get ready for an abbreviated Egg Bowl week.

Second, my wife loves Christmas decorations. They make her happy. Seems like an easy way to give someone you love a few extra days/weeks of happiness, so why not? She wants the Christmas stuff up when the girls come home for Thanksgiving.

As for slapping Thanksgiving's face, I mean, maybe it deserves it? Cranberry sauce, those peas with the cheese sauce, all the carbohydrates, all the calories, all coming in what is an incredibly overrated meal.

So I've got no problem with people putting Christmas up early.

I'd be in, though I'll be honest here: A deep dive into life at ULM might trigger some things in me. I had fun, but man, I look back on those two years and shudder a bit. So some of the things Claire said the other night resonated with me a little deeper than it did with you guys.

ULM is a little different than Ole Miss. Monroe and Oxford share very little in common. I can't speak to how it is today, but I can speak to what it was like in the early- to mid-1990s. Claire, I'm guessing, can as well.

So, yeah, I'd be in but I'd definitely need bourbon or tequila (or both). Claire, if you're out there, reach out

It would depend on his financial situation. I just don't know much about him. The analyst role is great for those who have the money saved up and just need to get back on the track. I doubt he was making life-defining money at Charlotte for long enough to be in that spot. But sure, if has time for the Nick Saban Rehabilitation Program, it appears to work.