It's time for The Mailbag, presented by The Westin Jackson, where I answer your questions from RebelGrove.com and Twitter.
I asked for questions. You delivered. So here we go...
From WBurns42: If your cousin gets the last piece of turkey, is it appropriate to ask said cousin if he would like to step outside?
Nah, he can have it. I like Thanksgiving. It's fun to see family and stuff. I prefer it when I don't have to cover a football game, but anyway, I've been consistent here: Thanksgiving food is overrated. He can have the turkey.
From Hottytoddy7: In your opinion do you think Kermit has an inner struggle with giving Tyree the green light to be a scorer and wanting him to play in the offense? There were times Saturday and many times last year where Tyree would force a long fall away jumper early in the shot clock when it seemed like Ole Miss really needed a bucket. That can’t be in the offensive system. Does Kermit know he needs Tyree to score to be successful and has to live with that to some extent?
No, he wants Tyree to move the basketball and take shots within the offense. Tyree is the one likely having the inner struggle between staying in the offense and trying too hard to take over the game.
From CityRebel: If you are Keith Carter, what are the first three things you do in order to improve the financial position of our athletic department given reports that we "don't have the money" to fire a coach? Yet retaining said coach is likely to cause ticket sales and associated donations/revenue to decline again next year.
I stop rolling over assistant coaches. I stop rolling over the foundation portion of head coaches' contracts and I make sure I have lists of coaches I can pursue if it becomes necessary to make a change.
From North Tampa Rebel: Boyce said no pre-conditions were made regarding the AD and the football program. Obviously, you and Chase heard differently. Is there anyone who would go on record and call him out? Is there a way Boyce would just spin it?
I stand by my reporting.
From West Monroe Reb: The Ruston Bearcats host the 2 time defending Louisiana 5A state champs Zachary Broncos Friday night in the quarter finals. Been a few years since Ruston has made it this far in the playoffs. Prediction?
Unless the Oxford High School Chargerettes show up in Ruston and dance for Zachary, the Broncos are screwed. Prediction:
Ruston 77, Zachary 0
#FirmlyFounded
From larryjoe1979: Did Jeffrey Epstein kill himself?
No.
From CityRebel: Why is Luke struggling so much with in-state recruiting? He was pitched to the fan base as "Mississippi Made" and "ready to hit the ground running with in-state recruiting" yet he only signed 1 of the top 10 in 2018, 2 of the top 10 in 2019, and currently has 0 of the top 10 for 2020. Clearly, the fans have been sold a bill of goods in more ways than one when it comes to Luke, but why is he struggling so much with in-state recruiting? I'm thrilled he has evaluated some of the lower ranked MS kids so well, but our roster really lacks high end talent outside of the RB position.
They would likely dispute your assertion, as I know they pay little to no attention to rankings from Rivals or 247 or whatnot. I believe they've struggled late with some of the highly-ranked recruits because, frankly, at the end, the lack of a dedicated network is allowing other networks to make more attractive packages available for some elite prospects. That's about as diplomatic as I can be there.
From DeuceMccluster22: Will there be hand raised guy shows after conference basketball games?
I'm not positive. I would think I'll do some for road SEC games. I'd like to sell it. I'd like to have it sponsored. I'll do something but I'm not exactly sure what.
From RebelAccy95: Neal, thank you to you and Chase for doing the best you can to lend perspective to the continuing absurdist dramedy that is Ole Miss football. Going to New York in a couple of weeks to see Hamilton. One of my favorite books along with Chernow's Titan and several David McCulloughs. If the Chancellor were a character from Hamilton's period, which character would he be?
I don't know the chancellor, but from my early impressions, he has a certain Aaron Burr quality.
From Levi275: Best golf course @Chase Parham played in 2019?@Neal McCready fitness goal for 2020?
I want to get down to 185 pounds. Simple as that. That's about 18-19 or so from where I am now. I simply plan to exercise more, eat less and drink less.
From North Tampa Rebel: In discussing some coaching names, PJ Fleck, Campbell, etc. you say they are waiting for this high prestige B10 job, or a this Pac 10 job,etc. If you were a hot name like these guys, how picky would you be? Don't they risk having a couple of injuries or coaching attrition at their current job and poof, they're no longer the hot name.
If I were Fleck, I'd hang tight. I actually think that's a solid job. He's going to get opportunities at the high-profile Big Ten gigs if he is just a little patient. If I were Campbell, I'd skate from Ames. He's maxed out there. The rumor is he can get the Arkansas job and he might be able to get the Florida State job. Both are better than Iowa State. If it were me, I'd be a money whore, pardon my French. The rope is really short at most places. Stay ahead of the posse. If another school offers you a boatload, take it, restart the clock.
From chess2899: Thanksgiving is a great time for families to get together for food and conversation. However, wives with assistance from spouses and kids really have a difficult day cooking, prepping, making desserts and by the end of the day are exhausted. I like to look at other options to make life easier for those that have to sweat out Thanksgiving Day.How do you feel about taking the whole family out to Cracker Barrel and then return to watch football and have dessert with your wife actually being able to enjoy the day? Another option is Honey Baker Ham to get turkey, ham, sweet potatoes etc. which prevents the kitchen mess and excessive cooking times.Your thoughts Neal?
I don't really have any thoughts on that, Chess. I'm not a Cracker Barrel guy, but I have nothing against those who go there -- on Thanksgiving Day or otherwise. I also wouldn't judge those who cater the meal in. Personally, I like cooking, so it's not a big deal. But again, it's an incredibly overrated meal, in my opinion.
From RebHedge: Are you still hitting the Peleton hard? I am thinking about purchasing.
Yeah, I try to do it almost daily. I'm lifting pretty regularly and I'm mixing in some running. So much of my fitness is dependent on skipping meals and not getting into the habit of eating regularly. My weight balloons quickly if I eat two meals a day.
From Grovin1551: What would you like me to bring you from the Y’all Lifestyle store next time I head to Oxford?
I just looked it up. That's a real thing? Why?
I've got to be nicer to myself. The next time I feel like a loser, I'm going to go back to that site and remind myself I'm not that big of a (insert noun here).
From nas5108: Have you heard any reasons as to why Vandy decided to keep Mason when it seemed like it was a done deal he was on his way out and they were putting feelers out to see who would be interested in the job?
I think the decision was as much financial as it was anything.
From nas5108: What is your family’s Thanksgiving tradition since the Egg Bowl is on Thanksgiving?
This year, my brothers and their families are coming to town. It'll be the first time we're all together in two years. They're traveling Thursday and since I have work Thursday night, we're going to do Thanksgiving Friday. Caroline has to dance Friday night, so I guess we'll do the meal earlier in the day Friday. The Egg Bowl has been very hard on family Thanksgiving traditions, frankly.
From seminole817: Would you trade Doncic for Giannis? And if so, who else would you swap him for? What does the list look like, given age and the future?
Yes, I'd trade anyone for Giannis. However, the list of players I'd trade, with a long-term view, for Luka Doncic is incredibly short. Frankly, it might begin and end with Giannis.
From cebell65: Hey, Neal. You're hitchhiking, and someone picks you up and gives you a ride. What's fair compensation? Asking for a friend.
I'm stereotyping, here, granted, but most hitchhikers don't have the ability to pay fair compensation, right? I've never hitchhiked, so I could be wrong about that. So I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer your question, which seems to have an accompanying, but not shared here, backstory.
From singletd: Let's say next season goes pretty rough and Luke is let go. Do the last few hires Ole Miss has made affect who would be interested (needing Mississippi connections and such)?
No. It's a Southeastern Conference job at a school that has won before. Now, if Ole Miss continues this charade of committees full of people with Ole Miss ties and agendas, it might impact who actually gets the job, but the real interest would be pretty strong.
From Bidge12: What is it going to take to get rid of the horrendous lizard running around as the mascot?
A committee and a national search should do it.
From OrlandoReb: Does Ole Miss offer a major in nepotism? I would think they would have one of the strongest programs in the nation in that area.
I'm not sure about the university's academic offerings. I'm not exactly sharing tea with anyone in the Lyceum these days.
I'll say Brown, but only because of Metcalf's history of injuries. They're both special players. They're both great guys, and I'm super happy for both of them that they're having such fantastic rookie seasons.
We've got a soundboard, a sound processor, a red Skype equalizer thingy, two microphones, Logitech cameras and a big light like they use in salons for makeup and such. It's fancy for a boy from Ruston.
They'd certainly be more relevant than they are Thursday when they play a game no one outside of Mississippi cares about. It's sad, really.
The answer is no. The deep dive into the question is what would this offense look like with those guys. Would Corral have gotten more time? Would Plumlee throw more or would he still be so quick to run? In the end, it's just hypothetical. We'll never know.
One, he was a senior. His age was a detriment. Two, his junior year hurt him. However, the big thing was he refused to sign a two-way deal, so teams passed on him in the second round. He gambled on himself and it paid off.
He's super athletic, very coachable, a wonderful young man. Terence has a spirit about him that's infectious. He's really improved his game. He's become a much better shooter and a much better on-ball defender. Combine that with his athleticism and he's carved a really nice role for himself in Toronto.
From Usp94: With it being rivalry week and the egg bowl having turned into what it’s turned in to ; Do you think the SEC office would lend an open ear to Ole Miss if they asked to switch side of the conference with Missouri maybe? Then have the 2 schools be each other’s permanent cross conference opponent and put the State game on the rotational schedule. I know Auburn is the natural choice because it keeps the Auburn-Georgia/Auburn-Bama rivalries in tact but it seems like Sankey and the rest of the SEC would like to see this OM-State toxic $hitshow go away and, geographically speaking ; outside of the distance to State and Bama , not much changes in travel for OM since we’re pretty centrally located
That's certainly a thought, although I think the more easily done option is to move the game to late September and chill with it. Here's the dirty little secret: Right now, both schools like it where it is and the way it is. I will say, in general, I'm for moving Auburn to the East and Missouri to the West. It just makes sense.
From MobTownReb: Settle it Neal. Is Michael Thomas at this moment the best reciever in the NFL?
It's probably not that cut and dried, but yes, right now, he's the best receiver in the NFL. Deandre Hopkins would likely disagree, but Thomas' numbers are difficult to argue against.
From randle4: There's a 99.9% chance Luke gets 2020. As you've said on the podcast multiple times, the first 7 games will tell Luke's fate for 2021. Let's assume Arch Manning continues his successful high school career, past his freshman season, and becomes a generational quarterback.Arch will be a High School Junior in the Fall of 2021. More than likely, he would commit to a school then. Arch will more than likely sign in the early signing period of Dec 2022. If Ole Miss has its eyes on Arch Manning, I would assume they don't want a new coach starting in 2023, in his freshman year. They would rather Luke's ship be sailing smooth or have a new coach in his 2nd or 3rd year. Plumlee would be a senior in 2022. Arch, right now, has a different skillset than Plumlee. Do we keep the Plumlee offense for 4 years and then switch to a different offense for Arch?? How do you recruit to that?Would Arch rule out Ole Miss because of the offense?Could Ed Orgeron steal Arch from Ole Miss? (if he is successful in replacing Burrow and staying at the top of the SEC)
I'm just not prepared to do the Arch Manning thing to that level yet. However, yes, if your scenario played out, I can't imagine that offense would be attractive to a passing quarterback hoping to play in the NFL one day.
From wtcarr: 1. How’s the fam?2. If the Rebs go bowling this year at 5-7, will you grow a thin mustache for the bowl coverage to support Ole Miss’s fearless chancellor?3. Do you know if the coaching staff visited other staffs this past offseason or will moving forward? I know the Patriots and Rams have frequent visitors/observers and would love for our offensive staff to take in the Ravens next spring or summer.
1. They're great. Thanks.
2. No, but Chase should.
3. I don't but that's a very good question I'll ask moving forward.
From 96reb: Do you think Ole Miss will face a team in the SEC more talented than Memphis?What do you think will happen to Memphis and will it allow Kermit to get more top recruits from Memphis area?
Sure. Both Kentucky and Florida are probably as talented (Kentucky moreso) as Memphis, but the Tigers are really athletic, especially in the frontcourt. I think, at a bare minimum, the NCAA presence will stifle the Tigers' recruiting. I believe the program is too combustible. There are so many egos involved. Someone will talk.
It's. complicated calculus for Ole Miss in the Memphis area. Landing Murrell was a very good start, but I don't think the Rebels can expect to make a living up there.
I hate Star Trek. I never could get more than five minutes into an episode, Benjamin. As a kid, I loved Star Wars. I've tried it as an adult, however, and I find it incredibly boring. I know that makes me a bad person, but we like what we like.
