Glad to so see you back writing TMQ Gregg! I still regularly use a paraphrase of one of your sayings with my team: "No reason to panic now, there will be plenty of time for that later!
Were the previous generations of NCAA players allowed cream cheese for the legal free bagels? Surely lox would have been a massive infraction, but I'm wondering if there was any wiggle room for a free schmear?
Whenever I hear of a safety it sends me back to a game when I was in high school, back in the early 1980’s. Our team, the Langley Saxons, was not known for football prowess. One of our spirit chants, usually chanted in the 4th quarter, was “IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER!” Anyway, my senior year, the Saxons were pinned on their own 2 in the 4th quarter against, I think Hayfield, and the game was actually close! So they took an intentional safety and, it worked! When they got the ball back they were close to midfield and drove for a touchdown and the win!
It was a winning season by one game that year, our best season ever.
While the Lions benefitted from the overtime rules this week, they do needs to give each team at least one possession. On a cooler note how about that old school power rush down the field in OT to clinch the game? The pure joy of this crushing series was emanating from the OL and Montgomery.
I have a side hustle (Don't all writers?) as a process server, so I'm on the road a lot listening to the radio. ESPN Radio Southwest Florida must have some marketing deal with Florida State, as they are the "official" station for FSU football. During the day, I'll hear a lot of advertisements where Mike Norvell, the head coach, is the main voice.
And that's where it used to stop, right? College football, this amazingly popular brand, could make boatloads of money for the administrators, the broadcast networks, the media, all the way down to the coaches shilling a sports drink, but the players--the ones who actually put on the show--got paid nothing.
Superstar players whose talents didn't translate to the NFL? Nothing. NFL talent that permanently wrecked their knees in college? Better get your insurance license, pal. Meanwhile, all that money that flowed to college sports, money that WANTED to go to the players--do you think there wasn't a car dealership in Gainesville that wouldn't have wanted to have Danny Wuerffel do a commercial for them during his 1996 Heisman Trophy season?--got blocked and redirected to some other entity in college sports.
So while college football is a mess right now, I'm certainly glad the players are getting their bags while they can. Hopefully sometime in the next decade they figure out how to make it so it isn't the same four to six teams in contention for a national championship every year.
I think that we will see more teams in contention now--and not just because the playoff is expanded. My beloved Vanderbilt Commodores could be an example. I'm not saying they are title contenders; by any measure, that's farcical. BUT there was a lot of outcry with the latest round of conference realignment that they should be "thrown out" of the SEC (preposterous). What has happened so far? Through the transfer portal and the "Vandy United" campaign, the football team looks...competitive. A complete 180 from the last couple of seasons. They do not look like the typical pushover Matadores. Programs can turn around and reset quickly, instead of the years-long process of recruiting high schoolers and establishing a newer coach's "vision." Vandy basically just raided last year's New Mexico State surprise 10-win team, CUSA player and co-coach of the year included, and are looking like a potential bowl-bound team, already 2-0 when Vegas had their over/under wins total at 2.5. If Vandy can do this as a small private school in the SEC, think of what a larger state school in any P4 conference can do to turn around their middling, let alone bottom-dwelling, program.
Nebraska QB less likely than usually to transfer because his dad is a Nebraska football playing alum. ESPN or the ringer has a whole write up about it. UNLESS that write up is a PR move by the family to drive up his NIL fee to transfer? 😂
The Thomas Downey trick play begats an important rules question: Can an NFL defensive back call a fair catch for a Hail Mary pass and claim that it is likely a fake punt?
ILB Alex Singleton (Calgary Stampeders 2016-2018) wore a Johnny "Hockey" Gaudreau's (4th round draft pick 2011, Calgary Flames 2013-14 (1 game)- 2021-2022) Jersey before Denver's game in Seattle.
Yes, Denver lost by six points, but in addition to the two safeties the defence scored, Alex also got an interception. Might there have been some magic in that jersey? Johnny and his brother Matthew, died horribly while riding their bikes in a drunk driving incident.
At their funeral, Johnny's widow announced that he knew she was pregnant with their third child, before he was killed. Matthew's first child is expected this new year's eve.
I realize I am late to the story here, but Alan Page wasn’t only an appellate judge! He was an associate justice for the Minnesota Supreme Court - an elected position for which he is the highest vote-getter of all time - and has his name on not one but TWO local schools in the Twin Cities, one of which was turned a controversial renaming into a popular, easy choice that was well-liked. On top of that, he has one of the most prolific collections of Jim Crow-era historical memorabilia anywhere, and showed it off on an episode of Antiques Roadshow a few years back.
September 15th: For Tuesday's Sept-17th column you should give a shout out to #83 Minnesota's Tyler Conklin. Darnold to Jefferson 97 yard td, but Jefferson had to reverse, and it seems reasonable the two defenders might have had time and room to tackle him. But Conklin hustled downfield and got in the way of one (and somewhat in the way of the other) to help Jefferson score.
It's always a treat to read through a TMQ article for insight and other non-football items. NIL and transfer portal are fair but ruining college 'amateur' football for me as the super conferences and haves vs have nots grows. It should be converted to NFL minor league and separated from universities .
Also, the I doubt the 1 in 35 college football players getting an NFL paycheck ratio is accurate. After a quick search of numbers 766 college football programs (NCAA +NAIA) x very conservative 24 payers per team is over 18,000 total.
A great interview with Roland Fryer. He covers his paper, its conclusions and the reaction it generated, as well as the smear campaign Harvard and Claudine Gay led against him. Worth the listen.
Trailing 26-31 in Q4, was Matt "The Flower"'s decision to have his Package Handlers kick a fg on 4th-&-5 from the Nesharim 8 a Buck-Buck-Bawk contender?
For Adventures in Officiating, I thought a big play last week was the offsides call on TJ Watt (I'm a totally unbiased Steeler fan). My take on the replay was that he timed it perfectly. We'll see if he gets the benefit of the doubt next time. I did appreciate the fact that Greg Olsen immediately called that he was going off the center's head bob. Someone was watching the game closely!
Real football is back
TMQ has now returned
Life is sweet today
Thanks for the haiku!
Peter King is rolling over in his grave (or will be, in due course).
When you graduate cupcake university, you hope to get drafted by the Washington generals
Glad to so see you back writing TMQ Gregg! I still regularly use a paraphrase of one of your sayings with my team: "No reason to panic now, there will be plenty of time for that later!
Were the previous generations of NCAA players allowed cream cheese for the legal free bagels? Surely lox would have been a massive infraction, but I'm wondering if there was any wiggle room for a free schmear?
When Bruce pearl was coach of Tennessee men’s basketball the NCAA sanctioned him for serving BBQ chicken to the parents of a guy he hoped to recruit
No, to the cream cheese. Yes, to peanut butter. No, to lox, but yes, to immitation crab.
Whenever I hear of a safety it sends me back to a game when I was in high school, back in the early 1980’s. Our team, the Langley Saxons, was not known for football prowess. One of our spirit chants, usually chanted in the 4th quarter, was “IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER!” Anyway, my senior year, the Saxons were pinned on their own 2 in the 4th quarter against, I think Hayfield, and the game was actually close! So they took an intentional safety and, it worked! When they got the ball back they were close to midfield and drove for a touchdown and the win!
It was a winning season by one game that year, our best season ever.
While the Lions benefitted from the overtime rules this week, they do needs to give each team at least one possession. On a cooler note how about that old school power rush down the field in OT to clinch the game? The pure joy of this crushing series was emanating from the OL and Montgomery.
I have a side hustle (Don't all writers?) as a process server, so I'm on the road a lot listening to the radio. ESPN Radio Southwest Florida must have some marketing deal with Florida State, as they are the "official" station for FSU football. During the day, I'll hear a lot of advertisements where Mike Norvell, the head coach, is the main voice.
And that's where it used to stop, right? College football, this amazingly popular brand, could make boatloads of money for the administrators, the broadcast networks, the media, all the way down to the coaches shilling a sports drink, but the players--the ones who actually put on the show--got paid nothing.
Superstar players whose talents didn't translate to the NFL? Nothing. NFL talent that permanently wrecked their knees in college? Better get your insurance license, pal. Meanwhile, all that money that flowed to college sports, money that WANTED to go to the players--do you think there wasn't a car dealership in Gainesville that wouldn't have wanted to have Danny Wuerffel do a commercial for them during his 1996 Heisman Trophy season?--got blocked and redirected to some other entity in college sports.
So while college football is a mess right now, I'm certainly glad the players are getting their bags while they can. Hopefully sometime in the next decade they figure out how to make it so it isn't the same four to six teams in contention for a national championship every year.
I think that we will see more teams in contention now--and not just because the playoff is expanded. My beloved Vanderbilt Commodores could be an example. I'm not saying they are title contenders; by any measure, that's farcical. BUT there was a lot of outcry with the latest round of conference realignment that they should be "thrown out" of the SEC (preposterous). What has happened so far? Through the transfer portal and the "Vandy United" campaign, the football team looks...competitive. A complete 180 from the last couple of seasons. They do not look like the typical pushover Matadores. Programs can turn around and reset quickly, instead of the years-long process of recruiting high schoolers and establishing a newer coach's "vision." Vandy basically just raided last year's New Mexico State surprise 10-win team, CUSA player and co-coach of the year included, and are looking like a potential bowl-bound team, already 2-0 when Vegas had their over/under wins total at 2.5. If Vandy can do this as a small private school in the SEC, think of what a larger state school in any P4 conference can do to turn around their middling, let alone bottom-dwelling, program.
Nebraska QB less likely than usually to transfer because his dad is a Nebraska football playing alum. ESPN or the ringer has a whole write up about it. UNLESS that write up is a PR move by the family to drive up his NIL fee to transfer? 😂
The Thomas Downey trick play begats an important rules question: Can an NFL defensive back call a fair catch for a Hail Mary pass and claim that it is likely a fake punt?
far as I know you can't fair catch a pass. besides the best thing to do with a Hail Mary is -- knock it down!
Gregg, nice to see TMQ reporting on NFL games!
But you missed an emotional story!!!
ILB Alex Singleton (Calgary Stampeders 2016-2018) wore a Johnny "Hockey" Gaudreau's (4th round draft pick 2011, Calgary Flames 2013-14 (1 game)- 2021-2022) Jersey before Denver's game in Seattle.
Yes, Denver lost by six points, but in addition to the two safeties the defence scored, Alex also got an interception. Might there have been some magic in that jersey? Johnny and his brother Matthew, died horribly while riding their bikes in a drunk driving incident.
At their funeral, Johnny's widow announced that he knew she was pregnant with their third child, before he was killed. Matthew's first child is expected this new year's eve.
I realize I am late to the story here, but Alan Page wasn’t only an appellate judge! He was an associate justice for the Minnesota Supreme Court - an elected position for which he is the highest vote-getter of all time - and has his name on not one but TWO local schools in the Twin Cities, one of which was turned a controversial renaming into a popular, easy choice that was well-liked. On top of that, he has one of the most prolific collections of Jim Crow-era historical memorabilia anywhere, and showed it off on an episode of Antiques Roadshow a few years back.
September 15th: For Tuesday's Sept-17th column you should give a shout out to #83 Minnesota's Tyler Conklin. Darnold to Jefferson 97 yard td, but Jefferson had to reverse, and it seems reasonable the two defenders might have had time and room to tackle him. But Conklin hustled downfield and got in the way of one (and somewhat in the way of the other) to help Jefferson score.
A true hustle play!😀
Will mention!
It's always a treat to read through a TMQ article for insight and other non-football items. NIL and transfer portal are fair but ruining college 'amateur' football for me as the super conferences and haves vs have nots grows. It should be converted to NFL minor league and separated from universities .
Also, the I doubt the 1 in 35 college football players getting an NFL paycheck ratio is accurate. After a quick search of numbers 766 college football programs (NCAA +NAIA) x very conservative 24 payers per team is over 18,000 total.
Thanks. That stat is for guys on the Power Four rosters. I will clarify when at my desk.
A great interview with Roland Fryer. He covers his paper, its conclusions and the reaction it generated, as well as the smear campaign Harvard and Claudine Gay led against him. Worth the listen.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/honestly-with-bari-weiss/id1570872415?i=1000645206203
Trailing 26-31 in Q4, was Matt "The Flower"'s decision to have his Package Handlers kick a fg on 4th-&-5 from the Nesharim 8 a Buck-Buck-Bawk contender?
Thanks for flagging me. Wish I had noticed in time for this week’s
You got it!
For Adventures in Officiating, I thought a big play last week was the offsides call on TJ Watt (I'm a totally unbiased Steeler fan). My take on the replay was that he timed it perfectly. We'll see if he gets the benefit of the doubt next time. I did appreciate the fact that Greg Olsen immediately called that he was going off the center's head bob. Someone was watching the game closely!