College Football: Players to watch in 2017 (Part 2 of 5)

To help get everyone pumped up for the 2017 college football season, I will be doing a five-part series of posts, each post featuring five players to watch for this fall. Some players on this list are so obvious that you don't need a reminder to watch them, some could be busts, and there will certainly be players outside of these 25 that will have impactful seasons. Also, I must add that the order in which these players are listed is not a ranking system. Without further ado, part two of five:

(Part 1 in case you missed it)

Mason Rudolph

Oklahoma State is considered a contender for the Big 12 title in 2017, largely due to their quarterback Mason Rudolph returning for his senior season. Mason's career as the Cowboys' starter began in their second-to-last regular season game at Baylor his Freshman year in 2014. His numbers have gone up each year since, as he looks to continue the trend for his final season at OK State.

In 2016, Rudolph led the Cowboys to a 10-3 season (lost to Central Michigan, Baylor, and Oklahoma) which ended with an impressive 38-3 win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. He had the eighth most passing yards in the nation with 4,091 and ranked 20th in passing touchdowns with 28. Most impressively, Rudolph only threw four interceptions all year. It'd be easy to credit subpar Big 12 defenses for that stat, but that'd be invalid considering Patrick Mahomes threw ten picks, Baker Mayfield had eight, and Kenny Hill tallied 13.

It will be interesting to see Rudolph and Baker Mayfield battle it out to be the Big 12's top quarterback. Their passing numbers should be in the same ball park by the conclusion of the season, but Mayfield's rushing numbers will be in another world as Rudolph isn't as much of a scrambler. Expect Rudolph's main target to be senior wide receiver James Washington.


Luke Falk



Luke Falk is undoubtedly the best quarterback to wear a Washington State uniform since the first overall pick of the 1993 NFL Draft, Drew Bledsoe. Falk finished his junior season with the fourth most passing yards in the nation with 4,468. He also had the seventh most touchdown passes in the country with 38. And to top it all off, Falk finished the season with the second highest completion percentage (70.0), trailing only Baker Mayfield (71.0).

I consider Luke Falk to be a very likable player, considering Washington State's relevance is a nice change of pace for college football. Also, he's a walk on, which always gets the people going. Living the American Dream, Luke Falk. Grinding your way to the top. "Like a goddamn pilgrim!" He also throws absolute darts, for entertainment's sake.

At the end of the day, Falk's numbers were incredible but the Cougars' 8-5 overall record, including a week one loss to Eastern Washington...not a good look boys. Their first big test will come in week two as they look to get revenge for last year's 31-28 loss to Boise State.

Derwin James



Per usual, the Florida State Seminoles are expected to have an excellent year, being a preseason contender for the ACC Championship and a playoff berth. Much of this offseason praise can be credited to the 'Noles defense. One staple of their defense is redshirt sophomore Derwin James. The 6'3" 211 pound defensive back absolutely lays the hammer. His lengthy build combined with pure athleticism make James one of the best defensive players in the country.

The 2016 season came to an unfortunate halt in week two against Charleston Southern, where he tore up his knee, eventually leading to him being granted a redshirt for the year. However in Florida State's Labor Day Weekend matchup against Ole Miss, James clearly established himself as an elite talent. Similar to last year's ACC/SEC opening weekend matchup, Florida State faces off against Alabama in week one and you're a fool of you're not counting down the seconds to that.

Ahmmon Richards



It's all about the U! Year in and year out, everyone who genuinely loves college football wants the Miami 'Canes to be in the mix of college football's elite. The U finished 2016 with a 9-4 record, with three of those losses being understandable: Florida State, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina. However, the loss to an atrocious Notre Dame squad was inexcusable. But in the end, things looked great for the U as they capped the season off with a 31-14 Russell Athletic Bowl victory over No. 14 West Virginia. In that game, Miami's star freshman receiver Ahmmon Richards had three receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown.

It will be interesting to see how Richards adjusts to not having Brad Kaaya throwing to him (drafted by Detroit Lions). But for what it's worth, Richards totaled 49 receptions for 934 yards and three touchdowns. He was listed as the 23rd best player going into the 2017 season by NFL.com.

Although the ACC is looking to be strong overall, Miami does avoid playing Clemson and Louisville. Not to mention their out-of-conference schedule is pretty weak: Bethune-Cookman, Arkansas State, Toledo. So they should be able to have a respectable record again this year, depending on how Kaaya's replacement connects with Ahmmon Richards. Who that quarterback will be is still up for debate, but the competition is looking to be between junior Malik Rosier and sophomore Evan Shirreffs. It will be fun to watch head coach Mark Richt bring this program back to, at the very least, some flashbacks of the glory days.

Derrius Guice


Leonard Fournette certainly left some massive shoes for junior running back Derrius Guice to fill. But Guice still got plenty of touches in his sophomore year due to Fournette's nagging ankle problems. Guice totaled 1,387 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He also caught nine passes for 106 yards, and had a receiving touchdown in LSU's 29-9 spanking of No. 13 Louisville in the Citrus Bowl. In that same game, he rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on 26 attempts.

Derrius Guice is your prototypical SEC running back: he's strong, he's fast, he can pummel through defenders, and he's guaranteed to get a bountiful amount of carries each game. Just to give you a better idea of Guice's physical power, a video was recently making its rounds through the internet of him squatting 650 pounds:

Todays Freaky Friday so Derrius squats 650 @DhaSickest #Freaks pic.twitter.com/wtI9obhu6u

— Aaron Moffitt (@AaronTMoffitt) June 23, 2017

Will this be the year that LSU takes down 'Bama as the kings of the SEC? Probably not, but Derris Guice will be appointment television regardless.

College Football: Players to watch in 2017 (Part 1 of 5)

To help get everyone pumped up for the 2017 college football season, I will be doing a five-part series of posts, each post featuring five players to watch for this fall. Some players on this list are so obvious that you don't need a reminder to watch them, some could be busts, and there will certainly be players outside of these 25 that will have impactful seasons. Also, I must add that the order in which these players are listed is not a ranking system. Without further ado, part one of five:

Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson is easily the most obvious player on this list, as last year's Heisman winner is back for his junior season. There's always the looming possibility of a Heisman hangover, partially due to so much previous exposure to every defensive coordinator in the country. However, I think Lamar Jackson is simply too athletic to let last year's success negatively affect his play in 2017. I mean, it's not like opposing coaches were unaware of the most dangerous offensive weapon in the country. They just didn't know how to stop him.

The only thing resembling a Heisman hangover for Jackson this year that I could see happening, is him still having an excellent season that doesn't quite reach a bar set way too high. Jackson can still put on an elite performance without reaching the numbers he did last year; his sophomore season stats were simply out of this solar system. In 2016, Jackson passed for 3,543 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was the only quarterback within the top ten for total rushing yards, tallying 1,571. He also had the fifth most rushing touchdowns in the country with 21.

I think Lamar Jackson is capable of repeating as the Heisman Trophy winner, but he'll definitely need some impactful wins in order to help this cause. More specifically, Louisville needs to come out of the Florida State and Clemson games with at least one win. Louisville's record didn't really affect Jackson's Heisman hopes last year because his numbers were so wildly impressive. But with expectations so high in 2017, he'll need some big time wins if he wants to repeat as college football's most outstanding player.

Ed Oliver

I refuse to believe Ed Oliver is five years younger than me

— Caleb Blackmur (@CalebBlackmur) November 18, 2016

The Houston Cougars were by far my favorite team outside of a Power Five Conference to watch in 2016. I found a few things to be extremely likable about them (one of which is now in Austin), and freshman defensive tackle Ed Oliver was certainly one of those likable aspects. The 6'2", 290 pound mobile beast should put on another stellar performance for his sophomore season.

NFL.com's Chad Reuter has Ed Oliver ranked as the No. 1 best player heading into the 2017 season. Oliver's most notable games last year included the opening weekend upset over Oklahoma (seven total tackles, two sacks), and Houston's first loss of the season to Navy, where he recorded 11 total tackles.

To put Oliver's freshman performance into perspective, his list of honors/awards is screen-shot worthy because it'd take too long to type out:

All of that accomplished by a true freshman, truly incredible. 

Sam Darnold


Even if you didn't particularly make an appoint to watch USC games last season, you know Sam Darnold. The Trojan quarterback's freshman year was highlighted by saving Southern Cal's season and leading them to the second most exciting Rose Bowl of all time. (Amazing game but if you think it was better than USC/Texas with the National Title on the line....you're wrong.) Darnold broke Vince Young's record (467) for most total yards in the Rose Bowl by putting up 473. And for the cherry on top, he threw for five touchdowns.

It took until USC's fourth game of the 2016 season at Utah for Darnold to be named the starter. Although the Trojans lost that one 31-27, it would be their final loss due to Sam Darnold absolutely going on a tear. As a starter, Darnold averaged 295 passing yards per game. He also had the ninth best completion percentage (67.2) in the country, while only three of the QBs (Mayfield, Falk, Trubisky) ahead of him in that statistic played in a Power Five conference.

If you don't trust Darnold's numbers, or his skill from the tapes, at least this video from his Instagram shows off his pinpoint accuracy:

Heads up Trojan nation. I think we may have found our next great receiver @seanmorrissey 🤙🏼

A post shared by Sam Darnold (@samdarnold) on Jun 18, 2017 at 2:39pm PDT

Many people believe that Darnold will end up being the top quarterback prospect in the NFL Draft, and I don't think people are crazy for believing that. However, that is all dependent on how he plays this season. For the Trojans, 2017 is filled with a lot of hype coming from the thriller of a Rose Bowl, a difficult in-conference schedule with a seemingly strong Pac 12, a legit non-conference schedule (Western Michigan, Texas, Notre Dame), and potential Heisman hopes from their sophomore quarterback. I think Sam Darnold`has enough composure to take all of this on, and I'll admit college football is a little more fun when the Trojans are relevant. I, for one, will be tuning into more USC games than I have in previous years.

Calvin Ridley



Definitely look for junior wide receiver Calvin Ridley to be making some noise down in Tuscaloosa. Ridley is crazy athletic; the Amari Cooper comparisons are both abundant and valid. Ridley's numbers last year weren't overly impressive (72 receptions, 769 yards, 7 TDs) but he certainly has great playmaking ability. That's usually how things go with SEC wide receivers; they're underutilized freaks.

When the play calling does get the ball in Ridley's hands, it's fun to watch. He's fast enough to straight up burn defenders downfield on a streak, but he's also shifty enough to get some extra yardage on shorter, quicker patterns. There was not a single game during Ridley's sophomore campaign in which he didn't record a catch.

Alabama's first game of the season will be against the Florida State Seminoles at neutral-site Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and what a wild game that should be. FSU is supposed to have an awesome defense this year, and it'd be a great way for Ridley to put his talent on display.

Saquon Barkley


Another star player featured in the aforementioned second best Rose Bowl of all time, Saquon Barkley is arguably the best running back in the country entering the 2017 season. In his sophomore season, Barkley put up some impressive numbers, landing himself a spot in the top 15 for total rushing touchdowns (18) and total rushing yards (1,496). The only defenses on Penn State's 2016 schedule that prevented Barkley from getting into the end zone were Michigan and Ohio State.

In the legendary Rose Bowl game that we were all so privileged to witness, Barkley ran the ball 25 times for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Barkley's 79 yard TD run in the third quarter was simply outrageous:
 

Sequin Barkley is much stronger than guys who are as shifty as him. Or he can break off for big plays  more than guys who are as powerful as him. Depending on which way you look at it. Regardless, the junior running back has a lethal combination of attributes that will make for some excellent football, especially against some of the BIG 10 defenses.

Boobie's Backup's Backup: The Chris Comer Underdog Story

“I’m actually Boobie’s backup’s backup…I’m third string right now.”

“Don’t you ‘baby Boobie’ me! I wanna be with a ball carrier. Give me one touchdown."

“CHRIS! YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU’RE HELMET IS? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?”

“You wanna know why you ain’t got a girl yet Water Bug? You got the wrong shoes on man! You got on white Adidas!”

Throughout the 1988 Permian High School football season, third string running back Chris Comer was the butt of everyone’s joke. He couldn’t even get credit as the guy who would’ve started if Boobie wasn’t around. To put it bluntly, Comer was a nobody. 

Comer’s irrelevance, combined with his desire to be relevant, brought us one of the most depressing sights in film history, as he sat in the locker room before the first practice coloring his white adidas with a black sharpie.

Come to think of it, Comer potentially brought two of the most depressing scenes in cinema, depending on where you stand on Boobie Miles. Let’s not forget that the star running back’s season-ending injury came when Comer “lost” his helmet on the sideline, forcing Boobie back in the game. We’ll never know where that helmet went on that Friday evening, and we’ll never know for sure if that was some pre-conceived, long-term ploy from the Water Bug in order to increase his chances at getting on the field. I’m surprised Alex Jones hasn’t gone back to the tapes and featured this on info wars.

Connecting HelmetGate and some of Comer’s first words of the movie, who in God’s name was Boobie’s backup? We never get his name, although he had to be clearly pretty damn good if he was ahead of Permian’s dark horse on the depth chart. But regardless of skill, it looks like he went the Boobie “Only thing I’ve gotta do is show up” route regarding the weight room, seeing as the dude got injured almost immediately after Boobie went down.

And that’s exactly when things started looking up for our protagonist; the moment that the greatest underdog story in sports came to life. Comer’s first touchdown left the coaches (and himself) in disbelief. Hell, even head coach Gary Gaines had to ask an assistant who just scored. “Our Comer?!?!” And with Water Bug’s first rushing touchdown came the demise of any and all negative quotes at/about him for the rest of the film.

If the Permian Panthers completed their comeback against the juggernaut Dallas Carter in the Astro Dome that day, the Chris Comer story would be almost identical to what Cardale Jones did for Ohio State in the first ever College Football Playoff. But sadly for Water Bug, the boys from Odessa just couldn’t get it done, and his comeback story had a disappointing end.

Just kidding.

The most overlooked part of the greatest movie of all time occurs in the ending scene, where nothing but text on the screen informs us that in the 1989 season Chris Comer and Gary Gaines led the Permian Panthers to an undefeated, State Championship season. How is that worth only like 10 seconds of screen time?

After ’88, the Panthers lost their QB Mike Winchell, monster defensive end/locker room preacher Ivory Christian, cornerback/intellect Brian Chavez, AND Don Billingsley aka the Johnny Manziel prequel. Seems like a pretty significant collective loss, because these guys were always seen as the team’s stars.

It’s about damn time that Chris Comer, THE runnin’ back, gets the credit he deserves. A true warrior who overcame emotional abuse from his teammates, coaches, and (probably now ex) girlfriend. 

After feeling the agony of defeat when Winchell failed to cross the goal line, I think we all deserve a pick-me-up sequel of Chris Comer tearing it up in an undefeated season while Boobie Miles and the rest of the class of ’88 watches, wondering to themselves how they ever let the GOAT be merely Boobie’s backup’s backup. So next time you bring up Water Bug, put some respect on the man's name.

As a little bonus, I stumbled upon this incredible tribute video to the '89 Panthers State Championship season. Phenomenal choice of music, a few mullets featured, and great football. This video has it all.

Dynasties Derailed

Or more specifically, how emerging dynasties and/or would-be dynasties recovered from debilitating championship game or series losses.

This is mainly to do with the Golden State Warriors, who if you haven't heard, recently handed LeBron James his fifth loss in the NBA Finals.

Everyone knows the story: Golden State was the darlings of the NBA when they beat the Cavs in 2015, came back to post the best regular season record in league history (73-9), overcame a 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals before blowing that very same 3-1 lead against those very same Cavs in the NBA Finals.

How did they respond?

By signing Kevin Durant and going 15-1 in the postseason en route to a world championship the very next season.

Make no mistake about it, the Warriors blowing that 3-1 lead was as painful a loss in a championship series in recent memory. I hate pretty much everything about the signing of Durant, but if you're truly a blue-blooded Golden State fan, it's about as great a response to a crippling loss as humanly possible.

Not all teams are this lucky.

The point of this exercise is to look at dynasties which were derailed, stalled, or finished before they even began thanks to a loss in their respective league championships.

A few loosely simple rules: for the most part, I'll be looking at a team that won a championship in Year A, lost a championship in Year B, and see what happened in years C, D and E.

The Warriors won the title in 2015, lost in 2016, how did they do in 2017? 

The Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1929, lost the Stanley Cup in 1930, how did they do in 1931?

For "established" dynasties, say, the San Antonio Spurs, said brutal championship loss doesn't necessarily need to be just a year after winning - provided the team's core is still there.

The San Antonio Spurs won NBA titles in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. They lost in the Finals in 2013. Did they win another title reasonably soon after '13?

Covering the last 20 or so years, here's a list of the "Dynasties Derailed," going backwards from most recent to most distant. I've already discussed the Warriors, so without further ado, our first entry:

2014 Seattle Seahawks

How it started: Pete Carroll was hired in 2010, and Seattle was a bona fide contender by 2012 with Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and the "Legion of Boom" defensive backfield. The Seahawks didn't just win Super Bowl XLVIII in 2013, they handed Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos the third-worst margin of defeat in Super Bowl history, 43-8.

How it got derailed:

The response: To Seattle's credit, they have actually won a playoff game in each of the two seasons since it blew a measly 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX. But it's been well documented that the Seahawks haven't truly gotten over that game. The Legion of Boom is aging, the Shermanator seems to want out, but as long as Wilson continues to drink his concussion water. Seattle will have ownership of the NFC West.

2013 San Antonio Spurs

How it started: The Spurs drafted David Robinson No. 1 overall in 1987, but it was 10 years before they could find him a legitimate sidekick: Tim Duncan. With the Big Fundamental alongside, The Admiral finally delivered San Antonio its title in the strike-shortened 1999 season. Manu Ginobili and Eva Longoria's ex-husband joined the fray and the Spurs went on to win three more titles by 2007, adding Kawhi Leonard in 2011, and returned to the NBA Finals in 2013.

How it got derailed:

Ray Allen hit a corner 3-pointer with 5 seconds left in regulation of Game 6, the Heat won in overtime, and Allen's 3 was the catalyst to saving Bronny's bacon.

The response: Gregg Popovich astutely pointed out that he and Tim Duncan had now won not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4...but 5 NBA Championships together. Against those very same Heat, who you'll notice aren't on this list. They never felt like a true dynasty, particularly after LeBron left. An artificial dynasty of sorts maybe?

2009 Philadelphia Phillies

How it started: It's remarkable how not that long ago, the Phillies weren't just a World Series champion, they were a budding dynasty. The young core of Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino won the World Series in 2008 and were seemingly on their way to becoming baseball's next great team.

How it got derailed: The Yankees missed the playoffs in 2008, so they signed CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and AJ Burnett to contracts worth more than Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods. They knocked the Phillies out of the Fall Classic in six games.

The response: The Phillies, if you think about it, were better in the two years after their back-to-back NL pennants than the two years they represented in the NL in the World Series. Sure, Jayson Werth left as a free agent after 2010, but they added Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee (again) to their pitching staff. Philly won 97 and 102 games in 2010 and 2011, respectively, compared to 92 and 93 in 2008 and 2009. But the team's nucleus got old FAST, regressing to 81 wins in 2012, and haven't won more than 73 games in any season since.

2009 Detroit Red Wings

How it started: Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Nick Lidstrom and the gang, up until last week, formed the nucleus of the last back-to-back Stanley Cup winners in 1997 and 1998. With other all-time greats flowing through, such as Dominik Hasek, or younger players like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, the Wings won again in 2002 and 2008. They don't call it Hockeytown for nothing.

How it got derailed: Not Sidney Crosby, not Evgeni Malkin, not Jordan Staal, but Max freaking Talbot scored twice in Pittsburgh's 2-1 win in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final to hand the Red Wings their first Cup loss of their run.

The response: Detroit would make the playoffs in each of the next seven seasons before finally seeing its run of consecutive postseason berths end at 25 this spring. But these Wings never made it beyond the second round again, and as the roster continued to turn over, it's safe to say the next Detroit championship team will not be considered a part of this underrated dynasty.

2007 New England Patriots

How it started: Mo Lewis almost killed Drew Bledsoe and an unproven sixth-round pick out of Michigan was sent under center in just the second game of his second season in the league, with only three career passes attempted.

How it got derailed: A career special teamer made what would be the final catch of his NFL career.

The response: The short term? An 11-5 season without the playoffs featuring Matt Cassel. The long term? Well, it took seven years, with another loss to the very same New York Giants mixed in, but the Patriots and Tom Brady would be just fine, it turns out. Total side note: imagine if Danny Ainge were GM of the Patriots? Think he trades Brady in '08 after seeing what Matt Cassel was capable of? A frightening parallel universe for sure.

2005 Detroit Pistons

How it started: Despite drafting Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Kirk Hinrich, David West, Kendrick Perkins, Josh Howard, or literally dozens of other players who proved to have a pulse from the 2003 draft, the Pistons became today's contrarian talk radio take of "You don't need a superstar to win an NBA Championship! Just look at the 2004 Detroit Pistons!" Of course, we didn't realize it at the time; there was no reason to think this group couldn't win multiple championships as the Lakers collapsed and LeBron wasn't quite ready to take over yet. Of course...

How it got derailed: The Spurs were still pretty darned good, and knocked off the Pistons in seven games. The final score of Game 7? 81-74. Not a halftime score. The final score.

The response: Shockingly, drafting Darko Milicic eventually caught up to Detroit. The Pistons went to three straight Eastern Conference Finals before the '08 Celtics truly ended this group's run, followed by an anemic postseason appearance the following spring -- they were 39-43 -- and the Pistons have made the postseason just once since. People forget Chris Webber and Allen Iverson had brief Detroit cameos at the tail end.

2004 Los Angeles Lakers

How it got started: In 1996, Shaq left Orlando for Los Angeles and 12 teams passed on Kobe Bryant in the draft. But even that 13th team, the OG Charlotte Hornets, couldn't help themselves and traded Bryant to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. Soon enough, it was a three-peat for the LAL.

How it got derailed: I still think there's a better chance of a Beatles reunion tour than a Shaq and Kobe reunion tour. And half the Beatles are dead.

The response: Former URI great Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum came to LA and the Lakers went to three consecutive Finals between 2008 and 2010, winning the latter two. Do they fall into the Patriots/Yankees camp of "win a bunch of championships early, see some good but not quite great years, then win more championships?" I say no, even though Kobe was there for all five. Brady or Jeter weren't directly responsible for jettisoning an all-time great from the roster.

2001 New York Yankees

How it started: 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier reached over the stands in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS for what clearly should have been fan interference, but instead was ruled a home run for the Yankees' rookie shortstop Derek Jeter.

How it got derailed: Now this is very much open to interpretation. After the Jeter home run, the Yankees went on to win four of the next five World Series. Despite the very best efforts of Byung-Hyun Kim, the fourth-year Arizona Diamondbacks knocked the Yankees from the top in '01. But was that how it ended? Or was it Josh Beckett and the 2003 Florida Marlins, when the two teams deprived the nation of what should have been a Cubs-Red Sox World Series? Did the 2004 ALCS do these Yankees in? Buster Olney wrote a book about Game 7 vs. Arizona, "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty." But if you're going to consider the 2001-2016 (and beyond) Patriots a dynasty, don't you sorta have to say the 1996-2009 Yankees are one in the same? There's more crossover in terms of players between the '96 and '09 Yankees than the '01 and '16 Patriots.

The response:Iin the context of just 2001, the Yankees made the playoffs in each of the next six seasons. There was somewhat of a roster reboot after Luis Gonzalez's bloop single, but the core remained in tact. Bringing on A-Rod for 2004 was perfect because it made the Yankees as hateable as ever. Joe Torre left after '07, but Jeter, Posada, Rivera and Pettitte (after his Houston sabbatical) were around for the '09 bookend.

2001 St. Louis Rams

How it started: Then a San Diego (RIP in Peace) Charger, Rodney Harrison crashed into Trent Green's knee in a 1999 preseason game, forcing the Rams to turn to former Arena League star Kurt Warner.

How it got derailed: the Patriots chose to come out as a team.

The response: Warner was benched midway through the 2002 season in favor of esteemed 'Brady 6' member Mark Bulger, who did lead the Rams back to the playoffs in 2003. They'd make it once more in 2004 despite an 8-8 record...and haven't been back since. Oh yeah, they play in Los Angeles now too. Man oh man have the Patriots altered the course of NFL history in more ways than one.

1997 Green Bay Packers

How it started: Desmond Howard - not Brett Favre - won Super Bowl XXXI MVP as the Packers cruised by the New England Patriots, 35-21.

How it got derailed: Eric Cartman's father finally got his ring the following season, denying Green Bay back-to-back titles.

The response: If you ever need proof that Favre is one of the most overrated quarterbacks in league history, say no more: it took the Packers until 2007 to even back it back to the NFC Championship Game under Favre. He screwed the Patriots once again with an ill-conceived throw to Corey Webster, who propelled the New York Giants in to Super Bowl XLII. Favre lost home playoff games to Mike Vick, Daunte Culpepper and Eli Manning over the course of his career. Yikes.

1996 Atlanta Braves

How it got started: Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Steve Avery gave the Braves the early-'90s equivalent of the much-ballyhooed New York Mets pitching staff of today, except they could all stay healthy (minus Avery). However, Atlanta lost back-to-back World Series in 1991 and 1992 before finally breaking through in 1995 vs. the Cleveland Indians.

How it got derailed: In one of the true all-time gag jobs, the Braves blew a 2-0 lead -- after winning the first two games IN NEW YORK! -- and gave birth to the Yankees dynasty.

The response: Here are those dang Marlins again, standing in the way of the Braves getting back to the Fall Classic the following year. And then the San Diego Padres the year after. Atlanta got back to the World Series in 1999, only to be swept by the Yankees, giving it a 1-4 World Series record in the '90s that even LeBron thinks is mediocre. The Braves won their division a bunch more through 2005, but could never get back to October's pinnacle.

No more NBA/NHL means it's time for college football

It's official, the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Playoffs have both commenced. Which means one thing and one thing only: it's college football season, baby! How does everyone feel about that??






Now we've still got over two months until kickoff, and there's plenty that still needs to be determined, so I'm just going to verbally vomit about anything college football related in an unorganized fashion. At least I'm being honest with you.

Some big news out of Gainesville, Florida as former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire recently announced his plans to be a Gator as a graduate transfer. Zaire's journey has been an interesting one, as his high hopes from a few years ago were shot down by a broken ankle and DeShone Kizer's ability to capitalize on a great opportunity.

It's a bit of an odd case with Zaire because although he didn't win his job back after recovering from injury, we all know he has talent. At one point, it was very apparent that Zaire had both talent and extreme confidence. I'm interested to see if there are any alterations to his confidence after the way the last few years have played out for him. I mean, I'm a huge Kizer guy, losing your starting job to him is actually understandable. But only recording 23 pass attempts for a 4-8 team just has to diminish your swagger a bit.

Due to injury and a lost starting job, we have a pretty small sample size of Zaire's on-the-field performance. One of his more memorable games was when he and Everett Golson (another former Irish QB that transferred to a Florida school) traded reps in the 2014 Music City Bowl against LSU. Zaire went 12-15 for 96 yards and a touchdown through the air, while also rushing for 96 yards and a touchdown. It's worth noting that this was against an SEC defense, something Zaire will have to face (at least) nine times this year.


Zaire is by far the most athletic QB on the Gators' depth chart, and he can really sling the ball, but his accuracy isn't particularly consistent. It's also important to think about of Zaire's game has built up any rust over the last few seasons.

Following the Gators' spring game in April, redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks was considered to be QB1. Franks went 8 for 14 passing, totaling 119 yards and a touchdown. His squad came out on top 31-0.



It's pretty clear that Franks is more of a pro-style quarterback than Zaire, and to me it seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. He seems confident yet humble. I think what it will come down to is whether Jim McElwain thinks Zaire is good enough to stunt the long-term investment in Franks. Is it worth depriving Franks of reps and ultimate growth in order to roll the dice on Zaire being the guy that will make the 2017 season a special one? At the end of the day, whoever is starting under center for the Gators, I have a feeling that the 2017 season's ceiling is getting rolled by the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game.....again.

Onto the next random thought: with the format of the College Football Playoff being a four team tournament, it is impossible for every Power Five conference to be represented in the Playoff. There's always the possibility of seeing two teams from the same conference in the Playoff, which would leave out two Power Five conferences, but that is a scenario we have yet to see.

In the 2014 season, it was the Big 12 that missed out on the big dance (Playoff teams: Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Florida State). In 2015, the Pac 12 watched the CFP from the couch (Playoff teams: Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Michigan State). And last season, the Big 12 was absent from the playoff picture again, while we saw Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, and Washington on the big stage. So which conference will be left out of the Playoff this year? And that's assuming we won't see two teams from the same conference because I think it's a pretty unlikely scenario.

Although there have only been three editions of the College Football Playoff, there's a noticeable trend: it's either the Big 12 or the Pac 12 that misses out on the action. And I think I have a simple answer as to why this trend exists: the Big 12 and the Pac 12 are the bottom two of the Power Five Conferences. The SEC, ACC, and BIG 10 just have more firepower. So which conference's grand prize will be a bowl game outside of the playoff? I'm thinking it's the Pac 12's year to get into the final four.

USC, Washington, Stanford, and Washington State are all supposed to be legit this year. The Pac 12 has some great depth. However, sometimes a conference depth can eat itself up, dishing multiple losses to each team, making the regular season résumé seem a little less qualified.

I know I openly hate the Big 12 a lot of the time, and I'm trying not to be biased I swear. But I just don't see a Big 12 team making it into the Playoff. The conference's top contender is probably Oklahoma State, who I will admit looks pretty damn good so far. I'd be an absolute lunatic to deny how good Mason Rudolph is. Not to mention "Mason Rudolph" is an A+ name for a QB.

You've also got the Big 12's usual suspect Oklahoma in the mix, but since Bob Stoops stepped down as head coach it's tough to get a read on how the young buck Lincoln Riley will do with a roster that has lost plenty of talented skill players. Kansas State, West Virginia, and Texas are also expected to have good seasons in 2017, but let's be honest, we will not be seeing any of them in the final four. If anything, these teams will celebrate an upset and ruin the chances of Oklahoma/Oklahoma State's playoff chances. I firmly believe we'll see the Longhorns there in a few short years, but Tom Herman will need some time adjusting the roster to his type of recruits.

Last but certainly not least, Rest In Peace to Kent State offensive lineman Tyler Heintz, who passed away Tuesday morning after a team workout. The cause of his death is currently unknown. Obviously an extremely unfortunate occurrence. Heintz was an incoming freshman, and this was his first week on campus for summer classes/practices. It's always scary for parents sending their child away to college, but no parent expects such an immediate and horrible tragedy. Truly a shame.

Anyways, that's what college football ramblings I've got for now. Stay tuned for more posts now that the season is nearing. Just feels good to have discussion around the sport that actually feels relevant again. In the mean time, get hype:

Envisioning "Homer at the Bat," 25 years later

Last weekend, the Baseball Hall of Fame honored The Simpsons episode "Homer at the Bat," a third season classic in which Mr. Burns hires ringers to play for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's softball team.

The episode originally aired on Feb. 20, 1992, so it's the 25th anniversary of the original airing this year.

Rather remarkable on a number of levels. The episode still holds up really well, based on the original 10-man lineup. There's three players already inducted into the Hall of Fame themselves, two players currently managing MLB teams, and a whole lot of steroid accusations.

The Simpsons just wrapped up its 28th season, certainly remarkable in its own right. Most say the show entered its decline phase in the late '90s; I personally say it was watchable up until 2004 or so, and once beefed with Simpsons twitter over such. Either way, the show has lasted quite some time.

Remaking episodes, movies, etc. can always be dicey. So what I put together is more of an idea of what players the Simpsons writing staff would try to secure for such an episode if it were to be made today. It's not necessarily the all-star team, but it's not the San Diego Padres opening day lineup, either.

The best part of the original, of course, is the odd ailments which befall all of the ringers (save for one, before he's replaced by Homer as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth.)

Not every ailment/incident was necessarily indicative of what the players were like in real life. Some were, some weren't, but they were all hilarious. So I've made my best attempt at determining the best way each player would meet their demise in the 2017 version of "Homer at the Bat," using mainly traits from the players in real life - but also incorporating Simpsons characters into the skits.

Here's your starting lineup for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant as it gets set to take on Shelbyville.

Catcher: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
Original episode: Mike Scoscia, Los Angeles Dodgers

Posey, truly, is maybe the only recognizable name to casual fans at catcher right now. Yadier Molina's last name certainly is, and if it were just last season, renowned weenie AJ Pierzynski would be an A-plus candidate for this spot, but he's since retired.

Posey is in the news lately, too, for kind of sort of maybe not having Hunter Strickland's back when he drilled Bryce Harper?

Demise: During a practice open to the public, Posey decides not to partake in a brawl after Harper is hit during batting practice. Fat Tony happens to see Posey's actions, deems him a rat, and does what Fat Tony does best.

First base: Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians
Original episode: Don Mattingly, New York Yankees

For as deep as first base is, there are very few "characters" at the position. You've got some washed up big names like Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer, you've got uber-talented guys like Paul Goldschmidt and Joey Votto who no one really knows about, the recently-retired David Ortiz who I'd qualify at first, and you've got very good players like an Anthony Rizzo, Eric Hosmer and Edwin Encarnacion, just to name a few more...

...Santana is about as middle of the road as it gets; a genuinely good player who recently played in the World Series, but casual fans probably won't know who he is. Frankly, I'm not sure I've ever seen an interview with him.

Having said all that, everyone knows who Carlos Santana is.

Oye come va indeed. 

Demise: Mr. Burns confuses himself, thinking he'd recruited the Carlos Santana as seen above, to play the national anthem. Furious that this Carols Santana can't sing, Burns sends him home in a rage. He asks Smithers if a "Big Papi" is still available, but Waylon replies that "Mr. Ortiz seems to be retired, sir."

Second base: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
Original episode: Steve Sax, Chicago White Sox

Coin toss between Altuve and Dustin Pedroia, but I'm going with Altuve because I want to see him standing next to another ringer Mr. Burns brings in (seen below. You'll know what I mean.)

Altuve is listed at 5-foot-6, but I'm skeptical he's even that tall. Nevertheless, he can hit, and America better get used to the Houston Astros. They are prettay, prettay, prettay, prettay good. Best record in baseball as we wake up on the first day in June.

Demise: Altuve, wearing lifts, sneaks into Itchy & Scratchy Land to make minimum height for all of the good rides. But he takes his lifts off while on a roller coaster and, well...gets launched quite a long way.

Third base: Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers
Original episode: Wade Boggs, Boston Red Sox

Duplicating Wade Boggs wouldn't be easy. Guys who slam 60 beers on a cross country flight don't exactly grow on trees. But Beltre does have an endearing quality of his own: his penchant for freaking out when someone touches his head.

Beltre, it would seem, does not have the greatest sense of humor about his head being touched. But fortunately, it would only be an animated version of himself suffering. Maybe he'd go for that one. Maybe.

Demise: How about Hans Moleman is stuck in a sewer hole or something, and Beltre lifts him out of the crevice. As Beltre holds the diminutive Moleman up, Hans goes to pat him on the head to thank him for his rescue; unfortunately, Beltre does not take kindly to the gratitude and proceeds to send Moleman back into the sewer - just as Chief Wiggum & Co. arrive, giving the order to "take him away, boys."

Shortstop: Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
Original episode: Ozzie Smith, St. Louis Cardinals

I mean, do you have a better idea? There are better shortstops playing (Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, to name a few) but unless you're a big baseball guy, you probably had to look up who they all played for. Or who they are at all. Let's face it, the power vacuum at short with Jeter retired is bigger than the gap of meth distribution in the greater Albuquerque area after Heisenberg offed Gus Fring.

But Russell is the choice for a few reasons: he played on the team that somewhat famously won the World Series last year, he has an affinity for iconic animation, as Jess Mendoza taught us on Sunday Night Baseball earlier this season, and he'll only require a line or two. He's somewhat of an introvert, judging by his Pardon My Take appearance. Not every guest star has to be a loudmouth.

Demise: Gotta be something to do with Pokemon. Let's say Russell is playing "Pokemon Go" and doesn't look both ways before crossing the street and Snake hits him as he's driving a get-away car.

Left field: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Original episode: Jose Canseco, Oakland Athletics

You need a Yankee if you're going to make this work, and who better right now than Aaron Judge? He has a legit chance to become just the third player ever to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (Fred Lynn, Ichiro). He's bigger than Rob Gronkowski, standing 6-foot-6, 285 pounds. His last name is 'Judge.' Somewhat amazing he's not a bigger folk hero already.

Demise: Pretty sure the Simpsons writing staff could have some fun with the 'judge' thing here. Aaron could be walking by the Springfield Municipal Courthouse, hear someone call out for Judge Constance Harm but mistake the cue as someone calling for him, and he gets roped into becoming a judge for the day, unable to attend the big game vs. Shelbyville.

Center field: Bryce Harper, Montreal Expos Washington Nationals
Original episode: Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners

Harper is technically a corner outfielder, but you can't do the episode without the most electric player in the game. Harper gets the nod over Mike Trout because Trout is, well, boring. Harper swears at umps, shows up pitchers, charges the mound, admonishes reporters by remarking "that's a clown question, bro," and will probably be a Yankee in two years. Plenty to love to hate about all of that.

Demise: People forget that Harper is a practicing Mormon, and abstains from alcohol. So let's have him get in a fight with Barney Gumble at Moe's Tavern, just like Boggs in the original.

Right field: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
Original episode: Darryl Strawberry, Los Angeles Dodgers

Two words: bat flip. People absolutely hate Joey Bats for one reason or another, which is even more fascinating because he plays in Toronto. Imagine if he played for the Yankees or Red Sox? He'd be the bad boy of baseball on an even larger scale.

Is Bats self aware enough to be part of the joke of appearing on the show? He seems to have slowed his Twitter activity a bit...although if I'm not mistaken, his cover photo is him right after the bat flip heard 'round the world against Texas in the 2015 ALDS.

Demise: Easy. Bats is finishing up his meal at Krusty Burger. Satisfied, he goes to emphatically flip his trash into the waste bin, but misfires and knocks lighter fluid into a deep fryer, causing the building to engulf in flames.

Pitcher: Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox
Original episode: Roger Clemens, Boston Red Sox

This was a hard choice between Sale and Madison Bumgarner, undoubtedly two of the top five or so pitchers in the game today. Each pitcher comes with their quirks, as well as recent incidents that could undoubtedly be made fun of on the show: Sale's uniform incident and Bumgarner's dirt bike mishap. I'll go with Sale solely for this idea...

Demise: Did you see the uniforms the Springfield team had to wear in the original episode? If I know Chris Sale like I think I do, he would not be okay with those. So he'll take his scissors to the uniforms again, drawing the ire of Mr. Burns, but also slicing his left thumb in the process, leaving him unable to pitch.

Another question down the line: could the 2017 edition of the Springfield ringers beat the 1992 version? Only time will tell.