Friday, December 8, 2017

The FMQ Week #15 - Army vs. Navy

The Best Story You’ll Read Today!
Having lived an episode of this story when I used to visit the Nissan Assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, in the middle 2000’s, this article brought a big ole smile to my face…
One of the funniest Tennessee comments if from OL player Teague:
Teague: Brian still can't see through the maize and blue and be objective on that subject. [Teague and Griese were teammates on the Broncos.] Brian's a great guy, but he's blinded by that ugly helmet.
My story: I accidentally (maybe) wore a Michigan Polo shirt to the Tennessee plant one day and an engineer I was working with literally handed me his lab/shop coat.  I said, “I didn’t know we were touring the plant today.”  His response: “We’re not.  But I’m afraid I’m gonna’ punch you if I have to look at you in that shirt!” 
Yep – Tennessee fans will never forget!!!
Coaching Carousel
Speaking of Tennessee, Fulmer has offered the HC job to Alabama’s Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.  Where’s the Torch and Pitchfork crowd in Knoxville, now???  
Background:  first of all, Tennessee and Bama HATE each other.  I mean, HATE.  Pruitt is a Bama kid born and raised, played for Bama and has coached at Bama.  This would be akin to Michigan hiring former suckeye linebacker Chris Spielman as head coach…
I can’t believe this would sit that well with ANYONE that’s wearing Volunteer Orange.
But hey, what do I know?  I guess they have faith and trust in Fulmer…The Coach they all hated and wanted fired in 2008.
Can We Fire Emmert NOW And PLEASE Make Jay Bilas Head of the NCAA???
In what I can only describe as the most idiotic thing yet to come out of the mouth of Emmert, he had this to say about Ball’s withdrawal from UCLA:


In case you hadn’t heard, Ball’s indefinite suspension for shoplifting prompted his dad to pull him out of the university.  Emmert’s response to that is above. 
What a tool…Can’t the University AD’s and President’s sign a petition to get him thrown out?  There are so many better options out there….
Here’s What the Street-Walkers and Strippers In Columbus Will Be Wearing on New Year’s Eve….
Cause nothing says I support my team like stripper stilletos!


Is Baker Mayfield The Best Ever?
Heard a couple of other tools on Sirius Radio debating whether or not we would be calling Baker Mayfield “The Best College Player Ever” after he wins the Heisman and potentially wins the NC.  Baker’s stats are off the charts (his passer rating right now is over 200) and he will have thrown for close to (or probably over with potentially two games left) 5,000 yards in one season.  Looky:

Impressive, I get that.  And there will probably be a new landslide record in the voting…
But college football is different now.  The offense that the Laters run let’s him put up numbers like that.  But he still has to execute and make the throws
First, to say that any ONE player is the best-ever is ignorant.  I don’t even know where I would start my list, but it’s almost impossible to determine.  A player can’t be great unless he’s surrounded by other great players.  Woodson would NOT have had the season he had in 1997 unless Weathers, Peterson, Taylor, Marcus Ray and Hendricks weren’t great, also.  Offenses would have just avoided him altogether and gone towards the weakness, which they tried to do, anyway. 
I started thinking about who’d be in my top 10 and that got to be difficult as well.  Then I thought, “What about just ranking Heisman trophy winners?”  So, with a little help from internet, I came up with this (My ranking is two-fold - Objective and Subjective:   stats and excitement factor, each considered equally plus if it carried over to the next level):
1.    Barry Sanders – hands down probably the best RB in all of college football and had an impressive 2,850 rushing yards and 44 TD’s.   Plus NFL follow-up He’s the top of my list.  It’s sad that the Lions never put the right players and a better defense together when they had Barry.
2.    Marcus Allen – 2.427 yards and 22 TD’s.  Still holds or shares 14 NCAA records…and Superbowl champ and NFL MVP.
3.    Desmond Howard23 Total TD’s and still holds 5 NCAA records.  And NFL stuff like “Super Bowl Champion”.  Plus, Heisman voting was 2nd LARGEST MARGIN of victory in the history of the trophy when he won.  (Now 3rd largest).   And there’s this, which was also a first
4.    Charles Woodson – First Ever Defensive Player to win the trophy and was a complete difference maker and while there aren’t stats to support it, I don’t know how you keep him out of any Top 10 Players of All Time list, especially when you consider what he continued to do in the NFL. And Yeah, this too:
5.    Tony Dorsett – 2,105 yards and 23 TD’s and NFL stuff…
6.    Cam Newton – ran for 20 TD’s and threw 28 TD’s and won the NC and was exciting to watch. 
7.    Reggie Bush – 2,218 yards rushing and 18 TD’s.  Always wanted to watch Bush play.
8.    Herschel Walker – 1,752 yards and 17 TD’s in the SEC. 
9.    Matt Leinart – Would have won the Heisman twice with the exception that Bush was on his team!!! 
10. Tim Tebow – Ran for 20 TD’s and threw for 20 TD’s.  First QB to ever pull that off.  But no NFL stuff.
So, where do I slide Mayfield in?  It’s difficult with the Running Backs mixed in because what they do is so different than what QB’s do.  I guess, based on statistics alone, I’d put him either right above Tim Tebow, but I’m allowed to move him around depending on what he does in the NFL. I really think I should have him below Desmond on the “Excitement” scale, just because you held your breath every time the ball got anywhere near Dez.  I don’t always feel that same excitement with Mayfield.   OF course, I could say he has to be below Woodson, too, and I may have Woodson too low on my rank.  This NFL ranking of Heisman guys has Woodson #1.  But I’m trying to rank the College performances…
Which is another discussion.  I’m not sure the “Mayfield Game” translates very well to the next level.  He’s short.   I know, I know.   “Drew Brees and Russell Wilson”.  And I’ve got Griffin, Manziel, Flute, Brady Quinn, and a whole lot of 6 foot-ish QB’s that played great college ball and flamed out in the pros.  It’s a different game. 
I guess we’ll see on that, won’t we?  And the NFL Scouts agree with me…Or I agree with them, I guess.
The MMPG
I won’t say it’s time to hit the panic button yet, but Michigan is kind of in “Must Win” mode with UCLA and Texas in the next two gamesAt 7-3, they desperately need these wins to have “resume” wins come Tourney time.  Right now, I don’t see this squad winning more than 9 games in the B1G, so these two games could be the ones that help get them off the bubble...  
Hurst Might Just “Sit This One Out”
Mo Hurst is debating whether or not to play in the Outback Bowl.  As a lock 1st round pick, again, he’s probably asking himself, “Why?”  Look what happened to Jake Butt (ACL injury in last year’s Orange Bowl) and has probably even texted him a couple of times.  I wouldn’t blame Hurst in the least if he wanted to take this one off.

THE FMQ
Jeez…That was a tough week.  The championships cost me money.  The PUSHES really suck and goes to show again how this can be a hard way to make a buck.


With only one game on the docket, I gotta make it count…
Army Vs. Navy (-3   O/U 46):  Crap.  I hate tight spreads.  Army has thrown the ball sparingly this season and in 4 games, didn’t throw the ball at all!  But they are sitting at 8-3 and looking to, uh, right the ship in the rivalry with Navy, who had won 14 in row up until last season, when Army beat the middies.  I like the Black Knights to make it two in a row this season and start a new trend. 
Take Army and the 3 for $50
Take the OVER for $50
Parlay:  4:1  Army and the Over for $50 
ETC.
Guy gets a petition going to get Baker Mayfield’s statue to be of him doing the flag plant at the suckeyes mid-field.  Already has 4,000 signatures!
Why Aren’t There MORE Heads Rolling In East Lansing?
Nassar got 60 years for all the sex crimes he committed on student athletes.  What I want to know is:  Where is the Sandusky outrage?  Why haven’t the “Enablers” been identified in all of this?  Especially his immediate boss?  Can anyone answer that?  Where’s Emmert handing down the Death Penalty to Sparty Athletics???
The Outback in East Lansing Is Losing Customers At A Dramatic Rate

The Outback restaurant in East Lansing has seen business fall off by almost 50% according to a local report.  Are East Lansing people really that cheesed off about being snubbed by the restaurant chain?  Apparently

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