In Avery you should Trust

Another offseason and another list of transfers for Avery Johnson and the Alabama basketball program.
To many people this raises red flags but to others it should show a sign of what's to come for a program that was once a joke.
Johnson is treating the team exactly how it should be treated, like a business.
With the transfers it shows that he expects to bring in a lot more talent off the recruiting trail and out of the transfer market.
He loses a good true point guard in Justin Coleman and an effort player in Kessens but he also knows those are things he can move on from.
With Kessens he got limited rebounds due to his soft demeanor and Coleman was almost as inconsistent as JR Smith in his Denver days when it comes to scoring the ball. That's even if he ever decides to.
With Retin Obasahon moving on he now has to rely on points through other methods and don't look past him switching to more of a motion offense now.
He is bringing in two great players and is in the running for others who haven't even been reported on yet.
So Bama fans you can stay buckled in because the Avery train is still rolling.

Where Should The Falcons Go?

The NFL draft is rapidly approaching and once again falcons fans are holding their breath in hopes that the team doesn't mess up as bad as they did in free agency.
So I'm not going to beat around the bush, here is my mock draft:
Round 1: Hunter Henry
Round 2: Keanu Neal
Round 3: Deion Jones
Round 4-6: picks forfeited/traded
Round 7: Marquez North

Hunter Henry: If I'm the Falcons I take the sure fire pick that is the safest. Atlanta has made a history of going after risky targets and often times watching it not pan out. Jacob Tamme is indeed a solid option but when you most likely won't have a sure fire linebacker then you fill another need that will have long term benefits.

Keanu Neal: I have watched this kid play in person and he is a heat seeking missile. He has no fear and he does not hesitate when it comes to taking out targets. The Falcons have a strong need for another box stuffer and he fits that mold and in some ways helps with the need at linebacker. Allen came on late in the season and showed powerful instincts in the pass game so now you can take the heat off of him missing tackles and let him really take on that Earl Thomas role.

Deion Jones: He is still raw at the linebacker position but he definitely brings some athleticism to rhis linebacker group. In this draft I only see two sure fire successful linebackers in Reggie Ragland and Myles Jack but the rest of the guys are the typical combine players who have only athleticism. If he can work on his consistency and continue to learn the game then I can see him being a force in a year or so similar to his former teammate kwon Alexander.

Marquez North: it is time to stop playing at the receiver position and get another big guy we can hope to develop. North suffered with injuries and some extra distractions but is a solid target. He will never be a number one or maybe even number 2 receiver but he will bring you someone useful in the redzone with his size. With his speed he could also benefit you on special teams as a gunner.

UAB Returning With Vengence

Through many years college football recruiting has been limited to a select number of schools whom you expect to pull the top players in the country. However, this year we began to see a trend that has been absent of late. We began to see schools that aren't boasting national championships or great tradition win over star studded recruits.
Of course, this trend all began with Ole Miss #5 ranked recruiting class under Hugh Freeze a few years back but now you see Houston, Maryland and UAB (who doesn't even have a game scheduled this year) succeed on the recruiting trail. Houston was able to reel in Ed Oliver and Courtney Lark, two high caliber 4 and 5 star recruits who could have gone almost anywhere in the country. Maryland, struggled late in the process but was able to finish off with some pretty good talent coming in under first year head coach D.J. Durkin.
The shocker that most people have yet to take notice of is UAB. A program that was buried less than a year ago is back and they are starting the process early of getting talent down to Birmingham. They have a slew of JUCO players coming in who were once 5 and 4 star recruits destined for prime time universities. One that the people of Alabama should remember is Brandon Hill, once a University of Alabama player, Hill transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. where he was a force of nature. He along with others turned down a number of D1 offers to go play for Bill Clark and the Blazers. They see the passion of a town and it has been taken in.
However, they have their program back and they have hope for a bright future with a good coach coming back and some stud recruits taking interest in the program. I'm curious as to where they end up in a few years and you should be too. Look for the UAB football program to be on the rise in the next few years if they can sustain the financial aspects of the move.

Why UGA fans can legitemately be excited!

Over man years many people have found UGA fans to be some of the more, well delusional fans in college football. That group includes myself as well. Throughout the Mark Richt era the bulldogs were the team that was always suppose to make it so far but never came through. Year after year you hear them calling in to Paul Finebaum and other talk shows talking about how it is their year, but it never came to fruition. Well, worry no more Georgia fans as your time may be closer than you think. You went out and hired, former UGA player and heavily sought after assistant, Kirby Smart to turn the tide a little. So finally, after all these years of losing the big one it appears your program is on track to do what people never imagined you could do and that is win the big one!
Do not mistake me here, I am not saying that this year will be the time, but I do expect to see a sudden trend upward in the play of the Bulldogs. Look at who UGA has returning with the likes of Nick Chubb, Blazavich, Goodwin and Thompson. That's also not mentioning the stud recruits coming in, notable Jacob Eason, who can come in and make an immediate difference for a program who has been barely above laughable. You have the coach, you have the players, and apparently you finally have the administration behind you since you are just now getting an indoor practice facility. You are at the point where if success does not come in the near future then you should be worrying if you all did not let a goat into your stadium like the Cubs. So goodluck Georgia fans because you can finally commit to the G having hope.

Ben Simmons Another Anthony Bennett

So the NBA Execs are raving about the future of basketball being Ben Simmons of LSU. Simmons has the height, quickness, finesse and intelligence you want out of a superstar, but could he be high risk as well? When I see Simmons I see a guy who can't decide what he wants to be at the next level. He has strength but can't take on bigs, he has no jump shot ability so he would have to slash against equal athletes, and he also doesn't have the takeover mentality. Today I watched him in person and, just like television games, he has a tendency to let people get into his head. I for one got into his head and you can tell it egged him on to be the great player he can be. But why should it take that for him to be great? Why is it that he doesn't have to dominating mentality of a Kobe or Lebron, especially having the jump shot of a subpar 4 and the defense of someone who will never make the NBA? Long story short, Ben Simmons has a long way to go if he is going to be the stud and future they project him to be. He has handles and ability but his toughest opponent will be his mentality.  Can he go out and win a game or keep others from taking him out the game often at the next level with equal athletes? 

Another Back to scare the NFL

Another year, another running back coming out of the university of Alabama that has a ton of questions about their ability. It is almost becoming a tradition for alabama to produce these great college athletes at running back but not have them all translate well to the NFL. You will see names like Shaun Alexander, Mark Ingram and even as recent as TJ Yeldon have success at the next level. However, you also have to remember it took Ingram years to adapt and Trent Richardson has been considered one of the biggest bust in recent memory. So who is the next big college star that could light up the pros or be out by age 26? Derrick Henry. This kid has monster physical attributes from size alone but what about the intangibles? Can he hit the right whole? Can he avoid people in open field? The simple answer is no. Derrick Henry best reminds me of Richardson but a less agile version. He is not going to make people miss in the open field and he isn't going to hit a juke or spin move against a safety, although I won't back that completely. Derrick Henry is a Mike Tolbert coming out of college. What that means is that he is going straight head and moving a pile, that's it. Derrick Henry, like most Alabama running backs, is a product of a successful offensive line and the stature to strike fear into individuals souls. Can you do that in college? Yes. Will it work in the pros? No. Ask Tim Tebow about that one. 

Promotion From Within

So the new growing trend in sports that seems to be taking over the NFL is promoting from within the organization. You see places like Tampa Bay and Missouri keeping in house names to become the head of their program or team. From an outside and inside view you would think this would be a great move to keep cohesion among your players and staff. However, when is it a good time to keep an in house name versus going out and finding someone to bring in a new form of thinking? First, I want to turn to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an example. In Tampa Bay they promoted Dirk Koetter to become their new head coach, replacing Lovie Smith. This move was shocking yet expected from them. Yes, Koetter has done a tremendous job developing Jameis Winston and the Bucs offense but you take a guy with no head coaching experience and expect him to manage someone with a combustable personality. Yes, Jameis has leadership qualities that are rare to find but he also has a knack for making poor decisions both on and off the field.
Lovie Smith has always had a way of controlling his players and being a no nonsense coach which is what have saved the Buccaneers a lot of drama these past few years. I guess the point I'm trying to make is, was it good to keep Koetter and promote him just because he was good at coaching offense or should you have just gone out and got someone who could keep the players under control and also coach them up. Let's be honest no matter where you think your team should be, it does not get much better than Lovie Smith when it comes to coaching.
Shall we now turn to Missouri? Barry Odom, a man who took over the reins of your defense and is a Missouri alum. Sure this one also looks great inside close doors but I can't help but think they overlooked someone more qualified and who has the same attributes. I am talking about the man who developed the Michael Sam, Shane Ray, Kony Ealy, and others who are playing on Sundays. Dave Steckel worked at Missouri for a very long time and pretty much gave Missouri a chance to compete in the SEC. Not to take away from Gary Pinkel's coaching pedigree, because it is a hall of fame resume', but should you really give Odom credit for serving one year as coordinator? To me that's like offering me a head coaching gig after coming in one year and coaching Alabama's freakish defense. All I'm saying is that you can't instantly be considered a great coach when you take over an already talented roster. Time will tell if he really is that man or if they missed out on a sure fire hire.