Month: April 2019

Thanks to Nick Saban, I am now taking a special interest in the career of Jacksonville Jaguars safety Ronnie Harrison.

Drafted in the third round by the Jaguars, he won a starting job during the season last year and started eight games.

Even though he was sidelined with a knee injury the final two games of the year, he will enter the upcoming season as a starter and seems to have a bright future.

That is why it was so puzzling when the Alabama coach singled him out when he went on a rant earlier this month decrying underclassmen for declaring early for the NFL draft.

“If you’re a third-round draft pick, and we had one here last year – I’m not going to say any names — goes and starts for his team so he’s making third-round money, which is not that great,” Saban said. “He’d be the first guy taken at his position this year, probably, and makes $15 to $18 million more.”

Continue reading “Saban’s hypocrisy about early entrants is appalling”

The NFL’s computers didn’t do the Jacksonville Jaguars any favors when they spit out what turned out to be the schedule this season.

They play two of their toughest games – Kansas City in the opener and New Orleans – in the first six games.

And in the second and third games of the year, the play two division teams – Houston and Tennessee — that swept them last year. And Tennessee has swept them the last two years.

The Tennessee game will be a Thursday night game, so they have three games in the first 12 days. It could be a 12-day season.

The Jaguars went 0-5 against their first three opponents last year and will be underdogs in all three games.

Continue reading “Jaguars’ entire season could be decided in the first 12 days”

Bill Belichick is unhappy these days.

That is not a news flash. Being grumpy is his normal persona.

And Belichick is used to doing his things his way. Owner Bob Kraft has given him carte blanche to run the New England Patriots the way he wants to. Except Kraft won’t let him cut Tom Brady if he thinks it’s for Brady to move on the way he dumped Cleveland icon Bernie Kosar when he was the Browns’ coach.

There is probably not another coach or executive in the league who has the control over a franchise the way Belichick does.

Still, Belichick has to follow league rules. Sort of. Until he is caught trying to cheat because he doesn’t like those rules.

Continue reading “Belichick’s grumbles about offseason program are misguided, self-serving”