Brad Pye Jr. Sports Editor EmeritusJanuary 12, 2017
Brad Pye’s National Sports Beat (1/12-1/18/17)
I’m not surprised Alabama’s famed coach Nick Saban cut the controversial Lane Kiffin as his offensive coordinator on the eve of the Crimson Tide’s National Championship game vs. Clemson Tigers led by QB Deshaun Watson. Watson is a back-to-back runner up for the Heisman Trophy. Alabama’s Head Coach Saban, No.1! Crimson Tide Team No.1! Alabama’s QB Jalen Hurts No. 1! All of these No.1’s went by the boards by Clemson’s Head Coach Dabo Swinney No. 1, QB Deshaun Watson No.1! Clemson No.1 Defensive End! All replaced all of Alabama’s No.1s! by Clemson’s No.1s to earn right to capture the National Championship. Clemson the winner of this year’s Championship. Score: Clemson 35 Alabama 31. If Clemson’s Deshuan Watson earnes 420-yards and three second half TDs next year in his first year in the NFL next season he should be named Rookie of the Year.
USA TODAY Sports doesn’t think the Seattle Seahawks don’t have the horses to make a deep run in the Playoffs since QB Russell Wilson joined them for the 2012 season. Check This! Seattle’s Russell Wilson and Baltimore’s Joe Flacco have started in postseason games in their first five seasons, including their rookie years.
It’s here! The quarterback battle between the Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson and the Dallas Cowboys’ rookie sensation Dak Prescott for the NFC West divisional Championship. One will prevail and one will fail! Which one will move on? It’s my guess it will be Seattle’s Russell Wilson will be the one moving on up.
Seattle Seahawks have picked up the greatest return man in NFL history in Devin Hester to replace the injured Tyler Lockett. Hester’s 14 TDs in punt returns and five kickoff returns for TDs earned him all-pro honors with the Chicago Bears.
LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant are the only ones on their way to historic seasons. James Harden of the Houston Rockets should be added to this number.
USC will have to make it back to the Rose Bowl and a national championship date. The Trojans will make these trips without all-star receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. He’s giving up his senior campaign for the NFL draft.
The Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton followed his best season (15-2) with his worst (6-10). Can Cam make another Super Bowl run?
By the way, the Lakers’ Metta World Peace has added boxing to his repertoire. He’s currently managing two boxers—Pablo Rubio and John Sanchez Leon. The duo works with Oscar De La Hoya’s Pretty Boy Production.
Actress Taraji P. Henson stars in the film: Hidden Figures. This focus on women who worked at NASA in the 1960s. Called computers (the human kind) these women worked out the math and sent countless shuttles and rockets into space. The talented trio at the heart of the film—Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Mon’ae—just happen to be style stars, too. Andrea Mandell takes a look inside their red-carpet closet. And the beat continues!
Who is the most scrutinized player in the NFL? Could it be Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants? I think so!
The Williams sisters, Serena and Venus are headed for the Australian Open which starts on Jan 16.
Three time MVP LaDainian Tomlinson, Philadelphia Eagles’ Brian Dawkins, and Jason Taylor could be named to the Hall of Fame in the first year the trio became eligible,
And the beat continues! Don’t invite former Washington Redskins QB Joe Theismann and current San Francisco ‘49ers’ QB Colin Kaepernick who was honored by his teammates an “inspirational and courageous.” player. This upset Theismann. Sorry about that Joe!
Steve Wilks, is the Carolina Panthers’ secondary assistant coach is reportedly being considered as a candidate for the L.A. Rams head coaching job. Yes, he’s a man of color. Ditto for Bills’ Anthony Lynn.
The movie Hidden Figures staring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae could be used to demonstrate how African Americans are credited for making diversity in sports look like American dream. The man who started making integration the American way was Jackie Robinson in 1947 by breaking the color line in major league baseball with the then Brooklyn Dodgers. All sports of the world should bow down and pray; “God, thank you for giving us Jackie Robinson.”
The total of the Trojans and Penn State score (52-49) was a record for any other Rose Bowl in history. QB Sam Darnold threw a TD for a TD with 1:22 to go and set up the winning FG by Matt Boermeester. The USC’s offensive standout, Darnold (QB record five TDs, most in Rose Bowl history) and a new yarder mark of 453 yards and scoring standard of 62.3%. Others included in SC’s offensive parade were Deontay Burnett, Leon McQuay III, Boermeester, Wyatt Schmidt, Zach Smith, Adoree’ Jackson, JuJu Smith-Schuster et al. And that’s it!
QB Jameis Winston of the Tampa Bay Bucs is the only signal caller to pass for 4,000-yards in each of his first two seasons in NFL history. The Bucs missed the Playoffs by one game.
Tiger Woods makes his official 2017 start in Farmer Insurance’s Open at Torrey Pines, Jan. 26-29. Tiger is also set to play in the Genesis at Riviera on Feb. 16-19. Tiger didn’t play at all in 2016.
Check Signals! Head Coach Todd Bowles of the New York Jets will be back for another season, but five of Bowles’ peers will not. Right now four Black head coaches will return; they are Bowles, Cleveland Browns’ Hue Jackson, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Marvin Lewis, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, Carolina Panthers’ Steve Wilks, and Detroit Lions’ Jim Caldwell.
USC’s sophomore QB Sam Darnold should be in the Heisman Trophy mix after his superb play in Troy’s historic 52-49 comeback victory vs. Penn State.
Will 2017 be the year Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens actually get voted into baseball’s Hall of Fame or just get enough votes to remain on the list for future inductions. In my book, their introduction should have been happen before now. And the beat continues!
The controversial U.S. Presidential race won by Republican President-Elect Donald J. Trump vs. Democratic nominee Hillary Rodman Clinton is the biggest political sports story of the world.
Academy Award winning star Meryl Streep didn’t just send Presidential Elect Donald J. Trump a love letter in his comments about him and she didn’t even mention his name in her speech at the Golden Globe dinner. Streep declared: “ Hollywood is among the most vilified segments of American Society. But who are we, and what is Hollywood anyway? It’s just a bunch of people from other places.”
Check This! The Lakers had 16 of 19 going into their game with Miami Jan 6. And the Lakers found their winning ways. And the beat continues!
Funeral services were conducted for Howard Bingham Muhammad Ali’s main man Friday at the First AME Church. Howard was 64. He died on Dec, 15. The L.A. Times says; “Muhammad Ali changed the way the 1960s America saw black men rights and the Vietnam War.” No one knew this better than Ali’s friend Howard, the famous photographer did.
Not too tacky! UCLA basketball, In 15-1 at this writing is undefeated at Pauley Pavilion this season. The Bruins had won all-nine games at Pauley for the 11th time in school history. UCLA beat Stanford 89-75 on Jan. 8. Those Bruins paced by Lonzo Ball, Bryce Alford, T.J. Leaf et al are bringing out the celebrates including Snoop Dogg, Warren G., Jessica Alba, Vince Vaughn, NBA executives Pat Riley and Mitch Kupchak et al.
The San Francisco 49ers’ are interviewing Jimmy Raye III for its GM’s job. Jimmy Raye III was the ‘49ers head coach and defensive coordinator. Jimmy Raye III was a QB and Rose Bowl star at Michigan.
LSU with QB Lamar Jackson back as the man behind center, the Tigers may have the best signal caller in college football. And the beat continues!
If the national title contending Clemson Tigers should lose Heisman Trophy candidate Deshuan Watson, as expected, he will be replaced by another QB of color in Kelly Bryant. Bryant is something special too.
