Scott Pioli made a name for himself in the NFL – first as V.P of player personnel for the New England Patriots and then as general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.  While at New England, the Patriots did battle with Nick Saban’s Miami Dolphins.  Now Pioli is defending a former NFL rival and current Alabama coach.

Speaking to Mike Florio, Pioli was asked about his reaction to former Dolphins assistant Tim Davis calling Saban “the devil.”

“I’ve got to be honest, I was terribly disappointed. You know, I know Nick Saban, I’ve worked with Nick Saban for a number of years back in Cleveland.  First of all, I didn’t like it for Nick.  I know Nick is a tremendous coach and he’s a tough worker and he’s a tough boss but I know a lot of people who are tough bosses.

“I’ll say this about Nick, though:  I think he’s tough but he’s fair. He doesn’t ask anything of people that he hasn’t done himself or that he won’t do himself.”

Davis not only worked with Saban at Miami but also took a job under Saban at Alabama and that really got Pioli fired up.

“[Davis] spends a year out of football, can’t get a job, Nick creates a position at the University of Alabama to help a guy who’s been unemployed he shows his loyalty to the guy, brings him in, creates a position, pays him. This guy made the choice to come work for Nick and now a couple years later, he’s bashing a guy who really helped him… I just don’t understand the mentality of people who are given opportunities, they seize the opportunity, they get paid, and then some time in the future they start to air dirty laundry or their hard feelings toward someone. I just don’t understand why people can’t keep their mouths shut and move on.  So, to me, it’s one of these trends in sports that I see, that I just, truly disappoint me.”

And round and round we go.  We’ll see if this latest salvo sets off any more reactions or draws a comment or apology from Davis, who is now Florida’s offensive line coach.  Saban last week called the comments “terribly disappointing.”

Offense or defense?

Running or passing?

We wanted to know which statistics provided a more accurate gauge of overall success during the 2012 SEC football season.  When talking about the SEC, defense is usually the first word out of the mouth of any coach, fan or pundit.  Should it be?

From looking at six key (yet simple) statistics, the answer is yes.

Yesterday, we found that passing defense (opponents’ yards-per-pass-attempt) was more closely related to SEC wins and losses than passing offense (yards-per-pass-attempt).

This morning, we found that rushing defense (opponents’ yards-per-carry) was more closely tied to SEC wins and losses than rushing offense (yards-per-carry).

Now, we’ll compare the yards-per-play numbers of each school on offense and on defense (opponents’ yards-per-play).  Which statistic do you think served as a more accurate predictor of gridiron success?

2012 SEC Total Offense / Yards-Per-Play

The top three teams in this category all finished with six of more SEC wins.  Also, the two SEC squads that went winless in 2012 ranked at the bottom of this chart.  Obviously, offensive ability matters.

It just doesn’t matter as much as team’s defensive ability.  Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida and LSU all ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in yards-per-play on offense yet those four teams went a combined 24-8 in league play last year.  Meanwhile, Tennessee, MSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss all finished in the top half of the league in this measure while compiling a combined record of 10-22.

If our previous conclusions hold water, teams’ overall defensive rankings (opponents’ yards-per-play) should be the most telling of the six statistics we’ve broken down.

2012 SEC Total Defense / Opponents’ Yards-Per-Play

How’s that for lining up correctly?

The seven SEC squads with winning league marks in 2012 all ranked in the top half of the conference in yards-per-play allowed.  Those teams totaled a combined record of 44-12.  The seven squads with SEC winning percentages of .500 or lower all ranked in the bottom seven of the league in this category.  Those teams finished the year 12-44.

To take things even further, the top four teams in this category (Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and LSU) went 26-6 in the SEC in 2012.  The six teams that ranked in the middle (Vanderbilt, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Missouri and MSU) went 27-21 combined.  And the four teams that the bottom of the table?  Kentucky, Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee finished a combined 3-29 on the season.

We wanted to know if defense really did trump offense in the Southeastern Conference last year.  The numbers say it did.  Whether it’s rushing defense, passing defense, or total defense, SEC wins and losses are still most often determined by strength on defense, not on offense.

SEC Football

1. LSU coach Les Miles will go Destin next week with a message on banning permanent opposite division rivals.  “The most important thing the conference has to do is pick a champion in a fair, straightforward way.”

2. Former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Mitchell will play his final season at North Carolina State. ”Bottom line is I want to win, and I want to win now.”

3. Alabama receiver Danny Woodson, Jr. transferring to South Alabama.  Former four-star recruit was suspended for violation of team rules during the spring.

4. Why is former Oklahoma State quarterback Wes Lunt being restricted from transferring to certain schools, including Tennessee and Vanderbilt? One reason –  ”The belief that at least some coaches at some interested schools improperly contacted Lunt.” MrSEC weighed in on transfer limits Monday.

5. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel can complete a pass blindfolded.  Here’s the video proof and a picture.

6. Why wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell is one of Georgia’s 10 most important players this year. Ten breakout candidates in the SEC this fall.

7. A look at freshman Evan Engram and the tight end position at Ole Miss.  Rebels don’t return a scholarship player to the roster from the tight end spot.

8. LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis on a defense that lost seven starters. “We’re not afraid to play freshmen. We’ll do everything we can to get our best 11 on the field.”

9. In Auburn’s new defensive alignment, only two linebackers will be on the field.  They will have to cover a lot of ground.

10. Tennessee sports publicist Gus Manning on coach Butch Jones: “I’ve been here for 11 football coaches. Butch Jones is the best public-relations man of all of them.”

11. Remember that Alabama BCS trophy that was accidentally shattered?  Broken trophy fetched $105,000 at an auction.

12. Rimington Trophy watch list includes nine SEC centers.

13. Do you realize college football kicks off in exactly 100 days from now? Here’s an SEC checklist.

14. ESPN’s Ted Miller on why so many predictions about college football this fall will be completely wrong.

SEC/College News

15. Florida wins the SEC All-Sports Trophy for the 23rd time.  

16. Georgia A.D. Greg McGarity has made four head coaching moves in the athletic program since he was hired.  Latest move was firing the baseball coach.

17. Towson A.D. Michael Waddell joining the athletic department at Arkansas.

18. Jon Solomon on the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit: “Collegiate Licensing Company had licensing agreements with more than 80 former college athletes from 1995 to 2010.”

19. Stewart Mandel projects how the bowls will lineup for college football’s major conferences in future years.

20. Mountain West Commissioner doesn’t think college football playoffs will stay at four teams.

21. Dan Mullen and Urban Meyer - Parrotheads?

22. Interview with former Alabama and Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione: “We had a lot of great memories of Alabama and the fans and that program. I wish it could have been under different circumstances.”

SEC Basketball

23. Former Baylor player Deuce Bello transferring to Missouri.  Will have two years of eligibility after sitting out this next season. Sixth Division I transfer to join MU’s program since Frank Haith arrived two years ago.

24. Staff moves announced Monday at Alabama include Antoine Pettway promoted to assistant coach. Team also getting new strength and conditioning coach.

25. Former Tennessee center Yemi Makanjuola enrolls at UNC Wilmington.

Extras

26. How Pac-12 schools divvied up the cash.

27. Former Memphis forward Tarik Black will play his senior year at Kansas.

28. ESPN reportedly laying off hundreds of people.

29. The 20 types of unhappy sports fans.  I think I’ve done about 14 of these.

In this day and age, all it takes is one dimwit, loser, scumbag with no manners, no shame and no brain to make an entire fanbase look bad.  Twitter makes everything, oh, so easy.

Before diving into this one, let me make a few things clear:

First, I don’t understand people who use Twitter to curse left and right.  I was raised in such a way that I wouldn’t want the whole world to see me tossing F-bombs around left and right.

Second, I don’t get fans who feel that part of the “fun” of sports involves insulting other people.  Likewise, I’ve never understood why some fans are jerks to visiting fans.  I’ve never understood why fans attack rival fans in parking lots.  As a Patriots fans, I was once angered to see fellow New England fans tossing snow (and ice) balls at Jets fans during a snow game I attended in Foxboro.  I’m unable to comprehend how that attitude is created, where it comes from.  What, some people can’t watch a game without trying to hurt someone else — typically whom they don’t know — either with words or fists (or hurled objects)?  What does that say about those folks’ upbringing?

Third, I sure as hell don’t understand fans who take to social media to send nasty comments and messages to athletes or coaches.  If given the chance to spew such garbage in a face-to-face manner, the cowards on Twitter would more likely wet their pants than verbally abuse a coach or player.

And all that brings us to a recent Twitter exchange between a Tennessee fan and a Vanderbilt assistant football coach.  The Vol fan — someone named Julian Bucio — tweeted to Commodore O-line coach Herb Hand the following (edited) message:

“@CoachHand dude I think your wife is f****** someone while you coach your pathetic football team #Slut”

Now that’s class.  That’s someone I’d want to hire to work for my business.  That’s someone I’d want dating my sister, daughter or friend.

Wisely, Hand took the matter to the next level and guaranteed that the over-the-top tweet from a UT fan was seen by people far and wide.  Hand retweeted the message to Volunteers head coach Butch Jones.  Brilliant.  And he included this message:

“Here is what one of your fans sent me on Twitter today about Deb.  Just thought you’d like to know.  If any of our fans were to say something like this about Barb, please let me know so I can personally whip their ass.”

Boom.  Outta the park.

Why?

Hand has taken one rube’s tweet, turned it around, and made it a positive recruiting tool for Vanderbilt.  Now, will anyone be swayed to sign with VU over UT — or vice versa — because of a few tweets?  One would hope not (though coaches sure as heck try to use Twitter to recruit, don’t they).  But every program has an image.  Small things help to build up or tear down that image.  And for one day at least, UT’s image has been slightly tarnished by one of its own fans.

Who comes across with more class?  Hand or the fan?  Naturally, then, it looks like the Vol fanbase is made up of juvenile punks while VU’s coaching staff features men willing to try and hush such nonsense in his own ranks.  We live in a world where everything is oversimplified — e.g.: Twitter = 140 characters — so if Harvey Updyke poisons a tree, Alabama fans are all viewed as being nuts.  If a Tennessee fan says nasty things about a coach’s wife, all Tennessee fans will be viewed as classless.

Jones hasn’t yet responded to Hand’s tweet, but Bucio responded by mocking the coach for responding to him.  (Personally, this is a favorite cowardly out of mine.  Someone writes something insulting to me, I insult them back, and then I’m called thin-skinned for not taking a goofball’s insult like I should.  So the obnoxious person holds the upper hand while the public figure has his hands tied?  I think not.)

Bucio also claimed via Twitter that Vandy fans have tweeted him “physical threats,” as if anyone cares.  Dumb fans tweet dumb things to other dumb fans all the time.  A few dumb fans also tweet ugly, dumb things to coaches and players.  But rarely is a coach wise enough — or calm enough — to simply expose the initial tweeter as a no-class buffoon as Hand did by re-tweeting Bucio’s message straight to Tennessee’s head coach.

Read the rest of this entry »

Offense or defense?

Running or passing?

We wanted to know which statistics provided a more accurate gauge of overall success during the 2012 SEC football season.  When talking about the SEC, defense is usually the first word out of the mouth of any coach, fan or pundit.  Should it be?

In an effort to find out, we took six key (but simple) statistics from last season and compared them to the win/loss records of each of the 14 SEC schools..  We used only stats from conference games (SEC versus SEC) and we’ve compared only last season’s conference records.  Last year’s SEC title game was not included in our study.

In this piece, we’ll look at the defensive side of the ball.  Below you will find last year’s SEC teams ranked according to their opponents’ yards-per-carry average:

2012 SEC Rushing Defense / Opponents’ Yards-Per-Carry

Observations

*  Just as pass defense meant a little bit more than pass offense, rushing defense means a bit more in SEC play than rushing offense.  Teams that held their opponents to under four yards per rush attempt totaled 44 wins against just 20 losses in SEC play last year.  Teams that allowed more than four yards per carry finished a combined 12-36 in the league.

*  Again, there were some exceptions to the rule, but there were fewer of them.  Arkansas and Ole Miss stand out among the teams near the top of the chart, but those two squads led the league in giveaways last season, undermining their ability to stop their foes’ ground games.  Vanderbilt was lone winning team ranked in the bottom six of this category, but four of their five league wins came against other teams that allowed more than four yards per carry.

*  Simply put, running the ball effectively helps, but stopping opposing teams from running effectively is much more important when it comes to winning football games in the SEC.

*  To compare these numbers to SEC squads’ rushing ability last season, click here to find our breakdown of teams’ in the offensive yards-per-carry category.  Also, check out our pass game comparisons by clicking here to see yards-per-attempt data and by clicking here to see opponents’ yards-per-attempt data.

Offense or defense?

Running or passing?

We wanted to know which statistics provided a more accurate gauge of overall success during the 2012 SEC football season.  When talking about the SEC, defense is usually the first word out of the mouth of any coach, fan or pundit.  Should it be?

In an effort to find out, we took six key (but simple) statistics from last season and compared them to the win/loss records of each of the 14 SEC schools.  We used only stats from conference games (SEC versus SEC) and we’ve compared only last season’s conference records.  Last year’s SEC title game was not included in our study.

In this piece, we’ll focus on the offensive side of the ball.  Below you will find last year’s SEC teams ranked according to their yards-per-carry average:

2012 SEC Rushing Offense / Yards-Per-Carry

Observations:

*  Four of the top five teams in the yards-per-carry category — Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia and Florida — finished with six or more SEC wins last season.  But Tennessee ranked fourth in this statistic and still managed just one league win in 2012.

*  Tennessee was hardly the only team that was “out of place” record-wise when it came to this stat.  Arkansas (2-6) and Kentucky (0-8) ran the ball more effectively than LSU (6-2) and South Carolina (6-2).  The Gamecocks also ranked behind Mississippi State (4-4) and Missouri (2-6).  Vanderbilt finished with a winning record in the conference yet the Commodores averaged more yards per carry than only Ole Miss and Auburn.

*  Long-time football fans will tell you that you have to play good defense and run the football to win ballgames in the SEC.  But running the ball effectively — and we’ve seen this hold true in recent seasons — isn’t as important as it used to be.  Yes it’s darn helpful to be able to wear down a defense with a punishing ground game.  It’s a plus to be able to grind out the last few minutes of clock when leading, too.  But there is not longer a clear correlation between yards-per-carry and wins.

*  Some might be wondering if straight rushing yards would be a better indicator of league success and the answer is yes.  In terms of overall rushing yards per game in SEC contests last year, every team with a winning league record (Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Vanderbilt and South Carolina) finished in the top eight of the conference in total rushing yards.  Only Tennessee snuck into the top eight with a losing record.  But those seven schools with winning SEC marks also ranked among the top eight in rushing attempts in SEC games.  That was to be expected.  Teams with leads try to milk clock by running the football (as noted above).  So it can be said that winning teams run the ball more often — possibly/probably because they’re playing with late-game leads — but it can’t be said that winning teams the ball more effectively (yards-per-carry average).

*  To see the importance of rushing defense, click here for a breakdown of opponents’ yards-per-carry averages.  We have also broken down some numbers for passing offense and defense from last year’s SEC action.  For those results, click here for yards-per-attempt and click here for opponents’ yards-per-attempt.

Offense or defense?

Running or passing?

We wanted to know which statistics provided a more accurate gauge of overall success during the 2012 SEC football season.  When talking about the SEC, defense is usually the first word out of the mouth of any coach, fan or pundit.  Should it be?

In an effort to find out, we took six key (but simple) statistics from last season and compared them to the win/loss records of each of the 14 SEC schools.  We used only stats from conference games (SEC versus SEC) and we’ve compared only last season’s conference records.  Last year’s SEC title game was not included in our study.

In this piece, we’ll look at the defensive side of the ball.  Below you will find last year’s SEC teams ranked according to their opponents’ yards-per-pass-attempt average:

2012 SEC Passing Defense / Opponents’ Yards-Per-Pass-Attempt

Observations

*  When it comes to predicting success in the SEC, this statistic is much more helpful than its offensive counterpart.  Being able to throw the ball is important, but not as important as being able to prevent your opponent from successfully throwing the football.

*  With the exception of 2-6 Missouri, every other team in the SEC that held its opponents to 7.4 yards-per-pass-attempt or less won five or more league games.  The top eight teams in this category were a combined 46-18 in the SEC last season.

*  The bottom six SEC squads in this particular pass defense measure were a combined 10-38 in league play.  Of those six schools — Ole Miss, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas — only MSU managed to finish at .500.

*  The quick takeaway: If you want to win an SEC football game, passing the ball isn’t as important as stopping the other team from passing the ball.

*  You can see the breakdown for offensive yards-per-pass-attempt by clicking here.

Nick Saban inducted into Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Saturday night
More than 3,500 people have signed an online petition supporting suspended Georgia player Kolton Houston…
The offensive lineman has been banned since testing positive for the steroid Nandrolone as a freshman
Vanderbilt coach James Franklin received more than $1.8 million in compensation in 2011
Quarterback Wes Lunt is leaving Oklahoma State but the school won’t let him transfer to Tennessee or Vanderbilt
Early week 1 college footbal spreads are out…Georgia 1-point underdog to Clemson, Alabama 14-point favorite against Virginia Tech
Tennessee basketball player Yemi Makanjuola reportedly transferring to UNC-Wilmington
Vanderbilt forward Sheldon Jeter has decided to transfer
Follow SEC news year-round at MrSEC.com and on Twitter at Twitter.com/mrsec

SEC Football

1. Former Tennessee defensive end and coach Chuck Smith has been working with Auburn linemen in order to help revive the Tigers pass rush.

2. The biggest surprise on Auburn’s post-spring depth chart? Slot receiver.

3. Biggest question at Arkansas this fall?  Backup quarterback.

4. Nick Saban on being inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame: “In the future, I’m going to be more committed in order to justify the honor you’ve given to me tonight.”

5. Clemson AD Dan Radakovich on what he learned from Saban at LSU.  ”With all the distractions around him, Nick stays focused on the things that are important for him and his program.”

6. Young LSU fans get to camp out at Tiger Stadium.

7. The SEC and the NFL draft – uptick can be explained by Alabama and LSU. “They have been pipelining athletes to the NFL far beyond what they’ve ever been able to do previously.”

8. South Carolina an 8.5 point favorite in the opener against North Carolina, Mississippi State a 6.5 point underdog vs Oklahoma State. Spreads for Week 1 are out.

SEC/College News

9. In Michael Adams’  16 years as president of the university, athletic department revenues at Georgia have climbed from $25.7 million to $92.1 milion. Barbara Dooley still upset how her husband was treated: “In my opinion, he has never said anything positive about Vince Dooley’s ability as the athletic director…I take personal offense to that.”

10. Mike Bianchi on linebacker Matthew Thomas who wants out of his commitment to Florida State and reportedly transfer to Georgia or Southern Cal.   “What sort of life lesson is Thomas learning if his first exposure to the adult world is the message that it’s OK to break promises and walk out on commitments?”

SEC Basketball

11. Alabama reportedly agreeing to a series with UCLA.

12. When Andrew Wiggins announced he was going to Kansas, fans started melting down on Twitter.  ”In 140 characters or less, they hoped he’d tear ACLs, be consumed by fire or die in a plane crash.”

Extras

13. O.J. Simpson planning a college speaking tour after he gets out of prison.

14. Questions surrounding Seton Hall’s softball coach -”Is this a coach out of control or overly sensitive players and parents?”

Vanderbilt coach James Franklin opposes potential move to nine-game schedule..
…”If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Tennessee A.D. Dave Hart on coach Butch Jones:  ”I think he’s off to a very, very good start in terms of galvanizing our fan base.”
Alabama coach Nick Saban on preparing for Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel: ”I think that’s an ongoing process around here.”
Saban has recruited or coached 111 NFL players, 33 of them at Alabama
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany on the status of expansion: “Dead is a strong word”
Thanks to U.S. Open tennis shifting to ESPN, possible to see more early SEC games on CBS starting in 2015
Follow SEC news year-round at MrSEC.com and on Twitter at Twitter.com/mrsec