Jackson Free Press

The six state championships in Mississippi high-school football will be decided this Friday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 3. This year, teams will play on the campus of Mississippi State University at Davis Wade Stadium.

One of the biggest matchups will be for the 6A championship, with Clinton High School facing Pearl High School on Friday at 7 p.m. This is the second championship game for both schools.

Pearl is making its first appearance in the championship game since 1985 when the team fell to Louisville High School. Clinton returns to the title game for the first time since 2000, which ended in a loss to Moss Point High School.

Starting off the title games Friday will be the 1A championship, which will begin at 11 a.m. and features Lumberton High School against Simmons High School from Hollandale.

Lumberton is making its fifth appearance in the title game and is a perfect four for four in championships. Simmons is the defending champion at the 1A level and is making its third run for the title.

After the 1A game is the 2A game at 3 p.m. featuring Bay Springs High School facing off against Calhoun City High School. Bay Springs is making its third appearance but looking for its first win. Calhoun City is in its 11th title game, the most appearances for any school playing this year, but only has one win to show for all the trips.

Saturday’s games begin at 11 a.m. with the 3A championship between Charleston High School and Kemper County High School out of De Kalb. Kemper County is playing its first title game, and Charleston is making its sixth appearance but has won just one title.

The action continues on Saturday with the 4A title game at 3 p.m. as Poplarville High School faces Lafayette High School from Oxford. This is the first championship-game appearance for Poplarville, but Lafayette is making its fifth title run and has two championships.

Saturday night features the final title game between Laurel High School and West Point High School, kicking off at 7 p.m. Laurel is playing its sixth title game and has three titles, and West Point is playing for its 10th title with seven titles under its belt, the most out of any school making an appearance this year.

The northern teams will be the home squads during these championship games and will be on the sideline with the press box. Attendees can purchase tickets at the gate for $15 and are good for all three games on either Friday or Saturday. Tickets are also available for $14 at any school playing in a championship game.

If you can’t make it to the games, you can still catch them on TV in the Jackson area on MeTV WAPT or channel 16.2 on the digital dial. The games will also be aired in Hattiesburg on WDAM Bounce (7.3); Meridian on WMDN Bounce (24.2); Tupelo …

Once again the New Orleans Saints have finished with a 7-9 record and are out of the playoffs.

The team has missed the postseason four of the last five seasons and hasn’t been able to recapture the magic of the Super Bowl season in 2009. It hasn’t been able to finish with a winning record since 2013.

As soon as the season ended, New Orleans Head Coach Sean Payton spoke with General Manager Mickey Loomis after the team’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Loomis and Payton will continue to meet this week following the end of the season.

Rumors began to swirl that the Saints would be open to trading Payton to another team if the right offer came its way. This is the second offseason that rumors of the Saints looking to shop Payton have started.

After the end of last season, New Orleans and Payton came to an agreement on a five-year contract extension worth $9 million per year. The Saints also worked a deal with quarterback Drew Brees that has him signed for next season.

Even after a disappointing year, there is hope in New Orleans. The defense suffered injury after injury and still rallied to become better as the season progressed.

Rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and rookie wide receiver Michael Thomas ended up playing well in their first seasons. The offense is still one of the best in the NFL, and Brees, who turns 38 this month, is still one of the quarterbacks in the league.

New Orleans has plenty of offensive weapons but needs to get cap room and use draft picks to continue to work on the defense. Over the Cap says that the Saints have more than $30 million to spend in cap space this offense.

The team has to make a big decision: Will it continue to chase a title with Payton and Brees, or will it begin to rebuild?

If the team can carve out more cap space and use that money judiciously, the defense can be improved quickly. A pass rusher should be the No. 1 offseason need the team should address.

The NFL is a passing league, and getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks is part of winning games. Teams that can’t get pressure normally struggle during the season.

New Orleans finished 27th in sacks this season with 30, but to be fair, the Oakland Raiders finished last in the league in sacks with 25 and still made the playoffs. Most of the teams in the postseason finished from near the top to the middle of the league in sacks.

Brees could play until he is 40 or beyond, and if he will work with the team on salary, it could help the Saints make one or two more championship runs. But will the future Hall of Fame quarterback cut the team a hometown discount? Who knows at this point.

The …

The National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame announced the candidates for the 2018 College Football Hall of Fame class. The ballot provides a lengthy list of players and coaches at various levels of college football.

Many names on the list went on to have long and NFL Hall of Fame-worthy professional careers. Some of the players were just stars at the college level and had short or no pro careers.

There are a few names on the list that have ties to our state. It is a prestigious honor if any of those players make into the hall, considering over 5.19 million people have played college football, but only 987 players are in the hall of fame.

One athlete from our state with a great chance of making into the hall is University of Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis. The former Rebel great was a 2006 First Team All-American, 2006 Butkus Award winner, 2006 SEC Player of the Year and two-time First Team All-SEC. Willis went on to play for the San Francisco 49ers and was a star in the NFL. He abruptly retired after the 2014 season, thinking of his long-term health.

Four players from Mississippi Valley State University landed on the ballot. Younger fans will likely know former defensive back Ashley Ambrose the best. He was First Team All-American, First Team All-SWAC, and SWAC Defensive Back and Return Specialist in 1991. He went on to play in the NFL for several teams, including the New Orleans Saints.

Vincent Brown played linebacker for the Delta Devils, was a 1987 First Team All-American and led the nation in tackles in 1986 and 1987. He set an NCAA record at all levels for tackles with 570 and went on to have a successful career with the New England Patriots.

Former MVSU quarterback Parnell Dickerson was First Team All-American and Pittsburgh Courier National Player of the Year in 1975. He was a three-time All-SWAC selection and was the conference's all-time leader in total offense by the end of his college career. Dickerson played one season in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The final Delta Devil to make the list is former wide receiver Bob Gaddis. He was a 1974 First Team All-American and Pittsburgh Courier National Player of the Year. He was the NAIA 1970 Freshman of the Year. He played in the NFL and CFL during his professional career.

One coach to make the ballot has ties to our state. Head coach Billy Jack Murphy has the most wins in school history at the University of Memphis, which was called Memphis State University during his tenure. He took Memphis to its first bowl game, earned the title of Detroit News’ 1963 Coach of the Year, led the Tigers to an undefeated season in 1963 and was the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year multiple times.

Murphy played his college football at Mississippi State University. He …

The New Orleans Saints defeated the St Louis Rams 26-24 in the preseason opener for both teams. While the win is great if you are a Saints fan, in the preseason the final score doesn't really matter much.

What does matter is how individual players look in game action. As New Orleans looks to build this year's team, questions must be answered, jobs must be won and future stars need to shine.

Here are my quick thoughts:

Ingram shines in first half

Mark Ingram looked like he was entering a contract year. The running back out of Alabama looked lighter, had more speed, quicker feet, made defenders miss and finished off runs.

Ingram had 30 yards on his first three carries of the night and he finished the night with 83 yards on 8 carries and a touchdown. His night was done before halftime but he looked impressive and picked up where he left off late last season.

New Orleans didn't pick up Ingram's fifth year option. The reason Saints declined to pick up the option because they would owe Ingram $5.2 million (way too much to pay for a running back in today's NFL) and Ingram hasn't played like a first round pick due to injuries and being inconsistent.

Tonight Ingram looked like he wanted to be the lead man in a crowed backfield. Another running back Khiry Robinson also had a good night with 23 yards on five carries.

New Orleans has plenty of talent at running back. Ingram is not just playing for this season but for next season as well when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Backup quarterback battle

Drew Brees didn't play tonight while he recovers from a strained oblique. Brees will be fine as long as he gets some work before the season begins.

The injury does give the Saints a chance to figure out their backup quarterback situation. Veteran Luke McCown is battling second year player Ryan Griffin for the right to sit behind Brees.

Tonight, McCown got the start, he didn't look terrible as he got to play with the starters but he wasn't super impressive either. His final line of the night was seven for ten for 49 yards with no touchdowns.

McCown did have an ugly interception that killed the Saints first drive. New Orleans had been moving the ball very well on the St Louis starting defense.

Griffin replaced McCown and went 11 for 16 for 103 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions at the half. In the second half, Griffin went five for seven for 76 yards and a touchdown (Saints first touchdown of the preseason).

I have been hearing how the Saints were impressed with Griffin. Tonight he looked impressive with a strong arm, the ability to avoid the rush, nice pocket awareness and some quick feet.

If Brees doesn't play or plays sparingly in the next preseason game, New Orleans should give Griffin some work …

There has been plenty of talk this week about the state of TV ratings for NFL games. Currently, the league is experiencing a dip of 10 to 11 percent in the ratings from the previous season.

Everyone is speculating what is causing the ratings to drop, but there is no magical answer to the decline in viewership.

But here are my reasons, from smallest to biggest.

6. Scandals

It seems like the scandals never end in the NFL—Bountygate, Conclusions, Deflategate, domestic violence by players, and so on and so forth.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see fans stop tuning in because they are tired of hearing about a different scandal each week. After a while, everyone gets fed up with the constant, never-ending negative news coming out of the league.

These fans will probably return around the playoffs as long as another giant scandal doesn’t grip the league for the rest of the season. If the scandals keep up, these fans could find something else to watch.

5. Anthem Protest

Just look on Facebook or other social media sites, and you will see articles on folks protesting the protesters in the NFL.

Since players started kneeling during the national anthem, fans have supported and criticized the players involved. Those who dislike the protest have decided not to watch.

Casual fans and those who don’t follow a team regularly are probably the ones more likely to not watch because of the anthem protests. Hardcore Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and other national-team fans are going to tune in each week.

These fans will come back at some point, but they will probably not watch while they are mad at the players. Few people are that upset over the players to not watch at all, so in reality, this could make up a small number of viewer loss.

4. MLB Playoffs

The ratings for the MLB playoffs are up this year. Why? Because fans have strong interest in the teams still alive this postseason.

They want to see if the Chicago Cubs can break their curse and win their first World Series since 1908. They want to see if the Cleveland Indians can win their first World Series since 1948.

With the playoff games on TBS, MLB Network and FS1, fans are finding channels they don’t normally tune into and watching this postseason.

MLB’s postseason is going to steal more casual fans from NFL games. Everyone wants to see something they have never seen before, and a ton of people have never seen a Cubs or Indians team win the World Series.

These fans will return to football once the World Series is over in late October or early November, depending how long the series lasts. This is one of the few times in recent years that the MLB playoffs have been more compelling than the NFL regular season.

3. Too Much NFL

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is spending a lot of time in the media over the last week. Neither the Saints nor Brees have been able to stay out of the media this off-season.

Brees found himself in a firestorm last week (Tuesday, June 19) after comparing the Saints bounty scandal to weapons of mass destruction.

Brees tweeted: “If NFL fans were told there were "weapons of mass destruction" enough times, they'd believe it. But what happens when you don't find any????”

It didn’t take long for the media to jump on Brees comment and it went viral. Brees quickly apologized for his comments later the same day on Twitter.

Again from Brees’ twitter account: “My WMD comment has nothing to do with politics or our brave military. Merely an analogy to show how media influences public perception” “I apologize if the WMD comment offended anyone. Especially our military. There is no one I respect more than our service men and women”

This week (Monday, June 25) Brees partnered Dick’s Sporting Goods supporting PACE (Protecting Athletes though Concussion Education). PACE is the nation’s largest baseline testing program with the goal to test 1 million kids.

Brees made the rounds this morning (Tuesday, June 26) on Mike & Mike in the morning on ESPN Radio and the Dan Patrick Show a syndicated radio show. On both programs, Brees touched on several topics from the PACE program, his sons playing football, his contract and bounties.

Brees stated he felt like further punishment was being held over coaches heads if they didn’t cooperate with the investigation. “I’ve been informed a lot of those coaches feel there are further sanctions being held over their head if they don’t cooperate with the investigation,” Brees said on the Dan Patrick Show. “If they were to speak out on behalf of the players, maybe that’s the fear they have.”

The quarterback also says the NFL has confused, “Pay-for-performance has been lumped in with pay-for-injure.” Brees also said he hasn’t seen evidence of a pay-for-injure program.

One bit of good news, Brees stated he thought the Saints and him would get a long-term contract done before the July 16 deadline. "I've always said, you would think this process should be a lot simpler than it is," Brees said. "It just always seems to be complicated. But I'm still very confident that we'll get a long-term deal done, and hopefully that will happen sooner than later."

"When it comes down to certain provisions of the contract, there are little things here and there that take time to resolve," Brees said. "But in the end, the organization typically starts off at one place, the player starts off at another and you find a way to a compromise and meet in the middle and do what's fair and just."

The Saints stayed perfect on the preseason with a 23-17 win over the Colts. New Orleans dominated the first half as Drew Brees saw action for the first time in the preseason.

Indianapolis couldn't get much going on offense and the Saints defense played pretty well the whole game. The Colts played their starters into the third quarter but New Orleans had pulled most their starters by halftime.

As always, the score doesn't matter in the preseason, so here are my quick thoughts:

Brees looks rusty but good

Drew Brees only played one quarter and completed 9 of 15 passes for 128 yards with two touchdowns. Yes, Brees was impressive but he also had some under throws, he almost threw an interception and had a few throws he would like to have back.

Still even a rusty Brees is better than half the starting quarterbacks in the league. And that is way Brees will be wearing a gold jacket when his career has been over for five years.

Rushing attack

New Orleans had a strong rushing attack tonight. The team rushed for 125 yards at halftime but 35 of those yards came from three rushes by backup quarter Luke McCown and Brees add another 10 yards on one rush.

Mark Ingram, Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas combined to rush for 80 yards on 19 carries. The rushing attack allowed Brees to take advantage of play action passes. Thomas was also the leading receiver on the night with 66 yards on four catches.

The Saints finished with 160 yards rushing but the offense struggled in the second half. Not a bad night on the ground as it looks like New Orleans is going to commit to the run a little more this season.

Great defense

New Orleans played pretty tough defense most of the night. The Saints either forced a field goal or punt most of the night.

Indianapolis scored their first touchdown because of sloppy play by the Saints defenders by miss tackles and committing penalties to keep the Colts drive alive. New Orleans busted coverage to lead a wide open receiver to tie the game at 7-7.

After that score the Saints defense shut down the Colts until the early fourth quarter. Indianapolis used a big run and a big pass to score their second touchdown of the night.

New Orleans had two goal line stands. The Saints forced a field goal during one goal line stand and stuffed the Colts offense on four down on their other goal line stand.

The Saints even forced a turnover after third string quarterback Ryan Griffin threw an interception. Brian Dixon returned the favor back using tight coverage to get his own interception.

If I was giving the New Orleans defense a grade, I would have to say they were a B+ tonight overall.

Penalties, penalties and more penalties

It was another game filled with penalties for the …

When you’re the defending national champions, everyone expects you to defend your title. Even the conference media.

As SEC Football Media Days came to an end today, the media predicted the University of Alabama to not only win the SEC West but reign as conference champions once again. Last year’s playoff winners were picked by a wide margin to win both the West and conference.

The Crimson Tide received 2,220 total votes to win the West, with 246 first-place votes. The Tide received 223 points to finish as conference champion.

Schools were awarded points on a seven to one scale.

The University of Tennessee is picked to win the SEC East with 2,167 total points and 225 first-place votes, but with 29 points, the Volunteers were picked third to finish as SEC champion. Louisiana State University is picked to finish behind Alabama to win the West with 1,984 total points and 76 first-place votes, and as SEC Champions with 59 points.

Defending SEC East champion University of Florida is picked to finish second in the East with 1,891 total points and 57 first-place votes. The Gators were picked fifth with five points to finish as SEC champions.

The University of Georgia is picked to finish third in the east with 1,860 total points and 45 first-place votes. In a strange twist, the Bulldogs were picked fourth with seven points to be SEC champions.

Rounding out the East is the University of Kentucky for fourth place with 933 total points but no first-place votes; Vanderbilt University for fifth place with 810 total points and two first-place votes; University of Missouri for sixth place with 807 total points and no first-place votes; and South Carolina University in last with 800 total points and two first-place votes.

Behind Alabama and LSU in the West is the University of Mississippi, picked to finish third with 1,479 total points and five first place votes; Texas A&M University, picked to finish fourth with 1,130 total points and three first-place votes; University of Arkansas, picked to finish fifth with 1,047 total points and one first-place vote; Auburn University, picked to finish sixth with 890 total points and no first-place votes; and Mississippi State University, picked to finish last with 510 total votes and no first-place votes.

Finishing out the picks for SEC champions is UM with four points and Texas A&M, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Arkansas with one point. Mississippi State, Auburn, Kentucky and Missouri received no votes to win the SEC championship.

There is a ray of sunshine for fans who don’t like how the media predicted this season. Only five times—Florida in 1994, 1995 and 2008, LSU in 2007, and Alabama in 2014—in the last 24 years has the media correctly picked the SEC champion.

A record 331 media members in attendance took part in the vote. The preseason All-SEC will be released on Friday.

Eastern Division (first place votes in parentheses)

School Points

Making history is becoming the norm for the Mississippi State University Women’s Basketball Team. After climbing to a historic No. 4 ranking in both the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Bulldogs made more history on Tuesday, Feb. 8.

MSU climbed to No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time in program history, which set a school record. The Bulldogs moved back up to their No. 4 ranking in the Associated Press Poll.

After a 64-61 loss at the University of South Carolina, MSU dropped to No. 5 in both polls. MSU is on a three-game winning streak since they dropped their first game of the season to the Gamecocks and are rising back up the polls.

MSU has been in the top 5 of the rankings for 10 weeks and is currently half a game behind South Carolina for No. 1 in the SEC. MSU is a game and a half ahead of No. 3 Texas A&M University.

The Bulldogs learned Monday, Feb. 6, that the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Sport Committee still has MSU as one of its top four teams. MSU is No. 4 in the latest top-16 seeding order.

The University of Connecticut is No.1, Baylor University is No. 2 and South Carolina is No. 3 in the second of three peaks at the potential bracket. Connecticut and South Carolina are scheduled to play on Feb.13 at UConn. The outcome of that game could help the Bulldogs rise up in the seedings.

MSU seems to be a lock for one of the four national seeds and has the home-court advantage that goes along with being a top seed. The Bulldogs must avoid an Atlanta Falcons-like collapse over the final six regular-season games and in the SEC Tournament.

In a 70-53 win against the University of Missouri, the seniors on this team won their 100th game. MSU senior forward Breanna Richardson scored her 1,000th career point in the win over the Tigers. That moved the Bulldogs to 23-1 overall and 9-1 in SEC play as the regular season starts to wind down.

Bulldogs’ junior guard Morgan William is one of the 19 players in the nation on the Dawn Staley Award watch list. The Dawn Staley award goes to the top guard in the nation who shows ball handling, scoring, ability to distribute the ball, and the will to win like Staley did during her college career.

William leads the team in assists with 4.6 per game and steals with two per game. She is second on the team in scoring with 10 points per game.

MSU is back in action on Thursday night at 8 p.m. as it hosts Vanderbilt University on the SEC Network as the team looks to continue rewriting the record book.

While we wait for the NFL Draft later this month, the league has given us a taste of what is to come with the release of the 2016 preseason schedule. That means we now know who the New Orleans Saints will face to prepare for their regular season.

If you take a quick look at the New Orleans Saints' schedule, they are facing three quarterbacks who have won the Super Bowl. They also face a quarterback who got a ring sitting behind a future Hall of Fame signal caller that replaced said quarterback right before the playoffs.

Week one of the preseason sees the Saints traveling north to face the New England Patriots (Aug. 11-15). Tom Brady versus Drew Brees, yes please. Two of the best quarterbacks in the league will see a quarter of action at most to start the preseason.

New England is always a great measuring stick for any ball club, and the Patriots always seem to feature players with ties to our state such as cornerback Malcolm Butler. This game should give a sense of the depth of to New Orleans, as New England always seems to have depth.

The Saints stay on the road in week two of the preseason as they travel to Texas to face the Houston Texans (Aug. 18-22). Former Denver Broncos starting quarterback Brock Osweiler, the one benched in favor of Peyton Manning, takes over under center for the Texans.

Defensive lineman J.J. Watt will get after Brees as long as he is on the field, and when he can’t get to the Saints super quarterback, he has a knack of getting his hands up to bat passes down. Houston normally has a strong defense to test the Saints' offense.

Starters for both the Saints and Texans should play a full quarter to a quarter and half in this game. It isn’t unheard of for starters to play the whole first half, either.

Normally, the third preseason game is considered the dress rehearsal for the regular season. Starters play at least a half to some point in the third quarter.

New Orleans gets their first home game of the preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers (Aug. 25-28). Another Super Bowl winning quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger awaits the Saints defense.

Pittsburgh just about always has a stingy hard-hitting defense that will chase Brees all over the field and harass his receivers. The Steelers also feature several offensive weapons that could be limited due to recovering from injuries and suspensions.

The final preseason game for New Orleans is at home against the Baltimore Ravens (Sept. 1-2). Joe Flacco is the third and final Super Bowl-winning quarterback the Saints will face as they try to slow him down.

Just like the Steelers, Baltimore also features a top-notch defense nearly every year. The Ravens normally boast solid offense each year.

This game will see very little action, if any, from the starters, as both …

Every Football Bowl Subdivision college wants to win its conference, but if the team can’t win the conference, it at least wants to go to a bowl game. Fans, for the most part, like bowl games, and coaches like the extra practice time and exposure.

The University of Southern Mississippi has the best shot of winning its division and conference out of the three FBS schools in Mississippi. Unfortunately, in their first loss, the Golden Eagles did as much to beat themselves as Troy University did to win.

If Southern Miss played against the Trojans like they did in their first two games of the season, USM would still be undefeated. The Golden Eagles still look like one of the better teams in Conference USA, though.

Meanwhile, this is a big weekend for the University of Mississippi with the University of Georgia coming to town. UM needs a quick turnaround after blowing a big lead to the University of Alabama last week, but the Rebels haven’t beaten the Georgia Bulldogs since 1996.

At 1-2, the Rebels still could fall to Georgia and get a chance to go to a bowl game. That isn’t a given with the schedule that UM has remaining.

After Georgia, UM hosts the University of Memphis, a team that upset the Rebels last season. Currently, the Tigers are undefeated and could be a tough game.

The Rebels have back-to-back road trips to No. 17-ranked University of Arkansas and No. 18-ranked Louisiana State University. The Razorbacks have looked tough this season, and the LSU Tigers might be dangerous if they figure out their quarterback situation.

UM hosts Auburn University and Georgia Southern University after its road games. Auburn still hasn’t found its offense, and Georgia Southern should be a win.

After that, another two-game road trip is up for the Rebels, with games against No. 10-ranked Texas A&M University and Vanderbilt University. The Aggies have started strong but are known for second-half-of-the-season swoons, while the Commodores boast a tough defense but lack a lot on offense.

The Rebels’ end the season at Mississippi State University. The Egg Bowl could see one or both squads needing a win to reach bowl eligibility.

This weekend will also put the season on the line for an MSU team with a 1-2 record. Better yet, the next five games might mean the season for the Bulldogs.

First up for the Bulldogs is a trip to the University of Massachusetts. Don’t sleep on the Minutemen. UMass trailed the University of Florida 10-7 at halftime recently before falling 24-7 to the mighty Gators.

The Minutemen trailed Boston College 13-7 at halftime before falling 26-7 to the Eagles. UMass put two halves together to beat Florida International University last weekend.

If the Bulldogs are sloppy or commit several turnovers, UMass could beat this team like the University of South Alabama did at the start of the season. The Bulldogs must …

There is plenty of high-school basketball talent in the state of Mississippi, but it doesn’t always receive attention. The major focus of Marc Rowe’s Adidas Crossroads of the South Basketball Camp is highlighting those players in our state that teams might overlook. The camp took place this past Saturday, Sept. 24, at Ridgeland High School and featured some great basketball talent from seventh through 12th grade.

“We have wide areas of our state that are really rural areas and a lot of small towns,” Rowe said. “Sometimes those kids get lost in the recruiting shuffle, or the press overlooks kids because they don’t have a chance at some exposure.”

Rowe was quick to note that a major part of college recruiting is the press that a player receives. Now, with websites such as Scout.com and Rivials.com, there are more opportunity to get noticed, but players still need a place to get that exposure.

“I traveled the country to see other camps like this one, but we didn’t have one for our state,” Rowe said. “That’s when I started this. I came back in 2008 to help kids across the state. We have kids from near Memphis from the north and all the way to the Gulf Coast from the south.”

This is the eighth camp that Rowe has held, and it might have been the biggest, as well. Rowe said 40 young athletes had preregistered, and another 60 athletes showed up that morning to take part in the camp.

The morning session consisted of tests for physical numbers and drills to help improve skills.

Players were tested in the vertical jump, shuttle speed, full-court dribble and burst. Each player did all four tests twice. Knowing these times can give upperclassmen numbers to show scouts and college coaches, and it gives younger athletes an idea of where they need to improve.

Watching the children go through the four tests, Rowe’s coaches did their best to make sure each child had the chance to put up the best numbers that he could achieve. That sometimes meant restarting a drill or a receiving a little coaching before the second run.

After the tests, coaches worked the athletes out in drills designed to help ball handling, shooting, defense, footwork and other areas.

Each coach worked his drill repeatedly until the athletes learned how to correctly perform the task. The coaches gave praise and pointers as needed as they ran the drills.

There was plenty to be gleaned from watching the drills. Nearly every young athlete struggled at following through on his shoot.

Most of the players short-armed their follow-through, which meant their shots hit the front of the rim. There were other follow-through problems, as well, such as the athletes not holding form until their shot hit the rim.

Mid-range jump shots stood out as a positive trait if you watched the drills for any length of time. Watching basketball at nearly …

It was not a good night for the New Orleans Saints or the replacement officials calling the game tonight. The Saints defense struggled against second year quarterback Blaine Gabbert and the Jacksonville Jaguars first string offense.

Jacksonville won the coin toss and elected to receive. The Jaguars opened the game with a nine-play drive that lasted over five minutes and end with a Blaine Gabbert touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

Gabbert was a perfect three-of-three for 38 yards on the drive but the bulk of the load was carried by running back Rashad Jennings, who rushed for 42 yards on six carries. Jacksonville had a quick 7-0 lead on a drive where the Saints defense struggle to cover in the passing game and missed tackles on nearly every play.

New Orleans took their first possession from their own 20-yard line. Saints quarterback Drew Brees lead his offense down the field, but the drive stalled at the Jaguars 18-yard line.

Garrett Harley kicked a 37-yard field goal to cap off a nine-play drive that took a little over three minutes to cut the Jaguars lead to 7-3. Brees was 3-for-6 on the drive for 53 yards and running back Mark Ingram ran the ball twice for nine yards.

Jacksonville punted on their next drive, but the Saints could do nothing with the ball, punting it back to the Jaguars after failing to gain a first down on three plays. Gabbert took possession on his third drive of the night from his own 34-yard line with just over two minutes left in the first quarter.

The Jaguars would then go on a 14-play drive that took over eight minutes over 66 yards to take a 14-3 lead. Gabbert got Jacksonville into the end zone for the second time on the night on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Colin Cloherty. On the drive Gabbert was a perfect six-for-six.

New Orleans would only have the ball for one play after the Jacksonville score. Dropping back to pass, Brees was sacked by Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey, who forced Brees to fumble. The fumble was recovered by Jacksonville’s Terrance Knighton at the New Orleans 15-yard line.

The Jaguars weren't able to convert a first down off the fumble. Jacksonville took a 36-yard field goal by Jose Scobee to take a 17-3 lead.

New Orleans would start their next drive from their own 15-yard line and Brees went to work. He lead the Saints on a nine-play, 85-yard drive that took four and half minutes.

On his final drive of the night, Brees was six-of-six passing for 66 yards. The drive was capped off by an eight-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson to cut the Jacksonville lead to 17-10.

Brees' night was over after the scoring drive and he finished 10-of-13 for 133 yards with a touchdown and lost fumble. In his final drive of the night, Brees finally looked like the quarterback who lit up …

After the Hall of Fame game, the New Orleans Saints spent the week holding joint practices with the New England Patriots before their preseason game. Those joint practices might have allowed both teams’ defense to dominate during the game.

The game started with the Saints losing the coin toss and the Patriots deferring until the second half. New Orleans' offense would fail to make a first down and was forced to punt on their first possession of the game.

That would be the story most of the night for the Saints offense, as it failed to get on track for the majority of the game. Even Drew Brees had a rough outing, only completing one pass for four yards in two offensive series.

After the Saints punted, New England was forced to punt, but an offsides penalty on Martez Wilson kept the Patriots drive alive. New Orleans was able to end that extra drive after the penalty when Will Smith sacked Tom Brady and forced a fumble.

The fumble was recovered by Curtis Loftin at the New England 34 yard line. Brees was unable to get the ball into the end zone and the Saints were forced to kick a field goal. John Kasay converted on a 46-yard field goal to give New Orleans a 3-0 lead in the first quarter.

Brady would finish the night completing just four of seven passes for 30 yards with no touchdowns and, of course, a fumble.

Neither team did much offensively for the rest of the first half. There were more low lights than highlights for both teams.

Replacing Brees at quarterback was Chase Daniel, with just over five minutes left in the first quarter. Daniel would get picked off by Steve Gregory at the Patriots 12-yard line. Gregory would return the ball back to the New England 17-yard line.

Daniel’s night would be over after his interception, having completed four of six passes for 62 yards. After the INT, Brian Hoyer replaced Brady and was helped out by another Saints penalty on a punt to keep the drive after Daniel’s interception alive. Martez Wilson was flagged for running into Patriots punter Zoltan Mesko.

Hoyer was replaced by Ryan Mallett, who would be unable to take advantage of the second penalty by the Saints on fourth down that kept a New England drive alive.

Mallett would throw an interception of his own right before the two minute warning. The former Arkansas Razorback was picked off by former Alabama player Marquis Johnson at the New England 49 yard line.

Sean Canfield would take over for Daniel after the Johnson interception. He drove the Saints down to the Patriots 32 yard line.

Canfield floated a pass on first down that Patrick Chung intercepted at the Patriots 11-yard line. It was a tough night overall for Canfield, as he went completed six of ten passes for 45 yards.

Mallett got a final drive after the Canfield interception. He drove …

It’s Thursday, so you know what time it is for the JFP Sports blog. Every Thursday, we look back and look ahead at all the action for the college football programs in Mississippi. Each week we name our biggest winner of the week and there were several teams in the running. Mississippi State entered the AP & USA Today top 25 polls and Jackson State go win number one of the season.

Being right or ahead of the curve is one thing you want in this job. Sometimes though you wish you were wrong even though you are right.

Last week before the New Orleans Saints played the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, I mentioned the Saints had to do a better job against the run. Well, New Orleans did a terrible job against the Jaguars running game and in the process made Jacksonville quarterback Blaine Gabbert look like the second coming of Tom Brady.

New Orleans gave up 170 yards rushing for an average of 5.5 yards per rush. That makes it really easy for a quarterback to pass the ball when they are in second down or third down and short.

Gabbert got extra time to throw because the defense had to respect any run fake. Also, helping Jacksonville was the Saints defensive line did a piss poor job of getting off blockers to make plays.

The Jaguars offensive linemen were stuck like glue to the New Orleans defenders. I rarely saw a defensive lineman not get pushed back into the linebackers or beat a block to cause havoc before the running back got to the second level (linebackers/secondary).

New Orleans didn’t do a terrible job in the secondary only allowing 182 passing yards. Against Arizona Cardinals the Saints defense gave up 189 yards passing and against New England Patriots they gave up 188 yards passing.

In today’s NFL those are not bad passing numbers. I will be more than impressed if the Saints can keep up those passing stats on defense when the regular season starts.

The Saints have given up more rushing yards each game. They gave up 112 yards against the Cardinals, 126 yards against the Patriots and finally 170 yards against the Jaguars on the ground.

This Saturday the Saints play the Houston Texans. So far in this preseason the Texans have rushed for 179 yards against the Carolina Panthers and 119 yards against the San Francisco 49ers.

If teams can run they can set up the pass. New Orleans will have to figure out a better way to defend the rushing attack.

Some more to watch for:

Defensive Line

The Saints defensive line struggled against the offensive line of the Jaguars last time out. New Orleans had just one sack against the Jaguars and Gabbert was relativity clean all night.

Heading into this game the linebackers unit is really banged up and the defensive line will have to pick up the slack. New Orleans must get pressure from their defensive line and this unit must be very active in running stopping.

New Orleans offense Over the last few years the Saints offense has been one of the most high powered offenses in the NFL. But the New Orleans offense has struggled to get on track this preseason.

This Saturday is the final dress rehearsal before the regular season begins. It would be great to see …

The old cliché that records are made to be broken just seems just perfect for sports. Nothing gets the fans attention more than when a seemingly untouchable record gets threatened or out and out broken.

Everyone pays more attention when an NFL team is undefeated near the end of the season to see if that squad can match the 1972 Miami Dolphins, when a hitter in Major League Baseball gets near Joe Dimaggio's 56-game hit streak, or when a horse wins the first two legs of the Triple Crown, like American Pharoah did last year.

Now that the NBA season is coming to a close, it is time for us sports fans to cast our attention to a potential record that could fall this season. The Golden State Warriors are now officially knocking down the door of matching or surpassing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

Those Bulls did what seemed impossible, as they became the first team to win 70 games in a season. In fact, they won 72 games and lost just 10 games. That team is the standard to which every great team since in the NBA is judged.

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls featured Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the enigma Dennis Rodman, who all went on to enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. But the Bulls also had great role players in Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, Ron Harper and Steve Kerr that season.

Interestingly enough, Kerr is the head coach for Golden State in its march toward the Bulls’ record. It seems fitting that a link to that great Chicago team would have ties to the Warriors squad that could steal the Bulls’ crown.

The Warriors have played 74 games this season and have eight games to go before they finish the full 82-game season. Golden State is one game ahead of where Chicago at this same point.

Through 74 games, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls had a sensational 66-8 overall record. Golden State currently owns a 67-7 overall record as they enter play against the Utah Jazz tonight, March 30.

Chicago fell to the Charlotte Hornets by just a single point in game 75, making it the ninth loss of that fantastic season. If Golden State wins tonight, it would put the team two wins ahead of the Bulls’ pace.

The Warriors have yet to lose back-to-back games all season long, and the Bulls lost back-to-back games just once during their record setting season. Golden State jumped off to a 24-0 start to begin the season, which was better than Chicago’s 22-2 start in 1995.

If Golden State is going to get the record, the team will have earned it. In the Warriors’ final eight games, they will face just one team that is currently not in the playoffs and has a under .500 record —the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Warriors get the 37-37 Jazz on the road before returning home for five games. In that five …

October is the time of year when college football begins to show who is contenders and who are pretenders. This Saturday the SEC West will begin to find out who are contenders and who are pretenders, in earnest.

Mississippi State and Mississippi will have the focus of most of the college football world. The Bulldogs and Rebels could be dark horses for the SEC West title and a spot in the new college football playoff.

Texas A&M and Alabama (who are this week's visitors) are already favorites for both the SEC title and the playoff. The Aggies and Crimson Tide will be expected to win by most but there is no reason not to believe in the Rebels or Bulldogs.

There has been a ton of speculation about both these games. Article after article has been written and I'm sure I haven't read them all by this point.

Let me say one thing. Football is simple.

Don't get caught up in all the long drawn out breakdowns of each position. Football games are rarely won by one single player.

Both these games are going to be won or lost by the team that can control the line of scrimmage on the offensive and defensive lines, who doesn't turn the ball over and gets turnovers and being sound in the kicking game. It is that simple.

IF the Bulldogs and Rebels can control the defensive line of the Aggies and Tide on offense to give Dak Prescott and Bo Wallace time to throw and the running backs a holes to run, offense won't be a problem.

IF Ole Miss and MSU can get penetration with their defensive line against the Texas A&M and Alabama offensive line, they can disrupt the running game and get pressure on quarterbacks Kenny Hill and Blake Simmons.

One more thing on defense, both the Rebels and Bulldogs must tackle well. There is no doubt that the Aggies and Tide are going to get yards and points but don't make things easy by missing tackles and giving them free easy yards.

As much busted coverage as I have seen already this season, Ole Miss and MSU better make sure they know what coverage they are in each play. I have seen the Aggies and Tide score a few easy touchdowns this season by blown coverage.

This is nothing revolutionary. It is just sound football. Block and tackle. Cover receivers.

Mississippi State and Ole Miss have the offensive and defensive lines to control the line of scrimmage. Anyone who watched the LSU game can't deny that MSU can be the more physical team. I have no doubts the Rebels can do the same.

No turnover is really ever good but some are worse than others.

Here are what the Bulldogs and Rebels need to avoid, turnover wise. Don't turn the ball over for guaranteed points (with Alabama's field goal kicking problems, that means from the …

In just three weeks, the dreams of 253 college football stars will come true. They'll will be lucky enough to hear their name called during the 2016 NFL Draft.

The NFL released the names of the 25 prospects that will be in attendance at Roosevelt University’s Auditorium Theatre in Chicago for the draft April 28-30. Ohio State University ties the 2012 University of Alabama record for the college with the most invites, but plenty of prospects from our state will be there, as well.

Highlighting the list is University of Mississippi offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, who is projected to go in the top few picks. Tunsil could be the No. 1 overall pick if the Tennessee Titans don’t choose cornerback Jalen Ramsey out of Florida State University.

Tunsil has all the skill you want in a left tackle to protect your quarterback for the next decade in the league. He won’t last long, and,I believe he will be gone in the first five picks of the draft.

Rebels fans might not have to wait long to hear the next UM player off the board. Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell is expected to be off the board quickly. He might be picked as high as sixth by the Baltimore Ravens, but he shouldn’t last any longer than the 15th pick of the Los Angeles Rams.

Treadwell is considered to be one of the two top receiver picks. If he isn’t the first receiver off the board, it will more than likely be Will Fuller out of the University of Notre Dame.

While much has been made about his lack of speed, the fact that he doesn’t have sprinter speed didn’t stop Treadwell from coming back from a broken leg, which he suffered last year, to be one of the most productive receivers in the nation. He has a big body; he knows how to use it to shield defenders, and he has strong hands. He competes for the ball, and when it is in the air, he goes and gets it.

The final Rebel to get an invite is defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche. A ton of speculation surrounds Nkemdiche as he heads into the draft.

There are questions about off the field issues, disappearing at times during games, his conditioning and so forth. What is not in question, though, is when he plays at his peak, he is a top five pick.

Will a team take him on his potential over his production or will his red flags force him to slide down the draft board? It seems highly unlikely that Nkemdiche will slide out of the first round, but stranger things have happened in the draft.

One lone Bulldog out of Mississippi State University will be in attendance for the draft. Defensive tackle Chris Jones will represent MSU, and where he could land is a mystery.

Seven other defensive line prospects were invited to the draft besides Jones such as …

“Monday Night Raw” and “SmackDown Live” held their “go-home shows,” the last shows before a pay-per-view event, earlier this week, so the card for WrestleMania is set. That is, if the WWE doesn’t decided to add another match during WrestleMania 33.

Neither go-home show made me feel any better about this WrestleMania. Both shows were solid, but they didn’t leave me with an uncontrollable desire to see what happens this Sunday, April 2.

I lost count of how many times a wrestler mentioned in his or her promo that WrestleMania is “the ultimate thrill ride” the tagline for this event. The announcers saying the tagline, as well, seems to just be overkill in promoting the show. How many more times will they say that catchphrase on Sunday? It is just too much at this point.

Still, there is plenty of potential for this to be a good WrestleMania, depending on what the company sees itself doing after this show.

WrestleMania 33 has 13 matches on the card, with three matches on the kickoff show and the other 10 matches on pay-per-view or the WWE Network. The kickoff show will also air at 5 p.m. on the USA Network.

If it was my show—and it's not my show—I would start the kickoff show with the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Personally, I would have this match on the main show, but since it is in the kickoff, I would have it go first.

Alexa Bliss, the current champion, will face five other women from the “SmackDown” roster for the title. The winner will be whoever gets the pinfall or submission, and the event could start fast and furious with each woman executing her finisher in the build up to the ending.

There is no reason for Bliss to lose unless the WWE wants to see Naomi win in her hometown of Orlando, where WrestleMania 33 is taking place. Bliss should keep the title to help build a feud with one of the other five women down the line.

Neville, the current cruiserweight champion, will take on Austin Aries for the cruiserweight title on the kickoff show. The WWE can’t go wrong here unless neither man puts on a great match. Both are solid performers, and either as champ works well.

The finish of the cruiserweight match could end up being tied to the winner of the women’s match. A title change should happen on the free show, so if Naomi wins the title, then Neville retains, and if Bliss retains, expect for A-Double to win.

Finishing up the kickoff show is the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Thirty wrestlers will start in the ring, and an opponent must throw them over the top rope to eliminate them. There is only one possible winner of this match, and that is Braun Strowman.

The “monster among men” should be allowed to just run through the field. He could eliminate half the ring by himself, …