Jackson Free Press

The NFL owners recently approved two new rule changes that will be one-year test rules next season. Both were highly controversial, one among coaches and the other among players.

First, here's a look at minor rule changes.

All chop blocks, which are when one offensive player is blocking a defensive player high, and another hits the same defensive player low, are now illegal in the NFL.

Defensive players are at risk to major injuries because of the blocks and in most cases, the NFL already outlawed them. Offensive linemen can still cut block (a one-on-one low block) a defensive player.

Now, just one season after the NFL experimented with the idea, points-after-touchdown kicks ("extra points") are permanent from the 15-yard line. There were 71 misses on extra-point kicks last season with the new rule change, and 27 teams missed an extra point. The defense is still allowed to try and score on missed extra points as well.

The owners also tweaked the horse-collar rule. Now, it is a horse-collar penalty to take a player down by the nameplate or above to make a tackle. Again, this is a player safety rule, but it will have some effect on games next season.

Other changes include:

Eliminating the five-yard penalty for illegal touching after a player goes out of bounds and reestablishes himself inbounds. Now, it is just a loss of down.

Coaches can use the coach-to-player radio system whether they are on the sideline or in the coaches booth.

Teams will receive a delay of game penalty if they try to call a timeout when they aren’t allowed to.

Eliminating multiple spots of enforcement on double fouls after a change of possession.

Teams now don’t have to designate which player will return from short-term injured reserve, although teams can still only bring back one player each season from IR.

Now, here's some information on the controversial rule changes:

First, players or coaches can be ejected from a game after two personal foul penalties. Players and coaches met this rule with resistance, with coaches fearing that players would bait others into penalties.

Only certain types of personal foul penalties will qualify for the ejection. Throwing a punch, forearm or kicking an opponent, if contact is made or not, will be part of the new ejection rule.

Using abusive, threatening or insulting language to an opponent, official, teammates or league officials or using baiting or taunting acts or words to foster ill will between teams can now lead to an ejection with two fouls.

While coaches or players won’t like the ejection rule, it isn’t likely to cause many, if any, ejections. A similar rule exists in college football but rarely comes into play as far as ejections go during games.

The biggest rule change that will affect every game is the new kickoff rule. Now, touchbacks after kickoffs will come out to the 25-yard line instead of the 20-yard line. …

Day one of the NFL Draft begins tonight with the first round and continues Friday and finishes on Sunday. This could be one of the wildest in recent memory, with the first two picks having already been traded.

In the remaining few hours before the draft, pass the time by reading as many mock drafts as you can if you don’t have a feel for the players. The best teams are able to build through and add free agents to become a title contender.

All the first-round action begins at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN and the NFL Network. Here’s what to watch for mainly tonight but a couple things throughout the draft.

Which quarterback do the Los Angeles Rams select?

It is hard to remember that the Rams are back in L.A. again. But they are, and they traded with the Tennessee Titans to get the top pick.

L.A. is going to draft a quarterback, but the question is, will it be Carson Wentz or Jared Goff? Whichever quarterback the Rams choose leaves the other for the Philadelphia Eagles, who traded with the Cleveland Browns for the second pick.

What will San Diego and Dallas do with picks at three and four?

The real intrigue of this draft begins with the Chargers and Cowboys. Both teams could make a pick on offense or defense. San Diego and Dallas could also start a run on defensive linemen since both teams need help in the trenches on the defensive side.

If the right deal comes along, either team could be enticed into a trade. Both could in fact move back in the draft if the teams that need a quarterback decide to move up.

Will the Browns and 49ers draft a quarterback?

After nearly two decades, Cleveland is still trying to find who will be the man under center. San Francisco might be ready to move from Colin Kaepernick and start fresh at quarterback.

The 49ers have the seventh pick, and the Browns follow with the eighth pick. Both teams have plenty of holes to fill, so they could pass on a quarterback in this round to pick one up later.

If both the Browns and 49ers take a quarterback, it could cause a run on the other ones in the draft.

Will the Saints take a quarterback or defensive player?

There is some thought that the Saints could go after a quarterback in the first round. New Orleans really needs defensive help like a pass rusher or in the secondary if they want to make a run at a title with Drew Brees.

On the other hand, Brees won’t play forever, so when do you get his replacement if you don’t think you already have him on the roster? This would be a classic build for the future or a play--for-right-now spot for the Saints.

More quarterbacks late in round one?

Two other teams …

Finally, the Saints can play football instead of talking about suspensions and bounties. Although, on Friday New Orleans got some good news when the players who were effected by "Bounty Gate" got their Suspensions lifted. That is not the end of the bounty situation but it does end it for week one. New Orleans opens the season at home against the Washington Redskins and their rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. Facing a rookie quarterback is an advantage for the Saints in week one. Preseason games feature vanilla defenses and offenses so RG3 hasn't seen a complete NFL defense but more than likely the Saints didn't the Redskins full offense featuring Griffin in the preseason.

Whatever the result of the election, and I think we will all be up late tonight, my observation is that regardless of who wins, Jackson will be setting a new course, much different from the one Mayor Johnson had charted during his terms. The old center has not held, and the voters have already expressed their eagerness to forge a new one. The tectonic plates, having ground against each other for these many years, are shifting, and by tomorrow morning we shall read in the results which one is ascendant and which is descendant.

Verbatim statement, just in:

National Organization for Woman, Mississippi Insists Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant apologize for statements against working mothers

The Mississippi Chapter of the National Organization for Women condemns the comments Governor Phil Bryant made regarding working women and working families being the cause of education problems in Mississippi.

His statement places all responsibility on mothers and none on the state. It disregards the impact of racism and integration in the decline of Mississippi's historically underfunded schools. It conveniently takes away any responsibility from the Governor and his failure to focus on jobs, healthcare, states economy, and equal/adequate funding for schools.

Rather, the Governor and GOP-controlled House and Senate have been focused on abortion restrictions, guns, school prayer, and immigration.

The Governor is missing the economic reality of the lives of many Mississippians--where both parents have to work, they do not choose to work. Even if women are not economically forced to work, we have the right to make a career without being made scapegoats by state officials who are not doing all they can to create great schools.

If Governor Bryant is sincerely concerned about having a Mississippi where one parent can stay home-if they choose-then we urge him to focus on statewide policies that make that possible. We encourage him to support policies like state-funded childcare so families can afford to have one person work. We encourage him to support raising the minimum wage, so one job/one parent can support a family. Lastly we encourage him to support medicaid expansion because healthy kids are able to learn better and kids need healthy parents.

Policies like these matter just as much if not more than if a child's mother has a job. Governor Bryant you can not blame Mississippi mothers for the state not doing its job.

When the first College Football Playoff rankings are released on Nov. 1, the University of Alabama is going to be the top team. The Crimson Tide have rarely been challenged this season, as they have steamrolled most of their foes.

Alabama is just one of 12 teams that is still alive for the playoffs. These 12 teams from the major conferences are either undefeated or have just one loss as the season moves into the final month.

Joining Alabama as the only undefeated teams are the University of Clemson, Baylor University, West Virginia University, University of Michigan, University of Nebraska and the University of Washington.

Boise State University and Western Michigan University are also undefeated but face a nearly impossible hill to climb to get into the playoff. Both are in contention for a New Year’s Six bowl, along with one-loss teams the United States Naval Academy, San Diego State University and Troy University.

A second tier of teams are the one-loss teams from the major conferences, including the University of Louisville, Ohio State University, University of Utah, Texas A&M University and the University of Florida.

There isn’t a team left alive in the playoff field that doesn’t have some obstacles in its way. Beginning with the SEC, here are the chances of the ones still left.

Alabama must get past Louisiana State University, Auburn University and the winner of the SEC East gets the Tide in the SEC Championship Game. While there are some roadblocks, Alabama has a good chance of finishing undefeated.

Texas A&M finishes the season with tough games against the University of Mississippi, LSU and Alabama. If the Aggies can run the rest of the table, and other conferences have mayhem, they have a chance to get in the playoff anyway.

Florida would be the biggest longshot out of the three SEC teams. The Gators have the University of Georgia, LSU, Florida State University and whoever wins the SEC West. This team will more than likely slip again along the way.

Washington is the last unbeaten team in the Pac-12 and still has plenty of hurdles. The Huskies face Utah this weekend, and then the University of Southern California, Washington State University and the conference title game. This team will be playoff worthy if it can get past this slate.

Utah is the only other Pac-12 team still alive. If the Utes fall to Washington, their playoff hopes are gone. Beyond Washington, Utah just has the University of Colorado and the conference championship game. This is an all or nothing weekend for this team.

The Big Ten is simple for Michigan: get past Ohio State in the season finale and the championship game. It is an easy schedule for the Wolverines until they meet the OSU in a major showdown.

Nebraska is also undefeated in the Big Ten but wouldn’t face Michigan until the conference title game. Just to set up a potential matchup …

Construction of a skybridge will close part of North State periodically.

In about two hours, Jan Michael Brawner will be executed for the murders of his 3-year-old daughter, ex-wife and former in-laws. The Mississippi Department of Corrections issued the following news release detailing Brawner's final day:

The Dallas Cowboys might have given the keys to the car, or offense in this case, to rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, but they wouldn’t let him get out of second gear. In the Cowboys’ 20-19 loss to the New York Giants, the offense looked unexpectedly conservative.

Prescott was solid in his first start as an NFL quarterback—preseason games don’t technically count for starting—but he wasn’t as spectacular as he was in the preseason. The former Mississippi State University star didn’t throw an interception and wasn’t sacked, but he only completed just 55.6 percent of his passes.

The Cowboys’ game plan and the Giants defense took away the Cowboys’ biggest offensive threat out the game. Wide receiver Dez Bryant finished the game with one catch for eight yards on five targets.

Bryant did have a catch that was nearly a touchdown, but replay caused it to be overturned. Prescott didn’t throw any interceptions, but he didn’t throw any touchdowns either. To be fair, he did have Bryant’s drop and a wide receiver Cole Beasley’s drop that might have went for a score.

Prescott went 25 out of 45 passing for 227 yards, but he averaged just five yards per pass. He also missed on a number of passes that were high, although a couple that Prescott didn’t miss in the preseason should have been caught,.

Beasley and tight end Jason Witten were targeted on 26 of Prescott’s passing attempts, and running backs and a backup tight end were targeted on five more passes. Prescott hit one pass over 20 yards to a wide receiver and was one-for-nine on deep throws.

There was no question that Prescott knew the game plan and was prepared to play. It was also obvious that the coaches didn’t fully open up the playbook, and stressed safe throws and not turning the ball over.

The game plan also seemed to take away one of Prescott’s strengths, which is running the ball. He only ran twice for 12 yards. Allowing Prescott to run might have forced the Giants defense to cover differently and freed Bryant up.

Dallas wanted to run the ball but could only manage 3.4 yards per carry on 30 attempts. The Cowboys rushed for 101 yards as a team, but it amounted to very little.

Most of all, the conservative game plan showed up in the red zone. Dallas was one-for-three in red-zone attempts and had to settle for field goals, as they totaled just 13 points. The Giants scored 20 points in the red zone and were a perfect three-for-three on their attempts.

If Prescott is going to be the man, the offense has to open up. Prescott has to be allowed to, metaphorically speaking, take the car on the freeway, because he was barely able to go around the neighborhood.

Even with the conservative game plan and offense, Prescott still had a chance to win the …

Last week, a Jackson Free Press blog post listed all the players who made all-conference in various leagues that have Mississippi teams. That list didn’t include the SWAC teams from Mississippi, or Belhaven University, as the Blazers are still transitioning to Division III and not eligible to win the conference title or make the playoffs at DIII.

The SWAC released its first and second team all-conference players, and Grambling State University and Southern University dominated the selections. GSU had 14 players and SU had 10 players make either first- or second-team All-SWAC.

It is not surprising that the Tigers and Jaguars are so well featured since both teams were two of the best in the SWAC this season. Grambling State won the SWAC title game and will represent the conference in the Celebration Bowl.

Even with all the Grambling and Southern players on both the first and second team, Alcorn State University and Jackson State University landed players on both teams with ASU’s six and JSU’s three.

The Braves had two offensive linemen make second-team All-SWAC. Senior Detonio Dade earned his fourth all-conference honors, and junior Timothy Gardner helped make the ASU offensive line one of the best in the nation in pass protection and rushing.

Alcorn State had four players make either first or second team on defense with two on each team. The Braves were represented on each level with two linebackers, one defensive lineman and one defensive back.

Senior linebackers Darien Anderson on the first-team and Michael Hurns on the second-team were honored. Anderson earned his second All-SWAC honors after being second team last season, and he ranks fourth in the FCS in sacks. Hurns finished the season with 62 tackles and three sacks, and he was elected as the Student Government Association’s senior class president.

Senior defensive back Eric Foster, who racked up 41 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble while being ranked in the top 10 in the conference in passes defended, earned first-team honors. Junior defensive end Michael Brooks landed the second team after posting 29 tackles on the season.

Jackson State had three players make all-conference teams with all three on defense. JSU had just one first-team player and two second-team players.

Senior Javancy Jones earned first-team honors at defensive end and second-team honors at linebacker. Jones was the Tigers’ pick for the 2016 Conerly Trophy and was a finalist for the award, as he finished third in the conference in tackles with 82, second in tackles for a loss with 19.5 and 12 in sacks with four.

Senior defensive backs Justin Jemison and Zavian Bingham earned second-team honors. Jemison finished with 46 tackles for fourth on the team, two interceptions and five passes defended. Bingham notched 41 tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, one punt block and one pick returned for a touchdown.

Mississippi Valley State University didn’t land a player on either the first …

Hello readers. You might remember me from my time at the JFP as the writer of the bi-monthly column “The Key of G,” where I covered local and national music, as well as just musing about different topics related to music in general.

One of the things I liked to do was to make top 10 release lists at the end of the given year. While I did enjoy that, I always felt a little disingenuous, because I don’t listen to that much new music; I spend most of my time digging for and listening to old records. Hence, my top 10 lists would barely be made, as I squeezed in a few listens right at the end of the year to go with the few albums from artists that I always check for. Further, I never kept a running list, so my top 10 would have omissions, on top of my already poor sample size. (For instance, I somehow left Robert Glasper’s “Black Radio” off of last year’s list).

But this year has been different. I made it my mission to listen to as many new releases as possible, and to document them. What I have now is a list of 60 new albums that I have listened to and ranked in order. Mind you, this list is not meant to be definitive; there is a lot that I didn’t listen to for several reasons, mainly just because there isn’t enough time in the day to hear everything. I did listen to almost everything from artists that I am a fan of, which is something I have done a poor job of over the years. I also branched out to some artists I never was a fan of before, even though I knew who they were and ignored them on purpose. The results are fairly predictable. I also discovered some new artists I had never heard of at all, which was quite nice in most instances.

So, over the next several weeks, I am going to present you all with a ranked list of the 60 albums I listened to this year. Again, this list is not intended to be definitive at all; it is just a list of what I listened to, ranked solely by my opinions. I am sure there will be some disagreement and head scratching, but some of you might also see some new things that interest you that you go check out. And that’s what it’s all about anyway. Thanks for reading and indulging my opinions.

Click HERE for 60-51 Click HERE for 50-41 Click HERE for 40-31

30) Toro y Moi “Anything in Return” I came across Toro y Moi, the stage name of 27 year-old South Carolinian Chazwick Bradley Bundick, at the end of last year while reading through some best of 2012 lists (which is one of my favorite Christmas break pastimes). This guy began his recording career kind of lumped in the chillwave classification, a …

Kobe Bryant was asked this week if he thought this current USA Men's Basketball team was better than the 1992 Dream Team. Bryant gave his thoughts to the question:

"Well, just from a basketball standpoint, they obviously have a lot more size than we do — you know, with [David] Robinson and [Patrick] Ewing and [Karl] Malone and those guys," Bryant said. "But they were also — some of those wing players — were also a lot older, at kind of the end of their careers. We have just a bunch of young racehorses, guys that are eager to compete."

"So I don't know," Bryant continued, the trace of a smile beginning to play its way across his face. "It'd be a tough one, but I think we'd pull it out."

Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were quick to stand up for the '92 squad, saying their Olympic team would have beaten this current team. Both were members of the one of the best basketball teams ever assembled.

The great thing about sports is debating ideas or topics we will never know the answer too. Kobe's comments does lead to a great debate.

Could any member of the '92 squad have guarded LeBron James? In like token, could any member of this squad guard Jordan?

Would Magic Johnson and Larry Bird hold up against a squad more talented than any they faced on the way to gold medal in 1992? Could this current team handle the size and skill of two centers like Patrick Ewing and David Robinson?

Here is the roster for the '92 team:

Michael Jordan

Scottie Pippen

Larry Bird

Magic Johnson

Charles Barkley

David Robinson

Patrick Ewing

John Stockton

Karl Malone

Chris Mullin

Clyde Drexler

Christian Laettner

The current squad is made up of:

LeBron James

Russel Westbrook

Kevin Durant

Kobe Bryant

Carmelo Anthony

Kevin Love

Chris Paul

James Harden

Andre Iguodala

Deron Williams

Tyson Chandler

Blake Griffin* (Griffin injured his knee and could be replaced by Anthony Davis)

I have watched players from both teams play and both teams have talented players. Still, there is no question in my mind, the original Dream Team would beat the current one.

No player on the current squad had the drive to win like Jordan, Magic and Bird. The '92 team was made up of 11 future Hall of Famers.

The biggest reason the '92 squad would win is because of Jordan. No one, and I mean no one, closes a game like he did and willed his teams to victory in his prime.

Let the debate begin! Who do you think would win between these two talented rosters?

The Campaign for Southern Equality and Mississippi-native Rev. Susan Hrostowski filed a lawsuit against several state officials, saying that House Bill 1523 is unconstitutional, late last week.

The lawsuit states that House Bill 1523 violates the first and fourteenth amendments of the U.S. Constitution and asks the U.S. District Court to enjoin the bill from becoming law on July 1. New York-based attorney Roberta Kaplan, who won same-sex couples the right to marry and adopt in this state, will represent the plaintiffs.

The lawsuit names the governor, attorney general, the executive director of MDHS, and the state registrar for vital records as defendants. Several floor debate comments from the 2016 legislative session about the bill are used in the initial complaint. The complaint draws the distinction between Mississippi's Religious Freedom Restoration Act and The Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act.

"Critically, the Mississippi RFRA does not single out any particular religious belief or creed and privilege it above all others..." the complaint says. "HB 1523, however, starkly departs from this tradition and practice by providing additional rights and benefits and by extending well beyond those available under RFRA, but only to individuals or entities that espouse one of three specific beliefs: (a) that '[m]arriage is or should be recognized as union of one man and one woman,' (b) that '[s]exual relations are properly reserved to' a marriage between one man and one woman, or (c) male and female 'refer to an individual's immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics at the time of birth.'"

The ACLU and the Mississippi Center for Justice have both filed lawsuits, asking the courts to rule House Bill 1523 unconstitutional, and Kaplan filed a motion to re-open the case that legalized same-sex marriage in Mississippi, due to HB1523's passage. The Campaign for Southern Equality's lawsuit is the third lawsuit filed against House Bill 1523 and the fourth legal challenge.

It was shake up Saturday in college football as the teams that were previously ranked No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 all went down on the same weekend for the first time since 1985. The losses are sure to shake up the college football playoff top 25 when it comes out on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Just when everything in college football seemed to be going to script, like nearly every year, at some point a weekend like this past weekend happens. The door is now open for several one-loss teams and a few two-loss teams.

There were winners and losers this weekend and not just on the scoreboard. Plus, not all the winners and losers have to deal with the playoffs.

Winners

The University of Alabama is the biggest winner this weekend. Not only did Clemson University, the University of Washington and the University of Michigan all get upset, but Auburn University fell to the University of Georgia.

The Auburn loss gave the SEC West title to the Crimson Tide, and the other losses gave Alabama breathing room it didn’t have until the upsets happened. Now, the Iron Bowl loses some of its luster since a Tide loss won’t have any effect on the division race.

In theory, Alabama can still lose to Auburn, win the SEC Championship game and make the playoffs. Things might change if the Tide stumbles against a weaker foe from the east in the title game.

Right now only one team is a lock for a playoff spot, and that team is Alabama.

Another winner thanks to all the losses is the University of Louisville. The Cardinals were on the outside looking in after falling to Clemson earlier in the season.

Depending on how things shake out, Louisville could end up with one of the four playoff spots. It seems unlikely that Clemson would lose to Wake Forest University this weekend, but if they do, the Cardinals would win the ACC Atlantic division.

Even if Clemson doesn’t stumble, Louisville just needs to win against the University of Houston and the University of Kentucky to end the season. The Cardinals only need a little more chaos to take place to secure a spot in the playoffs.

Penn State University is a winner this week thanks to the University of Iowa’s win over Michigan. The Nittany Lions just need Ohio State to beat Michigan in the season finale and not stumble along the way to Rutgers or Michigan State universities.

If Penn State wins out and Ohio State beats Michigan, the Nittany Lions win the Big Ten East. That would put the Penn State in the conference championship game.

After losing to Michigan, Penn State needed someone to knock off the Wolverines after they upset the Buckeyes. That would be a major accomplishment for Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin.

The University of Mississippi is a winner this week after having …

Ouch. After GOP vice presidential hopeful Paul Ryan cited Rage Against the Machine as on eof his favoriate bands, Rage's guitarist Tom Morello responded in an op-ed on the Rolling Stone webiste.. Morello started with the money quote: "Paul Ryan's love of Rage Against the Machine is amusing, because he is the embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades."

Here's more:

Charles Manson loved the Beatles but didn't understand them. Governor Chris Christie loves Bruce Springsteen but doesn't understand him. And Paul Ryan is clueless about his favorite band, Rage Against the Machine.

Ryan claims that he likes Rage's sound, but not the lyrics. Well, I don't care for Paul Ryan's sound or his lyrics. He can like whatever bands he wants, but his guiding vision of shifting revenue more radically to the one percent is antithetical to the message of Rage.

I wonder what Ryan's favorite Rage song is? Is it the one where we condemn the genocide of Native Americans? The one lambasting American imperialism? Our cover of "Fuck the Police"? Or is it the one where we call on the people to seize the means of production? So many excellent choices to jam out to at Young Republican meetings!

Seriously, Ryan. This reminds me of when the Reagan campaign tried to misappropriate Springsteen's "Born in the USA," helped along with a naive George Will. Message to politicians: listen to the lyrics, fools.

Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_in_the_U.S.A._(song)

While working on a story on Tony Yarber's Jackson Crime Alignment, I got the pleasure of speaking with pastor Matt McGue of one of Jackson's newest churches, One Church.

I am admittedly not very religious, but there's something about McGue's message of inclusion that struck me as incredibly genuine.

There aren't too many pastors you can interview who will quote Billy Graham and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but McGue isn't like many pastors. His One Church is intent on becoming a multicultural, multiracial and multi ethnical house of worship, which is rare in this part of the country.

Our churches, much like the rest of our everyday lives, are still segregated – not by law, but by cultural barriers that have needed to be knocked down for years.

That'll change if McGue has his way. He moved here from North Carolina, after helping to start a similar church in Charlotte called Lifepoint. He brought his wife ("I'm glad she decided to come"), his son and his son's wife, who is a recent addition to the family.

They are meeting in the Ridgeland Recreational Center near Northpark Mall, and he says he's found a location he hopes will be the future home of a permanent church. It's too early to say where it is, but he's hoping to be able to make an announcement soon.

He said two things in the course of a 15-minute conversation that have stuck with me the last two days, but probably won't make a story about fighting crime: "The churches have been preaching a message of inclusion and racial harmony from segregated pulpits," and "I want to build a church in Jackson that looks like Heaven, with people from every tribe and nation."

What a message – and a breath of fresh air – for a city as ethnically and racially divided as Jackson.

Legacy. It is a word that is thrown around a ton these days. But most of the time, it is thrown around too much and at the wrong times.

LeBron James’ legacy has been discussed a lot over the years. But at age 31, we are finally getting to the point where we can really discuss his legacy as a great player.

James is one of the greatest players in NBA history, no question. Depending on how each person ranks their own personal list, he in the top 10 players, top 15 at worst.

Anyone who questions how great he is has to remember that he is playing in his sixth straight NBA Finals. Last season, he dragged an injured and talent-depleted Cleveland Cavaliers team to the finals.

This year, he returns with a healthy team to face the Golden State Warriors for a second straight year. And this years' finals could begin to set his legacy in stone.

James currently has a 2-4 NBA Finals record. People judge him because he went into the league behind Michael Jordan, who went 6-0 in final appearances. Kobe Bryant was 5-2 in final appearances and took the torch as the best NBA player from Jordan.

James took the torch from Bryant but hasn’t had the success that either Jordan or Bryant had on the biggest stage in the NBA. It didn’t help that James lost two of those finals to a great San Antonio Spurs team.

You can make the case that James, when he was with the Miami Heat, shouldn’t have lost to the Dallas Mavericks. On the other hand, you have to remember that he was lucky to win one of his titles against the Spurs after San Antonio fell apart in game six.

There are several reasons the public judges James harshly. His ESPN special, “The Decision,” which talks about him leaving Cleveland for Miami, hurt the public’s opinion of him.

It hasn’t helped that James has a habit of disappearing at times in the finals. He also has a bad habit of becoming a jump shooter, one of his weaknesses, during those times. People remember when he shrinks in the biggest moments.

No one remembers how great you were getting to the finals. They only remember how great you played on that stage.

Things have come around now that James is back in Cleveland. People have returned to the idea that they would like to see a native son bring back a title to city that is struggling and dreaming of one.

James winning for Cleveland would be like the Chicago Cubs winning a World Series. It would change the perception of his titles and his final appearances. Winning a title in Cleveland would mean more than winning a title, period.

With a win, James would up his record to 3-4 in NBA Finals. The win for Cleveland would make it seem like he has an even …

Now that Super Bowl LI is in the books, NFL teams are moving on to the offseason. Teams are already starting to cut players and starting Feb. 15, they began tagging players.

When NFL teams tag players, they have three options: non-exclusive franchise tag, exclusive franchise tag and transition tag. Teams have until March 1 to tag a player who is set to be an unrestricted free agent, and can use only one of the tags above each season on just one player. The player and team have until July 15 to reach an agreement on a long-term deal.

The non-exclusive tag is a one-year offer to a player with his salary being an average of the top five at his position over the last five years or 120 percent of the player’s previous salary, whichever is greater. The player who receives this tag can sign with another team, but his current one has the right to match the offer or receive two first-round draft picks as compensation for the player signing with a new team.

The exclusive tag is one-year offer to a player with his salary being an average of the top five at his position for the current year or 120 percent of the player’s previous salary, whichever is greater. The player under this tag can’t negotiate with other teams. Only the top players in the NFL ever get this tag, including New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

The transition tag is a one-year offer to a player with his salary being an average of the top 10 at his position. That player’s current team can match any offer to keep him but doesn’t receive any compensation for the person leaving.

Once a player signs his offer sheet for his franchise tag, his full salary is guaranteed for the season. The team can rescind the offer at anytime, as long as the player hasn’t signed the offer sheet. This happened last season when the Carolina Panthers rescinded cornerback Josh Norman’s tag.

Teams can’t use the tag on another player if they rescind the offer. It still counts as a player tagged. A player can only be tagged three times by his team, but with an increase in his salary each time he is tagged.

It is worth knowing that teams don’t have to tag any of their potential free agents, and players don’t typically want to be tagged because they want long-term deals with more guaranteed money.

Few teams are expected to use the franchise tag this year. For example, potential free agents for the Dallas Cowboys or the New Orleans Saints aren’t worthy of the major pay increase that comes with the use of the franchise tag.

A few estimates have franchised quarterbacks earning $21 million this season, defensive ends earning $17 million, wide receivers earning $16 million, and linebackers, cornerbacks, offensive linemen and defensive tackles earning $15 million. There is a bit …

Oh my gosh, it is like my dreams have come true. In a recent interview with GQ, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson told the magazine he might consider one day running for president. He says “it’s a real possibility” that he will run one day.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has followed Johnson’s career since his time in the WWE. Well, then it was the WWF, until the World Wildlife Fund did to Vince McMahon what the federal government couldn’t do: beat him in court.

Johnson came into wrestling after playing football at the University of Miami in Florida and a brief professional career. McMahon had huge dreams for the third-generation Superstar.

His grandfather happened to be Peter Maivia, and his father is Rocky Johnson. Originally given the nickname of “Blue Chipper” and his in-ring name was Rocky Maivia so the WWE could play up his family’s history with the company.

And you know what? The fans hated him. In the early part of his career, it wasn’t unheard of to hear fans chant, “Die Rocky, die,” and “Rocky sucks,” during his early run as a baby face (a good guy in wrestling terminology).

Slowly, he dropped the Maivia part of his name, becoming just Rocky, and eventually he dropped Rocky, becoming The Rock. Along the way he became one of the best talkers in professional wrestling.

Seriously, go to YouTube and check out some of his best work during the WWE Attitude Era. He is known for such great lines as “a jabroni-beating, la-la-la-la pie eating, trailblazing, eyebrow raising, heart stopping, elbow dropping, people’s champion: The Rock

,” or “know your role, and shut your hole,” or “it doesn’t matter what you think,” among a million others. In his time with the WWE, Johnson was a catchphrase-making machine who made the crowd eat out of his hands.

If you need any more proof, watch “This is your Life Rock,” which was one of the highest rated moments in WWE history. Johnson was must-see TV each Monday night, and when he came to ring, you couldn’t wait to see what he would say.

Even after he left for Hollywood, crowds still go nuts when his music hits, and as he makes his way down to the ring. Johnson has the ability and charisma to captivate the crowd even though he is more than 40 years old now.

When Johnson left the WWE to work in film, most figured he would end up like Hulk Hogan. He would do OK at the movies but never become a mega star in film, but instead his career was like 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger, as he has become one of the biggest action stars in the world.

But Johnson isn’t just an action star. He has excelled at comedy. If you haven’t see, “Be Cool,” the sequel to “Get Shorty,” you need to because Johnson is gold. Check out the video of him …

On Wednesday of last week (Aug 15) Ole Miss announced sophomore wide receiver Tobias Singleton had left the program. The former four star recruit from Madison Central was one of the big pieces of former Ole Miss Houston Nutt’s last recruiting class.

The Rebels have lost Singleton and highly sought after recruit Nickolas Brassell. Many in the blogosphere have speculated that academics were the reason for Singleton leaving the program.

Brassell was ruled academic ineligible which led to his transfer. One of the bright spots on a bad Ole Miss team last season, Brassell played wide receiver and cornerback.

Singleton announced he would enroll at Jackson State. Because he is transferring to an FCS (Bowl Championship Subdivision) Singleton can play right away.

For those wondering, if Singleton had transferred to another FBS school (Football Bowl Subdivision) like Mississippi State for example, he would have to set out for one season.