Hype, humility an Nick Saban's updated first-round draft numbers

It's the end of the first day and I'm officially drafted out. All that hype and buildup just to find out that Jameis Winston still has no concept of the word humility. Good luck Tampa Bay.

Here are some things of note from Thursday night, the first two of which update charts I compiled for the book Nick Saban vs. College Football.

• Even though Alabama only had one player selected in the first round, snapping a five-year string of multiple first-rounders, Amari Cooper was the 22nd to be coached by Nick Saban -- and that figure doesn't include seven additional former players taken in the first round within three years after left Michigan State and LSU. The 22 leads active coaches ahead of Steve Spurrier (17), Les Miles (15), Bob Stoops (13), Mark Richt (12), and Urban Meyer (11).

• Saban's 22 moves him into fourth all-time behind Joe Paterno (33), Bobby Bowden (32), and Woody Hayes (27). Add those extra seven and he'd be third, with the two ahead of him having tenures spanning 40-plus years.

• Winston was the first player from Florida State to ever be the first-overall selection. Bowden may have coached great players like Deion Sanders, Derrick Brooks, Charlie Ward, Chris Weinke and Warrick Dunn, but his best showing in the draft was third overall, defensive end Andre Wadsworth in 1998. He didn't have much of a career with the Arizona Cardinals (and trust me, I know. I covered the Cardinals in 1998-99).

• Raiders coach Jack Del Rio got some long looks at Amari Cooper during Alabama's practices when he was on-hand to watch his son Luke, a former Crimson Tide walk-on quarterback: “I would just say that when you talk about this young man coming in at this level, as a draft prospect that has not played in the NFL yet, it’s unusual when words like ‘polished’ are thrown out, but that’s what you see. He has been lined up all across the board – outside, both sides, inside the slot, moving around, even lined up in the backfield some. So he’s been exposed to a lot, been utilized a lot of different ways. He’s run the entire route tree. They compete at Alabama, just competing in that conference in the time that he’s had. The repetitions that he’s had playing the position, running the route tree and doing all the things that he’s done to develop himself, makes him a guy that has that label of being polished. That’s why, he’s earned it."

• It took Amari Cooper only six questions on a conference call with Bay-area reporters to be asked about former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin. His response: “He wanted to see every player reach their fullest potential. He harped on the small things with me, like looking the ball all the way through and high-pointing the ball so that I can be the best player that I can be."

• Have $300? The Raiders website immediately started taking orders for Cooper jerseys.

• Finally, constantly seeing "The pick is in" on the screen while hearing about something that had already happened was for the birds. Here's hoping the twitter/online ban on picks before they're announced goes out the window, and/or the selections are revealed as they really happen next year.

Random thoughts about the NFL Draft ...

One of my pet peeves about this time of year is the constant talk of a prospect's stock rising or falling just before the NFL Draft.

Generally speaking, there is no such thing.

Teams spend all year accumulating information about players and evaluating. Prospects are assigned ratings/grades that are constantly tweaked and only at the end are full draft boards compiled.

When you hear that someone's draft stock is rising or falling it usually means the reporters are catching on that a player might be better or worse than he or she initially believed, or that someone has convinced them of that. Agents are lobbying for their clients, teams are hoping players they want may drop to them, and so on. The smokescreens can be blinding, especially with so much money at stake.

An obvious exception to this is when new information comes to light like a player does something stupid and gets arrested. Otherwise, my suggestion is don't listen to the rhetoric because it's just not worth it, and nobody knows what'll happen until the picks start being made.

• If Vegas were to put odds on how long it takes everyone's mock drafts to get crumbled up into a ball and thrown away my guess is it would be the third pick. Since there's not even a consensus best player (best player and top pick are two different things) there could be a ton of early trades this year. There were 11 in the first round last year, 12 the year before and 19 in 2012.

• There are just 10 NFL teams that currently don't have a former Alabama player on its roster: Dolphins, Browns, Steelers, Broncos, Chiefs, Giants, Redskins, Bears, Vikings and Buccaneers. Among them the team most likely to add one may be Kansas City as general manager John Dorsey has had former Nick Saban players on his teams before. The least likely is probably Minnesota as over the years I've head that Rick Spielman isn't fond of Crimson Tide products (Shame too, I'm a Vikings fan).

• Speaking of the Vikings, did anyone really believe they were going to trade running back Adrian Peterson? The only way that probably would have happened is if the Dallas Cowboys had called and said, "We'll give you everything back from the Herschel Walker deal."

• One guy I'd love to see the Vikings take, and every NFL fan should want on his or her team, is Harvard linebacker Zack Hodges. If you haven't read Lars Anderson's recent profile on him, "Left Parentless and Homeless, Harvard Star's Amazing Journey May Lead to the NFL," do yourself a favor and check it out.

• Food for thought from SI's Peter King: "I always wonder about an Alabama guy when Ozzie Newsome passes on him."

• If/when Alabama has a player selected in the first round it will tie Pittsburgh (1983-1989), Ohio State (1991-1997) and Florida (1997-2003) for the third-longest consecutive streak with at least one player drafted in the first round since the advent of the common draft in 1967. Alabama has a current streak of six consecutive drafts with at least one first-round pick. Miami (1995-2008) has the longest such streak with at least one first-round pick in 14 consecutive drafts.

Everything an Alabama fan needs to know about the 2015 NFL Draft

It's been 106 days since the college football season came to a close ,and if it seems like a ridiculously long time to access players for a draft that's only because it is. 

We've gotten to the point that the hype and buildup can be compared to a Hollywood blockbuster movie (No, "Draft Day" doesn't count). Finally, though, everyone will get on with it with the first round Thursday, and Mr. Irrelevant finally named on Saturday.

Recently Alabama has become the program for developing NFL talent:

• The Crimson Tide has had the most selections over the last five drafts (37), including 15 in the first round.

• During opening weekend back in September the Crimson Tide had 36 players on active rosters, which was the third most of all schools behind only Nick Saban’s former program LSU (38), and Southern California (37). For a little perspective on that, Alabama wasn’t among in the top 25 programs of players in the NFL when the coach arrived in 2007, and it didn’t have any players selected in the 2008 draft. 

• Overall there were 42 former Crimson Tide players who were on an active roster or injured reserve at some point of the 2014 NFL season, tying the Trojans for the most. That number also didn’t include the five Alabama products on various practice squads. Nowadays you pretty much can't turn on an NFL game without there being some sort of NFL connection. For example, Super Bowl XLIX featured former linebacker Dont’a Hightower, while James Carpenter, Kevin Norwood and Jesse Williams were all on the Seattle roster.  

Although Alabama doesn't have as many early-round selections as recent drafts the Crimson Tide could have between 6 and 12 players selected this year, depending on how the later rounds play out. The program record is 10 (1945, and they went between rounds 8 and, get this, 32). 

The guess here is that eight players will hear their names called:  

Amari Cooper, WR, first round
He's a top-10 talent who's good enough to go third overall, but will probably stick around for another pick or two. The Raiders make sense at No. 4, but a lot of teams won't want to take a receiver that early. 

Landon Collins, S, late first round
If he slides a little it's because teams are more concerned about passing than ever. There's a lot of talk about him going 20th to the Eagles, but how good would he look with the Steelers?

T.J. Yeldon, RB, late second round
If the Cowboys don't take a running back in the first round he'd make a lot of sense. Besides, Saban said that Jason Garrett recently visited. Hmmmm ....

Arie Kouandjio, G, fourth round
You know teams have been looking very closely at his knees issues, and his brother Cyrus hasn't exactly lit it up in Buffalo. Nevertheless ... Houston would be a nice fit. 

Jalston Fowler, FB, fourth/fifth round
He's the kind of player who could have a very long NFL career, but a number of teams don't use a fullback any more. There have been some reports that Tennessee is very high on him. 

Xzavier Dickson, LB, fifth round
Did you know that his nine sacks led the Crimson Tide last year? Jacksonville would be an interesting destination.  

Austin Shepherd, OL, sixth round
He's a character guy who who can play guard or tackle (probably guard at the NFL level). He's Green Bay's kind of guy. 

DeAndrew White, WR, sixth round
He didn't appear to be as fast following his knee injury, but being a good blocker can only help entice a team like Tampa Bay. 

For the Crimson Tide to break the program record three of these next four would also need to be selected.

Trey DePriest, LB
He's an interior linebacker who is clearly better against the run while most teams are looking for linebackers who can cover well. Regardless, special teams could be the key to his making a roster. (Note: Opinions appear to be all over the place on him).

Nick Perry, S
Is probably a strong safety at the next level. Only had two career interceptions, but could benefit from this being a bad year for safeties in the draft.  

Blake Sims, ?
Sims will likely end up on a practice squad as an overall talent and spend the year learning a new position. Is he worth a draft pick? Maybe a compensatory pick?

Brian Vogler, TE 
He's 6-7 and had a good Pro Day, which might make him a late pick. That he also played special teams helps.  

Free agents: Leon Brown, Brandon Ivory, Christion Jones and Jarrick Williams

Four years later ...

Today is April 27th, which means a little something different for anyone who was in Alabama on this date four years ago, especially Tuscaloosa.

You just don't ever experience anything like the massive tornado that went right through the heart of the city and not pause to reflect a little each anniversary. It killed our friends and family, shattered dreams, and quite frankly took a little part of our souls with it.

However, we rebuilt, it brought us closer together, and in sports inspired some amazing championships. 

So please allow us to reminisce a little and hug our loved ones little tighter, especially as we close on the 5 o'clock hour. We'll worry about things like the NFL Draft tomorrow. 

If interested, here's a column I did on the tornado, and a feature on the aftermath. Here's hoping you never have to go through something similar, and that we all never have to again. 

(Note: The enclosed photo was taken by my wife of our friend Julie Love Templeton, and what was left of her office)

A little prospective on the A Club story

You may have missed this, but a story I worked on during A-Day was posted on rolltide.com yesterday: A-Club Honors Dunning, Pernell & Rone

Specifically, three of the five black players who walked on to the Crimson Tide in 1967, making them the first black athletes to participate in any practices for an Alabama sport, were named honorary members of the A Club (which is otherwise exclusive to lettermen).

Even though none of them ever played in a game for the Crimson Tide it was a nice honor, and it clearly meant a lot to them.

The line that I really wanted to finish the story with was from Rone: “I feel it was all worth it,” but I just couldn't get it to work and thought that Pernell's line was too important not to include. I asked him about it after the presentation and he wasn't trying to say anything like "this honor took too long," but it is a shame that nearly 50 years later we're still searching for answers when it comes to race and equality.  

For me writing a story like this never gets old even though it can be tough to compose. I've always been proud of the stories I've done on Alabama's pioneers when it comes to race, just like when I did a profile piece on Wendell Hudson well before he took over the women's basketball program. 

Similarly I was proud to do the story on the former Druid City High School athletes who were killed in the famous Marshall plane crash. Ever since I've always said that they should all be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and still feel that way. 

P.S. A fun little side note from the Hudson story was my sit-down interview with C.M. Newton, who after I called simply said he'd come over to the newspaper. He entered through a back door and we talked in the employee cafeteria. About halfway through one of our editorial writers came down to get a snack out of a vending machine and his eyes got real wide as he mouthed in awe "Is that ..." behind Newton's back. The guy was a huge fan and he never quite looked at me the same way again. 

The rest of the story about taking a punch from Deontay Wilder ...

Before providing the following update I want to make it absolutely clear that I'm not upset with anyone, especially Deontay Wilder, the reigning world WBC heavyweight champion. Few people were rooting for him more during his recent title bout than me.  

As many of you know in 2008 I came up with the "brilliant" idea of getting into the ring with Wilder and, most importantly, taking a punch from him. Actually the original idea was to work with his trainers for a week and then spar, but that eventually turned into a two-minute "Here's how you throw a punch" session before I got thrown into the ring. 

Wilder was in the middle of an intense workout when I suddenly felt like a trapped mouse looking at hungry boa constrictor. We moved around for a few seconds, I decided to throw a punch and made the mistake of leaning in when Wilder promptly threw a jab and decked me (he was aiming for the helmet padding but I didn't cooperate). Despite being urged to continue I'd had enough and immediately threw in the towel.

For those of you who missed it here's the column in the Tuscaloosa News and the video is on the left-hand side (I borrowed the photo that follows, I hope they don't mind).

Now here's the rest of the story (in a very Paul Harvey-like way):

A couple of weeks later I wasn't feeling well so went to my doctor and we eventually started joking about the punch and subsequent black eye. When I mentioned my top lip had been numb ever since he said "I bet you broke your orbital bone," as that was one of the tells. We could have done a CT scan to confirm, but there didn't appear to be much that could be done minus rest and letting it heal on its own. 

Fast forward to the past couple of months. I had become a regular visitor to my doctor (different one) due to reoccurring sinus infections that had been going on for years. Having exhausted all other options we decided it was time for me to see a specialist, who quickly diagnosed a deviated septum. 

Two weeks ago I had surgery and while still out the specialist asked my wife if I had been in a car accident or involved in some sort of head trauma. In short, that one punch had caused numerous fractures which not only led to his seeing some fat that had originally been in my eye socket (yes, somewhere in my nasal passages) but closed off one of my sinus cavities -- the cause of the sinus infections. 

Go figure.  

I now remind you all how I started the column, which won some awards and may have had my best lede ever: "Apparently I'm an idiot" ...

Advice for young journalists ...

I was recently reminded of a list I did for my book No Time Outs on my 12 rules of sports writing -- which remain as true today as when I first put them together roughly a decade ago.

Since I subsequently posted them on my book blog it seemed only appropriate that I add them here as well:

1)    Read, read, read.
2)    Write, write, write.
3)    Never lie, cheat or fudge.
4)    Work hard. Then work harder.
5)    Keep it simple.
6)    Trust your instincts.
7)    Never forget your subject is a person.
8)    Don’t screw up a name in print.
9)    Always go to the top.
10) The desk is your friend.
11) Think ahead.
12) Always have higher expectations.

It's hard to believe No Time Outs was published in 2006, and since it was my second book that means 2015 is my 10-year anniversary as an author. It amazes me how much the industry has changed during that time period, and I can't wait to see what happens over the next decade.

[Note: Have quite a tale to share with you all tomorrow. Make sure to check the blog ...]

Don't underestimate the "Little General," Avery Johnson

For 11-plus minutes Avery Johnson owned the room at the A Club meeting on what was a very busy Saturday for the new University of Alabama men's basketball coach. There would be his introduction on the field during a break in the middle of the football scrimmage, and countless interviews, but this was his first chance to make a favorable impression with the backbone of the athletic department's alumni.

Like usual, he didn't miss.

Johnson didn't just tell those on hand what they wanted hear, he got them excited again about the future of Alabama basketball. Part of that was making it clear he's not trying to use Alabama to land a bigger job, either in the NBA ("I've done that") or at a perennial college power, rather bring the Crimson Tide up to that level.

- "We're welcoming them back with open arms," he said about former players in the pros.
- "It's not going to happen overnight, but it's not going to take six years." (Wait, how many years was Anthony Grant at Alabama?)
- "Every year our assignment is to reach the Final Four ... that's why I took the job at the University of Alabama. If it's not the goal, we're fooling ourselves."

For me his performance wasn't surprising because I had talked with Johnson numerous times years ago when he was the starting point guard with the San Antonio Spurs.

From 1998-2000 I worked for the Tucson Citizen as its Phoenix-based reporter/columnist covering not only the then-expansion Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals, but the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Coyotes, spring training and Arizona State University. It was a great gig and I really only had two "drop everything and cover" mandates: 1) Any football or basketball games when the University of Arizona was in town (for those who don't know the Wildcats are based in Tucson), and 2) Interview Sean Elliott whenever possible.

Elliott, who is still Arizona's all-time leading scorer, was like athletic royalty in Tucson, where he had been born and raised. After the Spurs won their first NBA title in 1999, Elliott disclosed that he had a kidney disease which required a transplant from his older brother. The following year he successfully became the first professional athlete to come back from such an ordeal.

Every time time the Spurs were in town I was basically camped out at America West Arena to get what I could, and not just from Elliott, who did team broadcasts until he was cleared to play in March 2000, but Johnson, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Steve Kerr (another extremely popular former Wildcat) and even Coach Gregg Popovich -- who ended up giving me a really good interview.

Here's what I learned about Johnson, even back then:

• He really understands the game (thus the nickname "Little General.") 
• He's incredibly personable.
• He's not one to back down from a challenge.

"I'm the only player under 6-feet tall who's played in almost 1,200 games in the NBA," he said Saturday.

So when news broke two weeks ago that Alabama athletic director Bill Battle was talking to Johnson I immediately thought it could be a home run hire. Anyone who's been around Johnson for even a minute can tell he's going to be a very good recruiter. He already has strong AAU ties. His NBA connections could be huge, plus anyone who's been at that level for six years can coach. Johnson went 254-186, became the fastest head coach to win 100 and 150 games, and was named the league's Coach of the Year in 2006. 

No one knows how successful Johnson might be in the rising Southeastern Conference, but don't underestimate the man who hit the title-winning shot against the New York Knicks in the 1999 NBA Finals (followed, ironically, by a Latrell Sprewell miss).

If he's still as much of a tireless coach as he was a player the Crimson Tide could be on the brink of something special.  

Welcome to A-Day, which Alabama fans consider a holiday

I wasn't planning to attend Alabama's A-Day game, the final practice of spring workouts, but I got a chance to do a special story this morning (more on that later) and decided to stick around and watch the team.

Consequently, I'll post some observations here throughout the day for you all to check out. My predictions include we'll see more scoring in the first half than last year (zero points) and for the first time since 2011 T.J. Yeldon won't be named the game MVP. My guess is Derrick Henry.

 Happy A-Day!

1) It's always interesting to see who the game captains for A-Day. So far the defense has been billed as linebacker Reggie Ragland's, and center Ryan Kelly on offense was pretty obvious as well. The third, though was running back Kenyan Drake, who is coming off last year's horrific leg fracture. Call him the inspirational leader of the team. Crimson captains: Ragland, Dalvin Tomlinson and Brandon Greene (wearing a new number, 58). White: Kelly, Drake, Henry and O.J. Howard.

2) Looks like attendance is going to be around 50,000. (Update: It was later announced at 65,000).

3) When Drake took the opening kickoff they should have just given him the touchdown. Instead, Adam Griffith opened the scoring with a 49-yard field goal. That works as well after his injury-plagued season last year.

4) Looked like cornerback Marlon Humphrey was ready to show he's ready for more and made the first big hit. Problem is he knocked DeSharrius Flowers out of the game and he's one of the few running backs Alabama had left after all the injuries/issues. You could feel the "Don't do that" yells all the way up in the press box.

5) When your second-team defensive line has De'Shawn Hand on it, and that doesn't factor in guys not playing, you've got a pretty good unit. Could be Alabama's strongest this season.

6) Boasts that Reuben Foster could be a different player have proven to be accurate. He looks more comfortable and understands the defense (and just as I typed that he appeared to make a mistake on the first touchdown pass), but most importantly made a big hit and then got up. The sky's the limit for the interior linebacker if he can keep from re-injuring himself on those bone-jarring tackles. Update: Foster had five tackles in the first quarter. No one else had more than two.

7) Guard Alphonse Taylor just limped off the field. A number of guys look different physically from the end of last season, but no one more than Taylor. I don't know how much weight he's lost, but it's a lot (which is saying a lot because he's still huge). They tested the stability of his knee and he's looking very somber on the sideline. Update: He aggravated a sprained knee and should be fine.

8) It's pretty obvious already that Alabama will attacking downfield more, and not just because of the 40-yard touchdown reception by ArDarius Stewart. The guess here is that we'll see more crossing routes. On the defensive side just as easy of a prediction is that the outside linebackers will be notching more sacks. Like a lot more.

9) Wide receiver Robert Foster is beginning to look worthy of the 5-star rating he had as a recruit. The next Amari Cooper? I wouldn't go that far, but he's poised for a big season. Update: He had 92 yards in the first half.

10) My favorite moment of the first half happened at the end, when Nick Saban was supposed to do his ESPN interview. He went across the field and grabbed Lane Kiffin first (I wouldn't call the discussion heated, but definitely not calm). The poor ESPN crew followed them both down to the 15-yard line before Saban finally broke it off and did the interview.

11) JK Scott is nothing short of ridiculous. When he doesn't get it all and still easily sends a 59-yard punt into the end zone ... I've never thought about a punter leaving school after three years to go into the NFL, but he could have done it after one.

12) Here's what Saban will say during his press conference: It was a good day and a pretty good spring. We did some things well, and some things not-so well. I like the makeup of his team, but we have a lot of things to improve on between now and the start of training camp. He'll also thank fans for their support.

POSTGAME

13) When coaches said this past week that they were looking for a quarterback to step up I took it as they were challenging Jacob Coker. He completed 14 of 28 passes for 183 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He looked pretty good running the 2-minute offense and attacking downfield. He needs to work on his timing, efficiency and gain some more confidence running the offense, but there's no doubt he's the guy moving forward. The younger quarterbacks struggled, but that's what you expect them to do.

14) Saban on the quarterback play: "If I had to play on those two teams, I would’ve played better on the White Team. That’s me playing quarterback. I can still play quarterback. I can sling it a little bit. I can’t see very well, and I might not be able to avoid the rush like I used to. I’m just saying that they had a much better opportunity." The White offense only scored once.

15) Saban's other notable statement: "There can be no great conclusions from anything that we saw today." The first-team defense was essentially missing six players due to injuries.

16) Alabama's outside linebackers are going to cause some major matchup problems and the unit as a whole appears to be more aggressive under the direction of assistant coach Tosh Lupoi.

17) Although they didn't line up this way Saturday, Saban mentioned that Reuben Foster and Shaun Dion Hamilton have been splitting snaps at the same interior linebacker position sort of like Nico Johnson and C.J. Mosley did. Don't be surprised if Reggie Ragland is the only every-down linebacker this season.

18) Talent-wise the Crimson Tide has a lot of it, but with numerous players stepping into new roles and little depth at certain spots (running back, wide receiver and tight end, especially). Like usual the big question will be how well things come together during the summer and fall, but there's no reason to think that Alabama won't be one of the nation's best teams once again in 2015.

On every door of the Alabama gymnastics facility ...

... is this message:

Alabama is competing in its 33rd consecutive NCAA Championships during tonight's second session beginning at 7 p.m. Fort Worth, Texas is the host, so it basically means no real home-site advantage for any of the teams, although it still may feel that way for Oklahoma.

For those who don't know 12 teams advanced to the NCAA meet, with the top three in each semifinal session advancing to Saturday night's Super Six, when the national team title will be decided (it's essentially one shot, winner takes all).

Florida and Utah tied for first during the afternoon session, with Stanford third. That eliminated Michigan, Georgia and UCLA.

Update 1: Alabama advanced with a second-place finish: Final: 1 Oklahoma 197.400; 2 Alabama 197.100; 3 Auburn 197.075; 4 Nebraska 196.675; 5 LSU 196.550; 6 Oregon State 195.875. Beam killed LSU, but Oklahoma and Alabama struggled on it as well.

Update 2: Alabama placed fourth as Florida won its third straight national title, edging Utah and Oklahoma.

The case of Trevor Lacey moving on again ...

I generally feel that reporters and journalists generally don't have any business telling a professional athlete when they should, or should not, call it a career, and likewise need to be careful about suggesting when someone should go pro early before his college eligibility is up.

No one knows what the person is going through in the first case, nor the pressures being felt with the latter.

However, in some cases it can pretty obvious what's about to happen.

I enjoyed watching Trevor Lacey play at the University of Alabama and even caught one of his games with North Carolina State this past season. Yet when he recently announced his intention to declare for the upcoming NBA Draft it didn't exactly set the basketball world abuzz.

Lacey averaged 15.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists while helping lead the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16. Along the way he was fifth in ACC 3-point shooting percentage, seventh in 3-pointers made, 10th in assist-turnover ratio, was named his team's  MVP and second-team All-ACC.

Granted, that's a pretty good resume, but it doesn't scream NBA, especially since he's only 6 foot 3.

Remember Kennedy Winston? In 2005 he led the Southeastern Conference in scoring, averaging 17.9 points, and once got the Crimson Tide to the Elite Eight. The 6-6 forward left school a year early only to be heartbroken about not being drafted.

Granted, every draft is different, but last season Winston played for Halcones de Xalapa of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional in Mexico, his 12th international team. He played in 15 games and is no longer listed on the team's web site (with a misspelled name on the stats page).

So far none of the prominent people who do NBA mock drafts have yet to even mention Lacey, and even if they were the track record of second-round selections isn't very good. For example, of the 30 players picked in the 2014 second round just 16 played in the league this past season. Only six participated in at least half of his team's games while Missouri point guard Jordan Clarkson was the sole player to average more than 10 points (with Washington).

Should he not be selected an option could be the NBA D-League, which acts as a feeder program and has a salary cap of $173,000. That's not per player, but for everyone on the team. The three types of contracts pay either $25,000, $19,000 or $13,000, and the league's MVP gets a maximum bonus of $3,000.

So why go pro? Lacey is already 24, another year in Raleigh might not have helped his draft stock, and there's always the injury risk.

"Mama always told me I can't please everyone," Lacey tweeted on Wednesday.

Remembering a Lambeau legend who was one of a kind

On Thursday I was very sad to hear of the passing of Lee Remmel, who was the executive director of public relations for the Green Bay Packers when I covered the team from 2000-03. This was before the press box at the renovated Lambeau Field was dedicated "The Lee Remmel Press Box," but after he was enshrined into the Packers Hall of Fame.

In my mind Lee was essentially the Packers more than anyone else, even the players and administration, and quite a character. He could tell you anything about nearly anybody ever in the organization and just about everyone in the press box could do an impression of his very distinctive deep voice ("Let me tell you about Brett Lorenzo Favre ..."). One of a handful of people to attend the first 40 Super Bowls, Lee was around for the franchise’s first head coach and founder, E.L. ‘Curley’ Lambeau, who had a record of 212-106-21, spanning 1921-49.

I once asked him a question about Bart Starr and not only did he give me enough anecdotes to fill a book, but within minutes all but handed me the phone with the Hall of Fame quarterback on the other end. I think Starr and I talked more about the respect everyone had for Lee than the subject of the story (which was Johnny Unitas), and then again when our paths eventually crossed on the University of Alabama campus.    

History was usually a popular theme whenever the Packers played the Chicago Bears, and Remmel always drew the most attention. Before joining the Packers in 1974 he had been a sports writer and columnist for the Green Bay Press Gazette for 29½ years. When I was there he had seen the league’s oldest rivals play 113 times. I don't know what number it finally reached, but for years every time I saw the game on TV the broadcast always made sure to include a shot of Lee watching from the press box.

I did a feature on him in 2002, when Soldier Field was being renovated to look like a UFO crashed into some ruins and the annual visit to Chicago was played 135 miles south at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. The University of Illinois had a large agricultural department and there was livestock across the street with the wind blowing, making it truly unforgettable game. But the Packers won 34-21, so Lee was happy.

Lee loved to talk and tell stories, and we loved listening to them. He will be missed.

Packers.com game him a nice writeup if interested: Packers icon Lee Remmel Dies at 90 

Author of "The Junction Boys" is looking at some serious jail time

This is one of those times you come across a story and say, "Wow," and not in a good way.

If you have a little time check out this profile by the Dallas Morning News: "Jim Dent: The man, his books and the bottle."

If the name looks familiar Dent is the author of 11 books including The Junction Boys and Manziel Mania. He's also been convicted of driving while intoxicated 10 times, spanning three decades and four states. Consequently, he was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in state prison.

It would be easy for me to chalk this up to just someone who has needed some serious help, but there's no denying that the profession of sports writer and alcohol can be a potent and dangerous combination. I know of too many examples personally to list here, including some people who are no longer with us, but Tim Cowlishaw of the DMN and ESPN tried to tackle the subject and his own issues with his 2013 book: Drunk on Sports.

It should be at the top of Dent's reading list while in jail.

Soon to heard everywhere: "Well at least I'm not a newspaper reporter"

For years I've been telling journalism students that they shouldn't go into the profession unless they can't not do it and now a website is essentially saying the same thing.

CareerCast.com has released its annual "Best Jobs" list and there's a new one at the bottom of 200, newspaper reporter, which displaced lumberjack.

With "poor job prospects, low pay and layoffs have plagued the industry for the past several years," even taxi driver looks good in comparison.

"Readership has steadily moved from print publications, whether they be newspapers or magazines, in favor of online outlets. The resulting decline in advertising revenue has left newspapers -- and thus, newspaper reporters -- feeling the pinch."

Here are this year's 10 best and worst professions according to the website:

The best 10 
1. Actuary
2. Audiologist
3. Mathematician
4. Statistician
5. Biomedical engineer
6. Data scientist
7. Dental hygienist
8. Software engineer
9. Occupational therapist
10. Computer system analyst

The worst 10
200. Newspaper reporter
199. Lumberjack
198. Enlisted military personnel
197. Cook
196. Broadcaster
195. Photojournalist
194. Corrections officer
193. Taxi driver
192. Firefighter
191. Mail carrier

Some thoughts about Anthony Grant ...

If you're like me the news that former Alabama men's basketball coach Anthony Grant is heading back to Florida to again be on Billy Donovan's staff was anything but a surprise Monday.

Grant was a very good assistant coach for his good friend from 1996-2006, and will be so again while waiting for his next head coaching opportunity. It also means that when Alabama plays Florida next season Donovan finally won't feel the need to be his bigger cheerleader and go on and on about what a good person and coach Grant is after crushing him on the court.

Grant is a good person and you just don't go 117-85 at this level without being a good coach. However, Alabama gave him a huge contract to be a great one, and with Bruce Pearl at Auburn it was pretty obvious which program was on the rise and which was poised to have a long season in 2015-16.

Considering the high points of the Grant era were a division title in 2010-11 (which still didn't result in an NCAA bid), and a quick 58-57 exit from the 2012 NCAA tournament at the hands of Creighton, his exit was years in the making.

Grant started losing his own players when they started transferring at a rate comparable to those graduating. Consequently, Alabama really never had a full roster the six years he was at the helm.

Grant started losing the media when it was announced that his players would only participate interviews when he was in the room. Reporters could still ask for a one-on-one, but the reaction was "What's the point?"-- and it showed in the subsequent coverage.

It's more difficult to tell when Grant started losing the fans, but perhaps more telling was that he never really won them over. His tenure was comparable to the student section for games at Coleman Coliseum: They wanted someone or something to get excited about, while he always came across as distant.

This is one of those times that parting ways may have been best for everyone involved, which has only been reinforced by Grant heading back to be with the Gators. Don't be surprised if he starts being groomed as the "heir apparent," while the Crimson Tide hopes to ride the next wave in a rising Southeastern Conference.

Look familiar?

As I sit here and watch Jordan Spieth finish off his incredible week at The Masters I keep thinking back to another weekend three years ago during which I was similarly trying to watch his every shot.

That's right, if you're an Alabama fan his name may be a little familiar. 

In 2012, Spieth helped lead Texas to the national championship, a 3-2 victory over Alabama in the match-play finals at Pacific Palisades, Calif. He soundly won his final match against Justin Thomas (which was expected to be the showdown pairing), while All-American Dylan Frittelli sank a dramatic 30-foot putt on the 18th green to secure the victory for the Longhorns.

Spieth, who at age 21 just tied the best score ever posted at The Masters, was a sophomore then.

Of course, Alabama won back-to-back titles the last two seasons, but today's win only helps put those Crimson Tide teams and how impressive a program Coach Jay Seawell has built into perspective. 

Another blog!

On Dec. 29th I received a phone call that changed my life, which in my line of business happens from time to time. This one, though, wasn't for the better, at least in the short term. Two weeks before my wife and I were to move to Florida to begin new lives I was suddenly laid off (along with most of my colleagues).

Happy New Year.

Since then as I've started moving forward I wanted to post a few things on my book blog that just didn't seem to fit with that theme. Maybe it was about journalism, football, or even the recent search for a men's basketball coach at Alabama. I had some thoughts/news but really no place to post them.

Now I do.

No Time Outs was a book I wrote in 2006 about journalism and sports writing, and while the business has dramatically changed since then a lot things have not. A couple of the first posts will be things I transfer/copy from the other blog, but you'll see some new items soon. After that I'm not exactly sure what direction the blog will go. Perhaps the occasional column or just a bunch of quick hits. We'll see ...