FM Talk 1065 Podcasts
Finebaum Football Friday 082924
It's time for football Friday with Paul Finebaum, presented by Bryant Bank. Your hometown bank with Big Bank benefits, located in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Now, here's Dan Brennan and Deltanarwig. And Paul Finebaum on football Fridays with Finebaum, we catch him live here this morning in between phone calls with Dion, I guess, what's been going on, Paul? Yeah, that's been, listen, I've gotten blamed for a lot of things this week that I had nothing to do with, but I was simply asked on our ESPN show that about Dion, and next thing you know, Dion, is pretty much writing my entire career off. So he said, I'm a dying breed, and I'm out of touch with reality, and I'm only talking about him because he's hot, and he's only talking about me because he's been skinned, petty, and a narcissist anyway. Yeah, it's, you know, I thought the season was getting started here at Colorado. So I've seen a lot of other nervous coaches, you know, that are maybe not worried about the season getting started, but they have their mind on the game. Dion has had a lot of time here to go after the media, it seems, Paul. Well, Dion never has missed an opportunity to get publicity, and, you know, he is clearly the PT Barnum of this generation, for those who don't even know who PT Barnum was, he used to run the circus, and that's pretty much what Dion does, but listen, I don't mind, because, guys, by the time you get to the week of the first game, I mean, other than the Florida State mess from last weekend, beer is not a single new thing to talk about. So for those of us who are in the inner, well, excuse me, the sports entertainment business, we, we particularly enjoy stories like this. Well, let the games begin. That's what I say, Paul. And they finally will. Yes, that's for sure. You know, last week we spent a lot of time talking about the big changes before we get into some of this week's games, a couple we didn't bring up last week that we saw in action over the past weekend and last night games, new two minute warning, which means you get an extra little commercial break in there. Helmet communications with the quarterback up until about 15 seconds on the clock and tablets on the sidelines, those are some pretty big end game changes. Do you think that'll make, have a major effect this year? I think they will help the communication, obviously, Connor Stallion to the Michigan guy last year, jump a gun on this in game communication deal, but I don't know, I mean, I think it's necessary, frankly, look, look, I mean, why do we have to, you know, play stupid games with, you know, looking over the sideline and trying to hide it, I mean, just talk directly to the quarterback. I mean, it would, it would be a little confusing to me, trying to, you know, among all the other noise, but, but I like it very much. And, you know, a lot of things, the two minute warning, the last couple of minutes of a game as you guys know, takes so long, I don't really think that's significant. I know there's a lot of conversation about the kickoff rules and the NFL, but, you know, every year we hear it's all about safety, but I've yet to see much evidence of that. You know, and real quick on this, conversations, you know, not all offensive coordinators are built the same. So if you have a, it's kind of crazy that a quarterback will be distracted by a dim-witted offensive coordinator for 15 seconds leading up to each snap. If you have a bad coach, I'd only get helps. No, and by the way, I spit on those sidelines and they still can't get the signal in. I mean, this is, I mean, that's all, that's all an offensive coordinator got. If he works on the game plan, he works on situations. So when he sees something out there, he should be able to communicate, but I, by the way, my first year covering Alabama, I stood about 10 feet away from Bear Bryant and Malmore, some may remember him in a game in Mississippi that Alabama lost ending this 27-game winning streak and costing him a national championship. And to this day, I'm still waiting for Malmore to get the, to get the play in to the quarterback. They fumbled, they fumbled on the goal line in Jackson, Mississippi and lost the game. And I waited for about 30 years to bring it up now that Mal and Coach Bryant are both gone. I didn't want to embarrass, but I was always wanting to ask Mal, Malmore, I was five feet away from you. And I think what he would have told me was he was waiting for Coach Bryant to tell him what he wanted to do. And Brian in the moment just couldn't think straight. Wow. That's a, that's a, there's a story right there. Heck of a story. Let's keep talking about the tide and of course, DeBore, game one, Kaitlyn DeBore is the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide and Western Kentucky coming in to Tuscaloosa, they put about a, they're sitting around 31, 32 point favorites are the tide. What are, what are you, if you're an Alabama fan wanting to see from this game one this week? I want to see Jay, Jay with no role, how, how does he handle this new offense? And it definitely, definitely become my dog's excited about the season. It's definitely a new offense. So I, I, role side buddy, I think, I think that's, that's really cool. It's really what I'm most interested in and what is the more like. I mean, he is, you know, he's got a lot of things right. He's not been the most exciting coach I've been around, but I, I might suggest him taking my dog with him to the game set, he might get him out of my house, but, but, but I, other than that, I mean, I think it's really all about the offense. The defense is not going to be showing up one way or the other against Western Kentucky. Yeah. I sympathize. I went out and got a blue tic coon hound after Tennessee beat Alabama just a couple years ago. So he's allowed one to Paul. So we're dog friendly here. No worries about that at all. Uh, also, yeah, well, you got Auburn, of course, and you got Hugh freeze right here on FM talk one, oh, six, five, uh, they've got an opener against Alabama, A and M and a big favorite there, but not to score, but what, what, what, what would Auburn want to see out of their team? Uh, I think the same, uh, I, I, I said, well, I used to cover teams as a, as a, for a beat for a newspaper. I mean, these games, you were basically down there just, uh, studying, uh, just how, how the operation flows, because there, there's not much to be gained and, and quite frankly, I, I don't think in either game, you're going to see either coach get very much away. Uh, Kirby Smart says something really interesting the other day. It's unlike the NFL, you know, we, we get out there. We have no idea what we're going to see. All we can do is look at the previous year, and that's not a very good indicator, especially when you have a new coach. So first you freeze, it's, uh, you know, they look crisper, but this game, uh, I mean, I, I don't want to dissuade any months and going down and, uh, listening here on the, on the, on the station, but it's a good game to take your kids to it. Maybe, uh, at halftime say, Hey, let's get one more hot dog and go home. Yeah, we had a cohost who thought the same thing last year about, was it New Mexico state, uh, took the kid out there to the Auburn game there. Uh, that didn't work out as well as he had planned then, but, uh, we'll see a lot of new recruits, a lot of transfers that came in there. Yeah. I remember that week, uh, that was the, that was the beginning of the, at some point somewhere around the middle of November last year before that game, she freezes defensive coordinator took a two week vacation because he didn't make it to that game and he certainly didn't make it to the final play of the iron ball. No, nobody was there. Nobody was on that. Yeah. Well, we do have some really good match ups this week one, including SEC teams. And I guess we go chronologically, how about two programs, uh, one that is really, really has high hopes this year, Miami, and they're heading to the swamp and I think a two 30 game, I guess I messed up the chronological Georgia Clemson, but Miami at Florida, a cam ward quarterback for Miami. What are we going to see in Gainesville this Saturday? That is, uh, one of the probably the two most interesting games of the day for me or the weekend, I should say, because, um, I don't, uh, I don't, I don't think either, either team can either coach can really afford to lose this game. Um, and for Florida, it's a little more important because, you know, Christopher Ball has not had a great run so far in Miami, but he has a really good team with cam ward. Uh, Florida is a mystery, uh, I mean, the schedule has been talked about, uh, ad nauseam, but if, if should they lose this game, um, they're, they're, they're packed to a 500 or a winning record is almost shut. And that's before we get to September Georgia Clemson, George seems to be the, uh, the big favorite, but I don't know if that's, that's going to be the case, Paul, how do you see that game? Uh, some strange reason, uh, I, I think it came being a little closer, maybe, uh, than maybe the betting line is, and that's not for, uh, I think George is a little bit banged up right now. Um, Clemson has something to prove and I mean, by the way, it's Georgia, but I, I just think there's so much pressure on down blue, Sweeney to get this program back. And this is probably his biggest opportunity of the year, it's the biggest game to play. Yeah, I agree. Yeah. Uh, another game we're fired up around here about is Notre Dame at college station and taking on, uh, Elko in his first year as the Texas A&M head coach, of course, we're fired up. Riley Leonard, now the quarterback at Notre Dame, the former Fair Hope quarterback and then Duke with Elko and then now on to the Irish, uh, only a two and a half point spread in this one. And the funniest thing to me would be if Jimbo is gone and A&M ends up having some kind of record year in the first year with Elko, uh, lots of proof for both of these side Saturday night too. Yeah. You know, I saw, I got to get off the subject. I saw Jimbo's now there and be on like satellite radio once a week, give me his opinion. Like, how can anybody understand what that guy taught says? Can you imagine? Yeah. It will. Ed Orgeron be his co-host. Yeah. You know what? Uh, that was, that was, that, that might be a Kelsey Brothers podcast right there probably. Um, that's was, that's a very intriguing because obviously, you know, Leonard played for Elko and now Elko is coaching against him. I'm guessing Elko knows a little bit more about Leonard's tendencies than, uh, then Leonard knows about Elko. So I, I really like, uh, A&M in this game. I think the Saturday night crowd Kyle field is the difference. I'm going to wrap up the weekend wraps up LSU USC, LSU, enough on defense to get this win. Uh, fairly enough. Uh, I think the offense is probably the, the both offenses are really good, but in my mind, uh, I just don't buy what's going on out there, uh, at USC. I think they're a, a program in great transition and, uh, Lincoln Riley is about to find himself on the hot cheap. Yeah. Well, you always speak so highly of Lincoln. Lincoln Riley. I'm so, I'm so confused. Paul. Uh, well, I go from, listen guys, uh, without horrible and sacred, I've got to pick on somebody. Yeah. Uh, there's plenty to choose from, but he's a, he's a good candidate and, uh, you know, these two teams looking so differently offensively as well. Uh, maybe not the points we would have seen last year with, uh, Daniels behind one line and Williams behind the other, uh, kind of remaking both offenses. No, exactly. Uh, I, I think, I think LSU is going to be okay. Uh, talk to Brian Keller the other day and, uh, you know, he's trying to mask the problems on defense, but I, I think, I think no Smire quarterback is, it's, it's a drop off, but it's really not significant. He will be one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC. All right. Paul, thanks for the conversation this morning. We always appreciate it. And we know that you're getting stretched in a number of directions with your conflict with neon Deon. So thanks for taking time. Oh yeah. He's on the other line ready for me to yell at me again. Guys, I'll see you next week. All right. Thank you. Paul Finebaum, the Paul Finebaum show two to six every weekday afternoon right here on FM Talk 106 five and it's presented by Bryant Bank football Fridays every Friday morning right here at eight o'clock and coming back more mobile mornings on the way will turn up your voice. Two, five, one, three, four, three, zero, one, zero, six, stay tuned. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC]