A head coach should be gracious, not dismissive of media

Thanks, Coach! I’m not a fan of network sideline interviews with the coach on their way into the locker room. Reporters emphasize the word coach as if they had just had an audience with the pope. Nick Saban took over his own interview when asked by Jenny Dill, a 36-year-old UMass graduate, about a shoulder injury to quarterback Bryce Young. Nick suggested what would be better questions. “Is he covered by Aflac, coach?” would have been my better question. And Bryce Young is in all those Heisman house commercials for Nissan and has a contract with Dr Pepper. But when it comes to real questions like, “How long before you can throw the ball better than Grandma Rose?'' he is unavailable for interviews.  

Counterattack - Starting with the masked marauders of the COVID pandemic, so many people remain in attack-counterattack mode, it's amazing as a columnist that I survive all the backlash beatdowns on social media, which thrives only because face-to-face conversations are avoided at all cost. Ever get a text, “Call me when you get a chance?” We mostly text back, “I’m in a cellphone dead zone, what do you want?” 

Fat trainer - Most trainers are ordinary people who discovered fitness, got certified and now think they are physiology majors with a minor in kinesiology. But you don’t have to look the part to know your stuff and prescribe good advice. Speed and strength training are game changers; there is no doubt young athletes can beast up and get better. Moving their B-minus into the A range, perhaps fewer college tours, and more time spent in the weight room. 

J-Roc and Jaden - Ja’Vaughn Burton hauled in a 21-yard pass from Diego Mendez at 12:53 of the first quarter as Salisbury University jumped on top of Montclair State and never looked back, winning 30-7. Burton is a former football and basketball player at Cape. The first person to greet J-Roc after his first collegiate touchdown was running back Jaden Davis, former football and lacrosse player at Cape. Burton and Davis are sophomores on the Seagulls roster. Jaden has 346 yards rushing on the season. Salisbury plays at William Paterson University Saturday, Oct. 8. Former Cape player Jo Jo Kirby, a sophomore, plays safety for William Patterson, while Rasheed “LuLu” Woods is a runner/receiver. 

Linemen for Life - The Thunder Wolves Football Club, a semi-pro, full-contact football team based in Dover, is looking for players from Kent and Sussex counties who want to restart their football careers. The NEAFL comprises players who are 25 years old and older. The roster has room for 55 players; they’re most in need of linemen. Practices are every Saturday at William Henry Middle School. The first game is March 19 or March 26. Email coach Charlie Darling at thunderwolvesfootballclub@yahoo.com for more information. 

Seaford football - The Seaford Blue Jays football program, under the direction of head coach and Athletic Director Mark Quillen, has come into the light from some dark days past, and once again the Blue Jays are a potential nightmare. The varsity Blue Jays are 4-1 after losing a 21-20 game to Indian River. The middle school team, under head coach Lucas Long, is 2-0 this fall with wins over Mariner 52-6 and Beacon 26-18. The middle school soccer team beat Sussex Academy 3-1 and Beacon 6-4. 

Snippets - Yo, no comprende. Why are there are 20 college games on the Comcast channel lineup on Saturday, but the Eagles get bounced when the Commanders and Ravens are playing in the same 1 p.m. time slot? The 1972 Dolphins, the only NFL team to go undefeated for a season on their way to winning the Super Bowl, can’t pop the champagne corks or twist the tops off the schnapps bottles until the unbeaten Eagles lose. The Phillies’ magic number is 1, so why am I hearing the song lyric in my head, “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do,” by Three Dog Night from 1968? Speaking of bullfrogs, why play a baseball game in gale-force-wind-driven rain? To get it over with. Go on now, git!