Tradition's Finest Podcast Episode 69 - "The Jared Allen Episode"

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 69 - “The Jared Allen Episode” includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - NCAA Men's College Basketball: UW-Green Bay Men's College Basketball Head Coach & Sports radio Talk-Show Host Doug Gottlieb recently referred to the team's Division II opponent, Michigan Tech, as "Nobody U," & he strongly urged the NCAA to allow the program to play "better teams." In a not-so-shocking twist of events, Michigan Tech (aka "Nobody U") would go on to defeat the HC Doug Gottlieb & the UW-Green Bay Phoenix 72-70 last Wednesday evening, as the Phoenix have now lost eight straight games. . .In what mental capacity, does a D-1 head coach request for 'tougher competition' while riding a 7-game losing streak?. . .Were Gottlieb's comments regarding a D-II program an indirect attempt to positively increase the overall viewership of his radio talk show? (Let Us Know What You Think - Share Your Thoughts with us on our Twitter/X page which may be accessed via the link below OR send us a message at [email protected]!). . . - After 14 seasons as the Head Coach at the University of Miami, Hurricanes Head Basketball Coach Jim Larranaga announced on Thursday that he is stepping down, effective immediately, following the Canes 4-8 start to the NCAA regular season. . . Larranaga, 75, led both George Mason & most recently, Miami, in their trips to the Final Four of the NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament. . . Following his announcement, Larranaga would elaborate further on his decision to step down. . . Is it any surprise that the NIL and/or the transfer portal are directly linked?. . . With individual player development, team cohesion & the importance of player-coach relationships in rapid decline, Is it likely that we observe an increase in the overall number of tenured head coaches that step down and/or seek retirement prematurely? - NBA: Per ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania on Christmas Day, Six-time NBA All-Star SG/SF Jimmy Butler would prefer to be traded from the Miami Heat prior to the February 6th NBA trade deadline - What are a few favorable or potential trade destinations for "Jimmy Buckets?" Could he co-exist with Kyrie in Dallas? With Durant in Phoenix? Would Butler be capable or 'repairing the burnt bridge' with KAT in New York?. . .On the following day or Thursday, Miami Heat Team President Pat Riley released a statement regarding the speculation & "rumors" concerning the possibility of trading Jimmy Butler - and based on Riley's statement, 'Miami will not be trading Jimmy Butler," - but as we are all aware, the NBA is a lucrative 'business,' and sometimes, things can change in the 'blink of an eye' for a particular franchise or organization. . . What do you think - does Miami trade Butler prior to the NBA trade deadline? If so, where is he most likely to land? - NCAA Sports: News & Storylines: It was recently announced via social media that a new Sports series is coming & is expected to be released in next Summer on Netflix - the series will follow a select number of teams from the SEC Conference throughout the 2024 College Football season. . .Shortly after its initial reveal, multiple schools and/or programs across the SEC Conference announced that they had "passed" or rejected the invite to participate in the Netflix special - including: Missouri, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss & Texas. . .What can we expect from this Netflix series - and will SEC programs such as Vanderbilt, Auburn & South Carolina - be just a few of the more prominent teams featured? Also, what do you think was the primary motivation that led programs, such as Georgia & the University of Alabama, to decline to partake in the series? & Is "too much exposure" a good thing?. . . - University of Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia has been granted an additional season of eligibility by the NCAA after the controversial ruling by the federal court that collegiate athletes may retain all four years of NCAA eligibility - even after playing for one (or more) years at the JUCO level. . .University of Texas CFB HC Steve Sarkasian recently spoke out & was not in favor of the court's ruling to throw out the adjudication. . .Will this controversial ruling lead to a significant spike in the median age (e.g., ages 27-29) of collegiate athletes? Do you agree or disagree with the federal court's ruling? - Steve Belilchick is set to join his Dad, Bill Belilchick, as the new defensive coordinator at the University of North Carolina following the University of Washington's upcoming Bowl game versus Louisville. . .Is anyone surprised by this news?. . . - According to multiple reports, both game developers, EA Sports & 2K Sports, are in early discussions to revive a College Basketball video game after the incredible success following the release of the NCAA 2025 College Football video game back in July of this year. . .What are your thoughts on the "revival" of a CBB game? Do you have a preference in terms of the game developer: EA or 2K Sports? - Per multiple source outlets last Thursday, HC Kirby Smart & the University of Georgia were preparing for the College Football Playoff without starting QB Carson Beck, after Beck was injured on the final play of the first half in the 2024 SEC Championship Game versus Texas. . .per sources, Beck was exploring surgery options to repair the injury to his right elbow sustained in the Bulldogs win. . .On the following Monday, an update was provided per ESPN, that Georgia starting QB Carson Beck had undergone successful surgery on his right elbow - and that he is "expected to return to throwing in the spring of 2025," and will therefore, miss the remainder of the CFB Playoffs. . .How does the loss of Carson Beck affect Kirby Smart's gameplan & preparation for the upcoming Quarterfinal game versus Notre Dame? Or do they approach the upcoming game with a very similar mentality/gameplan? - NCAA College Football Bowl Season Continued: Recap & Review: Due to time constraints, JD & Spencer chose to breakdown & provide a detailed analysis of the bowl games that have occurred within the past week; In particular, the following list of bowl games were reviewed & discussed in this episode: Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: Florida vs. Tulane College Football Playoff First Round Game(s) Presented by Allstate: No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Indiana No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 SMU No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Clemson No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Tennessee - NCAA College Football: The Transfer Portal: JD & Spencer selected twelve of the most notable - or most impactful - player transfers to discuss for this episode. The following players, who entered the NCAA transfer portal, as listed below, have since committed to a new program. . .*BUT you will have to tune in to discover which school(s) the players have selected: Liberty QB Kaidon Salter has committed to __________________ Washington State QB John Mateer has committed to ________________ Alabama WR Caleb Odom has committed to __________________ Purdue EDGE Will Heldt has committed to _____________________ Alabama WR Kendrick Law has committed to ___________________ USC DL Bear Alexander has committed to ____________________ Miami WR Isaiah Horton has committed to ____________________ Army RB Kanye Udoh has committed to ____________________ Georgia Tech WR Eric Singleton Jr. has committed to ____________________ Penn State QB Beau Pribula has committed to ___________________ Ohio State QB Air Noland has committed to ___________________ Tulane QB Darian Mensah has committed to ____________ and signed an NIL deal that will pay him $8M over the next two years. - NCAA College Football Bowl Season Game Predictions: JD & Spencer preview the upcoming CFB Bowl games & provide their individual/independent game predictions for the following games: Lockhead Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Oklahoma (-9) vs. Navy         O/U43.5 Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Tech (-3) vs. Vanderbilt                  O/U51.5 Autozone Liberty Bowl: Arkansas (-1.5) vs. Texas Tech              O/U52.5 DirecTV Holiday Bowl: #21 Syracuse (-6.5) vs. Washington St.         O/U59.5 SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: USC vs. Texas A&M (-3.5)          O/U51.5 Wasabi Fenway Bowl: UCONN vs. UNC (-3)                      O/U52.5 Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Boston College vs. Nebraska (-3.5)   O/U45.5 Isleta New Mexico Bowl: Louisiana vs. TCU (-13)              O/U57.5 Go Bowling Military Bowl: ECU vs. NC State (-6)              O/U58.5 Pop-Tarts Bowl: #18 Iowa St. vs. #13 Miami (-3.5)            O/U55.5 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl: Miami-OH (-2.5) vs. Colorado St.          O/U40.5 Valero Alamo Bowl: #17 BYU vs. #23 Colorado (-4)             O/U54.5 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: LA Tech vs. Army (-16.5)  O/U43.5 TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Iowa vs. #19 Missouri (-3)           O/U40.5 ReliaQuest Bowl: #11 Alabama (-13.5) vs. Michigan             O/U43.5 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Louisville (-2.5) vs. Washington          O/U49.5 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: #15 South Carolina (-9.5) vs. #20 Illinois        O/U47.5 Kinder's Texas Bowl: Baylor (-1) vs. LSU                     O/U59.5 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Duke vs. #14 Ole Miss (-14.5)                O/U52.5 CFB Playoff Quarterfinal: VRBO Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn St. (-10.5) vs. No. 3 Boise St. O/U52.5 CFB Playoff Quarterfinal: Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas (-14) vs. No. 4 Arizona St.  O/U51.5 CFB Playoff Quarterfinal: Rose Bowl (Prudential): No. 8 Ohio State (-2.5) vs. No. 1 Oregon  O/U54.5 CFB Playoff Quarterfinal: Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Georgia (-1.5)   O/U52.5 - NFL: Former NFL QB Teddy Bridgewater, who as a HC, led Miami Northwestern Senior High School, his alma mater, to a Class 3A Florida High School Athletic Association state title earlier this month - is coming out of retirement, and as of Thursday, signed with NFL playoff contender, Detroit Lions - as per the announcement made by Lions HC Dan Campbell. . . - Former NFL & Eagles WR Desean Jackson is finalizing an agreement to become the next College Football Head Coach at Delaware State, an HBCU. . .Jackson is the latest former NFL player to return to the sideline in some capacity or role. . .Is this a good or a bad thing for the sport?. . . - The Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) defeated the Houston Texans 27-19 last Saturday evening to close in on the No. 1 seed for the AFC Conference in the upcoming NFL Playoffs. . .QB Patrick Mahomes showed no signs of slowing down after sustaining an ankle sprain the week prior. . .Texans QB C.J. Stroud threw for 244 yards with 2 TD's & 2 picks as Houston (9-6) struggled offensively for most of the afternoon - but one of Stroud's TD passes came at a great expense: WR Tank Dell, who had six catches for 98 yards, sustained a devastating knee injury after colliding with Texans teammate Jared Wayne as he fell to the ground. . .Dell was carted off the field and immediately transported to the University of Kansas Medical Center where he would remain overnight. . .An update was reported on the following Monday that Tank Dell had suffered a torn MCL, torn LCL, a torn ACL, a dislocated kneecap, and meniscus damage - Overall, this has been a "rough year" for Mr. Dell. . . - Commanders QB Jayden Daniels threw 5 TDs as Washington ended the Philadelphia Eagles' 10-game winning streak after 36-33 victory on Sunday evening. . .Offensively, the Eagles were stagnant for a vast majority of the game, especially after QB Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion following the hit by Commanders rookie LB Frankie Luvu in the first quarter. . .Hurts was replaced by backup QB Kenny Pickett, who saw his first meaningful NFL action in over a year before sustaining a rib injury of his own. . .Eagles RB Saquon Barkley finished the game rushing for 150 yards with 2 TDs on 29 carries, however, it just wasn't enough to get the Eagles over the hump. . .WR DeVonta Smith would commit an extremely rare error when he dropped a pass that would have given Philly a first down rather than a second FG from Jake Elliot - Smith would go on to take responsibility for the rare mistake. . . - NFL on Christmas Day - "A Netflix Special Event:" The Kansas City Chiefs (15-1) officially locked up the top seed in the AFC Playoffs - and home-field advantage - for the fourth time in the past seven seasons after their clinical victory over the skidding Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10. . .KC raced to an early 13-point lead & were never visibly shaken in this game by the Steelers (10-6), who have now dropped three consecutive game & whose fall from grace, might certainly prevent them from capturing the AFC North division that, at one point, was theirs for the taking. . .Chiefs TE Travis Kelce would score on a history-making 12-yard TD to seal the victory in the fourth quarter - as this was the 77^th scoring reception of Kelce's career, breaking a franchise record set by HOF Tony Gonzalez. . .The Chiefs defense wasn't so bad, either - No Chris Jones. No Problem. . .The Chiefs completed the 3-0 sweep with their 3^rd game in eleven days, while Steelers QB Russell Wilson struggled significantly in this game, finishing 23 of 37 for 205 yards passing with no TDs & 1 pick. . . - The second NFL "game" on Christmas Day was between the 10-5 Baltimore Ravens & the 9-6 Houston Texans (but was it a "game," though?). . .Ravens QB Lamar Jackson passed Michael Vick by breaking the NFL career rushing record for a QB while the Ravens committed a criminal offense - defeating the Texans 31-2. . . Jackson's performance certainly should bolster his case for a 3^rd NFL MVP, and with the 3^rd consecutive victory for the Ravens, they are in the 'driver's seat' to clinch the AFC North title (if they defeat Cleveland next week, the Ravens will clinch the division title). . .Ravens RB Derrick Henry rushed for 147 yards & set the Ravens season record with his 16^th TD of the season, passing both Ray Rice & Mark Ingram. . .Baltimore dominated the Texans from start to finish as Houston was still reeling after the horrific season-ending injury sustained by WR Tank Dell less than a week ago. . .The Texans struggled offensively to finish drives, and secured their only points in the game on a safety in the second quarter of the game - QB C.J. Stroud threw for 185 yards, but was sacked multiple times & threw a costly pick. . .Texans RB Joe Mixon struggled as well, managing just 26 rushing yards as Houston (9-7) lost their 2^nd straight game. . . Thanks for Listening!!