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Apr 02, 2024

McCready: 10 Weekend Thoughts, presented by Sego Wealth Management

Retiring soon? How long should you wait to take social security? What accounts should you pull from first? Already retired? Should you consider ROTH Conversions? These are some of the questions that

Retiring soon? How long should you wait to take social security? What accounts should you pull from first? Already retired? Should you consider ROTH Conversions? These are some of the questions that can only be answered with a personalized retirement income plan. Andrew Sego with Sego Wealth Management specializes in helping folks just like you come up with their retirement gameplan. Whether you meet at his office in Collierville or prefer Zoom from anywhere, schedule a free discovery meeting and see what they can do for you. www.rebelsretire.com. Stress out about the Rebels, not your money. www.rebelsretire.com

1. Well, we made it.

The Ole Miss football season begins Saturday afternoon at 1 when the 22nd-ranked Rebels play host to Mercer.

Mercer limited North Alabama to just 97 yards of offense in the second half Saturday and delivered a final offensive blow with Micah Bell’s 3-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. The Bears walked away with a 17-7 win in the FCS Kickoff Classic at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.

The Bears (1-0) limited North Alabama to just 95 passing yards, the fewest allowed by Mercer since holding VMI to just 78 yards through the air on Oct. 29 last season. It is the fifth time in the last two-plus seasons that the Mercer defense has held an opponent to fewer than 100 passing yards.

Ole Miss will almost certainly have more success than North Alabama agains the Bears’ defense. The question, of course, is who will be doing the passing for the Rebels.

Jaxson Dart is expected to get the start for Ole Miss. It will be the 13th start of his Ole Miss career. Spencer Sanders, who has more than 40 career starts under his belt, will likely make his debut, and it stands to reason the Rebels would love to get LSU transfer Walker Howard some reps as well.

Saturday’s game against Mercer is essentially a dress rehearsal, an exhibition of sorts. Nothing against the Bears, but they’re not going to threaten against a Southeastern Conference team, much less an outfit that could make some noise in the crazy competitive SEC West.

Things get real for Ole Miss soon enough. The Rebels travel to New Orleans next weekend to face nationally-ranked Tulane. The Green Wave play host to South Alabama Saturday.

After a home date with Georgia Tech on Sept. 16, Ole Miss opens league play with games at Alabama and home against LSU and Arkansas before getting an open date in mid-October.

Obviously, by the time the Razorbacks leave Oxford to return to northwest Arkansas, we’ll know a whole lot more about this Ole Miss team. Does it have enough explosiveness at wide receiver to really open up the offense? Can the offensive line improve in pass protection? Can the Rebels’ defense, under the direction of former Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding, become a cohesive unit quickly enough to handle that early onslaught of SEC foes? Can Suntarine Perkins, a future star in the SEC, make an instant impact at linebacker?

Will culture and chemistry be an issue again this season? Will it be a distraction if Lane Kiffin’s name pops up, as it always seems to, for other jobs? Will having at least unhappy quarterback on the roster become a divisive force in the locker room? How will this team handle adversity if (likely when) it comes?

Those are the questions. Some will tell you they have all the answers. I’m not one of those people. I think the SEC West is loaded. Alabama is Alabama. I think LSU is a title contender. Texas A&M is very talented. Auburn will play above its weight at times under first-year coach Hugh Freeze. Arkansas has the talent on offense to be explosive and Mississippi State has a veteran quarterback and enough contributors on defense to be a problem.

My common sense preseason guess remains 8-4 with losses to Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Georgia. However, I’ve got this lingering gut feeling that I’m way off, that this team is either going to “over-achieve” or “under-achieve.” I have this sense that Ole Miss is either going to be 5-1 or 3-3 at the midway point, that it’s either going to knock off Alabama or LSU or losses to those two powers will spill into a loss to Arkansas.

If the Rebels are 5-1 after six games, look out. The pieces are there for this to be a storybook team. However, the schedule is daunting, and if there are early losses, with so many transfers on the roster, all of the elements for a disappointing campaign are in place.

It will most certainly be interesting, and the wait is over.

2. Jayden Williams was just trying to figure out what was going on this time a year ago. Some 13 starts later, Williams is comfortable at left tackle as he gets ready for Saturday’s season opener.

“I’m noticing little stuff to help the whole O-line,” Williams said.

Ole Miss enters the 2023 season with a tremendous amount of offensive line continuity. It’s something that’s been written about in this space a few times over the summer, and Williams said it’s absolutely an advantage for the Rebels this fall.

“It’s always important because everybody has to be on the same page consistently,” Williams said. “…We’re all used to playing with each other and we’re all on the same page. If one person is wrong, we’re all wrong. That’s just how it works.”

3. Williams broke in last season with Jaxson Dart. The USC transfer was fighting Luke Altmyer for a job all the while adjusting to a new offense, a new school and a new part of the country. Now, Williams said, Dart seems more comfortable.

“He controls it now a lot better than he did last year,” Williams said. “I think he’s a whole lot better than last year. That’s my man. I talk to Dart all the time. We’re the last two in the locker room sometimes. I just sit and chop it up with him. I love him. He’s a good dude on and off the field.”

4. Speaking of offensive line play, Jeremy James has been at Ole Miss since 2019. The Georgia native has started at tackle and guard during his Ole Miss career. He discussed entering his final season in a Rebel uniform and more earlier this past week.

5. Miami (Ohio) transfer safety John Saunders Jr. wasn’t the highest profile transfer win for Ole Miss in January but it certainly looks like he will play a major role for the Rebels this fall.

Saunders discussed his preseason and more earlier this past week.

6. Reginald Hughes played in 12 games last season but he only recorded six tackles. A year later, Hughes is in a new system but back playing a familiar position — outside linebacker.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Tunica, Miss., native has had a strong preseason camp and appears to be poised to have a bigger role in the Rebels’ defense this fall.

“It was a skillset I already had,” Hughes said. “It’s just getting back comfortable with it. I think it’ll be great. I feel (this defense) plays more to my strengths.

“I’m a guy that gets after it. I’ve got a great feel for the ball. My pass-rush ability is great, in my opinion. I’m just a go-getter. I see the ball and go make plays. …I feel I can let my hair down in this defense.”

7. The NFL season begins on Sept. 7 when Kansas City begins defense of its crown against the Detroit Lions.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve made my sure-to-go-shockingly wrong predictions for each NFL division and jinxed Joe Burrow’s season by predicting the Cincinnati quarterback will win MVP award.

This week, I take my stab at predicting the NFL Playoffs.

AFC:

Wildcard Round:

Kansas City over Miami

Jacksonville over L.A. Chargers

N.Y. Jets over Buffalo

Divisional Playoffs:

Cincinnati over N.Y. Jets

Jacksonville over Kansas City

AFC Championship Game:

Cincinnati over Jacksonville

NFC:

Wildcard Round:

Philadelphia over Seattle

New Orleans over N.Y. Giants

Detroit over Minnesota

Divisional Playoffs:

San Francisco over Detroit

Philadelphia over New Orleans

NFC Championship Game:

San Francisco over Philadelphia

Super Bowl LVIII:

Cincinnati over San Francisco

8. The news of Shohei Ohtani’s elbow injury made me sad.

If you’ve followed me for any length of time or ever listened to one of my podcasts, you know I’m a huge Shohei Ohtani fan. I believe he’s the best player in baseball, and that’s an opinion shared by many. His ability to hit and pitch at the highest levels is something baseball hasn’t seen since Babe Ruth. His impending free agency, combined with the whispers that my favorite team, the Chicago Cubs, might be involved as had me even more dialed-in on all things Ohtani.

However, the injury changes things. Ohtani has torn the UCL in his right arm for a second time. He will almost certainly require a second Tommy John surgery, and baseball insiders polled by MLB.com said late this past week the latest injury likely cost the Japanese sensation hundreds of millions of dollars.

“My initial reaction was, ‘Wow, this basically cuts him in half,’” a National League executive told MLB.com. “I have no idea how a team could pay him with the thought that he would operate as a pitcher for the long-term (potentially) having TJ twice in a five-year span. He’s still a tremendous bat, and maybe he ends up being a bullpen arm too, but his value and his uniqueness take a major hit, obviously, with this news.”

“I think it has some real impact,” an American League added. “Two-time TJ’s are more common now, but you will not have him pitching until 2025, so for one year you’re signing a straight DH -- and that’s provided he can start hitting right as the season starts. I believe it changes the math, but I’m just not sure how much it changes.”

Maybe Ohtani takes a different path and signs a deal with an opt-out after one year. Maybe he bets on himself and proves he can pitch again before going back into the market. Either way, one has to believe the offers teams were formulating as the offseason approaches just got slashed.

9. It’s time to eat. Here’s our resident Parisian chef, Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson 199 — Pan Fried Chicken Thighs with Tomato Gravy

Tomato gravy is a dish in and of itself. For me, I never really liked it for breakfast. Now for lunch…that is a totally different story.

Tidbit #1: The tomato gravy will take you about an hour to make due to the dark roux needed in the recipe. I will usually make the roux the night before and then proceed to the actually cooking the next day.

Tidbit #1.2: For the roux, we will use peanut oil and flour. This will produce a deeper flavor than just sunflower oil/vegetable oil.

Tidbit #2: The best way to get a very good crispy skin on these thighs, dust the skins with flour before frying. It is a good hack.

Things you will need:

4 people

Preparation time - 15 minutes

Cooking time - 1 hour

A Glass of Sweet Tea (half and half to be actual)

Utensils needed:

Work surface and chef’s knife

Saucepot

Cast-iron skillet

Wooden Spoon

Tongs

Stove

Measuring cups

Ingredients needed:

1 Package of chicken thighs

⅓ Cup peanut oil

½ Cup flour

1 Onions, medium dice

2 Garlic cloves, sliced

1 Celery branches, medium dice

1 Red bell pepper, medium dice

1 Can Tomatoes

1.5 Cups chicken stock

1 Handful of green beans, diced

1 Lemon

Salt and pepper

Flour for dusting

Mise en Plac

Step 1: Add the flour and oil to your saucepot over medium heat. Mix using the wooden spoon and cook for 15 - 20 minutes while stirring to get a dark roux. While this is going on dice all of your vegetables.

Step 2: Once the roux color is almost motor oil color, add in the diced vegetables (not the green beans) into the pot and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.

Step 3: Pull the pot from the heat and add in the tomatoes and chicken stock while stirring. Place the pot back on the heat. Add in the green beans along with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Dust your chicken thighs in flour followed by salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat in the cast iron skillet with a layer of oil on the bottom.

Step 4.1: Start skin side down and cook until a golden beautiful color. Turn over and continue the cooking for 4 minutes. Pull and place on a side plate to cool.

Final

Step 5: Once your gravy is finished, taste for salt and pepper. Squeeze in ½ of the lemon and stir. Place this first on your serving plate with some rice if you would like followed by the chicken thighs. Serve with hot sauce and the rest of the lemon.

From the Mississippian in Paris, Bon Appétit!

10a. This note is personal, so if you'd prefer to avoid that, skip to 10b.

On Friday morning, I got a message in my inbox here at RebelGrove.com that left me with a heavy heart and a lump in my throat. Dr. Joseph Sentef, better known here at chess1289, passed away earlier Friday. Joe had been battling Legionella pneumophila since early August.

I never met Joe in person. That was my loss. We talked, though, and we exchanged emails. Joe loved Ole Miss and he seemed to enjoy my work here. More than that, however, he liked my relationship with my son, Carson. He liked when I wrote about it and he took a liking to mine and Laura's youngest child.

Joe was a very successful doctor in the Chattanooga area. His patients loved him. He was also a collector, including a passion for collecting Greg Maddux baseball cards that made national news 10 years ago. He knew I shared a passion for Major League Baseball and rued the day my Cubs let Maddux walk in free agency .

In October 2016, my Cubs somehow won the National League pennant. I was covering an Ole Miss game that night in Baton Rouge and when I got back to my hotel in the early-morning hours, Joe had sent me a message. He was going to try to get me World Series tickets.

He knew it would be difficult, and I certainly didn't get my hopes up. Three days later, I took Carson to the dentist and was waiting for him when Joe emailed me. He had been trying to get tickets to Sunday's Game 5 and couldn't. However, he had tickets to Game 3 on Friday night in Chicago. If I could make it work, I was welcome to them, he said.

In some ways, I wish I had video of the moment I told Carson. In others, I'm glad I don't. I waited until we got to the car and I told him my friend had given us tickets to a World Series game. At first, he thought I was joking. When I told him I wouldn't joke about something like that, he cried. The excitement overwhelmed him. His joy overwhelmed me.

We watched Game 2 that night and packed. We drove to Chicago the following day, went to dinner in the city and actually saw several of the Cleveland Indians eating at a downtown restaurant. On Friday, we went to Wrigleyville early and soaked in the atmosphere.

The Cubs lost that night, 1-0, but to this day, that was one of the coolest moments of my life. Carson had just turned 10. I'm not sure he understood the significance then, but he does now. It's something he still mentions to this day. It's something he'll remember long after I'm gone, something he'll tell his children and grandchildren about.

Without Joe's generosity, it's a memory we wouldn't have.

We got up super early the next day in Chicago and I raced back to Oxford, dropping Carson off at home before heading to Vaught-Hemingway to cover Auburn-Ole Miss. A few days later, my family and I celebrated the Cubs' Game 7 victory. Joe was among the first to message me, telling me how happy he was for me and Carson.

Ironically, I suppose, I spent this past weekend with Carson in the Jackson area. His travel soccer team, Tupelo Futbol Club, played in the Magnolia Cup in Clinton. We drove down Friday, ate a late dinner, watched Family Guy and then went to bed. His team won 2-0 Saturday morning and then lost 2-1 to a star-studded team Saturday evening. We went to dinner with a bunch of his teammates and their parents Saturday night and then finished the weekend with an 8-1 win in the consolation game at Hinds Community College Sunday morning.

As he always does, he thanked me for taking him. I always just tell him I love watching him play, and I do. He's a gift from God. He loves soccer. It's his passion and watching him do something he loves makes me happy. More than the soccer, I love the time with him. It's not something I take for granted. It's different now than it was that weekend in Chicago, when he held my hand as we navigated the crowds to get to and from Wrigley Field.

He's taller than me. He has to be reminded to shave his facial hair from time to time. Our conversations are about real-world things -- college, girls, questions he has about things happening in the world. But the bond we have is a deep one. On Sunday afternoon, we listened to the Cubs-Pirates game and discussed the National League wildcard race and what the Cubs might do in the offseason. I'm his dad and he's my son but ours is also a special friendship.

My friend, Joe, sensed that a long time ago and he appreciated it. He gave me those tickets -- tickets he could have sold for thousands -- because he wanted me to have an experience with my son. Carson wrote Joe a sweet thank-you note when we returned from Chicago. Joe wrote to me to brag about Carson's politeness.

He was a wonderful man. He touched so many lives, including mine and Carson's. He will be missed.

10b. We’ll have coverage of Ole Miss football, football recruiting and whatever else may pop up here at RebelGrove.com this week. Until then, here are some links of interest to me — and hopefully, to you — for your reading pleasure:

Derek Carr, Khalil Mack ready to lead new teams where they couldn't take the Raiders

Angels GM: Ohtani declined testing prior to UCL tear

McCullough: Shohei Ohtani rewrote our understanding of what one player can do

Rosenthal: Shohei Ohtani is worth $500 million in free agency, even if he's only a hitter

The Angels went all-in around Shohei Ohtani. In just three weeks it unraveled

Rosenthal: Pete Alonso was center of trade talks with Brewers. Will Mets make move in offseason?

Cubs, Christopher Morel are figuring out his DH role, not relying too heavily on iPads

What happened to Javy? Onetime star Báez faces ex-Cubs teammates with his magic diminished

Chelsea sign goalkeeper Petrovic

Tales from the coaches' headset: ‘It’s total chaos’