Lamm at Large

I seldom agree with any policies that come out of California. But one that's being debated by the state to eliminate tackle football for kids gets my full support.   Tackle football shouldn't start before junior high; maybe even high school.   So many kids quit football early because their little bodies can't take the punishment. Why wait until they've matured? To keep them from quitting. As someone who coached […]

I used to love college basketball. My greatest thrill as a preteen was watching my Tar Heels beat Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain on a 12-inch TV in 1957.   I followed the sport religiously for the next 40 years. I knew the starting lineups for every ACC team and could reel off the nation's top 40 players.   Then everything changed. I'm not blaming anyone, but the top high school players […]

Then there were 8. And, as usual, the NFL has proved to be unpredictable. Why do you think the sportsbooks get so rich?   Why are the young Packers, the Baker Mayfield-led Bucs, and the rebuilding Texans still alive? Anyone heard from the Cowboys this week? What about the Browns and their resurrected quarterback, Joe Flacco?   By the time we get to the Super Bowl, we'll likely see some […]

We're used to numerous coaching changes each year in the NFL and big-time college football, but we've never seen anything like what's happening this year.   In a 24-hour period perhaps the greatest coaches in the NFL and big-time college football both departed. Bill Belichick was shoved out the door by the Patriots insisting he still wants to coach at 71. Nick Saban, also 71, kissed Alabama goodbye because his […]

Last Saturday it should have been the Jaguars in the first round of the NFL playoffs, not the Texans.   It should have been third-year starting QB Trevor Lawrence, a first overall draft pick, throwing three TD passes, not C.J. Stroud, this year's No. 3 overall pick.   It should have veteran coach Doug Pederson making the right moves, not a rookie head coach in DeMeco Ryans.   This was […]

Southern pride has taken a gut punch. Nowhere in the country is college football more highly revered than in the South. The largest stadiums and the most loyal fans fill those venues on autumn Saturdays below the Mason-Dixie line.   Did you know 17 of the last 21 national champions have come from the SEC and ACC?   So what is Michigan doing wearing the crown this year? And the […]

How are these things alike?   Superman and Clark Kent; Batman and Bruce Wayne; Jekyll and Hyde; the Jaguars.   All four have split personalities.   For back-to-back seasons, the Jaguars have played one good half, one horrible half. Last season it was awful then good. This season the team that started 8-3 and was contending for the AFC's No.1 seed fell apart. The blame belongs everywhere: offense, defense, special […]

My final thoughts on FSU's season:   It's a shame America didn't get to see the real FSU team. It's a shame the Seminoles were embarrassed on national TV and that's what most fans, certainly casual fans, will remember.   The team that went 13-0 and won the ACC championship wasn't chosen for the four-team CFP. As a result nearly 30 players did not suit up for the Orange Bowl. […]

The NFL has got to do something about officiating. There'll always be missed calls. The referees are human. Since the advent of instant replay, we're now able to see most mistakes over and over again.   Still, because we do have instant replay, why let obvious missed calls go?   The most egregious calls come on pass inference and roughing the passer. Quarterbacks have perfected flopping to draw yellow flags. […]