Embiid Takes Another Shot at Ayton, Briggs Defends Arizona DC

With the Diamondbacks fading to black before the movie was supposed to end, it’s now time to flip the page ot the Suns and Coyotes in our busy little sports market. I’m bigger on the hockey team than our heroes of the hardwood downtown. However, I have put circles around November 19th, and January 2nd in the coming months. Why? Joel Embid vs Deandre Ayton. If you missed the latest hand grenade that the Philadelphia 76ers center lobbed at Ayton, here it is from Friday, courtesy ESPN…

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24755456/joel-embiid-philadelphia-76ers-deandre-ayton-get-ass-kicked

I’m one of those who feel that the Diamondbacks need a reboot, not a rebuild. This will go down as one of the more maddening seasons that I can recall in the history of the team. I’ve seen em all, and locker room chemistry is usually a root for a team playing so erratic. From what I’ve been told and heard, that would be the case with this current group…

Congrats to Fox Sports Arizona’s Jody Jackson and KPNX(Channel 12) Tresa Tredrick for winning Rocky Mountain Sports Emmys Saturday night…

Don’t count former Wildcat star linebacker Lance Briggs as one of those who believes the early season struggles of the team should be put at the feet of defensive coordinator Marcel Yates. Briggs joined me on the show last week and had this to say about the Arizona defensive coordinator taking heat. “Do I like everything I see, no absolutely not, I love Marcel Yates as a defensive coordinator”. So, alot of the email and chatter that I’ve heard about the Arizona struggles(before blowing out Oregon State on Saturday) was directed towards Yates. I asked Briggs his thoughts on the those going after the Wildcats DC. “Try playing defense when you’re on the field for so many minuets in every game, it’s hard to be successful on defense when you’re running an up-tempo Chip Kelly style of offense”. Fair point. Let’s see how the ‘Cats look at home against USC next Saturday…

Stood on a high school football sideline Friday night talking with a Pac-12 assistant coach, the view of Arizona high school football has become much better than years gone by. To say that our great state is becoming very crowded with Power 5 programs dropping in, would be an understatement…