August 25, 2023
GOD BLESS UKRAINE AND THE USA!!!!
MORE REGULAR MELARCHY!
Starting with this edition, we will be sending out JonFineProductions.com Newsletter on a weekly basis, through the end of Denham Springs HS Football season… actually until the week after their season ends. So, with the Jamboree tonight, 10 regular season games and all playoff games, we hope to be having newsletters for the next 16 weeks. We are sure Denham Springs HS Football coach Brett Beard would have no problem with this!
FIRST BROADCAST!
Tonight’s Denham Springs Jamboree vs Walker comes your way at 6 o’clock with Sport n Center Jackets Warm-up on Family Radio, 91.9 FM and on the net at JonFineproductions.com. See a Press Release below.
THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN!
Tickets to the 2023 Denham Springs High School Athletic Hall of Fame banquet (Thursday, August 31) will be on sale until the end of the school day Monday, August 28, at the DSHS office. Each ticket is $50. Tickets must be purchased in person (no phone sales). If you have any questions, please contact Kathy deGeneres at 324-4611 or Butch Wax at 408- 9800. Don’t miss out on this memorable event!… We will have extensive information on the DSHS Athletic Hall of Fame banquet in next week’s newsletter. But this week, we have extensive coverage for the new members, particularly Dru Nettles
Read on!!!
DRUUUUUUU!
Maybe the highlight of his career was appearing for 3 seasons with yours truly on The Dru Nettles Show on Cox TV! Maybe not!
Nevertheless the former DSHS football and baseball playing great and football coaching great Dru Nettles highlights the 2023 inductees into the DSHS Athletic Hall of Fame. And coach Nettles is highlighted extensively on tonight’s broadcast (6 o’clock on Family Radio, 91.9 FM, Baton Rouge and on the net at JonFineproductions.com
On Sport n Center Jackets Warmup we will speak with DSHS Athletic Hall of Fame secretary Kathy deGeneris and former Jackets asst football coach Mitch Covington (on coach Nettles’ staff), along with former Jackets football players (coached by Nettles) Nick Berthelot and Cade Murry. Denham Springs HS Baseball coach Trav Hopkins will also be interviewed
On Smalls Sliders Half-Time Report, former Jackets Baseball coach Steve Long (who coacher Dru) will be interviewed… Earlier in the week we talked to DSHS supporter Jim McChristian and former DSHS statistician Robert Greves. Those interviews will air on the Ralph Sellers Chevrolet Post Game Show.
TODAY’S COLUMN:
Scott previews the Who Dats and LSU Football. See WIZARDRY OF OS below.
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
In a quarterback league, how are the Saints not getting more talk/respect heading into 2023? The answer is that they executed so poorly in 2022. From penalties on third down that extended drives to turnovers on offense and everything in between, the Saints lost more games in 2022 than their opponents won.
Before I go any further, I must preface everything I write with, “until the injuries pile up.” The 17 game NFL season will inevitably force a number of undrafted rookies and practice squad players to start at some point during the year. Of course, each team faces this challenge, so let’s move on from injuries.
The Saints offense should be better than it has been in years. Certainly, the Saints should be better on offense than the Bus, Falcons, or Panthers. Again, it is a quarterback league and the Saints have a second tier quarterback with talent around him.
The return of Michael Thomas, as the number 2 receiver, combined with the emergence of Juwan Johnson and the addition of Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller, and Foster Moreau will give Derek Carr options. We know the Pete Carmichael offense is an extension of the Sean Payton offense. That offense has always been at its best when the ball is spread among many different receivers out of a large variety of formation.
Of course, the offense should be led by Olave, Kamara (after the suspensions), Hill, and Shaheed. I have just listed nine players that are huge improvements over Ingram (at the end of his career), Trautman, Smith, and other players who the Saints have been turning to in recent years.
It goes without saying that none of these weapons will have an impact without solid play from the offensive line. That is the position that has seen the most injuries and inconsistent play in recent years. The offensive line can also be assisted by a quarterback, in Carr, who executes the offense and makes plays at a higher level.
Still, let’s not overthink this unit. The keys will always come down to avoiding negative plays (penalties included), converting on third down, and getting playmakers the ball in space. The Saints should have more of these ingredients than the rest of the division.
Defensively, the Saints lost a number of players up front, but those players did not produce on the field last year. So how much of a loss are they? The productive players return. The key will be the health of Lattimore and the emergence of young players up front. Can Granderson, Turner, Bresse, and Foskey stay healthy and be productive?
The defense might take a little time to develop, but the good news is that the best offenses in the league are not on the schedule. Miami, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Los Angeles (Chargers), Philadelphia, Dallas, Buffalo, and the other teams with top quarterbacks and weapons are not on the schedule. The Jags, Lions, and Giants are the best offenses on the schedule and they come to the Superdome. The next best offense the Saints face might be the Vikings who lost Dalvin Cook. Meanwhile, the Saints have four games against the teams who will be led by rookie quarterbacks in Carolina (twice), Houston, and Indianapolis. As a Saints fan, I am required to point out that the Saints specialize in losing to teams with poor quarterback play.
I am past the phase in life of making predictions. Instead, I will make a statement. A season with less than 10 wins and short of a division title will be a disappointment for the Saints in 2023.
The LSU Tigers also have lofty aspirations as well. Higher aspirations than the Saints as we all think there could be a trip to the College Football Playoff. Similar to the Saints, the reason for this optimism is that LSU is returning the top quarterback of the contenders in the SEC.
KJ Jefferson and Will Rogers seem to be the consensus top returning quarterbacks, but I believe we have seen their best football. Jayden Daniels could make another leap in his progression having had a full offseason at LSU, and that could make him one of the top 2-3 quarterbacks in the country.
We know there are skill players everywhere (it is LSU), but the offensive line is as good and deep as we have seen if the sophomore slump is avoided. Will Campbell and Emery Jones are future first round draft picks. Charles Turner has put himself in position to be an NFL center, and could have a Lloyd Cushenberry type year. There is tremendous competition for the other two spots. Will Frazier and Garrett Dellinger have the ability and experience. But, true freshman Lance Heard could be so good that he has to play. There is depth, experience, and position versatility with Marlon Martinez and Maryland transfer Mason Lunsford. An offensive line this good should not require Daniels to use his athleticism as much.
The dream defensively is that Maason Smith and Harold Perkins stay healthy. If they do, LSU has two players in the middle of their defense that will be drafted in the top 10 of the NFL draft.
LSU had to get deeper and experienced throughout the defense. Thanks to the portal, they may have accomplished this task. There is no way to know right now, but we will know very soon as the defense will be tested by Florida State.
Chances are that there will be breakdowns on defense through the first half of the year due to so many new players. These breakdowns can be overcome with impactful plays, which are exactly what Tiger fans should expect from Perkins and Smith.
The mistake we always make as fans is to assume that growth is linear. Player A caught 10 passes as a freshman, 30 as a sophomore, and therefore will catch 50 as a junior. Unfortunately, individual and team growth doesn’t work that way. The roller coaster nature of growth is what makes it so difficult to know how good a team will be before the season begins.
Still, as a Tiger fan, I expect this offense to “cook” from the opening kickoff to the last game. I expect the special teams to be solid at the least and special at best. Similar to a few years ago, the defense might take some time to gel, but when they do, look out. Be excited Tiger fans, this team should be fun to watch.
PRESS RELEASE
DENHAM SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL IS BACK ON THE AIR!
The 2023 school year marks the 28th season that Jon Fine (Sports) Productions will have the privilege of producing and calling play-by-play for Denham Springs HS Football radio broadcasts. In 2023, the broadcast slate will include the Jamboree, all 10 regular season Denham games, and every playoff game. Broadcasts can be heard on Family Radio-91.9 FM Baton Rouge. All broadcasts can also be heard on the Internet at JonFineProductions.com (click Listen Live on the Denham Springs Football PBP page). Sport-n-Center Jackets Warm-Up gets the broadcasts underway at 6:00 pm. The first broadcast is Friday, August 25 when the Jackets entertain Walker HS in the Denham Springs Jamboree.
Josh Ward returns as the play-by-play announcer of the Jackets. Ward will be joined by Mitch Covington as the color commentator. Producer Jon Fine will contribute to the pre-game, half-time and post-game programming.
“Sport N Center Jackets Warm-Up” will feature an interview with Jackets Football Coach Brett Beard conducted by Josh Ward. Jon Fine will speak with a prominent Denham Springs community and/or sports figure. Ward and Covington will also offer a preview of that night’s game and other pertinent information.
The “Smalls Sliders Half-Time Report” will include Fine interviewing another Denham Springs personality. In addition, Ward and Covington will provide a recap of the first half and a look ahead at the second half of action.
During the “Ralph Sellers Chevrolet Post-Game Show”, there will be an extensive game recap, final stats and a look ahead.
When Denham Springs picks up a first down, they’ll achieve a Big Mike’s Sports Bar & Grill First Down. When the Jackets score, the scoring drive will be recapped on the Brandy Robertson State Farm Insurance Scoring Drive. When the Jackets have secured a victory, Ward will indicate such and it will be brought to you by Bank Plus. Hydration Breaks are brought to you by The Water Tree of Denham Springs.
Sport-N-Center owner Stacy Phipps (Baseball) and Big Mike O’Neal (Football) were athletes at Denham Springs HS. Ralph Sellers Chevrolet Parts Manager Jim McChristian, a former Jackets color commentator, says he was an athlete at Denham Springs HS, but we have had a difficult time verifying this claim!
Fine expressed that he is especially appreciative of the loyal commercial and name mention sponsors the broadcasts have had on Jon Fine Sports Productions’ Denham Springs HS play-by-play broadcasts throughout the years. Many have been with the broadcasts on a year-in, year-out basis. Fine expressed hope that listeners will have the opportunity to patronize these businesses and let them know they heard about them on DSHS Football radio broadcasts.
Jackets play-by-play announcer Josh Ward, a Denham Springs HS graduate, was a Yellow Jackets assistant basketball coach. He is an executive at Guaranty Broadcasting. Much to the regret of several ladies in the Greater Baton Rouge area and points unknown, he is single.
Mitch Covington, a 3-sport star at Denham Springs HS, would later serve as a Jackets assistant football coach. He is presently the head football coach at Denham Springs Junior High School. He is a graduate of McNeese State, where he played baseball. He is married and has 2 children.
Jon Fine co-hosted and produced daily 2-hour drive-time radio sports-talk programs in the Greater Baton Rouge area for close to 20 years. His programs (first SportsTalk, which changed its name to SportsGumbo), aired, at times, in New Orleans, Lake Charles, Monroe and Alexandria, in addition to the Baton Rouge market. His company, Jon Fine Productions, has produced numerous Denham Springs HS and area HS sports programming on television, radio and internet. Fine presently has an EBay store—ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides. He is a native of Valley Stream, New York and a graduate of Penn, where he majored in Marketing. Much to the delight of several ladies in the Greater Baton Rouge area and points unknown, he is single.
For more information on Denham Springs HS Sports programming and Jon Fine Productions, please visit JonFineProductions.com.
DENHAM SPRINGS HS FOOTBALL RADIO BROADCASTS ARE A JON FINE PRODUCTION ON FAMILY RADIO, 91.9 FM, BATON ROUGE and JonFineProductions.com.
JON IS THE OWNER OF AN EBAY STORE. ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides, SELLS SPORTS PUBLICATIONS. YOU CAN LINK TO IT BY VISITING JonFineProductions.com