Los Angeles Rams director of player engagement, VFL Jacques McClendon, spent some time with Heather Harrington and me on Sports 180 recently.
He touched on a lot of different topics.
Below are just some quick quotes followed by the full interview with much more you should listen to.
On Rams rookie LB VFL Daniel Bituli:
“Very explosive athlete. Always around the ball. Does a great job. Plays with a lot of energy. We’re definitely excited to have him.”
On Tennessee’s recent success on the field and in recruiting:
“Tennessee is not a stepover program. We’re not somebody that needs to be reignited.”
On UT HC Jeremy Pruitt:
“It’s nice to see a head coach and his staff take advantage of the resources that Tennessee has and and use that to maximize the exposure and capabilities of what we can do.”
On Vols fans vs. USC fans:
“If I went to the city of Knoxville and said ‘Fight On.’ a lot of people might not know what that is. But, I do know that I’m living in Los Angeles and I say “Rocky Top,’ everybody knows what that is. We’re still a national brand.”
On UT football’s turnaround:
“That all started when you brought Coach Phillip Fulmer back to be the AD. He understands what it takes to win there.”
On what the NFL is saying about Pruitt at Tennessee:
“Everybody knows Coach Pruitt can recruit. The scouts are always coming to tell me when they go see that roster, ‘Man, it’s starting to get back to what it used to look like.”
On VFL RB John Kelly:
“He’s still running just as hard as he did when he was in Knoxville. He’s got a great opportunity this offseason.”
On VFL TE Ethan Wolf:
“He’s an all-around tight end. Great human being. Great worker. He’s done a great job for us.”
Tim McGraw released a lyric video for his brand-new single, “I Called Mama,” on May 8.
Penned by Lance Miller, Marv Green and Jimmy Yeary, “I Called Mama” is about the special connection mothers share with their children, especially when times are tough.
The new lyric video features never-before-seen footage of Tim and his mom.
Tim’s official video for the song will includes fan-submitted videos and photos of their moms.
“Mother’s definitely deserve to be honored more than one day a year,” says Tim. “We’ve have had such an incredible response of people sharing their special mama videos, we are going to get you something really special in a few weeks.”
Watch Tim’s new lyric video for “I Called Mama” below.
Keith Urban revealed that he will release his 11th studio album, The Speed of Now: Part I, on Sept. 18.
Keith shared the news in a nifty 3-minute video that posted via YouTube.
“In October 2019, this album title came to me,” says Keith. “I liked it because I felt like life was flying by so fast. But music—for me—has always been the place where it slows down and doesn’t even exist. I would never have imagined that, in 2020, this album title would take on a whole new meaning.”
The video samples a number of new tracks from the album and reveals song titles “Gas,” “Tumbleweed,” “Polaroid,” “Change Your Mind,” “Wait” and “Superman.”
The Speed of Now: Part I will follow Keith’s 2018 album, Graffiti U, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
Maren Morris dropped a new four-song EP, Maren Morris: Live From Chicago, on May 8.
The EP was recorded at the inaugural show of Maren’s Girl: The World Tour on March 9, 2019, at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago. The EP features performances of “Girl,” “A Song for Everything,” “Common” and “The Bones.”
“Feeling so nostalgic for shows lately so here’s a few tracks from opening night of Girl: The World Tour,” says Maren.
Maren Morris: Live From Chicago is available exclusively on Amazon Music, along with accompanying videos of each song.
With fun-in-the-sun tunes like “Sun Don’t Go Down on That” and “Ridin’ Roads,” it’s no secret Dustin Lynch loves the summertime.
To help usher in the unofficial start to the summer season over Memorial Day weekend (May 23–25), Dustin will team with Westwood One to host a four-hour Summer Kickoff special.
The four-hour broadcast, which is available to stations nationwide, will feature summer-themed music from Dustin and his friends, including Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood and more. In addition, many of the artists will share their favorite summer memories and activities.
Westwood One’s Summer Kickoff With Dustin Lynch will also remember the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. After all, Memorial Day is an opportunity to pay tribute to all of the veterans who died serving our great nation. As we relax with family and friends over the Memorial Day weekend, let’s be sure to remember those who lost their lives protecting our freedom and thank those who serve or have served in our Armed Forces.
Stations can air Westwood One’s Summer Kickoff With Dustin Lynch between 6 a.m. and midnight on Saturday, May 23, through Monday, May 25. Check your local listings for air times.
Penned by Lance Miller, Marv Green and Jimmy Yeary, “I Called Mama” is about the special connection mothers share with their children, especially when times are tough.
Indeed, Tim experienced his share of tough times growing up in Louisiana in a broken home, where his mom worked multiple jobs to provide for him and his two sisters. In many ways, “I Called Mama” is a tribute to Tim’s own mother, Betty, who he says is his “hero.”
In a video interview with Blair Garner of Westwood One’s The Blair Garner Show, Tim opened up about his hero, expounded on the importance of the message in his new song, shared an emotional story of domestic abuse and more.
Blair Garner: “Was there ever a moment with your mom where it was like, ‘Mom, you know what? I didn’t know how strong you were. I didn’t know what all you did for me until now at this point?’”
Tim McGraw: “Well, you’re going to make me cry. There was a lot of moments because my mom was a strong woman and she raised us three kids and went through a lot of abuse in her marriages. So we saw a lot of that growing up and saw a lot of the black eyes and bloody noses and all that thing around our house. But I remember being on our own and being at our home—and I was around 13 maybe—one night. And I got up late at night, it’s about two in the morning, and my mom had worked like three jobs at a time to try to keep the bills paid. And I remember specifically getting up one night to go get a glass of water and she was at our kitchen table, and she had bills spread out everywhere. She had her head down, she was crying and she didn’t see me walk by. I didn’t know what to say. It was just so heartbreaking to me and it’s sort of . . . I don’t know that I really got it at that point. But older in life, I reflect on that a lot. I reflect on that scene and seeing my mom and how she hid that from us. And I just happened to catch that moment.”
Blair: “During this time of isolation, I do know that there are a lot of women, particularly, who find themselves having to be quarantined with someone who may be abusive toward them. Thank you for being so candid about your mom’s challenges in the past. Was there a point during all of that that you felt it necessary for you to try to intervene?”
Tim: “Oh yeah. I got beat up a couple of times trying to get in the middle of it. Yeah, for sure.”
Blair: “How old were you?”
Tim: “First time I remember trying to get in the middle of it, I didn’t get beat up, but I remember trying to get in the middle of, it was probably third grade, something like that, second, third grade. There was another time that was pretty specific. I was a little older, but it was a situation for sure.”
Blair: “Was there ever a concern on your end to—a lot of times when you’re growing up, we as parents tend to replicate what we saw in the past. Was there an effort on your end to try and say, ‘No, I’m breaking the cycle?’”
Tim: “Well, certainly, it’s something that when you grow up seeing that sort of thing, for me anyway, it was certainly not the way that I wanted to raise my family. And that was specific in mind for me from the very beginning when I wanted to start a family. I wanted to do the best I could and I fail all the time. I mean, gosh, I fail every day as a father, as a husband, as a son, a brother, I always fail. But you always get back up and try harder and the next time and try to learn from it.”
Tune in to The Blair Garner Show on May 11 for this touching interview with Tim McGraw.
Included below is an excerpt of the upcoming interview.
Reba McEntire released an updated music video for her 1997 song, “What If.” The modernized video features new clips of essential workers, medical professionals and first responders battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Penned by Diane Warren, “What If” was originally released by Reba in 1997 as a promotional single to benefit the Salvation Army. Reba’s version peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The track is now available digitally for the first time.
“This song is as relevant today as it was 23 years ago,” says Reba. “That’s the power of a great song and Diane Warren is no stranger to writing great songs. Even though we may not be able to physically reach out with just one hand right now, we can still be there for each other and take care of our neighbors, essential workers and medical professionals. Re-releasing this song and updated video with its message of care, hope and love felt like the right thing to do. Maybe we still can change things.”
Tim McGraw release a new single, “I Called Mama,” on May 8.
Penned by Lance Miller, Marv Green and Jimmy Yeary, “I Called Mama” is about the special connection mothers share with their children, especially when times are tough.
“On the one hand, this song is literally, ‘Hey, call your mom,’” says Tim. “On the other hand, you look at a time like this, there are real hardships for everyone, and it’s a great reminder that hearing someone’s voice who knows you and loves you can help you get through anything. I think it’s at these very difficult times that music can help and the power of a song can give someone a moment of clarity or comfort, or just a smile. Especially now, when we seem to need it more than ever.”
Thursday night brought us the exciting release of the 2020 NFL Schedule.
Below, I’ve included the potential Week 1 NFL matchups involving the 38 current University of Tennessee players.
This is best case scenario if each VFL on the current expanded rosters makes the final roster and is active for Week 1’s games.
I’ve also added the 8 one-time UT players that finished their careers elsewhere as well as 4 players from the Knoxville area that did not play for the Vols but are noteworthy.
All 16 games in Week 1 currently have at least one of the noteworthy players described above.
I’ll continue tracking the VFLs in the NFL here on my blog, “Vince’s View.”
WEEK 1 (All Times Eastern) x = rookies
Thursday, September 10, 2020 Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs (Thu) 8:20pm NBC
OG – Zach Fulton (73) Houston Texans
(Local Non-Vol) WR – Randall Cobb (–) Houston Texans (Alcoa HS/Kentucky)
(Ex-Vol) P – Tommy Townsend (–) Kansas City Chiefs (U. of Tennessee/Florida) – x
Sunday, September 13, 2020 Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons 1:00pm FOX
OG – Kahlil McKenzie (62) Seattle Seahawks
DE – Darrell Taylor (–) Seattle Seahawks – x
TE – Dominick Wood-Anderson (–) Seattle Seahawks – x
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens 1:00pm CBS
LS – Morgan Cox (46) Baltimore Ravens
S – Nigel Warrior (–) Baltimore Ravens – x
(Ex-Vol) TE – Eli Wolf (–) Baltimore Ravens (U. of Tennessee/Georgia) – x
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills 1:00pm CBS
WR – Josh Malone (83) New York Jets
DE – Kyle Phillips (98) New York Jets
TE – Jason Croom (80) Buffalo Bills
(Ex-Vol) TE – Lee Smith (85) Buffalo Bills (Powell HS/U. of Tennessee/Marshall)
Las Vegas Raiders at Carolina Panthers 1:00pm CBS
DE – Kendal Vickers (–) Las Vegas Raiders
TE – Jason Witten (82) Las Vegas Raiders
(Ex-Vol) QB – Nathan Peterman (3) Las Vegas Raiders (U. of Tennessee/Pitt)
P – Michael Palardy (5) Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions 1:00pm FOX
QB – Tyler Bray (9) Chicago Bears
WR/KR – Cordarrelle Patterson (84) Chicago Bears
CB – Justin Coleman (27) Detroit Lions
OLB – Jalen Reeves-Maybin (44) Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00pm CBS
QB – Joshua Dobbs (1) Jacksonville Jaguars
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings 1:00pm FOX
P – Britton Colquitt (2) Minnesota Vikings
(Local Non-Vol) S – Harrison Smith (22) Minnesota Vikings (Catholic HS/Notre Dame)
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots 1:00pm CBS
(Ex-Vol) WR – Preston Williams (18) Miami Dolphins (U. of Tennessee/Colorado St)
FB – Jakob Johnson (47) New England Patriots
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins 1:00pm FOX
DE – Derek Barnett (96) Philadelphia Eagles
TE – Alex Ellis (85) Philadelphia Eagles
DT – Malik Jackson (97) Philadelphia Eagles
Los Angeles Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals 4:05pm CBS
(Local Non-Vol) WR – Tee Higgins (–) Cincinnati Bengals (Oak Ridge HS/Clemson) – x
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints 4:25pm FOX
RB – Alvin Kamara (41) New Orleans Saints
DT – Shy Tuttle (99) New Orleans Saints
LB – Colton Jumper (51) New Orleans Saints
WR – Marquez Callaway (–) New Orleans Saints – x
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers 4:25pm FOX
DE – Jonathan Kongbo (61) San Francisco 49ers
CB – Emmanuel Moseley (41) San Francisco 49ers
WR – Jauan Jennings (81) San Francisco 49ers – x
(Ex-Vol) TE – Daniel Helm (43) San Francisco 49ers (U. of Tennessee/Duke)
(Ex-Vol) WR – Jalen Hurd (14) San Francisco 49ers (U. of Tennessee/Baylor)
Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams 8:20pm NBC
(Local Non-Vol) P – Chris Jones (6) Dallas Cowboys (Carson-Newman)
RB – John Kelly (42) Los Angeles Rams
TE – Ethan Wolf (84) Los Angeles Rams
LB – Daniel Bituli (–) Los Angeles Rams – x
Monday, September 14, 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants (Mon) 7:15pm ESPN
NT – Dan McCullers (93) Pittsburgh Steelers
CB – Cameron Sutton (20) Pittsburgh Steelers
(Ex-Vol) DE – Dewayne Hendrix (–) Pittsburgh Steelers (U. of Tennessee/Pitt)
DB – Rashaan Gaulden (38) New York Giants
Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos (Mon) 10:10pm ESPN
OLB – Jordan Williams (40) Tennessee Titans
OT – Ja’Wuan James (70) Denver Broncos
ILB – Alexander Johnson (45) Denver Broncos
![Tim McGraw Releases New Video for “I Called Mama” Featuring Never-Before-Seen Footage of Tim & His Mom [Watch]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/05/08124015/Tim-McGraw-AFF.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
![Reba Releases Updated Video for 23-Year-Old Song, “What If,” Featuring Essential Workers [Watch]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/05/08091713/Reba-McEntire1.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
