Urban Meyer Watch Goes Into Overdrive

In Monday's Hot Clicks: Urban Meyer throws his hat into the ring for the Dallas Cowboys job, Rutgers football could hit a costly new low and more.

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The Initial Question Wasn't Even About Him

Urban Meyer Watch began on Dec. 4, 2018, the day he announced his retirement. Would he really step away from coaching for good? Eleven months later, Urban Meyer Watch is heating up, and the coach himself dumped gasoline to fuel the fire on it over the weekend. Meyer, whom Tim Tebow recently said he feels bad for (when asked if the off-the-field criticism is fair) and is now an analyst for Fox Sports, was asked by Colin Cowherd if he thought Lincoln Riley could be a candidate for the Cowboys’ job if Jerry Jones pulls the plug on Jason Garrett.

Meyer's response:

"Pure speculation, because I know [Riley], but I don’t know him like that, but that’s the one [job]. That’s the New York Yankees, that’s the Dallas Cowboys, that’s the one. Great city, you got Dak Prescott, you got Zeke Elliott, you got a loaded team, and I can’t speak for [Riley] obviously–I hate to even speculate–because I don’t know him, that’s really not fair, but to me, that’s the one job in professional football that you kind of say, ‘I gotta go do that.’

Cowherd followed by asking if Meyer would be interested if the Cowboys reached out (which, Meyer indicated, they have not).

“Sure,” Meyer said. “Absolutely. Absolutely. That one? Yes.”

Your move, Jerry.

Philly Not-So-Special

The Eagles didn't lose to the Cowboys Sunday night because of this lack of effort from Nelson Agholor, but it certainly didn't help.

R.I.P., Eric Cooper

MLB umpire Eric Cooper died suddenly over the weekend. The 52-year-old Iowa native spent the last 21 seasons in the big leagues and most recently worked the Twins-Yankees ALDS. He worked the 2014 World Series and was behind the plate for two no-hitters and one perfect game (Mark Buehrle in 2009).

"This is a very sad day across Major League Baseball," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement."Eric Cooper was a highly respected umpire, a hard worker on the field and a popular member of our staff. He also served as a key voice of the MLB Umpires Association on important issues in our game. Eric was a consistent presence in the Postseason throughout his career, including in this year’s Division Series between the Yankees and the Twins. He was known for his professionalism and his enthusiasm, including for our international events."

The league is planning to pay tribute to Cooper at the World Series.

Classic Rutgers

Rutgers gets a reprieve from conference beatings this weekend by hosting Liberty, whom it paid $1 million to play in Piscataway, N.J. The Scarlet Knights, 1-6 after another blowout loss and underdogs vs. the Flames, wouldn't be the first team to lose a million-dollar guarantee game (Arkansas lost a $1.5-million game vs. San Jose State earlier year), but it would be the most expensive loss in program history. From NJ.com:

"And if Rutgers manages to pull the upset and knock off the Flames, it will have paid a combined $2.3 million for its pair of wins this season [they paid $1.3 million to Texas State] - the same amount of salary due to fired former coach Chris Ash this year."

The best of SI

Lamar Jackson is becoming a must-see attraction. ... Our NBA Finals picks are in ... Jose Altuve delivers a postseason moment for the ages ... What Tua Tagovailoa's injury means for Alabama. ... It all comes back to starting pitching for the Yankees.

Around the sports world

Buyouts for college football coaches. ... Saints players mocked Tarik Cohen over his height. ... Three ways to fix the onside kick to make it less impossible. ... If Air Force leaves, could the Mountain West actually target North Dakota State? ... Clemson CB Andrew Booth was forced to take the managers’ bus home after throwing a punch in the Louisville game. ... "We won it twice." The Chargers were left in disbelief after a soul-sucking last-second loss to Titans. ... Jose Altuve’s pennant-clinching walk-off sounded brilliant from the radio booth.

Yes, that's what's holding the Bears back

SkyCam FTW

The Lane Train never stops

Nailed it

Where it all began

I was browsing various Jose Altuve notes and highlights on Sunday night when I stumbled across his first career hit from July 20, 2011. To think what's followed since:

A touching way to start your week

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