So, how about that Alliance of American Football? That was a pretty fun opening weekend, wasn’t it?

While I was skiing in Colorado (well, technically, after I was done skiing for the day), I found myself watching the San Diego Fleet take on the San Antonio Commanders on Saturday night. I wish I could have watched the Head Ball Coach lead the Orlando Apollos to victory over the Atlanta Legends, but being in the western half of the country, I got the San Antonio/San Diego matchups.

Saint Anthony (San Antonio) got the win, obviously, and since I was watching the game live, I got to see the big hit heard ’round the world:

If the AAF can deliver plays like that on a weekly basis (though perhaps Shaan Washington could aim just a couple of inches lower next time), I think this new league will be just fine. And seeing all the former SEC stars on the Birmingham Iron roster is pretty cool, too.

Here are your Mailbag questions this week:

@Dobbe8:

Which SEC football coach do you think would make the best basketball coach?

The SEC has some great coaches both in the basketball ranks and on the football sidelines, from Rick Barnes and John Calipari to Nick Saban and Kirby Smart and many others. However, there’s one clear answer to this question, in my opinion.

If I had to pick an SEC football coach to switch to basketball, I’m taking Saban all day. First of all, he actually likes to shoot hoops a couple of times a week. Secondly, he’s a winner.

A big part of Saban’s success comes not from X’s and O’s, but from delegating. He sells top athletes on the Alabama program, and also hires top assistants to help with the game plans.

I would guarantee you that, with a couple of years under his belt, he’d have the Crimson Tide in the thick of things in the SEC, similar to what Avery Johnson has done with the program. To be fair, though, I don’t think he should leave the gridiron for the court anytime soon.

Robert:

In the wake of Urban Meyer joining you fine folks in the media, now would be a good time to rank players and coaches who were openly hostile toward journalists during their careers, only to join the media upon retirement.

There have been a surprising amount of grumpy coaches who have made nice with the media after retiring, but Meyer is certainly a special case. He went from the sidelines to the studio, then back to the sidelines and now is heading back to the studio with FOX. However, he still has plenty of company when it comes to curmudgeons-turned-commentators.

Here are the top five coaches/players who were mean to the media only to join them upon retirement. No. 1 should be no surprise:

  1. Bob Knight — Any list of grumpy coaches-turned-media member starts here. Why ESPN hired him in the first place is one of life’s great mysteries.
  2. Urban Meyer — Why anyone would want to hire a guy who flat-out lied to the media as recently as last year is beyond me.
  3. Mike Ditka — One of the all-time grumps, Ditka was a fixture on ESPN’s NFL coverage until just a couple of years ago.
  4. Jim Calhoun — The former UConn coach is such a big basketball guy that he resurfaced at Division III St. Joseph last season and continues to coach the Blue Jays this year.
  5. John McEnroe — McEnroe was legendarily crass on the tennis court, but he is one heck of a broadcaster.

A name to keep an eye on is Nick Saban. Saban rants at the media at least a handful of times each season, but still manages to make it on College GameDay a couple of times a year. Will he still be keen to do media analysis when it doesn’t help him recruit? That remains to be seen, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him stick around in the media after his coaching days are over.

@Topper_Fan:

Any chance the SEC gets two No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament?

The short answer is yes, but Kentucky’s loss to LSU on Tuesday night will hurt those chances quite a bit. Now, the Wildcats must split their two games with the Vols (if not win both) and make it to the SEC Tournament title game to have a chance at a No. 1 seed.

Meanwhile, the Vols could certainly fall off the No. 1 line if they lose both games to Kentucky and also fall in the SEC Tournament. However, what is helping the SEC is that the Pac-12 and Big 12 aren’t going to have a No. 1 seed this year.

The teams in the mix for the four No. 1 seeds are, in my opinion, Tennessee, Kentucky, Duke, Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan, Gonzaga and potentially Nevada and Houston. If the Vols and Wildcats don’t meet in the SEC title game, forget it. But if they do, and they split the regular-season series, they could both certainly be top seeds when March Madness tips off.

@HReside:

What sports movie should be remade and recast with Muppet characters?

After much careful consideration of this question and a few sleepless nights, I have decided that “Remember the Titans” is the movie that would be best remade and recast with Muppets. And by best, I mean it would be hilarious to see.

Obviously, Kermit would play Denzel Washington’s character, and that in and of itself is enough of a reason to remake the movie. Gonzo would play Petey, Miss Piggy would play Hayden Panettiere’s character, Fozzie Bear would sub in for Ryan Gosling and, of course, Beaker would play Sunshine.

That would be a really weird movie, but the Muppets seem to be undergoing a renaissance of sorts, so I’m sure “Remember the Muppets” would do well at the box office, somehow.

Honorable mentions to “Sandlot” and “Space Jam,” as thinking of both of those movies recast with Muppets makes me laugh.

Have a question for next week’s SDS Mailbag? Tweet at us using #SDSMailbag or email me at ASpencer@SaturdayDownSouth.com.