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In this week's Sunday Q & A, The Athletic delves into that further with Tigers' Vice President of Player Development Dave Littlefield.

DL: Certainly we have high hopes for Jacoby Jones and what he ends up becoming. He’s a talented athlete. Christin Stewart has done a fantastic job since he signed. He’s got good power from the left side of the plate. He has a good eye; he works the count well and gets on base, two attributes that are very valuable moving forward.

KS: I know it can be difficult to put a timeline on players, but how soon do you think fans should expect to see Jacoby Jones at the major league level on a regular basis?

DL: Every player has things to work on. In Jones’ case, he’s a fantastic athlete, but an area he's got to work on is tracking pitches and working the count and cracking the breaking ball. That has been a challenge for him… It was a different scenario at the major-league level this season with centerfield being kind of an unknown. As it played out, we gave him a fair amount of time there, which probably sped up the development process more than we would have like to, but we are always willing to challenge good athletes. It’s kind of the way it works.

I don’t know the exact timeline. We want him to be a good big leaguer. He has good athletic ability and good instincts but to be above- average– we want to help finish him off, and it's clear one of things he needs to continue to work on is to track breaking balls, work the count. When that happens is hard to say.

LooseGoose wrote:I almost clicked subscribe the other day when we talked about it here. The only reason I didn't that I need fewer places to visit not more.

What sat between Cooper and his senior football season was 18 credits in one semester. It left Cooper starring down what seemed to be a never-ending tunnel. Fortunately, a support system and belief guided Cooper through this process.

“I really just kept faith in myself and the people around me,” he said. “I give a lot of credit to my learning assistant Laura Terry for staying on me every day and got me through the work every single day. I also thank my roommate Gerald Holmes for the many talks we had about what I had to do to get this done and for keeping me focused and grounded.”

Typically a social butterfly, Cooper now had to sacrifice many nights out with teammates and friends, in exchange for studying and getting homework done for classes that equated to 1.5x the average undergrad semester.

“The main thing I had to focus on was that if I don’t do this schoolwork I will not be at Michigan State,” Cooper said. “I stayed up late many nights thinking about the different scenarios and where I would be if I wasn’t here at MSU and couldn’t play my final year.”

Turtleneck wrote:Nicole Auerbach‏Verified account @NicoleAuerbach 14m14 minutes ago
En route to Dallas for our first-ever @TheAthleticCFB team meetings! Pumped to get to work.

LooseGoose wrote:I think I'll link stuff from The Athletic here so you know they're pay....nice article about academics and Spartans with a little more background on the Cooper situation.

Trail Blazers: Three Spartans turned fantasy into reality for their families

What sat between Cooper and his senior football season was 18 credits in one semester. It left Cooper starring down what seemed to be a never-ending tunnel. Fortunately, a support system and belief guided Cooper through this process.

“I really just kept faith in myself and the people around me,” he said. “I give a lot of credit to my learning assistant Laura Terry for staying on me every day and got me through the work every single day. I also thank my roommate Gerald Holmes for the many talks we had about what I had to do to get this done and for keeping me focused and grounded.”

Typically a social butterfly, Cooper now had to sacrifice many nights out with teammates and friends, in exchange for studying and getting homework done for classes that equated to 1.5x the average undergrad semester.

“The main thing I had to focus on was that if I don’t do this schoolwork I will not be at Michigan State,” Cooper said. “I stayed up late many nights thinking about the different scenarios and where I would be if I wasn’t here at MSU and couldn’t play my final year.”

The first time was a bad dream, one he knew he’d wake up from.

The second time was a test, one he convinced himself was worthwhile.

There won’t be a third one because, as Ben Carter sees it now, he knows “it was meant to be.”

“I know my purpose here at Michigan State was bigger than one year and bigger than what it's seemed like,” he said.

It sure didn’t feel that way in May. Carter, a 6-foot-9 forward, came to the end of the school year without an answer. Having torn his left ACL in the fall and missed the Spartans’ entire 2016-17 season, his college basketball hopes hung on what seemed like an arcing, last-gasp, half-court heave. Hoping to play at MSU in 2017-18, Carter petitioned for a sixth year of NCAA eligibility — a white whale in the world of collegiate athletics.

Herbie Green wrote:Is this premium content?

Editor’s note: Every Friday during the football season @FauxPelini will answer your football and life questions. These are actual questions from actual readers seeking advice.

Hi. This season I’ll be giving back to the college football community by answering important questions and solving life problems right here each week. Luckily some of you are deeply troubled and/or not very smart so this should not be super difficult.

Did I not tell you people last week the Lions would throttle the Giants? Was I not clear that game was a stone-cold lock and that the Lions, the team you people rip every time they get down three points before they even get the ball, were actually pretty good and no longer deserving of your scorn? Hopefully you doubled your daughter’s college savings and are now taking a trip to an all-inclusive resort because of me.

The only thing that was particularly degrading as a Giants fan was watching Matthew Stafford slice through the Giants defense like he was Randall Cunningham. When did Stafford become elusive? Did he go vegan in the offseason? He’s listed at 232 pounds but he looks sleeker. He’s on pace for a career-best 296 rushing yards and that just feels weird to me. It’s like watching a dog stand on its hind legs in people clothes. Don’t like it. Stop messing with your dogs.

But what I do like is the Lions getting three points against the Falcons this week, because the Lions are an unstoppable force that you will learn to appreciate before the season is over. Despite two wins by a combined 26 points, the Lions are an underdog against a Falcons team that needed divine intervention to beat a Bears team that lost by [tries to remember the final score from Week 2 but can’t] a billion in Tampa last Sunday. Vegas doesn’t respect the Lions, but I do.

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Found it!

https://twitter.com/TheRealSparty/status/889206010983927808

LooseGoose wrote:

Did I not tell you people last week the Lions would throttle the Giants? Was I not clear that game was a stone-cold lock and that the Lions, the team you people rip every time they get down three points before they even get the ball, were actually pretty good and no longer deserving of your scorn? Hopefully you doubled your daughter’s college savings and are now taking a trip to an all-inclusive resort because of me.

The only thing that was particularly degrading as a Giants fan was watching Matthew Stafford slice through the Giants defense like he was Randall Cunningham. When did Stafford become elusive? Did he go vegan in the offseason? He’s listed at 232 pounds but he looks sleeker. He’s on pace for a career-best 296 rushing yards and that just feels weird to me. It’s like watching a dog stand on its hind legs in people clothes. Don’t like it. Stop messing with your dogs.

But what I do like is the Lions getting three points against the Falcons this week, because the Lions are an unstoppable force that you will learn to appreciate before the season is over. Despite two wins by a combined 26 points, the Lions are an underdog against a Falcons team that needed divine intervention to beat a Bears team that lost by [tries to remember the final score from Week 2 but can’t] a billion in Tampa last Sunday. Vegas doesn’t respect the Lions, but I do.

https://theathletic.com/107937/2017/09/22/lozos-week-3-nfl-picks-i-respect-the-lions-even-if-vegas-doesnt/

Floyd Robertson wrote:Freebie

Davis: Rick Pitino's career, marked by ambition and success, ends in infamy

The “Avery Bradley Effect” in Detroit was put on display for the first time Wednesday night in the team's preseason-opening, 108-106 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in the newly-constructed Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit.

The score didn't show that. Head coach Stan Van Gundy gave fringe-rotation guys major minutes because, well, it's the preseason. But Bradley's defensive tenacity and the ripple effect it's supposedly caused throughout the rest of the team surfaced early on, and it provided a glimpse of what the Pistons can potentially become once the regular season gets into full swing.

Within the first eight minutes of Wednesday's contest, Piston point guard Ish Smith, who started in place of Jackson, who is day-to-day with a sore right adductor, had already tallied three steals. Detroit's defensive intensity forced the Hornets into several early bad shot attempts. It laid the foundation for a first-half drubbing, which ended in Detroit taking a 65-47 lead into the locker room.

“The way we played in the first half is what our team is,” center Andre Drummond said following the loss. “We started out with defense first and let our offense come naturally, and we got the ball on the break and found open guys.”

Bradley's presence was evident during that span, even though he wasn't always reaping the benefits.

“I call him a terrorist,” Drummond later said. “He's a tough matchup for guards. The way he was guarding Kemba [Walker] and their other two-man, it was fun to watch. It was tough for them to score, and it was easier for me in the back just to worry about Dwight [Howard] and not have someone come [to the basket.]”

This may be a year in which the Big Ten’s bellwether basketball program has to carry the water for the rest of the league. Michigan State is the league’s best — and likely only — chance to win a national title since … Michigan State way back in 2000.

While the league boasts some nice outfits positioned to reach the NCAA tournament and perhaps advance a line or two in the bracket, here’s the reality: The Big Ten will be strongest when programs like Indiana and Ohio State escape rebuilding or retooling mode. Until then, it’s a matter of patience — and of hope that Tom Izzo and Co. plant the flag on behalf of the league.

Top tier
Michigan State Pretty much loaded at every position and a presumptive national championship favorite. If Tom Izzo gets defensive growth from Miles Bridges and Cassius Winston, look out. The Spartans may not have a hole.

LooseGoose wrote:OTPT would love this article...

Edwards: If the ‘Avery Bradley Effect' is real, the Detroit Pistons might be OK

The “Avery Bradley Effect” in Detroit was put on display for the first time Wednesday night in the team's preseason-opening, 108-106 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in the newly-constructed Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit.

The score didn't show that. Head coach Stan Van Gundy gave fringe-rotation guys major minutes because, well, it's the preseason. But Bradley's defensive tenacity and the ripple effect it's supposedly caused throughout the rest of the team surfaced early on, and it provided a glimpse of what the Pistons can potentially become once the regular season gets into full swing.

Within the first eight minutes of Wednesday's contest, Piston point guard Ish Smith, who started in place of Jackson, who is day-to-day with a sore right adductor, had already tallied three steals. Detroit's defensive intensity forced the Hornets into several early bad shot attempts. It laid the foundation for a first-half drubbing, which ended in Detroit taking a 65-47 lead into the locker room.

“The way we played in the first half is what our team is,” center Andre Drummond said following the loss. “We started out with defense first and let our offense come naturally, and we got the ball on the break and found open guys.”

Bradley's presence was evident during that span, even though he wasn't always reaping the benefits.

“I call him a terrorist,” Drummond later said. “He's a tough matchup for guards. The way he was guarding Kemba [Walker] and their other two-man, it was fun to watch. It was tough for them to score, and it was easier for me in the back just to worry about Dwight [Howard] and not have someone come [to the basket.]”