Under Further Review – Douglas Smith with Co-Editor Bill Morphy and special thanks to Jordan Moss and Bill Myles. This week, the Canucks run adrift, we lose our voice on local radio, TV coverage fails to deliver and Russ blows! Quite the week!

State of the Union – Canuck Nation is having a collective breakdown. Can you blame them? Jim Benning is in his seventh year as general manager and the team is hemorrhaging. At best, it’s the fifth year of a rebuild. And where are we? It’s a place that should be familiar. The Canucks have been here many times in their 50+ year history. It’s Don Quixote chasing windmills.

Let’s forget about the false hope for this season. The expectations were out of whack. Upsetting the Blues and reaching a seventh game with Vegas may have been the worst thing that could happen. Hope for this season has left town. It’s more a question of how to move forward.

This is a story of serving two masters. When Benning was hired in 2014 to replace Mike Gillis, fans and media called for a full-blown rebuild. Benning and Trevor Linden termed it a “retool.” They would rebuild the roster while staying competitive and referenced Doug Wilson and the San Jose Sharks. Well, last time I looked there have been no Stanley Cup parades in San Jose. The Canucks have never had the patience and willingness to commit to a long-term rebuild.

Instead, Benning refused to turn over the roster until his third season. All that accomplished was delaying the inevitable. He pissed away draft choices and dished out dollars in free agency in a pathetic attempt to stay relevant. We know how that worked out. If you are going to play the blame-game, you must look at ownership. Was the refusal to rebuild because of pressure from ownership? How much of a role did ownership play in all the ill-fated free agent signings?

It’s the wasted assets that hurt the most. Benning has traded away four second-round picks in his seven years at the helm. He acquired an extra second-round pick from Anaheim for Kevin Bieksa but dealt it away to Pittsburgh in the deal for Brandon Sutter. He acquired an extra second-round pick from Tampa for Jason Garrison but immediately dealt it away to L.A. for the forgettable Linden Vey. There was also a second-round pick from Columbus when the Blue Jackets signed John Tortorella as coach. A second-round pick was dealt to Calgary for Sven Baertschi which turned into defenseman Rasmus Andersson who’s now playing in the Flames top four. Another second went to L.A. in last year’s trade for Tyler Toffoli. The Kings used the pick last summer to select Swedish centre Theodor Neiderbach. The Canucks may have to face Andersson and Madden and Neiderbach in their division for years to come. Tanner Pearson is the only player left to show for all the picks traded away for Vey, Baertschi, Jared McCann, Audrey Pedan, Philip Larsen, Erik Gudbranson and Derrick Pouliot. Nice asset management Jim!

When Benning arrived he was supposed to bring the Big Bad Bruins DNA. He promised the Canucks would be built in the Bruins model of toughness and grit. It’s never happened. Seven years in, the Canucks are without an identity and are easy to play against. There’s no one to protect Pettersson and Hughes. Jordie Benn had to come to the defense of Hughes in Toronto when Wayne Simmonds gave him a cheap-shot behind the net. Teams can take liberties against the Canucks with the knowledge there will be no response.

So it’s a good time for a State of the Union. What is the roadmap out of the mess that Benning has created? Don’t be fooled. This is not a one-year fix. The Canucks are still another year away from repairing the salary cap damage Benning has inflicted. You should not be cap-strapped when the two best players on your roster are on entry-level contracts. The good news is there will be considerable relief this summer. The Canucks can cut the cord with several veteran UFA’s including Brandon Sutter ($4.375 million), Tanner Pearson ($3.75 million), Alexander Edler ($6.0 million), Jordie Benn ($2 million), Sven Baertschi ($2.3 million) and Travis Hamonic ($1.25 million). Michael Ferland ($3.5 million) is likely to stay on LTIR. The Ryan Spooner buy-out ($1.03 million) will be off the books. The Roberto Luongo recapture penalty ($3.0 million) has one more year to run. There’s also one more year to go on the contracts of non-contributing veterans Antoine Roussel ($3.0 million), Jay Beagle ($3.0 million) and Loui (The Anvil) Eriksson ($6.0 million). Buyouts anyone?  Add it all up and the UFA’s plus Ferland and Spooner provide the Canucks with around $25 million in cap relief. Roussel, Beagle and Eriksson account for another $12 million in additional relief. It’s a huge opportunity to repair the damage.

Here’s the problem. Much of the money freed up this summer will go to resigning Pettersson, Hughes and goalie Thatcher Demko. Going outside the organization to fill out the roster is fraught with risk. If you can’t fill out your roster with entry-level players from your own system, you end up overpaying for players in free agency. Who can the Canucks reliably turn to from within the system? They’ve auditioned Jalen Chatfield this season but he was minus-4 in 13 minutes last Saturday in Toronto and looks like he belongs in the AHL. They have a pair of 24-year-old forwards, Adam Gaudette and Jake Virtanen, who have been sitting out of the lineup. Virtanen is a polarizing figure and is reportedly on the trade market.

There will be some attractive free agents available this summer that suit the Canucks needs. The top-tier includes Dougie Hamilton, Phillip Danault, Blake Coleman, Zach Hyman, David Savard, Ryan Murray, Joel Armia, Scott Laughton and Adam Lowry. The lower-tier includes Erik Haula, Casey Cizikas, Barclay Goodrow, Derek Forbort and Sami Vatanen. To get any of them, you will likely have to overpay. Never a good option.

When you take on players from other teams in trade, there’s usually a reason they are available. A year ago, Benning acquired J.T. Miller from Tampa Bay in return for first and third-round draft picks. Miller came to Vancouver and turned in a career year. All was good. Fast forward to today and Miller is often unengaged and his body language and moody disposition is a cause for major concern. Is Miller’s attitude infecting the dressing room? In case you are wondering, the Lightning selected Swedish goaltender Hugo Alnefelt with the third-round pick. He’s played in the past two World Juniors. The first-round pick was conveyed to New Jersey who selected Russian defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin. He was outstanding in this year’s tournament and is just the type of defenseman the Canucks are seeking – big and sturdy.

Over the weekend, Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini took to Twitter and gave Benning and coach Travis Green a vote of confidence for whatever that’s worth. Even if the Canucks wanted to make a change, you have to have someone ready to take over in the interim and there are no obvious choices within the organization. They should be checking in on former Pens GM Jimmy Rutherford.  It wouldn’t hurt to bring him in as a consultant for the remainder of the season. It would be beneficial to get his perspective on how best to move forward.  Most importantly, “the Canucks MUST take the keys to the car away from Benning.”

The current woes can’t be pinned on Green but it may be time for a change. The timing would be right if Benning is removed. Leave the hiring of a new coach up to the new general manager. My choice would be Manny Malhotra. Yes, you would be hiring a rookie coach but by the time the team is ready to contend, Malhotra would have two years of head-coaching experience. He’s done a magnificent job this season with the Leafs power-play and with their efficiency in the face-off circle. He’s got the respect of the players. The loss of top minds from the organization is very disturbing. Gone are Trevor Linden, Lawrence Gillman, Judd Brackett and Malhotra. The front office is just a shell compared to other organizations.

Ray Ferraro is right. The expectations for the Canucks this season were way out of whack. According to Ferraro, “there’s a lot of players who think they are doing the job and working hard but they’re not.” He pointed out correctly “that we are not seeing the second and third effort from enough players.” Ferraro was reminded of the famous line from Herb Brooks who told a player “you’re playing worse and worse every day and right now, you’re playing like the middle of next week.” We’ve heard it many times before – “your best players have to be your best players” and on many nights, Hughes and Pettersson have not been very good.

The underlying numbers don’t lie. The Canucks are at the bottom of the league in several defensive categories. In the opening game of the 3-game series with the Maple Leafs, the Canucks allowed 17 scoring chances off the rush. Four resulted in goals. That’s more than Dallas and New Jersey had allowed all season. The inability to slow teams down is one of the Canucks biggest issues. The Canucks rank last in the NHL in the amount of rush scoring chances allowed per game. The numbers last season were similar so it’s fair to say that Jacob Markstrom was the safety net.

We like to poke fun at the Maple Leafs but it sure looks like the Shanaplan is working out better than whatever plan the Canucks put in place. The Leafs chose a scorched-earth rebuild. They weaponized cap space and sold off aging veterans. Between 2014 and 2020, the Leafs made 60 draft selections. The Canucks made 48. Outside of the ill-advised free agent deal for John Tavares, for the most part, the Leafs have spent their dollars wisely and not deviated from the plan.

Under Benning, the Canucks have been a contradiction. For seven years, they have mortgaged the future for quick fixes. It’s been a fool’s path to think you could trade draft choices, compete for a playoff spot and simultaneously rebuild. What is so good about making the playoffs in a 16-team playoff format? Building a sustained Cup contender is a different story. There’s never been a PLAN! It’s been Rotisserie League roster construction.

Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini is clearly not happy with the way the dollars have been allocated. With the pandemic still in full-swing and no tickets sales, Aquilini has chosen an austerity program. Staff has been cut. The actual player payroll this season is $70.8 million versus the $86 million dollar salary-cap number. Aquilini balked at any player buy-outs during the off-season which prevented the team from signing Toffoli. Once again, conflicting strategies. A few wins will not change the outlook. There are no quick fixes for the damage that’s been done. Only time and patience will cure the ills. At least with a new regime you have fresh eyes on an organization in dire need of a makeover.

The Hydrant – The Canucks have unearthed a gem in rookie Nils Hoglander. If there were fans in the stands this season, he would already be a fan favourite. How can you not like this guy? He’s a 5’8”, 195 pound powder-keg of energy and adrenaline. He consistently wins puck battles against much bigger players. He’s fearless. He has an explosive shot and may have more offensive upside than anyone thought. Hoglander is a workout fiend with lower-body strength that’s off the charts. Whenever he’s on the ice, you can’t take your eyes off him. My vote for a nickname is The Hydrant.

NHL Notebook – Let’s be honest. The 2020-2021 NHL season is a write-off any way you look at it. The league office is focused on one thing – start next season on time in October with Seattle in the mix. Play an 82-game schedule, participate in the Olympics in Beijing, and get back on a normal cycle. What happens this year is secondary. If the schedule has to be reduced, so be it. If they have to go into a bubble for the playoffs, so be it. Get the season over with, one way or another, and start fresh ON TIME in early October.

One thing about hockey players. They are loyal soldiers. Do you really think Connor McDavid would still be in Edmonton if he were playing in the NBA? Adam Silver would have McDavid in L.A. by now. There have been whispers that McDavid is growing impatient with the situation in Edmonton. It hasn’t come from McDavid’s camp, only from other agents around the league. McDavid is on pace to top 100 points even in a 56-game season. Our bet is McDavid will look to move elsewhere by the end of the 2021-2022 season.

The Colorado Avalanche are expected to ask defenseman Erik Johnson to waive his no-trade clause. It would allow the Avs to protect Cale Makar, Sammy Girard and Devon Toews in the expansion draft. It would be a big help because it’s doubtful Seattle would select Johnson since he carries a $6 million dollar ticket and is signed through 2022-2023.

When the Oilers edged the Sens 3-2 on Tuesday night, it was the first time since November 2017 that the Oilers had won a game without a point from either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, a span of 225 games.

Many sports sites have been posting their selections for Team Canada for next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing. The consensus picks to play goal for Canada are Carey Price, Jordan Binnington and Carter Hart. Which begs the question?  Why is Canada not producing more quality younger goaltenders? I blame Hockey Canada. Kids are not playing the position because it’s too expensive. Parents can’t afford the equipment. In Finland, where they produce goalies like pickled herring, they provide them with free equipment and elite coaching at an early age. They are attracting great athletes to the position and every one of them is sound technically. We need to get this figured out.

The Nashville Predators are in a world of hurt. We have already chronicled the cost of the Kyle Turris buy-out. Seven years and a total of $14 million. The Predators top two centres, Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene, are both making $8 million per season. Duchene is under contract for five more seasons. Johansen for four more. Duchene has three goals and four assists in 14 games and is minus-8. Johansen had four assists in ten games before going on IR. How about sending Gaudette to Nashville?

What’s with the Montreal Canadiens blue uniforms? Please get rid of them and don’t do that again! The fashion police should have interceded. Whoever approved those unis should be flogged. On the subject of bad taste, have you seen the gold helmets worn by the Vegas Golden Knights? Who approved them?  Zsa Zsa Gabor? Holy Crap, they were gaudy! The players had to be embarrassed.

The Boston Bruins just keep on keepin’ on. Everyone thought the Bruins would take a major step back this season after losing defensemen Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara. Think again. Jeremy Lauzon and Jakub Zboril have filled in admirably and the Bruins just keep rolling along.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are holding onto a faint hope that they can still contend for a Stanley Cup. The Pens are recycling Ron Hextall as GM and Brian Burke, yes THAT Brian Burke, as President of Hockey Operations with the desperate hope they can somehow patch things together. If any team is crying out for a rebuild, it’s the Penguins. There’s pain ahead for sure. Try rebuilding when you are without first, third, fourth and sixth-round draft picks in the 2021 draft. Jim Rutherford reportedly quit because Pens management nixed a deal involving Kris Letang. At least we won’t have to listen to Burke any longer on HNIC. Actually, I don’t mind Burkie. He was cantankerous but he was the definition of an insider and he had opinions, whether you agreed or not.

Ode to Ward Cornell – We need to decide what we want in a hockey broadcast. When you tune into a game in Canada, the coverage has barely changed since the 60’s and 70’s. They go to the broadcast booth between periods and have the host interview a player or analyst. We may as well be watching Ward Cornell interview Allan Stanley. How compelling can you get? No, let’s go to Brian McFarlane with Gump Worsley. Are you kidding me? Is this how far we have come?

On Thursday night, I was watching the Flames-Canucks game on Sportsnet with the esteemed Dr. Stinky in White Rock (of course, we were socially-distanced) and instead of watching Shorty and John Garrett, we checked out the Flames broadcast crew. It was sleep-inducing. I’ve never taken Xanax but you get the idea. There was no energy whatsoever. Lawrence Welk was more inspiring.

With the demise of the newspaper business, there are no media critics left to critique these guys. Frankly, I blame the producers. It’s their job to make the broadcast more interesting. There were no graphics to tell the story at a time where analytics are readily available. No research done to educate the fan. Whatever happened to the between-periods features where they would go behind-the-scenes into a player’s home and give fans a closer look at their private life? Oh, I forgot. Continued budget cuts have ruled that out.

They need to give the Canadian viewing public some credit. Canadian hockey fans are sophisticated. They know the game. Don’t treat them like novices. I’ve heard the complaints. Too many women on the air. That they’ve have overdone it with diversity. You are in the entertainment business. The net result is all that matters and right now, the product is God-awful. Find the right mix of personalities, stop the pandering. They have clearly gone too far the other way with the political-correctness.  If it were up to me, I would reduce the HNIC crew to Jeff Marek, Kevin Bieksa and Elliotte Friedman and be done with it. You don’t need a cast of thousands. At one point on Saturday night, they had a seven-camera split-screen to include all the hosts and panelists. Why have so many people talking all at once?

For any sports broadcast, the bottom-line for every announcer should be – when you open your mouth, have something to say that actually helps us inform our opinion. Unfortunately for the majority of hockey announcers on the air right now, that’s not the case.

Less Talk. More Profit – What a devastating week in the media business! The suits at Bell Media cut more than 200 jobs in Toronto then shuttered three TSN radio stations in Hamilton, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Among the cuts on the TV side were Dan O’Toole, Brent Wallace and Natasha Staniszewski. In Vancouver, Bell shut down TSN 1040 in the middle of the morning show hosted by Mike Halford and Jason Brough. Out of nowhere, they announced the station was changing formats, then played Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day, seemingly unaware of the actual title of the song. Halford and Brough were given 30-minutes by security to vacate the building. Don Taylor learned the news while driving to work. Talk about a gut-punch!

Bell announced that TSN 1040 will become an all-comedy station – Funny 1040. Flipping formats from a sports-talk station with a dedicated listenership to all-comedy is the biggest joke of all.  For Canuck fans, listening to TSN 1040 was where you gained your voice. It was where you formed your opinion on the local hockey heroes. What’s left of the Vancouver radio market? If anyone thinks Sportsnet 650 can act as a replacement is grossly mistaken. It’s house radio! Holding the Canucks broadcast rights prevents them from serving as a trusted voice. Somehow it makes me feel like Vancouver just became a small Canadian market.

The mass lay-offs come less than a week after Bell Let’s Talk Day, the annual national day of discussion around mental health. Apparently, Bell Media doesn’t think the job cuts will cause any anguish among all the employees now out of work. Disingenuous or what? If that’s not enough to make your skin boil, published reports revealed Bell drew $122 million dollars from the federal subsidy program set up to aid companies during the pandemic. Meanwhile, BCE Inc. announced a profit of $889 million while revealing plans to invest $1.2 billion over the next two years in its 5G and fibre networks.

Super Bowl Postscript – No one saw this coming. The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs were dethroned by the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers and it was surprisingly easy. It was an old-fashioned butt-kicking and for the Chiefs, a lot of it was self-inflicted. The Chiefs beat themselves. A mass of first-half penalties put them in a hole and they couldn’t recover.  Regardless of who you may cheer for in the Super Bowl, you always want to see a well-played, competitive game. That’s not what we watched. There would be no Pat Mahomes comeback magic.

Kansas City had eight penalties for 95 yards in the opening half and 11 for 120 for the game. A defensive holding penalty wiped out a Tyrann Mathieu interception. A neutral-zone infraction on a fourth down and five gave Tampa a first down instead of kicking a field goal. Next play, its Brady to Gronkowski for a 17-yard touchdown. On the Bucs next possession with a minute to go in the first half, the Chiefs committed a pair of pass interference penalties that led to another touchdown and it was 21-6 Bucs at the break. Even the Chiefs punter, Thomas Townsend, contributed to the misadventures with a pair of shanked punts that went 29 and 27 yards.

The Bucs pass rush reminded me of the Seahawks vs. Rams when Russell Wilson had someone in his face every time he dropped back to pass the ball. Despite all the hand-wringing over the Seahawks offensive scheme and play-calling, it comes down to the guys up front. If the five guys in the trenches can’t block the four guys on the other side of the ball, it doesn’t really matter. The Chiefs found that out in the Super Bowl. The patchwork offensive line was missing starting tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz and as a result, Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul were in the Chiefs backfield all night.

Let’s give Tampa its due. They whipped a team that had won 25 of its last 26 games with Mahomes starting at quarterback. Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles should be prime head coaching candidates next season. The Bucs rushed 33 times for 145 yards and were in complete control. Linebacker Devin White was a sideline-to-sideline machine with 12 tackles and an interception. But we need to talk about the guy behind center.

Tom Brady cemented his legacy as the greatest player in NFL history. It was a virtuoso performance with 3 TD’s, no picks and a passer rating of 125.8. The incredible span of his career is remarkable. The first time he went to the Super Bowl, the advertisers included Blockbuster and Radio Shack. Think about that for a minute! Here are some of his unrivalled accomplishments:

• Brady now has 7 Super Bowl wins. The Steelers and the Patriots each have 6. It’s a record like Jack’s 18 majors. It will never be matched or broken. Do you really see another quarterback getting to 8?
• Brady has more Super Bowl MVP’s (5) than any other quarterback has wins.
• Brady has more Super Bowl wins (4) since turning 37 than any other quarterback has wins.
• Brady has 34 career playoff wins, more than double the next closest player – Joe Montana who has 16.
• At 43, Brady was the oldest player ever to suit up in a Super Bowl game.

Tampa finished the season on an eight-game winning streak. Brady and the Bucs ended up knocking off Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Pat Mahomes in a span of 22 days. Not too shoddy.

Seahawks Notebook – The numbers are right there in plain view to build the narrative. No wonder Russell Wilson finally cracked and went full Oprah on the talk-show circuit with comments about his offensive line. Talk about alienating the very guys who protect your ass! Wilson has been sacked 394 times in his 9-year career, an average of 43.8 times per season. At this rate, he’s sure to become the most-sacked quarterback in NFL history, surpassing Brett Favre’s total of 525.

Sure, the Seahawks have done a poor job of building a top-shelf O-line. But Wilson needs to look in the mirror. Everyone knows he holds onto the ball too long. He invites pressure by leaving the pocket too early, often running himself into trouble. Inside the pocket, he waits too long for the play to develop instead of getting the ball off quickly. Wilson is demanding better protection but many of the sacks are on him.

Could this be the year the Seahawks actually dive into free agency and sign an impact offensive lineman rather than bargain-hunting at the discount store? How about getting serious about improving the offensive line and signing Washington guard Brandon Scherff, New England guard Joe Thuney or Packer center Corey Linsley?

You can expect the Seahawks new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron to feature the tight end more in Seattle’s offensive scheme next season. Seahawk tight ends had only 66 targets this season. The L.A. Rams, with Waldron as passing coordinator, targeted right ends 122 times. One player who is sure to benefit is 2020 fourth-round pick Colby Parkinson who barely played in his rookie season. He should get every opportunity next season to bust out.

Seattle needs to look hard at defensive backs in this year’s draft, particularly cornerbacks. Hopefully the Seahawks noticed that all six of the Buccaneer defensive backs in the Super Bowl were drafted in the last two years.

It’s going to be a banner year in the NFL draft for wide receivers. The Seahawks would be wise to use a premium pick on a wide-out or slot receiver to provide the offense with another weapon. The Seahawks have been looking for a reliable third receiver for what seems like forever.

Seahawks reserve offensive lineman Chad Wheeler can forget about playing football again. He’s facing up to 12 years in prison after an alleged assault on his ex-girlfriend. Wheeler is charged with first degree domestic assault and domestic violence unlawful imprisonment. Wheeler is accused of twice choking Alleah Taylor into unconsciousness. She was left with a concussion, a dislocated elbow and a fractured humorous that required bolts and a steel plate to repair. Wheeler has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has pleaded not guilty.

Leftovers – Can we dispense with using the term G.O.A.T. to describe the greatest players of all-time? Enough already. Yes, Tom Brady is amazing but if you want to use that term, then please reserve it for Bill Russell. He won eleven NBA titles with the Boston Celtics in his illustrious career. He also won two NCAA championships and an Olympic gold medal. He was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year eight times. And get this – Russell was 10-0 in game seven’s in the playoffs. Ridiculous. But if you want the Ultimate GOAT, it’s Terry Fox. He ran the equivalent of a marathon or more every day for 143 consecutive days – on one leg – with cancer. No one – EVER – can match his heart and determination.

After acquiring the annoying Trevor Bauer, the Dodgers now have four players making over $30 million per season – Bauer ($34 million), David Price ($31 million), Clayton Kershaw ($31 million) and Mookie Betts ($30.4 million).

Keith Law of The Athletic just released his latest MLB prospect rankings. Tampa Bay tops the list. The Blue Jays farm system is ranked third. We will look closer at the Jays top prospects in the coming weeks.

Sean McVay and the L.A. Rams had better clutch up next season because the team has paid a king’s ransom over the past five years to acquire Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford. The combined cost for the two quarterbacks is 4 first-round picks, 2 second-round picks, 2 third-round picks plus $22 million in dead money on Goff’s contract next season. Yikes!

There is a long list of big name players in the NFL who could be off-season candidates for the franchise tag. The list includes Dak Prescott, Chris Carson, Shaquille Griffin, Kenny Holladay, Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, Shaq Barrett, and Trent Williams.

I can’t understand why the Pittsburgh Steelers would want to bring Ben Roethlisberger back as quarterback next season. If they do, they will have to re-work his contract. Big Ben carries a massive $41 million dollar cap hit.

The NBA announced on Wednesday that all teams must play the national anthem prior to games. The edict comes just a day after Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said the Mavs would no longer play the anthem before their home games. The club had fans in the arena for the first time on Monday night. The Mavs allowed 1,500 vaccinated essential workers to attend the game for free. Cuban said no one noticed that the anthem was not played. Cuban has supported players kneeling for the anthem as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. He told media members, “how would you like to have the national anthem played before work at the office every day?” I’ve always thought it was a strange and unnecessary ritual. National anthems are not played at sporting events in many other countries around the world.

Music Videos of the Week – Here’s a collection of music videos that we have come across recently. Quite an eclectic mix for you. We start with Jerry Jeff Walker performing “Stoney” from an appearance on Austin City Limits in 1986. Walker died last year so it’s kind of a tribute to the man who wrote “Mr. Bojangles.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86o7Zhv31fk

Here’s a young artist who’s making his mark on the music scene as one of the top young guitar players out there today. His name is Quinn Sullivan. Here he is at Daryl’s House performing “Let It Rain.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYBpqtA2ibo

Doyle Bramhall II is an artist that has gained a lot of attention over the past few years. Here’s the official music video for the song “Everything You Need.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYmwXC4LCdo

And finally, how about a fine cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” from John Mayer at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Ov0cDPZy8

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