How Rece Davis Ended Up Being a Motivational Tool for Northwestern Football: TRAINA THOUGHTS

1. Last Tuesday, ESPN analyst Joey Galloway made it clear he wasn't buying into Northwestern as a team that could make the playoff.

The Wildcats were 4–0 at time, but Galloway made it clear he wasn't impressed. He told host Rece Davis, "I've been watching Northwestern play and honestly, they got a bunch of Rece Davises out there running around."

Davis took the jab in stride and responded, "High-level athletes, huh?" 

Galloway doubled down on insulting Northwestern's players, saying, "Yeah, very athletic, Rece. That's why I said that."

Cut to a few days later and the Wildcats completely shut down Wisconsin's offense and came away with a 17–7 win despite being 7.5-point home underdogs.

After the game, Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats made it very clear they used Galloway's knock as motivation.

The team's official Twitter account has even changed its name to "Fightin' Rece Davises" and continues to mock Galloway.

Galloway seems to be taking the whole thing in stride.

And despite getting hit with a side shot by Galloway, Davis is embracing his role as a motivator for Northwestern.

2. With Tony Romo pulling in more than $17 million per year from CBS, and Jim Nantz reportedly wanting to match his partner's salary, Fox's Joe Buck couldn't help but sneak in this wonderful line about "analyst money" during Sunday's Packers-Colts game.

3. One of the great things about sports is seeing something we've never seen before. That was the case Sunday thanks to Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, although the moment wasn't great for him.

Smith-Schuster appeared to hurt his foot after stepping on a penalty flag a ref threw to the ground.

Former Browns offensive lineman Orlando Brown once suffered a serious eye injury when a penalty flag got thrown in his face, but we've never seen a player actually step on a flag.

4. For me, there's nothing better in all of sports these days than being able to sit on my couch every Sunday and watch Patrick Mahomes play football for three hours. He showed why that's the case again last night. 

It's not a secret Mahomes is the best player in football, but we still enjoy a simple, yet effective quote like this one from Chiefs coach Andy Reid.

Yes, yes, you are good there.

5. The Undertaker made his "Final Farewell" appearance at last night's Survivor Series. I didn't quite understand the segment, with a bunch of superstars being brought out to the ring and then disappearing. And then Vince McMahon coming out to speak and also disappearing. And then the Undertaker comes out, says a few words about ending his career and leaves without ever interacting with all the people who had come out for the farewell.

Either way, I think we'll definitely see the Undertaker in WWE again in some capacity, based on what he said at the end of the latest episode of the SI Media Podcast.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.

Or you can watch the podcast on YouTube.

6. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: This was one of Saturday's Night Live's better Thanksgiving sketches, and it still holds up today.

7. SPORTS VIDEO OF THE DAY: On this date in 1991, Michigan's Desmond Howard hit the Heisman pose after a punt return TD against Ohio State.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.