Jim Schwartz’s TV hero? Who is Alex Trebek

Football for $1,000, please. The answers for Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz came through Jeopardy and legendary host Alex Trebek, who recently passed. The show heightened Schwartz’s fascination for playing smart and fast.

“You look back and see lessons learned from stuff like that and you see the carryovers to football,” Schwartz said last week. “It’s not just getting the right answer, it’s getting the right answer quicker than everybody else. I’ve always talked to football players about this.”

Schwartz’s defense could do a better job of finding the answers before the opposition. The Eagles have just three interceptions this season, next to last in the league and with seven takeaways are tied for 29th on the circuit. With five takeaways in back-toback wins over the Giants and Cowboys, the Eagles at least are trending upward.

Trebek, a native Canadian Schwartz and millions of sports fans turned to for a daily dose of Jeopardy, was almost was the voice of Hockey Night in Canada. He was a finalist for that coveted job in 1971 along with Dave Hodge, who wound up getting the position, according to a piece by The Hockey News writer Ken Campbell.

The producers of Hockey Night in Canada wanted a fresh, new look and Trebek, from the University of Ottawa, offered that and experience having hosted horse racing and figure skating events.

Ralph Mellanby, the father of former Flyer Scott Mellanby and a former executive producer of Hockey Night telecasts, told Campbell that he argued Trebek’s case to Ted Hough, president of the CBC, but to no avail.

“We’re watching Alex’s audition and I said, ‘Ted, that’s the guy I really want,’” Mellanby said. “And he said, ‘We’re not hiring him. We don’t hire guys with moustaches!’ So, I hired Dave Hodge.”

Trebek passed away at age 80 after 36 years hosting Jeopardy. Football and other sports were frequently used categories on the show. He also stayed close to hockey, and in 2017 hosted the NHL’s top 100 gala as part of All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

Last year, Trebek presented the Hart Trophy as league MVP to Nikita Kucherov of Tampa Bay. Trebek did that after learning he had pancreatic cancer.

Trebek is gone, not forgotten. He gets our Heart Trophy as MVP of game shows. His legacy lives on just as the Daily Double will.

“Practice is important,” Schwartz said. “Command is important. Thinking quick is important. Competitiveness is important. Those are the lessons that I learned from just watching a silly game show on TV.”

••• Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is 4-0 against Washington and 1-16 against the rest of the NFL. The other victory was over Tampa Bay and Jameis Winston last season.

The Eagles are 2-0 versus Jones and the Giants, who host the Birds Sunday.

••• The Ravens (6-2) have scored at least 20 points in 31 consecutive regularseason games, the longest streak in the league. The tear began when Lamar Jackson took over for Joe Flacco at quarterback.

Anyone else still remember the day that Jackson refused to work out at any position except quarterback at the NFL scouting combine?

The previous record for scoring consistency was set by the 201214 Broncos, with Peyton Manning at quarterback. They netted 20plus points in 30 straight games.

••• The Seahawks (6-2) are the only team to score 25 or more points in their first eight games this season, averaging a leaguebest 34.2 points, tops among four teams netting more than 30 per week.

The Chiefs (8-1) average a league-leading 31.8 points, the Packers (6-2) average 31.6 points, the Saints (6-2) 30.5 points.