Offseason Saturday programming notes:
- Westerville North is hosting a regional for Nike's The Opening, a combine tryout circuit for the top prospects in America. The Lord of Whispers posted a primer last night, and Eleven Warriors will have coverage throughout the day. Follow Birm, Eric, and Tim on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates.
- The Ohio State men's volleyball team plays BYU for an NCAA championship at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. Even if, like me, you know nothing about the sport it's still entertaining to watch.
HELLO, RAEKWON! BIG FAN HERE. Had four-star St. Ignatius DE Dre'Mont Jones not torn his ACL during a state tournament basketball game last March, it's conceivable he would've seen time on the interior of the defensive line last season.
Jones will debut in 2016. And while he's certainly talented enough to one day become a household name (and face), he's not yet on that level. He attended Cedar Point's Ohio State Day on Friday, where he was mobbed by fans that thought he was middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan.
It's always a great day at Cedar Point when OSU fans come up to you to ask for a picture thinking you're Raekwon!
— Dre'Mont Jones (@TheOfficial_80) May 6, 2016
To be fair... they two do bare an uncanny resemblance, as seen below. Can you tell the difference?
Actually, just kidding. The above picture is a face swap—that's what my interns tell me the kids call them—where their faces are, well, swapped.
Here's what they actually look like; Dre'Mont is on the left and Raekwon is on the right.
McMillan is listed at 6-2, 240 pounds. Jones is at 6-3, 280 pounds... so it's easy to see why these fans thought they were looking at an Ohio State middle linebacker.
But if you're intent on interrupting an amateur athlete's outing at a Cedar Point, be sure to ask yourself: Am I 100% sure of this man's identity? If not, you might end up looking like a jackass. You don't want to end up as a jackass. Trust the jackass on this one. It's nothing nice.
MARSHALL GETS BUSY. Jalin Marshall went undrafted last week, and some Ohio State fans were quick to point at his presumed ashes and cluck, "He should've stayed in school!"
Marshall recently witnessed the birth of a daughter, and there are other ways to make it in the NFL than through the draft. The benefit of going undrafted is you can pick your team.
Marshall, rocking No. 89 now, appears to have found himself a favorable situation:
Video: WR drills. Titus Davis (84), Jalin Marshall (89), Charone Peake (17) #nyj #Jets pic.twitter.com/oyrHpooFTZ
— Chris Nimbley (@Cnimbley) May 6, 2016
Drills aside, Marshall stood out in his first jets practice:
Jalin Marshall climbs the ladder (in figurative sense because ladders aren't allowed on the field) to haul in a high Hackenberg pass. #Jets
— Darryl Slater (@DarrylSlater) May 6, 2016
Ohio State WR Jalin Marshall getting a lot of action today. He's a UDFA.
— Darryl Slater (@DarrylSlater) May 6, 2016
Ohio State undrafted free agent WR Jalin Marshall looked very good in the first practice of Jets rookie minicamp.
— Dan Leberfeld (@jetswhispers) May 6, 2016
At least this year when I get bored by Round 6 of my computer football draft I can just start shouting out random Buckeyes. Marshall's work in New York will certainly be worth monitoring in the meantime.
BOSA, THE NEXT MERRIMAN? Former San Diego Chargers offensive lineman Nick Hardwick stopped by a San Diego radio station on Thursday and got asked about Joey Bosa, the franchise's No. 1 overall pick in last week's draft.
Hardwick said Bosa reminded him of three-time Pro Bowler Shawne Merriman.
From espn.com:
via @shawnemerrimanHardwick discussed how Chargers first-round pick Joey Bosa could fit into San Diego defensive coordinator John Pagano’s scheme, comparing him to another pass-rusher the longtime Chargers center played with while with the franchise -- Shawne Merriman.
“I saw a picture on Instagram on Shawne Merriman’s page, and it was Merriman, John Pagano and Joey Bosa,” Hardwick said. “And right then it struck me that Joey Bosa is Shawne Merriman. And I’m not saying they’re going to play the same position, and I’m not sure how they’re going to use Joey.
“But Merriman also was a 5-technique in college. He was a 4-3 defensive end. And when he got drafted here, everybody said what are we going to do with him? He didn’t make a ton of plays in college, but he was physically a freak show.”
Just think what Bosa could accomplish if he pumped himself up with horse steroids!
A PROFILE OF THE MAN WHO FOUNDED MENSA. Many people don't know Houston coach Tom Herman also founded MENSA, the organization for geniuses, in 1947.
Surprisingly, yesterday was the first time I typed "Tom Herman MENSA founder" into Google. I found Herman's MENSA profile, which is excellent aside from an egregious claim he's only been a member since 1998.
From us.mensa.org:
My [former] boss, coach Urban Meyer: In my business you usually don't get hired by guys who don't know you. The first time I shook his hand was after an Iowa State game. At the end of the [2011] season, in December, my cellphone rings, and it's a Gainsville [Fla.] number. [Meyer had just accepted the head coaching position at Ohio State after a one-year hiatus from football. Prior to that, he had coached the Florida Gators to two national championships in six years.] It was in the morning, and I was trying to sleep in; I hadn't since July. He said, “This is Urban Meyer.” I said, “Yeah, right,” figuring it was a prank. I could've blown it right then. He said he'd followed my path and wanted to interview me.
Couple this with Cardale Jones worrying about getting during the draft, and I'm left wondering if football guys don't walk around in perpetual fear of being pranked.
Preparing student athletes for life after college: It's hard. It's really hard nowadays. When I was an undergrad, when you graduated from college you got a job. I don't think that's the case now. It's a very competitive job market these days. And college athletes are at another disadvantage, because with all the time they have to spend practicing they can't take advantage of some other opportunities. But we do our best to prepare them. At Ohio State we have this program called Real Life Wednesdays. Every Wednesday we bring in someone with real-world knowledge to talk to the team. It might be how to buy insurance, how to maintain your credit score, real-life stuff. Then we also bring in guys with different professional experiences, everything from FBI agents to entrepreneurs to corporate CEOs. Those sessions culminate in a job fair at the end of the year for just our athletes, where there are something like 75 to 100 companies represented. We work with them so that hopefully when their playing days are up they'll have a leg up in this competitive job environment.
Off the field: I do a lot of crossword puzzles. I read a lot. I try to read a lot of nonfiction about leaders and business people and others who've been successful in all facets of life. I don't have too many hobbies. This job takes enough of my time that when I'm free I try to relax with my family.
I hope Herman laughs whenever Texas A&M or Texas come begging for his services. It's easier to type that sentence than turn down a multimillion dollar raise, so it's going to be sickening if it ever happens. Neither school deserves him after failing to make a move in the winter.
DARRON LEE, NOT BAD EITHER. It's less newsworthy a first-round draft pick popped in practice than an undrafted free agent doing the same, but Darron Lee also looked the part in yesterday's Jets practice.
From jetswire.com:
HUGHES: He’s quick, my man. It was tough to get an exact read on him because there was so much to watch, but you could see he’s athletic. The two plays that jump out are the sack he had where he came firing up the middle, then the play where he “tackled” the guy.
Tackle aside, what stood out to me was how Lee was able to get from his middle linebacker spot, to the flat to make the play on the running back before he got more than a couple yards up the field. The scouting reports and tape don’t lie. . . dude’s got some get-up.
He also brought too much juice:
Darron Lee just tackled someone during non-contact drills in shorts. Todd Bowles immediately called him over to chat about it #NYJ
— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) May 6, 2016
— Darron Lee (@DLeeMG8) May 6, 2016
Somewhere in the distance Urban Meyer smiles like a proud dad.
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