ICYMI:
- J.T. Barrett had some things he wanted to get off his chest about his deep ball.
- Videos: J.T. Barrett, Ezekiel Elliott, Joshua Perry, and Adolphus Washington talk about the Buckeye bye week.
- Ezekiel Elliott: Mr. Consistency.
URBAN MEYER: ALWAYS ON THE CUTTING EDGE. Earlier this week, I mentioned Urban Meyer and Mickey Marotti are adept at making sure their teams peak at the right time.
Is this done by simple wizardry? Well, anything involving Urban Meyer involves a little bit of wizardry, but it turns out they have some help from technology.
From The Associated Press:
These days, Marotti spends as much time analyzing binders and computer screens full of players' physiological data and workload as he does supervising them in the weight room.
Marotti and Ohio State's sports performance team monitor players' heart rates during practice, along with how far and fast they run.
[...]
"If I'm in a bad mood or I think we're soft, we got to toughen them up. But I have to have a really trusted right-hand man that says, 'Here's where we're at. We had a very high-impact and high-volume day yesterday so we're backing off today.' I would never have done that," he said.
Before practice every Ohio State player takes a urine test to determine hydration. Players that are not properly hydrated don't practice until they are.
That's why Urban Meyer is the best in the business: Much like on rugby tackling, he's always willing to hone his way of doing business. Swallowing hard truths aren't easy for anyone, but given Urban Meyer's success — maybe they should be.
ADOLPHUS WASHINGTON ALMOST WALKED AWAY FROM OSU. Adolphus Washington came to Columbus with five-star expectancies. Given his 2015 dominance, it's easy to forget Washington's career didn't burst out of the gate. Had Washington Senior's career gone differently, Washington Junior might be playing somewhere else right now.
From Cleveland.com:
Washington was upset because it seemed like he and Bosa would make the same mistakes, but the coaches would get on Washington more.
His dad had to explain to him that it wasn't the coaches singling him out because they disliked him. They just expected more from a player who was a year older than Bosa.
"I went to UC, I was good," Washington Sr. said. "I could've started, but I let so many other things cloud my mind, the coaches don't like me. From my experience, I didn't want him to miss out because I knew the stuff wasn't true. Don't walk away from a great opportunity. That's what I did and you'll end up like me, working. I believe I gave him a good life, but I'd rather his life be much better than mine. I didn't want him to end up like I did."
Washington took those words to heart.
The article — that comes recommended in in full — reveals the tough loved continued all the way until February 2015 when Urban Meyer and Larry Johnson delivered a message to Adolphus: Get better.
Obviously it was a message well received.
Papa Adolphus is a boss up there with Papa Booker and Mama Whitaker. It's almost as if quality parenting raises quality children. (Remind me of this in 20 years when my writing devolves into rants against my juvenile delinquent [and mediocre] son.)
PRYOR ON THE BRINK. Terrelle Pryor worked out as a wide receiver for multiple NFL teams after being cut by Cleveland, but he's still working out in Pittsburgh, raising his son, and waiting for a phone call.
From ESPN.com:
Drew Rosenhaus, called it "a workout a week," and while none resulted in a contract offer, Rosenhaus remains optimistic that it's only a matter of time before a team has both a need at wide receiver and the willingness to sign a gifted athlete who has played wide receiver in only one half of one preseason game.
Despite Pryor missing much of training camp and the preseason with a nagging hamstring issue, Cleveland was willing to keep Pryor on its active roster on cutdown day. Pryor was the seventh receiver on the squad and the 53rd player on the 53-man roster. He lasted a week and was released so the Browns could sign a running back, Robert Turbin, who came to them with a high ankle sprain and wasn't available for a game until two weeks ago.
To hear Rosenhaus tell it, all five teams that worked Pryor out liked him. The issue -- and this does make sense -- is that because of his years playing in Oakland, where he started nine games in 2013, Pryor is not eligible for a team's practice squad. He would have to be added to the 53-man roster. Those spots, even at the bottom of the roster, are valuable and rarely used on a player who is viewed as a significant project.
The theme of the day seems to be "swallowed pride."
What if Pryor had swallowed his pride like Braxton Miller and made a switch to receiver earlier?
It's a shame Pryor's career shook out like it did. He had no business shitting on doughy future accountants in the lower-tiers of Pennsylvania high school football for as long as he did. Or if he had that one final ride with Tressel, instead of getting tossed into the NFL waters, for which he clearly wasn't ready.
Makes you think, that's for sure.
WARINNER TO THE DILLY BAR KINGDOM? Jerry Kill retired due to his health on Wednesday. Could Ohio State offensive line coach/co-offensive coordinator Ed Warinner be the man to replace him? Well, there's already internet speculation, so according to law there's now a 33% chance.
From Bruce Feldman of FoxSports.com:
Ed Warinner: One of the best O-line coaches in college football, Warinner has taken over from Tom Herman as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. The Buckeyes are No. 15 in the nation in scoring and lead the Big Ten in rushing yards by a huge margin at 247 per. They’re also second in fewest sacks allowed. Now that J.T. Barrett has settled in as OSU’s starting QB, don’t be surprised if the Buckeyes really take off and make a big run at a second national title. If that happens, expect Warinner’s stock to really rise. He also had done a very good job at KU under Mark Mangino and the track record of Urban Meyer protégés also is a big plus for him.
Minnesota could do worse than Ed Warinner (and they probably will). But you know what? Ed Warinner can do better than Minnesota.
No disrespect — I said that in my Fargo voice — but I think Jerry Kill was the ceiling for the Gophers, and they went 1-3 vs. Michigan during Blue's blue years. So yeah.
Still, if Warinner wanted to stay in the Big Ten, then the move would be to the division without Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh, and Mark Dantonio.
FOUND: THE WORLD'S WORST TATTOO. According to this same Twitter user, Michigan's No. 1 fan has a similarly-styled Notre Dame tattoo on his other calf.
Here ya go @bustedcoverage. Spotted at Michigan Stadium this year. pic.twitter.com/4BpEmARrH8
— Ryan O (@ryanmo83) October 28, 2015
If I unpacked and wrote about every layer to that cake, we'd be here until June. But here's a fun fact: Michigan's No. 77, Jake Long, was 0-4 vs. Ohio State.
My new goal this year during the bi-annual sacking of Ann Arbor is to trick this fella into committing a felony that will put him away for the next 25 years.
Hell, I may even commit one along side him, just so I can be the first to remind him of Michigan's loss when he wakes up on the slab cell floor wearing nothing but a turtle vest.
THOSE WMDs. Adrian Peterson is allergic to shrimp, still eats shrimp... Detroit, stand up... How Voltaire made a killing in the lottery... The 1918 World Series' military flyover was done by pigeons... Can't stop watching this orca punt a seal 80 feet into the air.
