For my next trick, I will put a ball through a hoopHappy Tuesday everyone, and welcome to your morning Skull Session. I don't know about you, but for the past few days I have been fervently following the NFL Combine in Indianapolis for apparently pretty much no reason at all. Todd McShay gave an interview on one of the ESPN talk shows where he essentially said that 99% of the stuff we as fans get really excited about (40 times, Wonderlic scores, shuttle times, bench press reps) mean very little compared to the routine physical that players get, and the interviews that they conduct with the media and with teams.
Than he sat on a big pile of money and wrote 1500 words about the performance of Cam Newton's ankles in agility tests for ESPN Insider.
As much as the Combine may not matter, and it really doesn't, there is an undeniable curiosity and an arguable value in fans trying to get some quantifiable data to compare against what the media has been telling us. Is Cam Newton really that fast? Can AJ Green really jump that high? Is Brian Rolle actually that height (no)? They aren't really important questions, but they are interesting. And when NFL talent scouts often ultimately rely on some of these measurables to convince owners to draft guys and hand out millions of dollars, there are some stakes involved as well. So yes, some of you may roll your eyes later on in this Skully when I provide a link to some results for OSU players, but you have to admit it is at least kind of cool.
But first...
WE'RE BACK (not just a film about dinosaurs) Yes, it is an ultimately meaningless poll that will not influence the NCAA tournament in any real way, shape or form. And no, Ohio State gains no real benefit from this other than bragging rights. On the other hand, this is college sports. Bragging rights are pretty much the most important thing in the entire world.
When Thad Matta saw the breadth of his kingdom, he wept; for he had no more rights to brag. Ohio State was again the #1 team in the land. Actually, one interesting thing to be gleamed from this is how high BYU vaulted up in the eyes of the voters due to their very impressive win over San Deigo State, a win which will also have huge implications in our next item.
Bracketology! Alas, as of now, the experts do not forsee a second round matchup between Ohio State and either Xavier or Cincinnati, but a reflection of their freshly minted number one ranking (and as a result of pretty much everyone in the top 5 having a horrible couple of weeks), OSU now seems to have a lock on the overall #1 spot in the tourney. If the Buckeyes can finish out the season without another loss and do well in the Big Ten tourney, it's hard to imagine them relinquishing it.
As for BYU, a little Jimmer magic has rubbed off on the rest of the team, and they have biked all the way up to number 3 in both polls, even scoring 5 first place votes in the AP. A lot of people criticize their schedule, and they still would be a controversial pick to be a #1 seed in March Madness, but if they continue to look as good as they did against SDSU it will be hard to keep em down.
He Can't Help Himself Thad Matta was looking for a way to tighten up his team's defense before the Indiana game, so instead of giving them all +2 Swords of Reckoning (which always works for me), he reached out to Indiana coaching legend and Ohio State alum Bob Knight, who was more than happy to provide a drill that the players apparently hated but also worked out fairly well. In other words, pretty much exactly the kind of thing you would expect from him. Some (dumb) Indiana fans are a bit up in arms about their hero consorting with the enemy, but blood is thicker than water and I'm fairly sure a young Bobby didn't grow up playing hoops in Massillon dreaming of playing for the Hoosiers. Of course, Indiana fans might've also been somewhat sore after their coach decided to act like a giant baby after the loss by refusing to meet with the press in the actual press room, instead opting to field questions outside of his locker room during Matta's presser.
Reporting From The Combine Various Ohio State related stuff here: As we mentioned yesterday, Dane Sanzenbacher turned in a nice 40 time, running in the mid 4.5s. Not quite a burner, but certainly more than adequate speed in the eyes of most scouts. It'll actually be very interesting to see how and where he gets drafted; despite Buckeye nation's general dislike of Mr. Brian Hartline, he's become a serviceable WR in the NFL and his tempered success could help Sanzo in a round-about way. Saine turned in a predictably blazing 40 time, at 4.43, which should help his draft stock. Brian Rolle was also very fast, running his in 4.56.
Ross Homan put up the best bench press of any LB, with 32. Unsurprisingly, a knock on both Homan and Rolle was their lack of size (Rolle was officially measured at 5 foot 10), but I think their clear athleticism, especially that of Rolle, will help them in the draft. One weird thing did pop up on the bio for Justin Boren (as Jason catalogued originally Saturday), though:
Plays angry on the field but his mental makeup is in question after a transfer from Michigan.
Really? I'd say that his foresight in not getting mixed up in that mess for several more years and moving to a far more successful program shows a pretty sound mental makeup on his part.
This Is Fake But also very, very funny.
