Greetings, worklings. After a long - but not long enough - season of Buckeye hoops coverage sliding off my plate this is my first Skull Session since your deity/coach was still walking on water and your top returning QB, WR, RB and LT were still eligible so please be gentle.
Thankfully, we do have some spring ball happenings, an update on Mike Vrabel, a couple hoops bits and the fact the women's college basketball season has come to a close (no offense, it's unwatchable) to get your hump day started.
Unfortunately for me, my hump day starts with the 2nd of a three day, eight hours each, Six Sigma simulation. Have to say, I much prefer humping. Anyhoo...
Quarterbacks Take Center Stage at Tuesday Practice. As you no doubt surmised from viewing our motion picture in the post below, yesterday's practice was open to the media and did not disappoint. With Bauserman skipping practice in favor of class (for shame), Kenny Guiton ran with the ones and had a strong day leading the offense. Most of his throws were crisp and you can see how he's developing as it relates to coolness in the pocket. He seems to be more upright and when the protection breaks down, he appears more focused on using an initial scramble/move to buy time instead of immediately tucking and running as we've seen in the past. Though the time was limited, I have to believe Kenny G will see increased minutes with the starters as spring unfolds.
Meanwhile, Braxton Miller ran with the third team and while he looked better than the first time we saw him, the true freshman understandably has the most to show and prove as spring evolves giving way to summer workouts and fall camp. No question, he's got the talent to do exactly that and seems to be improving rapidly so don't count this kid out. Similar to Guiton, a big plus for Miller's chances of seeing significant minutes in the opening games is strengthened by his ability to escape pressure behind a line that will still be finding itself in September.
Armchair Quarterback Projecting. Keeping in theme of who the hell is going to quarterback this team for the first five games, Brandon Castel recently conducted a poll of various media types asking simply who will lead the first team offense onto the field against Akron.
Personally, I figured Bauserman would win, though I say Guiton, if for no other reason than Tressel's track record but surprisingly, to me at least, Miller won with 43% of the vote. Kenny G even out pointed Bauserman with 27% as Joe B finished with 23%. Before spring ball, I just assumed Bauserman would get first crack though I expect Guiton and Miller to get plenty of reps the first two weeks in order to sort out who gets the bulk of the snaps starting at Miami barring shoddy play forcing in a backup. What say you?
Give Vrabel The Chair Already. With details emerging in Mike Vrabel's Class D felony arrest for theft at the Belterra Casino in Indiana, I'm surprised he hasn't already been brought to trial and sentenced to Death By Trade to Lions. In case you missed it, the arrest stems from Vrabel allegedly taking four bottles of beer from a casino deli without paying for them.
Maybe I'm off base here since I only go to casinos with Sportsbooks, but aren't the beers supposed to be free if you are gambling? I'm not saying Vrabel should've went behind a counter and grabbed them but it's hard to fathom an arrest being necessary.
If anything, he's guilty of making a less than stellar choice considering he is one of 10 plaintiffs in the NFLPA's lawsuit against the NFL lockout scheduled to be heard today but a felony? I'm willing to bet (see what I did there) that doesn't stick for much longer.
Final Whore Four. Next on the police blotter is the case of Southern University AD Greg LaFleur. In Houston for the Final Four and supposedly looking for a new men's head basketball coach, LaFleur was apparently also looking for some, well, head. The former LSU tight end was busted on a downtown street after allegedly soliciting a person to take part in "sexual intercourse for hire." S-E-X!, er, S-E-C!, S-E-C!
Hoops Nugs...Still no definitive word on Jeff Boals though he appears to be the favorite to land the head coaching gig at Fresno State. According to Baptist, Boals has not yet received an offer but will be in Fresno today. Boals played hoops at Ohio University back when current Fresno State AD Thomas Boeh held the same post in Athens...The final ESPN/USAToday Coaches Poll was released yesterday afternoon and the Buckeyes finished 5th behind UConn, Butler, Kentucky and Kansas. Interestingly, Northern Arizona head coach Mike Adras voted Ohio State #1 in his final ballot saying, "I voted for who I thought was the best team in the country based on the entire body of work during the season," Adras said. "I believe it is Ohio State. I want to congratulate Connecticut for winning the NCAA tournament. They deserved it."...Finally, the Portsmouth Invitational gets underway later today and both Dallas Lauderdal and Jon Diebler will be in attendance efforting to improve their NBA stock. Best of luck to those two.
