Friday's takes will be served as soon as I figure out why some dudes wear baseball hats while working out...
This week's NSFW ANTI-WORK #BANGERS are some of my favorite documents on the internet:
URBAN MEYER RUNS OHIO, Y'ALL. Before Urban Meyer was hired, I was generally repulsed by recruiting. But since Urban strolled through that door (and I've been engrossed in Ohio State stuff seven days a week), I actually find recruiting to be pretty interesting.
I like watching how a team is built, the competition between schools, the back-stories of the recruits and the nationwide hunt to find Buckeyes of the future.
But enough about me.
Yesterday, Urban Meyer secured two prospects from the great state of Ohio:
- Three-star 2015 cornerback/blazer Denzel Ward from Macedonia. (Via Buck-I.8, here's an interview.)
- Four-star 2016 offensive lineman Tyler Gerald from Portsmouth.
These were two more players to earn their offers through the camp circuit. (It wasn't all good news, however, as the nation's No. 2 tight end, Chris Clark, chose a school north of Ohio's border over Ohio State.)
THE RISE OF TYLER GREEN. Speaking of 2015 commitments to earn their offers through the summer camp circuit, here's some stuff I didn't know about Tyler Green, from the Gaithersburg Gazette:
The statistics don’t jump off the page; after all, but that’s easy to understand since DeMatha Catholic High School rising senior Tyler Green wasn’t even a starter for most of his time last season with the Stags’ football team.
[...]
With 20 Division I recruits, it was tough for Green to crack the lineup, DeMatha coach Elijah Brooks said. But late in the season, against Archbishop Carroll, he started his first game at safety.
[...]
“He really committed himself, got faster, got stronger, and really became a big-time prospect,” Brooks said. “... He’s starting to blossom at the right time.”
Because I was raised in the Midwest, I love me some patient, hardworking grinders. Tyler Green is going to fit in fine at OSU.
A CASE AGAINST OSU. Ohio State is making the playoffs this year; that's just the bottom line. I don't expect to find much opposition to that statement here, but I did find this case against Ohio State from Bleacher Report to be some food for thought. Here's a snippet from the article (which also includes a case for Ohio State making the playoffs):
The Buckeyes relied on the power running game more than any team in the country last season, gaining big chunks on standard downs by giving the ball to Hyde. This set the rest of the offense up for success with manageable third downs, which it converted at a Big Ten-best 50 percent during conference play.
This year, the line must replace four senior starters, chief among them center Corey Linsley, guard Andrew Norwell and tackle Jack Mewhort—all of whom made the media's All-Big Ten First Team in 2013. Marcus Hall wasn't terrible, either.
[...]
Why should we expect such sudden improvement [from the secondary]?
Is it all because of Ash? Because that seems like a lot of pressure to put on a guy who didn't get his first defensive coordinator job until 2013. And it seems like more than a lot of pressure to put on a guy whose one year as a defensive coordinator yielded a 3-9 record.
I'm not worried about the offensive line because Ed Warinner could maximize the talent from a stone. The offensive line will be fine.
Ezekiel Elliot is also going to surprise a lot of people on a national level this year.
As for Ash, I blame everything on Bert.
Case closed. Start printing the playoff shirts.
YESSIR. Now let's hope these guys get back to the Silver Bullet way this fall (via Sammy Silverman):
THOSE WMDs. Andy Staples on NCAA President Mark Emmert's day in court... My new favorite downvote GIF... That's Not Breaking News... How stressful is life in your state?... I would support superfans if they were cool and original like these Japanese bosses... Seattle's Super Bowl ring... EnglandsWorldCup.jpeg... Ways Hollywood has destroyed America... Americans' faith in media hits new low... In 2013, Americans slept for an average of 8 hours and 44 minutes per night... If you're constantly losing your keys or wallet, these tracking devices can help...
