I was feeling weirdly confident about today's USMNT game against Germany (Noon, ESPN), and then I saw Hulk Hogan weigh in:
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) June 25, 2014
Hell, that's not the one I was talking about. Let's try this again:
Watcha gonna do Germany when the USA runs wild all over YOU!!! Brother,USA Soccer,Lets Do It!!!!! HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) June 25, 2014
Get dumped then, Germany!!!!! DB
CATCHING UP WITH LAQUINTON. We last saw our old friend LaQuinton Ross turning heads at the NBA Combine as its fattest player. With tonight's NBA Draft (7 PM, ESPN), it's sounding like LaQuinton hasn't impressed in private workouts with teams.
From BT Powerhouse's A.R. Holmes:
After the combine, Ross was invited to workouts for teams all around the NBA, including the 76ers, Suns, Clippers and Mavericks. A lot of teams seemed to be interested in taking a look at Ross, but it doesn't appear that he really wowed any teams once they got to see him. Most workout reports only gave him a slight mention, most just saying he was there and worked out. Interestingly enough, in an interview after his workout with the Utah Jazz, half of the questions reporters asked the 6' 8" forward were about his former teammate Aaron Craft.
Ross' has impressive length, with a wingspan of almost 7' 2", and a remarkable shooting range. Luckily the combine and workouts have allowed LaQuinton to show off his range and shooting ability can go a long way towards making an NBA roster. The question is going to be whether or not teams have seen enough in the rest of his game to warrant using a 2nd round pick on Ross. Even if he doesn't get drafted, he will get a chance to try and earn a roster spot somewhere in the league.
I like Ross, but he waited a year too long to go pro.
TROY SMITH BEST OSU PLAYER IN BCS ERA? So says our Kyle Rowland in a BTN school-by-school breakdown of the best players of the BCS era:
The list of names at Ohio State is long, especially when you factor in the Buckeyes were one of the winningest teams during the BCS era. But I’d have to side with Troy Smith. He was Ohio State’s only Heisman Trophy winner during that time-frame and nearly [won] every big game he played in. Sure, he whiffed in the national championship game against Florida. That doesn’t disqualify him, though. Smith’s 2006 statistics led to one of the most resounding victories ever in Heisman Trophy voting. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,542 yards with 30 touchdowns and just six interceptions — and he defeated two No. 2-ranked teams in fairly convincing fashion (the Michigan game wasn’t as close as the score indicated). 2006 wasn’t Smith’s only great year. He was every bit as good in 2005, a year in which Ohio State could make the argument for being one of the top two-loss teams of all-time. Many will point to the Florida game, but his heroics against Michigan in 2004, 2005 and 2006 mean Smith will forever live in Buckeye lore.
As much as I love haranguing my comrade, it's hard for me to disagree with him here. Had things gone differently though, this could easily have been Terrelle Pryor or Maurice Clarett.
I was also going to say Braxton has a chance to jump Smith, BUT THE BCS IS IN THE GROUND BEING EATEN BY WORMS. (Thank You, Based God.)
THE KEY STRETCH. Adam Rittenberg, the talented 50% of ESPN's B1G blog platoon, has decreed the key stretch of Ohio State's season. It won't won't shock you.
A nonleague schedule featuring Virginia Tech, Cincinnati and Navy should provide some clues about these Buckeyes, but the true reveal comes in the second half of Big Ten play. Ohio State's visit to Michigan State is the top conference contest entering the season, as it pairs the participants in the 2013 league championship, but this time in a division game. The Buckeyes escaped East Lansing with a 1-point win in 2012 before falling to MSU last December in Indianapolis. A potentially tricky trip to Minneapolis follows as Ohio State faces an improving Minnesota team with a solid defense and a good run game. Ohio State has only lost once to Minnesota since 1981, but can't look past this game.
Indiana looks like the easiest game on paper, but the Hoosiers' potent offense will test Ohio State's back seven on defense, which has some question marks. Michigan then visits Columbus in desperate need of a win against its archrival. Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner passed for 451 yards and four touchdowns against the Buckeyes last season and will be settled into Doug Nussmeier's offense by late November. The Game also becomes a division contest for Ohio State.
If Ohio State's defense can't pass the test against Indiana, then I will officially be concerned for Ohio State's title hopes. (Something I didn't feel last year until the final fifteen seconds of the Michigan State game.)
Michigan grosses me out, but I'm not trolling when I say I'm more concerned about the trip to Minnesota than I am about The Game. Call me crazy if you want, but Jerry Kill with nothing to lose (at home) is a formula that makes me nervous, and I'm the same guy that predicted Ohio State to go 11-1 in 2011.
I also wish Ohio State opened with Michigan State. That game is going to be like two trains running into each other. I can't wait.
SPEAKING OF MICHIGAN STATE. The work of Pat Narduzzi, Michigan State's defensive coordinator, needs no refresher course in these parts.
I did, however, find this article from FootballScoop.com very interesting:
- Narduzzi charges his players to take ownership of their defense. He pushes his players to create their defensive blueprint. The 2013 slogan was, "A focused group of vicious brothers forever bonded to wreak havoc among all opponents." He then holds his players to the standard that they set for themselves.
- Players also come up with names for each position group. The defensive line was A-WOL, the linebackers were Bomb Squad, and the secondary was No Fly Zone.
- And how's this for fostering an environment of player ownership? Darqueze Dennard had t-shirts printed up for the defense at a cost of $600. Narduzzi instructed Dennard to hand over the receipt and have the university cover the cost, but Dennard refused. He went on to win the Jim Thorpe Award as college football's top defensive back and was selected 24th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.
I was going to joke about how excited I am to see Pat Narduzzi leave Michigan State by way of taking a head coaching job, but then I realized there's a good chance he could end up at a B1G school.
GEORGIA AND NOTRE DAME HAVE A DATE. Yesterday, Notre Dame and Georgia announced a home-and-home series for 2017 and 2019.
It was a strange announcement, considering the Irish already had a 2017/2019 date with the Texas Longhorns. Because this is college football, there can only be one premiere out-of-conference game a year.
W/Georgia games, Notre Dame-Texas in 17 & 19 in jeopardy. Hopeful we will be able to reschedule, Jack Swarbrick told @ESPN
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) June 25, 2014
*insert an E. Gordon Gee "joke" here*
UH, CHARLIE? Here's the best tweet from yesterday, sent from Kansas' satellite camp in Kansas City:
Huge turnout at Arrowhead. Much greater than expected. Boys are ready to compete. This should be fun. Rock Chalk. pic.twitter.com/k79MXEExWD
— Coach Charlie Weis (@CoachWeisKansas) June 25, 2014
How many were you expecting at Arrowhead, Charlie? Three?
THOSE WMDs. If you're needing an excuse to leave work for the USMNT game... Marion, STAND UP... The Sibling Dynamic of the World Cup... The Map of Native American Tribes You've Never Seen Before... 1931 Cartoon Map of Chicago's Gangland... The Cold War was crazy... Stone Cold Steve Austin runnin' wild... World Cup posters from the last 84 years... Why many doubt Jameis Winston will pass on the 2015 NFL draft... The 10 deadliest cities in the world... The first picture of Earth taken from the surface of another planet... Greatest photograph ever...
