The Browns did better trash talking last night than I ever could, but let me guess, Bengals fans: you knew your team was sorry all season, right? #Browns #Browns #Browns
Hahaahahahahah! #Browns #Browns #Browns
This week's NSFW ANTI-WORK #BANGERS
- Peyton Hillis highlights.
- Derek Anderson's "good moments."
- Brandon Weeden gets trapped under the American flag.
J.T. BARRETT'S UNCLE NOT IMPRESSED WITH BRAXTON. Good news, folks: J.T. Barrett wasn't featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But he was featured in the national magazine, and you won't believe it: J.T. Barrett has been admirable in his replacement of two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Braxton Miller.
Most humorously though, are elements of J.T. Barrett's family that aren't satisfied with his progress; the redshirt freshman, however, appears to be grounded in reality.
From Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated:
“Of course you got the uncle that tells you, ‘Hey man, Braxton ain’t all this, ain’t all that,’” Barrett says. “I’m like, you have no idea. You just see Saturdays. Braxton, he’s a baller. I was letting them know, hey, I’m trying to be realistic with myself.”
You're not as good as your family thinks: that's probably a good rule to follow.
I also found this passage on an Evan Spencer/J.T. Barrett exchange interesting:
On the night of Miller’s injury, [Evan] Spencer returned to the team hotel and made sure to send a text to the presumptive new starter before he went to bed. I love you, I completely trust you and I’m looking forward to what you’re going to do this season, the senior wideout recalls writing to Barrett.
I've done a 180 on Spencer; he's a spirited leader on offense. He doesn't produce massive stats, but HIS IMPACT ISN'T MEASURED ON THE STAT SHEET.
WHO CAN STOP BOSA? (NOBODY). Joey Bosa is on our favorite team, which is a good thing. But it's a bad thing for people who are not fans of Ohio State (and their teams).
So my thoughts are with the poor soul who's drawn the task of blocking the Big Bear on Saturday night.Who's the unfortunate mark? Meet Jack Conklin, a 300 lbs sophomore offensive tackle for Michigan State.
From Bill Landis of the Northeast Media Group:
Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin could end up handling the bulk of the duties of stopping Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa on Saturday night when the No. 14 Buckeyes travel to East Lansing for an 8 p.m. kickoff against the No. 8 Spartans.
[...]
Conklin has showdowns in practice with Spartans defensive end Shilique Calhoun, who was voted the preseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. And he's already faced Nebraska's Randy Gregory, a speedy defensive end projected to be a first round pick in the next NFL Draft.
[...]
"I mean, you come to Michigan State to play the best teams, and obviously I'm excited to play against Bosa," Conklin said. "The whole offensive line is excited to play one of the best defensive lines in the nation."
The most remarkable thing about Bosa's production... every offensive line that's gone against him has "had a plan." But I guess it's like Mike Tyson said... everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
WHICH ONE OF YOU SWOOPED A HELMET. There appears to be a band of thieves wandering around Columbus intent on looting and pillaging The Ohio State University football team.
From Khalid Moalim of The Lantern:
The staff member reported that a chrome OSU game-worn football helmet — that has the number 32 on the back and the number 123 written on the inside in marker — was stolen, according to the police report. It was valued at $717.
Welp. That helmet is as good as gone.
OSU IN ON ELITE SAFETY. It's largely considered a Georgia-Ohio State head-to-head clash for the services of four-star 2015 Georgia safety Rashad Roundtree. UGA is considered a heavy favorite by analysts, but Ohio State appears to have a foothold.
Here's Sheriff Roundtree, Rashad's father, via Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
“Of course, with UGA, it’s the in-state school and has a good tradition. I visited with him there a couple of times, and he liked the atmosphere.
“With Ohio State, he said that there’s a different atmosphere in that portion of the country. And that’s why I wanted him to go out and see other programs – and see how people react and see how people do things. He was really impressed with Ohio State because he said it was just a different ‘feel’ there about the way they approach football."
Gotta hand it to Urban Meyer for building a culture unique to Columbus. Sure, the groundwork was there, but heaven help these other teams if Ohio State starts producing championships. The recruiting juggernaut will only get stronger.
BOB STOOPS FOR... MICHIGAN? Make sure to save the dates: we will likely be entertained with a bumbling Michigan search for Brady Hoke's replacement next month.
Bob Stoops is a name often thrown around in connection with Ohio State (Youngstown roots and all), but apparently a national writer thinks he'd be a solid fit for Michigan:
From Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports:
Stoops would win anywhere, and at Michigan, with all its built-in advantages, he'd win big – all while delivering a desired level of comity and consistency to the program. He isn't a guy who will be fending off NFL offers each January.
This is an established coach, a man with a modern offense and an old-school demeanor. He has the gravitas to seize command of the various factions surrounding the program. He will not be overwhelmed by the stage, the history or the expectations. He can win at the highest level.
As a bonus, he already took over a listless former power that was besieged by infighting (it's almost impossible to recall how bad the end of the Blake era was in Norman). He turned it into the most consistent winner of the last decade and a half in college football.
I wouldn't be scared of Bob-Stoops-to-Michigan in the least. The only candidate that would "intimidate" me is Dan Mullen.
THOSE WMDs. Cat in the Hat is a literary classic... Yes, Gordon Hayward pulled a chase-down block on Lebron... MESSI!... From @Propllrhead: Teddy bears turned inside out are the stuff of nightmares... "Sky's the limit," for current Indianapolis Colt/former Ohio State LB Jonathan Newsome... How in the Hell did NFL Blitz ever get made?
