Friday Skull Session

By D.J. Byrnes on December 19, 2014 at 6:00 am
rashad frazier powers up
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Friday! I remember when Friday meant it was time to do the cool things. Why did I get older? I ask myself this every morning.

This week's NSFW ANTI-WORK #BANGERS:

ED WARINNER HONORED. Here's something any Ohio State fan worth their weight in Craig Krenzel jerseys already knows: Ed Warinner is the best offensive line coach in America.

But it looks like FootballScoop.com also honored him with their Offensive Line Coach of the Year Award anyway:

It was another outstanding year for Ed Warinner in 2014, good enough to make him the first two-time winner of the FootballScoop Offensive Line Coach of the Year. Warinner joins Mark Helfrich, Kliff Kingsbury and Philip Montgomery as the only two time winners of a FootballScoop Coach of the Year award.

[...]

Warinner had to replace four starters from the 2013 season finale to the 2014 opener, and built an offensive line that paved the way for perhaps the most balanced offense in major college football.

The Buckeyes ranked 11th nationally in rushing at 260.7 yards per game, 10th in yards per carry (5.78) and 14th in rushing touchdowns (34). Through the air, Ohio State threw for 246.8 yards per game, ranked sixth in yards per attempt (9.2), fifth in touchdowns (39) and second in passing efficiency (172.37).

Urban Meyer mentioned yesterday he's already began the search for Tom Herman's replacement, but he made sure to mention Ed Warinner.

It seems to me this is a bit of a trial run for Warinner going forward, and if he performs well, I expect a promotion of some sort to be in order for him. He certainly deserves one.

OHIO STATE MOVES THE NEEDLE. Remember when I said Ohio State would make the playoffs because it moves the needle? Today, we have evidence of that distilled into the simplicity of a Denny's placemat (the level of difficulty I require for optimal data digestion).

From Ohio State's Director of Player Personnel, Mark Pantoni:

makes u think

(Click to enlarge.)

The chattering class loves them some Ohio State.

THE HAPPIEST JAMARCO. I am sharing this because the Happiest Jamarco Jones warms the ashen remains of my heart:

I will now rate how happy things make me on a sliding scale of "Happy Jamarcos."

HORRENDOUS #TAKE, DODDS. How far has Eleven Warriors come in the last few years? Well, when Urban Meyer was introduced as Ohio State's head coach... I was sent to "cover" it. I shit you not.

I don't mention this to humblebrag, but as context for the time I saw Dennis Dodd in the flesh. He is a majestic creature, and he is also a real person who apparently wrote this in 2014 (via BuckeyePoetLaureate):

If there is any genuine outrage it should be directed at Pelini's current employer. Youngstown State's president is Jim Tressel. The same Jim Tressel who covered up NCAA violations at Ohio State. The same Jim Tressel who obfuscated during the investigation.

The same Jim Tressel who -- despite all that -- was hired as a university president. At the same time he is the CEO of Youngstown, Tressel is three years through a five-year show cause order.

In enforcement circles, this is like work release with robes and mortar board.

The only outraging thing Dodd mentioned is that Jim Tressel is only 60% of the way through his show cause order.  Other than that, this is your run-of-the-mill Jim Tressel fake outrage piece which I've dissected before. 

THAT'S EASY MONEY. As I wrote during Michigan State week: Cardale Jones is my favorite Buckeye; it's not particularly close. And Cardale's meteoric ascension has done little to diminish my early thoughts on the man.

From Joe Kinsey of Busted Coverage; it's good to see King Cardale living large:

yes

You're damn right that's Cardale Jones wearing an "Easy Money" t-shirt. (As Kinsey noted, it's a brand.) 

Am I shocked to learn it's likely Cardale Jones was out until 1:30-2:00 a.m. when he had a pre-9 a.m. final on December 17th? Hell no, because this is Cardale Jones' world, and not asking questions is part of my rent payment.

And while some super cool and chill people might grumble about how he should be watching film or something:

Oh, Cardale is going to be ready.

WHAT'S WITH THE WHOLE CORDALE THING? Speaking of the first human to ever win a College Football Playoff MVP trophy, you might have seen players on social media (or even Jones himself) reference Cardale as "Cordale."

So, what's up with that? Cleveland.com's Doug Lesmeries finally got to the bottom of the beat's biggest mysteries: Cardale is his government name, but Cordale is what his friends call him.

When he played at Glenville High, Jones had an older teammate named Cordale Scott, a receiver who was recruited by Ohio State but chose to go to Illinois. He played two seasons there in 2008 and 2009 before transferring to Toledo and finishing his career with the Rockets in 2011 and 2012 as a tight end.

Cardale and Cordale sound alike.

"Everyone would be like, 'Cordale, Cordale,' and I'd think they were trying to say my name and they're getting it wrong," Jones said. "And we both used to look up, like,'What?'

"So it just kind of stuck."

You know who also had a similar story like that? J.C. "Jesse" Owens. Could this be a sign from the heavens Cardale Jones is Ohio State's next transcendent athlete?

It's too early in the morning to be thinking this hard.

HILLIARD BLASTS MICHIGAN GOOF. There is a lot to be said about ignoring idiots on the internet. But on the other hand, there is just as much to be said about rubbing a moron's nose in his own stupidity like you're punishing a dog for shitting in your slippers. 

Enter talented #teen and 2015 recruiting crown jewel, Justin Hilliard, and his good tweet:

Enter Ricky, playing the part of the internet moron, and his bad tweet:

*steeples fingers* Ricky, unfortunately, you've made a grievous error.

R.I.P. Ricky. You will not be missed.

D'ANGELO RUSSELL WON'T BE HERE LONG. D'Angelo Russell is a lot like Joey Bosa in that neither of them will be playing amateur sports a minute longer than they're required to by law. 

From Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated:

The Buckeyes can get used to this, all right, with arguably the nation’s second-best freshman infusing a team angling to be second best in the Big Ten, at minimum. Ohio State desperately needed a more fluid, spirited attack this season, and it has one going into Saturday's showdown with North Carolina, jumping more than 100 spots in the offensive efficiency rankings from last year. Driving the improvement is Russell, a pace-pushing guard with instincts and vision that belie his age. He might prefer to make a pass on an angle no one else saw, but he averages a team-best 17.7 points per game nevertheless. No one on the Buckeyes spends more time with the ball in his hands, and there are plenty of reasons for that.

“I’m not sure I’ve played with a D’Angelo since I’ve been in college,” senior forwardSam Thompson says, when asked for a comparison to Russell’s abilities. “He’s a unique talent.”

[...]

So the scoring, the assists (5.2 per game, second on the team behind Scott), the usage rate of 31.3 percent that is nearly 10 percent better than the next guy ... it was at least a little predictable. “Coaches and my teammates look for me to facilitate and get everybody involved and do whatever it takes, and that’s what I do,” Russell says. “I kind of pride myself on doing it. It came easy for me, because it was something I was looking forward to doing. I try to be the smartest guy on the floor.”

Granted, I haven't watched much of Russell play yet... but I've struggled to find an apt comparison for him. Regardless, it's a #blessing to have an NBA-caliber talent on my favorite amateur hoops squad. I've seen tombstones move with more swiftness than last year's offense. 

THOSE WMDs. Mid-air brawl erupts over crying baby and reclining seats on Air China flight... GIF: Cleveland 1952 vs. 2014... Judge vacates conviction of 14-year-old boy executed in 1944... Should writers respond to their critics?... Rover finds new clue for life on Mars... Niners writer: "I have discovered some arrogance among Michigan fans."

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Ohio State Blows Out Indiana, 38-15, for Second Top-Five Win of Season

Josh Fryar

Prognosticating: Indiana

Dry Goods Contest
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