Well, if it wasn't official before, it's official now: Ohio State's title defense begins today as the Buckeyes open their fourth(!) spring camp under Urban Meyer's regime. (It might not be the pure crystal of an Alabama shellacking, but I'm grizzled enough to get a solid buzz off spring football.)
The old camps were in the afternoon, but Urban switched it up on 'em in this round; Ohio State's grind will occur in the morning hours.
The biggest questions I have entering camp are if Tommy Schutt is ready to play at the level Ohio State is going to need him to play and where they'd turn if he isn't. For what it's worth, I have Ohio State pegged for the repeat.
THE LEGEND OF MAROTTI. One — of many — reasons I'm not a health fundamentalist is because it seems to be an incessant back and forth on things being good/healthy and bad/put you in an early grave.
Are carbs good? Are carbs bad? Those people never seem to know. My only principle is I try not to eat like a dipshit toddler left unattended in a candy store.
Thankfully for Ohio State fans, I don't run the football team's strength and conditioning program. That honor belongs to strength sensei Mickey Marotti.
From Jeff Svoboda of BuckeyeSports.com:
Ohio State’s associate athletics director for football performance, who is often described as Urban Meyer’s right-hand man, is an old-school kind of guy, too, so when advancements in technology and training methods came along, his first thought used to be that he knew what he was doing.
“When I was younger, you’re always resistant because you take it personally,” Marotti said. “But as you get older, you understand if you’re not learning every day and you’re not enhancing that program, you’re either getting better or you get worse.”
[...]
“You want to be the innovator,” said Marotti, who recently led Ohio State through winter conditioning drills. “You want to be the creator. The creativity part of it, that’s how you get production. I know Coach Meyer studies Nike a lot, that creativity and innovation equals production. Stay ahead of the curve all the time. We try to do the same things here as well as in terms of evaluating and preparing to practice and how we can best get our players ready to play.”
FUTURE HEADLINE IN HOT TAKE HELL: Ohio State's Championship Fueled by the Exploitation of Impoverished Children and Decadent Consumer Culture.
In all seriousness, however, it's a toss-up to me as to whose the most valuable unknown to the casual fan: Mark Pantoni or Mickey Marotti. Probably Marotti.
QBGEDDON WILL BE INSANE, CHAPTER 465. As is known, I squire for King Cardale and am backing him for starting quarterback of the local ball team.
But, if one of my cat's lives depended on it, I'm not sure I could bet against crispy J.T. Barrett.
Via Peter Berkes of SBNation.com, here are the highest passer ratings from this past season:
| PLAYER | SCHOOl | RATING |
|---|---|---|
| J.T. BARRETT | OHIO STATE | 169.82 |
| BRANDON DOUGHTY | WESTERN KENTUCKY | 167.11 |
| CODY KESSLER | SOUTHERN CAL | 167.06 |
| ZACH TERRELL | WESTERN MICHIGAN | 166.55 |
| KING CARDALE* | OHIO STATE | 160.15 |
*Berkes' original list included a 250 pass qualifier, which ruled out Cardale's inclusion. I could not in good faith leave Dolodale off the list.
There's a lot to be said about leading a team through a season, and doing things like gutting out wins in Happy Valley after suffering a second-half collapse against an inferior Penn State team. And Urban raves about Barrett's leadership — the No. 1 quality he looks for in a quarterback — and Barrett is meticulous in his preparation. He's the stable's biggest grinder in a season nicknamed "The Grind." And unlike Braxton, he's not coming off his second injury to his throwing shoulder.
As crazy as it is to say, and as blasphemous as it seems to type, Braxton Miller is a distant third in this derby, as it stands. I'd love to rue those words, and they're unfair, but they're true.
I understand and share the love for for Braxton (he was a shining light during a dark, dark time), but I don't think anybody would bet anything of worth on him starting in Blacksburg over a healthy J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones.
R.I.P. KOSTA KOUFOS. In the end, he lasted longer in the NBA than I thought possible. He died an honorable death at the hand of the Chicago Bulls' Nikola Mircotic.
BTW, if basketball humiliation porn is your thing: This schlub's NSFWish story about getting dunked on by Jamaal Magloire almost killed me yesterday.
BASKETBALL MEDIOCRITY VISUALIZED. This chart does not surprise me in the least:
Deltas in B1G KenPom ranks from pre-season to pre-BTT. Lots of movement, most of it bad. pic.twitter.com/LQDPrsCBzG
— Bball by the NUmbers (@bkbtNUmbers) March 9, 2015
Even with the loss of four seniors and a top-five pick, Ohio State will be a better team next season, right? (Right!?)
MIKE NUGENT GETS PAID. Brian Hartline decided to risk his life by signing with the Cleveland Browns (two years/$6,000,000), but he's not the only Buckeye about to be paid in fat stacks.
Mike Nugent — the Nuge, if you will — re-signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on a two-year, $4,000,000 contract. That's not a bad gig for a few flicks of the leg per game.
HELP THE TEFLON WIZARD. Ezekiel Elliott is over people talking to him about the NCAA waxing his crop top, but he is enlisting the help of #BuckeyeNation for something more noteworthy:
Do me a favor Buckeye Nation and go vote for me to be a finalist for the AAU Sullivan award http://t.co/cqHcn8dQ1C
— EzekielElliott (@EzekielElliott) March 9, 2015
What is the AAU Sullivan Award, exactly? From its official site:
Known as the " Oscar" of sports awards, and older than The Heisman, the AAU Sullivan Award honors the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. It has been presented annually by the AAU since 1930 as a salute to founder and past president of the Amateur Athletic Union, and a pioneer in amateur sports, James E. Sullivan. Based on the qualities of leadership, character, sportsmanship, and the ideals of amateurism, the AAU Sullivan Award goes far beyond athletic accomplishments and honors those who have shown strong moral character.
Go vote!
THOSE WMDs. Paul Pogba is so dang silky... A Beginner's Guide to the Secret Language of Airport Runways... I take back every bad thing I've said about Badgers... Every Single Product Advertised in the Super Bowl, Reviewed by Me... Stephon Marbury: Chinese Playoff Legend.
