The Grind started yesterday, but it's off today because for some reason the NCAA still clings to power in 2015, the Year of Wario. (The Bucks' next practice is tomorrow.)
Some things you may have missed:
- Braxton Miller ain't dead just yet.
- Shoemakers' observations from Spring Practice 1. (New defensive starters, as it stands: Gareon Conley, Tyquan Lewis, Tommy Schutt, and some dude named Raekwon McMillan.)
- Urban Meyer called his shot before the team even left for Dallas.
- Urban presser bullets and videos.
- BONUS: A.J. Hawk signed with the Bengals, and Ohio State and Nike were victimized by a 51-year-old Michigan Man/career interstate counterfeiting baron. (H/T Fairground Stripper for that second link, which made for good reading.)
What I found most intriguing: Urban listed safety and cornerback first and second as hypothetical "other" positions Braxton could play before denying they've had those conversations. Braxton and Urban may not have had those conversations, but it's obviously something Urban pondered. (Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and all that.)
The most humorous moment occurred with the oaken Josh Perry:
2) J Perry who is an oak of a man said that they have to silence doubters, @MartySmithESPN asked 'who is doubting you" no answer for that.
— BEAU BISHOP (@BeauBishop) March 10, 2015
Yes, even people like Matt Hayes are singing Ohio State's praises. It's sickening. There is nothing worse for this championship team than an offseason of national pundits parachuting into Columbus with a hot tip that Ohio State is good, actually.
Look, I will be the cantankerous, contrarian troll this team looks like it needs. If I have to stand up here every day and slander a bunch of buff 18-22 year-olds and successful millionaires... then I'll be that for my team. My #takes are bad anyway, so they might as well be used as fuel for OSU's offseason workouts.
Just remember — when Urban Meyer is drinking out of my sun-bleached skull on national television after romping USC in the Natty — I did it because that's what my team needed.
IF ANYONE CAN, URBAN CAN. Bad news: Ohio State is getting every team's best punch next year. Good news: Ohio State has been getting every team's best punch since Jim Tressel's millennial coup d'état.
From Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com:
"I know Urban is certainly proud of them, but that performance level will have no impact on the coming season," [Kansas State coach Bill] Synder said. "You have to get that message across. He’s gone through it, and he, as much as anyone, has a very strong feeling about how to approach it because he went through the same thing at Florida."
[...]
Brown and Meyer have talked extensively about the challenge of repeating. Brown's Texas team entered 2006 at No. 2 but lost in Week 2 to Ohio State and finished 10-3.
"You absolutely have to start over, like it's your first year," Brown said. "Some of the things that he felt like he might have done at Florida that didn't work as well after one of those national championships, he’ll tweak all of that and change it. I can promise you he started this immediately.
(An unkempt Brian Kelly appeared from the depths of mediocrity to note, although other players had a lot to do with it, Cardale Jones outplayed Marcus Mariota in the title game. I guess that's one of the effects of coaching your players and not throwing them under the bus like a manbaby.)
Ohio State's schedule doesn't get real until the last two weeks of the regular season (Michigan State, at Michigan), which is the perfect staging point for another late season crescendo. (Try to remember that if the Buckeyes are looking sluggish in the second quarter of a late October game at Rutgers.)
UNLEASH THE FREAK? Urban Meyer raved about Sam Hubbard all year and then didn't play him for a single snap. A redshirt season, however, can be conducive to weightlifting. Hubbard hopes to go into the season no less than 30 pounds heavier than last season.
From Steve Helwagen of OhioState.247Sports.com:
Hubbard was recruited as a linebacker, although he did spend time at tight end early last season. He eventually moved back to defense, where he made a strong impression on Meyer and the defensive coaches. But they resisted the temptation to use him on special teams or put him in on defense.
“It was an interesting year,” he said. “I am really thankful for what happened because it gave me a lot of time to transition from safety in high school to the defensive line. After the Maryland game, I spent the rest of the season on the scout team going against the starting offensive line. That taught me a lot of good things and technique at my position.”
Hubbard went into the off-season planning to work hard in the weight room, although he said he wants to stay lean. He said he reported last summer at 230 pounds, was at 255 last season and said he hopes to play this year in the 260-265 range.
It's a testament to Ohio State's recruiting (and development) that a player of Hubbard's class might get left off the initial two deep.
TYVIS POWELL APOLOGIZES (AGAIN). Michael Bennett off to capitalize on his world-eating abilities. Cardale Jones is a Twitter knockout artist.
Tyvis Powell, pound-for-pound, is the best Tweeter on the team. (I may need to create the OSU FOOTBALL TWITTER POWER RANKINGS.)
Never did get a chance to apologize to @johnreporters for snatching the mic from him after the championship game. I had a moment..Sorry sir
— Tyvis Powell (@1Tyvis) March 10, 2015
The last time Powell apologized it was for bringing that fourth-quarter interception Sugar Bowl out of the end zone. (He blamed it on watching too many Deion Sanders highlights, because he's a boss.)
And Powell will play professionally, but he won't need to milk it. He's going to demand a king's ransom whenever he decides to enter the media.
OSU'S CROWN JEWEL STASH SPOT. R I D D L E M E T H I S: If Ohio State is going to let ESPN NASCAR analysts wander throughout the Woody Hayes Center, then would I get arrested if I tried the same thing?
....
The true MVP of the Ohio State football program is the guy who said, "Y'all know what this locker room expansion needs? A glass waterfall wall." Only heads of state and mobsters aren't impressed by things like water falling down a big glass sheet.
AARON CRAFT GETS BUSY. They say to divide D-League stat lines in half to get the NBA "equivalent." Even so, an eight point, five assist, 5.5 rebound season average would make a man millions.
Craft seems stuck in the purgatory of D-League stardom and NBA third string point guardom, but there's been enough smoke around Craft this year, so he'll get another NBA shot this summer.
LeBron James carried the likes of Ira Newble and Matthew Dellavedova. If Dan Gilbert likes money — and, given his history, there's no reason to suspect he doesn't — he'd sign Craft to a league minimum deal and capture windfall profits from jersey sales in 72 hours.
THOSE WMDs. The Genius and Mystery of Willie Nelson... The Grantland Q&A: Errol Morris... Dog reunited with owner after 3 months, 1,500 miles... Pharrell, Robin Thicke ordered to pay Marvin Gay's family $7,300,000 for Blurred Lines... This is it; this is how I want to die.
