Ohio State kicked off camp yesterday, and 11W went off like an AK-47:
- Freshman practice: Notebook — Photos — Videos.
- Elder practice: Notebook — Photos — Videos.
- Urban Meyer presser bullets.
- Videos: Barrett, Beck, Elliott interviews.
- Braxton Miller: To wear No. 1 — Video of work with Joey Galloway — Report from first day at WR.
All that and more (for free) at ElevenWarriors.com.
WILL MCSHAY SAY IT TO HIS FACE THOUGH? The NFL is a league of unimpeachable integrity, except when it comes to game-changing players. If you're a game-changer, you can literally choke your girlfriend, drag her across the floor, throw her onto a pile of loaded assault rifles, and still make millions playing in the NFL.
So yeah, Joey Bosa's draft stock is going to be fine unless he murders a man on video tape (which almost happened last year at Penn State) or loses a leg.
From Rotoworld.com:
Even after his one-game suspension, Ohio State junior DE Joey Bosa is "likely to end up as a top-five pick in next April's NFL draft," according to ESPN's Todd McShay.
We've documented Bosa's strengths plenty this summer, so lets focus on a few things McShay believes he could improve upon. "He sometimes gets too high and gives offensive linemen a big target," he wrote, adding that Bosa can gain leverage by playing lower. "It's better to be overaggressive than to be reactionary, but Bosa can do a better job with ball reaction in order to cut down on the number of times he overruns a play or bites versus misdirection," McShay wrote as a second critique. The analyst believes Bosa would best translate as a 4-3 defensive end, but doesn't think scheme really matters due to Bosa's skillset. "[Bosa] would have likely been a Top-10 draft pick in 2015, had he been eligible," McShay wrote. "If Bosa continues to produce on the field like he has the past two seasons, there's a high probability that he's the first defensive player drafted next year."
I find critiques of elite players more interesting than praise. I know some folks will read McShay's critiques and translate it as "BOSA IS A BUM!!!" but there is no such thing as the perfect player.
Regardless, it's crazy to think the only thing stopping a college sophomore from being a Top-10 NFL pick is some archaic, pro-ownership rule.
Bosa, by the way, didn't say a word to reporters when he checked into camp on Sunday. That leads me to believe the Big Bear is angry, and that the aforementioned taped murder might actually transpire against Hawaii.
ANOTHER LOOK AT NIKE'S LATEST MARKETING GIMMICK. I don't care about shoes, but I know lots of people are really into the leather foot wraps that protect their feet from things like broken liquor bottles and discarded heroin needles.
So with that in mind, here are more looks at Nike's latest OSU-centric shoe, due to drop tomorrow:
Hit your stride. The @usnikefootball Week Zero Collection is coming to http://t.co/gc4ix356mn on 8.12. #weekzero2015 pic.twitter.com/MfzIIkRprz
— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) August 11, 2015
I will say, aesthetically, I do like the soles of the shoe and the tongue. Still not sure about the outer design, which looks like two halves of separate shoes sewn together.
DIXON RESPECTS HIS ELDERS. I'm not as smart as I was at 16. Back then I knew everything about everything — now, not so much, which is why I've come to lean on the graybeards in my circle. They don't know as much as 16-year-old-me either, but they know more than me now, which is the important thing.
WR Johnnie Dixon is older than 16, but he's already ahead of the curve and deferring to his elders:
Switched out of respect and nothing but love for my big bro @BraxtonMiller5 and his senior year! #RespectTheBodyOfWork
— Johnnie Dixon (@MakeHistory_JD) August 10, 2015
It would startle me to hear of any two players on Ohio State's team openly disliking each other, and that's a testament to the culture Urban Meyer has cultivated since his arrival. It might be impossible for 100+ 18-22 year-olds to all be best friends, but there are no public cracks in this team's facade, and that says a lot.
SURE, OHIO STATE IS MICHIGAN STATE'S RIVAL. Michigan will always be Ohio State's rival. But that doesn't mean Ohio State can't supplant Michigan as Michigan State's rival.
From Laurel Young of Freep.com:
When fans think "rivalry" in the Big Ten, they usually think Michigan State versus Michigan or Michigan versus Ohio State. However, with the recent irrelevance of Michigan's football program, their players and their coaches, those rivalries have been one-sided and slightly less thrilling.
Beating Michigan, now a tier-two team, is the new norm. While still great to beat up on "little brother," the surprise is gone. It's no longer the same honor as when Big Blue lived up the their nickname of "The Victors."
In the last seven meetings, MSU has won six against in-state rival Michigan. In that same span, Ohio State has beaten MSU five times, though their 2010 win was vacated due to NCAA violations.
A tier-two team? Seven Hells, Michigan lost to Rutgers last year. They're a third-tier team (at least) until they prove otherwise.
SPEAKING OF THOSE BUMS UP NORTH... Meet the most effective Michigan lineman of the last 15 years:
We have a hunch that this is the most popular blocking sled at Ohio State practice. pic.twitter.com/8Ca4CceWs8
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 10, 2015
THOSE WMDs. Photographer Shoots High Schooler’s Senior Portraits at Taco Bell... The Genesis Engine... Grieving in the time of Lulz... The super tunnels of El Chapo and his drug cartel... Beatrice White, the girl who killed half a million flies for Toronto.
