ICYMI:
- Five-star OG Wyatt Davis committed to Ohio State last night.
- What Davis' commitment means for the Buckeyes.
- Important note: Davis' nickname is "Wavy Dub."
- Ohio State regained the consensus 2017 No. 1 class over Alabama.
REPLACING MEYER. Folks, if I had my way, Urban Meyer would reign at Ohio State for at least another 300 years. This space pebble is not mine to rule, unfortunately.
We're entering Year 5 of the Meyer Dynasty, and it has been a swell ride thus far. But this is Ohio State—you never know. One day your team is set to return a star quarterback and key cogs to a BCS-winning offense; the next it's coached by an intern and quarterbacked by a talented but unready freshman.
Urban Meyer is a young, three-time champion with a roster oozing talent. He's also a multimillionaire who could retire tomorrow to a Caribbean beach replete with Piña coladas and Sister Hazel tunes.
If, Warren G. Harding forbid, Ohio State ever found itself replacing Meyer, everyone assumes the Buckeyes would break the bank for Tom Herman, the Houston coach who founded MENSA, the organization for geniuses.
That's true if Herman is still coaching at Houston. Prying him from the likes of Texas or Texas A&M, however, is another task entirely. Where Ohio State would turn after that is a more interesting scenario.
From landgrantholyland.com:
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Stoops won a national championship at Oklahoma, and “big game” disparagement aside, has been very successful with the Sooners. But a perceived dip in Oklahoma’s most recent fortunes, coupled with the inevitable cabin fever that comes with being at one place for so long, has always led to speculation that maybe he’d be interested in another gig, perhaps the NFL. Stoops, a native of Youngstown and a former Kent State assistant, could be an attractive choice as a Buckeye successor.
Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
Mark Dantonio is rarely mentioned as a possible Buckeye successor, which is probably another sign of the DISRESPECKT that perpetually clouds Michigan State (and I’m sure suits him just fine). But maybe he should be!Dantonio isn’t especially young (he’s 60, and has had health problems before), and might be difficult to extract from a very comfortable situation at Michigan State, but in the unlikely event Ohio State needed a coach soon, he’d probably be worth a call. He’s built Michigan State into a playoff-caliber power, and knows talent evaluation and the midwest as well as anyone. He was also an assistant at Ohio and Akron, and of course, Ohio State’s defensive coordinator under Tressell, where he won a national title.
I would take Mark Dantonio over Bob Stoops in a heartbeat—yes, even if Stoops and Oklahoma upset Ohio State in Norman. Given how a lot of us handled the Michigan State loss, there would be riots in Columbus if Stoops came home.
Dantonio would be good, though I'm not sure he'd listen at this point. The only knock on him is his age, but he would supply stability to a post-Meyer hellscape.
The article mentions Chris Ash and former Toledo turned Iowa State coach Matt Campbell as two other possibilities. I'd take Ash unless Campbell lights up the Big 12, which is what he'll do if he is cut from Buckeye timber.
Most likely, the replacement for Meyer is some young bull we plebes don't see lurking in the depths because Meyer could be around for another decade. I like that scenario best, should Tom Herman, the founder of MENSA, be unwilling.
MORE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR LOVE FOR ELLIOTT. If I weren't an Ohio State fan I would think all the Rookie of the Year love for Ezekiel Elliott was preposterous. But I saw Elliott work for three years, so it seems reasonable.
From profootballfocus.com:
Ohio State used Elliott in a different way entirely. Over the last two seasons he was kept in to pass protect on 244 snaps. This past season he allowed just one solitary pressure on 108 snaps of pass blocking, and that sack came after getting his man to the ground with an awkward cut block, and could easily have been charged to the QB instead.
Elliott can pass block like no back in this draft, and ran an array of sophisticated and complex assignments – assignments worthy of an NFL playbook. Young backs, no matter how talented with the ball in their hands, often find themselves off the field on third downs early in their careers because coaches don’t trust them to protect the QB. Hell, even Adrian Peterson spends many crucial drives for the Vikings on the sideline because he is not a good blocker or receiver.
Elliott is good at both. We have covered his blocking prowess, but over the past two seasons he caught 89.7 percent of the passes thrown his way. He may not have been a featured receiver, with the progression rarely getting that far, but he can catch the ball and do damage.
Ezekiel Elliott: already better than Adrian Peterson without ever playing a live snap. That's the Urban Meyer difference.
EBNER'S SELF-HELP ADVICE. Go to any bookstore and you'll realize there's a living to be made by giving advice to other people because people are gullible and don't know shit.
But why get advice from some guy who will dupe you into walking over hot coals, when you can get it from an ultimate warrior like Nate Ebner?
From osu.edu:
“We always have a selfish voice inside of us,” said Nate Ebner ’12, who played for the Buckeyes from 2009 through 2011, becoming a special teams standout. He’s referring to the voice that — when we’re tired, hurt or even mourning — tells us to quit.
But, he contends, there’s also an inner beast that, when engaged, can crush any urge to give up. The challenge, said Ebner, is “you have to get the inner beast to get the best out of yourself.”
Ebner’s fortitude, along with family support and the refuge he found in Ohio State football, helped him through the murder of his father and the long odds of going from college walk-on to NFL football player. And now it’s guiding his return to his first love — rugby — just as the sport rejoins the Olympics for the first time since 1924.
That's true. In my mind, I am a 400-pound man who eats nothing but bathtubs full of Mexican food and ice cream. (((Maybe one day I'll achieve those heights.)))
CENTRAL OHIO GOES WILD FOR DISCOUNTED WARES. An outlet mall opened outside Delaware yesterday, and Central Ohioans went into a frenzy over discounted Coach and Nike items.
Behold our five miles of traffic, ye mighty, and despair:
Traffic is a mess on 71 NB near Sunbury for @TangerOutlets opening; shoppers turned away | https://t.co/MGNmo4pDZZ pic.twitter.com/sA1FGCC4uY
— 10TV.com (@10TV) June 24, 2016
From dispatch.com:
Traffic was heavy for the grand opening of Tanger Outlets Columbus as shoppers streaming north on I-71 were stuck in traffic five miles away from the new shopping center's exit at Routes 36 and 37.
"LeBron (James) called," said Steven B. Tanger, president and CEO, joking as he surveyed crowds of customers that rushed to the outlet center today. "He would have been here, but he got stuck in traffic."
[...]
The Coach store resembled a hot new nightclub as a roped line kept shoppers waiting. Employees let in customers a few at a time because of heavy demand, handing out coupons to keep the waiting shoppers happy.
I can't wait to become rich enough to take a June Friday off to go own people in an overcrowded strip mall to become one of the first people in the area to get reasonably priced Nike apparel or a fancy leather satchel to carry my three belongings.
In other news, I blog for a living and haven't worn a shirt in over a week. I don't think strip malls are ready for creatures like me.
HORSESHOE LOOKING CRISPY. Crazy to think Bowling Green is out there watching the same sun and counting down the days until their ritualistic execution.
Via @OhioState:
Only 69 days until Ohio State football is back. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.
THOSE WMDs. Investigation: Time Warner pocketed at least $12 million in overcharges... Dollars for docs: How industry dollars reach your doctor... Man named Gambles wins lottery for second time with same numbers... The prosecutor and the president... The bears who came to town and wouldn't go away... From 2003: The importance of being LeBron.
