Two years ago, Jashon Cornell and Justin Hilliard's dual commitment melted our servers. Yesterday, Eleven Warriors servers were as cool as a spring breeze.
If you know a 12th Warrior, buy 'em a round.
ICYMI:
- Tyjon Lindsey, the composite No. 5 WR of 2017, committed (impact piece).
- Trevon Grimes, the composite No. 3 WR, also committed (impact piece).
- Urban Meyer and Zach Smith were all smiles after 10-Star Monday.
- Latest depth chart projection after Urban Meyer's presser comments.
THE EDGE: NOT A PRECIPICE. As we know, Urban Meyer chose "The Edge" as this year's motto, compared to "The Chase" and "The Grind" of years past.
Meyer said The Edge is where the elite separates itself from the average.
For a more visual representation, we turn to Focus 3 founder Tim Kight, Urban Meyer's motivational and leadership sensei that gave Ohio State its "Event + Response = Outcome" mantra.
From theringer.com:
"It’s not the edge and then a precipice,” Kight tells The Ringer. “It’s a barrier.”
He explains “The Edge” like this: Picture a chalkboard. On the left side, there’s a circle. On the right side, there’s another circle. Connecting the two is a horizontal line. The circle on the left represents the present. The circle on the right, the future.
The line is the journey you must take from the left circle to the right, from your current skill set to a potential future, improved one. And on that journey, there will be obstacles you must overcome. That’s “The Edge.”
“It’s a barrier. A challenge,” Kight says. “When you get to that spot, you have to make a decision. What am I gonna do?”
Full disclosure: I attended one of Kight's seminars two summers ago, and it's something that's saved me from numerous meltdowns and bad events.
However, this is why the 2016 team could achieve heights the 2015 team didn't, despite what (right now) seems like a massive talent disadvantage.
Young, hungry teams are Urban Meyer's wheelhouse. Young, hungry teams absorb lessons better, and Kight's message is one Meyer obviously wants instilled in his team.
Why? Because it's a lesson that allowed Ohio State to survive the loss of Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett in 2014.
DISBAND CAMPUS PARTNERS CARTEL. Ask any past or present Ohio State student worth their weight in Natty Light about High Street, and they will beam with memories they accrued through their years in Columbus.
Coincidentally, none of those memories will include adults, unless it involves some saucy dad who tried reliving his glory days with his son or daughter and their friends.
Sadly, the Campus Partners cartel and Ohio State seem intent on flooding High Street with more adults.
From bizjournals.com:
“We’ve been looking at other universities and the distinction that’s made here between collegiate life and post-collegiate life is very stark,” said Erin Prosser, director of community development for Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment. In June she and other officials from the Ohio State real estate affiliate gave an overview of the group’s involvement in the 15th and High redevelopment.
“And in other places – dare I say Ann Arbor or others kind of collegiate places – that’s not so stark. You have nice restaurants mixed in with beer and wing joints.”
If their ideas are successful, the main campus drag will become more welcoming to adults, and High Street a little less soaked in Natural Light.
It's clear what's going on here. College students aren't known for wealth, and that stretch of High Street is going up in value as the Short North (and Columbus in general) continues expanding.
You can make a lot more money on "mixed-use buildings" and "luxury apartments" than "beer and wing joints."
The problem is Campus Partners is like Gretchen in Mean Girls, who keeps trying to make the word "fetch" happen.
Fetch never happened, and adults who eat at "nice restaurants" are never going to brave the campus area weekend parking zoo (where there's at least a 10% chance their car gets vandalized) to mingle in an area swarming with crunk college students.
I'm not one to fight change, either. If nothing changed, things would stay the way forever. But there should be logic behind change. There is no logic here. (Let's ruin its uniqueness and make High Street like other college areas? Let's make it more like Ann Arbor!?)
It's a money-grab. And the students are too disorganized and too poor to do anything about it.
Not me, though. If Campus Partners buys out the Bier Stube (which it's trying to do), you can find me chained to its vomit-caked urinal, where I will blog for the rest of my days in defiance of this greedy cartel.
ZEKE NEARS DEBUT. A dinged hamstring cost Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (still a weird sequence of words to type) most of his training camp and two preseason games.
It looks like the 'Boys will roll out their new Ferrari on Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks.
From tbo.com:
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas rookie Ezekiel Elliott appears set for his preseason debut at Seattle after the running back taken fourth overall by the Cowboys missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury.
[...]
The Cowboys, who drafted another running in the sixth round in Eastern Michigan's Darius Jackson, essentially declared Elliott the starter by being ultra conservative with his hamstring in camp.
[...]
Garrett isn't ready to say Elliott will play on Thursday night, but did say the 21-year-old made it through practice Monday with no issues. Elliott wasn't available in the locker room when it was open to reporters.
Doubt Zeke is used a lot, but it should offer a glimpse into how Dallas plans to use him.
ZEKE DIDN'T TEACH THIS. Ezekiel Elliott went to the league because of his ability to run with the football, but his blocking (and pass-catching) aided that ascension.
For a lesson in how not to block as a running back, we turn to assistant running backs coach Keenan Bailey:
Ask our backs to whack a defender and they may not.Put me out there and it's a whole other story! @ToteNation smh.. pic.twitter.com/J0ueO6fASM
— Keenan Bailey (@CoachKMBailey) August 22, 2016
Obviously, these are bad reps (which happen in every practice) and the tweet is good-natured, but it shows how rare not only Zeke's ability to block was, but also his willingness.
MICHIGAN'S NO GOOD MONDAY. Michigan fans can say what they will, but you know they were seasick when Ohio State enjoyed 10-star Monday. Remarkably, their day got worse.
- Four-star 2018 Springfield TE/Athlete Leonard Taylor decommitted.
- Four-star 2017 DT Aubrey Solomon decommitted.
- Kicker (and Massillon native) Andrew David left for Texas Christian.
#Teens are notoriously fickle, but the reason for Solomon's decommitment might be an all-timer.
From 247sports.com:
"A day or two ago, they sent my mom a card thanking us for going to the Michigan bbq, but we never went," Solomon said. "I do not know which recruit they were talking to, but it was not me. It was just a little heartbreaking, for me to supposedly be so high on their list, for them to confuse me with someone else. Plus they spelled both of my names wrong after I told them, but that was not the main issue. I guess they do not have tabs on me."
Oh, your team probably fired a fleet of interns after a series of gaffes cost you a four-star DT from the heart of SEC country? I can't relate.
THOSE WMDs. The most exclusive restaurant in America... The Uber Killer... New York City wages war on the Zika virus... Bay Area housing costs prompt high schoolers into 70 mile commute... A dark and seductive poker obsession has possessed urban India.
