Skull Session: Raekwon McMillan Draws Mixed Reviews, Pat Fitzgerald Sees Solid Offensive Line, and Nick Bosa Continues to Bloom

By D.J. Byrnes on October 27, 2016 at 4:59 am
Bradley Roby blocks a punt for the October 27th 2016 Skull Session.
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No review of the big Wednesday night baseball game in Cleveland. I couldn't stay up for it. I'm old, and I need sleep. Please send complaints to my email, kevin@elevenwarriors.com, which I read every day.

 HE WAS GOOD, BUT ALSO BAD. Criticizing amateur players' play is something I try to avoid.

But the play of Raekwon McMillan, the lynchpin of the Ohio State defense, is befuddling because people are either still high on him or extremely down on him.

Here's CBS Sports draft analyst Dane Brugler, a voice I respect:

Now here's an "NFL talent evaluator," giving a "prospect to watch" to mmqb.si.com:

Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State: He’s a stud. Right now he has a first-round grade. Has a thick lower half. Physical at point of attack, great instincts. Natural in coverage but also stout run-stopper.

McMillan has played fine, albeit with some misreads that have led to explosive plays, but it's not like those are regular occurrences. Those things happen with aggressive young linebackers.

I assumed McMillan's Ohio State career ended as a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, but if that's not a surefire thing then maybe Urban Meyer and his staff could find a spot for him on next year's roster despite tight scholarship numbers.

 PAT FITZGERALD = COACHSPEAK MASTER. Pat Fitzgerald went to the Paul Chryst School of Coachspeak. The guy will go out of his way to compliment Urban Meyer's team, even if it means slighting his recruiting ability.

(That's four-star DE Garrett Dickerson and four-star CB Parrker Westphal.)

From dispatch.com:

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald has seen video of the past two Ohio State games as he prepares his team — a 24½-point underdog despite three straight Big Ten wins — for a game Saturday at Ohio Stadium. But he said he doesn’t see an offensive line in disarray.

“I think they’ve handled it fine,” Fitzgerald said of the Buckeyes’ past two games. “I see a bunch of five-star and four-star recruits that are unbelievable fundamentally, they’re incredibly well-coached. You know, they’ve played two very good teams and they’ve been tough battles. I think they’ve won on tape more than they’ve lost, they’ve just been in some difficult and challenging games.

“And we’re going to have to play our best fundamentally, we’re going to have to be incredibly gap-sound disciplined to give ourselves a chance to compete. I mean, this is the best offensive line by far we’ve played on video.”

C'mon now, Pat! I don't have a Master of Sports Coaching, but it's easy to see this isn't "fine."

Bash the play calling all you want, but surrendering QB pressure on 40% of dropbacks would flummox even Lane Kiffin.

OSU is an offensive line-driven program, and the line getting whooped was the most disturbing thing about the Penn State game. I look for a rebound against Northwestern, but we may not know the true state of affairs until Nov. 26.

 BOSA: DAT BOY GOOD. Nick Bosa came to Columbus as a five-star recruit and younger (but more talented!) brother of the No. 3 overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Somehow the Smaller Bear has lived up to those expectations while recovering from a torn ACL.

From pff.com's Top 10 true freshmen:

No. 4 Nick Bosa, Edge, Ohio State 84.1
An uptick in playing time in recent weeks has shown Bosa’s potential as he’s been Ohio State’s best defensive lineman during that time. He’s now the top-graded freshman edge defender and he’s leading Buckeyes’ edge defenders with an 83.4 pass-rush grade. He’s picked up 25 pressures on the year (four sacks, two QB hits, and 19 hurries) while showing well against the run at 80.5. The comparisons to his brother, Joey, are inevitable, and Nick is living up to those lofty expectations to this point.

These numbers bode well for Tiniest Bear, Joey and Nick's unborn five-star brother that will pick up double-digit sacks in his freshman year in 2034.

 OTHER BOSA: DAT BOY GOOD TOO. Speaking of Joey Bosa, the San Diego Chargers are looking wise for their decision to haggle over peanuts with the guy they waited two years to draft.

From sandiegotribune.com:

Bosa has four sacks, more than any Chargers rookie ever did in his first three games. Bosa’s two games with two sacks makes him the first NFL rookie in a decade to have multiple sacks in two of his first three games.

He also has six quarterback knockdowns and five hurries and has made an immeasurable impact on his fellow defenders.

There is quite simply a different level of swagger among the members of the front seven the past few weeks. The havoc they are creating, a good portion of it from Bosa or attributable to opponents trying to stay away from him, is also helping a depleted secondary survive.

Bosa's first three weeks didn't just impress Chargers brass. He's on a historical pace already:

The hilarious thing is he could be playing at Ohio State right now. Pretty sure that would be illegal.

 DECKER: ANOTHER GOOD FOOTBALL MAN. Taylor Decker, like at Ohio State, started slowly in the pros. But he's adapting.

Here's Decker corralling defensive linemen in a video put together by his mentor, former Ohio State standout LeChuck Bentley.

Good thing Meyer didn't throw him to the scrap heap after Khalil Mack shredded him in 2013. Makes you think, for sure.

 THOSE WMDs. Pentagon halts effort to claw back National Guard enlistment bonuses... Like physicians, editors should do no harm... Big league prospect who became a mob hitman... NBA's youngest coach is on level with Millennial-led Lakers... Man who makes $350k mattresses.

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Prognosticating: Indiana

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