Cherish this week before next week's face-first dive into the shallow concrete pond that is the #offseason hinterlands. If I have to slash Big Nut's tires to create content, well... [CENSORED BY LAWYERS].
ICYMI:
- Kam Williams refuted a CBS report (that cited Thad Matta!?) about reaching a decision to return to school.
- Ohio State sent more players to the NFL in the last two years than anyone else. It's not slowing down, either.
- A look at how the 11 Buckeye draftees and signees fit into their new teams.
- Film Study: How Kirk Ferentz kept enough wrinkles in his offense to become King of Iowa.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Traduce.
HERE WE GO AGAIN. My theory on offseason #hype is known. It's trash and should be avoided at all cost.
Of course, I'm excited about the confluence of factors that flow into the 2017 team. J.T. Barrett and Kevin Wilson on a redemption tour, an NFL quarterbacks coach, and another young roster stuffed with talent. Oh, and don't forget the defensive line, which could go down in the echoes.
But that knowledge should be kept inside local circles. There's no reason for national media to gas our favorite team up. Nothing good comes from a national writer using the pits of the offseason to publish a subjective column as tinder for cheap internet discussion. (Not that I know anything about that...)
But so it has happened. Ohio State, which has only played itself in a scrimmage that started with touch football, leads a "post-spring" poll.
From espn.com:
Outlook: After Clemson demolished Ohio State 31-0 in a CFP semifinal last season, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer shook up his coaching staff. New offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson seems determined to have quarterback J.T. Barrett throwing the ball down the field more often. That will require better protection from the offensive line and more consistency from the receiver corps. On defense, the Buckeyes will have one of the best front sevens in the country, but three starters must be replaced in the secondary. Cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Damon Arnette and safety Damon Webb emerged as possible replacements this spring. The Buckeyes will get an early test with a Sept. 9 home game against Oklahoma.
Are they sure the Buckeyes should even be ranked? An intern must have written that. Clemson pinwheeled Ohio State in the most lopsided loss of Urban Meyer's career.
Here are the poll's top five, which I've definitely not included to spur speculative internet comments on my article.
- Ohio State
- Florida State
- Alabama
- USC
- Penn State
Ohio State's enemies better hope Da Bucks don't end the season by dumping Michigan and (*pulls B1G West sacrificial school out of a hat*) Penn State and Alabama or Florida State or USC. I would retire. It's all downhill at that point. Better to go out on top than live to get sucker-punched by an 8,000-page essay by a #teen on Tumblr in 2032.
CONLEY CASE CLOUDED. Oakland Raiders first-round pick Gareon Conley met with Cleveland police on Monday. He submitted DNA and gave his statement of what happened on April 9th, when a woman accuses him of sexually assaulting her in a downtown Cleveland hotel. The Las Vegas Review called it "anticlimactic."
The Raiders are probably hoping for a hasty conclusion. They're actually looking at a month and a half to two months before a decision on the case is rendered.
There was also a somewhat significant alteration in Conley's timeline of events.
From NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport:
Lawyer Kevin Spellacy told me itll be 6-8 weeks before Gareon Conleys legal situation is resolved. Itll be reviewed by county prosecutor.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 1, 2017
#Raiders CB Gareon Conley’s lawyer tells me Conley & his accuser had a “consensual” sexual event that night. “Her version is not accurate”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 1, 2017
After this came out, Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com published a break down of what this means:
The “nothing happened” defense quickly has evaporated in the Gareon Conley case.
After witnesses in the hotel room where an alleged rape involving the Raiders first-round draft pick occurred last month claimed that Conley and the alleged victim did nothing together, Conley’s lawyer now admits that Conley and the alleged victim had consensual sex, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
That changes everything, contradicting the witness accounts and making the case a matter of he said/she said. This means that prosecutors easily could pursue charges if they so choose, with the case ultimately turning on whether a jury chooses to believe the victim and to disbelieve Conley.
Apparently Conley's agent—who must be working 24/7 these days—took umbrage with the use of the word "sex."
Text from Gareon Conley's lawyer: "When I referenced a 'consensual sexual event,' I was NOT referring to intercourse. That did NOT happen."
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 2, 2017
A "consensual sexual event" is still different than "nothing," but I digress.
Even if Conley truly believes his account to be the truth, he won't sleep easy these next couple weeks because his fate is out of his hands.
Let's just hope the truth of whatever happened that night comes out.
CURTIS' CAROLINA ROLE. The Carolina Panthers drafted Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel in the same draft. They'd be considered the same player if our nation's laws allowed two players of differing skin shade to be compared on an athletics field.
The overlapping of skill sets is no coincidence. They'll allow the Panthers a three-headed monster could be unmatched in the league if ran to perfection.
From bleacherreport.com:
"Imagine a backfield with Newton taking the snap three yards behind the center, McCaffrey on his right, Samuel on his left, and one or both of the rookies motioning to receiver depth pre-snap. Then, imagine Stewart coming onto the field, either McCaffrey or Samuel moving to the slot. Now, you have a combination of power running and receiver versatility that few NFL teams can match and few can stop."
.@BR_NFL @CMcCaffrey5 @CurtisSamuel4__ @Panthers Love what Gettleman said of McCaffrey/Samuel after drafting them: "The NFL is a matchup league now." That's why these picks are important.
— Doug Farrar (@BR_DougFarrar) May 1, 2017
.@BR_NFL @CMcCaffrey5 @CurtisSamuel4__ @Panthers Panthers can have McCaffrey, Samuel, Stewart and Newton on the field at the same time. Motion creates commotion. Linebackers won't like it.
— Doug Farrar (@BR_DougFarrar) May 1, 2017
Fantasy experts will probably prioritize McCaffrey. Not me, the guy who only watches the Browns and Ohio State regularly. I'm targeting Samuel.
MORE NOAH DETAILS. The Dallas Cowboys scooped Noah Brown in the seventh round, which probably means Brown will have more yards than Dez Bryant this season.
Brown spoke with Dallas media on why he chose to leave early. Breaking his leg senior year played a big part.
From sportsday.dallasnews.com:
"Multiple things went into that decision. One of the biggest things was my injury my sophomore year. I saw how quickly football can be taken away. With this year, although my stats didn't have the volume that some people would like to see, I made big-time plays in big-time situations. That's something I think I can bring to an NFL team right away, when my body is still fresh, while I still have the opportunity, so I decided to go ahead and jump at it."
Meyer declared Brown "unguardable" in camp shortly before he went down. I'll always wonder what would've happened in 2015 if that hadn't happened. The receiving corps could've definitely used his talent that year, too. Oh well.
Here's Brown on what he feels he brings to Dallas:
Former Ohio State wide receiver Noah Brown on what he's going to bring to the Dallas Cowboys: pic.twitter.com/DKmZ0XPmbA
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 1, 2017
You know who else could use a guy like that? The local team.
WELCOME TO FLORENCE, Y'ALL. Love to see amateur athletics based in higher academia sell chunks of their souls to #brands.
From kentucky.com:
The home of the University of Kentucky football team will now be known as Kroger Field, per a deal struck between the university, UK Athletics and marketing partner JMI Sports.
The new deal, which was to be announced Monday afternoon at a news conference at the Don and Cathy Jacobs Science Building on campus, is for 12 years and $1.85 million annually, the Herald-Leader has learned.
New signage soon will replace “Commonwealth Stadium” with “Welcome to Kroger Field” on the west end of the stadium. This marks the first name change since the stadium opened in 1973.
I've shopped at Kroger basically my whole life, though I called it "Kroger's" until about three years ago. Even I cringe at renaming something lightweight silky as "Commonwealth Stadium" to "Kroger Field." I guess six-loss seasons aren't as lucrative as they used to be.
DID YOU KNOW: the state of kentucky's major athletic venues are now named for two fast food establishments, a grocery store, and a racist
— kyle robbins (@kylerrobbins) May 1, 2017
Kentucky.... thanks for giving me a state to look down upon in lieu of taking any criticism of my state seriously.
THOSE WMDs. The sandwich alignment chart... Most iconic sneakers from every NBA playoff since 1997... New snitch allegations rock federal case... Three ways a video game designer would make football more fun... OSU study: Prom, though still pricey, not as expensive in past years.
