The offseason as we know it officially ends today, as the Big Ten kicks off its annual media days circuit in the Windy City us Midwesterners love to know.
The party starts at 1 p.m. on BTN with remarks from Paul Chryst, Tom Allen, Lovie Smith, Mark Dantonio, D.J. Durkin, Kirk Ferentz and Urban Meyer.
Our Dan Hope broke down everything you need to know over here.
With Meyer's sixth preseason camp slated to start Thursday at 6:30 a.m., I can almost smell the intoxicating aroma of napalmed Hoosier flesh from the banks of the Miami River.
Be sure to follow Hope, Tim Shoemaker, Andrew Lind, and 11W on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Chicago.
ICYMI:
- Scarlet & Gray whoop a No. 1 seed, stand two wins away from two million dollars.
- 2018 Ohio State commit Brenton Cox wants to improve his pass rushing, so he listened to everything Larry Johnson said at Friday Night Lights.
- Ohio State could sign as many as five defensive ends in 2018, but the coaching staff could face tough choices.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
P.S. Euron Greyjoy is dat dude. Y'all are going to recognize today!
Word of the Day: Obstreperous.
HERE COMES THE TEXAS GUNSLINGER. You don't have to look far on this website to find commenters critical of J.T. Barrett. Which is fine, college football wouldn't be the multibillion dollar industry it is today if nuclear #takes were illegal.
Barrett wasn't perfect last year. He'll be the first to admit that. But the people who think he should be at Kent State are probably in for a rude awakening this fall.
From dispatch.com:
“Coach Wilson is a high-spirited guy,” Barrett said. “If you need some juice, you go find coach Wilson and coach Wilson has got some for you. Coach Day played quarterback and has that quarterback feel. He’s never riled, always calm. But he also has his outgoing side as well, which is good.”
Barrett has been throwing with receivers this summer, aiming to improve chemistry and timing that was often lacking last season. Barrett took some of the blame for that and provided some interesting analysis for why.
“As a freshman, my thought process was really simple,” he said. “If the ball was supposed to go there, then the ball goes to that area. If he wasn’t open, I’d take off running or go to the check-down (receiver). It was that simple.”
Barrett says his familiarity with the offense caused him to believe he could hold the ball longer than he should've, which is a common refrain of the offensive ineptitude of 2016.
And identifying the problem is always the first step in fixing it. Unfortunately we won't get a definite answer on the matter until Aug. 31.
Barrett also noted the staff asked if he wanted to attend Big Ten Media Days, but he deferred to another deserving player. Why does J.T. Barrett hate the media? Look for my column later today.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP HERE. What's wild about Ohio State's 2016 NFL draft class is Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott overshadowed Michael Thomas, who did everything to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year except win the dang thing.
Thomas' unrelenting desire to be great will be his greatest weapon in avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump.
From neworleanssaints.com:
In his rookie season, Thomas went on to lead the team and set rookie franchise records with 92 catches for 1,137 yards receiving and nine touchdowns.
[...]
Saints Coach Sean Payton spoke highly of Thomas this offseason:
“I think one of his great strengths is his ability to work and focus. He truly loves playing and so, gamedays are that much more important. He’s very competitive.
“Fortunately, his competitive nature and his ability to focus on just playing receiver and his ability to focus on each rep – it’s hard for him to have a walk-through. He’s one of those guys, he’s jogging at least half-speed, if not more, through everything he’s doing. I would say his run after the catch, and we thought when we drafted this player that he had that, but I think he’s tough when he catches the ball in space for any defender.”
Hard to believe this is the same guy who Meyer redshirted due to maturity issues (after he had taken a year to mature at Fork Union Military Academy).
Change in deep-seated personality issues are possible if you work hard enough at it, apparently.
STOP BUYING SUGAR DRINKS. I gave up pop and "sports drinks" years ago after finally developing an ability to drink water without lacing it with an obscene amount of sugar.
I would have quit Gatorade sooner had I known I was literally lining the pockets of the nefarious Florida Gators.
From espn.com:
Fifty years after the invention of Gatorade, the men who developed it, their families and friends have now made more than $1 billion in royalties from its sales.
Although details of the royalties given to the Gatorade Trust, which was formed in May 1967, are not public, the University of Florida, which receives a 20 percent cut from the royalties, reported this week that its total take from its piece in Gatorade had risen to $281 million.
That would mean the trust, which originally had nine members including doctors, two trainers and a lab technician, has benefited to the tune of more than $1.1 billion since it was sold to Indianapolis-based Stokely Van-Camp in 1967.
That's the greatest revenue stream I've heard of since the owners of the St. Louis Spirits hustled the NBA.
GET A LOAD OF THESE CALIFORNIANS. I was born in Pasadena but have lived in Ohio for 22.5 of my 30 years on this godforsaken rock we call home.
One thing that's always bemused me is how I can't properly pronounce like 30% of city names in Ohio. Russia? It's actually Roo-sy. Houston? Actually How-ston. Just infuriating stuff all around.
But good news for me, the simpleton midwesterner: These names even befuddle genetically superior and galaxy brained Californians.
Props for nailing Piqua, at least. An alarming number of people in this part of the state are hellbent on calling it "Pi-koo-wah."
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