Hello, folks, it's me, your wealth consultant. This letter is to inform you that I liquidated all my clients' savings and assets to invest in the Browns (-3) tonight in their preseason debut against the Saints in Cleveland at 8 p.m. ET.
Y'all will thank me when we're watching the Brownies maul the Packers in the Super Bowl from a yacht in the Mediterranean Sea this February.
ICYMI:
- Five-star DE Chase Young, who's apparently nicknamed "the Predator," lost his black stripe.
- Veteran safety Erick Smith still looking for his first start.
- Greg Studrawa says freshmen OL are living up to the hype.
- Ramzy's latest dispatch.
- J.T. Barrett on one of four Sports Illustrated CFB preview covers.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Orison.
FINDING A NEW HOOKER NO EASY TASK. Malik Hooker burst onto the scene last year and parlayed one year of starting into a four-year, $12 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts.
Under Urban Meyer, successfully replacing players lost to the NFL with future NFL players is a time-honored tradition. At safety, however, there is not yet an heir apparent to Hooker's throne opposite of Damon Webb.
From theozone.net:
“I don’t know [if we'll replace Malik Hooker] yet,” said OSU defensive coordinator and safeties coach Greg Schiano. “That’s what we have to find out. But then again, we didn’t know we had that in Malik. We had an idea, but until you do it you don’t know. We sure work hard at it, to develop that skill. Stretching your range is something we work very hard at and it’s a daily process.”
[...]
Smith is a physical safety who has been in the program for four years, most of that time has been spent dealing with injuries. Last season, however, he was Hooker’s backup, so he saw how well the position can be played.
[...]
Fuller, meanwhile, was just a true freshman last year, but he played in all 13 games. He was behind Webb at free safety last season, but could be on the verge of lining up next to him when the season gets underway later this month.
My pick has always been Fuller but Smith has proven capable in the past, too. The good news is I might be able to serviceably play safety this year given Ohio State's depth in the front seven.
It would probably definitely end with me blowing my shoulder out on the steely thigh of a 230-pound running back, but at least I wouldn't be a liability in coverage.
MORE DIXON HYPE. Johnnie Dixon looked like a former four-star recruit from South Florida during the spring game. Unlike a lot of spring game MVPs, he carried that momentum through summer and into fall camp.
From the OSU beat G.O.A.T., Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch:
For the first time in his Ohio State career, Dixon is able to stack good practice and scrimmage performances on top of each other. It’s another indicator that a player who always had outstanding ability also appears to have reliability.
“I had a very good summer, I think; the whole team did, actually,” Dixon said. “I feel like I’m one of the higher-up guys now.”
[...]
“I’m happy for Johnnie,” junior Terry McLaurin said. “He’s had some adversity, but I respect him because he didn’t quit — and he’s had opportunities where he could have walked away. He’s really made the strides, more so off the field, that’s helped on the field. He’s not worrying about extra-curricular or academics or anything else. He’s healthy and he’s ready to go.”
I want to believe the hype because it'd make for a great storyline. While it'd be really sweet if Dixon came out and dominated everyone, Ohio State doesn't need that if guys like Ben Victor, K.J. Hill, Parris Campbell, and Austin Mack contribute.
I'd settle for a reliable option on third down with some timely big-catches sprinkled in.
MARKETING 101. The great state of Ohio hosts two NFL football teams, and yet the top selling jersey in the state belongs to Dallas Cowboy running back Ezekiel Elliott.
And that's whats always perplexed me about the Bengals and Browns eschewing Ohio State players. Not only have they proven to have the talent to play in the league, it's also a marketing layup.
The top selling jerseys from the @NFL offseason! Are you repping your states top seller?
— Official NFL Shop (@OfficialNFLShop) August 9, 2017
( on @MoneyLynch) pic.twitter.com/zXixlnGk56
BTW, it's Thursday, which is past Cris Carter's "I'd be shocked if the NFL doesn't suspend Zeke in the next 48 hours" proclamation.
McCARRON TAKES HIS LOSS. Cardale Jones called out Cincinnati Bengals QB A.J. McCarron for ripping off Fusian's business model for his own Tuscaloosa sushi joint, which is an oxymoron that should be a felony in reality.
McCarron cited America's long business tradition of ripping off innovators.
Asked @10AJMcCarron if he wanted to know what @Cardale7_ tweeted about his "Ajian" restaurant. He did. His response. #Buckeyes #CrimsonTide pic.twitter.com/72eZGaZWsZ
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) August 9, 2017
I'm more offended by the name ("Ajian," really?) and the tacky plantation columns. He needed a friend to put an arm over his shoulder and disabuse him of those two idiotic notions.
STAY GOLDEN, PONY BOY. My new goal in life is to become Steve Spurrier in that I want to become so good at shit talking I get paid to roast people across the country.
Here's Spurrier speaking Wednesday at the Independence Bowl kickoff luncheon in Shreveport:
Steve Spurrier: "You can have great players and still not win. You LSU fans know about that."
— Jimmy Watson (@JimmyWatson6) August 9, 2017
I love Spurrier's audacity here, like he didn't go 86-49 at South Carolina, where his best team lost by 39 points to Cam Newton in the SEC championship game.
THOSE WMDs. America's best college town meals... The Los Angeles Dodgers are horrifying... Postmortems solve strange case of French pair who died at dinner... Texas and Texas A&M are "redefining" borders in in-state recruiting... Ain't it always Stephen Mills.
