I can't believe America fell for Vince McMahon's okie doke yesterday. He was talking like the XFL is ready to roll out next week, and it won't even appear until 2020 at best. He doesn't even have cities lined up!
But hey, it pushed WWE stocks to record highs. So what do I know?
ICYMI:
- Candidates to replace Kerry Coombs.
- Mike Vrabel on that time he bombed an interview with Urban Meyer, who called it "the worst thing he's ever seen."
- Women's basketball went to Iowa and lost their third straight.
- Reserve your (or your business’) spot next to the life-size statue of Woody Hayes coming to Newcomerstown!
Word of the Day: Schlemiel.
YEEEEEEES... NOOOOOO!!!!! I can't conjure words to capture the chaos of the ending to last night's Penn State–Ohio State game, which ended with the Lions escaping, 82-79.
Only the video will suffice:
The last nine seconds of the Ohio State–Penn State game. pic.twitter.com/MJADTCVYSZ
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) January 26, 2018
That instant flash from "Yes!" to No!" happens roughly six times during Browns games, so WELCOME TO MY HELL people whose brains aren't diseased enough to watch the Browns.
Still, it's impossible to be mad at that result. Penn State deserved to win the game, yet the Buckeyes deserve credit for chopping wood throughout the game. Without Carr's dagger, the local team wins that game.
Tilt of the cap to Carr, though. There was never a doubt it was going in from the second it left his hand.
LITTLE BEAR RESPECTS PRINCE OF DARKNESS. Want to feel old? Nick Saban replaced Jalen Hurts with Tua Tagovailoa almost three weeks ago. I know; I know, somehow it's still January. I don't understand either.
That drew comparisons to what Meyer would do in that situation, because arguing about hypothetical situations is the only thing sports fans love more than comparisons.
Nick Bosa, who figures to be a pillar of next year's team, was asked about it at the last media availability.
From theozone.net:
“That was a good move,” said defensive end Nick Bosa. “I think that’s why Nick Saban’s great. He’s willing to put the team before one player and just really put the best player in the game and that’s why he’s looked at as one of the best coaches ever.”
Is this where the tea-drinking frog meme goes?
Oh yeah, this is absolutely where the tea-drinking lizard meme goes, except I am the lizard and my tea is illegal watermelon FourLoko.
MAKES YOU THINK. Graphs are cool because they help you visualize what you already knew, like Ohio State's offense being efficient if not explosive and dominant on the ground if not through the air.
Such showed the 2017 advanced stats autopsy.
From Bill Connelly of sbnation.com:
I'd love to see those graphs without including games against UNLV, Rutgers, Illinois, etc.
For comparison, here's what Michigan's offense looked like last year, again via Connelly:
Millions of Michigan Man mulla went into that attempt to draw a circle
SKOAL STOCK GOING UP. Mike Vrabel went from Ohio State linebackers coach to NFL head coach in seven seasons. We'll find out out what "Vraball" will look like this fall.
It's a safe bet to assume his brand of football will be known for physicality. This is the same man that used to head butt helmeted Corey Linsley before games.
From tennessean.com:
That story, among many others about the 42-year-old Vrabel, conveys the one certainty about his tenure ahead in Nashville: It will be intense. There’s no telling if Vrabel can take a team that just won 19 games in the past two seasons under Mike Mularkey, including a playoff win, and improve on that success. He hasn’t found his offensive and defensive coordinators yet, and for all the excitement around the league about his potential, his competence as an NFL CEO is unknown.
But there will be no question of who’s in charge, nothing held back and nothing wishy-washy when Vrabel takes that sideline. That’s the word from those who know him best, and those who have played for him and covered him. If this works, the Titans will reflect him on the field. Vra-ball will be known for its ferocity.
“It’s kind of like having your brother out there coaching you,” Houston Texans defensive end D.J. Reader said of Vrabel’s work last season as defensive coordinator, after Vrabel coached Texans linebackers from 2014-16. “He’ll tease you, make fun of you, yell at you, he’s going to make it tough. But he knows how to make football fun.”
I'm interested in how Vrabel handles the CEO aspect of the job. He's an emotional and abrasive by default, which isn't always the best cocktail in the business world. His coordinating hires will be critical, which is why I was surprised he went after Ryan Day, who, for all his talents, has never been the primary play caller.
DUECES, ANN ARBOR. What do Michigan wide receivers coach Dan Enos and 99% of Michigan grads have in common? They all left Ann Arbor at the first chance.
From freep.com:
Dan Enos' time as an assistant on Michigan's coaching staff appears to have been a brief one.
According to a report from Yahoo! Sports on Thursday night, Enos — who signed a contract to be Michigan's wide receivers coach on Dec. 15 — is expected to be Alabama's new associated head coach/quarterbacks coach.
Hey, can't hate a man for leaving a mid-major for a crack at the big leagues.
THOSE WMDs. Can Earth feed 10 billion people? Humanity has 30 years to find out... Overlooked heroes who lead climbers up Everest... Former detective testifies Baltimore Police gun unit was tipped off to investigations into its conduct... The only surviving recording of Virginia Woolf... What was a Mexican cartel doing with 300 mutilated sharks?
