I dedicate this Skull Session to American military members who gave their lives in defense of this country. It's not perfect, but it's the best humanity has to offer.
ICYMI:
- Five freshman phenoms of the Meyer era.
- Ohio State's most difficult games in 2018.
- Eric Glover-Williams reportedly transfers to Slippery Rock.
Secondary shoutout to Marietta, the oldest settlement in Ohio. (The guy who claimed Saturday that Martin's Ferry "would like a word" better check his facts.) The decision to name the city after Marie Antoinette didn't age well, yet it didn't prevent me from enjoying a relaxing weekend in a gem of a small town.
Don't let folks slander Southeastern Ohio in your presence. None of it — ok, 90% of it — isn't true!
Third shoutout to Larbon Jim, Ohio Lad. Boston really thought they had a chance, loooooooooooool.Word of the Day: Hombre.
WHAT "WAR" REALLY MEANS. War analogies are rife in football. Though I try to eschew them, I'm sure somebody could find some in my writing if you go far back enough.
I was wrong as then as I would be today in using them. My favorite college football team is no different.
From The Toledo Blade:
“[Before] my military experience, I never thought much of the football and war analogies,” said [former Ohio State lineman and Army Ranger Joe] Brown, who lettered at OSU from 1997-2000 and is now the parks and recreation director in Copperas Cove, Texas. “But there is no comparison at all. This actually makes me a bit sad, reflecting on a few buddies who had really bad days overseas and are no longer with us.”
I bring this up because, for the longest time, I’ve rolled my eyes at the war metaphors we use in football. The coaches and players who wouldn’t know a foxhole from a hole in the ground. The warred-up hype videos.
Nowhere is the military-football complex cranked up more than at Ohio State, where LL Cool J’s “It’s Time For War” blasts on loop in the Buckeyes’ facility the week of the Michigan game, and its official pump-up videos often traffic in combat themes. In one of them, before last year’s season opener, the toll of war is conflated with losing a football game.
Against the backdrop of dejected Ohio State players and Clemson celebrating its national title, the narrator — a retired Navy SEAL — intones: “War is a nightmare. But war is also an incredible teacher. War teaches you about sorrow and loss and pain.”
(Former 11W intern Jimmy Longo wrote about Brown back in 2017.)
Nobody would ever accuse Urban Meyer of not having respect for the military. Yet, the author's point stands. Talking about respecting troops and their sacrifices is the easy part. The Rivalry is many things, but it's not war.
POWERFUL PRIDGEON. I expected Malcolm Pridgeon to walk into a starting spot when he transferred from JUCO two years ago. Obviously, that didn't happen. Pridgeon could still play a critical role in this year's team. He has the backing of his position coach, Greg Studrawa.
From theozone.net:
Based on the results that he saw on a daily basis, Pridgeon proved to himself this spring that he can play at Ohio State. His demeanor has changed, be it from knowing this is his last go-round, or simply from knowing that he is good enough to accomplish what he is being asked to do.
“You can see him when he walks out here now, there’s no joke, he’s a big, powerful man,” Studrawa sid. “So when you get that guy going on the right track and he has confidence in doing what he’s doing, which he does now after those reps, I couldn’t be more excited about him.”
The Buckeyes return three guards with starting experience this year. Michael Jordan is a two-year starter at left guard, and fifth-year senior Demetrius Knox and fourth-year junior Branden Bowen split the season last year starting at right guard.
I'm as bullish on this offensive line as one can be considering it hasn't played a live snap and lost two NFL players. I'm not saying Pridgeon will be a starter, but he'll clearly provide serviceable depth.
BLOCKING THE BLOCKING OF TRANSFERS? When Joe Burrow announced his transfer, Ohio State granted LSU and Cincinnati permission to talk to him.
Which begs the question (did I just use that idiom right? Trick question, I don't care) ... why did a player who came to Columbus and performed all duties admirably need permission to talk to schools about going elsewhere?
Surprisingly, that could soon change.
From theadvocate.com:
The NCAA Division I Council will vote at its next meeting in June on a proposal to abolish the bylaw allowing schools to control the destination of transferring athletes — something commonly referred to as blocking transfers.
Blocking transfers is not rare in college football, but only recently has attention — and scrutiny — fallen on the coaches who restrict their transferring players from speaking to or visiting potential landing spots. In most of these cases, coaches block players from transferring to schools within the same conference or those on their future schedules.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron has restricted at least one transferring player, barring tackle Willie Allen last spring from leaving for TCU. Allen instead went to junior college before landing this spring at Louisiana Tech.
The NCAA looking out for the best inters of the athletes off which it profits? That would be a first.
Meanwhile, Burrow and J.T. Barrett linked up in a Baton Rogue bar:
Joe and JT in Baton Rouge pic.twitter.com/Og7aLDLKhI
— Jimmy Burrow (@CoachBurrow) May 28, 2018
Burrow is already the best LSU QB since Jamarcus Russell.
DON'T TEST BAKER'S DANCE MOVES. Jerome Baker answered the call when a little girl called out Miami Dolphins dance moves:
"Can any of you floss?"@Lastname_Baker stepped up to the challenge and delivered." pic.twitter.com/is2YjE0fJ5
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) May 25, 2018
Sit down, little girl. Jerome Baker was flossing before you were born.
TATE TALKING TRASH. Tate Martell, who has yet to play a snap at Ohio State, had some fun with his old friend Shea Patterson this weekend:
182 days until I beat up on you again.. pic.twitter.com/RI0iiZP1JJ
— TATE MARTELL (@TheTateMartell) May 27, 2018
Seems like Tate is confident in playing this season. I'm with it if it leads to beating up on Michigan again.
THOSE LINKS. Letters from children of fallen soldiers to the parents they lost... A one-eyed Québécois ‘Rambo’ captures imaginations in Canada... Eric Trent, once a homeless drug addict, puts his energy into sports journalism... As Google feeds cats, owl lovers cry foul... Newark police camera system relies on residents... Hedge funds are in charge of newspapers across America.
