Housekeeping notice: I will be in Washington D.C. until Sunday. Kevin Harrish, the King's Hand, will write the Friday and Saturday Skull Session. Please be as rude to him as y'all are to me.
Kevin Durant may have shifted the Warriors into God Mode; he still can't do this:
OH YES HE DID! #WhateverItTakes #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/Axun0gOmok
— NBA (@NBA) June 7, 2018
ICYMI:
- Grant Gunnell, once Ohio State's top 2019 QB target, commits to Arizona.
- Ryan Shazier still working toward returning to the NFL.
- Ohio State vs. Oregon State: A primer for the battle of OSU supremacy.
- Have a tailgate recipe the world needs to know about? Submit it to the Official 11W Tailgate Cookbook. The author of the highest-voted recipe receives a $50 gift certificate to the 11W Dry Goods.
Word of the Day: Pied-à-terre.
OUTSIDE THE HASHES. Urban Meyer is fervent in his belief that playing quarterback is about more than arm strength.
And while Dwayne Haskins' won't replace J.T. Barrett's leadership void overnight because that can only be earned on the field. However, Haskins has the mythical cannon arm and loves throwing outside the hashmarks—something on which the Buckeye offense couldn't depend in recent years.
From 247sports.com:
Haskins’ arm strength is particularly notable outside the hash marks (check out the video below for an example).
While Barrett finished just 9-for-37 (24.3%) on throws of 20-plus yards in the outside thirds of the field, Haskins went 4-for-4. That makes a monumental difference for an offense in terms of its options, and also presents a litany of headaches for a defense that could previously feel comfortable with the boundary serving as its best defender against the Buckeyes.
Barrett’s inability to push the ball downfield consistently limited what Ohio State could do. That should end when the Haskins era begins.
This is another example of why I believe J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber will benefit from Haskins' ability. Teams are going to have to defend damn near every inch of the field.
And that's going to open the channels like Cardale Jones did for Ezekiel Elliott during that majestic 2014 title run.
THAYER THE KEY PLAYER. Thayer Munford, once the lowest ranked position player of his draft class, will enter the season as one of the key cogs for Meyer's offensive line-driven team. Hopefully Mickey Marotti cryogenically froze Munford to preserve his health until Sept. 1.
From lettermanrow.com:
For all the justifiable focus on the quarterbacks during spring camp, the reps and competition for playing time might have arguably been even more important on the offensive line. Whether it was Dwayne Haskins or Joe Burrow leading the attack, neither would have been at their most effective without a capable group of blockers in front of them. And the fact that offensive line coach Greg Studrawa closed out those workouts with Munford lining up at left tackle spoke volumes about his importance to the defending Big Ten champions — especially with a proven, veteran tackle in Isaiah Prince on hand.
“I wouldn’t say that’s set yet, but it’s pretty close to being true,” Studrawa said in April when asked if Munford was his left tackle. ” … We tested the combinations, and that’s what you want to find out [is where they’re the best fits]. We absolutely found out.”
The offensive line is going to have options at every position this year—the first year under Urban Meyer you can say that.
PURDUE COMMITS A WAR CRIME. The Nittany Lion roar over the PA system at Beaver Stadium was one of the worst things in Big Ten football outside the existence of Michigan. I say "was" because Purdue unveiled a hell whistle that could deafen thousands of fans if they don't come prepared with ear plugs:
We have a new toy and we plan to play it a lot this fall.
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) June 4, 2018
Be sure to turn your volume up to 11. #BoilerUp
DISCLAIMER: Protect your pic.twitter.com/TOGzUDhRSP
Folks got jazzed last year about a resurgent Purdue. I was one of them. I thought it'd make the Big Ten more entertaining, and my interns have been working diligently to make sure that opinion is erased from the internet.
Obviously the Boilermakers aren't ready for a nationally relevant program just yet.
KEEP YOUR HEAD ON A SWIVEL AT PUT-IN-BAY. Put-In-Bay, the Ibiza of America, is a great place to spend 8 to 12 hours. It's also a great place to get into a fight with a stranger, who also might be a breakout star for the Kansas City Chiefs.
From tmz.com:
Sources tell us everything was fine until early Sunday morning when Hunt got into a verbal altercation with another resort guest.
We spoke with the alleged victim who tells TMZ Sports he was punched in the face by Hunt ... hard.
TMZ Sports also spoke with a resort official who confirms there was an incident involving Hunt.
We're told the man was NOT seriously injured and did not seek medical attention. Hunt was not arrested.
You know ol' dude who got punched must've said something he regretted. I don't care if you play for the Chiefs or only have $3.75 in your pockets, if you sucker punch me, I'm pressing charges.
EVAN RAVEL NO FAN OF NEW DRAYMOND. The most popular opinion in the Big Ten right now is Draymond Green deserves to live out the rest of his life in a remote town buried into the asshole of the frostiest Siberian tundra.
Winning championships can bring out your worst traits, as Rilski Sportist star Evan Ravenel remembers:
Respect to Draymond hell of a player but i do not remember him acting like this back in the day.
— E Ravenel (@e_rav24) June 7, 2018
At least we'll always have that time Green cried in a parking lot and begged Kevin Durant to join their cool kid gang:
Its still unfathomable to me that after the Warriors won 73 games and blew a 3-1 Finals lead, Draymond Green cried in his car in the parking lot, called Kevin Durant and told him to sign with Golden State, and Durant decided to join the 73-win team he choked against.
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) June 7, 2018
THOSE WMDs. Mystery grows as U.S. consulate workers in China fall ill... $500 million yacht in the middle of Britain's costliest divorce... Murder with impunity: Where killings go unsolved... Holidays in Soviet sanatoriums... U.S. gov't says hack of airplane "only a matter of time."
