D.J. is in our nation's capital for the weekend, which means I – his loyal hand and rightful heir to the throne – will be writing the Skull Sessions for today, tomorrow, and pending his condition at the end of the weekend, possibly the foreseeable future.
If you live within 20 miles of Washington D.C., I send my sincerest apologies and advise you not to approach the man with the receding hairline and the Cleveland Browns wallet and make sure to secure all of your Warren G. Harding memorabilia.
ICYMI:
- Ohio State's most indispensable players for the 2018 season.
- The best sibling tandems in Ohio State football history.
- Micah Potter looking to improve his defense and leadership this offseason.
- 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: Dereliction.
OLD FAITHFUL AIN'T DEAD YET. If you thought two All-Big Ten running backs and a pass-first quarterback would be enough to kill the quarterback run in Urban Meyer's offense, I've got news.
From Tony Gerdeman of TheOzone.net:
And even though it shouldn’t happen often, he may even have to run the ball as much as Barrett did at times.
“Well, heck yeah if you’re not blocking and he’s running around for his life the whole time, so I mean you know [it’s possible],” OSU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said this spring. “There’s going to be reads in the run game because the box is always going to get overloaded.”
Regardless of the differing characteristics of each Ohio State quarterback, math continues to be the universal language in running the football. Running the quarterback evens out the blockers, so they are never going to go away from it entirely.
Like it or not, it sounds like Haskins is going to run the ball if the defense is going to let him run the ball.
Personally, I don't have a problem with it, because he's shown he has capable legs if he needs to use them, and it's not like his skillset will allow his running to become a crutch as has seemed to be the case with J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller in the past.
If the defensive alignment gives Haskins a free three first down in short yardage situations, I say take it. Just don't get him hurt.
JAE'SEAN TATE SHOOTS FOR THE STARS. The talk of the Buckeye basketball offseason is on NBA Draft hopeful Keita Bates-Diop, but Jae'Sean Tate has his own NBA dreams and is doing everything he can to achieve them.
More specifically, he's shooting a ton of threes in an Indiana barn.
Tate's spent a good portion of his offseason working out in a barn-turned-basketball-gym with a basketball trainer and "shot doctor" named Joey Burton, and things seem to be going well.
From Bill Landis of Cleveland.com:
"Jae'Sean is shooting, but I can see on camera that he's not really holding his follow-through. He's just kind of going through the motions," Burton told cleveland.com this week.
The camera, a security measure, doubles as an instant replay tool when calls during games in the barn need to be reviewed, and also as a microphone. Burton could hear the music. He called to interrupt the tunes, and let Tate know that someone is always watching. Tate, the former Ohio State forward, heard the coaching points again.
Snap your wrist. Get your fingers pointed all the way down. Hold your follow-through.
"I check back in 10 minutes later and he was holding every follow-through, making sure everything was disciplined," Burton said. "He stayed in there until about 2:10 in the morning, and we had another workout at 9 a.m. To see that commitment ..."
I've always been of the opinion that Tate will make comfortable, tax-free money for many years playing overseas, but if he can get a reliable jump shot, he just might be able to make a run at the NBA.
It's extremely unlikely Tate is selected in the upcoming NBA Draft, but it seems he's already getting at least a look from teams – which is more than most NBA hopefuls can say – as Landis reports that Tate has a workout with the Utah Jazz on Thursday and one with the Chicago Bulls next week.
KERRY COOMBS: STILL KERRY COOMBS. I must admit, I had my fears that once he joined the NFL ranks and dealt with paid professionals on a daily basis, Kerry Coombs might not be so intense.
It seems those fears were completely without warrant. Cincinnati, Columbus, Nashville, or Budapest – Kerry Coombs will always be Kerry Coombs.
From TitansOnline.com:
Secondary coach Kerry Coombs got worked up during a one-on-one drill with skill players and defensive backs, but anyone who has observed practices this offseason knows that’s nothing new. When asked about Coombs after practice, Titans coach Mike Vrabel delivered the line of the day.
“We let the little hyena out of his cage for practice and then we put him back in once he goes inside,” a smiling Vrabel said of Coombs. “I think everybody is starting to appreciate and realize that’s what he is. He loves waking up in the morning and being a football coach. That’s who he is. He’ll die coaching hard, I’m pretty sure of it.”
One of my earliest, and fondest memories of Coombs at Ohio State was when he berated a poor kicker for deciding that he needed a water break while the team was simply stretching.
I pray he calls the millionaires he now coaches "sunshine" as well.
POTTER TALKS NEWCOMERS. The Basket-Bucks added two transfer guards this offseason – Keyshawn Woods from Wake Forest and C.J. Walker from Florida State –and they're already catching the eye of some of the more veteran players like Micah Potter.
From Colin Gay of The Lantern:
In summer practices, it is neither Woods’ scoring ability nor his ability to fluidly switch and guard multiple positions that impresses Potter the most.
“[Woods] could have a contested shot, he will make the extra pass,” Potter said. “He could drive the lane and then it could be help-side defense coming over, he’ll kick the ball out, like it’s insane. I don’t know if I have ever played with a guy that is that unselfish.”
Along with Woods, former Florida State guard C.J. Walker joined Ohio State in the offseason with two years of eligibility left. Despite an inability to play in the upcoming season due to the NCAA transfer rules, Walker has already made an impact, with Potter talking about his ability to shoot on a step-back jumper out of a screen.
“He’s got that ability to use his body and then, you know, flip [the ball] over taller defenders is really good,” Potter said. “In practice especially this year, he’s really going to make a lot of people better.”
No disrespect intended to Andrew Dakich, who was an unanticipated savior for a team that literally considered signing players from a local rec league to fill the roster, but Woods seems more like a potential starter and not just added depth for a depleted roster.
Once he's gone, Walker, already a veteran with deep NCAA Tournament experience, will have two seasons remaining to help bolster the Buckeye backcourt.
Folks, it looks like Chris Holtmann is doing some things.
KYLE SNYDER DROPPING NEW SHOE. It looks like Kyle Snyder is set to cash in on his status as America's most popular wrestler by releasing his own signature shoes.
This feels like a win-win. Fans get to rock Snyder's signature gear and Snyder gets to cash in a bit on all the work he's put in the past couple of years.
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