The weather owned me this weekend and I ain't afraid to admit it.
7 p.m. on Saturday night there was no snow on the ground and I started running my mouth. I woke up Sunday on Hoth.
ICYMI
- Three former Buckeyes are heading to The Big Game.
- Who's better, Jim Harbaugh or Brady Hoke? It's tough to say!
- Brutus is a national champion.
- The dance team is a national champion.
- Javontae Jean-Baptiste reminds Mickey Marotti of Justin Tuck.
Word of the Day: Intransigent.
BUCKS IN THE BIG GAME. Finally, Tom Brady is going to the Super Bowl.
That was all but known since the damn season started, but we got absolutely cheated of the Ohio State/Michigan duel between Brady and Ohio State's secondary because this allegedly wasn't pass interference:
Never before have I seen a game-deciding "controversial call" turn out to be so uncontroversial that the beneficiary of the of the blown call openly admits that he intentionally tried to interfere, and his teammate posts this on Instagram:
The Saints got absolutely jobbed, but there will still be a few Buckeyes representing in The Big Game: legendary Rams long snapper Jake McQuaide, noted strong human John Simon and special teams fellow Nate Ebner.
MATTHEW BALDWIN READY. Are y'all ready for Matthew Baldwin, starting Buckeye quarterback? Cause he sure is.
From Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch:
“I’m very confident,” he said in the Rose Bowl postgame locker room when it was clear that Fields intended to transfer to Ohio State. “Coach Day didn’t recruit me to come here and sit and watch other guys. That’s my mindset.”
...
“Competition isn’t something I’m afraid of,” Baldwin said. “If you come to Ohio State thinking there’s not going to be competition, you don’t know what you’re doing. I’ll take on the spring with a good mindset.”
I'm gonna shoot straight with you – if Justin Fields is eligible, it's his job. I'm not counting Baldwin out, I'm just counting on Fields to be as good as I believe he is.
BUCKEYE TARGET RUINS TEAM. Ohio State's basketball struggles are a lot easier to stomach when I know the future is so damn bright.
The Buckeyes have three top-50 players coming in next season and this fellow might be closely behind:
Big time players make big time plays. Meechie Johnson with the clutch 5 points as Garfield Heights steals one just before the buzzer at @FlyinToTheHoop@sonnyjohnson32 @HWbball15 @MarcGivlerBG @GarfieldHts @neoyouthelite @EricHortsman11 #FTTH2019 #SUVtv #ABACE pic.twitter.com/TWToEOx8MU
— SUVtv (@SUVtv) January 21, 2019
He's a 2021 prospect and it's way too early to tell where he'll be going to school, but any fellow that single-handedly buries a team with both offense and defense is a lad that I will gladly take on my favorite basketball team.
GRINCH HAS BIG PLANS IN NORMAN. Alex Grinch is off to Norman to fix Oklahoma's defense.
From Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press:
That's one of the top priorities for new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who was introduced to the media on Sunday. He said Oklahoma had already gotten things started before he arrived with a 2019 recruiting class that includes six four-star signees, according to 247Sports.
''There's a project here that the guys want to be a part of,'' Grinch said. ''That's obvious. The job the staff did ... to bring in an elite group of guys in 2019 to be a member of this defense, despite the fact when they signed that there was not a defensive coordinator, I think speaks to the want-to of guys on a national level to be a part of Oklahoma football. What we need to do (is) obviously make sure we're giving them a product ... that they want to be a part of. And that's our responsibility.''
...
Grinch wants to have a ball-hawking defense that can put the Sooners' high-powered offense in advantageous positions. This past season, the Sooners ranked 120th in takeaways, something he'd like to see change.
''We kind of coined the phrase, 'Takeaways equal victory,''' he said. ''It stems from the fact that the sole purpose of the defense to be on the field is to get the ball back to the offense.''
I too would have liked a ball-hawking defense that can put a high-powered offense in advantageous positions.
I don't know who was entirely at fault for Ohio State's defensive disasters, but I have a strong hunch it wasn't the dude who turned Wazzou's dumpster fire of a defense into a team strength in like two years.
If he goes to Oklahoma and turns that disaster around too, I'll be just a bit salty.
ELI CHIRPS AT MCVAY. Notoriously good trash talker Michael Thomas always praised Eli Apple's ability to clap back at him.
It looks like Eli had some words for Rams head coach Sean McVay.
Eli Apple trying to boost his future coaching resume by talking to Sean McVay pic.twitter.com/x8p6kHpgdY
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) January 20, 2019
Apple's struggles in New York are well-documented, but he was a huge pickup for New Orleans. If he's the "weak link" in your secondary, you're doing something right.
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