Skull Session: A Look Inside the WHAC, Buckeyes Worth the Price of Admission, and J.T. Barrett's Stint in Seattle

By Kevin Harrish on August 12, 2019 at 4:59 am
The specialists are having fun in today's skull session.
Twitter/@LiamMcCullough2
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Reminder that Malik Hooker still only needs one hand for interceptions.

ICYMI

Word of the Day: Austere.

 INSIDE LOOK. ESPN's Maria Taylor and Holly Rowe got a personal tour through Ohio State's facilities this weekend – courtesy of Jonathon Cooper – which means we also got an inside look at the facilities.

I appreciate how dedicated Ryan Day seems to making the facilities as comfortable and homey as possible, but let's not pretend the facilities weren't already damn comfortable. Shit, the couch they have in the locker room is nicer than any piece of furniture I'll ever own in my life.

So if they're out here making *improvements* to that, we're talking palace life.

 PAY TO SEE IT. Football tickets are becoming increasingly not worth it as prices get higher and my television's picture quality gets better, among a myriad of other factors. But as long as you can still get in the gates without a living sacrifice, there are gonna be some Buckeyes to watch who are worth the price of admission.

Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports put together his list – divided into quarterbacks and non-quarterbacks – of the top players in college football he would pay to see this season.

You'll be shocked to learn that multiple Buckeyes made the cut.

From the quarterback division:

5. Justin Fields, Ohio State

A major part of the Buckeye makeover for 2019. New coach Ryan Day plugs in a new starting QB, fresh from Georgia, his immediate eligibility obtained thanks to the Great Transfer Emancipator, attorney Tom Mars. Fields was the No. 1 quarterback prospect entering college in 2018, but he joined the list of five-star guys who couldn’t beat out Jake Fromm and sought a starting spot elsewhere. Even when he did get on the field last year, Fields was given a limited play package that didn’t showcase his skills. Given that, and his underwhelming spring game performance at Ohio State, some questions remain unanswered.

And the Non-quarterback division:

4. Chase Young, DE, Ohio State

The latest freak to roll off the Ohio State edge-rush assembly line, following the brothers Bosa and others. Young took on a bigger role last year when Nick Bosa only played three games, and the sophomore produced team-highs of 9.5 sacks, nine quarterback hurries and 14.5 tackles for loss. At 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, Young has the prototype size, length and athleticism for the position. With a productive season, he likely will be in the discussion for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft next spring — or at the very least the No. 1 non-quarterback, depending on team need.

I wanted to complain that Chase Young was too low on this list, but then I realized how hilarious it is that a defensive end would beat out any top skill player on this list and now I'm fine with it.

 SEATTLE STINT. J.T. Barrett's Seattle Seahawks career could last just a matter of days as most folks expect him gone as soon as Geno Smith returns from surgery, but that's ain't stopping him from making the most of it.

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times:

“It’s always an opportunity,’’ said Barrett. “It’s a great opportunity here, watching this organization from afar and growing up understanding the great staff they have and the family environment. It’s just another opportunity to get better and learn each day. That’s how I approach it.’’

And as Barrett also said, “You just never know what’s going to happen.’’

...

And if Smith comes back quickly, Barrett may not be around long.

But Carroll insisted the team wants to take a legitimate look at Barrett as it attempts to sort out its backup quarterback position. And the 6-2, 225-pound Barrett seems to fit the Seattle mold, having set Ohio State career records for both passing yards (9,434) and rushing yards by a quarterback (3,263).

“J.T. is a guy who we’ve always been aware of,’’ Carroll said. “We’ve watched him and known that he’s out there and looked for opportunities maybe to get a shot. Not knowing what’s going to happen with Geno for this week, we needed insurance going through the week, for one, and into the game, as well. So we’ll see what happens. He’s played in the big time, he’s a leader, he’s real smart, he’s got a strong-enough arm. I just like the kind of guy that he is — he’s a QB. He’ll jump in here and we’ll see what he can do. We’ll check him out.”

“You just never know what’s going to happen.’’

I mean, at this point five years ago, J.T. Barrett was still behind Cardale Jones as the third-string on the depth chart. Six days later, he was Ohio State's starting quarterback.

No honest person thinks it's anywhere close to likely that Barrett make the roster (the practice squad could even be a stretch), but J.T. has seen wayyyyy too much shit happen to just show up and cash a check.

 KILL THE BEAST! Any Ohio State alum who wasn't victimized by Shamrock Towing in their day either didn't own a car or lived an extremely blessed life.

For the rest of us, I bring news of impending justice.

From Jerrod Mogan from The Columbus Dispatch:

Geoffrey Parker, one of two attorneys from Columbus-based law firm Hilton Parker who filed the suit, estimates that more than 20,000 vehicles were towed illegally — amounting to around $2.5 million in damages.

“I can’t imagine how Shamrock could have thought these signs comply with the law,” Parker said.

According to Ohio law, “private tow-away zone” signs must include a “description of persons authorized to park on the property” (such as customers or residents) or, if a description isn’t easily provided, the business name or address of the property to which the lot belongs.

“Shamrock just sends out the same sign to everybody,” Parker said.

The suit also says that Shamrock towed vehicles without a proper contract. Ohio law requires a written contract between the property owner and the tow-truck company. Shamrock used authorization forms that specifically state they are “not a binding contract of any sort,” according to the filing.

“If you literally say on something, ‘This is not a contract,’ it’s not a contract,” Parker said.

God bless you, Geoffrey Parker, for doing the Lord's work. Now some patriot just needs to take a swing at CampusParc, whose atrocities somehow far exceed those of Shamrock.

 SPECIALISTS ARE SPECIAL. Folks, here's your regular reminder that specialists make the world go 'round.

I mean, they've even got Dolodale swooning.

If that happens, I just pray he's the same size. I want nothing more than a 6-foot-5, 250 lb. long snapper on my favorite football team. Sorry Liam, the shirts are good, but The King would have your throne.

Also, here's the Kenton Stufflebeam – who is better at graphic design than I will ever be at anything in my entire life – turning a work of art into a proper masterpiece.

I'm going to be furious if the Sistine Chapel is not amended immediately.

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