Fun fact: there are actually *six* former Ohio State players on the Bengals active Super Bowl roster.
Hadnt realized Keandre Jones is also on the Bengals active roster, so if you include him and Joe Burrow, that makes six players who once played at Ohio State who will now be going to the Super Bowl with the Bengals. https://t.co/mRnfhOqsvv
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 31, 2022
Buckeyes, everywhere, baby.
Word of the Day: Lorn.
“GOD-FORSAKEN PLACE.” Lots of folks are talking about Joe Burrow as the heir to Tom Brady's GOAT throne, which is fine and cool and good.
Except folks like to forget that as good as Tom Brady is at the NFL level, he's still a mediocre Michigan Man.
Tom Brady tells Joe Burrow that one of the best decisions the Bengals QB ever made was leaving "that god-forsaken place," Ohio State.
— Luke Easterling (@LukeEasterling) February 1, 2022
Brady sounds a bit bitter! But that's understandable coming from a guy that's probably worn Ohio State gear more than Joe Burrow has the past two decades.
Or maybe he's just doing some self-reflection and wishes he'd have transferred away, too. After all, his own alma mater had the greatest quarterback of all time and turned him into a late sixth-round pick. Imagine how much better his early career would have been if he had gone to school literally anywhere else.
Also, I think the whole "who can claim Joe Burrow?" debate is kinda dumb because it denies the fact that Joe Burrow is unnaturally gifted, motivated, talented, competitive, and likable, and always has been. Implying that his choice of school is the reason he's now successful takes all that credit away from him personally.
No coach or program or team or university turned him into the player or person he is today, and the proof is in his high school tape, where he looked like a future Hall of Famer with bleached-out hair. The dude was always going to be great, and nobody should be getting the credit for his success but him.
HARBAUGH WATCH. Meanwhile, at an actual god-forsaken place...
As an outside observer wishing nothing but bad things upon Michigan and its football program, the longer this Jim Harbaugh saga drags out, the more hilarious it becomes.
It would have been one thing if he quickly entertained an offer from the Raiders and decided whether to take that job or return to Michigan – as it initially appeared was the case. But it's now been a month since the Wolverines' season ended and he's still dicking Michigan around and taking new interviews with different NFL teams.
It's hilarious.
Harbaugh Watch, Day 30: Nobody Knows How This Will End, But...
— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) January 31, 2022
(All info backed by 2 sources w/direct knowledge.)
-UM's offer is not a hold up.
-MN interviewed JH Sat. Went very well. No offer yet.
-If MN offers, Miami could counter.
Thus, my odds of JH staying now at 60-40.
Jim Harbaugh conveyed legitimate interest in the Vikings' head-coaching job during his interview with the team, per source, with Minnesota coming away feeling Harbaugh is ready for a return to the NFL. As of now, he's still considered in the mix for that job.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 31, 2022
The #Vikings plan to fly in Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for an interview Wednesday in Minnesota, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 1, 2022
The sides spoke Saturday to gauge Harbaughs interest in the head coaching job. Now, another big step towards Harbaugh potentially returning to the NFL.
No matter how this ends, it's absolutely a gigantic middle finger to Michigan.
I tried to imagine how I would react if a coach tried to pull this same bullshit at Ohio State, but the truth is I'm not sure I'd even have to react because Gene Smith wouldn't let this drag on for even two weeks before he showed up at his house to personally help him pack his shit.
Ohio State administration would never, ever allow this to happen. It's making a mockery of the entire school, program, and team. At this point, the fact that Michigan would still even consider taking him back – and paying him a Brinks truck of money, at that – reaks of desperation.
Thank you for all of this, Jim.
NO MORE FAKING INJURIES. Sometimes, the easiest and most effective way to slow down an opposing offense is to simply lay down on the turf and hold your leg until the trainers come to bring you some water.
And the NCAA has had enough.
Concern over faking injuries has become such a prominent issue in college football that it has risen to the top of the agenda going into the next rules committee meeting.
National director of officials Steve Shaw told The Athletic on Monday that faking injuries is going to be “a big topic” at the next meeting of the NCAA Football Rules Committee on March 1. This is a rule-change year, meaning the group can put forth its recommendations for immediate consideration from the NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Panel.
“Obviously, we want to take feigning injuries out of the game,” Shaw said. “It’s a bad look for the game. It’s an integrity issue. If you have a feigned injury, it garners an unmerited timeout for your team. We’re really looking at: What’s the next step to move away from that?”
For what it's worth, the NCAA also talked about this last year and came up with an appeals process where a team could send in a video after the fact if they felt their opponents were faking injuries, and there were no real or immediate consequences.
As pretty much anybody could have hypothesized, that did absolutely nothing to fix the problem, so it would seem that they're trying again.
PRO BOWLER. Jonah Jackson may have only been at Ohio State for a year, but my standards for Lifelong Buckeye are notoriously low, so I'm here to celebrate that he's just made his first Pro Bowl as an injury replacement.
.@jonahjackson73 has been named to the Pro Bowl and is replacing Brandon Scherff, who is unable to participate due to injury. Congrats, Jonah! pic.twitter.com/USUsEsZUbe
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 31, 2022
Jackson will join six fellow former Ohio State players – Joey Bosa, Corey Linsley, Cameron Heyward, Denzel Ward, Nick Bosa, and Marshon Lattimore.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd.
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