Who the Fuck is Tommy Tuberville?

I personally thought he had retired after complaining about not making it to the championship game way back in 2003.

I guess he didn't because now he has a new cause: Taking shots at Ohio State.

So now we don't only have to listen to fans assume they can beat Ohio State because they are part of the SEC, we have to listen to coaches? Tuberville proclaims:

"Ohio State would have finished fifth in our league and they're ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll," Tuberville said.

Funny, because I don't remember Ohio State playing in the SEC. It's a fun statement to make, considering the champion of the SEC has beat Ohio State in the past 2 championship games and not the second, third or fourth place team.

The best part is that Tommy doesn’t have to worry about accountability. It’s not like Ohio State will be seeing Auburn on the gridiron any time soon, unless the Tigers quit dropping random games along the way. My recommendation is the Auburn cedes from the SEC and joins the Big 10 to make up our 12^th team. My guess is that Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois would have no trouble with the Tigers. Actually Ohio State would probably win too, considering as how you’d then be a member of the Big Ten and not the SEC.

You may remember Auburn for their Florida victories the past 2 years, because besides that there’s not a whole lot to hang your hat on. You would have to assume that Ohio State would drop games to South Florida and The Mississippi State University. Hell, they went toe to toe against Nebraska (yes, Callahan’s Nebraska). Auburn’s last shot at a Big Ten team didn’t go so well, losing to Wisconsin 24-10 in 2005, so I assume Wisconsin would finish close to second in the SEC. The John Stocco tossed for over 300 yards and the Badgers held Kenny Irons to 88 yards rushing.

It’s just sad really that these coaches can shoot off at the mouth without any kind of accountability. If you call out a specific team, you should have to play that team and not hide behind the big boys of your conference (Florida and LSU). He must forget that it’s only Ohio State that has an issue with beating SEC team, as the rest of the Big Ten seems to do just fine.

That being said, it looks like I have a new favorite team to play in a bowl game! But then again, Ohio State will probably be in the National Championship game and Auburn will probably drop a game to either Louisiana-Monroe or Tennessee Martin.

Don’t worry Tommy, I’ve already petitioned the Big Ten for Auburns admission.

Charmin Soft = 4 Big Ten Teams in CBS Top 25

That’s it. I’ve quit my day job. I’ve been hired by CBSSportsline to come up with articles that provide no insight and inspire a myriad of message board comments.

Dennis Dodd and I on the same team will be quite a force to reckon with. He can piss off the Big Ten and I’ll piss of the SEC. The rest of the conferences will get so sick of the Big Ten and SEC, like they aren’t already, and then CBS will be the first site to reach 1 billion posts.

I’ve been inspired by Dennis Dodd. He is mentor. Why? Because he ranks the Buckeyes #1 in this Top 25 poll, one spot above SEC favorite Georgia. Why the change of heart from Dodd, who rags on the Buckeyes as choke artists and hammers the Big Ten for being a horrible conference? Dodd says:

“Mix in the roll of baby-soft Charmin known as the Big Ten schedule and this is the team to beat.”

While the whole slate of the Big Ten may be a tad easier than the SEC, Dodd proceeds to include 3 other Big Ten teams in the Top 25 (Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan State). I could see Dodd’s issue, except for the fact that Ohio State plays all 3 teams ON THE ROAD. Dodd also just dropped out Penn State from the list Post Spring, meaning 5 total Big Ten teams would have been on the list. Ohio State would play all 4. How many SEC teams? 5 of them. In my life, 5=5.

What does this mean? Nothing, because these beat writers write each story with a clean slate, as if they never had a prior opinion or a prior thought (yet all of which can be found in their archive).

He also puts 5 Big 12 teams in the top 11. Using previous logic, none of those five play each other during the season? I’d say his top 6 is logical in some order. The sad part is that Dennis Dodd’s opinion counts. His baseless opinions actually lead into the real rankings once the season starts.

It’s cool to hate on Ohio State’s schedule, and it sucks we have to start out with Youngstown State but we do, but Troy was second in the Sun Belt (ask the SEC about the Sun Belt) and Ohio University at least contends in the MAC. Uh, uh, okay bad arguments…but we play USC in Southern California.

And that can’t get here soon enough.

The No Win Argument: College Football Playoffs

Just so you know, Gordon Gee is looking out for you. He doesn’t want college football to become too professional; he doesn’t want to cross that line "down a slippery slope". Thanks buddy. Luckily for Ohio State, Gordon Gee is normally right. He states we don’t want to get into an "arms race".

Poe will be the first to tell you that Gee’s argument is pretty weak.

Ohio State is big time college football. Big time college football is professional football without the payroll. Ohio State football has Ohio Stadium (105,000 people), The Woody Hayes Athletic Center ($24 million), ABC primetime games, the Big Ten Network, merchandising deals, sponsorships, and BCS million dollar paydays. This isn’t some two-bit operation that relies on good luck. All that and a playoff pushes us off a slippery slope? Maybe Gee will do away with the athletic department next (ha, Vanderbilt! Seriously though, the real people that run Ohio State would never allow it). Next thing you know, we’ll be talking about paying student-athletes!*

*That’s a whole other topic, but lets just say Poe made $23/hr working during a co-op during college. The school sent applications to the employer, employer hired student, student did work, student was paid, and the employer made profit. Sounds like the academics of a university are professional, but we can’t take our sports there?

Gee has drawn the ire talk show hosts and sports writers alike. Mike Wilbon of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption, graduate of Northwestern, crossed his own slippery slope and called Gee "a fraud". Meanwhile, Jim Tressel backs the Ohio State/Big Ten/Pac-10 position on playoffs, probably hoping not to stir the pot and go against the conference and its bowl tie-in (Rose Bowl). Never mind the fact that Tressel won 4 of his 5 national championships in the D-1AA playoff system. It’s a lot like when Wilbon (ESPN) and Dennis Dodd (CBS) take shots at Ohio State and the Big Ten, because it’s the culture created by the network. It’s easy to take shots since the collective memory of our society is 2.5 days, and these guys sit in meetings all day discussing how to make controversy. SportingNews says Jim Delaney is the sports most powerful comissioner, but they are the weakest BCS conference. But if there were a playoff, ESPN would likely have to go off air or play more Texas Hold ’em because they won’t get to "debate" as much.

The only reason ESPN/ABC/Disney is likely to be pushing for a playoff system is that ESPN/ABC/Disney is likely to make a bid the next time the TV deals expire.

The outside view is that the Big Ten doesn’t want a playoff system because then Ohio State wouldn’t get free rides into the championship game. Somehow they figure that Ohio State wouldn’t get an advantage by playing the fourth ranked team (since they have been #1 the past 2 years) and actually playing a game during the 40-day layoff. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sure doesn’t help Ohio State when they lose the national championship game. And what would become of the team if they win the Rose Bowl, but lose in the championship? Hey congrats, you won the Granddaddy of Them All, but you are still overrated!

I’m all for the Plus One, if the BCS guys can all sit down at a table and come up with something clever and logical. I’m just not sure they can (oh well, there’s always congress!). The more football the better, for me at least. Maybe the players can all take a vote, after all they are the ones playing. If they are happy, then who cares? Too many times these ruling committees look out for their own interests while forgetting about the players that make of the teams whether it be the NCAA, NFL, NBA, or MLB (sorry NHL).

Gordon Gee is smarter than we are. In fact, he might even be a bigger Buckeye than we are (any man that wears Buckeye pants is a hero, in my book). We know Gee is all for keeping athletic departments in check and raising academic standards. I’m all for it too. But Ohio State is not Vanderbilt in background, budget, or admissions. I haven’t personally seen a Plus One or playoff system that makes sense logically, but I wouldn’t dare claim college football (and basketball) are separate entities from their professional counterparts.

Besides, the decision-makers already made their decision.

He Was Who We Thought He Was

Can I get a round of applause for whoever came up with the ‘one and done’ rule for college basketball. Bravo. Bra-fucking-vo.

No, it’s not the fact that the NCAA came up with a completely arbitrary number regarding the duration of term in college (football is 3 years, basketball is only 1 year. I would assume that the team owners and commissioners had something to say about that).

‘One and done’, especially at Ohio State, causes issues with a team’s APR rating (basically a formula that accounts for graduation rates of students). Greg Oden, Mike Conley, and Daequan Cook go pro in basketball, your APR score drops since they left in the middle of a semester. It doesn’t matter if you go pro, transfer schools, or just quit the team and drop out of school. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the purpose of college is to work towards gaining the skills you need to be successful in a specific professional. Let’s say I bailed on the engineering program early because NASA was offering me a $100k signing bonus to be a genius engineer. I doubt the engineering school would be slapped with penalties and have scholarships revoked.

Secondly, OJ Mayo was who we thought he was: any university’s nightmare. Reports show that Mayo had been taking cash and gifts since high school and through his ‘one and done’ season at USC. Uh oh USC. That means since he was directly affiliated with you for 4 months, you now face the wrath of the NCAA. And Mayo? He gets to go pro. Thankfully, the NCAA has no judicial powers outside "we’ll take back your trophy" and "you can’t play in the postseason", or this could turn into the Spanish Inquisition. The NCAA probably feels it should be above the law, so I wouldn’t be surprised when the NCAA minds rule "off with his head".

I can’t blame Mayo, especially since cash and gifts aren’t technically illegal. All he was trying to do was get paid the entire time. It would have happened on the priest’s watch if he decided he was going to St. Johns or Notre Dame. But the truth was, you could tell from the beginning. OJ Mayo has always had a little bit of flair and attitude, the polar opposite of Greg Oden. Maybe it had something to do with committing to USC in 6^th grade.

I can’t blame Mayo. I can blame the NCAA. A two-year rule in college basketball affords at least some accountability from the player to the university. A three-year rule would make college basketball equal to college football. 3+3=3.

Terrelle Pryor is Selfish...

Selfishly in love with Jim Tressel, that is.

"Why I chose Ohio State is because of Jim Tressel. That's it," Pryor stated emphatically. "I could have went to a lot of great places, but I want to play for coach Tressel. There were a lot of other reasons, like the friends I have here, the distance from home and a few other things, but the main reason is coach Tressel. I want to come here and win a championship for him."

I won't steal BuckeyePlanet's mojo on this, so here's the link to the whole post. It's the final part of a 3 piece series by scout.com's Bill Greene on the recruitment and signing of Terrelle Pryor.

I'm not sure, but I think that kind of comment that makes you an honorary Ohioan. But I thought Pryor was a self-centered, egotistical super recruit that would demand playing time and be a bigger burden than he's worth. Oh well it seems like Pryor is a well rounded, exceptionally thoughtful human being. Is that possible?

Don't look now, but you just got Tresselized.

I'm glad Coach Tressel can lead and inspire. Hell, it's been said many a time that if he were to run for Governor of Ohio, he'd win in a land slide. But you know what happens when you become a politician. You become power hungry.

I can see it now, Tressel mobilizes the Ohio National Guard to initiate takeover attempts on the states of Florida and Louisiana followed by the beheadings of Urban Meyer and Les Miles, thus ending the evil rule of the SEC and proclaiming the areas as "The Ohio Territories" and southern speed would now be known as "Ohio Speed".

And you know what? I think most of us would be okay with that.

Call EA Sports, NCAA Football 2008 Has a Defect

Apparently EA Sports didn't get the memo. I just got done beating the Texas Longhorns for the National Championship for the third straight year. I beat down Texas all 3 years at an average score of 49-14. Guess what?

They finished the season ranked #2 after those poundings.

And a funny thing happened the next season.

Texas was again ranked #2 to start the season!

Interesting parallels to real life, considering the computer calculates these outcomes using stats and information. You know what a computer doesn't include? Opinion. Go figure.

All Aboard!

Another Monday, another Ohio State recruit commitment. Corey Lindsey, big Ohio offensive lineman, decided to pull the trigger on OSU because that’s who he grew up rooting for and that’s where his mama wanted him to go (good lady). Lindsey was also considering Notre Dame and, gasp, Stanford. It means that Jim Tressel and his staff feel like you can never have enough offensive lineman, and Poe agrees.

So that makes 13 commitments.

Of course, if Ohio State was a member of the SEC or ACC, they would still have 18-20 more recruits to sign (here’s lookin’ at you Miami (Fl) and Alabama). But, alas, they are not and it looks like the 2009 class could top out with 8ish more kids. Me thinks a Glenville kid or two, a running back or two, and a WR or two (especially a 6’5" Randy Moss-Calvin Johnson-freak), and then the staff can call it a recruiting season.

UPDATE: Make it 14, as Zach Boren did what we all thought he would and picked the Buckeyes. These boys sure are ‘Ohio State Men’.

Which offer is the most prestigious?

It’s the age-old question. What school do players consider is the most prestigious offer? It’s the offer that puts a kid on the map and makes people stop and talk about it. No matter where you are in this country, you get the offer from this school and people just assume it’s where you are going…

#1) USC: Hate to say it, fellow Buckeyes, but it’s hard to beat the USC offer. Players from Ohio and Michigan get the USC offer and even the obsessed recruiting followers just assume it will be hard to beat. It’s more than just Pete Carroll and the school. Sure I bet Petey makes it fun and you can all laugh together, but I think the biggest draw is the fact it’s Southern California and the rest are just perks. Columbus, Norman, South Bend, and Gainesville just aren’t LA. There’s no other explanation for the stockpile of running backs than that.

#2) Ohio State: Who Ohio State offers, Ohio State gets (usually). While OSU has predominantly stuck with Ohio boys, more and more athletes from around the country are flocking to Columbus. Example A) Etienne Sabino was a FLA boys and had is USC offer. Sabino, the #1 rated inside linebacker, picks the Buckeyes. Tressel and his staff don’t waste your time or theirs, signing 20 of the 24 kids that officially visited for 2008 (that’s like 80% conversion rate). More and more Florida kids are visiting along with PA kids, Maryland kids, but call me when Tressel starts invading California.

#3) Florida: Urban Meyer must have some positives (though Poe sees none of them, as the Southern boys stay Southern boys and play for Florida. Who else would they play for? Florida State? Miami? Meyer is as lucky as he is good. A lot of kids want to play in Florida, but would rather not play in the ACC. Around 60% of kids in the Rivals100 have Florida listed as a school they are interested in, and I’m sure Urban calls everyone.

Which offer is the least prestigious?

Know what it takes to rebuild? Offers to everybody and their brothers and their brothers’ friends. The next 3 teams are not necessary bad teams, but face an uphill battle in terms of being all that relevant again.

#1) Alabama: Roll Tide. Roll Nick Saban. Roll 50 recruits a season. Saban needs them and he doesn’t want you to worry about the numbers. There’s something I’ve never liked about Saban.

#2) Miami (Fl): Going from having teams stacked with NFL players to QBs who complete 1 of 15 passes, The U might have to change its name to The O for offer after the size of the class they brought in. Bad News is that you now have to put the (Fl) so people know who you are talking about. Good news for Miami is that all those years in the beginning of the millennium help in recruiting.

#3) Illinois: I sent in video of myself sitting at my desk. A week later, I got an in home visit from his staff telling me about how I could get a lot of playing time for the Illini. Oh Zooker. He can sell Rose Bowl appearances, beating Ohio State at home, and playing time, but we still know that 200 kids have been offered for the 25 slots.

Introducing: Evil Jim Tressel

Superman has Bizarro Superman.
Spiderman has Venom.

and Jim Tressel? Jim Tressel has Evil Jim Tressel.

You never know when Evil Jim Tressel will appear. It could be for an entire game or maybe just a series.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Eye Witness Account [Sports Illustrated Vault - 12/5/1994]
"[Steve McNair] would have one more chance to take his case to the nation, to show that at the very least, he was capable of playing with the big boys of Division I-AA—defending champion Youngstown State...By halftime the game had deteriorated into something you would see at the corner sandlot, and Youngstown State went on to destroy Alcorn 63-20.

Would a healthier McNair have made a difference on Friday? Said Youngstown coach Jim Tressel after the game. "McNair might have been fortunate he had the hamstring. If he'd been running, he would have been tattooed."
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim Tressel is a calculating, efficient college football coach who plays strategy and field position. Jim Tressel is field goals, punts, and pounding the rock. Jim Tressel will win games with scores of 9-7, 21-14, and respects the opponent. Jim Tressel will keep the playbook closed and keep the score close.

But piss off Jim Tressel, and along comes Evil Jim Tressel. Evil Jim Tressel makes grown men cry. You last saw him in Columbus against Northwestern. Evil Jim Tressel shows no mercy to the opponent. If you are an opponent and you are drowning, Evil Jim Tressel will put a hose in your mouth.

I expect to see Evil Jim Tressel a lot more in 2008 than 2007. There's a whole lot of seniors on offense and defense. After losses in the national championship games the past 2 seasons, Evil Jim Tressel needs to show everybody who is boss. Evil Jim Tressel needs to take on Pete Carroll, Rich Rodriguez, and whoever is on the other side in a bowl game.

Jim Tressel could do it, but it would be more interesting to watch Evil Jim Tressel do it.

I need the "If he'd been running, he would have been tattooed" quote after every game.

Win or Die: A Ridiculously Digustingly Early Preview

This was going to be a Bash Brothers, Ross Homan and Austin Spitler, post. But Poe would like to do some fact checking...Stay Tuned.
Goliath vs. Goliath. The teams of the decade. Game of the week. Carroll vs. Tressel. Big 10 vs. Pac-10.

I’ve heard that Ohio State at Southern California is going to be a great game. I’ve heard it’s not life or death for the Buckeyes. I’ve heard if Ohio State loses, they can still make it back to the championship. I heard this game doesn’t make the season.

Right. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

The truth is, September 9^th in the Coliseum is the Buckeyes’ season, in a way. To Buckeye fans, it’s about winning the Big Ten and beating Michigan. Bowl wins and National Championships are icing on the cake. Unfortunately, the rest of the Nation (and now somehow the rest of the Big Ten) doesn’t feel that way. If you don’t plow through your OOC schedule and win a bowl game (including the National Championship), you mean nothing and you were obviously overrated. It’s all about R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Something of which these Buckeyes have very little.

You know it’s bad when Michigan fans and Iowa fans and Wisconsin fans are calling out the Buckeyes for losing in back to back championship games. Next, we’ll start hearing from those Big Ten fans how the Buckeyes play an easy schedule. Not to mention ESPN (TV and radio), CBS (SEC Sports), SI, Pac-10 fans, Big East fans, and the mighty, mighty SEC.

So what exactly does the USC game mean to The Ohio State Buckeyes? That’s hard to quantify. Bucks win? Oh, well, USC is ‘rebuilding’ and Ohio State caught them early in the season. Bucks lose? USC is a powerhouse and the Buckeyes can’t beat anyone of significance. If only we could publish opinions and predictions before the game and compare them after the game.

Well, guess what, here at Jim Tressel’s Head, you can!

The Game Itself

A stacked Ohio State team against a reloading USC team. Plain and
simple. It won’t be the 2006 Texas game, as Pete Carroll is
admittedly a better coach and recruiter than Mack Brown. USC has more 4 and 5 star recruits than any team in the nation. Ohio State has more 3 and 4 star recruits that play like 4 and 5 start recruits. Ohio State has all the experience, USC has all the acclaim.

USC

Mark Sanchez throws and moves like a USC QB. He’s not quite Matt Leinart, and hopefully not even John David Booty, who was able bomb away on Michigan AND Illinois. Rumor has it he can operate on the run, and he may have to. With a retooled offensive line that will play Virginia and then a week off before Ohio State, I expect a motivated OSU defense to pressure Sancheezy. The stable of running backs is still a stable of running backs (who obviously value women and beaches more than playing time). The gaggle will only spell trouble if Ohio State sells out to stop the run, and lets Sanchez have a field day against a zone defense (Florida Game, Florida Game, Illinois Game, Illinois Game). McKnight did the most damage to Illinois off a fumbled screen pass. The receivers can all catch the ball and go. They can catch the ball on the go. They have the most experience on this team, mainly since there are 37 running backs on the active roster splitting time.

The USC defense, on the other hand, should give Todd Boeckman fits. Gone are key members of the defensive line and linebacker positions. Bad news: They should still be better than Illinois, where Todd honestly looked stupid. Corners are what should be expected. USC sports a Sean-Taylor-Reincarnate (Can I say that? Yes, because it is a compliment) at safety who could remove Ray Small’s head (again). He will be the biggest guy in the secondary unless Jake Stoneburner is out there running routes.

Ohio State

Todd Boeckman is still Todd Boeckman, for better or worse. When he’s on, he’s on. When he’s off, he’s off. There is no middle ground. So why make Boeckman work for it? Leak, Juice, and Flynn haven’t worked for it, and they’ve torn up the Ohio State defense. Good news: Todd’s been working on the check down to tight ends and running backs (is that not on the schedule the first 5 years?). If the offensive line tries for the full 60 minutes, there isn’t a better running back than Beanie Wells. Left, right, and over you, Beanie Wells will pick up 5-10 yards if you give him an inch of space. Essential in the game will be the check downs and screens to Brandon Saine and Mo Wells.

The Ohio State defense replaces a DE and a LB with guys that have all seen significant playing time. But does it matter? For approximately 11 games each of the past 2 seasons, the defense has done its best Silver Bullets impression. Bad news: The other 2 games have been against good, not great, offenses and they’ve looked confused, befuddled, and downright bad. As mentioned above, Leak, Juice, and Flynn have looked like Peyton Manning against Ohio State. Good News: New season.

It’s always been smash mouth football for the Ohio State defense. 2002, 2003, and 2005. Those defenses told the opposing offense how they were going to play. They dictated the game. Ohio State has lost to Florida, Illinois, and LSU because they didn’t. We’ll blame it on inexperience. Guess what is the reoccurring theme in 2003, 2005, and 2008? Senior leadership, specifically at linebacker. Marcus Freeman, Curtis Terry, and James Laurinaitis are all seniors. You know what happened during AJ Hawk and Bobby Carpenter’s junior seasons? 8-4. 2005? 11-2 and Fiesta Bowl BCS winners.

For the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes to beat USC in LA, it will take all their effort. It will take more than all their effort. Chris Gamble used to sleep for 14 hours after a game because he was all out on every play, almost every play of the game. Craig Krenzel used to get knocked around like a punching bag (or girlfriend) in Mike Tyson’s house. Now I’m not saying the 2008 Buckeyes have to be the 2002 Buckeyes, but I wouldn’t mind the term Luckeyes flying around again.

Trust me, it wasn’t just luck.

Ohio State Player Goes First in the Draft

No, not Vernon Gholston. No, not that draft.

Ain’t Nuthin But a T Thang: Gibson Goes Numero Uno

As in Thad Gibson, the newly minted rush end for The Ohio State University. How’s he making the switch? Well the Buckeye Seniors (and they do have more than 2 or 3 this year) made him the official first pick of the draft…for the spring game…after all the seniors had already been appointed sides.

You may remember Thad most memorably from the 4^th quarter of the Wisconsin game, we know their QB does. Basically playing the role of a rush end when the official title was linebacker, Thad took the outside with his speed, threw the first team lineman out of the way, and supermanned himself into Stocco and causing a fumble. Now if we could only get some intensity like that from our defensive tackles…

Gibson was followed by Lawrence Wilson, who is the fan appointed king-of-the-end-position-now-that-Gholston-is-gone. Malcolm Jenkins responded with, "Yea well we got Lawrence Wilson". Yes you do, and considering the extreme lack of offensive lineman available (even with JB Shugarts being available), I feel sorry for Antonio Henton and Joe Bauserman.

Terrelle Pryor looks pretty smart right now. TP won’t be at Ohio State till mid summer, but had he chosen to take part in spring practice, he would have faced the meat of the Ohio State defense all by himself. Basically the offensive line is down out a few starters and 2 blue chip freshman. No biggie!

Special Teams Need Special Bus

In case you didn’t know, Ohio State ended last year ranked 117^th in kickoff returns. That’s for D-1A. Out of a 119 teams. It goes 117, 118, 119, that’s it. A year removed from Teddy Ginn terrorizing kickoffs (actually 2 or 3, depending when you consider Ginn stopped hitting holes and started trying to juke defenders back and forth), the unit ranks 3^rd to last in organized football.

With all fairness to Ray Small, return man on 22 of 34 kicks, the blocking could be better, as it could have been in 2006. But then again, Ray Small has tried to wind sprints during the returns, going sideline to sideline without the hint of turning up field.

Enter Brandon Saine and Boom Herron (and Maurice Wells). Obviously a change in philosophy occurred, shifting from small, fast returnees to big, powerful RBs. Many wondered why Saine wasn’t back there more last year, packing enough mass and velocity to do damage (physics lesson; momentum=mass x velocity, or p=mv).

Maurice Wells is curious, as he can only be defined as shifty, and the dude who hasn’t broken a long run since he got here. Mo Wells reminds me of PJ Hill. Not that PJ Hill, Ohio State basketball player PJ Hill. Are you sure they aren’t the same person? All the jumping around and hair flying, with not a lot to show for it.

Maurice, I hate to say it. You need it, I need it, we need it. It’s your senior year. Try something new.

Shave the head.

Head Shots - Beanie, Zoom, Boom, and..uh..Mo

Congrats to the Buckeyes Men's Basketball
NIT Champions: I'm seriously pumped...seriously.

1% of America heard that Ohio State won the NIT, but 99% would have heard about it if they lost.

Thus is life.

Only at Ohio State is 4 RBs a Problem: Beanie, Zoom, Boom, and Mo. Not the 4 Stooges, but the Ohio State running backs for the 2008 season. While USC and LSU stockpile 4 and 5 star recruits, the Columbus Dispatch goes silly just wondering how they will all get touches.

Hey coaches, I'd listen to Beanie Wells: "Get 'em all on the field".

Depth Only Counts if it Makes it Through Spring: From the sonofabitch department, The Columbus Dispatch also would like you to know that super recruit Mike Adams is out for spring. 6'8" 310lbs of O-line muscle is better healthy than hurt. Expect him to be back for the season, but luckily freshman are for depth only.

You heard me, Alex Boone. No hurdling Brian Hartline

Blog Shots: Eleven Warriors wants to borrow $1600 and counting to be the honorary assistant coach for the spring game (so do I). Maybe Lane Kiffin will throw up the booty...Around the Oval has the Boeckman Meter to gauge the point in time that Terrelle Pryor gets his name chanted by 105,000 fans (even the visitors)...Men of the S&G warns that it will suck of Ohio State loses to Michigan, even if we have Jason Bourne aka Justin Boren on our side (but tOSU won't so it's cool)...and Our Honor Defend promises the book will be forthcoming after they get done posting the 20th "Better Know A Buckeye", all at under 300 pages.

Get Out of Jail Free Cards

Everybody’s favorite board game that they have never finished, Monopoly, and everybody’s favorite sport that they are never happy with, college football, actually have a lot in common. And no, it’s not the NCAA’s monopoly over college sports for the exploitation of student athletes (ha!).

1. All the teams (games pieces) are racing through a season (around the board) to pick up the most wins (properties), where the easy ones don’t mean anything and the quality Out of Conference does (Boardwalk, baby!)
2. You’ve got your games of chance every week when any team can win or lose in a game of inches and seconds, while teams, the NCAA, and the network carrying the game make the money in community chest.

Ok, maybe that’s a stretch. How about this…
3. Get Out of Jail Free Cards. Somehow, there are college football teams that seem to have a stack of these just waiting to use on ESPN, CBS, the print media, the internet, and the fans. Certain games are overlooked, second chances are given, and no matter what they adored by the media and the fans.

Just look at 2007…

West Virginia

Get Out of Jail Free - You’re in the title game. All you have to do is beat Pitt, at home, in the last game of the season. You just rushed for 517 yards against Uconn. Then Pitt comes into your house, the refs are on your side, Pat White hurts his non-throwing hand, and you lay a 13-9 egg and look like you couldn’t find a needle in Dave Wannstat’s mustache piling up 109 yards of total offense.

But it’s okay: Your coach bails for Ann Arbor, tells a recruit before his own ex-players, and you paste an overrated Oklahoma team in the BCS bowl. It’s like you never even lost to Pitt when the marbles were on the line! You run the spread option and people like saying it, thus you’re free.

Oklahoma

Get Out of Jail Free – The juggernaut of juggernauts out of the Big 12. North Texas won’t put up a fight as you lay 79 on them, nor will the next 3 teams, what-was-Miami(Fl), Utah State, and Tulsa. Then the Buffs of Colorado beat you and do it with their defense. No matter, you’re still in the hunt for the title. You kept chugging along until you ran into a Texas Tech team that complements its passing attack with its passing attack. Another defense struggle against a team without a defense, and the Sooners only put up 27.

But it’s okay: Well, you beat the supposed #1 team in the nation in Missouri. For the second time in a season, and thus giving them their only two losses on the season. You are awarded by a BCS game and another BCS loss. West Virginia (48-28), Boise State, USC, and LSU. The 55-19 pasting by USC is worse than any loss Ohio State has incurred in any BCS game. Oklahoma and Stoops are 0-4 in BCS games since the National Championship season. You have no reason to be okay, but you’re in the Big 12 and the only people that really pay attention to the Big 12 is the Big 12.

And last but definitely most…

USC

Get Out of Jail Free – The USC Trojans are cruising through their season, as one would expect in the Pac-10. Nebraska laid down for you and was considerably worse than the Washington team Ohio State played out of conference, as the Huskers got 70 points scored on them more than once. It’s okay, because The Cardinal came in a 41 point underdog and left the victors at your own house (the color, not the bird). Stanford went on to lose to Notre Dame, by the way. Then Oregon shuts down USC with their defense. Defense. Oregon is not known for playing defense. If this was a shootout, understandable, but this was a low scoring affair.

But it’s okay: There will be no fall of Troy on ESPN’s nor the NCAA’s watches. By the end of the season, the talking heads are again saying USC and Oklahoma are the best teams in the nation, losses to Stanford and Colorado losses notwithstanding. You get to play the 2^nd or 3^rd place Big 10 team for the second year in a row, Illinois, and clean their clocks. "Yea well we beat the team that beat Ohio State"…Congrats, if Ohio State got to play Stanford in a BCS bowl, I’d take Ohio State by 41.

But then again, USC continues to disappoint during the season, just 1 year after getting beat by Oregon State in the season and then UCLA for all the marbles in the last game of the season (and still won the Pac-10!) If I was USC, I’d be the #1 supporter of the playoff system if all that matters is winning after the season is over.

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Pryor Hath Cometh

The long awaited commitment of the nation’s (almost unanimous) top ranked recruit is here, and it’s a big score for the Buckeyes. We’ve kind of assumed it from the beginning, guessed it along the way, and now it’s on a LOI.


Start the hate, envy, and confusion:

The Denied
Michigan Fan #1: Michigan’s future wasn’t relying on this kid anyway.
Michigan Fan #2: We never wanted him anyway, Pryor didn’t fit in.

Penn State Fan #1: We have 2 better QBs than him anyway.
Penn State Fan #2: We have a great institution, Pryor would ruin it.

Oregon Fan #1: We didn’t think we’d get him anyways.
Poe McKnoe: Okay, that’s fair.

The Ignorant
ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption’s Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon had a tidbit on their show about the Pryor decision. In fact, it was the second story after the Rockets losing to the Celtics. Okay, that’s fair. It’s a big story so it should be second.

But then to spend the duration of the segment discussing how, and I quote, “This is not news”. It’s against the rules of common sense to devote one or two minutes discussing how a story is not news on national television. It’s news because you made it news, Tony and Michael. I went to work today, and that didn’t make PTI. NOT NEWS.

Then PTI proceeds to finish it off with “Well Michigan is the school that has been turning out the NFL QBs, not Ohio State”. Wrong. Lloyd Carr and his pro style, dropback passer offense has sent several QBs to the NFL, even though Tom Brady is really the only one to be concerned about. Ohio State has never had a Tom Brady, but they have had a Heisman Trophy winning QB. The Rich Rodriguez spread offense isn’t the ideal producer of successful NFL QBs. You could say West Virginia isn’t the hot bed of NFL talent, but most NFL QBs have come from less known schools such as Southern Mississippi, Ole Miss,

The Needy
The Detroit Free Press published a couple, several, more than a few, ok, 10 [ten] (TEN!) articles after the Pryor announcement. That’s just post press conference. People get paid for this? I mean nothing else is going on in Detroit? Recession? The Mayor? The Pistons? Nothing? The ‘Articles’ had such zingers as: “Michigan shouldn't be disappointed that it missed out on Pryor” and “Michigan's future never depended on Pryor”. Geez, don’t act like the sky is falling or anything. Play it cool.

The Sporting News is an entertaining farce. Most articles are written to get the readers’ panties in a bundle. TSN couldn’t quite keep up with the Freep.com, with only 7 separate stories and letting each writer take a stab and writing something reasonable. The writers publish stories that bring out the writers of Dumb and Dumber 3, complete with a supposed text from Tressel to Pryor.

And Finally...
The University of… Lamaar Thomas, who committed several months ago, started the new trend of calling The Ohio State University The University of Ohio State. I’m okay with it. It becomes a big deal when Pryor says it, but ol’ Flash couldn’t even make a splash. But there has to be rules, rules, rules.

The term will only be applicable during the following circumstance: It can only be used when a recruit commits to Ohio State over any university that include “The University of” in their moniker. In this case, The University of….Michigan.

OMG!

Terrelle Pryor Watch will come to an end...reportedly.

After helping the Jeanette team knock off Philly's Strawberry Mansion (!) and put another state title under his belt, Terrelle Pryor shocked the world (!) and stated he plans to get it over with and sign with a school this week. As reported by the ever dependable (!) Altoona Mirror:

‘‘I’ll be deciding next week. Next week, I’m going to say the school I’m going to, sign it, and get it over with,’’ Pryor told a huge throng of reporters. ‘‘I don’t know yet [if I’ll take any other visits]. I’ll probably be done.’’

He later clarified that he expects to announce this coming week where he’ll play his college football. That makes it unlikely any other officials visits will be scheduled. Pryor also offered another revelation Saturday afternoon. ‘‘It’s down to two schools,’’ Pryor said. ‘‘I can’t tell you which two.’’

Altoona Mirror

Now let's take a look at the 4 schools that could make up Pryor's 2 schools. They are arranged in order of least likely to most likely.

Oregon: Oregon has an offense that Pryor likes. That's it. No relationships, no visits. It's a Pac-10 school in the Pacific Northwest, which means a 2000 mile hike for Pryors family. Not looking good, Ducks. At least you still have Dennis Dix... I mean Jonathan St....Oh, you don't.

Michigan/Penn State: Toss up! I don't have a clue. I wouldn't be shocked at either choice, but I would be surprised. Michigan has a spread offense with a coach he had strong ties with, and it's 1600 miles closer than Oregon. Penn State is the home state school that your dad likes, and supposedly didn't sign on National Signing Day to check out the school. He hasn't (officially). Both schools have lackluster basketball teams. Toss up!

Ohio State: Has, has, has to be the favorite. It's the only school that's received a Terrelle Pryor visit complete with a Jim Tressel led parade, featuring Pryor and the other Buckeye recruits. Hell, with Value City closing its stores, Pryor was 5 seconds away from having the building named after him. If he doesn't select the Buckeyes, I would laugh and laugh and laugh because I would have been fooled.

But then again, there's always Memphis.

NFL Combine Head Shots

Not a whole lot of Buckeyes are hanging out in Peytonland aka Indianapolis, Indiana. That is actually a good thing, as all the players that could be here decided that Columbus was ultimately better for 1 more year than any of the crappy NFL teams that could have been their suitors.

However, Vernon Gholston took some time off from his day job (right) to participate in the combine. Gholston, who has an awesome name to say or type, officially checked in at 6'3" 266lbs. That actually makes Gholston even more impressive considering the Earth weighs in at an astonishing 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (6E+24) kilograms. Now I could do the conversion from pounds mass to kilograms, but you get the point. Howie Long's kid will be the first of the board, unless VG can switch out the weights and bench 6E+24 kgs thirty five times. All I can say is don't count him out!

Something tells me VG would rather do this at New England than the New York Jets.

Vernon Gholston, Kirk Barton, and Larry Grant were the three Buckeyes representing. Only Vernon figures to go in the first round, unless Barton or Grant run a 4.19 forty.

Speaking of Kirk Barton, Florida's Derrick Harvey weighed in at 271lbs. Troy Smith nor his offensive line could not be reached for comment. Don't always believe what you read on the internet, as some dummy who runs BuffaloRumblings.com posted Harvey checked in at a ridiculous, O-Line-esque 291lbs.

Most Valuable Recruits

Signing Day '08 has passed. We at JTsHead take a look at what recruits could make an instant impact on the field in 2008. But first, a little background:

• Rivals grades Ohio State's class at #9 in the nation and Scout takes it up to #7. None of this really matters however, since class size is almost a more important factor than actual 'per player' rankings.
• This recruiting class was also the product of efficient recruiting, with 19 players signing out of 24 that actually officially visited campus (make that 23 since the elusive, in more ways than one, Terrelle Pryor has not decided on Ohio State or any school for that matter).

Impact Players (WR)
We'll just assume they are all impact players.

Jake Stoneburner
Rivals says TE, Scout says TE, ESPN says TE, but Ohio State head coach and Stoney himself say WR, WR, WR. Stoneburner checks in at 6'6" 220lbs and figures to cause nightmares for those that have to tackle him in space. The kid can move, is hard to bring down, and is white. You watch Stoneburner and you know why he's at Ohio State, as he can block like a tight end or run a route as a WR.
Photo Caption: Actually Jake Stoneburner


Lamaar Thomas
Ted Ginn/Percy Harvin type player who wants to play running back but will probably be relegated to WR. Lamaar obviously likes the Ted Ginn comparisons thrown at him, now he will have to live up to them. At this point, it's hard to pin down a position since he hasn't yet practiced as a Buckeye. We all wanted to call Ray Small the Next Ted Ginn Jr, but we really meant he would fill the void until Thomas got on campus. All we know for sure is that he will be on punt and kick returns.
Photo Caption: Flash Gordon is the star of a sci-fi comic strip, Lamaar is not.


Devier Posey : Rivals and Scout have him as one of the best wide receivers in the nation. Why? Because he's smart, catches everything that comes his way, and 'cause they said so. Posey could be the best, but he's only 6'2" and not some 6'4" freaksonature such as Julio Jones and AJ Green. It's a lot like playing College Football on Xbox 360; you select 6'4" players because they are taller. But in real world college football, Posey is the only 5 star WR shorter than the 6'3"-6'6" range and on the same level as any one of those recruits.

WR Summary: So what do you do when you have Brian Robiskie, Briant Hartline, Taurian Washington, Dane Sanzenbacher, Devon Torrence, and the 3 newbies on the roster (assuming that Albert Dukes and Devon Lyons graudate and transfer)? Who gets in the 3 wide, 4 wide, and 5 wide? Who redshirts? It's entirely possible that none of the 3 WR recruits redshirt because of the ways they can be used.

Impact Players (OL)
Do they all play or do they sit one?

Mike Adams : Described as the best Ohio O Lineman in a decade. 6'7" 308lbs. Size, strength, and moves will add mammoth to the mammothness of the Ohio State O Line.
Photo Caption: Mike Adams takes on Michigan in an earlier life.

OL Summary: Mike Brewster, designated leader of the Brew Crew, is outspoken and will also add depth. JB Shuggarts proves everything is bigger in Texas, but may redshirt if Tressel doesn't just say "fuck it" and not redshirt anybody on offense.

Impact Players (Defense)
So many defensive players, so many returning from last season.

Etienne Sabino : Who says "God I hate those Miami summers, I really need to go to Ohio"? Thankfully, the #1 rated inside linebacker in the nation has donned the Scarlet & Gray, Mr. 5 Star himself according to Scout (Rivals feels as if #1 rated inside linebackers don't deserve 5 Stars). Fast and big, if Sabino doesn't get the number 18 to help Ohioans pronounce his name it would be a shame (that's you WR David Lisko of whom I had to look up).
Photo Caption: Dave, Etienne wants his name back.

Defense Summary: Zach Domicone looks like he could be the next hard hitting SS for Ohio State and he couldn't be there soon enough. Ohrian Johnson comes from Florida and ESPN still thinks he's a QB. Garret Goebel and Willie Mobley look like athletic DTs that Ohio State needs, while Shawntell Rowell checks in at 325lbs and will eat all the space he needs to. Nathan Williams is a mean dude on the end and Travis Howard could be the 3 star CB that shines aka Malcolm Jenkins or Chimdi Chekwa. Andrew Sweat will probably RS, because there are already 5 LBs wanting time. Lastly, Keith Wells has only been playing foosball for 2 years yet had offers from the finest football factories in the nation and Notre Dame too.

And as for Jemil Martin...
Let's just hope he's the truck of fullback he can be.