Eleven Warriors

Count these rocks, biotch!

Former Buckeyes Teddy Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez and Troy Smith have decided to honor this blog by wearing number 11 for their rookie seasons in the NFL.

Gonzo, of course, wore 11 during his days as a Buckeye, while Smith's 10 and Ginn's 7 were already taken by "veterans" that beat the two into the league by only one season, prompting the switch. Just goes to show you how low rookies rate on the NFL caste system. First round pick? Doesn't matter. Gibran Hamdan already has your number, Teddy.

Sure, word's floating around that Ginn will switch to 19 to honor his father, but that's assuming he can take it from fellow rookie wide receiver Blazin' Gabe Hatchett. You know who our money is on.

Rise Magazine recently released its final player rankings for the 2007 hoops class and all five incoming Baby Buckeyes made the Top 100. Seven foot Kosta Koufos was the highest ranked (14) with 6'7" Evan Turner (45) and sharpshooter Jon Diebler (52) in the top half. 6'6" swingman Eric Wallace (95) and 6'9" big body Dallas Lauderdale (98) round out the list. As expected, the guys have been impressive on the all-star circuit and should be licking their chops based on the increased amount of available minutes due to higher than expected roster turnover.

Not to be outdone, the 2008 class looks even better on paper, placing four players in the Top 20. Local product B.J. Mullens (7'1") leads the class at #8 and will pair with Koufos to give OSU a formidable Twin Towers look. Anthony "Noopy" Crater checks in at #16 and is hyped as Matta's next great point guard. Matta's original master plan called for Noopy to succeed Conley at the point but Mike's emergence was more than anyone could have forseen. Now, Jamar Butler will bridge the gap and you have to give Matta credit for keeping his word to Crater by not jumping into the Jai Lucas sweepstakes. 6'5" SG William Buford of Toledo (18) and Nevada's POY Luke Babbit (19, 6'9") round out the list of impressive preps headed for Columbus.

Hey, Thad - Add this scholar to the roster ASAP

Ken Gordon reported in today's Dispatch that Ohio State could be punished as early as next season because of low scores on the recently released Academic Progress Report. I won't pretend to know the in's and out's of this report but the elimination of the 'squad size adjustment' rule next year could find the Buckeyes short a scholarship. While it's good news the NCAA does not penalize schools for players leaving early as long as they're academically eligible when they leave, there's no guarantee that Conley, Cook and Oden will achieve that status upon exiting the university. Apparently, 'Quan and Cook are still in school but if Oden withdraws and ends up ineligible at the end of the quarter, it could cost the Buckeyes.

In other news, the NCAA rules committee announced today they've recommended the three point line be moved back to 20 feet, 9 inches beginning with the 2008-09 season. The three point line was brought to the college game 20 years ago at 19 feet 9 inches in an effort to free up driving lanes by forcing defenses to extend on the perimeter. Personally, I dont see how anyone could argue the positive impact of the three point line being added and moving it back another foot seems like a natural progression. The change will force defenses to further extend and hopefully lead to a slow return of the now extinct mid-range jumper. The change still requires approval from the Playing Rules Oversight Committee but that appears to be nothing more than a formality.

Tress: 8-5 in night games at OSU

Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man, but I can't say I'm looking forward to this season's schedule. The conference released a portion of its TV lineup this week and it looks like our green offense will play three night games on the road within a five game stretch including another trip to Happy Valley October 27th. The 17-10 loss to the Nittany Lions back in 2005 is still the most viewed BigTen game ever on ESPN netting 4.435 million households. Besides PSU, the Buckeyes will travel to Minnesota for an 8pm kick September 29th and to Purdue October 6th. The Buckeyes are just 8-5 in night games under Coach Tressel including 2-1 last year.

I understand the supposed benefits of playing at night from an exposure standpoint, but I would much rather play day games for various reasons. First, it's torture enough to wait a week between games but it's even worse when you have to sit around all day coming up with tasks to help kill time in anticipation of kickoff. Seriously, it looks like I will have the most organized sock drawer in the history of mankind with three night games in 29 days. More importantly, the risk of losing at night seems to increase as the home teams draw a more rowdy (ie. drunk) crowd creating a much more hostile environment. The crowd at Beaver in '05 clearly reinforces this fact. I'm too lazy to do the research but it just seems that upsets occur more frequently at night because of the escalated 'big game atmosphere'. Lastly, I think every blue chipper knows about OSU. I'm not sure a night game helps recruiting/visibility as much as I've heard it argued. It's a shame that the BigTen BigWigs and Disney are forced to showcase the same handful of schools because the conference has so few teams with any star power. In any event, what's your take on the night games? Do you love 'em or loathe 'em?

Ever notice how Ginn never said anything stupid to the press during his 3 years in Columbus? While he'll never be confused with the loquacious Anthony Gonzalez, he was always on message and never said anything to embarrass himself or his university.

More of the same as he met the Miami press for the first time. Future White House press secretaries should take note as Ginn manages to win over a potentially ornery Miami press corps with a combination of charm and saying the right things.

The NFL Draft Bible (where do these publications come from?) also has a Q & A with Ginn:

Q: What will you do when you score your first NFL touchdown?
A: I will hand the ball to the ref.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

So the Wizard of Odds is inviting folks to create school spirit billboards...

Although not as a Brown, Smith is in the NFL

An end to an agonizing weekend came Sunday for five Buckeyes, including Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, selected by the Ravens in the 5th round and running back Antonio Pittman, snatched in the 4th round by the Saints.

Of the two, Smith probably has the most cause for optimism, because he's going to a Baltimore team with an older starter in Steve McNair and a backup (Boller) who's entering the final year of a contract. Smith went a lot later than expected by most even as his free-fall over the last four months has been pretty well documented. But all he needs is a good shot and that he has. Some guys can just ball, while others have the numbers and we all know that the draft, much like recruiting is a crap-shoot.

Pittman, on the other hand, appears to have been dealt two blows. First, he slipped to being the 10th running back selected, even as pre-draft speculation had him rising. Then, to add insult to injury, he's picked by the Saints, a team with two awfully good running backs. If McAllister leaves town after this season, Pittman could find a small role with the team, but it's unlikely that he has the chops to take the primary spot from Reggie Bush.

The other Buckeyes selected on Sunday were defensive end Jay Richardson, wide receiver Roy Hall and center Doug Datish. Richardson was selected by the Raiders in the 5th round and has a shot to make the team although the only thing that the Raiders did reasonably well last season was play defense. Hall went to the Colts in the 6th round. He has the size and speed to play at the next level (Drew Carter anyone?) and has to be pumped, like Gonzo, to have been drafted by the explosive Colts. Datish also went in the 6th round, to Atlanta.

It's for you, Anthony

The first day of the 2007 NFL draft is over and it has properly kicked everyone's ass. Coverage Coverage started on ESPN at 6PM Friday night and Saturday saw 12 hours of stats, highlights and massive amounts of gas exiting the network talking heads. I think Deadspin put it best: "No matter what I look at now, a tree, a drunken hobo, a bag of cocaine, I see a scrolling 'team needs' bar underneath it." I want to cut the WWL some slack, because the NFL Draft is their baby. They've been with it from the beginning and are a major reason why it's the monster event it is today, but come on.

There was good news for Buckeye wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez as they were each selected in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Ginn went #9 to the Miami Dolphins, while Gonzalez was taken with the last pick of the opening round by the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.

The two became just the 4th set of wideouts from the same team taken in the first round of the draft. Ike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony were taken out of Florida in the first round of the 1997 draft. Santana Moss and Reggie Wayne were Hurricanes snatched in the first round of the 2001 draft. Amazingly, a mere twenty minutes before Gonzalez was selected, LSU's Craig Davis was taken by San Diego, joining teammate Dwayne Bowe as the 3rd pair of wide receivers taken from the same school in the first round of a draft. The first two pairs from the same school to go in the first round were a hex on their respective quarterbacks as the NFL careers of Danny Wuerffel and Ken Dorsey never got going. Time will tell how #1 overall pick JeMarcus Russell and the yet to be drafted Troy Smith's careers will play out.

Not early fans of Ginn

The Ginn pick shocked and angered Dolphin fans who were counting on Brady Quinn coming to South Florida. Coach Cam Cameron came out to boos as he was trying to talk up the pick to a Miami draft party. The Dolphins better hope they can bring in Trent Green because you've got anonymous ESPN anchors saying things like "The Dolphins will trade Culpepper for a bag of coffee grounds." If the Fins don't address their quarterback situation, Ginn could be put into a position to fail. Even with the special teams openings made possible with the departure of Wes Welker, Ginn is in a tough spot without major quarterback help. Oh, he's fast and he'll make some plays in the return game, but he'll also need to make a mark at the wide receiver spot or Dolphins fans will never forgive him. Personally, I'm just waiting to see photos from Ginn's draft bash in Cleveland where he was sporting a lime green tie and shoes.

As a Buckeye fan, you have to love the Gonzalez pick by the Colts. Gonzo is in a situation where he can step in at the third receiver spot vacated by the departure of Brandon Stokely. His work ethic, intelligence, grit and precision routes coupled with the fact that he'll be working with the most cerebral quarterback in the game should equate to an immediate impact. Mel Kiper, in a moment of clarity, said Gonzalez was a "younger, more talented version of Stokely."

Quinn Pitcock was the only other Buckeye selected on the first day, going late in the third to Indianapolis. He'll have a golden opportunity to help the Colts shore up some of their defensive holes. In somewhat of a surprise, running back Antonio Pittman is still on the board. Pittman had a bit of buzz heading into the draft based on his excellent 40 times, but 9 other running backs have already been taken in the first three rounds including chronic underachiever Lorenzo Booker of Florida State and Penn State's Tony Hunt.

I spy a good place for a syrup tap...

Oh, wait...my biscuit. I meant to say Rick Majerus has taken the hoops job at St. Louis, derailing a stellar career as the hooptiest expert analyst to ever appear on the Worldwide Leader. The svelte Majerus took a three year sabbatical to focus on carb intake and ESPN growth and development classes such as Communication of the Obvious and Stroke the Coach 101. Contract terms were not disclosed but speculation is that Thick Rick's compensation package includes a gingerbread house and a pool filled with sausage gravy. In all seriousness, Majerus is a popular guy amongst his coaching peers and college basketball is much better off with him on the sidelines versus TV.

On the Buckeye front, Jamar Butler's pop says JB will stay at Ohio State for his senior season. As reported by Keith at Buckeye Commentary, the previous Dispatch article indicating Butler would enter his name in the draft appears to have been gun-jumping on a level that only 11W can appreciate. Butler will be back to join a possible starting group including Cook, Lighty, Koufos, and Hunter.

Somebody has a headache right about now

The Wiz and various other outlets are all over this, but we couldn't just sit back and say nothing when a rival program has FELONY charges filed against six of their players.

State College Police filed the felony charges against six Penn State players, including junior safety Anthony Scirrotto, who topped the Big Ten in interceptions last season, and junior corner Justin King, a 2nd team All-Big Ten selection. The six are accused of forcing their way into a party on April 1st and laying a beat-down on several people, including a man that was struck in the head with a beer bottle and beat while unconscious merely for trying to break up the scuffle.

Bond has been set at $50,000 for Scirrotto and $10,000 each for the other five. In a statement issued by the athletics department, Paterno and the staff said punishments would be levied after "due process has transpired".

Not surprisingly, the charges have vaulted Penn State to the top of the Fulmer Cup Standings.