Urban Meyer met with local media after yesterday's practice. (Kyle's full report [with video] is over here.) Ohio State's stunt-master general wants 106,000 warm bodies in the Horseshoe on Saturday.
Here are some of Kyle's #quickhits:
- Freshmen already in the rotation, according to Meyer: Curtis Samuel, Raekwon McMillan, Sean Nuernberger, Johnnie Dixon
- RB rotation: Ezekiel Elliott, Bri'onte Dunn, Curtis Samuel and Warren Ball. Meyer said Rod Smith is dealing with a heavy academic load. There’s no suspension.
- Corey Smith and Mike Thomas are two receivers who’ve made the biggest leap this spring, Meyer said. Both will be part of the rotation.
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Eli Apple had another good day of practice, Meyer said. He said it was a negative that it took so long to get his black stripe off. All’s in the past now, though. Meyer described Apple’s spring as “huge.” It’s given the secondary added depth.
URBAN REBUILDING THE FOOTBALL CULTURE. Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples is one of my favorite college football writers. He didn't disappoint with his latest piece on Urban's efforts to rebuild Ohio State's football culture. Apparently it started with a chance conversation between Urban and a motivational speaker:
Kight, a Columbus-based consultant who specializes in leadership training, was attending a fundraiser at Meyer's home when the notoriously small-talk averse Ohio State coach walked past. Meyer stopped to say hello. Kight introduced himself and explained what he does. Suddenly, Meyer was intrigued. So intrigued that Meyer brought in Kight and his son to work with Ohio State players last year and with Buckeyes coaches this spring. "I joke around that [Kight] doesn't drink beer often, but he drinks Dos Equis," Meyer said.
At 6 a.m. on Monday, Kight stood before Ohio State's coaching staff at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and explained for 90 minutes how it must prove its competence to players on a daily basis. The lecture was the fifth in a series of six that the coaches will hear this spring as Meyer tries to overhaul his team's culture. In Kight's buzzword-heavy program, culture may be the most critical one. Meyer has a winning program (24-2 in two seasons at Ohio State), but he isn't sure his Buckeyes had a winning culture for the past two years.
[...]
Kight has helped the coaches simplify and clarify their message so that every player understands exactly what the coaches want. None of what they're doing is revolutionary. In fact, most of it involves concepts Meyer has taught for years. But it is simpler and easier for a group of 110 18- to 22-year-olds to digest. Meyer and Kight boiled down Ohio State's culture into three essential elements. Meyer believes a goal such as "I want to win the national title" is too big to wrap the brain around. These smaller chunks help the players focus on smaller, incremental goals. (This is basically a more corporate speak-heavy version of The Process, the behavioral culture passed down from Bill Belichick to Nick Saban to Jimbo Fisher with championship results. Saban and Fisher also use a consultant, mental coach Trevor Moawad, to help players understand the concepts.)
Those three keys: Four to six (seconds) A to B, competitive excellence and strength of the unit. (Assistant coaches are no longer assistant coaches, they're "unit leaders.")
Again, I recommend the piece in full.
As someone whose cynicism runs through every iota of their body, I've always been skeptical of non-ironical gurus and jargon like "buzzwords." But if Urban thinks it will help the cornerbacks wrap up a tackle or help against screen passes, then whatever; let's ride.
ZACH SMITH OWNS ANONYMOUS FOE. Wide receivers assistant coach unit leader/recruiting ace Zach Smith logged into Twitter.com last night to shoot a volley across the bow at an anonymous foe:
LVE recruiting - Talkin trash about us?? Ur 0-2 workin on 0-3 against this squad!!! *Child Please* (Ochocinco Voice) #THATisRealTalk
— Zach Smith (@CoachZachSmith) April 10, 2014
What's awesome... AND humbling is when I tweet about another team that's 0-2 against us... No one knows who it is! #BuckeyeNationProblems
— Zach Smith (@CoachZachSmith) April 10, 2014
The only Big Ten member he couldn't be talking about is Michigan State. I don't think it's Penn State because James Franklin isn't working on 0-3.
It has to be Michigan, right? I doubt he'd be getting fired up if Indiana was out here slandering the Buckeyes, plus it's not like the lower-tier schools are recruiting the same types of kids.
It's Michigan. Don't convince me otherwise, please. This batch of frothy loathing is a soothing elixir for the last remnants of my soul.
EL GUAPO GOT SOME NEW INK. It pays homage to Ohio, Florida, Cincinnati and his mother:
As a man with an Ohio tattoo: I approve, El Guapo.
A CHECK-IN WITH AN OLD FRIEND. Jonathan Newsome came through the vaunted Glenville-Ohio State pipeline, and although he was unarguably one of the top three tweeters in OSU history, things didn't go according to plan at Ohio State.
He left OSU but not football. He found a home with the Ball State Cardinals, balled out for them and is now preparing for the NFL draft.
Here's a short documentary Ball State put together. I'm sharing because Newsome has always been a cool dude with me, and I want the Almighty Browns to bring him back home.
OSU HAS BEEN RUNNING GAME ON MICHIGAN FOR A MINUTE. These numbers are more lopsided than a little brother vs. big brother one-on-one game:
Kind of speaks for itself ... pic.twitter.com/bVyeC0aJbu
— ESPN Big Ten (@ESPN_BigTen) April 9, 2014
WORD ON THE STREET. This is no joke: Word on the street is the ol' Gunslinger Joe Bauserman has retired to Breckenridge, Colorado; he was spotted there as recently as 2013 while working as a ski instructor. What a boss.
This concludes Where in the World is Joe Bauserman?
THOSE WMDs. 2014 Smithsonian photo contest finalists... Neo-Nazis are using Cookie Monster to recruit German youth... Vin Scully even makes stories about crack pipes endearing... Someone built a portable, hand-held N64 system... They're flipping smart cars in Columbus now... The tale of two Paul Georges... Brewster in trouble? Jaguars agree to offer sheet with Pro Bowler Alex Mack... RIP, Lacey Holsworth... Court questions validity of PSU's consent decree with the NCAA...
