Friday Skull Session

By D.J. Byrnes on October 10, 2014 at 6:00 am
Tyvis Powell powers up
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Folks, last night was one of my best nights of sleep in recent memory. Going to bed with the knowledge crime lord/Georgia running back Todd Gurley is headed to prison was the equivalent of bonging a liter of Zzzquil. (How do I know what it's like to bong a liter of Zzzquil? Because sometimes I bong Zzzquil in the morning just to test my drive to conquer the day.)

Gurley has no excuse for committing a heinous crime like signing stuff in exchange money. Who does he think he is, Georgia or the NCAA? Capitalism is illegal in America for a reason. Abraham Lincoln, a massive Georgia Bulldogs fan, did not cross the Mississippi for this. Hell, Lincoln probably shot himself in the head (again) when he read news of the suspension; good going, Gurley.

And while I'm at it: a tip of the cap to the grown-ass man who paid a college student for his signature and then snitched on him. Where would law enforcement be without heroes like that? Makes ya think.

But I digress. Todd Gurley and his ilk are trash, and I would know because I'm basically an anthropomorphic dumpster behind your local Gay Hooters establishment. 


This week's NSFW Anti-Work #Bangers:

THE MAN THEY CALL THE BIG BEAR. I went to the inaugural Friday Night Lights at Ohio State. Joey Bosa hadn't yet entered his senior season, but even then, among some of the nation's most elite prep talent, the dude looked like a monster.

Granted, physical tools aren't everything in football, but I was convinced Joey Bosa could contribute to Ohio State's defense right then and there. (Judging by his production at Ohio State, I may have a future in football scouting.)

From John R. Kampf of The Lake County Miami-Herald:

Through five weeks, the 6-foot-5, 278-pound sophomore from Florida has a modest 15 tackles. But a closer look reveals quality — seven tackles for loss, 3 1/2 sacks and three forced fumbles — all team-highs. And all in clutch situations.

[...]

Bosa has genes on his side. His father, John Bosa, was a first-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 1987 out of Boston College. His uncle is former OSU standout linebacker Eric Kumerow (1984-87). Bosa might surpass the accomplishments of both family members.

“The sky’s the limit with that guy, with his ability,” OSU assistant Luke Fickell said. “He is a very dominant force. He’s a guy who has speed to get to the edge and the power to do some things inside. It’s an unbelievable combination. We haven’t seen a lot of guys like that.”

People say "Oh, well Bosa might stick around a year to play with his brother Nick." You know where he can do that? In the NFL. I assume, like most defensive linemen, Joey Bosa is insane, but he'd be criminally insane to come back for the 2016 season:

bosssaaa

THE B1G AIN'T DEAD IT JUST TOOK A COUPLE SHOTS. In early September, the national media walked the Big Ten out back by the outhouse and put a slug in its decrepit, non-foootball-IQ-having brain. And rightfully so; Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State were all waxed on national television.

But like the Undertaker rising from the dead, the Big Ten might yet send a representative to the small dance.

From Kyle Rowland of ElevenWarriors.com The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

The one-loss Spartans, Buckeyes and Cornhuskers are positioned as prime contenders to appear in the playoff semifinals in Pasadena or New Orleans, with Michigan State and Ohio State on a collision course. Win out, and the selection committee will have a hard time saying no to a one-loss champion from the Big Ten.

“We turn on a lot of TV sets. Let’s not be naïve,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said of Big Ten teams. “It’s about who is watching the game, too. You’ve got a quarter of the country watching a football game. They want to see a football team from this part of the country in that game.”

[...]

“You can look around the country and ask four or five other teams how they feel this week,” Dantonio said. “It’s all about winning football games. That gets forgotten. In the big picture, if you win, you’re going to advance. If you lose by a couple, chances are you don’t.”

Dantonio raises an interesting point about "turning the TVs on." It'll be interesting to see what happens, but I truly believe Ohio State will be in the playoffs if the Buckeyes win out. LEAD US TO THE PROMISED LAND, JIM DELANY; OUR CONFERENCE HAS TOO MUCH MONEY TO BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD.

IOWA COMING FOR HILLIARD. As I mentioned the other day, 2015 boss-hogg (and Ohio State commit) Justin Hilliard is taking an official visit this weekend to Iowa, where his brother plays.

The Lord of Whispers weighed in on it Wednesday night, and while the OSU staff is understandably not thrilled with it, they (along with the LoW) isn't worried. So I'm not worried either.

But it looks like the Iowa staff is going down swinging.

From Pat Harty of The Iowa City Press-Citizen:

That might be the case, but Ferentz still must think there is a chance to convince Justin Hilliard to switch his commitment or he wouldn't have approved the visit. Even if Ferentz thinks it's a 1-in-a-million chance, it's worth spending the time, resources and energy trying to land a a recruit of Justin Hilliard's stature. He is ranked as the No. 1 linebacker in the country by both Scout.com and Rivals.com.

And it isn't as if Justin Hilliard will travel here on Iowa's expense and then just hang out with his brother or do whatever he pleases. He will take an official visit, which is carefully planned to showcase the strengths of the Iowa program.

[...]

C.J. Hilliard said on the day his brother committed to Ohio State that he let Justin make his own decision about college. It's impossible for C.J. to fully understand how Justin feels because C.J. didn't have an offer from Ohio State.

I don't like the idea of Hilliard in Iowa (or the idea of me in Iowa), but if I were in his position, it'd be tough not to use all five official visits for free trips to college campuses, because college campuses are awesome.

LET'S TALK EGW. Eric Glover-Williams, the first to commit to the #Elite15, is my favorite commit of the incoming class. I've been keeping my fingers crossed he can keep his nose clean, and thus far, it's worked. (You're welcome, Buckeye Nation.)

Scout's Ryan Ginn was able to catch up with Glover-Williams' head coach, Canton McKinley's Thom McDaniels, to talk about his star player:

He’s spoken about the improvement he’s made defensively this season. What do you attribute that to?

He never really logged a lot of practice time or playing time on defense until this year. We’ve practiced him and played him on both sides, and he basically doesn’t leave the field for us defensively. He is a great press corner and a good man cover guy, and we’re able to rest him offensively. Defensively, he’s probably made a greater impact for us because we play a lot of man coverage and he pretty much takes away the receiver on his side of the field that he’s matched up against.

[...]

How would you describe his personality?

He has an engaging personality. I encourage him to be distrustful and skeptical of people. I encourage that, and I am myself. I think it’s important to be that way because as a high school football player in the state of Ohio he has an identity and a celebrity status to some extent. The cruel world takes advantage of people like that. I don’t know if he’s taken my advice, but he’s guarded and I think that’s good.

That last bit includes some wise words that I doubt a talented #teen like Eric Glover-Williams will truly understand until he's older (or, tragically, until it's too late).

The road to glory is littered with the bodies of massively talented players who couldn't keep their heads on straight, but Urban Meyer raves about Thom McDaniels, and judging from the interview with Scout, it's easy to see why.

Go Bulldogs, and I say that even though I'm still bitter about Mike Doss and company beating the best prep team to ever come out of Marion County, Marion Harding's 1998 team, in the state playoffs.

JIM JACKSON, WHOEVER THAT IS, BLESSES A #TEEN. Not sure who Jim Jackson is or what he's doing at an OSU basketball practice, but he's talking good about one of Ohio State's #teens so whatever:

(On another note: Thad Matta's back must give him a ton of problems. As anybody who's ever had any kind of back pain can attest: it's one of the worst things in human existence. So, props, Thad, you're a damned warrior who is underrated as hell by the masses.)

THOSE WMDs. JameisWinstonLOL.jpeg... I'd have done it for ¼, OSU... All cover letters should be like this one by Hunter S. Thompson... What Ping-Pong Means to America... Awful idea: screaming on a plane about having Ebola... Good thing I'll already be burning down Cleveland with the Browns up 40... Get dumped then, NHL... Knowledge: The Rise of Warren Gamaliel Harding.

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