ICYMI:
- National pundits heard my cries; 247 gave 2016 DE Jonathon Cooper his 5th star.
- Jay Paterno sent a hand-written note to Urban Meyer in which he asked for a job. Jay Paterno is still unemployed.
- Silk Russell officially signed a four-year $23,000,000 contract with the Lakers.
A MOST SENSIBLE #QBGEDDON TAKE. I try not to shove Ohio State's QB derby down my readers' throats, but that doesn't change the fact it's one of the most fascinating OSU football offseason storylines in recent memory.
I've read (and thought) about a lot of #takes on this issue, and I think this is the most sensible one registered to date.
From Nick Martin of Deadspin.com:
So, who should start? The honest-to-God answer is that it doesn’t matter. All three can snatch the league and a spot in the playoff, and they’re all fun as hell to watch on the field. There’s no doubt this will be The Storyline pumped by every news outlet during the preseason, but I don’t care who Ohio State announces as it starter because no matter who it is, they’ll win.
Jones is my favorite, but that’s just because he’s a great quote and I love watching him sling the rock like a human trebuchet. Miller will likely earn the nod just because he’s the more singular talent, but that could all change depending on his health and the Buckeyes’ decision on where to play him. Again, it really doesn’t matter who starts—with Ezekial Elliot in the backfield, a deep and talented receiving corps, and three possible Heisman-level quarterbacks, the Buckeyes are going to be a big problem for the rest of the NCAA.
Ohio State has three quarterbacks that could legitimately start for either of the state's professional football clubs. I don't know if that's a bigger compliment to Urban Meyer or proof that Cleveland's and Cincinnati's front offices should be indicted.
Probably both.
D'ANGELO RUSSELL WILL BE GOOD. D'Angelo Russell has played three NBA Summer League Games. He's showed flashes, but he hasn't shot well and he's been prone to turnovers.
In the end, the pros outweigh the cons, because again, this is the Summer League.
From Nate Parham of GoldenStateOfMind.com:
Russell finished with a so-so stat line of 14 points on 4-for-15 shooting, a team-high 3 assists to go with a team-high 7 turnovers with a team-high 8 rebounds for good measure. On paper, it was nothing special. But summer league really isn't about what's on paper; it's about how players play and whether they have the tools that serve as signposts that lead down the path of stardom.
[...]
Putting the numbers aside, Russell waits, surveys and picks the best possible angle to create scoring opportunities for his team while other summer league point guards search for glory, force the action and hope for the best outcome — Russell is about as close to a natural for his position as we'll see in summer league. There are others at summer league who have shown similar court vision — former Warriors Scott Machado came to mind as someone who displayed all the court vision in the world in Vegas. Current Warrior Aaron Craft has shown some signs of good decision-making as well. What separates Russell is the combination of that ability to distribute and the ability to break his man down off the dribble and score.
With Russell handling the ball and Jordan Clarkson able to guard the quicker point guards that rookies routinely struggle with, the Lakers' backcourt seems to be a strong candidate for the best backcourt in Vegas — I haven't yet seen the entire field this year, but even in comparison to any of the three previous years I've watched this backcourt tandem is impressive. Russell's ease in navigating the court complements Clarkson's riskier play well and keeps the defense off-balance if nothing else. And not only can you start to see them figuring each other out on the court in real-time, but you can start to imagine a brighter future for (often insufferable, particularly in Vegas) Lakers fans. That poise that made him both stand out and know when to pull the ball back and give others a chance to shine is what helped Russell earn a plus/minus of +12 despite those 7 turnovers.
I've generally ignored the Lakers for the last couple years (like any good Laker fan, I only pay attention when the team's relevant) and I forgot large swaths of Laker fans are about as sufferable as being trapped in an Arby's dumpster on a 98-degree day. Some are already ruing LA's decision.
Don't listen to these people.
D'Angelo Russell will be good as long as Kobe Bryant doesn't hire a pack of goons to attack him with a tire iron (and they fire Byron Scott after this year).
TODD SIBLEY SHOWS THE POWER OF NOT EATING CHIPOTLE. Akron Hoban's Todd Sibley Jr., a 2017 OSU commit and possibly the only Ohioan alive to have never eaten Chipotle, seems to be getting adequate protein in his post-workout meals:
@StacyPriest #BigHitChallenge I give it to em pic.twitter.com/PazfSeIy7z
— T Sib (@ToddSib23) July 13, 2015
SCARLET WINS T-SHIRT CONTEST. I liked the black shirt's design better, but I understand why others disagreed.
Fade to black... SCARLET takes the 2015 Official Fan T-shirt vote: 68% 33% Purchase details coming soon #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/pgVXqcvsDI
— Brutus Buckeye (@Brutus_Buckeye) July 13, 2015
THEN WHY CRY? Here's Auburn's Gus Malzahn whining about satellite camps back at the end of March:
"I think the SEC coaches last year made it clear that we'd like it to be that way throughout the country," Malzahn said. "That was a stance after our last spring meetings and I still feel the same."
Now here's Malzahn yesterday on the first day of the sorry-ass SEC's media extravaganza:
Malzahn pokes at Harbaugh: The chance of a Northern team coming into Alabama and taking a player Auburn or Alabama wants "is slim to none."
— Jon Solomon (@JonSolomonCBS) July 13, 2015
Sure, a northern school hasn't signed a Scout 300 player out of Alabama in the last decade, but that's beside my point. I just don't understand why SEC coaches are whining about an allegedly non-existent threat. That's the kind of passive-aggressiveness I'd expect from a middle schooler.
THOSE WMDs. Glad I bailed on True Detective... In case you still thought publicly-financed stadiums weren't the biggest crock in sports... Batman vs. Superman trailer.. Suicide Squad trailer... The many lives of Frédéric Bourdin.
