BUCKEYES TO BROWNS
Mike Hall Jr. is selected 54th overall in the second round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.
CAESAR: “Et tu, Brute?”
BRUTUS: "Go Bucks!"
It's been 2060 years since Brutus snatched Caesar's chain. Some historians claim it as Ohio State's first victory.
Caesar lacked vision. Why didn't he just become the lovable mascot of The Ohio State University? E. Gordon Gee made him a fair offer: Submit or die by sword.
Caesar scoffed. "You don't have the heart to roll those dice," he said, unaware his flippancy already rolled them.
Brutus went on to found a landgrant university in Ohio. Caesar got disemboweled. E. Gordon Gee, still messed up from the time change, sipped warm milk and went to bed an hour early.
Makes you think, if anything.
ICYMI: The women's basketball team drew a No. 3 seed and will host 14th-seeded Buffalo (IN ST. JOHN ARENA!!!!!) Friday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
I assume the tailgate kegs are on Kevin McGuff:
Ohio State women's basketball team's NCAA tournament bid means $40,000 bonus for coach Kevin McGuff
— Steve Berkowitz (@ByBerkowitz) March 14, 2016
CARDALE GETS HIS DAY. Cardale Jones' 12 gauge entered Ohio State's pro day as the main event. He will enter the 2016 NFL Draft as an enigma.
Is he a guy capable of leading a franchise to the Super Bowl? Or is he a large child that likes to flaunt his association with underworld kingpins like the Easter Bunny?
From espn.com:
"You don't need a lot of film to see the skill set he has," an AFC assistant coach said. "And one of the first things that really comes through is his love for the game.
"What you have to find out is if he's willing to learn what he doesn't know."
[...]
"The questions he's getting have been coming through like a sub-woofer," Whitfield said. "One, how consistent are you? Just in terms of throwing the ball and making plays, rep after rep after rep, how consistent are you? They win and dominate [at Ohio State] largely from the shotgun, but all the polos and jackets that were here watching are going to want to see him under center. Hamstring, no hamstring, we need to see evidence that you understand timing and rhythm and protocol, 7-step drops, 5-step drops. I don't think they questioned the power, but you still want to show and remind them about it.
I love the people that think the guy with an arm that would be illegal in some states (Wisconsin, chief among them) will be sitting around until the fourth round. They don't realize how horny the NFL is for quarterbacks. (Jimmy Clausen and Derek Anderson made over two million dollars play QB... LAST YEAR.)
Cardale Jones will get drafted in the first three rounds, and he'll be a great pro as long as he lands in the right spot, which is never a given in a crapshoot like the draft.
LEBRON'S CHOICE. If someone stuffed a microphone into LeBron James' face, I have no doubt he would say he's "rooting for both teams to play well" in tonight's Akron–Ohio State N.I.T. game (7:00, ESPN) because Buckeye fans buy shoes too.
But we know the answer, LeBron. Just like deep down we know there's no chance you would've played at Ohio State if you were forced into one year of collegiate servitude by a misguided NBA rule.
From dispatch.com:
“There’s no doubt who he’s cheering for tomorrow, trust me,” [Current Akron and former St. Vincent–St. Mary's coach Keith Dambrot] said. “He loves Ohio State, but I think he likes me more.”
Easy to see why nobody is picking the Cavs to win the Finals this year.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT: TOP-10 RB? The NFL has shifted away from one-back systems in recent years, reducing the value of taking a running back early in the draft. Ezekiel Elliott could be an exception.
From former NFL scout and current NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah's latest mock draft:
| PICK | PLAYER | TEAM | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | JOEY BOSA | DALLAS COWBOYS | The Cowboys can't count on Randy Gregory, and Bosa will have an immediate impact. |
| 8 | EZEKIEL ELLIOTT | PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | The Eagles need to get more explosive in the backfield and Elliott would be a perfect fit. |
| 18 | TAYLOR DECKER | INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | Keeping Andrew Luck upright has to be priority No. 1 and Decker's arrival would allow Jack Mewhort to move back to guard. |
| 19 | DARRON LEE | BUFFALO BILLS | The Bills need a playmaker at linebacker, and "playmaker" is a good word to describe Lee. |
| 26 | ELI APPLE | SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | He fits the profile of what the Seahawks look for in CBs. |
Hard to argue with these potential landing spots, though it's tough to see Lee exiled to Buffalo.
For the Eagles, it's a pick that makes sense.
From bleedinggreennation.com:
When a player can create positive offense on every touch the way Elliott can, there is no overvaluing him. Elliott is the best player in this draft class and will make the biggest impact from day one. He would be absolutely outstanding in this offense and when he is touching the ball more times a game than everyone besides the quarterback, there is no "too high" for a player who could completely change the makeup of an offense. The Eagles desperately need a player who can score at any moment and considering the 21 year old back has scored 43 touchdowns since he got to Columbus, it is fair to say he can play that role.
I agree. Nobody in Philadelphia is going to be mad—okay, maybe 82.4% of Philadelphians won't be mad because someone is always mad in Philly—about the Eagles spending a Top-10 pick on a running back once they realize what they're getting in Elliott, which is the total package.
ARIANS NOT IMPRESSED WITH B1G (OR SEC, ACC, PAC-12, BIG 12) SPEED. Braxton Miller and Michael Thomas shaved a few hundredths of a second of their 40 times at Ohio State's pro day. Most teams, however, will stick with their electronically-timed combine numbers (4.5 for Miller and 4.57 for Thomas).
Here's Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians on this year's WR crop:
BA "It was probably more disappointment then guys catching my eye at Indy, this is the slowest group of receivers Ive ever seen in 20 yrs."
— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) March 14, 2016
I guess this means I shouldn't predict Miller or Thomas (or any receiver) to Arizona in the next arbitrary reshuffling of my mock draft board.
IS NOBODY LOOKING AFTER THE BASKETBALL MANAGERS? They could be dead right now:
Film room during NIT prep has become hostile. Decisions can't be made between Jimmy John's and McDonald's. Limited phone chargers. Send help
— OSU BBall Managers (@OSUManagers) March 14, 2016
I see the managers aren't eligible for unlimited snacks. I'd choose McDonalds, but only with an enemy's loaded pistol aimed at one of my cats. Last time I went to JimmyJohns I got hustled into buying an abominable 768-calorie vegetarian sub.
Never again.
THOSE WMDs. NFL acknowledges, for the first time, link between football and CTE... Warren Buffet buys companies like a pair of sweats... Inspired by Breaking Bad, man turned to internet poison sales... CNN's original O.J. Simpson trial page... How to pitch The Guardian.
