Skull Session: Kevin Wilson's Talent Upgrade, Mike Weber Looks to Break Sophomore Jinx, and Cardale Jones Could Start for Buffalo

By D.J. Byrnes on February 13, 2017 at 4:59 am
Parris Campbell fields a punt for the February 13th 2017 Skull Session
127 Comments

Word of the day: Intrepid.

Made it through the weekend without Kirk Herbstreit unfollowing me despite drinking between one and 12 IPAs at the Columbus Blue Jackets game on Saturday. Let's hope my good fortune at least gets me through Monday afternoon.

 WILSON MUST LIKE WHAT HE SEES. Kevin Wilson terrorized Big Ten defenses with three-star players. Though he took a pay cut to become Ohio State's offensive coordinator, he no longer has to concern himself with defense while leading an offense where three-stars are the exception, not the rule. 

From foxsports.com:

When Wilson was at Oklahoma there was an abundance of 4 star athletes on campus. During his time as Co-OC/ OL coach (2002-05) and as OC/TE coach (2006-10), there were 84 such athletes and another 13 who were rated as 5-Star players in Oklahoma’s recruiting classes. That compared to the five players rated as 4-Stars in his classes while coaching Indiana.

[...]

Wilson tailored his Oklahoma offenses around his four star talent as well. From 2004-06 the Sooners relied more than usual on a featured back. That was a good move as Adrian Peterson was the guy carrying the football most of the time.

[...]

Then Wilson moved on to Indiana and ran his version of the spread offense. By 2015 it had developed it to the point that Indiana was second in the league in scoring, .1 ppg behind Ohio State. To think, Wilson’s offense was loaded with 2 and 3 Star recruits while the Buckeyes had six offensive players drafted from that team last spring, and another made an NFL roster as a free agent.

It will be intriguing to watch what kind of head coaching interest Wilson draws if he successfully renovates Ohio State's offense. If OSU pays him over a million a year (which I expect they will), maybe he decides to stick with military-grade weapons over a return to trying to win a prison riot with three sharpened sporks.

 MIKE WEBER: STILL ROLLING. Mike Weber ran for over 1,000 yards this year, all but extinguishing the "Urban Meyer's never had a running back go for over a thousand yards rushing!" cries that used to follow him in recruiting.

He was only the third freshman in school history to do it. And he he logs only one yard in 2017, it will be a better sophomore campaign than the previous two Buckeyes to do so.

From scarletandgame.com:

In 1990, Robert Smith broke Archie Griffin’s Ohio State freshman rushing record totaling 1,126 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns. It seemed like Smith, the Bobby Dodd National Back of the Year in high school, was going to put up outstanding numbers as a Buckeye.

However, Smith had a fallout with an assistant coach and it soured the running back on playing football. He quit the team and ran track for the Buckeyes his sophomore year, and considered transferring to another school to play football.

[...]

Maurice Clarett’s freshman season in 2002 was one for the ages. The following year his football career was essentially finished.

Is there any Ohio State fan who doesn't think Weber is at least good for another thousand yards in 2017? Because I haven't met one.

My prediction: Weber and Demario McCall deliver pain to opponents behind a more cohesive offensive line. A competent passing attack would go along way in helping, too.

 BY GOD! THAT'S CARDALE JONES' MUSIC! The Buffalo Bills are expected to soon part ways with Tyrod Taylor, the quarterback they signed to a six-year, "$92 million" deal in 2016.

Unlike the Cleveland Browns, the Bills don't have 300 draft picks. The 2017 quarterback draft class isn't expected to land in the record books, either.

So it's a good thing the Bills selected Jones with that fourth-round pick. Their GM reportedly thinks he has the tools to start.

From buffalonews.com:

When all is said and done, the Bills could very well determine their best move is to swallow hard and stroke the check for Taylor. Otherwise, they might be inclined to follow through with a plan that is thought to be appealing to at least one member of their hierarchy, General Manager Doug Whaley, and that is going with Cardale Jones as the starter.

Jones, last year's fourth-round pick from Ohio State, has plenty of talent, but only time will tell whether he has acquired much-needed maturity to understand the amount of time and effort it takes to prepare to play his best.

Don't let Cardale's cartoonish demeanor fool you: He's a smart dude that acquired a grinder's mentality under Meyer, despite the turbulence of his final year. If he fails in the NFL it won't be because he lacks the worth ethic.

And, just for fun, could you imagine if Jones led the Bills to the Super Bowl in his first year as a starter? It might sound far-fetched, but if you told an Ohio State fan on the street Jones would win the 2014 title, the most probable response would've been, "Who's Cardale Jones?"

 JUSTICE FINDS CRIMINAL. Columbus Police traced the DNA from a cigarette butt found at the scene of missing Ohio State student Reagan Tokes' murder and arrested the suspect within 72 hours of the body being found.

From dispatch.com:

Brian L. Golsby, 29, has been charged with aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and kidnapping in connection with the death of Reagan Tokes, 21. Grove City police also filed an additional charge of rape late on Saturday night.

Golsby is set for his first appearance in Franklin County Municipal Court on Monday.

"The defendant has a lengthy juvenile record and an adult record that has resulted in two prison commitments that establishes he is a danger to the community and should be held without bond," O'Brien's motion states. Later in the motion, O'Brien mentions that Golsby could face "potential capital charges." The prosecutor's office will later present the case to the Franklin County grand jury for felony charges.

Sounds like Golsby's life will conclude with the state flooding his veins with a poisonous chemical concoction that collapses his lungs as vengeful strangers watch. Nobody will miss him.

Tokes' family set up a GoFundMe with hope of creating an OSU scholarship fund in her name. 

 ON A LIGHTER NOTE. Here is an 86-second video of penguins bloopers:

 

 THOSE WMDs. Music is keeping people from going back to prison... A company will press your ashes into a working vinyl record... 600 miles in a coffin-shaped bus... Foster father only takes in terminally ill children for two decades... "Evil does in fact die," family says in obituary.

127 Comments
View 127 Comments