Thursday Skull Session

By Chris Lauderback on June 20, 2013 at 6:00 am
38 Comments

The older I get, the more susceptible I become to being a hater. On occasion, I might even feel bad for hating on things like girls hell bent on wearing flip flops even though their heels have morphed into the equivalent of dried up shale, restaurants that don't carry Heinz, or something as irrelevant as flat-brim caps. 

Other times, I relish the haterade coursing through my veins such as any instance when my brain is forced to ponder anything related to Johnny Manziel. 

I'm pretty sure my initial hate for Manziel was born out of worry that he might join Archie as the only two-time winner of the Heisman but thankfully, his continued prima-donna slash bone-headed actions have helped justify the angst I feel whenever the kid's name is mentioned. 

On the righteous path to justifying my ill feelings, Manziel had another idiot-attack over the weekend, basically tweeting that he can't wait to leave College Station as if he's got it rough being the most popular person on campus. 

As it turns out, the tweet heard 'round the world was the end result of a parking ticket received while he and his boys were fishing in Port Aransas. 

Also of note just over the past few days is that Manziel, fresh off getting suspended by Texas A&M following a drunken incident last summer in which he was busted for fighting and for possessing a handful of fake ID's, had gone so far as to lay the groundwork for a transfer to a junior college so he could play immediately. Of course, we'll never know if he was bluffing as the Aggie brass sure bought into the notion Johnny Football might break camp if forced to serve a season-long suspension and, as a result, his ban was subsequently overturned. 

Manziel's continued hijinks even raised the ire of America's 2nd favorite troll, Matt Hayes, who voiced some heavy thoughts on Johnny Look At Me. (Ed Note: don't click on the link if you are one of those folks that pretends guys like Hayes or Bianchi will see their career suffer if you never click on anything they write)

THE NEXT HEAD COACH FROM URBAN'S TREE TALKS OFFENSE. The BTN's Tom Dienhart caught up with Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman recently and it's easy to see why the MENSA mind is on track to become the next assistant from Urban's coaching tree to land a head coaching gig. 

Video of the interview session shows Herman in his element, breaking down offensive game tape, while also providing a glimpse into what the most important member of Urban's staff does to get the offense clicking. A taste:

Q: Can you explain this new “diamond” formation that has been installed as a new wrinkle?
A: It’s kind of an inverted Wishbone. Dana Holgorsen did a good job with it a few years back at Oklahoma State when he had (Brandon) Weeden and (Justin) Blackmon. He was getting into it to get single coverage on Blackmon. He would put three backs in the game, or two backs with a fullback/tight end guy. And Dana would have a two-play check to where if defenses double Blackmon, they were going to run it. And if they didn’t, they were going to throw it to Blackmon. I have been studying it for a couple of years.
It has evolved a little bit to where guys are running a lot more plays out of the formation. It has been fun. It has been fun for our guys because we are pretty deep at tailback. Carlos (Hyde) and Rod Smith, who probably could start a lot of places in this league. And we have two young guys in Bri’onte Dunn and Warren Ball who deserve to see the field a little bit.

But we don’t want to stray too far from what we are. But at the same time, if we have the opportunity to get some of our better players on the field and have a compact four- or five-play package we all feel good we can execute, I think it’s worth the investment.

And what about how the receivers are shaping up?

We made a conscience effort this spring to really condense and limit our throw game, and I think it benefited the receivers and they got better. I think Corey Brown will be your go-to guy, but I don’t know what kind of home run hitter he’ll be. He had a few catch-and-runs last year. He’s not a home-run hitter and probably never will be. He’s the definitely the most cerebral of the group and understands football and the offense and can play all the different spots at receiver knowledgeably and well. We will kind of lean on him.

I think Devin Smith is continuing to improve. He has tons to talent, but the mental part of the game was foreign to him. He got better in the spring. Evan Spencer is a big physical presence and cerebral guy who can play a lot of spots. I don’t think we have a Ted Ginn Jr., Santonio Holmes, the list goes on. But we are getting there and improving. That’s what matters.

I love how Herman presents himself and that while not as brutal as Urban, he provides honest assessments of his players no matter the audience. 

NATURAL SELECTION. The College Commissioners Association met this week to continue work on deciding the criteria for how a College Football Playoff committee will be established and exactly who might be a part of the all-important group. 

While the moving parts remain unknown, executive director Bill Hancock ended speculation that a committee would be formed in time to have the 2013 season act as a "dry-run" of sorts ahead of things getting real in 2014. 

The revelation seemed rather obvious since the formation of the committee seems a long way off in the distance but Hancock also presented tangible reasons why a dry-run wouldn't occur this year even if the committee was formed citing concerns over informational leaks and how those could have a negative impact on the existing processes used to determine national title game participants. 

What has been learned, or so we think, is that the selection committee will be comprised of roughly 12-18 members representing groups such as former administrators, coaches and potentially media members.

I'll take Taguchi Loss Function trivia for $1000, Alex2013 could very well be Herman's last in Columbus

ANOTHER BOTCHED INVESTIGATION? Multiple media outlets reported yesterday that both the New York Times and LA Times, though some high-powered attorneys, filed something called an application of intervention with the California Court of Appeals to have the records in the Todd McNair v. The NCAA case unsealed

If you forgot, McNair is the former USC running backs coach that was slapped with a show-cause penalty as part of the NCAA's investigation and subsequent punishments handed down to the school following the Reggie Bush saga. 

At the heart of the request is the notion the NCAA will exhaust every possible avenue to keep the records sealed because they likely contain evidence showing improper involvement by both NCAA staff and committee members in the USC case. Whispers of improper conduct by NCAA officials gained steam as early as last November, as reported by Dennis Dodd:

A judge's decision made public last week -- and obtained in full by CBSSports.com -- shows that at least three persons may have improperly tried to influence the NCAA's powerful infractions committee to find former USC assistant Todd McNair complicit in the Reggie Bush case. Lawyers for McNair are trying to show the association violated its own rules and procedures in investigating their client.

Two non-voting members of the NCAA infractions committee and NCAA staffer allegedly tried to influence voting members inside the 10-person committee. The judge's decision contains excerpts of emails that he has determined show "ill will or hatred" toward McNair.

If the documents are eventually unsealed, not only will it be another black eye for ever-evolving joke that is the NCAA but it could also trigger a host of lawsuits by USC in an effort to revisit sanctions levied against the school back in 2010

THEY SHOOTIN' HOOPS... The NBPA Top 100 camp wrapped up this past weekend and unfortunately, three future Buckeyes in the 2014 class didn't exactly blow up down in Charlottesville for a myriad of reasons.

Jae'Sean Tate logged just five minutes, scoring four points, before being forced to the sidelines with a torn labrum. Future teammate and recent commit, D'Angelo Russell, didn't look to score as much as he normally would since his camp squad featured some elite scorers. To his credit, he drew praise for his ability to distribute the rock while also flashing strong ball-handling skills in the face of pressure. As we've discussed, the number one task for Russell before he arrives in Columbus is to improve his physique so he can handle the rigors of the rough and tumble B1G conference. Keita Bates-Diop averaged about seven points per game but was observed deferring potentially a bit too much to his teammates though he did posterize an opponent in transition

Slam magazine also offered a recap of camp happenings and none of the OSU pledges made the list of notable performers. 

In other OSU hoops news, @VerbalCommits reported last night that Ohio State has extended a scholarship offer to 6'3" shooting guard, Eric Davis, out of Saginaw Michigan. 

KIBBLES AND BITS. Similar to my note earlier, don't click on this if you believe "feeding trolls" has any impact on the job status of members in the print media but I believe in keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. With that, here's Bianchi trolling hard once more... I wonder if Sport Clips can crank one of these out for you?... The dueling definitions of spooning... What can we reasonably expect from Phish in 2013?... Invasion of the drug cartels... This All Male Cheerleading Team Will Make You Lose Your Mind... Guilty... RIP: James Gandolfini

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