Monday Skull Session

So, how about that big game? I thought the Seahawks were about to be a dynasty, but lo! An undrafted rookie made the type of interception that would've caused me to break a controller had it happened in Madden.

Marshawn to me on if he's surprised he didn't get the ball on the 1: "No. Because we play football. It's a team sport."

— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) February 2, 2015

/salute Marshawn.

Much more troubling, however, is that was our last hit of pure football until August. I guess this means I'm extra thankful for Vico's latest drive-thru.

TATE PLAYS LIKE HE'S GOT TOLEDO BLOOD IN HIM. Tim wrote last week about Ohio State men's basketball's other talented freshman, Jae'Sean Tate, but I enjoyed this article from BCSN.TV's Dave Briggs, who caught up with Tate's father, Jermaine, a former OSU basketballer who does not hold a grudge against Ohio State:

That thunderbolt of energy? The hunger to get the ball or, as coach Thad Matta said, “die trying?” The edge that once sent him diving headlong into the wooden bleachers — during a defense-optional AAU game, no less — resulting in one lost tooth but no missed plays?

Jermaine believes he knows where that comes from.

“That’s from Toledo,” Tate said. “I think it is. It’s really weird, but Jae’Sean plays like he is from Toledo. We take it a little more personal there. It's not about showing up the other person. It’s about taking pride in doing whatever you have to do for the team. With Jae’Sean and my [younger son, Jalen], you can tell the difference with how they play and approach of the game.”

Unless they make a sport centering around ingenious ways to get high on things like paint thinner, I don't think we'll ever hear an athlete's gritty play chalked up to his Marion blood.

JALYN HOLMES: NEXT MAN UP. Here's a name to watch going into the 2015 season, which, at the very least, is closer now than it was when you began reading: DE Jalyn Holmes.

From Doug Lesmerises of cleveland.com:

With tackle Michael Bennett graduating, fellow tackle Adolphus Washington could be in for a big year. And now the Buckeyes could get a real playmaker at the opposite defensive end, which would take some pressure off Bosa. A pass-rusher who could beat one-on-one matchups would make life extremely difficult for offenses, who must plan to give some help to the tackles dealing with Bosa.

Holmes, the No. 51 overall recruit in 247sports.com's composite rankings from 2014, and Hubbard, who was the No. 124 overall recruit, both have the potential to be that kind of player.

And this is a position where the Buckeyes could be better in 2015.

That spot between Hubbard and Holmes is going to be a fun one to watch. The winner will be Ohio State.

RASHOD BERRY IS A BEAST. We've covered Urban's love of multi-sport athletes before, and he got another one in Lorain's 2015 three-star TE/DE prospect, Rashod Berry.

Loranian Jeff Svoboda of BuckeyeSports.com caught up with Berry in the midst of his basketball team's undefeated season, but what was more eye-catching to me was this highlight reel posted at the bottom of the capsule:

Always have to fight back a little self-loathing when I watch high school highlight reels. These dang kids make dunking look so easy and smooth.

Well, I'm here to keep it real: Dunking is not that easy, but what do I know? I'm just a 6'1" guy who will have to die with the shame knowing he never dunked a basketball through a hoop of regulation height.

Back to Berry, though: Easy to see why he caught Urban Meyer's attention. (That boss-ass flat top, obviously.)

I CAN'T STOP WATCHING THIS VINE. I'm a fan of Richard Sherman's, namely because he annoys the right people, and yet I can't stop watching this Vine:

Gah! So brutal.

(For those of you who aren't damned by a God who forgot you long ago: You have a glimpse into the soul of a Cleveland Browns fan.)

BOBBY PETRINO DOING BOBBY PETRINO THINGS. While America reveled in the Super Bowl yesterday, Louisville tried to sneak the commitment of former TCU/Trinity Valley Community College DE Devonte Fields past us. How did a former Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year end up at something called Trinity Valley Community College?

From Eric Crawford of WDRB.com: 

Fields was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury to a family member, a misdemeanor, after his ex-girlfriend was found with a swollen right cheek and a small cut under her eye. The woman told police that Fields appeared to have a gun in one of his hands that he pointed at her and threatened, “I should blast you!” That was after he allegedly punched out a bedroom window of a house where she had been talking to a mutual male friend and Fields began yelling at her.

[...]

There are two kinds of football programs: Those who stand against domestic violence, and those who help perpetuate the problem by being part of the safety net, the net that says no matter what you do, someone, somewhere will give you another chance, if you have enough football potential.

U of L now is one of the latter. Alabama is one of the latter. It took Jonathan Taylor after he was dismissed from Georgia following a charge of felony aggravated assault and family violence. Taylor also considered Louisville.

Yikes. 

Devonte Fields made an heinous mistake, and he might not deserve a lifetime sentence, but let's just say I'm thankful Urban Meyer puts me into position to "write" about commitment's bossy flat tops and not things like domestic violence, which is a cardinal sin to anybody with a functioning cerebral cortex.

THOSE WMDs. MineCraft + Game of Thrones = WesterCraft... The real story behind that "U Mad Bro?" Super Bowl photo... Nationwide's full statement on their creepy ad... New Star Wars looks promising... Do The NFL's Anti-Domestic Violence Initiatives Actually Even Exist?