Welcome to the least productive Monday of the year. When I'm president, it will be a national holiday.
Until then, I dedicate this Skull Session to every worker who awoke this morning feeling the effects of six Budweisers and seriously entertained calling off.
THE OTHER '17 QB. Urban Meyer upped quarterback recruiting when he came to Columbus. Meyer aims to add a blue-chip QB per class, which he did in 2017 with Tate Martell. But you can never have too many capable quarterbacks, which is why OSU added walk-on Kory Curtis, from Cape Coral, Florida, to the class.
From landgrantholyland.com:
“I talked to Erin Hodges and the recruiting coordinator Katie (Plageman). They were excited to have me and they treated me very well and made me feel like I was at home on my visit this past weekend” said the 6’4 225-pound Curtis , who chose Ohio State over options at Southeastern, Ava Maria, Hutchinson Community College, Colorado, and Florida Atlantic University.
Curtis had the chance to play closer to his home in the sunshine state, but felt in the end the blend of athletics and academics at the Ohio State University was just entirely too much to pass up on.
“I think it's the best football and academic combination school in the nation. I love the football program and the education Ohio State has to offer. The connections you would make there is better than any other school in the nation.”
Shoutout to the walk-ons. They really don't get the props they deserve. I'm always amazed there are enough guys willing to join the program for the only perk of belonging to the team.
It's also interesting Ohio State's blend of football and academics resonates with everyone from five-star Texan linebackers to walk-on Floridian quarterbacks.
Buckeye #branding is on point right now.
WE CALLED THAT NEPOTISM IN MY DAY. Meyer tapped Chris Ash in 2014 to resurrect his defense. He had no previous experience with Ash, a young up-and-comer despite working under Bert Bielema at Arkansas.
When Ash left to take over Rutgers, Meyer went the opposite way. He tapped former NFL coach and longtime friend Greg Schiano.
It went just as smooth.
So when Luke Fickell left to take over Cincinnati, Meyer went a similar route. He hired Bill Davis, the best man of his wedding, to replace Fickell.
He also hired longtime friend Kevin Wilson to resurrect his offense.
Which is his right. But it doesn't come without risks.
From dispatch.com:
Meyer always has leaned toward hiring coaches he knows, but that differs from hiring good friends. What results can be expected when a coach employs buddies? Working with pals can prove challenging. One day you're drinking beer together outside the office setting. The next you're expected to drink the Kool-Aid your buddy, the boss, serves you. As the one in charge, you might come down harder on the friend who works for you, not wanting to play favorites.
There are control issues - why should I listen to my boss when I know from spending so much time together that he's no smarter than me? - and the uneasiness of deciding whether to defend your supervisor or join in when co-workers criticize him.
Finally, there is the awkwardness of having to fire the friend if he is not getting the job done. It can lead to uncomfortable and compromising situations that are not in the best interest of the program.
I was skeptical about the Schiano hire, but it turned out the three-time champion knew more about running an organization than the blogger.
Still, Philadelphia Eagles fans laughed when Ohio State hired Davis. It was reminiscent of Nebraska fans' reaction to Tim Beck's hiring in 2015. Thankfully for us, coaching up college linebackers at a talent-rich school like OSU is easier than coordinating NFL defenses.
I think Meyer hit a home run with every hire. The results, however, will speak for themselves.
LEE ATTACKED. Bizarre moment Sunday morning on Twitter (redundant, probably), when New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee tweeted about getting jumped "on his way back home to Columbus."
From nydailynews.com:
"Nothing like getting jumped on a Saturday night," he tweeted early Sunday.
Lee said that he was “completely sober” during the incident and was hit "for no reason."
The 232-pound Jets rookie added that he did not fight back and "just withstood the blows."
Lee thanked the Columbus Police Department for "sparing a young man's life tonight" before letting his followers know he was "home and safe."
Of course the tweets were promptly deleted before the sun rose. While no other details are known, this is Lee's second dust-up on Twitter in a month after he responded to criticism from a Chipotle worker by tweeting, “Don’t tell me to go work on my game when you still work at chipotle bruh."
The lesson, as always, is to never tweet.
WELL, THAT HAPPENED. How about that big game, folks? We all thought Atlanta would win, but it switched. Bad people won because life ain't a fairy tale.
The silver lining is the freezing #takes.
Mike Thomas let his pride of placing third in the NFC South get the best of him:
They keep it up the Patriots going to turn it in because this ain't the AFC it gets physical in the NFC not for the timid.
— Mike Thomas (@Cantguardmike) February 6, 2017
Former walk-on tight end Chase Hounshell went from bankrupt to drinks on him:
Shoulda stayed in college a 7th year so I wasn't allowed to bet on football games #smh
— Chase Hounshell (@chasehounshell) February 6, 2017
(No, haters, "Shoulda stayed in college a 7th year" won't be the name of my upcoming mixtape.)
The outcome caused Michael Jordan to drop a take with which I've agreed since the Patriots stole a victory from Cleveland in 2011:
I am convinced the NFL is rigged
— Michael Jordan (@BigMikeJ73) February 6, 2017
Jordan will want to delete that before he declares for the 2019 NFL Draft.
Parris Campbell knew what we all knew, unfortunately:
Tom got the ball first.. it's a wrap
— Parris Campbell (@PCampbell21) February 6, 2017
PUT IT ON MY TOMBSTONE. Thank you to Kenton Stufflebeam—the Ohio State designer who chose to stay in Columbus over joining Tom Herman in Texas—for bringing a Fat Pants comment to real life.
This is the greatest reward of my career:
"And won't stop billin' till he a [marionaire]." #Day115 #GoBucks @marion_ohio pic.twitter.com/1kGnCuLOam
— My Name is Kenton (@CoachHessler) February 5, 2017
My favorite part is the "CITY OF KINGS" graffiti scrawled over the highway exit sign.
Apparently not every 11W reader reads the Skull Session, though:
@11W ummm.... ok. Wtf?
— MDV (@marc_mdv) February 5, 2017
Long story, MDV. Very long story.
THOSE WMDs. World agrees to just take down the internet for awhile until they can figure out a good use for it... The naked and the TED... The centuries-long search for perfect hangover remedy... George R.R. Martin likely done reading sample chapters from The Winds of Winter... A hard look at New York Times editing in the digital era... Scientists find "oldest human ancestor."
