BUCKEYES TO BROWNS
Mike Hall Jr. is selected 54th overall in the second round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.
Just a couple of days into retirement and all seems to be going well in the Meyer household. Shelley's making Seinfeld references and Urban is responding to kid's handwritten letters on Twitter.
Its ok. Well make it thru day one...he is actually in the office working on the Penske File. Eating crackers out of his briefcase. #SeinfeldReference https://t.co/ywLIuLKmLG
— Shelley eyer (@spinnershells) January 3, 2019
They are stickers and each one means the player did something really good to help the Buckeyes win! Thanks for being a fan, Hannah!! Go Bucks! https://t.co/m9k853afqU
— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) January 3, 2019
I'm absolutely here for the chill Meyer era.
ICYMI
- Jordan Fuller announces he will return for his senior season.
- Ryan Day's first month is crucial to setting up Ohio State for success.
- Previewing the 2019 high school All-American games.
- Nate Ebner receives Ed Block Courage Award.
- Inside the Box: Washington.
Word of the Day: Darkle.
LATE FIRST ROUND? We've got another Dwayne Haskins draft projection and this one is a little interesting.
From ESPN.com:
So long, Herbert. Hello, Haskins? In any other year, Haskins might have been a lock to win the Heisman Trophy. Instead, he finished third behind two of the greatest QB seasons of all time. He threw 50 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions while leading the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title and win in the Rose Bowl. Besides Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, Haskins is the biggest draft riser in the Class of 2019. He has an effortless throwing motion and he was clutch in Ohio State's season-defining wins over Michigan and Northwestern. Check out this beautiful bomb in the conference title game. Like Herbert, Haskins could return to school for another year (or two).
The biggest question about him? Sample size. Those 14 starts are far fewer than NFL teams would like to see before they invest in a first-round quarterback. There is a recent precedent, however, as Mitchell Trubisky started just 13 games at North Carolina before the Bears took him No. 2 overall in 2017. Haskins, by the way, received a first-round grade from the NFL's college personnel advisory board, according to a report by ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
So that all sounds pretty normal, and what we've heard about Haskins from pretty much everyone up to this point.
But then things get a little... Different.
"I like Haskins. He reminds me of Teddy Bridgewater as a prospect, when he was a first-round pick [No. 32 overall in 2014]. You might be able to get Haskins later in the first round. I think he is a little more known than some of the others in terms of projecting what he will be." -- NFL evaluator, as told to ESPN's Mike Sando
I'm sorry, later in the first round?
I get that you might not love Haskins and not think he's worth a high first-round pick, but honestly believing you might be able to get him later in the first round is essentially admitting you have no idea what's going on.
He's the top quarterback in the class, and it's not going to take 15 selections to run into a team that needs a quarterback.
WHY HARRY MILLER STUCK. When Urban Meyer retired, it threw a bunch of Ohio State commitments into question.
One big one was Harry Miller, and it wasn't just because he was five-star, top-30 player. Miller and his whole family were publicly very close with Meyer, and Miller's mother – a domestic abuse survivor – spoke out in support of Meyer during his suspension.
But Miller ultimately decided to stick with Ohio State, and with his recent comments, it seems like the Buckeyes were never really in danger of losing him.
From Marc Givler of Buckeye Grove:
Miller committed to Ohio State back in the spring. It was a commitment that came earlier than he expected it would. It was then tested with major distractions in the program during the summer from the Zach Smith saga and was then further tested when Urban Meyer announced his retirement in early December.
Miller of course took a close look at things and considered what options he might have, but never seemed to truly waver from his commitment to Ohio State.
"I just trusted the process," Miller explained. "Ohio State was a big step of faith for me and I don't expect people to understand it. I had to deal with talking to my family about it and dealing with everyone at school and everything, but I was uniquely calm about it."
...
"How could I be the leader of a class if I was to be scared and run away?" he stated. "I wanted to weather the storm. Of course if things change, you have to think clearly about it and make a decision, but I don't like to take my word lightly. I want to be one-hundred percent serious about every decision I make. If you find yourself just sailing with the wind, you're going to be changing (directions) a lot."
That there sounds like a future captain.
NO WALKING IN WALKTHROUGHS. I honestly do not believe Michael Thomas has an off switch. He's always on, and is always going 100 percent. Even in walkthroughs.
From Nick Underhill of TheAdvocate.com:
Michael Thomas must understand the concept of a walkthrough.
The purpose of the exercise is right in the word. A walkthrough exists for players to walk through a set of plays. It is supposed to be lowkey and nondescript, but it often isn’t when Thomas is on the field. He attacks every play the same way he would on a Sunday afternoon against the Carolina Panthers.
“He’s out there running full-speed routes,” cornerback Marshon Lattimore said.
No, seriously. Full speed. Drew Brees says that every moment for Thomas is a “Super Bowl rep,” and that he has to remind him to “tone it down.” Tight end Ben Watson points to it as one of the things he admires about the wide receiver.
But does that level of intensity ever get difficult to deal with if you’re on the wrong side of it?
“I be telling him he’s doing the most,” Lattimore said. “That’s what he does, but it’s been working for him. He’s one of the best receivers in the league.”
I'll never forget the student appreciation day practice following the 2015 season when Michael Thomas was in jeans trash talking the cornerbacks. He's intense and competitive even when he has zero expectation that he's going to be competing.
TATE WANTS MICHAEL JORDAN BACK. Looks Tate Martell is making a push to keep noted quarterback protector Michael Jordan on the roster for one more season.
Hey @BigMikeJ73,
— TATE MARTELL (@TheTateMartell) January 3, 2019
One more year... PLEASE :)
Thanks,
Tate
Jordan was a first-team All-American center and he's better at guard, where he'd play next season. I'll take him back with open arms if that's what his heart desires.
NO FILM ROOM? I've been the opposite of stoked to watch Clemson and Alabama play for the national title again, and now ESPN is taking away the one version of the simulcast I was actually excited to watch.
Joe Tessitore, Booger McFarland, Jason Witten and Todd McShay will call Mondays Alabama-Clemson CFP Championship on ESPNews. The MNF Film Room will replace the Coaches Film Room this year. ($) https://t.co/0tmWpQe209 ($)
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) January 3, 2019
I'm always amazed with how some companies totally fail to understand their consumers.
ESPN: "Hey, a lot of people watch Monday Night Football! It's probably because of the commentators and definitely not because it's the lone game of the most-watched sport in the country. Everyone will want to watch those commentators."
For once, ESPN had an awesome, niche, differentiated product, and they tossed it away in favor of another, worse version of their other products.
Great work!
LINK LOCKER. China could become the first nation to have its own moon base... Denver Broncos imposter arrested for defrauding woman of money... Baby born with twin inside her stomach has sibling surgically removed... The mystery of dead man found with only a travel card...
