Skull Session: Matt Barnes Watches a Ton of Film, Terry McLaurin Impresses at Senior Bowl, and Nick Bosa More Polished Than Joey

By Kevin Harrish on January 23, 2019 at 4:59 am
It's the return of the Mack in today's Skull Session.
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I don't want to admit that Ohio State's about to lose its fifth-straight game, but I'm terrified of what the 7-foot-3 fellow is going to do to my favorite basketball given that there's one regular contributor taller than 6-foot-6.

Thank God small ball is the new trend, right?

ICYMI

Word of the Day: Sagacious.

 MATT BARNES – FILM GUY. Ryan Day's hiring of Maryland's Matt Barnes was one that came from mutual respect.

From Greg Swatek of the Frederick News Post:

“He was in charge of one of the most prolific offenses I have [seen],” Barnes said of Day, who spent last season as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “I thought we had a pretty good defense at Maryland, and they went up and down the field on us [during a 52-51 overtime win for the Buckeyes on Nov. 17 in College Park]. Just the way he managed their personnel, I have a lot of respect for him."

The feeling was mutual, as Day was impressed by the way Barnes had worked his way up from his first job in 2009 as the running backs coach at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to the highest level of college football.

Barnes' official title at Ohio State will be special teams coordinator and assistant secondary coach, but it sounds like he can do just about anything and everything, and is an absolute freak when it comes to film study, according to his old high school coach.

“Matt was an outstanding [running back/linebacker at Urbana] who always played with an unbelievable amount of intensity,” said Walkersville coach Joe Polce, who was in his first season as the Hawks’ defensive coordinator during Barnes’ senior season in 2003. “Everyone who ever knew him thought he would be a great coach one day.”

Polce is a teacher, and, during his planning periods at Urbana, Barnes would often join him and watch film.

“No player in my 24 years of coaching watched as much film as Matt,” Polce said. “During games, he would often call out the other team’s plays before the snap based on formation and tendency. He used to record college games on his VCR and study them. No question in my mind he will continue to move up the ranks of college football.”

Yes, Matt Barnes was in high school when Craig Krenzel quarterbacked the Buckeyes. I'm sorry for making you feel old on this fine Wednesday.

 TOUCHDOWN TERRY MCLAURIN. You ain't going to find a Buckeye fan that didn't believe Terry McLaurin could do something in the NFL, even if it's as a career special teamer.

But folks, Touchdown Terry is out there at the Senior Bowl proving his a hell of a lot more than that.

I love that last one, where Terry politely informs everybody that he had a touchdown on the go route.

I'm downright amazed at how good Terry and the rest of the receiving corps looked this year. I'm sure some of it had to do with the quarterback that's about to go in the front half of the first round, but there's another reason too:

Crazy how Ohio State just stumbled into the best receivers coach in America.

 BETTER THAN HIS BROTHER? Joey Bosa was the first non-quarterback selected in the NFL Draft, and three years later his little brother is set to be the same, ranked almost unanimously as the top prospect in the draft field.

It sure doesn't hurt that his brother came in and was immediately dominant, but Nick isn't just riding Joey's hype. Mostly because he's probably better coming out of college.

Either one is a cheat code. And Chase Young is next up.

 NEW GOAT IN CHICAGO. Folks, Michael Jordan just became the second-greatest Bull of all-time. Jon Diebler is heading to Chicago.

Realist me knows Diebler ain't going to play a minute in a Bulls uniform, but folks, I'm a dreamer.

Diebler is playing, starting and winning a championship. He's getting a damn statue.

At the very least, he's got a better chance of playing a game with the Bulls than Carmelo Anthony, and that's what keeps me going.

 STILL SALTY. Turns out, Miami fans are still salty that Ohio State bested the Hurricanes on the national stage the last time they were relevant.

First off, the call was correct.

But here's your regular reminder that if that the game never should have gone into overtime. Ohio State should have had a first down on this play primarily because Chris Gamble clearly made the catch, but also he was blatantly held.

My lawyers are putting together a counter-suit to force the NCAA to bring back all the players from that game and replay the last two minutes of that game – which would involve a 37-year-old insurance agent taking three knees.

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