Smile! Spring football is here.
football is back pic.twitter.com/Fcqmaq3VuS
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 8, 2022
Word of the Day: Ebullient.
YODA, JIM KNOWLES, MR. MIYAGI, ETC. We're all very aware that Ohio State hired Jim Knowles to fix the defense, and I'm sure you've all heard about how Oklahoma State's defense was one of the best in the country and how he's a "mad scientist" and a scheme genius and all that.
That's all cool and good and necessary! But truly, none of that is what has me sold on him. For me, it's the fact that before anything else, he's a wise, thoughtful, patient, deep, kind and considerate teacher who respects and loves his players.
Jim Knowles teaching strategy: Teach, motivate, demand.
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) March 8, 2022
Perhaps in the past, I jumped to demand too soon.
If the student hasnt learned, the teacher hasnt taught."
More from Knowles on his teaching philosphy: If the student hasnt learned it well enough, thats because I havent taught it well enough.
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) March 8, 2022
This generation wants reason, they want meaning and theres nothing wrong with that."
At the end of the day, his expertise and knowledge of the game is completely useless if he can't share it with his players. So if he's going to be a good coach, he has to be a good teacher first.
But more than that, I can already see why he was so beloved at Oklahoma State. And it has very little to do with the onfield results.
That said, I still want Ohio State's defense fixed and if he doesn't get that done, I'll have no problem showing up at his house to help him pack his shit. Thanks!
THE NEW JOHNNIE D? I have an absolutely absurd amount of respect for Johnnie Dixon, and I haven't been shy about letting that be known throughout the years.
That dude had every opportunity to walk away from football and nobody would have blamed him for a second after everything he went through. Throughout the first part of his career, he spent significantly more time rehabbing injuries than he did actually playing and practicing. He suffered setback after setback and even admitted to having doubts he'd ever see the field in a meaningful capacity.
But he didn't quit. He persevered, got healthy, worked his way into the starting lineup, was named a team captain and finished his Ohio State career with over 1,100 receiving yards and 16 touchdown catches.
Now, there's another Buckeye looking to take a similar path – and he's even rocking a familiar number this year.
https://t.co/vdzInFegQA pic.twitter.com/iJu9LmfJSR
— Johnnie L. Dixon III (@YoungKing_JD5) March 8, 2022
I obviously have no idea how this season is going to play out for Kamryn Babb, but I do know there's been at least one Buckeye receiver that's been counted out, forgotten and passed on the depth chart only to come back and prove a whole bunch of folks wrong.
Why not another one? (Or should I say... another No. 1? [I'm so sorry])
JUST LIKE FOOTBALL. Ohio State's athletic program as a whole is absolutely balling right now. Last I checked, the Buckeyes had 18 teams ranked in their respective polls and more than half of them were ranked in the top 10.
That includes the top-ranked women's hockey team, which is absolutely balling right now. They just claimed the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history and are looking to claim the team's first natty.
Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall has turned this program into an absolute powerhouse in just a few short years, and according to her, it's purely because of the Buckeye football program.
Elite women's hockey right in our backyard - How did we get so lucky?@OhioStateWHKY | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/DWpBS9xJY4
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 8, 2022
Here's the money quote:
“What I tell recruits is that there’s not another team in the country, let alone another team in the country in women’s hockey that will have the resources that we do, simply put, because of our football program. And the resources we have are endless and you’re going to be treated like an NHL player.”
I'm sure there's some natural urge for these athletes and teams to want to get out of the football team's shadow sometimes. I get that – they want their damn respect, too!
But at the end of the day, a football team like Ohio State pays the bills, gives you insane facilities and resources, and draws in a massive fanbase that will inherently care about you and your sport, too.
Don't fight it! Embrace it and win natties! And I'll post about it on this website to my multiple dozen readers!
FRIENDLY REMINDER. Ohio State is going to have two receivers drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, and neither of them were the Buckeyes' best receiver this season.
Ohio State: WRU pic.twitter.com/ACkMzzoYqO
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) March 7, 2022
The recent Buckeye passing game is helping me find peace about the 2015 offense that somehow underutilized Michael Thomas to the point that he was just third-team All-Big Ten.
I'm told healing takes time, but some wounds never fully go away.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Turn My Swag On" by Soulja Boy.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. The government seizes a $53,000 Charizard Pokemon card... Half of Americans were exposed to IQ-lowering lead growing up... Old IKEA furniture is getting flipped for hundreds, even thousands of dollars... Giant venomous spiders have infiltrated the southeastern United States and are expected to spread rapidly... The woman who builds the world’s most unique Airbnbs...
