Former Ohio State defensive back Malcolm Jenkins continues to work towards social change
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The safety recently went on a ride-along with the Philadelphia Police Department.


After a summer filled with racial inequality and police brutality, a number of NFL players protested during the national anthem to further the conversation and help to try and bring change. Colin Kaepernick started the protests during the preseason by kneeling during the national anthem. Other players began to follow and support what Kaepernick was doing, not just in the NFL, but in other sports around the country.

Before a Monday Night Football game in September, former Ohio State defensive back Malcolm Jenkins and two of his teammates raised their fists during the national anthem. Recently Jenkins continued to gain even more knowledge on the issues by going on a ride-along with the Philadelphia Police Department. Not only did Jenkins have a one-on-one conversation with Philadelphia Police commissioner Richard Ross Jr., but he also met with some community leaders to hear some of their concerns, and what they are trying to do to improve conditions not only in their neighborhood, but with the relationships between the police and the public. As Jenkins noted, it is possible to be both pro-police and pro-justice at the same time, and with the work he is doing, it will only help relations improve in Philadelphia.

“It’s a nice feeling for Ohio State fans to have the starting running back returning for 2017. Mike Weber was just the third Buckeye freshman back to rush for over 1,000 yards -- Maurice Clarett and Robert Smith were the other two — with 1,096. He also tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns (9) and was second in carries (182).”

Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts


Even though Mike Weber impressed starting at running back as a redshirt freshman, there are still a number of questions in the backfield for the Buckeyes. The biggest question that will need to be answered early is who will step up to replace Curtis Samuel? After rushing for 270 yards and three touchdowns in light duty in 2016, Demario McCall seems to be the favorite to take on the workload that Samuel took on. With his ability to not only carry the football, but also make catches out of the backfield, McCall should be able to make plays early and often for Ohio State in 2017.

Weber and J.T. Barrett will likely see the bulk of the carries in the running game this year, but Ohio State has a couple of young, talented runners behind Weber. Early-enrollee J.K. Dobbins comes into Columbus with a lot of hype, but it still remains to be seen how effective he will be blocking early on, something that is a requirement if any Ohio State running backs want to see the field on a consistent basis. Antonio Williams returns for his second year at Ohio State in 2017, after seeing his freshman season cut short by a shoulder injury he suffered against Northwestern. Williams has a leg-up as this will be his second year in the system, and he’ll also likely get a bulk of the carries in spring practice as Urban Meyer will try and limit Weber’s carries to keep him fresh for the regular season. Even though Ohio State still has some running back questions, they have plenty of talent that is capable of answering those questions when the regular season begins.

“Every point matters right now, every single game. We can’t afford to give up any points. The race is so tight right now.”

Ohio State sophomore winger Mason Jobst via Todd Jones, The Columbus Dispatch


While the bubble has already burst for Ohio State’s men’s basketball team, the same can’t be said for Ohio State’s men’s ice hockey squad. The Buckeyes have won four of their last five games, but still sit in third place in the Big Ten. With six games remaining in the regular season, Ohio State will not only have to finish strong, but also will need some help if they want to earn a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Currently Ohio State has 23 points, trailing only Minnesota, who has 33 points, and Wisconsin, who has 30 points, in the Big Ten standings. The winner of the Big Ten Tournament will earn one of six automatic bids in the NCAA Tournament, with another 10 at-large bids also being awarded.

Ohio State will try to close the gap on the Golden Gophers and Badgers this weekend, when they host Michigan on Friday night and Saturday afternoon at Value City Arena. Even if Ohio State isn’t able to win the Big Ten Tournament next month in Detroit, they still are being considered for one of the at-large bids, but they can’t afford any slip-ups as they move towards the end of the regular season. The Buckeyes will hope their power play will continue to produce, as Ohio State leads the NCAA with a 29.6 power-play percentage. After hosting Michigan this weekend, the Buckeyes will host Michigan State next weekend, before traveling to Wisconsin to close out the regular season in two weeks.

“We’re heading out to Arizona for the first time — site of Spring Training, we’re going out and playing in a Spring Training facility. Excited for that to take our guys to a Major League complex. To play teams for the Pac-12, that west-coast style baseball. I think it’s important for us to see different styles and have to be prepared to compete against a different style of baseball.”

Ohio State baseball coach Greg Beals via Edward Sutelan, The Lantern


After opening up the regular season last weekend by winning two of their first four games, Ohio State’s men’s baseball team heads to Arizona for a couple games against Pac-12 powers. The Buckeyes will travel to Arizona for the first time in 20 years, squaring with reigning Pac-12 champs Utah on Thursday and Saturday, and fifth-ranked Oregon State on Friday and Sunday.

After winning the College World Series in 2006 and 2007, Oregon State will be looking to make their first appearance in the College World Series since 2013. The Beavers look like they will rely on pitching and defense this year as they try to make their way back to Omaha. The Buckeyes will try to counter Oregon State with some more power shots from Zach Ratcliff, who hit two home runs in a game last weekend against Delaware. Ohio State will have a tough task in trying to top Oregon State, but they might have a better shot against Utah. Despite winning the Pac-12 last year, the Utes finished the season with a losing record. Utah was able to take two of three games in their season-opening series against Cal State-Bakersfield.

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Dienhart: Key Big Ten men’s basketball injuries having an impact
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

Every team deals with injuries sooner or later, and this Big Ten men's basketball season is no different. Tom Dienhart lists the most significant injuries in the conference this year.

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Ohio State baseball heads to the desert for the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge
Ben Martens via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes will get an early season taste of elite competition in Arizona.

It may only be the second weekend of the season, but the Ohio State baseball team is already facing a monumental challenge, as it travels to Arizona to take part in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge. The Buckeyes will play four games against two teams, including one of the top teams in the nation, which should give head coach Greg Beals a good idea of how much work the club has ahead of it if it hopes to contend for a second straight trip to the NCAA tournament.

In four games at the Sunshine State Classic to open the season, we saw the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly from Ohio State. The Buckeyes went 2-2 in Florida, and their performance showed the kinds of inconsistencies expected from a team with so much inexperience.

“We need to work on our quality at-bats and be more prepared defensively,” Beals said. “We need to get better at the little things and we will.”

Ohio State opened the weekend looking good offensively, scoring 21 runs in the first two games down south. But the Buckeyes mustered just four in the final two outings, collecting only 13 hits while striking out 13 times and leaving 16 runners on base.

Seniors Zach Ratcliff and Jalen Washington stood out at the plate, as one would hope they would. Ratcliff was a monster, going 7-for-16 with a pair of home runs, five runs scored and six runs batted in, while Washington had an 5-for-13 weekend of his own, doubling twice and driving in a pair.

The starting pitching was also inconsistent. Quality starts by Adam Niemeyer and Jake Post bookended the weekend, but Yianni Pavlopoulos and Ryan Feltner got knocked around a bit. In all, Ohio State’s starters logged 20 innings in the four games, yielding 13 runs, 10 earned, on 21 hits, striking out just five and walking five.

The bullpen also had its struggles, giving up 10 runs, eight of which were earned, in 15 innings of duty, with Seth Kinker, Austin Woodby, and Reece Calvert all giving up multiple runs. The bright spot for the pen was Kyle Michalik, who tossed 1.1 scoreless innings, and freshmen Andrew Magno and Gavin Lyon, each of whom had scoreless debuts.

Adding to the difficulties was sloppy defense. Ohio State committed eight errors, and had just one clean game. Brady Cherry was charged with three of those, and Washington and Bo Coolen had two apiece. Buckeye hurlers also uncorked four wild pitches and hit four batters, something that will need to be addressed.

The opening weekend unfolded in much the way one would expect for a team with 17 newcomers, but Beals knows the squad has to grow up in a hurry with a steep jump in competition coming in Arizona.

“I said all along that we would have some bumps and take a few lumps early on, and I feel like that’s what’s happening,” Beals told Press Pros Magazine. “I still feel confident in the big things: scoring runs, we’re gonna pitch. We just have to shore up all the little things that lead to winning ball games.”

In the desert, the Buckeyes will face a pair of clubs from the elite Pac-12 conference, and miscues will be magnified. If the scarlet and gray are to pull any upsets, they’ll need to play near-flawlessly, executing the gameplan with precision on the mound, in the field, and in the batter’s box.

Let’s take a look at what to expect in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge.

Utah Utes (2-1)


A season ago, Utah won its first Pac-12 championship and made a trip to an NCAA regional despite the fact it had an overall record under .500. The Utes won two out of three in this year’s opening series against Cal State Bakersfield, a performance that head coach Bill Kinneberg called “a typical opening weekend” with “a little rust in some areas.”

The outfield triumvirate of DaShawn Keirsey, Jr., Josh Rose, and Chandler Anderson are expected to carry much of the load offensively. Keirsey was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2016, and is considered the top athlete and defensive outfielder in the Pac-12. Third baseman Dallas Carroll had a big opening series, going 8-for-12 with three doubles, five runs scored, and three RBIs.

Ohio State will see two good young arms on the bump for Utah in freshman Jacon Rebar and sophomore Riley Ottesen. Rebar struck out nine batters in four innings in his collegiate debut against Bakersfield, while Ottesen, who is draft eligible this year, can touch the mid to upper 90s with his fastball, though he was roughed up to the tune of five runs in five innings in his first start of the season.

No. 5 Oregon State Beavers (4-0)


Oregon State entered the season as the team to beat in the Pac-12 according to Baseball America, and showed no signs opening weekend to doubt it. The Beavers took two games apiece from Indiana and Duke at the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic, outscoring the two 22-6. Head coach Pat Casey, in his 23rd season at the helm, has Oregon State primed to make a return to the NCAA tournament after missing out in 2016, with a solid lineup and a deep, talented pitching staff.

The standouts offensively for the Beavers are sophomore Nick Madrigal and junior K.J. Harrison. Madrigal, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and consensus Freshman All-American a season ago, is already off to a hot start. He went 6-for-15 opening weekend, with a double, a home run, three runs scored, and four runs batted in. Harrison, the team’s leader in doubles, homers, and RBIs in 2016, blasted two longballs and drove in five against the Hoosiers and Blue Devils.

On the mound, Oregon State held Indiana and Duke to a combined .177/.260/.254 slash line, yielding just three earned runs in the four games and posting a better than 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Who the Beavers hand the ball to against the Buckeyes is still to be announced as of this writing, but junior lefty Luke Heimlich, who was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week for his performance in the opener, and sophomore right-hander Bryce Fehmel are tough at the top of the rotation. Righties Jake Thompson and Sam Tweedt are highly capable arms as well.

Game times and probable pitching matchups


Thursday, February 23rd, 7:00 p.m. ET vs. Utah

Niemeyer (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Rebar (1-0, 0.00)

Friday, February 24th, 3:00 p.m. ET vs. Oregon State

Pavlopoulos (0-0, 23.14) vs. TBA

Saturday, February 25th, 9:30 p.m. ET vs. Utah

Feltner (0-1, 3.18) vs. Ottesen (0-0, 9.00)

Sunday, February 26th, 11:00 a.m. ET vs. Oregon State

Post (0-0, 3.00) vs. TBA

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Pierre Dorion Speaks: Trade Deadline, Nick Paul’s Development, Expansion
T6S via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



After his depleted Senators held off the Devils on Tuesday night in a much-needed win, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion not only held court with the local media, but he also appeared on TSN 1200’s ‘In the Box’ where he covered a number of similar topics.

From updating the health status of key players like Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman to describing how much flexibility he has in regards to what he can do on March 1st’s trade deadline, there’s some meaty substance to the interview.

If you want to watch yesterday morning’s media scrum, you can follow this link. To listen to the full audio of his TSN 1200 interview, you can scroll to the bottom of this post for the embedded media player.

As always, my thoughts are in bold.

On an update on Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman’s health…

“Yeah, on both guys, we’ll see how the next few days’ treatments go. It would be a bonus if either one of them played on Friday here in Carolina. If they do, we’ll be happy, but I think we’re looking more at either Sunday or Monday for both guys.”

Fucking sports.

One minute we’re coming off the high of watching the Senators rally in the third period of their Saturday night nationally televised broadcast and bury the provincial rival Maple Leafs, the next we’re reeling after watching Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone and (to an exponentially lesser extent) Tommy Wingels leave last Sunday’s game versus the Jets with injuries.

I wanted to write a separate blog post detailing the injuries, shitting on the NHL’s handling of Jacob Trouba’s suspension and how the Senators may elect to address Stone and Hoffman’s absences, but I didn’t have time earlier in the week to get something out on the interwebs, so I’ll post my thoughts on these matters throughout this post instead.

As great that Hoffman and Stone reportedly won’t be out for long, Dorion also guaranteed a MacArthur return this season too. Obviously things are a bit different now considering neither player is suffering from a concussion, but hopefully neither player tries to fast-track their respective return and suffers a relapse.

On what the plan is for the trade deadline now…

“Well, I just met with a bunch of the media members here and I talked about it. I think we’re not going to do anything as far as goaltending. I think our defence is pretty solid. I had a chance to see Binghamton play on… it would have been Monday at the Air Canada Centre and I was very impressed with the play of Ben Harpur and Andreas Englund. So we know that those two guys can play games and minutes for us in case we run into injuries. I think I mentioned that I think our coaches are safe. They’ve done a tremendous job, so we’re looking. If we could add depth at the forward position, whether it’s top-12 or top-nine, it’d be the ideal situation, but it might be a tougher thing to do than to say.”

Guy Boucher’s structure and system is getting a ton of credit for turning the Senators’ fortunes around, but the biggest concern regarding the Senators’ modest success to this point in the season is how much management will overrate or regard the players on the roster because of their results-based team success. Their on-ice success could breed complacency in regards to the handling of their blue line personnel

Beyond Erik Karlsson, the blue line has been a weakness for years and the Senators’ underlying numbers leave something to be desired.

Cody Ceci, despite the increased workload, has been awful. His offensive numbers are down and his defensive metrics and WOWY’s continue to underwhelm.

Despite the power play success that Dion Phaneuf has enjoyed this season (which the excellent Matt Cane explains in a tweet here), his five-on-five play leaves something to be desired and with four more seasons beyond this one, diminished returns on his contract are present now and should be expected moving forward.

There needs to come a point when management has to ask itself whether it can expect gains in the future when it continues to dole out significant minutes to an underperforming second pairing. Hopefully Thomas Chabot will be part of the solution here, but it may be years before he asserts himself or transitions from a prospect to the kind of productive player that this team essentially needs now.

Although Mark Borowiecki and Chris Wideman have actually played quite well together this season, given Borowiecki’s career history and this pairing’s performance as being more of a reflection on the kind of season that Wideman has had, can the organization continue to bank on this duo either?

I would love to see Wideman continue his career as a Senator, but with the impending expansion draft, Wideman’s rumoured to be a player of interest to Vegas and it makes sense. He is cheap, he can move the puck efficiently, he can log power play ice time and he has exhibited a tendency to make his teammates better.

If not Wideman, the lack of desirable forwards up front could necessitate a defenceman like Marc Methot being snatched up instead. As a veteran defenceman who logs regular minutes on the top pairing alongside Erik Karlsson, maybe he’s a possibility for Vegas as well.

Regardless, the Senators are probably anticipating that they will a defenceman via expansion and by locking up Fredrik Claesson to a one-year, one-way contract, I believe it speaks to that point. (As an aside, per the expansion draft’s rules, the Senators are required to expose at least one defenceman who is a) under contract in 2017-18 and b) played in 40 or more NHL games the prior season OR played in 70 or more NHL games in the prior two seasons.

It has been suggested that Claesson could he would qualify as an exposure candidate, but with 35 career games under his belt and the fact that the Senators only have 34 regular season games left on the schedule, he’ll fall short of the games played thresholds listed above.

On what the trade conversations are like now as the team gets closer to the deadline…

“Well, the conversations are very along the same lines as what they were previously. So many teams feel that they’re still in it, so so many are looking to buy. So at the same time when talking to some of my counterparts, there’s not a lot of players – whether it’s rentals or even a hockey deal – everyone wants a lot for their assets. At this point in time, you want to help your team because our players have bought in, our players are playing well, we’re showing that we’re on the right path to making the playoffs this year, so you do want to try and help the team. But at the same time, you can’t sacrifice or mortgage the whole future just to make sure that you have a player for two months or maybe it’s a year and two months.”

Considering that Carolina’s Ron Hainsey was moved today for a prospect and a second round pick, the prices for rentals has been set high. And if this is the bar that Pierre Dorion has to negotiate by, I’d prefer the Senators forego the rental market and if they really want to add, they look at moving prospects or draft picks to acquire players who have term left on their deals instead.

On how impressed he is with the buy-in on what Guy Boucher has sold the team…

“Well, I’m impressed with what Guy has done, for sure. Where I’m most impressed is where the players have bought in. They’ve bought into committing to playing in our own end, committing to blocking shots, committing to doing the little things right, but it’s also the way that the message is transmitted to them. I think our coaching staff has done a tremendous job relaying the message to our players that this is the way that you need to play to be a successful team and team to get into the playoffs.”

The Senators have helped cut down on the volume of shots per game that they’ve given up, but at even strength, the Senators are still on the wrong side of the possession game, shots on goal, goals, expected goals and scoring chances.

It’s the team’s penalty kill that has really improved from last season and helps speak to the points that Dorion is making above.

According to HockeyAnalysis.com’s numbers, the Senators have not only cut down the volume of goals, shots against and Corsi attempts that they have given up, but they are also getting more saves. Less pucks are getting through and when they do, the Senators are getting more saves.

GA60 SA60 CA60 SV%
2015-16 9.22 59.2 102.5 .844
2016-17 5.80 47.4 100.7 .878



In tandem, it’s a beautiful thing that helps the Senators overcome their below average five-on-five performance.

On the suggestion that the Senators could add to their lineup internally and inexpensively by signing Colin White…

“We definitely would like to add Colin White. Now whether it’s this year or next year, we’ll just wait and see the course that this player is going to take. We’d like to sign Colin at the end of the year. We’ve made it publicly clear that those are our intentions, but at the same time, the NHL is a tough league. It’s not easy for a 19 or 20-year old to jump in the lineup, especially when the games are at their hardest and the playoff push is on. I think everyone knows that at the first part of the year, the games are hard. Then once Christmas hits, the games hit another notch and once the trade deadline hits, the game hits another notch. So we’ve got to be just a bit cautious with our approach with Colin. We’ll see how he feels at the end of the year. We’ll see where we are. We know he’s going to be a very good Ottawa Senator for many years to come, but I just want to temper expectations just a bit here and let’s give credit to the players we have in our lineup right now and let them lead the way. And if we can add someone, we’ll add someone, but if (Colin White arrives) next year, it’ll be next year.”

It’s not hard to look at the bottom of the Senators’ roster and look at the contributions that the Senators are getting from their bottom-six guys and not believe that a blue-chipper like White can’t come in and outperform some of the guys who are already here.

Granted, I haven’t seen enough of White to say that definitely, but if what’s written about his hockey IQ and skating ability is true, it’s hard not to imagine that he can bring more to the table than an underperforming Curtis Lazar or an aging Chris Neil.

I totally understand why Dorion wants to play down the expectations placed upon a player like White given that the organization has been accused of rushing its best prospects in the past, especially when White’s expected to be a big part of the future, the Senators really need him to pan out if they want to transition from a bubble team to a Stanley Cup contender. But with that being said, this whole it’s hard to bring White in now as games getting more difficult is a narrative more than anything. If the dollars or trade costs are out of whack and management believes White can outperform guys are here, they have to bring him into the fold as a cheap, internal solution.

On his meeting with Curtis Lazar’s agent JP Barry and how that meeting went…

“Teams have phoned about him, but we’re going to be careful with how we handle Curtis. It was a very productive meeting. It was about minutes played and from day one, we’ve said that the coach will decide how many minutes he’ll play. It’s up to him. It’s his job and it’s a very difficult here. He will decide who plays and how many minutes. Now Curtis started the year a bit behind the eight-ball with the mono and going down to Binghamton and maybe not being part of our squad from day one. But what’s very encouraging is I think last night was his best game of the year. I think that line of (Tommy) Wingels, (Chris) Kelly and (Curtis) Lazar was a line that played effective minutes and helped us win in a very detail-oriented game that we needed to win. I think it’s just a step in the right direction with Curtis and we’re not just going to give him away. If we feel it’s an offer that can help us in the short, medium or long-term, we’ll do it, but at the same time, we have to do what’s best for the Ottawa Senators.”

I can understand the Senators not wanting to give Lazar away because of his pedigree, the years that the organization has already invested in him, the possibility that he could thrive elsewhere or the fact that his stagnant development doesn’t really jive with the organization’s boasts about their player development system.

Dorion to his credit however, has not shied away from the possibility of moving Lazar, but he has consistently reiterated that the forward will not be moved unless he’s getting a valuable asset back.

Knowing that the team can’t afford to protect Lazar at the expense of another one of the team’s more talented alternatives for the expansion draft, Dorion’s faced with a situation wherein the Senators have to get something for Lazar soon or risk losing him for nothing at the draft.

It makes sense for the organization to listen to offers on Lazar and set the bar high. Even if it’s outlandish to believe that another organization would meet Dorion’s asking price, at least he’s letting it be known publicly that he’s willing to listen to offers on the young forward and hopefully spur interest in his player.

On whether there have been more conversations with Tom Pyatt or Mike Condon’s representatives to get them signed to contract extensions…

“I think when it comes to negotiations with those guys, right now we’ve got the trade deadline going on to March 1st and I think we’ll approach those two guys after March 1st. They’ve both been good parts of our hockey team, but they’re not parts that… they’re both parts that can be replaced. So we’re going to do what we think is fair and right for both of those players. We’d like to keep them, but at the end of the day, I think we’ve got enough depth in our organization that they can be replaced, but first and foremost, we will try to make them contract offers and try to sign them.”

Can’t emphasize enough how much I love this answer. This organization’s pattern of behaviour when it comes to player moves is to retain as many known commodities as it can, but Dorion’s right, there’s no onus on the organization to reward these players with more money or contract years when both players can be easily replaced in free agency.

Each offseason, quality depth players last until September because teams don’t have room or money on their rosters to add, and this could be an instance where the Senators can take advantage of the market to improve their depth.

On Andrew Hammond suffering another injury in Binghamton and whether he can update his status…

“No. Sorry, I just found this out late, late, late last night/early this morning. I’ve been in conversations, so I hope to know more by game-time Friday. It could be serious. It could not be serious. I just simply don’t know right now.”

The nightmare of a season continues for Andrew Hammond.

On explaining the process of what happens in communication with the organization and the Department of Player Safety regarding player injuries and the disappointment in their handling of the Mark Stone injury…

“Yeah, on that one, I think it’s over and done with. I think I said it last night on TV, I think Stephane Quintal has the hardest job in the NHL and we communicated with him that at that point in time Mark (Stone) did not have a concussion. But with concussions, you never know. Symptoms could arrive today with a concussion. Mark only had a neck sprain at that point in time and that’s what he has. He definitely has an injury and maybe it was lost in translation as far as what happened, but the league made its ruling. We respect it, we accept it and we’ve moved on. We’re all happy that Mark didn’t suffer a concussion and we hope that he can be back maybe Friday, but more realistically, Sunday or Monday.”

It doesn’t matter if he had a concussion or not. He missed the final 13-minutes of the third period in a closely contested game that the Senators had an opportunity to win and eventually miss Tuesday night’s game against the Devils because of a neck strain.

For the DoPS to reach a decision that cited the absence of injury to Stone as a factor in the two-game suspension to Jacob Trouba is a farce. Moreover, the league should seriously reconsider video replay for illegal hits to the head to ensure that it gets calls on the ice right. Trouba should have received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for his actions.

On mentioning earlier that he watched the recent Binghamton game and whether any forwards like Nick Paul stood out…

“(Nick Paul) was average. Nick has to be better. I told Randy (Lee), ‘You talk to him.’ I talked to his agent and Randy talked to the kid and his agent after the game. Nick Paul has to be better. If Nick Paul wants to be an NHL player, he has to be way better than how he’s played this year. He’s probably my biggest disappointment as far as the guys in Binghamton.”

Obviously the intent here is to motivate a prospect, especially one who played a lot of games here last season, to perform better. Yet, when we’re talking about motivating a prospect who safely projects as a bottom-six forward, it’s kind of weird for an organization to resort to disparaging this kind of prospect, but here we are.

In fairness to Paul, Binghamton’s been a terrible minor league franchise for the past few seasons and it’s not like there’s a ton of talent to work with down there.

I mean, sure, Paul is probably viewed by the Senators as a pivotal piece of the shittacular Jason Spezza return, but it’s not like management or ownership have ever exhibited willingness to accept any culpability for this teams’ shortcomings either. At what point do you blame management or this team’s scouts for helping sign off on deal that was terrible at the time it was made?

On whether certain players may perform better at a higher level or in a different environment and how the organization has to balance that with players earning their promotions…

“Yeah, without a doubt. I think when you call up guys, it’s on merit. In talking with Kurt (Kleinendorst) and Randy (Lee) does a lot of talking with Kurt, when we call up players, it’s on merit: whoever has been the best guy; whoever has worked the hardest; whoever has contributed to the team helping them the most win. The other night, a guy like Francis Perron was very good. Phil Varone and Mike Blunden, that line was the line – it was three games in three nights – and those three guys, you could have never told (they were tired) because they worked hard, they made things happen and they were good. So it’s putting your time in, it’s making sure that you realize what it is to be a pro and getting yourself the most ready to be in the NHL. Nick Paul will be an NHL player. When I talk about Nick, you guys know that I’m brutally honest. Nick Paul will be an NHL player one day, but at this point in time, he’s got to be more productive and he’s got to do more.”

If Nick Paul can fetch you an asset that can help you improve your team now, he’s the kind of player the Senators have the flexibility to move.

On approaching the trade deadline and whether he has the green light from ownership to make a splash…

“I can’t speak for Mr. Melnyk, but Mr. Melnyk from day one has said, ‘Do what you have to do to get this team into the playoffs,’ and that is the mandate of the Ottawa Senators this year. So moving forward, we’re going to do whatever it takes to get this team into the playoffs, but at the same time as a GM, you’re tempted to do things right away. But at the same time, it’d be mortgaging the future and we’re not going to do things like that. If we can add pieces, we’ll definitely look to add pieces to improve our team, but I feel comfortable with the team that we have now. When we’re healthy, (I think) that we’re a playoff team. If you would have asked me, ‘If you’re going to go into a game and you don’t have your top-four wingers in (Clarke) MacArthur, (Mike) Hoffman, (Mark) Stone and (Bobby) Ryan,’ I would have said, ‘I don’t like our chances.’ But, it shows the resiliency of this hockey team and the players on this hockey team. They will battle through anything and everything to try and get us the two points every night. It says a lot about the character of this team and the way the coaches have handled everyone. We’re not going to set expectations unfairly here, but I think for us, the first step is to try and get us into the playoffs and then we’ll see, if we can get into the playoffs, what we can do from there.”

I feel like “Do what you have to do to get this team into the playoffs,” has been the mandate of the Senators since the team unexpectedly made the playoffs during the lockout shortened 2012-13 season. Since that time, the Senators have made a series of trades designed to improve their short-term interests, but it hasn’t worked out.

In regards to the last Devils game, you couldn’t have asked for a better matchup for Ottawa following the loss of Hoffman and Stone. Not only do the Devils average the fewest number of shots on goal (27.4 shots per game), they average the second fewest goals per game (2.27).

So even though the Senators only generated 35-percent of the shot attempts and played not to lose (25.93 CF%) in the third period, they escaped with a win in a close game that they easily could have been on the wrong side of.

On how much the expansion draft has affected trades throughout the leagues this year and how much their expansion draft mocks change…

“The mocks have varied because in one of the mocks, I was trying to get to the cap to see if Vegas would spend where the cap would be about this year and where it will be next year. I don’t have really any clear indication on that, but I was just trying to get to a certain floor. When it comes to trades, Vegas has to take a certain number of forwards, a certain number of defencemen and a certain number of goalies, so that’s the part that people don’t forget. You think about what you’re going to lose, but Vegas has to build a team. George McPhee is one of the smartest GMs in the league, so he’s going to try and build a team in the direction that he wants to go into. So trades come into play because there’s always protection issues in every trade that you make. If you’re trading depth, you’re trading guys that you could protect or not protect, so I think the trade deadline and trades this year have played a big part and some signings have played a big part into what’s going to happen (for expansion).”

Loosely translated: “Basically, I was trying to come up with a plausible scenario that sees Vegas take Bobby Ryan in the expansion draft.”

http://proxy.autopod.ca/download/podcasts/chum/179/50929/pierre dorion.mp3



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Spring Football Preview: Running Back - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Spring Football Preview: Running Back
247Sports
7 running back, coming out of high school, the Buckeyes like what they have in Williams but are yet to see if he can live up to expectations at the the collegiate level. Early enrollee J.K. Dobbins is another interesting possibility at running back ...
Skull Session: The Running Back Question, New England Patriots Interested in Curtis Samuel, and Mississippi Catches ...Eleven Warriors

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Preview: Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio State Buckeyes - Badger of Honor
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Preview: Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio State Buckeyes
Badger of Honor
A half game out of first place, the Wisconsin Badgers (22-5, 11-3) will visit Columbus on Thursday to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (15-13, 5-10). Wisconsin will be looking to re-tie the Purdue Boilermakers again for first. The Boilermakers are ...
What To Watch: Fading Buckeyes host No. 16 Wisconsin247Sports
College Basketball Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio State Buckeyes Start Time, Betting Odds, Free PickPregame.com
Basketball Preview: No. 16 Wisconsin at Ohio StateEleven Warriors
Land-Grant Holy Land -cleveland.com -Landof10.com
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BH: Larry's big challenge | Ominous overtones abound - 247Sports
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BH: Larry's big challenge | Ominous overtones abound
247Sports
Combining Davis and his NFL background with being around an Ohio State staff of excellent and experienced recruiters, we are hearing Davis is doing just fine on the recruiting front for the Buckeyes. ** Ominous overtones for Thad ... We spoke to a ...
Skull Session: The Running Back Question, New England Patriots Interested in Curtis Samuel, and Mississippi Catches ...Eleven Warriors

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How will Buckeyes balance JT Barrett, future QB battle? Ohio State spring football burning questions - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


How will Buckeyes balance JT Barrett, future QB battle? Ohio State spring football burning questions
cleveland.com
With Ohio State starting spring football in 12 days, we're exploring a burning question for the Buckeyes every day leading up to March 7. Next up is the quarterback situation: What will be the balance of reps between making sure Barrett improves under ...

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What To Watch: Fading Buckeyes host No. 16 Wisconsin - 247Sports
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What To Watch: Fading Buckeyes host No. 16 Wisconsin
247Sports
The Badgers torched the Buckeyes with 55 percent three-point shooting and scored 28 second-chance points off 21 offensive rebounds. * Fun Facts: Wisconsin is 5-3 in road games this year, including 4-2 in Big Ten road games. The losses came at No.
College Basketball Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio State Buckeyes Start Time, Betting Odds, Free PickPregame.com
Basketball Preview: No. 16 Wisconsin at Ohio StateEleven Warriors
How to watch Ohio State vs. No. 16 Wisconsin: Preview, game time, live streaming onlineLand-Grant Holy Land
Sports Chat Place (blog) -cleveland.com -Landof10.com
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Sullinger defends Matta's Buckeyes, now 13th in the Big 10 standings - ABC6OnYourSide.com
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Sullinger defends Matta's Buckeyes, now 13th in the Big 10 standings
ABC6OnYourSide.com
COLUMBUS -- Ohio State head basketball coach Thad Matta is finding his share of detractors these days as the 15-13 Buckeyes have plummeted into 13th place in the Big Ten. Saturday's one-point loss to visiting Nebraska was especially painful as the ...
5 things Ohio State men's basketball can learn from the Buckeyes women's teamcleveland.com
Kevin McGuff's Ohio State women's basketball team notches huge win, Buckeyes football team doing some work and ...Landof10.com
Ohio State Buckeyes football likely to benefit from Eric Glover ...247Sports
Columbus Dispatch -The State News -Scarlet and Game
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Thad Matta deserves the chance to improve Ohio State in 2018
Colton Denning via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Our latest podcast discusses Matta’s future with the Buckeyes

There’s no other way to put it: The 2017 Ohio State men’s basketball team is bad. After entering the year with NCAA Tournament hopes, the Buckeyes find themselves ahead of only Rutgers in the conference standings with three games left to play, and will miss the tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2003-04/2004-05. While there are many reasons for the Buckeyes’ poor play the past two seasons, a lot of the heat (from the fans perspective, at least) has centered on Head Coach Thad Matta.

On this edition of The Hangout in the Holyland, Matt Brown and Colton Denning discuss whether or not Ohio State should fire Matta at the end of year, and whether the Buckeyes can improve heading into the 2017-18 season. (Matt’s column earlier this week on how that might happen is a good reference point).

Ultimately, the guys each make an optimistic case for keeping Matta, and the reasons for it, including:

• His status as arguably the best coach in school history
• The Big Ten being down enough that the Buckeyes aren’t that far behind other schools
• How strong recruiting in the state of Ohio —particularly in the class of 2018— can help turn the program around

The guys also try to rank just how good a job Ohio State basketball is, and discuss the precedent for college basketball coaches having a second run of success after a few down seasons.

You can find the podcast on our iTunes page, and we strongly encourage reviews, comments, criticisms, etc. to help us deliver the best possible audio product. The more we hear from you, the better we can make it. We’re also on Soundcloud, the SB Nation podcast page, and you can subscribe via RSS on your Android and Windows Phone devices here.

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VIP Scoop: Buckeyes getting linebacker spots sorted out? - 247Sports
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VIP Scoop: Buckeyes getting linebacker spots sorted out?
247Sports
Following the 2016 season, Ohio State middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan declared early for the NFL Draft, leaving a void at the position for the program to fill ahead of the 2017 season. Heading into winter workouts, there has been no clear cut heir ...

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Micah Potter's potential new role: 'I'm not a true center.' - 247Sports
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Micah Potter's potential new role: 'I'm not a true center.'
247Sports
This coincided with increased production from Thompson, but the Buckeyes have not gone to the two big men on the floor at the same time. The freshman admitted that playing what he considers a different role than he would like can be frustrating at ...


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How to watch Ohio State vs. No. 16 Wisconsin: Preview, game time, live streaming online
Harry Lyles Jr. via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State is facing a tough task Wednesday night at home.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are having one of their worst seasons under Thad Matta. The Buckeyes sit at 15-13 on the season, and are going to finish the season with a losing record in the Big Ten. That’s never happened in Matta’s tenure.

The Buckeyes are currently on a three-game skid, with losses at Maryland, Michigan State, and at home against Nebraska in what was an absolute nail-biter. This is what Ohio State basketball has become over the past couple of seasons, but every program has that lost period at one point or another. This just so happens to be Ohio State’s.

The Buckeyes are facing a Wisconsin team on Wednesday night that beat the brakes off of them in the middle of January. Ohio State lost an 89-66 contest in Madison, which to be fair, is one of the harder places to win at in the country.

The Badgers come into this one having lost two of their last three games, with losses coming at home against Northwestern and on the road against Michigan. The last game they played was a home victory over No. 23 Maryland, 71-60. Melo Trimble put up 27 points for the Terps, but thanks to a combined 41 points from Nigel Hayes and Ethan Happ, the Badgers were able to hold their own at home.

Wisconsin has handled the Buckeyes easily in the last three games in which they’ve faced each other. The Badgers are averaging a margin of victory of 19.3 points. In their first meeting this season, Wisconsin shot lights out from deep, and outscored the Bucks 42-22 in the paint. If Ohio State hopes to upset Wisconsin, it’s going to need a performance they haven’t put together against the Badgers in quite some time.

Numbers to know

28


That’s how many second chance points Wisconsin had in their last matchup against Ohio State. If Ohio State wants to upset the Badgers, that can’t happen on Wednesday night. Trevor Thompson has played some good basketball lately, but even his game will have to step up in order for Ohio State to even compete.

11


Ohio State has 11 home losses dating back to last season. Attendance is averaging 12,182 fans, which is a low for Value City Arena. The home court advantage isn’t there for Ohio State, which is something that you need when facing a tough Wisconsin team.

1.6


Trevor Thompson is averaging 1.6 blocks per game. He’s going to be the tallest player on the floor Wednesday night, and they’re going to need him to pick up the effort defensively in trying to stop Ethan Happ, who has been great for Wisconsin underneath the basket all season. Happ is one of the most efficient players in college basketball, so it won’t be an easy task by any means for Thompson.

Cast of characters

Ohio State

Marc Loving


Loving has had good nights scoring the basketball lately. In two of the Buckeyes’ past three games, he’s scored at least 22 points, but hasn’t gotten too much help around him. Despite this, he’s still been great about getting open looks, and shooting the ball with a confidence we haven’t seen before. It could absolutely have something to do with him being a senior, or perhaps Matta has told him to fire away. Regardless, he’s been fun to watch, and the Bucks will need a big night from him Wednesday.

Jae’Sean Tate


Tate’s been one of the more consistent scorers throughout the season. In a game against Wisconsin, ideally Ohio State would have some additional scoring happen in places they normally don’t get a large volume, but that’s not likely to happen. Bring in Tate, who has put up some 20-point games this season. If he can piece together one of those, while still crashing the glass and bringing life to the Buckeyes, we’ll all be happy with his effort. He brings it every night, but this is going to be one evening where Thad Matta is going to need him to fill the stats sheet.

Wisconsin

Nigel Hayes


If Ethan Happ isn’t playing well, things typically don’t go well for Wisconsin. Luckily, they’ve got Nigel Hayes, who is an entirely different problem for teams facing Wisconsin to deal with. In their win over Maryland a few days ago, Hayes carried the team to victory along with veteran Bronson Koenig. Hayes is the workhorse of the team, averaging 31.7 minutes per game, the most on Wisconsin.

Ethan Happ


Happ is pretty much Wisconsin’s statistical giant. He’s leading the team with 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. At 6’10, the Milan, Ill. native does it all for Greg Gard’s team, who is trying to make a late push for better seeding in the Big Ten tournament. The former three-star recruit is one of college basketball’s best players, and it’s not just because of his offensive skills. He’s arguably the best defender in the nation.

How to watch


Game time: 9 p.m. ET

Radio: 97.1 WBNS-FM

TV: ESPN

Streaming: WatchESPN

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Buckeyes offer Auburn legacy - 247Sports
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Buckeyes offer Auburn legacy
247Sports
But schools such as Florida State, Tennessee and now possibly the Buckeyes could potentially give Auburn a run. The 6-feet-1, 180-pound Nix passed for 1,737 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2016. Additionally, he rushed for 1,300 ...


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4-star prospects pick up Ohio State offers
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeye staff hits the state of Idaho and Texas for their latest offers.

OSU sends out new DT offer


Despite their current well standing with 2018 defensive tackles Matthew Jones of Erasmus Hall (NY) and Taron Vincent of IMG Academy (FL), the Buckeyes are leaving no stone unturned at the position in this year’s class. That was proof when ‘18 DT Tommy Togiai, a 6-foot-3, 290-pounder from Highland (ID), received an offer from the Scarlet and Gray on Wednesday.


Togiai is currently ranked among the best at the defensive tackle position; he is listed as the 10th highest graded player at the spot in the entire class. The four-star prospect is also penciled in as the 112th player overall and, unsurprisingly, is the top player from the state of Idaho.

The offer to Togiai officially puts Ohio State into the mix with programs like Arizona State, Michigan, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington. For now, the 247Sports Crystal Ball has one lone prediction for Togiai’s college football landing spot: Oregon.

We will see if Ohio State can make a move for the newly offered interior defensive lineman.

Woodard catches Buckeye offer


Another prospect on the receiving end of an offer from the Buckeyes was '18 wide receiver Al'vonte Woodard, one of the nation’s best pass-catchers, from Lamar High School in Houston.


Woodard stands at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds and has offers from a bevy of schools in the country including Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Utah and West Virginia.

For the Buckeyes, this will be an interesting recruitment to follow going forward. Ohio State is fresh off of a full out raid of Texas in last year’s class. We will see if they can ride that momentum in hopes of securing Woodard — Texas' ninth highest graded player. For now, Kevin Sumlin and the Texas A&M Aggies have placed themselves in great position, as the lone projection in the 247sports crystal ball has Woodard going to College Station, Texas.

Change of plans for Haselwood


With the focus mostly on the 2018 cycle, Ohio State is currently sitting empty handed in the 2019 recruiting class—which is no surprise. However, the Buckeyes have given ‘19 WR Jadon Haselwood (Ellenwood, GA / Cedar Grove) an offer, and have put themselves in fairly good position to secure the Georgia native.

This weekend, the plan for Haselwood was to make the trip to Columbus, Ohio for a visit to the Ohio State campus. However, the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder revealed last night that the visit will not happen. Instead, Haselwood will head down to Tuscaloosa, Ala. and make a stop at the Alabama Crimson Tide’s campus. According to 247Sports' Bill Kurelic, Haselwood will instead make the visit to Ohio State next weekend.

Obviously, with the in-state Georgia Bulldogs looking to be in the driver’s seat for the time being, Ohio State will need to continue a strong pursuit for Haselwood. While the visit not happening this weekend is unfortunate for the Buckeyes, there is plenty of time for the Buckeyes to gain some ground in this race.

Quinerly opens Bucks eyes


Switching gears to the hardwood, where Ohio State has three pledges in their respective 2018 recruiting class that features small forwards Justin Ahrens and Darius Bazley and shooting guard Dane Goodwin. But that isn’t stopping the Buckeyes from keeping their eyes open for potentially one more addition to the class.

On Tuesday, Ohio State coaches Thad Matta and Chris Jent went to check out ‘18 PG Jahvon Quinerly of Hudson Catholic (NJ), according to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. In the game that members of the Buckeyes staff attended, Quinerly went on to drop 30 points and impressed Matta when doing so. Hudson Catholic Head Coach Nick Marinello told Zagoria, “Thad Matta loved the way Jahvon played (Tuesday) night.”

Quinerly would be a huge addition for the basketball Buckeyes if they could pry him away from St. John’s and Villanova, who are the current favorites. He is a four-star prospect that is pegged as a top 30 player in the class and would quickly boost the Scarlet and Gray to the 11th highest ranked hoops class in 2018. To go along with that, Quinerly is also the sixth best one guard and the third best player from New Jersey.

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Ohio State hockey | Buckeyes on NCAA bubble as Michigan arrives - Columbus Dispatch
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Ohio State hockey | Buckeyes on NCAA bubble as Michigan arrives
Columbus Dispatch
In less than 24 hours, Michigan will be skating into Columbus for a couple of men's hockey games against Ohio State, so don't be surprised if you see the Brutus signal shining in the sky tonight in preparation. After all, the Buckeyes and Wolverines ...
Dallas Gant, Jaelen Gill make Monday visit to Ohio State, Buckeyes impress Florida safety and moreLandof10.com
The Hurry Up: Sophomore Wideout Close to Commitment Sets Unofficial Visit While Ohio State Extends Two More OffersEleven Warriors

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BM5: Combine camps for recruits: Scams or valuable? - 247Sports
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BM5: Combine camps for recruits: Scams or valuable?
247Sports
The middle linebacker wanted to put his stamp on the Buckeye program early and often and set himself up for the NFL. Three years later and everything is going to plan. As a freshman, McMillan played in every got for the national champions, playing more ...


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Thad Matta talks state of the Ohio State basketball program as Buckeyes look for a spark - cleveland.com
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Thad Matta talks state of the Ohio State basketball program as Buckeyes look for a spark
cleveland.com
With Ohio State coming off a loss on Saturday to Nebraska that left Matta befuddled by his team's performance maybe more than he's been at any other time in his career, the Buckeyes are at the lowest point they've been in his tenure. They blew a lead ...
Buckeyes offer nation's second-ranked defensive tackle247Sports
Ohio State men's basketball: Buckeyes extend scholarship offer to Pickerington's FrancisColumbus Dispatch
Talking Thad, Ezekiel Elliott doing more Ohio State stuff, Buckeyes continue to ignore Terrelle Pryor and moreLandof10.com
Scout -Eleven Warriors -Scarlet and Game
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Dallas Gant, Jaelen Gill make Monday visit to Ohio State, Buckeyes impress Florida safety and more - Landof10.com
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Dallas Gant, Jaelen Gill make Monday visit to Ohio State, Buckeyes impress Florida safety and more
Landof10.com
Two of the three were on campus with the Buckeyes on Monday for a President's Day visit: Gill and Gant. “It went real well,” Gant told Land of 10. “They had a few recruits down there, just talking to coaches and stuff like that.” For Gant, it was the ...
The Hurry Up: Sophomore Wideout Close to Commitment Sets Unofficial Visit While Ohio State Extends Two More OffersEleven Warriors

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Buckeyes offer nation's second-ranked defensive tackle - 247Sports
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Buckeyes offer nation's second-ranked defensive tackle
247Sports
Idaho isn't usually known for producing Division I football player, but there will be an exception to that in 2018, as the state is home to the nation's second-ranked defensive tackle, per 247Sports, Tommy Togiai. The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder from ...
Talking Thad, Ezekiel Elliott doing more Ohio State stuff, Buckeyes continue to ignore Terrelle Pryor and moreLandof10.com
Ohio State men's basketball | Talent, not coaching, is Buckeyes' problem, analysts sayColumbus Dispatch
Thad Matta talks state of the Ohio State basketball program as Buckeyes look for a sparkcleveland.com
Scout -Eleven Warriors -Scarlet and Game
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Conversation with my wife. She was going to pick up something for dinner.

Ohio State men's basketball: Buckeyes extend scholarship offer to Pickerington's Francis - Columbus Dispatch
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Ohio State men's basketball: Buckeyes extend scholarship offer to Pickerington's Francis
Columbus Dispatch
It wasn't long after a shocking loss that Ohio State made a step toward building its future. Following Saturday's 58-57 loss to Nebraska at Value City Arena, coach Thad Matta officially extended a scholarship offer to sophomore point guard Jeremiah ...


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On this day in sports history in.....

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Ohio State basketball is trying to push through tough times
Harry Lyles Jr. via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Thad Matta’s had a couple of bad years, but the Buckeyes can get past it.

“So how does Ohio State steer its way back toward smooth sailing?”

- Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch


Ohio State basketball is having another rough go at things during the 2016-17 season. As Jardy points out, Ohio State is going to finish the season with a losing Big Ten record for the first time in the Thad Matta era. It’s also looking like it will be heading for an NIT berth, and even that seems a little optimistic. At this point, Matta just wants to see improvement, as he told Jardy: "Play better. Play more consistent. Execute better. Just, keep grinding away, keep getting tougher, keep honing in on all the little things we have to do as a basketball team. That's where I know my focus is with these guys."

Former Ohio State player Clark Kellogg offered up a solution when it came to fixing the program. "The quickest solution is to elevate the talent and then, within that, you need one or two of those kinds of players that are going to be all-league performers," Kellogg said. "Then you have a little more room with the players that may be a little slower developing but can still help you.” The talent level certainly isn’t what it has been in past seasons, with last season being the first time since 1996 that Ohio State didn’t have a player voted as high as third-team all-Big Ten. Kellogg, like some, feel that Matta and company are working hard to fix it. “I know the coaching staff is doing everything that they can to get it turned around."

“I’ve always looked up to Zeke. Zeke is a great player. It kind of had an influence on me, but I felt like it was just about me.”

- J.K. Dobbins via Ben Axelrod, Land of 10


J.K. Dobbins is a name you are going to hear more and more of in Columbus as the years go on. He was the second-ranked all-purpose back in the 2017 class, and if history isn’t a good enough indicator, running backs typically do pretty dang well at Ohio State. While Urban Meyer and staff pitched Dobbins on the success of Ezekiel Elliott, Dobbins felt that the focus was still on him.

Dobbins sounds ready to work. “Just get in and play early, do some great things early,” Dobbins said. “Whatever they want me to do, I’ll do it.” Mike Weber is coming off of one of the best seasons a freshman running back at Ohio State has ever had, but with a talent like Dobbins, there’s no reason he can’t get some burn if he proves his worth. “I just want to compete,” Dobbins told Axelrod.

“With the future of Nick Mangold uncertain, should we turn the offensive line over to another Ohio State star?”

- David Wyatt, Gang Green Nation


SB Nation’s New York Jets blog, Gang Green Nation, is raising the question of whether or not their team should draft Pat Elflein. Nick Mangold has been remarkable for the Jets during his career, but recent injuries have the team and their fans questioning how much longer he has in the green and white. As Wyatt mentions, “It's been a while since we've even had to consider the center position for the Jets, since being drafted in 2006 out of Ohio State, Nick Mangold has been the consistent reliable lineman performing year in and year out.” Which, he has.

The benefit of Elflein, is that he’s ready to go immediately, which is another point that Wyatt makes. “He has the intelligence, the balance, the power and the hands to be a starting center in this league for the next 10 years. There is never a guaranteed pick in the NFL, but personally...I'd say this is the safest pick in the draft.” That’s some high praise, as it’s pretty hard to tell who is going to be a “safe pick,” but we can say that Elflein was definitely good while in Columbus.

STICK TO SPORTS

• Go grab that ticket, the Powerball is above $400 million
• Cats are full of mind-controlling parasites but owning one probably doesn't cause mental illness
• The Nintendo Switch cartridges are pretty small

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