Matt Ryan may help Ohio State bring in QB recruits
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ryan Day helped mold Matt Ryan into a star at Boston College. Now, can he do the same with the Buckeye QBs?

“But perhaps Day’s best pitch to Buckeye prospects will be the result of one his personal friendships. After all, there aren’t many NFL players more famous than Matt Ryan these days.”

— Ben Axelrod on Ohio State quarterback coach Ryan Day, Landof10.com


This offseason, Ohio State’s coaching staff made some changes. One of the those was the introduction of Ryan Day as the quarterback coach. While Day hasn’t done a lot on the recruiting trail in regards to bringing blue-chip recruits to his programs, he has, however, coached talent into becoming elite on the next level.

Matt Ryan’s MVP season not only boosted the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl, but also boosted Day’s profile as a quarterback coach—thus helping the Buckeyes’ recruiting campaign.

Ryan and Day crossed paths at Boston College, where Day was a graduate assistant, then QB coach. It was there that Ryan went from being a redshirt that really wasn’t recruited by the big name schools, to being a starting quarterback, to being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

After winding a path through the quarterback coaching ranks in the NFL, Day has some serious experience in getting the next crop of players ready for the professional level. The success of ‘Matty Ice’ combined with spending time with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers can virtually sell itself when looking for blue-chip recruits.

With the way Day can make great strides in a QB’s ability, maybe this could be the year where J.T. Barrett becomes a Heisman contender.

“Now Brizee, 20, might end up with more than the chicken bowl with brown rice and black beans he happily feasted on. Video of the kick quickly went viral. It got the attention of Buckeyes assistant director of player personnel Eron Hodges.”

— Bill Rabinowitz on a TBDBITL’s member chance to be part of the OSU football team, The Columbus Dispatch


College, the theater where dreams are churned into reality. For Austin Brizee, a member of the Ohio State marching band, the dream was to nail a 55-yard field goal for some Chipotle.


What became of the kick was more than Chipotle; a walk-on tryout to be part of the football team was being to take shape.

As described in the article by Columbus Dispatch reporter Bill Rabinowitz, Brizee is taking the steps to maximize on this opportunity of a lifetime. Former OSU kicker Kyle Clinton has been brought in to help Brizee work on the fundamentals of kicking, as he doesn’t have any organized football experience.

However, Clinton believes that Brizee can succeed in the tryout. Before coming to Ohio State, Brizee was attend a small college in Pennsylvania playing baseball. And before that in high school, the potential Buckeye kicker was a four-sport athlete.

The story of Brizee shows that the sky's the limit at Ohio State.

“Pryor emerged as not just a legitimate wide receiver last season, but a very good one. He led the team with 77 catches for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns,”

— Darin Gantt, NBC Sports


Now onto the NFL. As the offseason is starting to heat up, deals are being made, contracts are being dished out and signed and the Cleveland Browns are still trying to assemble something that resembles a coherent team.

One piece of the puzzle that looks to want to stay in Cleveland is none other than former Ohio Stater Terrelle Pryor. As reported in a piece by Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and picked up by Darin Gantt of profootballtalk.com for NBC Sports, Pryor has “instructed” his agents to make a deal for the quarterback-turned-wide receiver to stay in The Land.

Coach Hue Jackson rolled the dice on Pryor last season, and it payed dividends. Pryor put up some impressive numbers considering he was a wide receiver in training; in fact, Pryor pulled in four touchdowns and led the team with 77 catches.

If the man wants to stay with a team that went 1-15 last season, then I would say, “show him the money.” In fact, I would even throw in more money if he could play both QB and WR; and a blank check if he could play both at the same time.

Stick to Sports


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• Need Girl Scout cookies? There’s an app for that.

• Sports writing is wildin’ out in Belarus.

• The water crisis in Mexico City.

• Senate confirms Scott Pruitt to EPA secretary.

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Eugene Melnyk Speaks: Media Scrum, TSN 1200 and Fan 590 Interviews
T6S via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



After a press conference yesterday to introduce his philanthropic ‘The Organ Project’ – which, if you’re interested in organ donation and helping save lives, you should definitely check out at http://www.theorganproject.net — Eugene Melnyk held court with the media to talk hockey.

It’s been some time since Melnyk last talked puck, so his day started with a five-minute scrum with the local media before he took to TSN 1200 to be interviewed on ‘The Drive’ and the Fan 590 in Toronto to talk to Bob McCown on ‘Prime Time Sports’.

I’ve transcribed the appearances in the order that they appear in the paragraph above with each interview or scrum getting their own section. Each of the audio clips are embedded in the players accompanying their respective section.

As always, my thoughts are in bold.

Melnyk’s Scrum:

On whether his perspective as an NHL owner has changed because of the liver transplant…

“Yeah, I think it has. There’s more of an urgency. It’s like, well, we can’t wait 25 years for this. I think that we’re now finally, (we’ve) dug out of a three-year hole. It was kind of sad. One out of three years get into the playoffs and you get blown out, the other (years) you don’t get in. Now, it’s exciting. I know last night, it was a tough, especially for me, a tough loss. I just think that we have the potential of really going, first of all, getting into the playoffs and secondly, potentially getting into the second, third even fourth round. I think this is… finally, I’ve become optimistic. Cautiously.”

To put things in perspective, the Senators are 25 years into their modern franchise’s existence, so I hope I don’t have to wait another 25 years for them to have another window of Cup contention again.

That said, it’s not surprising to see Melnyk wax poetic about his team’s chances this season. He can downplay this team’s previous iterations, but during the lockout shortened season when the team knocked off the Canadiens in the first round and then went on its miraculous run with the Hamburglar in 2015, he was expressing the same kind of optimism.

Fans just have to keep it all in perspective. He’s publicly evoking confidence and optimism in his club and really, when you’re in the sports entertainment business and you’re trying to sell tickets, who can blame him?

On whether he has talked to Pierre Dorion about making deals before the trade deadline…

“I think we’re waiting through (the game against Toronto) and then we’re going to sit down and see what we need to do.”

My biggest concern is that the Senators will look at their results and moderate success in a weak Division and weak Eastern Conference and overestimate how good they are or how far ahead of the curve they are in their franchise’s development curve. A tight budget and money may preclude them from making another short-sighted blunder that sees the team jettison more young assets for another fix, but maybe Clarke MacArthur’s health gives the Senators the flexibility to add more salary to their budget.

On what he believes this team needs…

“Did you see what they want for (Matt) Duchene and stuff? Oh my God. It’s going to be silly because there’s so many competitive teams, especially in our Conference. From bottom to top, if I was even at the bottom, I’d still have hope. But, I think it will be way too expensive and we’re not going to jeopardize our future because some of these … everybody wants our young stars. I don’t blame them. You’re talking about Chabot and White and I say, ‘Get out of here! Those are superstars in the making.’ We know it. Everybody knows it. I think we’re going to be smart about it to build a long-term base and long-term team. But, we’re urgently wanting to win, of course.”

The NHL’s tampering rules are pretty vague, so I don’t even know whether Melnyk’s decision to discuss another organization’s player or shit on his trade value constitutes tampering, but it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to openly talk about Matt Duchene – even if he’s doing so to play up the importance of players like Thomas Chabot (who Melnyk referred to as ‘Chabbo’ in his answer) or Colin White.

On his openness to help Pierre Dorion and beef up the size of the hockey operations department…

“Yeah, it depends on how we’re doing at the gate and how we’re doing generally with the team’s finances. So, that will drive it. It really will. So, it’s a catch 22: you need more people to come to the games to spend more to get a better team and the better the team is, the more people come. So you’ve got to sometimes make these small financial bets – and they’re not small, you’re talking millions of dollars – to take a shot on a player or two. I wouldn’t be against it to bring in players. Usually I’d say, ‘Nah, nah, nah,’ but, we’ve learned the hard way that other teams do it and they’re successful at it.”

Sens should use this for their marketing material:

“Concerned that the Senators’ front office is spread too thin and would benefit by adding more resources? Buy more tickets and spend more money at the rink, assholes.”

There’s nothing like throwing the blame on the fans instead of acknowledging that you can grow the business by investing more money into the product itself. Is it a calculated risk? Absolutely, but with the right move, you can get fans jumping on the bandwagon and believing in the process again.

On whether he’d be open to hiring more scouts or etc…

“That, on that said, that’s a very inexpensive investment compared to a very high-level player – in which you have to pay not in (just) cash, but in your future. You start giving up some of these draft picks and you’re empty in five years. Am I going to be around, hopefully? I’ll be around, but I have no problem… it’s all based on where he is in his plans, so…”

It’s a very inexpensive investment, but the Senators still acknowledge that they have one of the smallest front offices in the league. I understand why it’s easier for Melnyk to say that this kind of commitment is easier to absorb than the financial commitment to even the most average of players, but with Ottawa’s budget restrictions, they should be looking to get the most of their front office staff so that they can make the most informed and responsible decisions that they can.

A bigger blend of scouts and sabermetric analysts can help this organization cover more ground and ensure that the organization mitigates mistakes or sees fewer players fall through the cracks. When you can’t spend with the spendthrifts, you have to look elsewhere for whatever edges you can find.

Melnyk’s right when he talks about the opportunity cost involved and you just have to look at the Bobby Ryan trade to understand how quickly these kinds of deals can go south.

On whether he’s encouraged by the ticket sales of the recent home games…

“Yeah, people woke up. Even last night you look at it, those are real numbers. Before, they used to kind of add a couple thousand… not a couple of thousand, but a thousand seats and say, ‘Well, they were donated.’ But now, those are real, solid crowds coming in – fully paid, comps are going down like crazy. So I’m pleased, it’s nice to see. Even on a night like last night, it was brutal out there and you guys drove it.”

The Senators have made a commitment to not papering their building and they haven’t really deviated from that strategy. If rumours are believed to be true, this refusal to do so helped lead to Peter O’Leary dismissal as the team’s chief marketing officer.

That said, in Ottawa’s recent game against the Dallas Stars, the organization did give its season ticket holders free tickets as a reward or perk, which helped boost numbers.

On Gary Bettman coming to town in the middle of March and whether it can coincide with the announcement of an outdoor game…

“Where are we now, mid-February? No, we’ll have something out well before that. Yeah, I’m expecting (to announce something). We’re done as far as the Senators are concerned. We’re all in and we’ve made our deals and I think they have to – all the other parties which includes the City (of Ottawa), OSEG and NHL – they have to do their deal. That’s the only reason (it has not been announced yet). We’re done. We’re in. I want to do it. I’m excited about it. It’s going to be an interesting time out there. I hope it’s cold, cold, cold, so everybody experiences it. Like freezing. (Laughing.)”

It’s great news. I mean, I don’t get why he’d want the weather to be freezing cold, but yeah, I’m really looking forward to seeing this kind of event come to fruition.

http://proxy.autopod.ca/download/podcasts/chum/179/50718\melnyk%20scrum-1.mp3



TSN 1200 Interview (hockey discussion begins at the approximate 11:40 mark of the audio below):

On having to be happy with the fact that the team’s attendance seems to be on the rise…

“It has and it’s really great to see the fans back. Did you notice last night that it was louder? I noticed it. A lot more people were screamers and it’s really nice to see. I think the whole attitude is now getting back. It’s snowing outside and it’s really winter and people… you know, it’s kind of tough to sell hockey when you’re still all watching football in November. I don’t know how many games we had in November, but it was just too much hockey in one month. Now we’re just starting to see hockey fans come out. They’re getting louder, they’re getting behind this team and it’s kind of typical in any sports market: the better the team, the better the crowds. In our case, we’re doing great. Forget about last night, I’m going to throw that one out. The tests of course are the next couple of games and yeah, I truly believe we’re playoff bound and it’s going to be crazy, crazy here in April.”

No one will disagree that the Senators’ front-loaded home schedule was probably brutal for the organization when it comes to ticket sales. It certainly didn’t help that the Phoenix pay system and sure, even the RedBlacks’ Grey Cup run probably cost the Senators some more ticket sales, but I still get the sense from talking to friends and colleagues that many just haven’t bought into the product that this team is selling.

Maybe there’s an omnipresent level of cynicism regarding the Melnyk-owned club, but I know a lot of people who discredit this team’s chances of success based explicitly on the philosophy and way that this team has been operated under Melnyk’s watch over the past 14 years.

The rest of the circumstances can change, but I don’t know how this shaken confidence in Melnyk to deliver a winner can be overcome quickly.

On how proud he is of Pierre Dorion and Guy Boucher for stabilizing the organization…

“Well, that’s what you’re seeing. It’s the result of a lot of hard work, a lot of placement of good players and very, very good coaching; dedicated coaching, not that the others weren’t, but these guys have a little bit more attitude, I think. Guy (Boucher) and Marc (Crawford) are tough guys. If you look at Pierre (Dorion) and he’s on the phone, it’s plugged into his head all the time and he’s constantly on the phone trying to upgrade our team whatever way he can. So I’m very excited, but not only that, we haven’t mortgaged our future. I’m excited about guys like (Thomas) Chabot coming in and (Colin) White. Wait until those guys show up at (training) camp and, these (guys) were the leaders (in the World Juniors) and recently, we saw it. The MVPs. The future looks great. The crowds are going to increase. LeBreton (Flats) is getting close. The outdoor game is coming in and the possible game overseas is coming up, so we’ve got a lot going on and it’s really fun.”

In a sense, this season kind of reminds me of Ottawa’s first year under Paul MacLean. In that 2011-12 season, his Senators team finished second in the Northeast Division with a 41-31-10 record before being bounced in a competitive seven-game first round matchup versus the New York Rangers. MacLean was the toast of the town and far cry from the days of his predecessor, Cory Clouston.

In Guy Boucher’s first year, he’s also getting a ton of credit for his team’s on-ice success, but while his version of the team is stylistically very different from MacLean’s clubs, the underlying numbers aren’t particularly flattering either.

The Senators have been doing a better job of suppressing the number of chances that they’re giving up, but they’re not generating more chances than they give up either. Coupled with the territorial advantage that they’re giving up to the opposition, the team is still on the wrong side of a lot of underlying numbers.

Although the team can certainly iron out these kinks, the worry is that results-oriented success could fool management and ownership into believing that this team is a lot better than it actually is – which wound up plaguing the team’s decision-making during the final few years of MacLean’s tenure.

On whether Pierre Dorion has the financial flexibility to make a move at the trade deadline…

“He does and he will, as long as… but, what people are asking for, it’s not just unloading salaries. What people are asking for is a king’s ransom for okay players. Now, (Matt) Duchene is a whole different story, but what they’re asking for is off the charts and I can’t tell you that, but we’re not going to… the one thing we’re not going to do is mortgage our future and give up early round draft picks or some of our prospects. Those are pretty much untouchables unless (management) really believes that one player or two can really make a difference and if they can, he certainly has from me the financial okay to go ahead and do it.”

It’s hard not to read these kinds of comments (read: money is no hindrance in trade talks) as anything more than lip service when the organization has made promises of spending at some undisclosed point in the future when the time is right so many times before. All fans can do is judge this organization by its recent actions and because of their frequent dollar-in/dollar-out kinds of transactions, it’s hard to take these comments by Melnyk too seriously.

That said, I still can’t believe the owner would openly talk about another organization’s player like Duchene by name, but he’s right in saying that the opportunity cost to acquire Duchene, especially considering that he only has two-years of team control left on his contract beyond this season, just doesn’t make a ton of sense for this franchise.

Obviously it makes sense for a small market club to be guarded when it comes to parting with cheap and inexpensive players who have controllable contracts, but I don’t have a problem with the Senators parting with these kinds of assets if they’re targeting quality young talents in return. (Ie. another Kyle Turris-like deal.)

On the perception that the Atlantic Division is so wide open that Ottawa can not only get into the postseason, but win the Division…

“Yeah, of course it is. I mean, if this is the year to take your shot, I’m all in. I love this kind of action, but again, you’ve got to be careful because if you blow this one, you blow a few years of prospects. So it’s got to be a smart deal. That’s what I’m after, we’re not going to be silly. I think you’re right. I think we can overtake Montreal, much to the chagrin of all the Habs fans. I think that Boston is not the same Boston that it was five years ago. The pesky Leafs are always there. They need to be taught a lesson on Saturday and we will do that. And other than that, I think if we play .600 hockey, we’re in. I think we need about 100 or 102 points to get in and I think we can do that with a 60-percent winning percentage.”

Would I rather this team be patient and play for a bigger window of contention when it’s underlying numbers and a lot of factors point to this team punching above its weight? Yes, absolutely. I’d hate to see the Senators mortgage the future while hoping they can luck into a couple of favourable playoff matchups and be some one-off like the 2011-12 New Jersey Devils. I’d rather the team bide its time and look for trades that can keep it competitive now while also positively impacting its chances moving forward.

On what his opinion of the jerseys is and what jersey he likes or is in favour of…

“I do, but I won’t share it with you. How about that? Listen, I don’t care what they wear. For all I care, they can dance around in tunics. All I want them to do is win. I know that everybody is curious about the jerseys and what works and what doesn’t work. We’re going to do a ton of research over the coming months to see what the fans like. The fans have to like it, the players have to like wearing them and at the end of the day, I honestly, personally don’t care what they wear as long as they win.”

Give me a return to the day of the black and white home aways featuring the two-dimensional logo.



http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/186/50720/hr1-1melnyk.mp3



Fan 590 Interview:

On the LeBreton Flats development and where the Senators are at on this…

“Ugh, we were expecting it not to be easy and it never is. It’s a massive, massive, massive project and we’re just… everybody is getting in after taking some time to reflect on what they have to do and that’s with the NCC and that’s the current negotiations that are going to be going on virtually, pretty much almost to the end of the year, we figure. We were hoping that if we could get this done by the fall or by puck drop in October, that’d be great. But, we’re all in. There’s still a lot of negotiations still to be completed and we’re at the early stages of that. So it’s going to take some time there. We’re hoping to speed it up. We’ve got Tom (Anselmi) now on board and he’s extremely familiar with… you know, he built what was called the Sky Dome, he has built the (Air Canada Centre). He knows his way around these kinds of hockey developments and I really needed him for that plus running the hockey club. We’re now well-positioned, but we need to hire a couple more people and after that, then the work gets down to negotiating and then we’re hoping to get all our permits and then shovel in the ground. We can build an arena fairly quickly. We think we can do it within 18 months once you have all those approvals. So there’s a lot of, I guess, paper that have to flow and I’m confident.”

I’m not alone in this, but I still really want to hear how Melnyk plans on financing a new arena and what the immediacy is for Melnyk to get shovels in the ground so quickly. Considering how slow any process involving the City of Ottawa and the NCC can be, coupled with how important LeBreton Flats and a prospective can be to the Senators’ bottom line, you’d imagine it’s imperative for the organization to get their LeBreton footprint right, irrespective of how long the process takes. Then again, maybe this immediacy is rooted with concerns for how long Melnyk believes he can keep the team afloat in Kanata at the Canadian Tire Centre?

On whether the site needs an environmental cleanup…

“It does, but we can start on the… the way we’re planning it is to start with the arena first, all-in, like very quickly because we have plans for arenas. There’s multiple plans, multiple designs and we just have to pick one and they can start. We have time for that, but that’s going to be the first order of business. The rest is going to flow right with it, but we’re going to be very focused on getting the arena up and running and then the balance of it because that will be a real showcase for us.”

Given Melnyk’s urgent desire for an arena, it’s no surprise that the arena development is phase one for the plan.

Hopefully the arena’s architectural plans involve a direct connection from the LRT station to the arena itself. The last thing people want to do during the cold months is have to walk or spend more time outside in bad weather than they have to.

On the “balance” being 50 acres of property and this project being more than an arena…

“Oh, God yeah. It’s about a $4-billion project and just picture I’m here in Toronto as well and I’m just looking out at the CN Tower and the dome. This is like taking from Jarvis to Spadina from Bloor to Lakeshore, roughly. Ah, maybe not that big, but pretty close to that. It’s big and it’s downtown. It’s just off of downtown, so it’s a massive project with residential, commercial, open-air space, the whole condos, the food and beverage, entertainment, an outside possible bowl, hotels and skating rinks. You name it, it’s a massive project.”

It’s big. It’s so big. It’s like massive, huge. *lots of hand gestures*

On the Senators project being twice the size of the one in Edmonton…

“Yes, it is and I can’t wait to go there. It’s supposed to be totally off the charts.”

Probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said about Edmonton.

On the patience he’ll have to have to see the entire project be completed…

“Yes, that’s why we’re starting with the arena and the rest will flow through. For anybody who’s ever been to (Los Angeles), if they haven’t gone to see (a game in Los Angeles live), they’re really missing (out). Forget about Disney, go to L.A. live. That’s where the Staples (Centre) is there, I was there for the All-Star Game, you’ve got 25-star… not five-start, but pretty great restaurants, you’ve got a skating rink in the centre, you’ve got headquarters of ESPN there and you’ve got so much going on and take a quarter of that or half of that and that’s LeBreton (Flats). But, that thing is just unbelievable. It’s a whole neighbourhood. It would be like taking Etobicoke or almost Etobicoke, it’s huge. Half of Etobicoke, but it’s huge and they did it right, but they have a population of almost 10-million people in that surrounding area, so it’s a little different than our little Ottawa. But, we’re going to do our best and I think it’s going to be gorgeous and beautiful and I think people will come.”

I hope people will come. They’ll be fresh out of excuses if they don’t.

On whether an outdoor game is happening next winter…

“Ugh, yeah. There’s some things to work out. We’re still, if you can believe it or not, at the stage of trying to figure out what teams are going to play because there’s multiple teams. We know we’re showing up and we are going to be there and we’re hoping that Montreal is going to be there. But, we need to do final negotiations on it. As far as the Senators are concerned, we’re in. We’ve negotiated our contract. This is not a (financial) windfall, I’ve got to tell you right now for anyone. Everybody is kind of realizing that this is a great, great fan thing, but that’s the only reason we’re doing it.”

It’s nice lip service to the fans, but by now, I think most people realize that these games are put on to generate money for the league.

On when he says negotiating, he’s talking about the league buying him out of a home gate…

“That is correct and also, there are some residual things that we have to take care of. Like, we have sponsors, there’s conflicting sponsors, there’s sponsors that already paid their fees and what are they going to do, but those we can manage. The big contract, as far as we’re concerned, is done. The rest is all dealing with sponsors and things like suite holders because it’s different. If you’re a suite holder in Ottawa, what’s your cut-in on this? Do you get a suite? Well, you don’t, but this is what we’ll do for you. So, you’ve got to make sure there’s nobody complaining too much and nothing so far.”

Poor suite holders, I guess?

On whether the game is at TD Place…

“Yeah, that’s the plan. You know where I wanted it. I was very vocal about it. I wanted it right in front of Parliament Hill and they couldn’t get their act together. Honest to God, they just didn’t. They said, ‘No, we can’t do it,’ for all the reasons that we could have solved, but I guess that decision was made at another level and I said, ‘You know what, for the fans, let’s do it outdoor at (TD Place).’”

Reports suggested that the federal government was more than willing to house a game on Parliament Hill, but the scope of the game and the amount of seats that the feds were willing to acquiesce to wasn’t large enough for the league to generate the kinds of revenues it needs to be financially motivated to put on one of these games.

For all the parties involved, it came down to business and money and unfortunately for everyone, we lost out on the possibility of a marquee sports event at a historically unprecedented venue. It’s a shame.

On John Shannon getting a text that the Senators will be playing the Avalanche in Stockholm next season on November 8th and 10th…

“Is that announced?”

On it not being formally announced…

“Good because I didn’t sign a contract.”

On a source telling John Shannon that those are details that he’d being fed…

“October? (November 8th and 10th against the Colorado Avalanche)? Okay, if you say so. I think there are a few things that we need to still negotiate there. I really want to do it. I think it’s great for everybody. I did the last one when we went with Pittsburgh and got to Gothenburg and to Stockholm and it was a blast. I think anybody who went on that trip had a lot of, lot of fun.”

I don’t understand why the Senators would ever agree to play these games in the middle of the season instead of at the beginning of the season when the team has a chance to acclimate itself well ahead of the actual games. Considering how Melnyk has played up the importance of his players’ health and the impact that an injury at the 2018 Winter Olympics could have on his team’s playoff run, it’s interesting that he’d be willing to miss out on a home gate and send his team to Sweden where long flights and time changes could have negative effects on his club during the middle of November.

Looking ahead at the calendar, if John Shannon’s dates are correct, it means the Senators would be playing on the Wednesday and Friday, which means that the games would probably be televised here at times when most fans would still be at work.

There’s no doubt that this would be a hell of a trip for fans that make the trek to Sweden, but I don’t know what the motivations are for the Senators to participate, unless it’s a giant cash grab for the club.

On Erik Karlsson being thrilled to play at home…

“Yeah, the fact that you’re saying it’s supposed to (happen) at Stockholm, somebody made the decision at some level to say, ‘Well, we’re not going to do…’ because they were looking at Malmo as well. They were looking at Gothenburg where Alfredsson and Karlsson are from. But, Stockholm is the big arena and it’s where they get the best crowds.”

Best crowds. More money. Same thing.

On whether Melnyk has told his general manager to do what he can because the team is in second place in the Atlantic Division…

“Yep, yep, yeah, yeah, yep. If this is it, I mean, at one point you’ve got to make the big bet that you go for it and if you lose, you lose. But yes, he has that mandate. He knows not to move our future around – that’s what everybody wants and that’s not what we’re going to give. So if it’s a money thing then you can’t be so off the charts that we can’t afford it. We can certainly play in that world.”

I’ve talked about this before, but I’ll believe it when I see it. The organization should have money to play with thanks to insurance picking up most of the tab on Clarke MacArthur’s contract, but I don’t envision this organization absorbing much salary beyond the flexibility that MacArthur’s injury created.

On whether he’s surprised by the performance of his hockey team…

“Well, you know, you never with these guys because I thought we were a contender for three straight years and it turns out we only hit the playoffs once and it got blown. I think I’m pleasantly surprised, that’s for sure. But, we’ve always had the talent. You’ve got one thing after another. You get (Clarke) MacArthur and he’s wiped out. You get (Craig) Anderson with his family issues and it’s horrible. You can’t do anything about that or protect yourself. Under the circumstances and I think in general, I think we’ve done really, really well. I’m really pleased with everyone who’s played and we just need a baby streak somewhere in here over a 10-game period and I think we’re right there to be in the playoffs. I don’t want to be too optimistic, but I really believe we can do it.”

The Senators can definitely make the playoffs and this year, I expect it. The bigger question and what I’m more focused on is how that development affects the team’s management philosophy and what they choose to do from a player personnel standpoint leading up to the trade deadline and how they approach the offseason and expansion draft. Will they believe this team’s record is a true representation of the talent level on this team or will they be more guarded by their underlying numbers and see this as a bit of an outlier season?

http://pmd.fan590.com/audio_on_demand-5/Eugene-Melnyk-on-PTS-PTS-20170216-Interview.mp3







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OU Falls to No. 3 Buckeyes at National Indoors - Soonersports.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


OU Falls to No. 3 Buckeyes at National Indoors
Soonersports.com
NORMAN – Oklahoma fell to Ohio State 4-0 to begin its weekend at the 2017 ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championship At Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va., on Friday. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 3 in the nation in the Oracle/ITA rankings, ...


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Ohio State-Kansas State 2017 final score: Buckeye baseball downs the Wildcats, 6-3, in season opener
Ben Martens via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State used two big innings to get the W.

The Ohio State baseball team got the 2017 season started in style, rolling to a 6-3 win over Kansas State on Opening Day at the Sunshine State Classic in Osceola, Florida. This marked the fourth consecutive year that the Buckeyes opened the season in the win column.

Ohio State got big contributions from a host of newcomers as three runs apiece in the third and fourth innings were enough to secure the victory. Juniors Bo Coolen and Noah McGowan each had doubles in their debuts, with Coolen knocking in a pair, while classmate Tyler Cowles plated an RBI with a walk and freshman Dominic Canzone picked up a pair of hits in his first college game.

Senior co-captain Jalen Washington also knocked in a run with a double, and junior leadoff man Tre Gantt reached base three times, scoring twice.

Starting pitcher Adam Niemeyer was efficient and effective, tossing six innings and allowing just an unearned run while scattering six hits. The junior right-hander struck out one and didn’t walk a batter in earning the win.

The Wildcats sent sophomore righty Bryce Ward to the mound to start, and he lasted just three innings, giving up three runs, only one earned, on three hits with two walks. Ward, one of five KState pitchers on the afternoon, took the loss.

Ward yielded a leadoff walk to Gantt to start the game, then abruptly retired eight in a row. It wasn’t until Gantt’s spot in the order came up again in the third that the streak was broken. Ohio State’s center fielder lashed a triple down the right field line with two away in the third, and scored the Buckeyes’ first run of the season when Wildcat second baseman Josh Ethier misplayed a ball off the bat of Washington.

It was just the opening Ohio State needed, and three new faces took advantage. McGowan followed with a double and Cowles drew a walk to load the bases. Coolen then doubled down the left field line to plate Washington and McGowan, expanding the lead to 3-0. McGowan, Cowles, and Coolen are all junior college transfers in their first season with the Buckeyes.

In the fourth, KState went to the bullpen, bringing on freshman righty Tyler McKay, and the youngster had a debut to forget. Brady Cherry worked a leadoff walk, Canzone singled up the middle for his first collegiate hit, and Jacob Barnwell laid down a sacrifice bunt to put two runners in scoring position with one out. McKay then uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Cherry to score and Canzone to advance to third.

After Gantt walked to reach base for the third straight time, Washington lashed a double down the line in left to bring Canzone plateward. McGowan was intentionally walked to load the bases and Cowles worked a walk to score Gantt, pushing the advantage to 6-0. McKay lasted just two-thirds of an inning before giving way to senior right-hander Nick Jones, who struck out Zach Ratcliff to escape without further harm.

Meanwhile, Niemeyer was cruising, needing just 52 pitches to get through the first five innings, scattering four hits in the process.

There was trouble looming in the bottom of the sixth, though, as a leadoff single by Cameron Thompson and an error by Washington at short on a ball off the bat of Jake Wodtke gave the Wildcats two on with nobody out. Steve Serratore delivered an RBI single after that to put an unearned run on the board, but Niemeyer beared down and retired the next three batters to escape the jam.

Freshman right-hander Jared Marolf was able to stymie the Ohio State bats out of the bullpen for the Wildcats, tossing four innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit and striking out six. But the Buckeyes went to their relief ace, junior Seth Kinker, to keep the game out of reach, and he delivered three innings to notch the save, giving up just a pair of unearned runs.

Ohio State will hit the field twice on Saturday, taking on Delaware at 2:00 p.m. ET and Pittsburgh at 5:00 p.m. ET, as the Sunshine State Classic rolls on.

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All Buckeyes: WFNY Mock NFL Draft Strategies - Waiting For Next Year
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All Buckeyes: WFNY Mock NFL Draft Strategies
Waiting For Next Year
Keep in mind, since their return in 1999, the Browns have drafted just two Buckeyes. The last Buckeye to be drafted by Cleveland? Wide receiver Brian Robiskie in 2009. So, while division rivals enjoy Ryan Shazier and Cam Heyward, the Browns have been ...

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BM5: Buckeyes starting middle linebacker? Interesting prediction - 247Sports
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BM5: Buckeyes starting middle linebacker? Interesting prediction
247Sports
Booker has an interesting prediction as to who will be the starting middle linebacker for the Buckeyes, replacing Raekwon McMillan. It is a name you likely haven't heard mentioned as the starting MIKE previously. On offense, who will be the starting ...

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Ohio State baseball set to open new season in Sunshine State Classic
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 2017 season has arrived for the baseball Bucks. Here’s what to expect from the opening weekend.

We are still a month away from winter being over, but when the Ohio State baseball team takes the field on Friday to open the 2017 season, spring will have officially arrived. After players toiled through summer leagues, fall ball, and preseason workouts and practices, Opening Day comes not a moment too soon.

Despite myriad questions about the team’s inexperience after losing many of the key pieces that last season helped win 44 games, run the gauntlet to the Big Ten tournament title, and secure the program’s first berth in the NCAA tournament since 2009, head coach Greg Beals just wants to get on the field.

“They are quickly going to get that experience,” Beals said of the team, which features 17 new faces this year. “The talent level is there and I feel really good about it, and we are very excited to get 2017 underway.”

The Buckeyes are scheduled to play four games in three days at the Sunshine State Classic in Osceola, Florida this weekend, where they will be tested immediately, facing opponents from the high quality Big 12 and ACC conferences.

As we’ve pointed out the past couple of days, though, the cupboard isn’t entirely bare for Ohio State. Beals has at his disposal strong veteran leadership and a deep pitching staff to carry the team through the early going while the younger players get acclimated to the level of competition the college game provides.

The season of conjecture, projections, and prognosticating is finally over. It’s time to play ball. Let’s take a look at what the Buckeyes will face in the Sunshine State this weekend.

Sunshine State Classic


Kansas State Wildcats

Head coach Brad Hill knows a thing or two about what Beals is going through with newcomers, as Kansas State has 21 of them on its roster. The Wildcats return 15 letterwinners, including nine seniors, from last year’s 26-31 campaign, and have been picked to finish eighth of nine teams in a Big 12 conference that could be among the country’s elite in 2017. Among KState’s competition in the conference is TCU, the unanimous No. 1 team in the country according to all five major polls, as well as teams ranked or receiving votes in Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma.

The Wildcats are led offensively by first baseman Jake Scudder, who was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2016 after transferring from junior college. Scudder led Kansas State in a host of offensive categories, slashing .333/.392/.507 with 15 doubles, seven home runs, and 45 runs batted in. He is complemented by Freshman All-American catcher Josh Rolette, who had a .290/.365/.435 slash line, to go along with 13 doubles, six homers, and 34 RBIs.

Hill has nine freshmen and three JUCO transfers on his pitching staff. Redshirt sophomore Bryce Ward will be on the bump for the opener against Ohio State, making his second career start. The right-hander sat out last season, but was a Big 12 All-Freshman selection two seasons ago. Who the Wildcats send out on Sunday against the Buckeyes is likely to be determined by how the club’s first three games of the weekend turn out.

Pittsburgh Panthers

Now entering his 20th season at the helm for Pittsburgh, head coach Joe Jordano is also tasked with replacing a sizable amount of production from last year’s club, including six everyday starters. The Panthers, who went 25-26 in 2016, and whom Ohio State beat 11-8 in a wild 13-inning game last February, have been projected seventh in the ACC’s Coastal Division by the conference’s coaches. The ACC, which sent 10 schools to the NCAA tournament a season ago, once again figures to be among the most competitive in the country, with powerhouses like Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina, Clemson, Miami, Virginia, NC State, and Georgia Tech all nationally ranked.

Pitt’s key returnee in the lineup is outfielder Frank Maldonado, who slashed .330/.415/.449 as a redshirt sophomore in 2016, leading the ACC with seven triples, and driving in 25 runs. No other returning player hit above .277, and Jordano does have questions of where offense will come from.

On the mound, senior righties Sam Mersing and Josh Falk return after combining to make 21 starts a season ago, but the headliners are in the bullpen. Junior Isaac Mattson was a standout in the Cape Cod League this past summer, and sophomore Yaya Chentouf was an ACC All-Freshman performer in 2016.

Delaware Blue Hens

Ohio State’s final opponent in Florida is also the most experienced, as Delaware returns its top eight hitter and 10 of its top 11 pitchers from a season ago. The Blue Hens, coached by Jim Sherman, went 33-22 in 2016, but missed the Colonial Athletic Conference’s tourney by two games as a result of a 10-14 mark in conference play.

Delaware’s leading offensive threat is outfielder Jordan Glover, a third-team preseason All-American selection by Collegiate Baseball Magazine. Glover led the Blue Hens in nearly statistical category in 2016, posting a gaudy .360/.443/.555 slash line, 20 doubles, five home runs, 52 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. Sophomores Nick Patten and Kyle Baker also provide pop after being named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-Americans last year.

The pitching staff is anchored by sophomore Brandon Walter, another Freshman All-American in 2016, who along with redshirt junior Ron Marinaccio, gives Sherman an experienced duo at the front of the rotation. The bullpen is also in capable hands, with the lefty-righty combination of Colman Villa and Burk FitzPatrick, who tied for the team lead in saves and combined to make 46 appearances.

Game times and probable pitching matchups


Friday, February 17th, 12:00 p.m. ET vs. Kansas State

Adam Niemeyer (4-2, 4.31 ERA in 2016) vs. Ward (redshirt in 2016)

Saturday, February 18th, 2:00 p.m. ET vs. Delaware

Yianni Pavlopoulos (3-4, 3.03) vs. Nick Spadifino (5-3, 7.01)

Saturday February 18th, 5:00 p.m. ET vs. Pittsburgh

Ryan Feltner (3-4, 4.06) vs. Falk (3-7, 4.77)

Sunday, February 19th, 11:00 a.m. ET vs. Kansas State

Jake Post (redshirt in 2016) vs. Parker Rigler (4-9, 4.89)

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Ohio State makes offer to 4-star defensive end
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The pursuit for this elite recruit involves a familiar foe to the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is on the prowl once again. With a very busy week, Urban Meyer and his staff have been all over the country again as they have sent out offers to several 2018 prospects in hopes to bring the top talent from around the country to Columbus, Ohio. With in-state Ohio prospects of serious importance in 2018, Meyer and Co. may have to be selective in their potential commits as 2018’s class is starting to look similar to the star-studded class of 2017.

Wynn for the win?


The Buckeyes made their presence known at the prestigious Florida IMG Academy in the 2017 class when they signed Marcus Williamson and Isaiah Pryor. However, with the talent that flocks to IMG each year now, the 2017 class alone won’t satisfy the Ohio State football staff.

Yesterday, the Buckeyes went back to IMG Academy and extended their latest offer to 2018 defensive end prospect Stephon Wynn. Listed at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, Wynn is currently No. 5 at his position and the 88th best player at any position in the 2018 class, according to 247sports.com.


While Clemson is the runaway favorite to land Wynn at the moment, being that he is originally from Anderson, S.C., a Buckeye offer certainly isn’t one that he will just shrug off. As things stand right now, Wynn holds offers from 25 schools including the likes of Clemson, Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Miami (FL).

If Urban Meyer and Larry Johnson want to pull roots from the South once again, they’ll have to fight against an all too well-known opponent they’ve seen on and off the field.

Could OSU be next for Thomas?


Ohio State currently has a four-star running back already committed in their 2018 class with Florida’s Brian Snead, but the 2018 class looks to almost assuredly be hauling in at least two at the position, since 2017 only saw J.K. Dobbins sign on the dotted line to be part of the Buckeye backfield.

With a loaded state of Ohio, and the Buckeyes being well liked by many of the nation’s top backs, Meyer and running back coach Tony Alford have a good problem to have. However, Urban recently made it clear that the state of Ohio would see more of an importance in his 2018 class—and rightfully so. The in-state 2018 Ohio kids are as talented as they come and the Buckeyes certainly want to keep a firm grasp on their borders.

Yesterday, in-state running back Tavion Thomas (Dayton, OH / Dunbar) saw not one, but two SEC offers from powers Alabama and Georgia. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound back is the No. 30 best back in the country and the 22nd best prospect in Ohio for 2018.


Rushing for over 1,600 yards as a junior, Thomas has been turning heads for quite some time, but yesterday may have got the ball rolling as fast as it can.

Set to make the short to trip to Columbus and visit Ohio State this weekend (and arriving tomorrow), many are beginning to wonder if the Buckeyes will be true to their word and also follow suit in offering the in-state star. Again, the Buckeyes already have a running back pledge and are high on many more guys, but when perennial powers such as the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs are trying to poach right from your backyard, something has to be done. Time will tell if the Buckeyes are interested in Thomas, but that news could come very soon as Tavion will be on campus in just a few short hours.

Clement in town today


The Buckeyes know better than anybody what no time off means, as this weekend is set to be another larger recruiting weekend when a whole slew of recruits head to Columbus. The weekend gets going today when New Jersey prospect Iverson Clement comes to town.

Listed as an athlete in the 2018 class, Clement is the 25th best at his position and the seventh best in the state of New Jersey, according to 247sports. Before making his visit to Ohio State, Clement was in rival territory visiting both Michigan and Michigan State. Coming away with a Spartan offer, the New Jersey native now has 15 offers including one from the Buckeyes.


While many have expressed to Buckeye fans to be on commitment watch considering Clement, the 247sports crystal ball has Ohio State in total favor of the predications. With it still very early in the process, Ohio State may have Clement wait out his decision, but if a decision is coming as soon as this weekend, the Buckeyes are certainly in great shape to add the four-star athlete to their 2018 class.


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No. 12 Ohio State women 87, Nebraska 69 | Buckeyes win ninth straight game - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


No. 12 Ohio State women 87, Nebraska 69 | Buckeyes win ninth straight game
Columbus Dispatch
No. 12 Ohio State defeated Nebraska 87-69 on Thursday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, meaning the Buckeyes (23-5, 13-1) will play No. 2 Maryland (26-1, 14-0) on Monday at Value City Arena with a share of the regular-season title ...
Williams happy with NU's energy, but Buckeyes rollLincoln Journal Star
Women's basketball: Buckeyes cruise through Cornhuskers, sets up potential game of the year versus MarylandOSU - The Lantern
Worth Watching: Underrated Ohio Prospects Could Play a Role in ...Eleven Warriors
247Sports -Landof10.com -ABC6OnYourSide.com
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Women's basketball: Buckeyes cruise through Cornhuskers, sets up potential game of the year versus Maryland - OSU - The Lantern
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Women's basketball: Buckeyes cruise through Cornhuskers, sets up potential game of the year versus Maryland
OSU - The Lantern
With OSU's leading rebounder and second leading scorer in redshirt junior forward Stephanie Mavunga out with a foot injury, the Buckeyes had six players with nine or more points and seven players with four or more rebounds versus Nebraska to fill the ...
Worth Watching: Underrated Ohio Prospects Could Play a Role in ...Eleven Warriors
Former Alabama commit hearing from Buckeyes247Sports
Ohio State Recruiting Notebook: The latest in Buckeyes recruiting ...Landof10.com
Columbus Dispatch -Land-Grant Holy Land -1011now
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Men's volleyball: Top-ranked Buckeyes to face conference opponents Quincy and Lindenwood over weekend - OSU - The Lantern
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Men's volleyball: Top-ranked Buckeyes to face conference opponents Quincy and Lindenwood over weekend
OSU - The Lantern
The Quincy Hawks come to Columbus having only beat the Buckeyes twice in the 53-game history, and having never beat OSU inside St. John Arena. The Buckeyes have only lost 14 total sets against the Hawks since the teams first met in 1993. The trip to ...


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Ohio State-Nebraska 2017 final score: Women’s basketball beats the Huskers, 87-69
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 ran their winning streak to nine games.

The Ohio State women’s basketball team has now won nine straight games, picking up another victory, 87-69, over Nebraska on the road at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. The Buckeyes, ranked 12th in the country, are now 13-1 in Big Ten play.

Kelsey Mitchell led the way for Ohio State with 27 points, the eighth straight game she has scored at least 20. Freshman Tori McCoy added 12 points and seven rebounds, while Sierra Calhoun contributed 13 of her own to the winning effort.

The Huskers were led by Jessica Shepard, who registered her 22nd career double-double with 28 points and 10 boards. Nicea Eliely also put up 13, the only other member of the team in double figures.

After Nebraska scored the first bucket of the game, Ohio State went on a 9-0 run, holding the Huskers scoreless for three minutes. Three-point makes by Calhoun and Mitchell gave the Buckeyes a 15-6 lead at the media timeout with four and a half minutes to go in the first quarter.

Nebraska turned it over four times in the frame, and shot just 28.6 percent (4-for-14) from the floor, but a scoring drought of two and a half minutes to close out the period meant Ohio State failed to push its advantage, and took a 19-10 lead into the second. Mitchell had eight points to lead all scorers, while Shepard was held scoreless.

The Buckeyes had turnover problems of their own, and went more than three minutes into the quarter without scoring a point. Nebraska couldn’t hit a shot, either, missing its first X shots. A Mitchell three-pointer just under seven minutes to go, followed by a nice dime to McCoy gave Ohio State a 24-11 lead at the media timeout, as the Huskers scoreless streak grew to over four minutes.

After another Calhoun triple, Shepard got her first field goal of the game after missing her first 10 shots. McCoy, filling in for the injured Stephanie Mavunga, controlled the paint, getting back-to-back buckets. The freshman finished the half with eight points and six boards.

An Asia Doss three-pointer and a layup off a turnover for Shayla Cooper pushed the lead out to 38-19, before Shepard made shots on consecutive possessions. Mitchell dropped two free throws, giving her a game-high 15 points, and the Buckeyes went into the locker room with a 40-23 lead.

Despite her early struggles, Shepard scored 10 second quarter points, to go along with six rebounds, both the leading totals for the Huskers, who shot a paltry 28 percent from the field as a team.

Nebraska came out of the half with a newfound urgency, starting the third quarter on a 7-0 run and cutting the deficit to 40-30. A jumper by Kiara Lewis put a stop to that, and another bucketless string for the Huskers, this one lasting five minutes, allowed Ohio State to open its biggest lead at 54-34.

A pair of layups, a jumper, and a free throw gave Linnae Harper seven straight points for the Buckeyes, and the third long-range connection of the game for Calhoun propelled Ohio State to a 64-46 lead as the game moved to the fourth quarter.

In the final frame, Shepard scored eight straight points for Nebraska, and the Buckeye advantage shrunk to 66-54. But a Lewis three-pointer ended the run, and Mitchell’s fourth three-pointer of the game made it 74-58. The Huskers answered with three-pointers by Emily Wood and Eliely, but it would be too little, too late.

Another three from Mitchell, which she followed up with a layup in transition and a step-back jumper, put the final nail in Nebraska’s coffin. The Huskers are now 1-12 in conference play.

Next up for Ohio State is a game that has been circled on the schedule all season, as Big Ten frontrunner and No. 2 team in the nation Maryland will travel to Columbus for a clash of the conference’s two best teams on Monday night. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

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Former Alabama commit hearing from Buckeyes - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Former Alabama commit hearing from Buckeyes
247Sports
1) Another recruiting weekend for the Buckeyes includes an important in-state prospect, Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar running back Tavion Thomas. And the weekend started a bit early for Thomas as he received a scholarship offer from Alabama on Thursday ...

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Buckeyes offer another IMG star - 247Sports
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Buckeyes offer another IMG star
247Sports
What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now! In addition to Ohio State, Wynn's list of offers Clemson, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Georgia, Auburn, Michigan State ...

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8 Buckeyes invited to 2017 NFL Combine - 10TV
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8 Buckeyes invited to 2017 NFL Combine
10TV
CB Gareon Conley (6-0, 195) – Conley was named second-team all-Big Ten by league's coaches in 2016 … played in 42 games for the Buckeyes and started 27 games at cornerback … team captain who ranked second on squad in 2016 with four ...


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Watch: Who will be the new defensive starters for the Buckeyes? - 247Sports
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Watch: Who will be the new defensive starters for the Buckeyes?
247Sports
Ohio State will be breaking in four new starters defensively in 2017. The vacancies are at both cornerback spots, safety, and middle linebacker. Middle linebacker is the most difficult of the group to predict, but Dave Biddle gave his best guess when ...
Ohio State baseball 2017 season preview: Pitching staffLand-Grant Holy Land
What is Next for Ohio State's Defense? Improving From an Impressive 2016 Campaign With Seven Returning StartersEleven Warriors

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Helwagen Chat: What will Wilson's OSU offense look like? - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Helwagen Chat: What will Wilson's OSU offense look like?
247Sports
Patrick Murphy: Of the non-early enrollees, who is the freshman you are most excited about for the Buckeyes? Helwagen: Good question, with so many early enrollees there are a lot of them we will focus on when we are allowed to watch the team this spring.

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Ohio State AD Gene Smith is looking forward to joining the CFP Selection Committee
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


After originally being apprehensive about the CFP, Smith’s tune has changed over the past few years.

“Now, I still feel we have too many bowls. That’s been lost to some degree. From a narrow point of view at Ohio State, they benefit from the BCS. We had more appearances [10] than anybody. I went into the CFP with apprehension. After seeing it, how it worked and seeing how committee set up selection process, I’m a fan now. I think it works.”

- Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith via Dennis Dodd, CBS Sports


As if Gene Smith’s plate wasn’t full enough with his position as Ohio State’s athletic director, this month Smith will begin a three-year term on the College Football Playoff selection committee. What makes Smith’s position on the committee so surprising is the skepticism he had for the playoff when it was first announced. With the third year of the College Football Playoff having been completed last month, Smith has changed his tune quite a bit. It certainly didn’t hurt that in the first year of the CFP, Ohio State was not only included in the playoff, but they went on to win the national title.

This won’t be Smith’s first time on a high-profile selection committee in college sports, as he has served on the NCAA Tournament selection committee in the past. While Smith does have past selection committee experience, he is hoping to talk with Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, who he is replacing on the CFP as the Big Ten representative, later this month at the Big Ten meetings. Just because he’ll be on the CFP committee over the next few years, Smith still plans to be at Ohio State games on Saturdays. Where his schedule will change a bit is on Sundays, when Smith plans to watch a lot of games he’ll have recorded. Even though he’ll be on the committee, Smith doesn’t plan to have to hear any lobbying from head coach Urban Meyer on whether or not Ohio State should be included. Hopefully the Buckeyes play will speak for itself the next three years.

“I just feel at peace that Coach Meyer and his staff, Coach Stud, are going to take care of their players... You used football to get your degree, now take your degree and make something.”

- Ohio State offensive lineman Thayer Munford via Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts


There was plenty of times where for Thayer Munford it must have felt like a pipe dream that he would be able to attend Ohio State. Munford’s journey to Ohio State has been a struggle, with plenty of twists and turns along the way, but hard work from the offensive lineman helped to earn him a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes late in the recruiting process. During his freshman year of high school, Munford’s head coach at Cincinnati LaSalle noticed the talent Munford had, but his grades quickly became an issue. Kevin Moore not only helped Munford to improve his grades, but to curb some of the weight issues that the teenager was dealing with.

After LaSalle won a state championship in Munford’s freshman year, Moore took the job as head coach at Massillon Washington. After Moore left, Munford began to fall back into some of his old habits in the classroom. Munford’s mother decided the best idea to help her son succeed would be to send Thayer to live with the Moores. The move did come at a bit of a price though, as OHSAA suspended Munford for seven games because they believed he was recruited to play at Massillon. Munford still did impress Ohio State coaches at Friday Night Lights, and he also was able to get his grades back in order. It has been quite a four-year journey for Munford, and it is exciting to see how he tackles the next four years in Columbus.

“Steph’s a great player and you don’t just put somebody else in there and replace her. But by committee with the other talented players that we have I think we can definitely do it.”

- Ohio State women’s basketball coach Kevin McGuff via Andrew Erickson, The Columbus Dispatch


After losing Stephanie Mavunga for an undetermined amount of time due to a foot injury, Ohio State was able to improve their Big Ten record to 12-1 with a 88-81 win over Iowa on Sunday. The Buckeyes currently sit a game and a half behind Maryland in the Big Ten standings, with a game against the Terrapins, who are currently ranked second in the country, slated for Monday night in Columbus. Before Ohio State can head into their showdown with Maryland, they have to travel to Nebraska tonight to take on a Cornhusker team that has won just one conference game this year.

While the loss of Mavunga might not show itself too much tonight, it likely will definitely be evident when Ohio State and Maryland clash on Monday night. The redshirt junior transfer from North Carolina was not only Ohio State’s leading rebounder this year, but also was the Buckeyes’ second-leading scorer. Head coach Kevin McGuff knows that it is going to take a total team effort to try and replace what Mavunga brought to the court for the Buckeyes. Shayla Cooper and Sierra Calhoun stepped up against Iowa, and Ohio State is going to need more from them to go along with Kelsey Mitchell’s outstanding play if they want to put a scare into Maryland on Monday night.

STICK TO SPORTS

• The Columbus Zoo is offering free admission on Presidents’ Day.
• Wendy’s is spending $30 million to improve the quality of their chicken.
• Walmart is being sued for creating a fake craft brewery.
• The Nokia 3310 is coming back.

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Wolverines, Buckeyes Coming Together For Autograph Session - CBS Local
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Wolverines, Buckeyes Coming Together For Autograph Session
CBS Local
ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 28: Jabrill Peppers #5 of the Michigan Wolverines eludes the tackle of Gareon Conley #8 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half at Michigan Stadium on November 28, 2015 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory ...
Must-win and trap games of 2017: Michigan WolverinesESPN (blog)

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Four Buckeyes in PFF's top-10 returning Big Ten players - 247Sports
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Four Buckeyes in PFF's top-10 returning Big Ten players
247Sports
"Raekwon McMillan was the name brand of the Buckeye linebacker corps in 2016, but sophomore first-year starter Jerome Baker was every bit as strong a player in Columbus. Look no further than his performance in The Game, as he terrorized the Wolverines ...
Ohio State baseball 2017 season preview: Pitching staffLand-Grant Holy Land
What is Next for Ohio State's Defense? Improving From an Impressive 2016 Campaign With Seven Returning StartersEleven Warriors

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Stop worrying about what position Curtis Samuel plays.
Ian Hartitz via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Running back? Wide receiver? How about playmaker.

Curtis Samuel’s position has been a mystery ever since he was recruited out of Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. Rivals called him a wide receiver. 247 called him a running back. Things cleared up a bit after Samuel’s commitment, as his unique combination of skills, placed in an Urban Meyer offense, inevitably led to Percy Harvin comparisons.

Samuel was featured at running back as a freshman, where he backed up Ezekiel Elliott. He showed flashes of brilliance — and there was no denying he had speed — but Samuel became an afterthought in the offense by the time conference play came around.

After being dubbed as one of Ohio State’s top-five playmakers by coach Urban Meyer prior to the 2015 season, Samuel was once again mostly relegated to a backup role after some explosive plays to start the season. Still, his hands and route-running ability had earned him more reps at H-back in addition to work at running back. The offense would lose Elliott, Braxton Miller, Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall after the season, paving the way for Samuel to emerge as the offense’s featured playmaker. He wouldn’t disappoint.

A mismatch wherever he lined up on the field, Samuel averaged 125 total yards per game and scored 15 total touchdowns this season. His immediate excellence caught the nation by surprise, but his efficiency numbers weren’t all that different from past seasons. Samuel simply took advantage of his newfound surplus of touches in the Buckeyes’ offense:



Samuel was arguably the most-explosive player in college football last season and he made the correct decision of declaring for the 2017 NFL Draft. This is where things could get tricky. Samuel may have done everything right this past season, but he’ll inevitably be nitpicked by draft experts for not having a true position.

He’s not the first athlete to declare for the draft without a true NFL position. What’s interesting is where previous hybrid players were selected in the draft:



Early mock drafts have Samuel going anywhere from the first round to the third. As is the case with most prospects, Samuel’s career will largely be shaped by which team picks him and how willing they are to utilize the First Team All-American. More and more teams have been looking for multi-dimensional running backs that can create mismatches all over the field. Look no further than the Super Bowl, where James White, Dion Lewis, Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman all excelled on both the ground and through the air.

Let’s take a look at what Samuel brings to the table and end any notion that Samuel’s position-less nature is a bad thing. Instead, let’s embrace just how electric he can be.

Curtis the Running Back


Samuel showed flashes of becoming an all-around playmaker during his first two seasons in Columbus, but he truly broke out as a Junior. Sure, plenty of his 97 rushes came on sweeps and plays that focused on getting Samuel outside (cc. Penn State and Oklahoma), but he proved over and over again that he is more than capable of rushing the ball straight up the middle of a defense.

Listed at 5’11” 200 lbs, Samuel is not big. In fact, that weight would place him outside of the top-100 running backs in the NFL terms of weight. But let’s stick with the idea that the league is trending towards smaller, more versatile running backs for a second. Plenty of smaller running backs made an impact this season, as Melvin Gordon, Devonta Freeman, James White and Theo Riddick all weighed less than 210 lbs. Jamaal Charles, Chris Johnson, Dion Lewis and Justin Forsett have all made an impact during recent years and they all weigh less than 200 pounds.

The important point here is that while Samuel’s weight isn’t ideal, he doesn’t play like he’s a small running back. He was never injured during his time at Ohio State and while he showed the ability to stretch the defense horizontally, he proved to be just as slippery between the tackles as he was in the open field:


Ohio State’s offense often schemed ways to get Samuel the ball on the second level with a one-on-one matchup against a defensive back, but he had his fair share of interactions with the front seven as well. Take the Oklahoma game, where he avoids a tackle for a loss to start the half and proceeds to outrun the defense to the edge:


This isn’t to say that Samuel should be a 20-carry back in the NFL. Frankly, there aren’t many of those backs left these days. Out of the 12 playoff teams last season, only the Texans, Dolphins, Steelers and Cowboys regularly featured just one running back in their offense. NFL offenses have continued to spread the field in recent years and players like Samuel who can attack the defense in multiple ways have become more valuable.

Whether you want to label Samuel as a running back with exceptional receiving ability, or a wide receiver with exceptional running ability, doesn’t matter. The point is that Samuel is a threat to make big plays whenever he gets his hands on the football, and his versatile skill-set makes getting him the football easy.

Curtis the Wide Receiver


Defenses will often be faced with a difficult decision when scheming for a player like Samuel. Does he count as a running back or a wide receiver? If they count him as a running back, Samuel possesses enough speed and agility to pose a massive threat out of the backfield against a slower linebacker or safety. If the defense counts Samuel as a wide receiver, he has the ability to skirt between the tackles against an undermanned box.

Ohio State would regularly take advantage of defenses who attempted to cover Samuel with a safety. He would line up as a running back and then motion out to the slot in order to create a one-on-one matchup. The below video doesn’t result in a touchdown, but it’s easy to imagine Samuel executing the same concept at the next level with a more accurate passer:


Once out wide, Samuel is a nightmare to handle. It’d be surprising if he doesn’t run the 40-yard dash in less than 4.5 seconds at this year’s NFL combine and there’s no debating the effectiveness of his fast-twitch agility. Still, he’s more than just a burner at wide receiver, as his route running improved by the season and he even showed the ability to split out wide in certain situations:


Samuel’s ability with the ball in his hands is well respected and his ability to make plays all over the field makes him a fit for any offense. Last season there were 19 different NFL players who received at least 50 carries and 50 targets. If featured in an effective NFL offense, it shouldn’t be hard for Samuel’s next offensive coordinator to add him to that list.

Curtis the Playmaker


At the end of the day, Samuel should be worthy of an early-round draft pick because he was the most-versatile and effective weapon on one of the country’s five-best teams. Ohio State played some pretty great competition this season, but one focal point remained steady on offense regardless of who lined up across the field: get Curtis Samuel the ball.

After all, when the season was on the line against a defense that was loaded with all-conference selections it was Samuel who emerged as the best player on the field:


Samuel will need to add some muscle if he hopes to have a consistent impact running the football. He’ll also need to improve his route running to consistently separate from top-NFL corners. Both of those issues are common for running backs and wide receivers alike, Samuel is just versatile enough that he qualifies for both categories and thus both rounds of criticism. We’ve seen NFL defenses, basketball and even baseball to an extent begin to embrace position-less athletes. Samuel represents the ideal athlete to plug into any system, as once you get him the ball, there really isn’t anything he can’t do.

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Worth Watching: Underrated Ohio Prospects Could Play a Role in the Buckeyes' 2018 Recruiting Plans - Eleven Warriors
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Worth Watching: Underrated Ohio Prospects Could Play a Role in the Buckeyes' 2018 Recruiting Plans
Eleven Warriors
The Buckeyes have extended offers to seven players thus far in the state of Ohio, and while it can be difficult to distinguish between an "offer" and a real offer, one thing that we've learned is that the in-state variety typically seems to mean a bit ...
BH: Dream deferred? | Mikey's mentor247Sports
Recruiting Reset: New York's Jeremy Ruckert tops the list, but Ohio State has options at tight end in 2018Landof10.com

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Ohio State baseball 2017 season preview: Pitching staff
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 lean on an experienced stable of arms this season.

Ohio State baseball will take the field to open its 2017 season on Friday with big questions concerning where the team will get its offensive firepower from. As we pointed out yesterday, having to replace the entire starting infield and two-thirds of the starting outfield will do that. But in spite of the unknowns with the everyday lineup, seventh-year head coach Greg Beals has one position group he can count on: the pitching staff.

“I think the strength of the ballclub is going to be on the mound and it needs to be,” Beals said.

The Buckeyes will be without the services of last season’s Friday starter Tanner Tully, a former Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten selection who was drafted by the Cleveland Indians, Saturday starter John Havird, who graduated, and Michael Horejsei, one of the toughest left-handed relievers in the conference, who was taken by the Chicago White Sox last June. Every other arm that played a major role in 2016 is back, though, along with a veteran returning from injury, a pair of junior college transfers, and a sizable freshmen class.

Last season, Ohio State’s hurlers ranked third in the Big Ten in earned run average (3.35), and struck out more batters than any other staff in the conference, all while gaining valuable experience in big situations during the club’s run through to the Big Ten tournament title and berth in the NCAA tournament.

So Beals and pitching coach Mike Stafford should feel a high level of comfort with the pitching staff, though there are a few holes to fill. With back-to-back four-game weekends to open the new campaign, they’ll have plenty of innings to fill, and an opportunity to find out which players rise to the occasion and thrive on the pressure of the moment.

Let’s take a look at what to expect on the mound for the Buckeyes.

Getting things started


Despite the losses of Tully and Havird from the weekend rotation, Ohio State looks on paper to be set up well with its starters. The leader of this unit will be Adam Niemeyer, a redshirt junior who was voted co-captain by his teammates this year, and who manned the Sunday spot last season.

A right-hander, Niemeyer went 4-2 with a 4.31 ERA in 14 starts covering 71 innings despite being hampered by a lingering hamstring injury last season. The Minster, Ohio native’s strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 6-to-1 was excellent, as was his 1.21 WHIP.

Joining Niemeyer on the weekend will be sophomore Ryan Feltner, who came on strong at the end of his freshman season in 2016. The 6-foot-4 righty from Walsh Jesuit had a 3-4 record with a 4.06 ERA in 20 appearances that included 11 starts. Possessing a fastball in the low 90s, a sharp breaking ball, and a solid changeup, Feltner’s development will be critical if the Buckeyes are to remain a contender in the Big Ten.

The third weekend spot, as well as midweek duties, are up in the air, and several arms are competing for their chance. One will be redshirt junior Yianni Pavlopoulos, who last season served as the team’s closer. Pavlopoulos, returning from Tommy John surgery, led the Big Ten with 14 saves while limiting the opposition to a .229 batting average and averaging more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings. He’ll make his first career start opening weekend, and has the kind of stuff that can translate to a starting role.

Also in the mix will be redshirt senior Jake Post, who sat out 2016 after his own Tommy John surgery. In three years in Columbus prior to the injury, the right-hander was utilized both as a starter and out of the bullpen, amassing a 7-7 mark with a 3.48 ERA in 38 career appearances that include 13 starts. Now healthy, Post provides Beals and Stafford with solid experience and flexibility in usage, and will get a chance during the team’s first weekend to solidify his spot.

Another candidate to spot start in the weekend rotation, and to see a major workload in midweek games, is sophomore Connor Curlis. He appeared in four games as a freshman, yielding two earned runs and collecting 10 strikeouts in six innings of work. The advantage that Curlis has is that, unlike the other names mentioned, he’s a lefty, and can provide a different look to hitters than the other starters.

Ohio State also brought in a pair of pitchers from McLennan Community College in Texas, one of whom, the 6-foot-6 Reece Calvert, should see some innings as a starter. Calvert went 11-2 with a 3.70 ERA in 2016, with a fastball in the low 90s that has room for velocity growth.

The point is that Beals and Stafford have a number of options to start games, and despite the questions about the Buckeyes’ offense scoring runs, should have a good amount of confidence in the team’s ability to keep opponents off the scoreboard.

Finishing things off


Even as the starting pitching for Ohio State looks to be solid, the bullpen has the potential to be among the very best in the Big Ten. Even with a Pavlopoulos move into the rotation, the Buckeyes have the back-end arms to not skip a beat and continue making the late innings a nightmare for opposing batters.

The key cogs for Beals will be the side-winding duo of Seth Kinker and Kyle Michalik, both of whom played crucial roles in the scarlet and gray’s postseason run a season ago. Kinker, who has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List, led the Big Ten with 38 appearances as a sophomore last season, going 6-1 with a 1.65 ERA and two saves in 54.2 innings. He held opponents to a .250 batting average and sported a WHIP of 1.10, and figures to slide into Pavlopoulos’ closer role.

Michalik was similarly nasty, making appearances in relief 19 times, and posting a 4-1 record with a 1.69 ERA and one save. The side-armer from Brunswick, Ohio limited opposing hitters to a .198 average and had an astounding 0.84 WHIP.

Calvert’s McLennan teammate Dustin Jourdan should complement Kinker and Michalik. The righty went 4-0 with a 1.14 ERA in 11 appearances at the JUCO level, covering 23.2 innings. Jourdan averaged over 10 strikeouts per nine innings and posted a 9-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

A fourth righty, and another arm that has experience both starting and relieving is redshirt junior Austin Woodby, who appeared 19 times, including three starts, in his first season in Columbus after transferring from Cincinnati. Woodby had his struggles, posting an ERA of 6.00 and a .323 opponents' batting average, but he went 5-1 and his 39 innings were fifth on the 2016 team.

Finally, redshirt sophomore Thomas Waning, a transfer from Xavier, has made a good impression since joining the program as a side-arming righty, and could also log innings out of the pen.

The only real question for Beals in the bullpen is how to replace Horejsei as the left-handed matchup guy with so many quality right-handed options. Redshirt senior Joe Stoll is the only southpaw outside of Curlis that has college experience. The Lakewood St. Edward standout tossed 19.1 innings of relief a year ago, allowing 11 earned runs (5.12 ERA), striking out 16, and walking eight.

Five members of the freshmen class are also pitchers, and if the fall ball season was any indication, they may need to be brought along carefully. The quintet of Andrew Magno, Michael McDonough, Jake Vance, Gavin Lyon, and Collin Lollar combined to allow 14 earned runs during the Scarlet and Gray Series.

Will it be enough?


Given the amount of offensive production the team has lost, Ohio State will need their pitching staff to perform as strongly as they appear capable of doing. There is championship experience both among the starters and the relievers, and several have the kind of stuff to garner All-Big Ten consideration.

The non-conference schedule, playing high-quality opponents away from home in Florida, Arizona, and North Carolina for the first month of the season, will challenge the team’s arms and allow Beals and Stafford to smooth out the rough edges before Big Ten play gets underway. If the staff comes together as they hope, it should at least keep the Buckeyes competitive as they attempt to find their way back to an NCAA regional for a second straight year.

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Buckeyes continue to recruit Texas hard, offer RB - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes continue to recruit Texas hard, offer RB
247Sports
What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now! In addition to Ohio State, Ingram's list of offers includes Texas, TCU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Baylor, Michigan, Notre Dame, ...

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Thayer Munford's untold journey to become a Buckeye - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Thayer Munford's untold journey to become a Buckeye
247Sports
After the Buckeyes were interested in Thayer early on in high school, Ohio State backed off quite a bit due to the academic and weight issues. With those now under control after moving in with the Moores, Munford showed up to campus in June for a one ...

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