Although I'm happy to have him back because, frankly, we need as many bodies in the WR as we can get, this all frankly just goes to show how asinine and out of control the transfer portal has become.
I'm curious....is there someone on Kentucky's staff who either:
Used to play for MSU/OSU or coach for them?
Has some kind of very, very personal grudge with Michigan?
It sure seems like whoever Michigan is in on, or Michigan has had transfer off its roster, a solid majority of them head to Kentucky or end up getting recruited away by Kentucky.
This isn't like losing a recruit to Georgia where all you can do is just shrug your shoulders and say "yeah that's not surprising." Unless Kentucky is literally offering the moon and stars in NIL money (and maybe they are?), I don't know what they really have as a program that Michigan can't offer at least as much of, if not more. Okay, they play in the SEC, but they are a freaking afterthought in the SEC.
Mark Stoops has made a really good program down there. For Kentucky's standards. But they will never, ever, EVER contend for the SEC, much less win a national championship. To me, at the clip Kentucky is picking up former Michigan players or guys that Michigan is seriously in on, it does sometimes feel like its a targeted approach. I wouldn't bat an eyelash if Michigan were losing these kinds of battles to Texas, Alabama, or Georgia. But losing them to Kentucky, at the rate they're losing them, and it not being a basketball recruiting battle? Its interesting, to say the least.
Oh well. At least Michigan is pretty darn well stocked at RB for the next few years.
While he could probably insert himself right into the starting lineup almost immediately, Michigan has a few things going against it.
Our QB situation looks extremely shaky right now. We have no idea who's going to be throwing the ball next year, and if that QB is going to be able to reliably throw the ball at all.
We are a very, very run-oriented team until proven otherwise. I don't doubt that Sherrone will start forming his own identity, unique from Harbaugh's, in the coming years. But for now, the personnel and make-up of this team is designed specifically to run the ball.
Does a guy who's catching 70 passes a year want any part of that? Maybe, but I'd also say it depends greatly on who else is offering him, because I'm not sure how much he's going to get the ball in his hands next year even if Sherrone wants to throw the ball.
It wouldn't shock me in the slightest to learn that Saul Goodman was inspired, at least partially, off Lionel Hutz. Especially considering Bob Odenkirk's brother is a writer/producer for The Simpsons.
To me, all of this is just OSU fans telling themselves what they want to hear. Michigan shattered their twenty year indestructible cocoon of success. Michigan couldn't have been better than them on the field. They just couldn't have been. There HAD to be some other explanation.
This whole Sign-Gate deal allows them to take that feeling and run with it. It allows them to return to the 2000-2020 days where all was right with their world.
If cheating was the only reason Michigan won, then why couldn't they stop Hassan Haskins? Michigan practically telegraphed its gameplan in the second half of 2021 and OSU STILL couldn't stop it. They didn't want to pass. Didn't bother trying. They still mowed OSU the f**k over.
Why couldn't they tackle Donovan Edwards in 2022? What does that have to do with sign stealing? Why didn't Sainristil know exactly where Stover was on that 3rd down play? Why did Sainristil have to sprint basically half the width of the field to catch up and break up that pass? If we knew the play, shouldn't someone have been blanketing Stover like a glove?
Why didn't Michigan fall apart before the 2023 Game? I mean hey, the jig was up when OSU came to town. Stallions was gone, Harbaugh was suspended, Michigan couldn't steal their signs, Michigan lost Zinter and Johnson for large portions of that game and OSU still lost.
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At what point do you just take some f*****g personal accountability and say "You know what, maybe the other team was just better than mine today."
That ol' NCAA hammer coming down on Michigan aaaaaaaany day now!!!! Get your popcorn ready, because justice is at hand!!!! They have no idea what they're in for. DEATH PENALTY!!!!!
So who's going to decide, during all of this revenue sharing, who earns what amounts? I can't imagine Michigan and OSU are going to be very happy if their players are making the same money as Rutgers or Northwestern players. Or if Alabama and Georgia players are making the same as Vanderbilt players?
And then if they do all get equal shares, then what's stopping the setup we have right now where boosters come in to "be the difference-makers"?
At this point, with stuff like this or with Kadyn Procter transferring to Iowa just to transfer back to Alabama, its just comical. I hope whatever institution replaces the NCAA can put some common sense rules in place that addresses these issues.
I can't imagine how infuriating it must be to be a college coach these days, knowing that you really have no idea who's going to be on your roster in any given year. Especially when a kid leaves, comes back, and then can just leave again if he feels like it. I get that this is a bit of a unique situation since May is coming in and recruiting "his own guys" in the portal, but to enter the portal, come back, and then re-enter again in a few short weeks just feels like it shouldn't be allowed.
If a new coach comes in with his own philosophy and it doesn't jive with yours, so be it. You should get to transfer somewhere else and play immediately. That coach wasn't who you signed up for. I'm all for that. But to then come back, and then want to transfer out again?
As a Tampa native, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Tropicana Field should be at the absolute bottom of the list for MLB parks, and it shouldn't even be close.
There are great baseball stadiums, and then there are bad baseball stadiums. Then there is 500 yards of crap, and THEN there's Tropicana Field.
That pit is an insult to the game of baseball, and unless you live right in downtown St. Pete there is no easy way to get to the game. Tampa/St Pete do not have good public transportation between the two cities, and if you live in Tampa and don't want to drive to the game, pay for parking, etc., you're probably looking at paying at least ~$100 for Uber. Depending on where you live in Tampa, that could be $100 one way.
They've drafted up a proposal for a new stadium, but keeping it in St. Pete would be (in my opinion) a mistake. You're taking the game away from your population center in Tampa. That's why the Lightning have such a great setup. Amalie Arena is right downtown, in an area that has been completely revitalized over the last 10-15 years and packed to the gills with young up and comers with money to spend.
But I digress....
As far as my favorites. In no particular order:
Wrigley - You really can't ever go wrong with a game at Wrigley, and sitting in the outfield bleachers is a rite of passage. The scene outside the stadium is always great too.
AT&T Park - is that what its still called? Anywho, the park the Giants play at is beautiful. Only seen one game there like 10 years ago but I'd love to go back. I always thought people kayaking out in the water beyond the outfield, waiting for home run balls was the coolest thing.
Fenway - only been to one game at Fenway but its another one where you just can't beat the old time charm it offers.
Camden Yards - Can't say I've been to a ballpark that feels so new and yet so "old time" at the same time.
Busch Stadium - I think just getting the backdrop of downtown right in the outfield made it a really cool, beautiful stadium to go see a game at. Couple that with St. Louis being a big baseball town.
That's it. That's the kicker right there, and the big massive question mark that we won't know for some time.
No one will argue that on paper, this is a pretty good team now. They're not going to win the Big Ten, but they've got some players for sure. The issue is that almost none of them have played together (not the guys who will be starting or be important rotation pieces anyway) and they've got bad history going against them when it comes to teams that have built through the portal. I think NC State was one of two teams last year that built mostly through the portal and made the tournament, and Final Four run aside, they barelymade it in as a 17-14 team to begin with.
Granted, Dusty built this roster through the portal out of sheer necessity, so he gets a pass for that this season. But these guys still have to learn how to play together, and do it in a relatively short amount of time. I think they have the talent to make the tournament, but I hold no expectations about them actuallymaking the tournament.
At the end of the day, we've got to remember that its just a game. Personal health and well-being (mental and physical) are infinitely more important than what's on the scoreboard.
Also got to remember that a lot of these guys either played high school ball against each other, were teammates in high school, or did the recruiting circuits together, so they're still friends off the field (or just know each other really well) even if they're hated rivals when they step on the field.
I mean at this point, they're both playing for the same team. The rivalry will always be the rivalry, but now they have a common interest. You're in the big leagues now, so all that matters at this level is winning for that team. I'm sure there will be some playful banter back and forth, but at this point, all its about is winning for the Browns. I'm sure they both recognize that.
Same goes for the fans. I may have hated MHJ in college, but if my team drafted him, hey, he's on my team now, so of course I'm going to root for him.
Meyer had a Really good track record on that at OSU. Malik Hooker immediately comes to mind. Pretty sure he was a generic three star nobody that Meyer molded into a ball hawking first rounder.
His life, his choice. If Kentucky is going to offer him more money then so be it.
Hard not to think he’s making a short term decision without considering the potentially greater long term, but I don’t know his personal situation. Maybe he’s got a family he needs to provide for.
Looks like Kyren has missed 12 games over the last two seasons. That is nearly two thirds of a whole season. Sure looks like Blake could be in line to get a lot of touches if those injury trends keep up.
Looks like Kyren has missed 12 games over the last two seasons. That is nearly two thirds of a whole season. Sure looks like Blake could be in line to get a lot of touches if those injury trends keep up.
Blake’s work ethic is second to none, and he is the exact kind of person and mentality that you want in your locker room. As long as he can stay healthy, he can carve out a really good career in the league.
Best of luck to him. He may be a guy who just belongs in the NBA, and there’s no shame in that.
He handled his firing with a lot of professionalism and dignity, from his Alma mater no less. So regardless of how his coaching career here ended you’ve got to respect him a ton for that.
I really hope he does well, and hope he one day gets a shot to lead an NBA team.
I've seen some mocks with Roman heading to the Chargers, but I won't be surprised if Harbaugh picks up Corum tonight.
I'm thinking there's probably a bigger need for the Chargers at WR than there is at RB, but there's been a few rumors floating around that the Chargers will "do whatever it takes" to land Corum tonight. Now I don't know if that's just Jim trying to prop his guy up and get him drafted higher. Maybe. He also has Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins on his roster now, and if Dobbins can stay healthy then his RB room is pretty good already. But that's a big if.
If Jim decides he needs a running back, and I can't imagine Harbaugh wanting any RB in this year's draft class more than Corum. He knows what Corum can do, he knows his work ethic, he knows literally everything there is to know about him.
I'm not sure he would've been taken last night even if he was healthy. Definitely possible he would've been but I don't remember hearing him get a lot of first round hype, but that injury he got was pretty gnarly.
I won't even be surprised if he's still on the board come tomorrow morning. Whoever picks him up will get tremendous value in that situation, absolutely. But he had a pretty bad injury late in the season, couldn't really participate in the combine, so that's a lot for him to overcome. But I'm confident he can do it.
Makes sense. Come back and play for a title contender. You're likely not someone with an NBA future, so stick around at Kansas and make a ton of money, be the BMOC before you probably head off to an international league and make even more money.
Not saying anything here than most everyone else hasn't already said, but I think JJ ended up in the best possible spot he could've ended up in with teams that were clearly looking for a QB. He's walking into a situation where he gets to throw to the best receiver in the league, has a really good TE, a really good RB to lean on, and what sounds like at least a decent to good OL. I imagine he'll still have some rookie QB growing pains, but he's been set up for success.
Jadyn Daniels and especially Drake Maye are walking into barren wastelands with their respective teams. They've got no reliable help (currently) around them. Caleb Williams does have some help around him, and picking up Odunze was a smart move with that ninth pick, but they are still very much a work in progress. I don't recall their OL being all that good so Williams could be running for his life quite a bit.
Only other team that would've intrigued me for JJ is going to Denver, solely because I'm curious what Sean Payton could've molded him into. If he could've made him into his next Drew Brees, but I'd also feel bad that JJ would be walking into a really lean situation with Denver for the next few years as they get out from under Russell Wilson's cap hit, and then they still have to contend with Pat Mahomes for the next decade at least.
His only knock is playing for a run heavy team. It seems like all the rage these days is needing to find QBs who are in a Lincoln Riley-esque offense where the QB is the sole focus, needing to throw 40-50x / game.
Which is fine, if that's what you want. But that's not the only avenue of finding a winning QB.
It's fair to ask "can he be trusted to carry the team when called upon," but at the same time, what these folks should also be asking themselves is "We do like what he has shown us so far, so how much more of that do we think we can squeeze out of him?" Instead of a limitation, you can look at it as an opportunity for untapped potential.
The Falcons also just gave Cousins a four year, $120 million deal. Penix is going to be 28 when that contract expires. You don’t spend a top 10 pick on a guy who can’t help you until 3-4 years down the line. Even if he’s ready before that, you’re on the hook for all that money you just gave to Cousins.
Atlanta still in a drunken stupor from the 28-3 debacle.
Such a fucking stupid move by Atlanta. Nothing against Penix, a really good talent (when he has a clean pocket), but I’d bet $100 he was otherwise still going to be there when Atlanta picked in the second round tomorrow, and Atlanta BADLY needed help on their DL.
Besides, with just signing Kirk Cousins to a four year deal, you don’t waste a top 10 pick on a guy who can’t help your franchise for at least 2-3 years.
The NFL has no issue handing out a Super Bowl hosting to a cold weather city, as long as its in a dome. Which is why Detroit has gotten to host, as has Indy and Minneapolis. But they'll never risk giving it out to Boston, Buffalo, Philly, Chicago, Green Bay or Cleveland because they don't want to risk a blizzard coming through and holding everything up.
NYC is the only city in recent memory that has gotten to host a cold weather Super Bowl outdoors. Sure, MetLife Stadium was just built, but also, its NYC. They were going to get an exception.
That said, I'd wager most of the students probably don't care beyond surface level interest and "well its my school so I'll root for them, I guess." Stanford has a lot of great athletic programs (obviously), but its never struck me as a school who's general student body really cares about those athletic programs. At least not to the degree you'd see at Michigan.
Most of them are all too busy getting ready to be our bosses one day.
As long as you win, fans should not really care how you do it on the field. The win at Penn State was not sexy by any stretch. JJ didn't play a great game, but that was because he didn't have to.
Sherrone was smart enough to realize he didn't need to have JJ play a great game. He could trust his defense to shut down a rancid PSU offense, and just trust his offense to chew up some clock and not make mistakes against a really good PSU defense. And lo and behold, that allowed them to win. On the road in a really unprecedented situation. Everything else is just minor details.
OSU/MSU fans will look at that and say "See, see, see, JJ is garbage, it was all because of the sign-stealing, look how he regressed against actual competition." I'd much rather JJ go 7/8 for 65 yards, no scores and a W, vs. having him go 32/45 for 345 yards, 2 TDs, 2 picks and a big, fat L. All those big, sexy passing yards CJ Stroud had the last two years against Michigan, what did they get him? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I'd rather Michigan win ugly, or when "the old school" way then lose sexy. Let OSU worry about being sexy. That's probably why their program is where it is.
It probably makes sense. They're never going to be able to compete with the B1G/SEC, they'll never get a seat at the table or get much in the way of respect. They get one bid to the CFP between all of them, almost certainly a first round away game / bludgeoning they'll take from some B1G/SEC powerhouse, and everyone else is fighting for the Idaho Potato Bowl.
This could be an opportunity for them to break away, form their own G5 CFP, broker their own TV deal, and call the shots for how they want it to be run. Sure, their playoffs won't be considered "the best of the best," but it'll be their's. Their's to do with as they see fit. They'd be in control, and that's something they'll never have in the current college football landscape. I'm sure they can go out and hire a bunch of smart marketing gurus who'd be able to help them market this new playoff alliance and get a lot of eyeballs on it.
For all of Pettiti's flaws that he's put on display since taking the job, I thought that his big strength was supposed to be that he was an ace TV negotiator. Wasn't that what he was known for when he did his work in MLB?
If that's true, wouldn't this be an area where we'd (sigh.....) want Pettiti around to negotiate on the Big Ten's behalf?
We got guys with more starzzzz so we never wanted him anyway.
He's not tough enough for Ryan Day's culture
Either way, taking guys from Ohio has been very beneficial for us in the past. They're almost always the guys who step up their game big time whenever OSU comes around. Would be happy to have this kid on board.
He’s put together a roster that, on paper, can compete to make the tournament. But those pieces all have to come together and learn how to play together in a (relatively) short amount of time. That’s not a given.
If this team hits its ceiling, makes a best case scenario, they can absolutely be a protected seed in the tournament next year. But I still expect to see growing pains next year. These are a bunch of guys who’ve never played together. I think being a bubble team is a reasonable expectation, but if they make the tournament next year, that’s a freaking awesome coaching job by May.
All I really expect to see is just getting better week to week. This is still Year 1 of an entirely new regime.
Brian addressed this on the podcast. I'm going to paraphrase here because I don't remember exactly what he said, but Brian basically said that given Wolf's physical attributes, if he could play the four, he'd be heading off to the NBA right now.
If not, and we are deciding to splurge, maybe an Audi Q7. My wife has been wanting an Audi for years, but its probably more likely that we end up with a Toyota Highlander or 4Runner. Something that's easy to pack the kids and two dogs in the back.
The Audi is probably getting saved for when both kids are out of the house. She's said either that or a Jeep Wrangler is probably going to be her "mid-life crisis" car.
As for me, I don't pay enough attention to know what kind of car I should really want. My parents never splurged on cars when I was growing up, despite probably being able to if they wanted. They drove around in Toyota Avalons, Sequoias and Nissan Pathfinders. Not bad cars by any stretch, but nothing I'd call luxurious. I'm a little bit of the same mindset. I don't want to drive a Taurus, but as long as it gets me from A to B, I'll be alright.
The only hard and fast rule we have in our house is absolutely no minivans. Not now, not ever.
Falcons are not going to spend a top-10 pick on a guy who won't see the field for 2-3 years. I live in Atlanta, and the local media are talking about how Cousins was brought in to win now. Not be a "stop-gap" QB like what they had with Mariota.
My money is on Atlanta taking a QB in the middle rounds. Someone like a Spencer Rattler or Jordan Travis who they can bring in, set the expectation that he's holding a clipboard for a few years, but can marinate for a while and then compete for the starting job once Cousins' contract is up.
Falcons need a lot more help in other areas, regardless. They badly need help on their defensive line, so the general consensus is that they will take Dallas Turner. But I won't be surprised if they trade down with a team that badly needs a QB, pick up some draft capital and pick up the guy from UCLA instead. Possible they could try to grab a corner to help opposite AJ Terrell also.
Fine by me. I loved night games when I was a student, because I meant I could drink all day before the game. Now, with two kids and my wife and I usually being in bed by 9:30 every night, I am more than happy to take in a noon game.
We shut off all our cable after the Super Bowl. We’ve still got Hulu, Prime and Netflix, but until football season comes back it’s not worth paying the $72/month for YouTube tv.
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Although I'm happy to have him back because, frankly, we need as many bodies in the WR as we can get, this all frankly just goes to show how asinine and out of control the transfer portal has become.
I'm curious....is there someone on Kentucky's staff who either:
It sure seems like whoever Michigan is in on, or Michigan has had transfer off its roster, a solid majority of them head to Kentucky or end up getting recruited away by Kentucky.
This isn't like losing a recruit to Georgia where all you can do is just shrug your shoulders and say "yeah that's not surprising." Unless Kentucky is literally offering the moon and stars in NIL money (and maybe they are?), I don't know what they really have as a program that Michigan can't offer at least as much of, if not more. Okay, they play in the SEC, but they are a freaking afterthought in the SEC.
Mark Stoops has made a really good program down there. For Kentucky's standards. But they will never, ever, EVER contend for the SEC, much less win a national championship. To me, at the clip Kentucky is picking up former Michigan players or guys that Michigan is seriously in on, it does sometimes feel like its a targeted approach. I wouldn't bat an eyelash if Michigan were losing these kinds of battles to Texas, Alabama, or Georgia. But losing them to Kentucky, at the rate they're losing them, and it not being a basketball recruiting battle? Its interesting, to say the least.
Oh well. At least Michigan is pretty darn well stocked at RB for the next few years.
While he could probably insert himself right into the starting lineup almost immediately, Michigan has a few things going against it.
Does a guy who's catching 70 passes a year want any part of that? Maybe, but I'd also say it depends greatly on who else is offering him, because I'm not sure how much he's going to get the ball in his hands next year even if Sherrone wants to throw the ball.
It wouldn't shock me in the slightest to learn that Saul Goodman was inspired, at least partially, off Lionel Hutz. Especially considering Bob Odenkirk's brother is a writer/producer for The Simpsons.
Yeah. Sure. It may be technically closed, but I doubt its ever really going to be closed again.
As Lionel Hutz would say:
"There's, the truth........and, THE TRUTH!!"
To me, all of this is just OSU fans telling themselves what they want to hear. Michigan shattered their twenty year indestructible cocoon of success. Michigan couldn't have been better than them on the field. They just couldn't have been. There HAD to be some other explanation.
This whole Sign-Gate deal allows them to take that feeling and run with it. It allows them to return to the 2000-2020 days where all was right with their world.
If cheating was the only reason Michigan won, then why couldn't they stop Hassan Haskins? Michigan practically telegraphed its gameplan in the second half of 2021 and OSU STILL couldn't stop it. They didn't want to pass. Didn't bother trying. They still mowed OSU the f**k over.
Why couldn't they tackle Donovan Edwards in 2022? What does that have to do with sign stealing? Why didn't Sainristil know exactly where Stover was on that 3rd down play? Why did Sainristil have to sprint basically half the width of the field to catch up and break up that pass? If we knew the play, shouldn't someone have been blanketing Stover like a glove?
Why didn't Michigan fall apart before the 2023 Game? I mean hey, the jig was up when OSU came to town. Stallions was gone, Harbaugh was suspended, Michigan couldn't steal their signs, Michigan lost Zinter and Johnson for large portions of that game and OSU still lost.
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At what point do you just take some f*****g personal accountability and say "You know what, maybe the other team was just better than mine today."
That kid may need a fresh start more than anyone who was on last year's team.
Best of luck to him.
That ol' NCAA hammer coming down on Michigan aaaaaaaany day now!!!! Get your popcorn ready, because justice is at hand!!!! They have no idea what they're in for. DEATH PENALTY!!!!!
-11W, probably
So who's going to decide, during all of this revenue sharing, who earns what amounts? I can't imagine Michigan and OSU are going to be very happy if their players are making the same money as Rutgers or Northwestern players. Or if Alabama and Georgia players are making the same as Vanderbilt players?
And then if they do all get equal shares, then what's stopping the setup we have right now where boosters come in to "be the difference-makers"?
And then afterwards watching Harbaugh sing The Victors by himself in the Chargers war room....
He's still a weirdo, but he'll always be our weirdo.
At this point, with stuff like this or with Kadyn Procter transferring to Iowa just to transfer back to Alabama, its just comical. I hope whatever institution replaces the NCAA can put some common sense rules in place that addresses these issues.
I can't imagine how infuriating it must be to be a college coach these days, knowing that you really have no idea who's going to be on your roster in any given year. Especially when a kid leaves, comes back, and then can just leave again if he feels like it. I get that this is a bit of a unique situation since May is coming in and recruiting "his own guys" in the portal, but to enter the portal, come back, and then re-enter again in a few short weeks just feels like it shouldn't be allowed.
If a new coach comes in with his own philosophy and it doesn't jive with yours, so be it. You should get to transfer somewhere else and play immediately. That coach wasn't who you signed up for. I'm all for that. But to then come back, and then want to transfer out again?
Man, at that point that's on you.....
As a Tampa native, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Tropicana Field should be at the absolute bottom of the list for MLB parks, and it shouldn't even be close.
There are great baseball stadiums, and then there are bad baseball stadiums. Then there is 500 yards of crap, and THEN there's Tropicana Field.
That pit is an insult to the game of baseball, and unless you live right in downtown St. Pete there is no easy way to get to the game. Tampa/St Pete do not have good public transportation between the two cities, and if you live in Tampa and don't want to drive to the game, pay for parking, etc., you're probably looking at paying at least ~$100 for Uber. Depending on where you live in Tampa, that could be $100 one way.
They've drafted up a proposal for a new stadium, but keeping it in St. Pete would be (in my opinion) a mistake. You're taking the game away from your population center in Tampa. That's why the Lightning have such a great setup. Amalie Arena is right downtown, in an area that has been completely revitalized over the last 10-15 years and packed to the gills with young up and comers with money to spend.
But I digress....
As far as my favorites. In no particular order:
"If the team gels"
That's it. That's the kicker right there, and the big massive question mark that we won't know for some time.
No one will argue that on paper, this is a pretty good team now. They're not going to win the Big Ten, but they've got some players for sure. The issue is that almost none of them have played together (not the guys who will be starting or be important rotation pieces anyway) and they've got bad history going against them when it comes to teams that have built through the portal. I think NC State was one of two teams last year that built mostly through the portal and made the tournament, and Final Four run aside, they barely made it in as a 17-14 team to begin with.
Granted, Dusty built this roster through the portal out of sheer necessity, so he gets a pass for that this season. But these guys still have to learn how to play together, and do it in a relatively short amount of time. I think they have the talent to make the tournament, but I hold no expectations about them actually making the tournament.
At the end of the day, we've got to remember that its just a game. Personal health and well-being (mental and physical) are infinitely more important than what's on the scoreboard.
Also got to remember that a lot of these guys either played high school ball against each other, were teammates in high school, or did the recruiting circuits together, so they're still friends off the field (or just know each other really well) even if they're hated rivals when they step on the field.
I mean at this point, they're both playing for the same team. The rivalry will always be the rivalry, but now they have a common interest. You're in the big leagues now, so all that matters at this level is winning for that team. I'm sure there will be some playful banter back and forth, but at this point, all its about is winning for the Browns. I'm sure they both recognize that.
Same goes for the fans. I may have hated MHJ in college, but if my team drafted him, hey, he's on my team now, so of course I'm going to root for him.
Meyer had a Really good track record on that at OSU. Malik Hooker immediately comes to mind. Pretty sure he was a generic three star nobody that Meyer molded into a ball hawking first rounder.
Couldn’t be happier for him. At the same time, as a Bucs fan, I hate having to root against him twice a year.
His life, his choice. If Kentucky is going to offer him more money then so be it.
Hard not to think he’s making a short term decision without considering the potentially greater long term, but I don’t know his personal situation. Maybe he’s got a family he needs to provide for.
Looks like Kyren has missed 12 games over the last two seasons. That is nearly two thirds of a whole season. Sure looks like Blake could be in line to get a lot of touches if those injury trends keep up.
Looks like Kyren has missed 12 games over the last two seasons. That is nearly two thirds of a whole season. Sure looks like Blake could be in line to get a lot of touches if those injury trends keep up.
Deserves any and all success coming his way.
Blake’s work ethic is second to none, and he is the exact kind of person and mentality that you want in your locker room. As long as he can stay healthy, he can carve out a really good career in the league.
They took him at pick # 69
Nice.
Best of luck to him. He may be a guy who just belongs in the NBA, and there’s no shame in that.
He handled his firing with a lot of professionalism and dignity, from his Alma mater no less. So regardless of how his coaching career here ended you’ve got to respect him a ton for that.
I really hope he does well, and hope he one day gets a shot to lead an NBA team.
Would welcome him back.
In the words of Animal House
WE NEED THE DUDES
I've seen some mocks with Roman heading to the Chargers, but I won't be surprised if Harbaugh picks up Corum tonight.
I'm thinking there's probably a bigger need for the Chargers at WR than there is at RB, but there's been a few rumors floating around that the Chargers will "do whatever it takes" to land Corum tonight. Now I don't know if that's just Jim trying to prop his guy up and get him drafted higher. Maybe. He also has Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins on his roster now, and if Dobbins can stay healthy then his RB room is pretty good already. But that's a big if.
If Jim decides he needs a running back, and I can't imagine Harbaugh wanting any RB in this year's draft class more than Corum. He knows what Corum can do, he knows his work ethic, he knows literally everything there is to know about him.
I'm not sure he would've been taken last night even if he was healthy. Definitely possible he would've been but I don't remember hearing him get a lot of first round hype, but that injury he got was pretty gnarly.
I won't even be surprised if he's still on the board come tomorrow morning. Whoever picks him up will get tremendous value in that situation, absolutely. But he had a pretty bad injury late in the season, couldn't really participate in the combine, so that's a lot for him to overcome. But I'm confident he can do it.
He was a consensus All American for a reason.
Makes sense. Come back and play for a title contender. You're likely not someone with an NBA future, so stick around at Kansas and make a ton of money, be the BMOC before you probably head off to an international league and make even more money.
Not saying anything here than most everyone else hasn't already said, but I think JJ ended up in the best possible spot he could've ended up in with teams that were clearly looking for a QB. He's walking into a situation where he gets to throw to the best receiver in the league, has a really good TE, a really good RB to lean on, and what sounds like at least a decent to good OL. I imagine he'll still have some rookie QB growing pains, but he's been set up for success.
Jadyn Daniels and especially Drake Maye are walking into barren wastelands with their respective teams. They've got no reliable help (currently) around them. Caleb Williams does have some help around him, and picking up Odunze was a smart move with that ninth pick, but they are still very much a work in progress. I don't recall their OL being all that good so Williams could be running for his life quite a bit.
Only other team that would've intrigued me for JJ is going to Denver, solely because I'm curious what Sean Payton could've molded him into. If he could've made him into his next Drew Brees, but I'd also feel bad that JJ would be walking into a really lean situation with Denver for the next few years as they get out from under Russell Wilson's cap hit, and then they still have to contend with Pat Mahomes for the next decade at least.
His only knock is playing for a run heavy team. It seems like all the rage these days is needing to find QBs who are in a Lincoln Riley-esque offense where the QB is the sole focus, needing to throw 40-50x / game.
Which is fine, if that's what you want. But that's not the only avenue of finding a winning QB.
It's fair to ask "can he be trusted to carry the team when called upon," but at the same time, what these folks should also be asking themselves is "We do like what he has shown us so far, so how much more of that do we think we can squeeze out of him?" Instead of a limitation, you can look at it as an opportunity for untapped potential.
The Falcons also just gave Cousins a four year, $120 million deal. Penix is going to be 28 when that contract expires. You don’t spend a top 10 pick on a guy who can’t help you until 3-4 years down the line. Even if he’s ready before that, you’re on the hook for all that money you just gave to Cousins.
Atlanta still in a drunken stupor from the 28-3 debacle.
Such a fucking stupid move by Atlanta. Nothing against Penix, a really good talent (when he has a clean pocket), but I’d bet $100 he was otherwise still going to be there when Atlanta picked in the second round tomorrow, and Atlanta BADLY needed help on their DL.
Besides, with just signing Kirk Cousins to a four year deal, you don’t waste a top 10 pick on a guy who can’t help your franchise for at least 2-3 years.
Thank god.
JJ’s career would’ve been over before it even started if the Giants drafted him. Guess Danny Dimes gets one more year.
Could not have been a more Harbaugh pick.
Lining up the beef just so he can draft Corum tomorrow and run teams into the ground.
The NFL has no issue handing out a Super Bowl hosting to a cold weather city, as long as its in a dome. Which is why Detroit has gotten to host, as has Indy and Minneapolis. But they'll never risk giving it out to Boston, Buffalo, Philly, Chicago, Green Bay or Cleveland because they don't want to risk a blizzard coming through and holding everything up.
NYC is the only city in recent memory that has gotten to host a cold weather Super Bowl outdoors. Sure, MetLife Stadium was just built, but also, its NYC. They were going to get an exception.
Some of them, sure.
That said, I'd wager most of the students probably don't care beyond surface level interest and "well its my school so I'll root for them, I guess." Stanford has a lot of great athletic programs (obviously), but its never struck me as a school who's general student body really cares about those athletic programs. At least not to the degree you'd see at Michigan.
Most of them are all too busy getting ready to be our bosses one day.
As long as you win, fans should not really care how you do it on the field. The win at Penn State was not sexy by any stretch. JJ didn't play a great game, but that was because he didn't have to.
Sherrone was smart enough to realize he didn't need to have JJ play a great game. He could trust his defense to shut down a rancid PSU offense, and just trust his offense to chew up some clock and not make mistakes against a really good PSU defense. And lo and behold, that allowed them to win. On the road in a really unprecedented situation. Everything else is just minor details.
OSU/MSU fans will look at that and say "See, see, see, JJ is garbage, it was all because of the sign-stealing, look how he regressed against actual competition." I'd much rather JJ go 7/8 for 65 yards, no scores and a W, vs. having him go 32/45 for 345 yards, 2 TDs, 2 picks and a big, fat L. All those big, sexy passing yards CJ Stroud had the last two years against Michigan, what did they get him? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I'd rather Michigan win ugly, or when "the old school" way then lose sexy. Let OSU worry about being sexy. That's probably why their program is where it is.
Guess it’s officially Jyaire Hill time.
It probably makes sense. They're never going to be able to compete with the B1G/SEC, they'll never get a seat at the table or get much in the way of respect. They get one bid to the CFP between all of them, almost certainly a first round away game / bludgeoning they'll take from some B1G/SEC powerhouse, and everyone else is fighting for the Idaho Potato Bowl.
This could be an opportunity for them to break away, form their own G5 CFP, broker their own TV deal, and call the shots for how they want it to be run. Sure, their playoffs won't be considered "the best of the best," but it'll be their's. Their's to do with as they see fit. They'd be in control, and that's something they'll never have in the current college football landscape. I'm sure they can go out and hire a bunch of smart marketing gurus who'd be able to help them market this new playoff alliance and get a lot of eyeballs on it.
For all of Pettiti's flaws that he's put on display since taking the job, I thought that his big strength was supposed to be that he was an ace TV negotiator. Wasn't that what he was known for when he did his work in MLB?
If that's true, wouldn't this be an area where we'd (sigh.....) want Pettiti around to negotiate on the Big Ten's behalf?
Lemme guess.....
Either way, taking guys from Ohio has been very beneficial for us in the past. They're almost always the guys who step up their game big time whenever OSU comes around. Would be happy to have this kid on board.
He’s put together a roster that, on paper, can compete to make the tournament. But those pieces all have to come together and learn how to play together in a (relatively) short amount of time. That’s not a given.
If this team hits its ceiling, makes a best case scenario, they can absolutely be a protected seed in the tournament next year. But I still expect to see growing pains next year. These are a bunch of guys who’ve never played together. I think being a bubble team is a reasonable expectation, but if they make the tournament next year, that’s a freaking awesome coaching job by May.
All I really expect to see is just getting better week to week. This is still Year 1 of an entirely new regime.
Brian addressed this on the podcast. I'm going to paraphrase here because I don't remember exactly what he said, but Brian basically said that given Wolf's physical attributes, if he could play the four, he'd be heading off to the NBA right now.
Are my two kids still in daycare?
If not, and we are deciding to splurge, maybe an Audi Q7. My wife has been wanting an Audi for years, but its probably more likely that we end up with a Toyota Highlander or 4Runner. Something that's easy to pack the kids and two dogs in the back.
The Audi is probably getting saved for when both kids are out of the house. She's said either that or a Jeep Wrangler is probably going to be her "mid-life crisis" car.
As for me, I don't pay enough attention to know what kind of car I should really want. My parents never splurged on cars when I was growing up, despite probably being able to if they wanted. They drove around in Toyota Avalons, Sequoias and Nissan Pathfinders. Not bad cars by any stretch, but nothing I'd call luxurious. I'm a little bit of the same mindset. I don't want to drive a Taurus, but as long as it gets me from A to B, I'll be alright.
The only hard and fast rule we have in our house is absolutely no minivans. Not now, not ever.
Falcons are not going to spend a top-10 pick on a guy who won't see the field for 2-3 years. I live in Atlanta, and the local media are talking about how Cousins was brought in to win now. Not be a "stop-gap" QB like what they had with Mariota.
My money is on Atlanta taking a QB in the middle rounds. Someone like a Spencer Rattler or Jordan Travis who they can bring in, set the expectation that he's holding a clipboard for a few years, but can marinate for a while and then compete for the starting job once Cousins' contract is up.
Falcons need a lot more help in other areas, regardless. They badly need help on their defensive line, so the general consensus is that they will take Dallas Turner. But I won't be surprised if they trade down with a team that badly needs a QB, pick up some draft capital and pick up the guy from UCLA instead. Possible they could try to grab a corner to help opposite AJ Terrell also.
I believe he's Sherrone's first ever commit as head coach. In any case, major congrats! Awesome pickup!
Did we have their signs? That's the only possible way we could've won, I'm sure.
Someone call Pettiti.
/s, if it wasn't already obvious
Fine by me. I loved night games when I was a student, because I meant I could drink all day before the game. Now, with two kids and my wife and I usually being in bed by 9:30 every night, I am more than happy to take in a noon game.
Great pickup!
A lot of workload ahead to rebuild this roster, but May certainly shows he has every intention of having a roster that can compete next year.
We shut off all our cable after the Super Bowl. We’ve still got Hulu, Prime and Netflix, but until football season comes back it’s not worth paying the $72/month for YouTube tv.
Really hoping someone does a full game upload on YouTube. Only drawback of fully cutting cable off during the offseason is missing the spring game.