Archives for January 2015

Columbus we have a Problem

January 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment

The Ohio State men’s basketball team is on the bubble of the NCAA tournament and it could burst at any moment possibly sending them to the NIT. When was the last time you heard that from a Thad Matta squad? I believe it was the 07-08 squad that failed to make it to the big dance that year (NIT Champs 08). We are talking about a six year stretch that has included 2 Sweet Sixteen appearances, an Elite Eight, and a Final Four appearance.

Is it to early to panic? Yes and No

Schedule

Lets take a look at Ohio State’s schedule so far and compare quality wins and bad losses since these are things the committee will look at. The Buckeyes current RPI is 56 not good. Quality wins: None, they had shots mind you but losing to Louisville, North Carolina, Indiana and Iowa are showing you can’t play with tournament teams. Bad losses: Thankfully none and hopefully there won’t be any. The Buckeyes don’t need to win out their rest of the games right now to be in the Big Dance but they more than likely need to beat Maryland, Wisconsin and Indiana to get a quality win. Sad to say that Thad can easily win 20 games again this season and could be on outside looking in.

Stats

Going through looking at the stats and were the Buckeyes rank in the B1G through their first 6 conference games you would be hard pressed to believe that they are currently sitting at 3-3. Defensively the Buckeyes are #1 in blocks, #2 in steals, #5 in total rebounds (#4 in offensive and #3 in defensive). Have to admit the rebound stat really wasn’t what I was expecting to see since I seem to always be yelling at the TV for the Buckeyes to box out and why does the opponent seem to always get so many second chance shots.

Offensively the Buckeyes #2 in points per game, #1 field goal percentage, #3 at 3 point shot percentage while they are #5 in attempts made and #4 in attempts. They need serious work on the free throw line though, #9 in the B1G averaging 70.3 percent from the charity stripe. The Buckeyes are #3 in assists and #9 in turnovers (#11 at 11.4 per game) which are good things.

So Whats Wrong

Some say its playing a zone defense (tell Syracuse it doesn’t work) some say its leadership, others say its youth. I say its a combination of everything. I don’t see that much communication between the players out there on the court, every time you see a busted play on defense they are standing around looking at each other wondering who blew what assignment. The switch on pick and rolls are one of the biggest areas I see the lack of communication and then there is a guy for a wide open shot. The leaders like Shannon Scott, Sam Thompson, and Amir Williams seems to be there at times but a player like Williams hasn’t taken that role and asserted himself. In my opinion Williams can be one of the most dominate forces in the league if he played with passion constantly. There are games you wish Thad would bench him for the whole game after seeing some of the stuff he pulls especially in big games. Graduate transfer Anthony Lee claimed when he came to Columbus if he was on the squad last season the Buckeyes wouldn’t have been knocked out by Dayton. After watching Lee play this season I wonder if he has any speed but out of control. He is another that should be a leader but when he gets out on the floor which is the third option after Williams and McDonald he seems to play like a bull in a china shop. D’Angelo Russell is a kid with great talent but he has a constancy issue himself at times. Others need to step up and help Russell is easy thing to say when its the whole team who is inconsistent at best offensively.

Either the Buckeyes aren’t fired up enough for the big games or too fired up not sure but the coaching staff needs to figure out a rotation that will work best and quickly. Defensively I am not against the zone but I am against players not communicating on that side of the ball, moving together as a unit (I’m picturing them practicing while having a string connected to each other), keeping your hands up (remember the movie Hoosiers? Its true in real life too). and for the love of god box someone out.

In Closing

I will leave you with the final thoughts of this rambling man. Is it to early to panic again yes and no its mid January and the Buckeyes are 14-5(3-3) with no quality wins. Can this be turned around, Yes. D’Angelo Russell ready to go pro? In my opinion no needs at least one more year. Will the Buckeyes make the tournament? Thad Matta’s the coach and his track record says yes.

Filed Under: College Basketball, Ohio State Basketball

MotSaG’s Inaugural Men’s B1G Basketball Power Poll

January 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Since my football power poll was such a huge and rousing success, I have decided it’s time that MotSAG have a Big Ten Men’s Basketball Power Poll. Lets see how I am looking at the league five or six games into conference play.

1. Maryland Terps 12-1(5-1) Newcomers to the B1G are making some noise. I am sure Duke is happy with the move of the Terps out of the ACC since they always seemed to upset Duke once a year. Being only one of two teams at least .500 or above versus Top 25 teams so far this season. The Terps only loss has come at the hands of the Fighting Illini but they have beaten Michigan State by 16.
RPI #13

2. Wisconsin Badgers 16-2(4-1) The Badgers are the favorites in the B1G this season and a preseason Final Four pick by many. The only conference loss is from Rutgers and out of conference loss was to Duke. Best win was over Oklahoma so far.
RPI #9

3. Iowa Hawkeyes 13-5(4-1) The Hawkeyes biggest concern has been closing out games. The seemed to have done fine against Ohio State dominated them in both match-ups. Iowa has lost to Texas, Syracuse, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, and Michigan State. We will find out if they are for real when they face Wisconsin this week.
RPI #43

4. Michigan State Spartans 12-7(3-2) Izzo’s squad has losses against Duke, Kansas, Notre Dame, Texas Southern, and twice to Maryland. Their best wins are Marquette and Indiana so far. Sparty will have this figured out soon I mean come on Tom Izzo is their coach.
RPI #37

5. Indiana Hoosiers 14-4(5-1) What have the Hoosiers done to get this high in the Power Poll? For starters go 3-1 against Top 25 teams, the only B1G team with a winning record in that department. Their only Big Ten conference loss came at the hands of Sparty.
RPI #58

6. Ohio State Buckeyes 14-5(3-3) The Buckeyes are having some issues to what seems (myself included) might possibly be a sweet sixteen team in some preseason picks. Having a NBA lottery pick (D’Angelo Russell) on your squad would almost guarantee that right? With losses to Louisville, North Carolina, Indiana, and basically blown out twice by Iowa has many wondering whats wrong with the current Buckeye team (more on that later)
RPI #56

7. Michigan Wolverines 11-7(4-2) The thought the Wolverines were going to possibly have another great B1G team this season after their win against Syracuse took a huge step back. With four consecutive losses to New Jersey Institute of Technology, Eastern Michigan, Arizona, and SMU. By losing to NJIT that should put the maize and blue at the bottom of the list but being 4-2 in conference play prevents that. Lets see how they cope with losing Caris Levert for the rest of the season. He was their leading scorer and rebounder.
RPI #84

8. Purdue Boilermakers 11-7(3-2) Boilermaker fans I would love to move you up at least one spot since you did beat TTUN but seriously who have you played and beat so far?
RPI #103

9. Illinois Fighting Illini 12-7(2-4) Who is this Illini team? They beat Baylor and Michigan State but lose to TTUN,OSU, Nebraska, and Indiana.
RPI #53

10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 10-9(2-3) Scarlet Knight fans sorry but losses to Northwestern, Nebraska, and Minnesota have you bellow Illinois despite you are the only team to knock off Wisconsin.
RPI #75

11. Nebraska Cornhuskers 10-7(2-3) The only reason the Cornhuskers are this high is that they have 2 wins in conference play so far. Looking at their out of conference schedule people need to lay off Ohio State’s.
RPI #119

12. Minnesota Golden Gophers 12-7(1-5) Gopher fans starting your conference play with five straight losses is never a good thing.
RPI #97

13. Northwestern Wildcats 10-8(1-4) Wildcat fans lets face it your not a basketball school your a football one am i right? nope
RPI #141

14. Penn State Nittany Lions 12-6(0-5) Nittany Lion fans I have 409 more reasons to hate PSU even more but I digress. No conference wins to date thats statement enough for me to rank you last
RPI #103

As always comment down below let me know your thoughts, hit me up on the twitters or email me at AskMotSaG@gmail.com and let me know what I have wrong like you always do, looking forward to the talk about basketball just like we did with football.

Filed Under: Ohio State Basketball Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Final Scout 300 Rankings: How Did OSU Commits Fare?

January 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment

TOP 300

Torrance Gibson- #52 and 4 star
Justin Hilliard- #63 and 4 star
Mike Weber- #69 and 4 star
Jerome Baker- #139 and 4 star
Eric Glover- Williams #140 and 4 star
Matt Burrell- #168 and 4 star
Denzel Ward- #171 and 4 star
Joe Burrow- #178 and 4 star
Alex Stump- #184 and 4 star
Jashon Cornell- #191 and 4 star
Dre’Mont Jones- #220 and 4 star

OTHER 4 STARS

Robert Landers
Nick Conner

3 Stars

Jamel Dean
Grant Schmidt
Kevin Feder
Joshua Alabi
AJ Alexander
Rashod Berry
Joshua Norwood
Branden Bowen
Mirko Jurkovic
Carlton Davis

2 STARS

Liam McCullough

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Failures of Courage, Revisited

January 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment

With today’s announcement that Penn State will get its vacated wins back, it’s worth taking a trip down memory lane to re-read MotSaG’s opinion piece on the scandal:

Failures of Courage

May we all remember what the real tragedy was.

Filed Under: B1G Football

The Transformation of Cardale Jones

January 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment

On October 5, 2012 at 8:43 AM, Cardale Jones tweeted out one of the most infamous tweets of all time. We all know what it says, so I will just leave it at that. I’ll admit that I had never heard of Mr. Jones when the ESPN and media reports broke that an “Ohio State QB tweeted something stupid.” The nation bashed the Buckeyes and Cardale for it and as we all remember they were coming off a 6-7 season after Tatgate while looking at the Michigan game as the season finale due to sanctions. It was gasoline on a dumpster fire.

Fast forward 2 years and 3 months, and Cardale Jones had just beaten Wisconsin, top ranked Alabama and second ranked Oregon to win the National Championship. Who saw this coming? Not me. Not anyone. Maybe not even Cardale.

To add to that, Cardale announced today that he would be returning for another season with Ohio State because he wanted to graduate. From his press conference this afternoon at the Ginn Academy (Via ESPN):

“It’s everybody’s dream and goal when they play football or any collegiate sport to make it to the next level, but at my point in my career, I feel like it’s best for me to go back to school… [Meyer] always preaches to us that education is what is most important, and he knows and we know that with all three of us back next year, it’s going to bring out the best in us.”

Jones also mentioned that he knows his football days will come to an end someday and that he needs to be prepared for that. He would like to be a Financial Planner once that day comes.

That is an incredible and unprecedented transformation for a young man in just two short years. It is also a refreshing story in college football that a star player values his education and will pass up millions of potential dollars in the NFL to take classes and graduate. No matter how Cardale’s professional career pans out, I believe 100 percent that he will be a productive person in society and serve as a role model for thousands of kids who were in similar situations to him (especially those who hail from East Cleveland).

As a student at The Ohio State University, I worked at an on-campus pizza shop to help pay for various expenses any college student has (beer, mostly). Most of my shifts were in the morning from 8-12pm where we would serve breakfast then switch to lunch half way through that time period. Jones would come in nearly every day I worked while usually ordering the same thing. Breakfast Sandwich with Bacon, Egg, and Cheese or some variation of that order was his go-to.

Plenty of other players would come in at times too, and being the fan that I am, I would always try to talk to them and make conversation. Without naming names, many of the players wouldn’t pay too much attention to me (which is fine- I’m sure they get that all the time). But Cardale would always talk to me which I thought was just the coolest thing in the world. I would usually have SportsCenter on so we would usually discuss the current day’s sports news, giving predictions, etc.

I never saw him as the troubled freshman who had academic issues. He was always very courteous to everyone and was never without a smile. So now that he has come full circle, I have to say that I couldn’t be more proud of him. I cannot say enough about how great it is that he values his education that much- Woody Hayes would be very proud.

12 Gauge will go down as a legend at Ohio State for many reasons but none more than being the 3rd string Quarterback who led the Buckeyes to a National Championship after everything he went through.

And the best part is, Cardale Jones will one day have a degree from The Ohio State University which is a huge accomplishment in its own. Looks like in the end, he came here to play school.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With:

2015 NFL Draft Part 2

January 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Many Browns and Bengals fans will be reading this section seeing that both teams draft picks will be in this section. The third part of the series will unfortunately not appear until after the Super Bowl. I will post revised columns of Part 1 and 2 throughout that time.Please keep in mind that not all players have declared for the draft so things could get shaken up when certain players declare. Again I am putting who Todd McShay posted in his first Mock Draft below my choices.

 

11. Minnesota Vikings: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia

While an OT is the true need for the Vikings, I do not think that where they are and what OT are available are worth the reach here. If Winston declares then the door is opened for them because that will change a lot of things in the early part of the draft. I give the nod to White over DeVante Parker. I like White’s big play ability more than Parker and I think White has better hands. White would go much higher if his route running skills were a little bit better and a team had a bigger need at WR. I feel the Vikings need to upgrade their WR core. As I mentioned before in Part 1 you cannot evaluate a quarterback’s future or skill set unless you give him talent to work with.

McShay: Cedric Ogbuehi

12. Cleveland Browns: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington

Shelton is a force in the middle and with Phil Taylor having injury problems and the Browns ability to not stop the run. Shelton is a great fit for a future replacement for Phil Taylor and a great piece to stopping the run.

McShay: Danny Shelton

13. New Orleans Saints: Dante Fowler Jr, DE/OLB, Florida

Fowler could see himself rise into the Top 10, but it all has to do with if Winston declares. The Saints continue to ignore the defensive side of the ball and that has plagued them. They also need help on the offensive line and I could see them moving down to meet that need. However, at some point you cannot ignore the defensive side of the ball. Fowler played the DE/OLB role for the Gators this season. I expect him to transition into the NFL nicely at the same position. With the amount of playing time I think he should get with the Saints he could be a dark horse for defensive rookie of the year.

McShay (When the Mock Draft was posted Saints were picking 21): TJ Clemmings

14. Miami Dolphins: Shaq Thompson, OLB, Washington

I personally think that the Dolphins need to take a WR here like Parker or Jaelen Strong. However they only take a WR in the first round if they part ways with Mike Wallace. Currently Wallace is still on the roster so the Dolphins go OLB. Thompson is very good in coverage and is a terrific athlete, also played and started at running back for the Huskies. I think that speed will transition very well in the NFL and he could end up being a stud at this position.

McShay: Shaq Thompson

15. San Francisco 49ers: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville

San Francisco needs to add help for Kaepernick. I could see them upgrading their D-Line because that unit seemed desperate for depth. I am not a fan of Crabtree and never really was in the NFL. I think Parker could actually be comparable to Anquan Boldin. I think both would compliment each other very well.

McShay: Devin Funchess

16. Houston Texans: Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State

Houston could take a WR so Parker or White could be in play here if they drop this far. I think Bennett would be a great fit for Houston. He can play the DE in a 3-4 or could play as a smaller DT in a 4-3. His play down the stretch against Wisconsin and Alabama makes him the top DT prospect. I gave the Browns the nod to Shelton because of his size and what Cleveland needs. Bennett is the better player between the two and Houston’s front line on defense could get scary. If Houston makes a move or two in the secondary and Mallet stays healthy they could be dangerous in 2015-2016.

McShay (Houston was picking 13 when Mock Draft came out): Devante Parker

17.  San Diego Chargers: Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State

I went back and watched some of the Oregon vs Florida State game to review this pick when I saw Goldman was still highly thought of. When I watched Goldman specifically he seemed to play pretty well in that game. He did seem very winded in that game, but when your over 300 pounds how do you not get winded by Oregon’s offense? I like Goldman a lot for the Chargers he plays the run well and can get after the quarterback a little bit from his position.

McShay: Eddie Goldman

18. Kansas City Chiefs: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State

The Chiefs are so desperate for a WR you just know they will not pick one in the first round, but they should. The WR’s the Chiefs have are mediocre at best. Strong has size and some good speed and I think he could be a great stepping stone for the Chiefs to upgrade their WR position.

McShay: Kevin White

19. Cleveland Browns: La’el Collins, OT/G, LSU

When Collins was thinking about going pro last year many labeled him as a potential stud guard in the NFL. I am still going to label him there because I would not be surprised at all if he lands there. The Browns would love to land one of the four very talented WR’s in this draft. However, Schwartz is not the answer at RT and I think Collins could add much needed depth and talent to the OL. The Browns need to do something because once Mack went down so did the season and the OL.

McShay Jaelen Strong

20. Philadelphia Eagles: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State

His length to speed ratio is going to be something NFL teams love because that seems to be the trend, bigger corners. The Eagles were pretty bad at the corner back position and Waynes is a talented corner who has some pretty good hands.

McShay: Trae Waynes

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Shilique Calhoun, DE, Michigan State

Back to Back Spartans on the board. This pick is probably the hardest to project because the Bengals are talented and their true need, in my opinion, is a QB who could actually push Dalton. The Bengals could draft an OT if they cannot resign Whitworth. They could draft a WR to complement Green. While Sanu had a good year, he struggled when it was his time to shine and I think his ability would best be suited in the slot. With that said at the end of the day the Bengals had 1 sack in the playoff game against the Colts. If you want to help your struggling QB you need to be able to pressure the opposing Quarterback and get better field position. That is why the Bengals choose Calhoun.

McShay (Bengals picked 24th in the Mock Draft)L Andrus Peat

Filed Under: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, College Football, NFL, NFL Draft, Ohio State Football, Pro Football

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The NFL…

January 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Before going any further, congratulations to Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer and the 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes. I am still basking in the happiness of winning the national championship, and will have posts in the future to best articulate my feelings on this accomplishment. Needless to say, I wanted to make sure I added my congratulations to the many that have been directed to Coach Meyer and the 2014 Ohio State coaches and players on this outstanding achievement.

**
The popular and probable consensus opinion regarding Cardale Jones and his announcement was that Jones was going to declare for the NFL. Over the previous days, many people asked me for my opinion, and now is as good as any for me to articulate why I believed Jones was going to the NFL ~

Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller were recruited by former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel in the 2011 recruiting class. To shore up his grades, and provide some separation from Miller, Jones agreed to enroll at Fork Union Military Academy in 2011.

Upon returning to Columbus in 2012, Jones was faced with the following realities – the head coach who recruited him was gone, and replaced with someone who neither recruited him, nor wanted him. Braxton Miller had completed a freshman season in 2011 that had captivated the fanbase, as well as the incoming coaching staff. As someone who attended the 2012 Ohio State spring game, the fact that Jones did not garner a single snap in an intrasquad scrimmage spoke volumes about where Jones stood in the eyes of the coaching staff.

And then during the 2012 season, Jones decided to tweet…THIS.

Yes, I guess you could say I was fairly certain Cardale Jones was eventually going to leave Columbus, and probably not in a positive fashion in the eyes of Coach Meyer or any of the other Ohio State coaches.

Jones played sparingly in 2013, and was beaten out for the starting quarterback position by J.T. Barrett in the 2014 fall camp after Miller went down with a season-ending injury. Again, there was speculation that Jones would transfer after losing the job to Barrett, especially after being the starting quarterback throughout all of the 2014 spring practices.

Flash forward to November 29th, 2014. Ohio State is in a dogfight with That Team Up North, and J.T. Barrett is knocked out for the season. Anyone who has listened to me throughout this past season on any of the Men of the Scarlet and Gray podcasts can recall how I often lamented how infrequently Jones played, especially when Ohio State had substantial leads. I actually tweeted after Barrett went down about this…

We all know how gloriously it turned out. I believe @JeffSvoboda articulated it well…

When I think about being 22 years old, with a child to provide for…I can honestly say that I probably would have taken the money. Quite honestly, even without a child, turning down the money at 22 years old would have been probably impossible, as I reflect upon it.

No matter how it turns out in 2015, Cardale Jones has secured his place in the hearts and minds of Ohio State fans going forward.

Will Jones be the Ohio State starter at quarterback next season? It is certainly possible, but if Ohio State fans have learned anything this past season, anything is possible, especially at the quarterback position. Jones does have one advantage going into the 2015 season…

No matter how this all turns out, at least Ohio State fans can count upon Tyvis Powell to keep Cardale Jones in line throughout the 2015 season…

Filed Under: Ohio State Football Tagged With: , , , , ,

Cardale Jones Decides to Return to Ohio State, Achieve Legendary Status

January 15, 2015 by Leave a Comment

cardale

Around lunchtime today, All-World QB Cardale Jones (he of three championship or playoff game winning streaks) tweeted out this somewhat cryptic but not really very cryptic at all announcement.

Which changed an hour later to:

(Maybe traffic was bad on I-71 North).

Either way, after a magical three game run, Cardale was faced with the prospect of being in the same situation he was in six months ago — back to third on the depth chart. (That is pure conjecture and speculation, but I believe that Urban is the type of coach that would not give someone’s spot up due to injury. I know he has said that he wants the best player to play but the body of work of both Braxton and J.T. would be “better” than Cardale’s.) (Sheesh, even I don’t know if I believe what I just typed).

There are a lot of factors going that went into Cardale’s decision. He has a small family. We don’t know all the details of his family situation or where his priorities lie. All we know (and should care about) is that he did things for the university that no other quarterback has done. We have watched him grow from an immature, entitled kid to a honest-to-goodness leader and likeable dude. That’s all that should matter. This was his decision. And now we get to see him back in shotgun again next season.

His draft status was possibly at its peak, but things change. He stated that his degree and finishing school was more important to him than being a draft pick. That is a long way from the not coming to “PLAY SCHOOL”.

So good for Cardale. He deserves all the best and we can’t wait to see what the 2016 season holds.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Watch Cardale Jones’ Announcement Here

January 15, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

How Did Buckeye Commits Fare In Final ESPN 300 Rankings?

January 15, 2015 by Leave a Comment

TOP 300

Torrance Gibson- #16 and 5 star
Justin Hilliard- #17 and 5 star
Jashon Cornell- #33 and 4 star
Jerome Baker- #67 and 4 star
Eric Glover-Williams- #90 and 4 star
Matt Burrell- #94 and 4 star
Jamel Dean- #128 and 4 star
Mike Weber- #140 and 4 star
Dre’Mont Jones- #161 and 4 star
Joe Burrow- #298 and 4 star

OTHER FOUR STARS

Nick Conner
Mirko Jurkovic
AJ Alexander
Grant Schmidt

THREE STARS

Joshua Alabi
Denzel Ward
Carlton Davis
Alex Stump
Kevin Feder
Rashod Berry
Robert Landers
Josh Norwood

TWO STARS

Liam McCullough

Filed Under: Ohio State Football
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