It’s no secret we have a special place in our hearts for Troy Smith and most of us are pretty bummed out that he hasn’t had a chance to show his stuff in the NFL. One little medical condition is what stands between Troy Smith starting for the Baltimore Ravens in 2008 and riding the pine except for some rare occasions. And while we feel no ill-will toward Joe Flacco (other than those awful Delaware helmets) we’d really like to see Troy Smith on the field. So we are all patitently waiting for Troy’s turn.

A couple things have happened this past week that have rekindled hope in a rebirth of Troy in 2010:

I watched last week as Donte Whitner lobbied for the Buffalo Bills to take a chance on Troy Smith as their QB. It’s good to know fellow Buckeyes look out for each other.

Recently Troy was Mark “Munch” Bishop’s radio show expressing a desire for a shot with Cleveland.

Needless to say, I’m okay with either of these things happening, but I’d rather see Troy return home to Cleveland (and yes, I know we’ve been down this road before). As a Browns fan, I am on Team Brady (that’s the correct Twilight terminology, right?) but I would switch allegiances to Team Troy if he were given a chance. In a heartbeat.

Surprised? Not Really. It is tough to come up with brilliant material on a weekly basis when nothing is going on in the college football landscape. Here is a quick list of 20 general happenings over the last few months:

1. Tim Tebow did something magical…not quite sure what it was…
2. The CBJ made the playoffs and were happy to be there for a week.
3. Jamal Berry likes to carry the ‘sticky icky‘ in his car.
4. FC Barcelona won the Champions League against Manchester United and an angel got it’s wings.
5. Tim Tebow did something philanthropic…not quite sure what it was…
6. Carlos Hyde is a poor test-taker, or he is dumb, or he doesnt care, or he just really wanted to attend Fork Union next year.
7. Terrelle Pryor looks like he can read a defense and cleaned up his throwing motion (a little), but there are still 4 QB’s on the Penn State roster that are better than him and a few PSU trainers, as well (Source: Any Ohio State Thread on Audibles).
8. Ole Miss and North Caolina are in the top 10 in the pre-season polls. Thus fulfilling reason #4576 why polls shouldnt be released until the sixth week of the season.
9. EDSBS’s Digital Viking Series has won over a nation of blog readers
10. Deadspin…something is missing over there..well..besides Leitch, “Hirshey is the Closer”, and a gentle dose of “This Week’s Apologies”, but hey, they can embed youtube music videos like no other.
11. Real Madrid spent over 200 million euros on two players…and that is without including the player salaries for the non-soccer crowd.
12. The Cleveland Indians bi-annual YNBA soul killing exercise is in full effect this year.
13. We were kind of ‘witnesses’ to BronBron getting faced…in a Ferris Bueller 31-Flavors kind of way…
14. The Cavs got Shaq Diesel. Well maybe the Bio-Diesel Version. Doesnt this make Cavs fan hate Carlos Boozer a little more each year?
15. The US Men’s Soccer Team had a great and completely unexpected run in the Confederations Cup (Spain…really?) and Landon Donovan has been rejuvenated. Did you hear that? That was Bob Bradley getting up from sucking his thumb in the corner.
16. The Browns continue to be the Browns, but it could be worse…they could be the Seahawks (giggle giggle).
17. Our Honor Defend’s “Better Know a Buckeye” Series has been top notch work for a slow summer.
18. David Beckham came back from Italy to sounds of boo’s and a simple chorus of no one really giving a flying crap about David Beckham anymore. Beckham Experiment = EPIC FAIL
19. Rick Nash signs with the CBJ for 25 years. Oh alright…8 years. Sorry Maple Leaf Fans.
20. South Carolina really wants Ohioans to leave. It’s like a little kid running a lemonade stand asking someone with a ten dollar bill to get lost.

There’s a lot going on and a lot to talk about. Hopefully everyone’s holidays were enjoyable and the loot haul was plentiful. What did Santa bring all you?

Are you ready for some football?! – We’ve got a ton of sports going on this weekend. the Non-New Year’s Day Bowls are in full-force now, with the Big Ten’s first appearance as Wisconsin represents the hopes of Big Ten fans at the Champs Sports Bowl. Can Wisconsin out-muscle and run over the Seminoles? I’m not hopeful, but who knows. It’d be a great way to start the Bowl Season. (I know it started last week, but I don’t recognize any bowl with a name like “magicJACK St. Petersburg Bowl.”

Movin’ on Up – “… just cause it’s a theme song don’t make it not true.” We haven’t talked much about the Basketball Buckeyes here, but that’s not for lack of things to talk about. They’re off to a 9-0 start and are talking on a West Virginia team lead by Bob Huggins this after noon. The Buckeyes miss David Lighty, but this should still be a great game.

Witness – Speaking of basketball, how about those Cavaliers? I wasn’t blown away by the Mo Williams trade earlier this year, but now I’m a believer. This is the best Cavs team I can remember, and they’re just getting better. Two games upcoming with the rejuvenated Miami Heat should tell us a lot about this team.

Dumb and Dumberer – Whether you’re a Browns or a Bengals fan, have you given up yet? Did you give up eight weeks ago? Will you watch the final game? I’ll be on the road tomorrow during the Browns game, but I’ll be smiling if they beat the hated Steelers.

Monkey and me – We aren’t totally slacking off. We’re working on a handful of posts for next week, leading up to the Fiesta Bowl. I’m not feeling the excitement of bowl seasons past, so I’m hoping the next week or so will get the juices flowing once again. Go Bucks!

I stand with the majority of Browns fans who honestly gave Anderson the benefit of the doubt after a slow start, but the pick-six he threw yesterday was the proverbial straw. I have nothing against Anderson, he seems like a solid guy, but I am excited to see what Brady can do. I just wonder if this is the right move. We’ll find out soon enough.

I, for one, welcome our new Brady Quinn Overlords.

Ohio State had the ball & looked to be driving for the winning score or at least running out the clock. Facing 2nd & 12 from the Stanford 27-yard line with just 1:38 to play, Tomczak tried to hit Williams in the end zone but the tipped pass was intercepted by Stanford S Charles Hutchings. Bruce took the blame for the play call that gave the ball back to the Cardinal. Four completions later, including a 35-yarder to Harry had the ball at the Ohio State 18-yard line. When Elway rolled to his right, Harry went to the left corner of the end zone. Elway turned & threw back across the field to the wide-open Harry for the winning score.

Via “This Date In College Football Belt History — September 25″ from The College Football Belt

I know a lot of Buckeye fans don’t hold Brady Quinn in high regard. That’s fine. But now that he’s a Brown, I am giving him a second chance. (See also: Kellen Winslow, Jr; Braylon Edwards; Jamaal Lewis)

First Round
3(3) Joe Thomas OT WISCONSIN
22(22) Brady Quinn QB NOTRE DAME
Second Round
21(53) Eric Wright CB NEVADA LAS VEGAS
Fifth Round
3(140) Brandon McDonald CB MEMPHIS
Sixth Round
26(200) Melila Purcell DE HAWAII
Seventh Round
3(213) Chase Pittman DE LSU
24(234) Syndric Steptoe RS ARIZONA

As the draft got closer to actually happening, I had come to grips with the fact that the Browns would probably use the 3rd pick to grab Brady Quinn as the QB of the future. In fact, by about 12:30 on Saturday, I was down-right excited about it. With targets like Sergeant Winslow and Braylon “I can’t catch a fourth-down pass” Edwards, I was giddy with the possibilities of a gun slinger like Quinn under center. Couple that with the moves the Browns did before the draft (picking up Steinbach and Lewis, dropping dead weight like Droughns) and I was ready to be proud of my Brownies once again.

Then they took Joe Thomas with the third pick and I was despondent. Not that Thomas won’t be a good addition to a struggling offensive line, he just wasn’t the sexy first round pick. I was so bummed out that I didn’t feel like watching the draft anymore. I went out and started mowing the lawn. I came back in a couple hours later and the Mrs. informs me that the Browns are picking again. That didn’t sound right, but she mentions something about a deal going down with Dallas and that Cleveland would be drafting for a second time, and Quinn was still available. Wow, that was quite a turn of events. Two first round picks, two picks that should turn out to be integral parts of the Browns offense immediately. Color me excited.

I won’t even pretend to know anything about the other picks, but the Browns are looking good for 2007. They gave up a lot to get Quinn, but I don’t think it was too much. When asked about it, Phil Savage made a great point. The Browns needed a QB. They could pick one up this year or wait and use their first round pick next year. They took a chance and they’ll get a one year head start with Quinn. Things are looking up for the Browns.