Any 2015 Buckeyes Going To Be 2016 Browns?

April 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Growing up in the Cleveland area, I have memories of the Cleveland Browns that are quite vivid. I will passionately argue that The Fumble hurt far more than The Drive. I remember being so disgusted when the Browns traded Chip Banks and drafted Mike Junkin. And I proudly wear and own a Brian Sipe jersey, having been in the stands for Sipe’s last game as a Brown versus the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1983, before Sipe jumped to the USFL.

The heartaches and frustrations of the Cleveland Browns fanbase are too many to write; it is painful enough that I remember them. One of the most puzzling decisions the Browns have made since their NFL return in 1999 has been to continually ignore and neglect selecting players from Ohio State.

Yes, I know that the Browns have former Buckeyes Brian Hartline and Terrelle Pryor on the roster. Former Buckeye Simon Fraser played for the Browns as an undrafted free agent from 2005-2007. And I also remember that the Browns drafted former Buckeyes Darnell Sanders in 2002 and Brian Robiskie in 2009. But that’s it – 2 players on the current roster, with a grand total of 5 Buckeyes from 1999 through 2015.

Compare and contrast that with the Pittsburgh Steelers. From 2001, when the Steelers selected Rodney Bailey in the sixth round, the Steelers have picked a total of 8 Buckeyes. The most recent selection was in the 2015 NFL Draft, when Pittsburgh picked Doran Grant in the 4th round. Mike Adams, Doran Grant, Cameron Heyward, and Ryan Shazier are all on the Steelers roster – considering Grant grew up in Akron, and the Browns have a need at cornerback, wouldn’t it be nice to see Grant playing for Cleveland instead of Pittsburgh?

Back to my point. With so many talented Buckeyes in the 2016 NFL Draft, could the Browns wise up and improve their roster with some Buckeyes?

I will quickly add that I do not believe all of the Buckeyes would make sense for the Browns. For example, while Joey Bosa should be a tremendous pro, the Browns are running a 3-4 defense, which would transition Bosa from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker. I am not sure if that would be in Bosa’s best interests as a pro. Besides, I do not believe Bosa will even be on the board for the Browns to pick.

Could Vonn Bell be in the Browns’ draft plans?

Wouldn’t it be nice if the Browns selected Michael Thomas in the second round? How about Nick Vannett in the third round? On day 3 of the draft, picking Jalin Marshall late in the sixth or seventh round? Chase Farris? Tyvis Powell?

Hue Jackson is the latest Cleveland Browns head coach to try and turn around this once proud franchise. A good place to start is to add players from about two and half hours south on I-71.

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Darnay Holmes is one of the best for 2017

July 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Follow me: @Mike_Rockstedt

Darnay Holmes is already beginning to get the attention of some of the top programs across the country.  Holmes, a 5-11 Athlete, from Newbury Park, California, holds offers from some of the top programs in the nation.  His offers include, Arizona, California, Clemson, Tennessee, Louisville, and Ohio State.  Holmes has always been an Ohio State fan and some of his favorite players growing up were Terrelle Pryor and Ted Ginn Jr.  Holmes explains why he has such a strong interest in Ohio State and even credits his favorite players for that.

Holmes always was a fan of Ohio State

“I was always an Ohio State fan, but I really loved Ted Ginn and Terrelle Pryor,” Holmes said of why he loves Ohio State. “They were two of my favorite players in football.  I love that Ohio State is always in the national title contention and always competing for big bowl games.  I also really like Coach Coombs.  He puts a lot of players in the NFL, especially Bradley Roby.  I like coach Coombs a lot. ”

Holmes and coach Coombs have begun to build a strong relationship.  He respects Coombs a lot and was very excited to meet him and all the other coaches on his visit in April.  “I got to check out a practice and some of the facilities,” Holmes said of his visit.  ” The facilities and practices were really neat.  The coaches and athletes at Ohio State have such a good relationship.  They all compete with each other, but they love each other also.  The visit was really cool.”  Holmes said the best part of the trip was just being around the relationship the coaches and players have.

Darnay Holmes was also a part of the Freshman All American team for MaxPreps.com, for the 2013 season, an award he said he was very honored by.  As for where he wants to play college football, he knows he does not have to travel very far if he wants to play for some of the best programs in the country as USC and UCLA are in his own backyard. But he told me that he is going to go wherever he feels is the best fit for him.  He understands that Ohio State is a hike, but if they are the best fit, then that is where he is going to go.  When he is not training for football, he likes to be with friends and family, and just be a normal teenager.  He enjoys the attention he is getting but at the same time, he wants to be a regular person, just like his friends.  I asked Holmes what he would like to say to Buckeyenation, he responded with, “Go Bucks! O-H!”  Darnay is one of the best players in the nation for his class and is going to be very successful.

Highlights:   

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Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With: , ,

That thing is operational!

February 11, 2010 by Leave a Comment

We all knew that after the New Mexico State game that Pryor was injured. It was mentioned more than once that he was running on gimpy wheels, whether it be a bum ankle or an injured knee. Yesterday it was made known (as far as I can tell, first by Pryor himself on Twitter) that Pryor had undergone arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Here’s the scary thing: On a gimpy leg, Terrelle Pryor went out against Oregon in the Rose Bowl and had the best statistical performance of his Buckeye career, winning the MVP of the game and setting the Buckeyes up for a run in 2010. All on a busted wheel.

Now that the mental aspect of the game is coming in to focus for Terrelle, imagine what he’s going to do now that he’s at 100% physically. It should be enough to keep Big Ten coaches up at night.

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The Chosen One vs. The Blessed One

October 26, 2009 by 14 Comments

Some food (engineers and smart people like you can subsist for months on pure data) for thought:

Quarterback Comparison
Player
Rushing Yards
Passing Yards
Completion %
Tim Tebow 66.6 ypg (6 TDs) 166 ypg (8 TDs) 63.6%
Terrelle Pryor 58.9 ypg (5 TDs) 176 ypg (12 TDs) 55.4%

Well, that’s rather interesting, no? (via Lori Schmidt)

Tebow does lead the world in other statistical categories, like miracles wrought and leprosies healed.

For what that’s worth.

We’ve got a more detailed look at Pryor’s progression coming soon.

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