SPORTSbyBROOKS has been all over the Bernie Fine story, and he asked the tough question – why didn’t ESPN share the damning audiotape of Laurie Fine with the authorities back in 2002? Check out the video above as the story is starting to grow.
Author: Gerardo Orlando (Page 32 of 75)
Gerardo is the founder of Bullz-Eye.com along with Black Mountain Publishing, LLC which publishes 30 blog titles across a variety of topics.
Ohio State has scheduled a press conference for 5:15 to announce Urban Meyer as the new head coach of the Buckeyes. This is naturally a coup for Ohio State, even though the hire comes with some risk. We’ve seen that Urban Meyer can be a little flaky, and all indications are that he’ll be trying to achieve a work/life balance with this new job that he never achieved in Florida. Can he be as successful without be obsessive with his devotion and time? We’ll see. Will he stick it out if things get tough? Who knows.
That said, it’s a great fit as Meyer is from Ohio and this is his dream job.
Todd McShay has an excellent analysis of Meyer’s approach to coaching and his offense and how that fits with the current Buckeye roster. You need a membership on ESPN to read the whole thing but it’s definitely worth it. McShay is an excellent analyst and I always learn something reading his stuff. Bottom line – Meyer will probably work right away to recruit more versatile and speedy playmakers to fit into an already talented roster. But, it looks like he has his quarterback:
So what does all that mean for the Buckeyes’ talented true freshman QB, Braxton Miller? It means it’s time to go to work.
I think Miller is loaded with talent and he has the ideal physical skill set to excel in Meyer’s system. He has a big, sturdy frame and still has room to add muscle. Miller has very good arm strength (check out his 54-yard TD strike against Michigan) and he’s a more sudden athlete than former Buckeyes QB Terrelle Pryor.
From what I’m told, Miller also has a strong work ethic, leadership potential and toughness (both mental and physical). If that proves to be the case, winning a national championship and a Heisman Trophy are attainable goals for Miller. But he needs to be willing to pay the toll — and it won’t be cheap.
Miller showed a lot this season, and he also showed where he needs to put in serious work. He is a great runner. He’s very elusive with devastating cutting ability. Terrelle Pryor was a beast once he got going, but Miller is better in tight spaces. He can also throw the ball, but he missed three open throws against Michigan that would have changed the game. He has to work on his accuracy, and since he was a true freshman we can all expect him to improve in that area.
The Buckeyes will be replacing their starting center and two starting tackles next year, so there will likely be some growing pains. But the overall roster is stacked with talent. If Meyer can bring in a couple of playmakers, the Buckeyes will be dangerous right away.
Ndamukong Suh was kicked out of the Thanksgiving battle between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. The Packers had just failed to convert on third down inside the Lions’ 5-yeard line, setting up a fourth down and a likely field goal while holding a 7-0 lead over the Lions. Suh got tied up with offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith and then proceeded to deliver what seemed to be a blow to the face to the linemen while they were on the ground, and then as he was getting up he clearly stomped Dietrich-Smith with his foot. Suh was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and then ejected from the game. The entire episode was caught on television.
Instead of going up 10-0, the Packers were awarded a first down as a result of the penalty and then were able to get into the end zone, resulting in a 14-0 lead. We’ll see if this impacts whether the Lions can win the game, but Suh’s stupid play will definitely make things more difficult. Plays like this can be turning points in a game and even a season. As I’m writing this the Packers have gone ahead 21-0, so Suh’s bonehead play may have opened the flood-gates for the high-octane Packers. You don’t give Aaron Rodgers and the undefeated Packers extra chances to beat you.
Apart from that, this will have a lasting impact on Suh’s reputation. This was clearly a dirty play from a player who has developed a reputation as the dirtiest player in the NFL. Suh is clearly a great lineman and a big reason for Detroit’s resurgence, but this play on national television during Thanksgiving will follow him for a long time. He is very possibly facing a suspension as well.
Suh recently met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at Suh’s request to get a better understanding of the rules. Suh isn’t the only player baffled by the NFL’s attempt to protect quarterbacks and defenseless wide receivers. In many ways the NFL is ruining the game as legitimate hits are being called as personal fouls. These calls have huge impacts on the game, and we saw one today with a lame call on a clean hit on Aaron Rodgers.
But Suh’s penalty today had nothing to do with a new push to protect the quarterback. The game was already marred by some silly skirmishes and Suh wasn’t the first player kicked out, but Suh’s penalty was old-fashioned dirty play from a player who seems to let his aggression get the best of him. By doing it on a national stage, he’ll be an even bigger target for the officials going forward.
Not surprisingly, former University of Florida Gators football head coach and ESPN analyst Urban Meyer just denied a report from SPORTSbyBROOKS that he had accepted the head coaching job at Ohio State.
Rumors had been rampant that Meyer was in line to take the job, but Brooks reported that Meyer had indeed accepted even though it had not been formalized in a contract. Brooks reported that Meyer was in the process of putting together a staff and the Luke Fickell would stay on with the Buckeyes. He also reported that Meyer also aims to add Chris Spielman and Kirk Herbstreit to the staff among others. Spielman makes some sense as he once lobbied to coach at Ohio State, but the Herbstreit part seems to be far-fetched as Herbie has one of the best gigs in broadcasting.
On the air during the ESPN broadcast of the Michigan-Nebraska game, Meyer just said that he had not been offered the position and that he had not agreed to coach at Ohio State. He did not, however, issue a blanket statement that he was not going to coach at Ohio State next season, so he can easily hide behind the fact that he hasn’t signed a contract. But Brooks made that clear in his story, so this looks more like the standard denial that doesn’t mean a thing.
Luke Fickell is the interim coach at Ohio State, and it is generally understood that Ohio State was going to look for a big name at the end of the season. Fickell understood that, so any discussions between Ohio State and Meyer are more understandable and are not a slap in the face to Fickell given his interim status. Fickell has made some progress through the season, but it has been clear many times that he is in over his head. Staying at Ohio State under Meyer would make a ton of sense for him. He can continue to learn at his alma mater and someday be considered either for the Ohio State job or another big job.
This makes even more sense given Urban Meyer’s health issues. He left the Florida job twice, and you have to wonder if he’ll give up on Ohio State as well if problems resurface.
As for Spielman, he did not make any comment during the broadcast when Meyer issued his “denial.” This could be an intriguing opportunity if he decides to join Meyer’s staff, though it also sets him up as a rival to Luke Fickell. Can these guys work together if both of them are angling for the top job at Ohio State in the future?
That said, the main story is Meyer’s status. His statement today tells me that these rumors are real, and that the Buckeyes will soon have a new head coach.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys had a clear shot at playing for the National Championship, but tonight they lost to the Iowa State Cyclones in overtime, 37-31.
The game was played in the aftermath of a tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of women’s basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna. This tragedy came shortly after Oklahoma State commemorated the 10-year anniversary of the deaths of 10 men affiliated with its men’s basketball team.
In this somber setting, Oklahoma State took a lead but then blew it in the fourth quarter. The Cyclones stormed back and tied the game, but OSU had a chance to win it late in the fourth quarter with a field goal. On television it looked liked the field goal might be good as the ball sailed above the upright but it was called no good.
In overtime, Iowa state stormed out with a quick touchdown, but then Oklahoma State matched them. The the Cowboys got the ball again, but this time Brandon Weeden hit star receiver Justin Blackmon in what seemed like a perfect spot with a pass, but it bounced off of Blackmon’s hands and was intercepted by Iowa State. The Cyclones then quickly took advantage, scored a touchdown, and ended OSU’s great run.
Again, Oklahoma State showed serious holes on defense. I don’t know what’s happened to the Big 12 over the past 10 years, but the league looks like a flag football league at times. You don’t see tough, physical defense, so maybe Oklahoma State wasn’t the team to take on mighty LSU. Brandon Weeden threw three interceptions and didn’t play very well thus hurting his chances for the Heisman Trophy.
The result is BCS chaos. For those of us who think the current system is a joke, the upcoming discussions about which one-loss team “deserves” to play LSU if LSU wins out will be annoying as hell. At the same time, this scenario provides further ammunition for all of us who want the system to change.
We’ll have to listen to countless debates over whether Alabama deserves to pay in the title game, pitting two SEC teams in the final game. While this will get the most discussion, it’s also not likely if Oregon wins out just because most people would hate to see an all-SEC title game.
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