Buckeye News around the Net for 7/15/08
The Winners Manual, OSU Alumni at
Camp, Brian Robiskie, Larry Grant, Shane Olivia and more.
By Bill Smith
The Good
Coach
Jim Tressel met with the media yesterday to discuss his book The Winners
Manual which is set to be released today. The Coach said the book which was co-written
with Chris Fabry includes previously unpublished stories and anecdotes from his
great career. Coach has also committed
his proceeds from the book to support the Ohio State Library Renovation
Fund.
Former
players will address the team on Thursday before training camp kicks off. The subject will cover many topics including
the responsibilities of being an OSU student-athlete both off the field and in
the classroom. The players that have
been selected to speak are Scottie Graham, Anthony Gonzalez, Roy Hall, and
Will Allen. Allen said the
players should "Cherish your moments at Ohio State
and the friends and teammates you have here. They really are people you will
rely on the rest of your life."
Ohio State
preseason All American wide receiver Brian Robiskie was honored July 6
by the Columbus City Council and Council member Hearcel Craig for being one of
three finalist for the Arthur Ashe Sports Scholars Award. Robiskie is the first for an Ohio State
student-athlete to be so honored. The
Arthur Ashe Sports Scholars Award is presented to an athlete that excels both
in the classroom and on the field. We
here at BrutusReport.com congratulate Robiskie for this achievement.
Trevor Madich
of ESPN said in a radio interview Saturday that OSU will prevail in the
game at USC mainly because of the number of the larger number of experienced
players and the extra game they will have played (2) compared to USC (1). A win should propel into the #1 spot in the
rankings. However, he also said that
because of the two previous losses and a general dislike for OSU, the voters
might penalize OSU at the end of the season to try to keep them out of the
Championship game.
San Francisco 49ers
signed LB Larry Grant to a four-year deal Friday, July 11. Grant will compete for the starting strong
inside linebacker spot at training camp.
Last year reserve LB Jeff Ulbrich is currently No. 1 on the team's depth
chart at strong inside linebacker.
Former San
Diego Chargers OL Shane Olivea had his suspension lifted after the NFL
determined Olivea did not receive notification of his failed drug test. Olivea agreed to a one-year deal with the New
York Giants. Olivea will become a member
of the Giants after he passes a physical examination and completes a
workout. He will continue to be drug
tested by the NFL.
John
Harris, of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, reports Pittsburgh Steelers WR
Santonio Holmes said he has worked as hard as he ever has during this offseason
and began training in February. Holmes missed a couple of the team's voluntary
offseason workouts but feels it was not a big deal. "If coach wants me
there at every OTA, I'll try to make every OTA," Holmes said. "But
when it comes down to personal and work, sometimes you have to take a day
off." He has been training at Disney's Wide World of Sports with some
Steelers teammates and other NFL players. Holmes wants to report to camp at 197
or 198 pounds, a couple pounds heavier than last year, and has added muscle in
his neck and shoulders. He has also started wearing weighted gloves to
strengthen his hands.
Holmes
wants a chance to return punts and he will get it, said coach Mike Tomlin, who
would not allow Holmes to return last season. "The judgment we made in
regards to that last year really was more about his development as a
receiver," Tomlin said. "He was a second-year player ... He's a year
older, seemingly a year wiser. We'll see if he can handle it. If he can, we'll
explore it."
Buffalo
Bills SS Donte Whitner guaranteed that the team will make the playoffs
this season.
Indianapolis
Colts acquired Doug Datish on waivers from the Atlanta Falcons. The Colts love centers and it is likely that
Datish will be worked in at C or G.
Jet's management
is down on 07 starter OLB Bryan Thomas who slumped to 2 1/2 sacks last season
-- and lost his job -- after a career-high 8 1/2 in 2006. He needs to win one-on-one matchups more
often. His performance likely will determine how quickly the Jets need to bring
along rookie Vernon Gholston.
The Bad
On a live
interview on ESPN Friday Football, ex-Buckeye Bobby Carpenter confirmed
the rumor that there were discussions in Dallas
to trade him prior to the 08 Draft. His
agent talked to Owner Jerry Jones and Jones assured the rep that the Cowboys
had plans to get Carpenter on the field more often in 08. Yahoo lists him as playing behind vet FA Zac
Thomas, the former all pro from Miami.
The
Sporting News reports that Ernest Wilford, Derek Hagan and Ted Ginn are
the front-runners for the starting wideout jobs, but the team could pursue a
veteran to bolster competition. The
article also indicated that Ginn didn't do much during offseason practices to
build the confidence of the quarterbacks.
The
Sporting News also said that Ravens' coaches are impressed with rookie QB Joe
Flacco's knowledge of the game and believe he is ahead of schedule in his
understanding of the offense. He gets excellent velocity on his throws and is a
better runner than expected. Up to now Troy
Smith had the inside track to the starting spot.
Another
possible candidate is Bret Favre. The
Packer QB wants to play again this year and Baltimore may be a perfect fit. The Pack owns the rights to Favre and will
likely trade him to an AFC team. They do
not want to have him beat them in an NFC title game.
The Ugly
It's
unanimous—OSU ranks high on the “hate” list.
Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch reported that a Web outfit called
Bleacher Report listed OSU as the #3 most disliked college football
program. They ranked Miami Fl. #1. As mentioned above, Madich thinks the Bucks
will be pushed out of #1 because of a dislike of the school. And we reported here a several weeks ago that
an ESPN Poll voted OSU as the #1 most disliked football program in the US.
As Hunter
pointed out in his article, the ranking on the dislike list is a badge of
honor. Afterall would anyone rank Indiana high on the
list? No because they lose.
Bill Smith is a
former coach of several semi-pro teams and has scouted talent. He is a senior writer for http://BrutusReport.com. He has
also published several novels on http://ebooks-library.com/index.cfm and
edits http://fryingpanpolitics.blog.com