44 days....

BuckeyeXtra - Turner learned lessons abroad
Another puff piece that isn't quite as puffy; Turner talks about learning to spread the wealth (commie!) and how the experience turned into more of a team player and whatnot. Sucks that he and other Americans got booed for political reasons (read the article to find out why; trust me, it's lame).

NY Jets coach Rex Ryan names Vernon Gholston starter in place of suspended Calvin Pace - NJ.com
Big Vern will be getting his first serious opportunity after a, shall we say, "lackluster" rookie season. Good opportunity to shed the "Weight Room Warrior, Average Player" label.

The Columbus Dispatch : Herbstreit 'fire' puts focus on IRS dispute
Bizarre story about Herbstreit donating his house to the fire department for "burn-down" exercises, only to have his tax deduction denied by the IRS. Herbstreit responded like any good American would: with a lawsuit. Rant about "big gubmint" and "Barack HUSSEIN Obama" goes here.

Wolverine Liberation Army - Ring the Bell
The WLA continues to fetishize Michigan Strength and Conditioning guy Mike Barwis. Pervs.

Prices Rising For Ohio State Football Tailgaters
Want to tailgate? Bring some lube.

Former Ohio State Buckeyes corner Antoine Winfield signs extension with Minnesota Vikings - cleveland.com
Guy is 32, a defensive back, and signed a five-year extension? He's coming off his first pro bowl season, which is a travesty of justice. Nevertheless, playing cornerback in the NFL at 37 would be most impressive.

BuckeyeXtra - Could this be his breakout year?
Brian Rolle really doesn't like riding the pine. Which sucks, because he stepped into the most crowded linebacker situation at Ohio State in the last twenty or so years, and he's got three legit all-Big Ten guys to back-up. If Moeller doesn't pan out, Rolle might finally find his place here. But if not.... let's hope this article isn't being written all over again next year.

BuckeyeXtra - Latest recruit could help at several spots
Baldwin could see time at tight end, but I don't see him actually making the move. He has a better shot at contributing early and often at DE, and as mentioned in the article, two starting spots could be up for grabs as the start of his sophomore (redshirt freshman?) year.

Just how far can the spread spread? " Get The Picture

But I’m not sure [a rule, proposed by Arkansas' Bobby Petrino that would mandate how often high school QBs should take snaps from under center] should be necessary, anyway, if the NFL continues along its current path. As long as there’s a market for drop-back passers, there should be high schools and colleges that accommodate that style of play, because there are going to be gifted QBs that want to play in it. Plus, if those of us who see the college game as cyclical in nature when it comes to offensive and defensive strategies (and I believe HP counts himself among that bunch) are right, shouldn’t that bode well for the prospects of pro-style offenses in an era when college defenses are gearing up to stop the spread more and more?

I'm not sure I totally buy into the "it's all cyclical" argument that so many espouse when it comes to offense and defensive philosophies, but I have to admit it has its logical foundations. The general gist of it is that as teams move towards new defensive strategies designed to stop the "spread offense", dropback passer-led offenses that spell the air attack with a tough, between-the-tackles running game will begin to flourish again. In other words, the attacks reminiscent of Jim Tressel's early offenses will again become successful against the smaller, quicker defenses of today; teams that are "built" to defend the new wave of spread offenses. But what does it mean for a team to be "built" to defend the "spread offense"? Well, that's difficult to answer, because few people will give you a straight answer as to what the spread offense actually is; is it an entire offense, is it an offense that features multiple spread formations, or is it a philosophy that's designed merely to get a team's best athletes in coveted "space"?

Based on my rudimentary knowledge of one of college football's memes-du-jour, defenses that defend the "spread" well are said to have have quick, safety-sized linebackers, smaller, quicker DEs, and cornerbacks that excel mostly in zone coverage. But if that's the case, why aren't the teams that run more traditional offenses - Tennessee under Phil Fulmer, and Iowa come to mind immediately - already flourishing against the supposedly new-look defenses? You know, the ones that have adjusted athletically and schematically to defend college football's sexiest formation?

I, personally, am of the "talent trumps scheme" school of thought. It's essentially insignifcant what a team's offensive philosophy is; excellent athletes are what makes offenses dangerous, not necessarily crafty new schemes. Take a talent-laden school like Florida for example: athletes like Percy Harvin, Jeff Demps, and Chris Rainey would be dangerous in any offensive system. That's just the nature of the elite athlete. Similarly, Ted Ginn, Santonio Holmes, Michael Crabtree, Reggie Bush, and a host of other current and past college superstars would excel regardless of what system they're in. No matter what scheme is being run, it's difficult to defend Ted Ginn's world-class speed; it's impossible to defend Percy Harvin's ability to change direction literally on a dime, and you I both know well that Santonio Holmes, given an inch of space, was going to score six. These guys might not put up identical stats and highlights under different schemes, but they'd be dangerous, game-changing weapons whether they're playing for Texas Tech or Georgia Tech. What you're going to see is not the spread "fading away", because it isn't a fad. It's an evolution of the college game; it will not "stop spreading", but instead it eventually will be assimilated into most offensive philosophies as packages that act as part of a gameplan, but not the gameplan itself. What will eventually fade away are teams that use the spread exclusively; yes, there will be Hawaiis and Texas Techs that will keep spread principles as their bread and butter, just as Navy and Army did with the option; but the fabled concept of "going to the spread" and the excitement that it causes in many fanbases each spring will probably pass the way of the dodo before too long, in my estimation. If you look at it the way I do, Jim Tressel's usage of the spread as merely a circumstantial package may end up being a more forward-thinking move for the ol' coach than many realize.

Deconstructing: How the Hokie D becomes deadlier as it adapts - Dr. Saturday
In the ensuing agony after the USC debacle last season, I overreacted and swore by Bud Foster as my top choice for the defensive coordinator spot. While I came to my senses about Jim Heacock after relatively solid defensive performances against Penn State and Texas, I still like nearly everything Bud Foster has done at Virginia Tech. He'll probably never leave Blacksburg, even for the exorbitant amount of money Ohio State would have to throw at him if truly interested. Read this article to find out why I like him and his ideas so damn much.