According to Carp

The NBA playoffs are in full force and the Cleveland Cavs are rolling, but who will they play? The East appears to be garbage, but who do they match up with best? Beau and I discuss the potential matchups and if the Cavs can bring an NBA banner home to Cleveland?

Jim Harbaugh has set the college football world on fire with his spring ball road show. With NCAA lifting the Satellite Camp ban, it has opened up the entire world to him. UM is hosting camps all across the U.S. and even one in Australia. But it was is his attempt to partner with Chris Ash and Rutgers that fueled the Ohio v. Michigan boarder war. Ash called his former mentor and now OSU and Rutgers will be forging a camp alliance.

Season Six of Game of Thrones has been intriguing to say the least. It appears to be the season where many of the larger story line questions will begin to be answered. I credit Beau for turning me onto this unbelievable gem.

Topics:

Cavs in the NBA Playoffs

Rutgers & OSU Satellite Alliance

Game of Thrones

The 2016 NFL Draft was filled with excitement and trades. Very few years will see a 1st round with the level of team movement what was witnessed this year. After an uneventful 2015, this year's draft started off with a bang. Two blockbuster trades for two quarterbacks before a single second had ticked off the clock. That type of aggressive behavior set the stage for a 1st round that saw the Browns move twice, five Buckeyes drafted and three in the top 10. Overall 12 Buckeyes were drafted in the top 150 picks, a very impressive feat (even if they fell short of the overall record). We will take a look at some of the best landing spots for Buckeye draftees, I answer a few twitter questions and we put a nice bow on the draft.

Satellite camps were banned by the NCAA after many of the southern schools deemed that it was an unfair recruiting advantage. It takes years to get any legislation passed with the NCAA, but they were able to make this ruling in only a few months. There was no reason given and the public outcry was strong. However, the NCAA without reason caved to social pressure and abruptly reversed its ruling. They dumped the story out a few hours before the start of the 1st round of the NFL draft. Why did it happen? We will take a look in this edition of According to Carp.

Topics:

2016 NFL Draft

The Ohio State Draft Class

NCAA Satellite Camps

Spring football is finally over. Every year the Spring Game punctuates the 15 practices over the previous 6 weeks. There are players who will have breakout performances in the Spring Game, but does that carry over to the fall? Often times no, but that doesn’t mean that is can’t. Michael Thomas has proved to be the spring exception. Who else stepped up this year? Did Joe Burrow solidify his hold on the backup QB job?

The Tennessee Titans made the trade of the draft with the LA Rams. The Rams gave up a bounty for the right to pick their next franchise QB. On the surface this looks like it hurt the Browns, but I think it was really a blessing in disguise. Find out why on this edition of According to Carp.

Topics:

Spring Game Wrap Up

Remembering Will Smith

NFL draft trade updates

Ohio State’s spring ball is nearly half over, but there are still many unresolved issues. Urban Meyer and the Buckeye staff are still looking to solve some of the position problems that occurred with the departure of 16 starters from both sides of the ball. The only way to determine who can handle the pressure is to turn up the heat and that is exactly what Urban has been doing to the O Line, Wide Receivers and QB’s. Even though JT Barrett is the incumbent starter, a back up must still emerge. Find out how these positions battles are playing out.

Thad Matta is the most successful coach in OSU Hoops history. Outside of a National Title, he has achieved everything imaginable during his tenure. However with 4 of 5 freshman transferring after only a single season there is a sense of worry. What are the problems most freshman face and how tough a freshman year can be will be answered in this edition of According to Carp.

Topics:

Spring Ball Update

OSU Hoops Transfer Issue

I am always curious how a kid from southern California, with no Ohio ties, ends up at OSU. Michael Thomas had every reason to stay on the west coast. He is the nephew of NFL legend and former USC Trojan Keshawn Johnson, but some how ended up in the Buckeye state. Maybe it was his one year stint at Fork Union Military Academy that led to his love for Ohio State or maybe it was his future college QB Cardale Jones, who convinced him to join him in Columbus? Michael answers why he came and who his dream NFL team would be. We discuss what makes him a special player and how he helped hone his skills through a tough couple of years to start his collegiate career. It wasn’t the tradition path to the NFL that many people think.

Topics:

From Cali to Fork Union

Learning from a Red Shirt

What makes Michael Thomas a great WR

Who he wants to play for in the NFL

Pro Day has come and gone, but did any former Buckeye help their draft stock? Or more importantly did anyone damage their professional future. We will break down every player performance and did they meet the expectations laid out before them.

It was a spectacular sight on the turf at the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility. Both NFL Network and ESPN were broadcasting live during the duration of Pro Day, while BTN televised most of the drill work from their elevated position on the catwalk. What effect did it have on player performance and is the biggest event in OSU history?

Week One of Spring Ball is in the books. With two practices officially under their belts, what has stuck out during this brief period?

Topics:

OSU Pro Day Review

Spring Ball Week 1 Recap

Pro Day is always an eventful experience and it is especially true this year at OSU. With the 2016 OSU draft class poised to potentially break the 1st Rounders and the total players drafted records, it is a safe assumption to say the Woody Hayes will be packed with scouts. More than just scouts, there will be a plethora of GM’s and Head Coaches in attendance to get a first hand account of what players could be sculpting the future of their respective franchise. There will be stress for the players, but who needs a strong performance coming on the heels of the combine? What drills will require their best performance? Every Buckeye has a different game plan.

Peyton Manning retired from the NFL. He started his NFL career before I began at OSU and finished after I was done. His impact on the NFL could not be understated and I will tell you why.

Topics:

OSU Pro Day Preview

Who needs to right their combine wrongs?

Peyton Manning’s legacy

The NFL Combine is the first major test of every future NFLer. The experience will differ for every player depending on position and prospective draft status. However, one thing remains constant; the long stressful days that lead to sleep deprived nights. It’s a test that can challenge even the most mentally tough men. More than the physical on field testing, it is the evening interviews that challenge players the most. Tough, invasive questions will force a player out of his comfort zone and into a land where he must react to the most inappropriate personal attacks. The reaction is what coaches and front office personal are looking for from players. Can he handle tough coaching and hostile road environments? They want to find out. Take a look behind the scenes in this episode of According to Carp.

Topics:

Combine stories

Players falling in Pools

Uncomfortable Questions

Recruiting can be a tough business and Jake Ballard knows it the story all to well. It would be easy to assume a successful player like Jake had an early offer from OSU. What I found out might shock you. His road to Ohio State was far from perfect, but it’s safe to say he made the right decision. The decision eventually led him to the New York Giants and even after a long successful tenure with the Buckeyes, he was back at square one in the NFL.

The NFL transition wasn’t smooth for Jake and there were many hurdles along the way. The life of an undrafted free agent isn’t a glorious one. A camp injury almost derailed his dreams, but Jake fought to keep them alive and became a Super Bowl Champion.

Topics:

The Recruiting Process

Back to Back National Championship Losses

Rose Bowl Champions

Super Bowl Champions

James Laurinaitis’s journey to Ohio State was as unusual as they come. The son of a professional wrestler, “The Animal” was a legendary member of the Legion of Doom. Joe, his father, raised him in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, where hockey, not football dominated the sports landscape. James’s hockey skills were so legendary, that had he chose hockey, many of his coaches thought he would be a 2nd or 3rd round NHL draft pick.

James instead elected to focus on football and became the hidden gem of the 2005 recruiting class. Doc Tressel, brother of Jim, was credited with his discovery and Luke Fickell was the position coach who sealed his commitment. He was forced into duty his freshman year against Michigan and the rest was history. 3 All American nods and a Butkus Award later, the kid from the Twin Cities had etched his own line at Linebacker U. Find out his thoughts on his time with Coach Tressel? How he developed into the player he became? Did Cam Newton handle the Super Bowl Press conference the right way? All that and more on this episode of According to Carp.

Topics:

Journey to OSU

Losing back to back National Championship Games

How Jim Tressel recruited him

His relationship with Luke Fickell