Urban Meyer was running behind for the Big Ten teleconference this week (blame the bye week), but he briefly addressed much of what was absent with their not being a Monday press conference yesterday:
- "After watching Cincinnati, their strength [was] a weakness of ours a year ago, so we're going to really get after it this week in practice ... We have to get these guys game reps, from our starting quarterback to our starting right guard to our two tailbacks..."
- On a question subtly angled towards the Raekwon McMillan/Curtis Grant debate: "There comes a point if the younger player is better, you have to go with that younger player."
- "We're an offensive line built team, that's what we've been the past two years, and we're still not where we need to be."
- "When I watched [Cincinnati] live Friday night on TV, it was a 'whoa'."
- Meyer said the whole Ohio State staff was out recruiting on Monday and will be out this weekend as well.
- "I've still yet to see Curtis Samuel's ceiling. The best thing about him is his relentless effort."
-
"I think [Steve Miller]'s played well. Noah Spence was the guy that we lost obviously, and Steve's filled in admirably...This is his opportunity to take it and run with it. To say he's an all-Big Ten performer, when you lose an all-Big Ten performer, you have to replace him with one."
Meyer also spoke to Rashad Frazier's progress and said Jalyn Holmes was starting to make a push as well.
"Close to 5,000 made the trek to Columbus the last time the Bearcats headed to Ohio Stadium in 2006. It wouldn't be a shock if close to double that made the journey in 2014."
-Matt Opper, Down The Drive
Probably to no surprise, particularly given how stout UC looked in their opener and what their expectations are this season, SB Nation's Cincinnati Bearcats site projects considerably more than the Bearcats' ticket allotment from Ohio State to be in Columbus in two weeks.
Though Tommy Tuberville's team still has Miami University to worry about between now and then, particularly with OSU's bye week, it's hard not to be a bit tunnel visioned towards the big quasi-prime time-ish in-state rivalry-like contest. And as Coach Meyer spoke to above, if that offense looks anything like it did against Toledo and Ohio State's secondary looks anything like it did a year ago. Welp.
"A prominent Columbus business leader with ties to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told cleveland.com his organization has submitted a bid to become the team's new training camp home. Alex Fischer, president and CEO of the Columbus Partnership, acknowledged he's spearheading a campaign to lure the Browns to the state's largest and most prosperous city for their annual summer camp."
-Tom Reed, Cleveland.com
Could Johnny Football's future preseason home be in Central Ohio?
Though there's competition from the University of Akron and Ohio Wesleyan of all places, the at present without-a-site bid could help further strengthen's Columbus long term (think a decade or two decades plus from now) appeal as a possible relocation destination for an out of state team unhappy with their current lease situation.
Hey, if it's possible in Madden NFL 15, anything's possible.