Is former Buckeye Carlos Hyde on the trade block?

“No tip-toeing about in that assessment. And a trade of Hyde in the coming weeks is a distinct possibility, even though he’s coming off a career-best season”

— Chris Burke on the future of former Buckeye RB Carlos Hyde in San Francisco (SI.com)

He came up 12 yards shy of a 1,000 yard rushing season, found the endzone six times and rushed for an average of 4.6 yards per carry in 2016. Now, the San Francisco 49ers could be on the verge of sending Carlos Hyde out of the Bay Area.

Chris Burke of SI.com looked into this storyline and it seems clearer and clearer that Hyde isn’t a good fit in the Kyle Shanahan offense. An analysis from the Press Democrat highlights the struggles of the former Buckeye rusher in the new system that utilizes an outside-zone scheme.

When John Lynch first took over the 49ers as general manager, he said at the combine that he was excited to see what Hyde could do. Now, Burke goes on to say that trade rumors have been swirling since the draft, and now it seems that Hyde’s departure out of the 49ers seems to be increasing as he struggles with the adjustment.

While making a trade happens a lot in the NFL, the big issue Hyde and 49ers could face is simple: what would Hyde trade for, and who would be willing to make such a trade. Since running backs tend to have a short time in the league (averages are around 3-6 years), the pieces to make a trade for Hyde may not be there. But, if Hyde can’t adjust to the new system, then he will see his name drop in the depth charts—leaving both teams in limbo.

“Rod said he thinks his son's heart was set on playing for U of L but that he listened to people around him who told him he shouldn't pass up a chance to play for the Buckeyes.”

— Steve Jones, on the transfer of Rodjay Burns from Ohio State to Louisville (The Louisville Courier-Journal)

Last season, Rodjay Burns opened up his brief time on Ohio State’s defense with a 75-yard interception for a touchdown. Now, Burns is at Louisville; the transfer to be part of the Cardinals comes off the heals of health scares his father, Rod, has endured over the past year.

Steve Jones of the Courier-Journal chatted with Rod over the phone, and talked about his son coming back home—and ultimately playing for the hometown team he was committed to in his senior season of high school. However, if it wasn’t for Rod’s influence to have his son go out-of-state for higher education, the Buckeyes would’ve never gotten Rodjay in the first place.

But, as the time changes, so do the situations. Rodjay’s desire to come back home to help with his father’s health shines a light on the bond of father and son; a bond that football cannot break. Jones’ was able to talk to Rod about Rodjay’s chances of playing football directly off the transfer (if the family applies for an NCAA hardship waiver.) As of now, the family isn’t planning on submitting the request, as they want Rodjay to get acclimated to life, school and football at a new place.

Here’s to great health to Rod Burns, and great success to Rodjay Burns on the gridiron and in life.

"As NFL players who have personal connections to our broken justice system and have seen its impact on our own neighborhoods, we support justice reforms that strengthen families and restore communities,"

— A letter written by former Buckeyes-turned-NFLers Chris Wells, Raekwon McMillan and Malcolm Jenkins to the Ohio Senate, as reported by Peter Krouse (Cleveland.com)

It is said that Buckeyes can change the world. For three Buckeyes that have been/are in the NFL, they are looking to make change happen within the Ohio prison system. Chris Wells, Raekwon McMillan and Malcolm Jenkins wrote a letter with Cleveland Browns safety Ibraheim Campbell to the Ohio senate, in the hopes of making a plan to keep low-level offenders out of prison.

The letter was in support of the Targeted Community Alternatives to Prison (TCAP), which has a goal of eliminating the mandatory minimum for minor violations of people on parole and moving low-level offenders to jails, drug treatment facilities or other community based centers.

Those goals listed above are part of a reform plan put in place in the latest edition of Gov. John Kasich’s budget proposal. As the proposal worked its way through the House of Representatives, some of the funding was dropped, but there is hope that the Senate would put some of the funding back into the plan.

Either way, what Wells, McMillan, Jenkins and Campbell are fighting for is commendable. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but it takes a voice to get the ball rolling.

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