My friend, Anthony, and I were texting back and forth during the Ohio State men’s basketball team’s stunning 80-64 upset victory over Michigan State on Sunday.
He is as big of a Buckeyes basketball fan as I am – and I’m a big fan – so we were obviously absolutely giddy over OSU’s beatdown of the No. 1-ranked Spartans. The 16-point margin of victory does not come close to telling the whole story. The Buckeyes were up by 25 points midway through the second half before they took their foot off the gas pedal. Had they not done that, they may have won by 40. Really. And MSU is clearly the best team in the country, one that is coached by a hall of famer in Tom Izzo. So this was no small victory.
Anthony and I are also ardent Ohio State football fans, and just as the basketball team was going wild on CBS, I pointed out to him that two former OSU football greats, New Orleans wide receivers Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr., were going wild on Fox in helping lead the Saints past the Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs.
Indeed, it was an Ohio State day all-around if there ever was one.
“Maybe those morons up I-77 will realize that OSU produces some pretty good NFL talent,” Anthony texted me in reference to the Browns having never taken any Buckeyes recently in the NFL Draft despite a number of players coming out of Columbus and being productive in the pros.
I used to think that was just a coincidence – and perhaps it is – but I’m not so sure anymore.
Anyway, sportsillustrated.com’s Peter King, in the awards section of his popular Monday Morning Quarterback column this week, picked Thomas as one of his two offensive players of the week for the wild-card round. Here’s what he wrote about Thomas:
“Best receiver on the playoff field this weekend. The second-year ex-Buckeye, in his first NFL playoff game, came up huge: eight catches on nine Drew Brees targets for 131 yards. Two of the catches I don’t know how he gripped; and his 46-yard catch and run gave the Saints a 12-point lead with five minutes left. He slithers through coverage, he doesn’t get blocked off routes, he catches the ball like Beckham. What more do you want in a receiver? Thomas was critical to the Saints’ first playoff win in six years.”
OK, new Browns General Manager John Dorsey, do you see this? And will you be different? Will you be smart enough to notice that Urban Meyer is turning out some guys who can really help your team?
