Skull Session: C.J. Stroud Excels on Play Action, Roddy Gayle is a Versatile Scorer, and Cris Carter Had Absurd Hands

By Kevin Harrish on June 8, 2022 at 5:30 am
C.J. Stroud is directing the offense in today's skull session.
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Carmen's Crew may not be competing in TBT this year, but don't worry – I found you a rooting interest.

Word of the Day: Mete.

 PLAY ACTION PLEASE. C.J. Stroud was absolutely elite last season on play action plays (I probably could have simply stopped after "C.J. Stroud was absolutely elite last season," but I digress).

This makes sense, given that he had no issues shredding defenses without play action, too. Freeze those linebackers and safeties for a split second and shit just gets too easy, especially when you're faking it to arguably the top running back in the country.

 GET GAYLE GOING. With both E.J. Liddell and Malaki Branham vaulting to the NBA, "who the hell is going to score?" becomes an extremely fair question about this Buckeye basketball team.

The Guy will probably be Justice Sueing along with a healthy dose of Tanner Holden and Sean McNeil. But there's also no scenario where the Buckeyes don't look for major contributions from their freshmen.

Roddy Gayle is ready to answer that call.

(High school head coach Paul) Peterson said Gayle’s biggest growth came in his ability to take over games while also taking more pride in his defense. He described Gayle as a gym rat, someone who spends plenty of time watching film and who also has a 40-inch vertical.

“Offensively, Roddy’s never going to have a problem,” the coach said. “He’s a three-level scorer with a beautiful pull-up, great vertical, can finish left- or right-handed. Offensively, it wasn’t an issue for him. Defensively was the thing, and playing hard all the time, sprinting the floor, those things.

“I think everything about his game translates, because he is a three-level scorer so he’s not a predictable scorer. When he first got to us, his bread and butter was his pull-up jumper and then his second year he really evolved hitting 3-pointers. He’s got a 40-inch vertical, so finishing at the rim at the college level is not gonna be an issue.”

Everyone's all doom and gloom on this team before it even touches the court, but I'm kinda talking myself into the Buckeyes being quite a bit better than folks expect this year if one or two of these freshmen turn out to be Actually Good™ from the jump.

I don't know. I'm not saying this team is going to the Final Four or anything, but I think at the very least, it could be pretty fun to watch. I'll tune in.

 GOAT HANDS. I was not alive in time to watch Cris Carter at Ohio State and I wasn't quite old enough to fully appreciate his dominance in the NFL.

All I've got are highlight clips. But I think this four-minute video of him catching footballs like they're on a damn tractor beam is enough to convince me that the dude had the best hands of all time.

Almost every single one of those catches would take the top spot on most other receivers' highlight reels. And there are four minutes of them!

Also, he retired in 2002, long before The League went pass-first. So it's not like he had a ton of chances to make these circus catches, either.

 BUCKEYE REUNION. Here's all the proof you need that a Buckeye bond is forever.

You can take the men out of Ohio State, but you can't take the Ohio State out of the men.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Lithium" by Nirvana.

 NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. The case for having fewer friends... The Ohio Supreme Court rules that cussing out a judge can't add time to your prison sentence... The end of music charts as we knew them... How to make the perfect summer playlist... The guys of my generation are hooked on fantasy sports...

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