The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Nobody comes for free in free agency
The term in use these days is “legal tampering.” Doesn’t seem sensible, and some might call it the “cheating period” instead.
Regardless, on March 15, two days before the NFL’s 2021 business year begins, the 32 teams and agents for the players will be making deals. Lots of deals, even if they aren’t official until March 17.
“I hate calling it the legal tampering period because that just seems like that’s a debacle of the English language,” Rams general manager Les Snead says. “Legal tampering, and tampering is illegal? But we’ll have to adjust based on that because there’s no guarantee that you can re-sign (players).”
Even at a time when the salary cap has plummeted by $16 million due to lost revenues during the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season, lots of money will be going to the most-prized players.
That likely will include Tampa Bay pass rusher Shaq Barrett; Green Bay All-Pro center Corey Linsley and standout running back Aaron Jones; Detroit wide receiver Kenny Golladay; San Francisco tackle Trent Williams; and Chargers tight end Hunter Henry. No superstars about to break the bank, but plenty of proven talent to help teams improve before turning attention to next month’s draft.
Of course, free agency always is a buyer-beware situation.
“Yeah, we want talented players; but we want a good cohesive unit and guys who fit well together,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores says. “That’s not always 11 stars. It’s almost never that way.
“So we’ve scoured free agency, the draft, and I think we have a pretty good feel for the types of guys we are looking for from a skillset standpoint, but also from a locker room standpoint as people as well . ... That’s an important factor that can’t be overlooked. All
of those things play a role.”
Nine players have been given franchise tags: receivers Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay) and Allen Robinson (Chicago); offensive linemen Taylor Moton (Carolina), Cam Robinson (Jacksonville) and All-Pro Brandon Scherff (Washington); safeties Marcus Maye (New York Jets), Marcus Williams (New Orleans) and Justin Simmons (Denver); and defensive
tackle Leonard Williams (New York Giants).
Dallas locked up quarterback Dak Prescott with a four-year deal, and J.J. Watt, released this offseason by Houston, signed with Arizona. Those were the biggest names potentially available.
Snead’s Rams didn’t use the tag, which could mean losing solid safety John Johnson or revitalized linebacker Leonard Floyd center Austin Blythe.
“Strategically, probably philosophically, you’d love to be able to not utilize the franchise tag and work to get something done long term,” Snead says, “just because usually when there’s a franchise tag used, the history of it says it’s very hard to get something done longer term off of that tag.”
Thus far, the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers have played the free agency game best this month. It helps when your high-priced quarterback is willing to redo his deal to open up spending room, something Tom Brady did frequently in New England, then again this week in Tampa Bay.
Voila: Lavonte David, a key linebacker, was resigned, and several other key guys in the title run could be back.
Another star, Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, followed Brady’s lead in reworking his contract.
Players in a strong position to land a nice payday or include Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson; Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster and edge rusher Bud Dupree; Ravens edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue and linebacker Matthew Judon; Patriots guard Joe Thuney; Titans tight end Jonnu Smith; Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson; Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram; and Bucs running back Leonard Fournette.
And yes, there are quarterbacks on the market, some of whom could wind up starting in new locales. Will Jameis Winston leave New Orleans, particularly if Drew Brees retires? Teddy Bridgewater seems destined for somewhere other than Carolina in 2021, though he still belongs to the Panthers. The same could be true with the Jets’ Sam Darnold.
Free agent Jacoby Brissett will be heading away from Indianapolis and Ryan Fitzpatrick possibly will find yet another team to help as a mentor/backup/ starter. Same thing for NFL Comeback Player of the Year Alex Smith.
INDIANAPOLIS >> Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr. just wanted a second chance at his home-state team.
On March 13, the former Michigan prep star made sure it counted.
He scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds and had four assists, helping the ninth-ranked Buckeyes fend off a frantic finish by the fourth-ranked Wolverines for a 68-67 victory and a trip to the Big Ten Tournament title game.
“This rivalry means a lot to a lot of our guys, a lot of our Ohio guys,” Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann said. “Even guys like E.J. (Liddell), who has seen what it means to our fans. Duane feels that, he knows what this game means to our fans. It’s not football, we understand that. But Duane understands it.”
It sure wasn’t easy. For the third straight day, the Buckeyes nearly blew a doubledigit lead in the second half.
Michigan (20-4) scored the final seven points and Mike Smith even had a chance to win it with a long jumper with 2 seconds left. Instead, it bounced off the back of the rim and time expired in a scramble for the ball.
The Buckeyes (21-8) now
THE SCORE OHIO STATE 68, MICHIGAN 67
play No. 3 Illinois on March 14, seeking their first title since 2013.
For Washington, it was pure joy. After scoring a career-high 30 points in a 92-87 loss to Michigan on Feb. 21, Washington immediately started talking about a rematch. And he didn’t disappoint, making 5 of 10 3-pointers.
“Today we needed him big, huge and he produced,” Liddell said after scoring 18 points. “That’s why he’s a big-time player.”
It wasn’t exactly the same script as Round 1.
Michigan announced before the game starting
guard-forward Isaiah Livers would be out indefinitely because of a stress fracture in his right foot. Livers was scoreless in 15 minutes in a March 12 victory over Maryland.
Forward Kyle Young, who missed most of the second half Friday for Ohio State after getting hit in the head with an inadvertent elbow, also sat out.
But like most games in this bitter rivalry, it was physical and close.
Ohio State started pulling away when Washington made two 3s and Liddell and C.J. Walker each completed three-point plays during a crucial 14-2 run that made it 56-45 with 8:17 left. The Buckeyes still led 63-50 with 4:19 to go.
Then the Wolverines, behind 21 points and eight rebounds from Hunter Dickinson, charged back. They scored four straight to make it 67-60 and took advantage of one missed free throw, a missed dunk and back-toback turnovers to make it 68-67. When the Buckeyes turned it over again with 28.7 seconds left, the Wolverines had a shot. But Smith’s jumper was long.
“We got exactly what we wanted — Mike for a ball screen, a switch and we got a good look at it,” coach Juwan Howard said. “I’d take that shot every time.”
Big picture
OHIO STATE >> The Buckeyes still haven’t found that finishing touch though they’ve won three straight at Indianapolis and, at times, have looked like a real contender. Expect to see Ohio State as a No. 2 seed next week. MICHIGAN >> Losing Livers for any time hurts. But the Wolverines showed their depth and came up just short against a top-10 foe. They’re still likely a No. 1 seed.
Stat pack
OHIO STATE >> Washington had six rebounds and four assists while Liddell had five rebounds and three assists . ... The Buckeyes are 4-0 at Lucas Oil Stadium and won their 100th game over Michigan.
Ohio University men’s basketball coach Jeff Boals knows very well a large contingent of Bobcat alumni are from Northeast Ohio. He knows because as a native of Magnolia, a quaint village with 1,106 residents near Canton, he is part of that alumni.
Until they played Buffalo on March 13 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Bobcats hadn’t been to the men’s MAC tournament finals since 2013. They hadn’t even qualified for the tournament as one of the top eight teams in the conference since 2017 until this year.
Ohio, 9-5 in the MAC and 15-7 overall in the regular season, was seeded fifth at the start of the tournament. The Bobcats beat fourth-seeded Kent State, 85-63, to advance to the semifinals and then stunned top-seeded Toledo, 97-80, on March 12. Second-seeded Buffalo knocked off Akron in the second game March 12 to set the stage for the showdown between the Bulls and Bobcats.
“I’m just really happy for our team and players and our fans,” Boals said after upsetting Toledo. “This is what you play for you know? It’s March Madness.
“I’ve said it before. I walk into the Convo (the Convocation Center, Ohio’s home arena) every single day and I look up at the banners. My goal when I took over the job was to put another banner up there. Not one person on our roster has played in this game.”
Promises kept: The Bobcats rode an 16-0 run in the first half to a 41-21 lead at intermission and then survived a second-half challenge to beat Buffalo, 84-69, win the MAC tournament and earn an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
The Bobcats were tournament champions three times this millennium before March 13 — in 2012, 2010 and 2005. Prior to that they won in 1994, 1985 and 1983. Boals, 48, played on the 1994 team. The Bobcats entered the NCAA 64-team tournament as a 12th seed that season and lost to fifthseeded Indiana, 84-72, in the first round.
The 2020-21 season was like no other, which made winning the tournament as a fifth-seed an even greater accomplishment. COVID-19 protocols forced postponement or cancellation of five straight games after the Bobcats beat Central Michigan on Feb. 2. They went three weeks without facing an opponent, beat Akron on Feb. 23 and ended the regular season with a lopsided 86-66 loss to Buffalo in Athens on Feb. 27.
That loss is a distant memory now. The Bobcats are playing their best basketball at the best possible time.
“Everybody is playing their hardest and everybody has an unreal amount of confidence out there,” Ohio redshirt junior forward Ben Vander Plas said. “We all have each other’s backs out there. Each of us knows that. It’s easy to go out there and give it your hardest when you know the guy to your left and the guy to your right are doing the same thing.”
Boals has worked his way up the coaching ladder. He graduated from Ohio U in 1995 and spent one season as an assistant there before moving on. He was an assistant coach at Akron from 2006-09 and an assistant coach at Ohio State from 200916, coaching under That Motta, before getting the head coaching job at Stonybrook. He stayed at Stonybrook for three years. He jumped at it when the head coaching job at Ohio opened.
The only disappointment Boals felt heading
into the championship game with Buffalo was that more Bobcats fans couldn’t be in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. He knows they would have been cheering his team on if not for the COVID protocols limiting total ticket sales to around 2,700 — the maximum allowed for a Cavaliers home game.
“I grew up in Northeast Ohio,” Boals said. “I’ve been to some Bobcat alumni deals in Cleveland. There are a ton of Bobcats up here.
“When I got the job, it was mentioned that when Ohio University makes it to the semifinals or finals, that’s when you get 12,000 or 13,000 people here. Through this whole year, probably the biggest
you miss is the band, the cheerleaders, the fans — just that atmosphere.”
There is always next year, and that applies to more than the battle against the pandemic trending in the right direction.
Forward Dwight Wilson III is the only senior on the current roster. Ten of the 14 others are either sophomores or freshmen. Instead of being underdogs next year, the experienced Bobcats should be favored to repeat as MAC tournament champions.
The pride of Ohio University basketball is back.
BARBERTON >> Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end at some point.
For the Gilmour boys basketball team, its magical postseason run came to an end March 13.
The Lancers (11-10) fell to St. Vincent-St. Mary, 67-40, in their first regional final appearance since 1992.
“Our guys just kept getting better and they kept believing,” Gilmour coach Dan DeCrane said. “We had a fun run, we really did.”
The 10th-seeded Lancers entered postseason play with a 7-9 record before making a deep playoff run. The team kept winning and pulled off a series of upsets along the way.
“What was neat about this run is that everyone contributed,” DeCrane said. “They all found ways to help and they kept building relationships.”
The team downed Coventry before grabbing an upset win over Warrensville Heights in a district semifinal. The Lancers kept the good times rolling by beating a red-hot Padua team to win a district championship.
“The best part was being together as a team, being one and experiencing this together,” Gilmour junior Ryan Mueller said. “It was an amazing feeling to be with everyone.”
Next up was a tough Chaney team in Gilmour’s first regional semifinal appearance since 1997. After trailing for the majority of the game, the team never blinked. The Lancers seized the moment and rallied to a win.
“It was fun. Especially a big win (over) Warrensville, as a team, really brought us together,” Mueller said. “It was led by the seniors. They paved the path for us. Overall, it was just a great season.”
Next up was state power
St. Vincent-St. Mary. Gilmour never looked intimidated and the Lancers gave it their all. The team kept it close and trailed by 10 at halftime before the Fighting Irish pulled away in the second half.
“It shows you how far we’ve come as a team,” Lancers forward Ben DeMell said. “At the beginning of the year, we were struggling a little bit to find ourselves. As the season went on, we started to find ourselves and it really started to show in the postseason.”
Gilmour was prepared for the moment and never backed down from tough competition. That can be partially attributed to the team playing a loaded regular season schedule. The Lancers played the likes of Cleveland Heights, Lutheran East, Akron Hoban, Lorain, Garfield Heights and Walsh Jesuit.
The other component of the Lancers’ formula to its deep postseason run was its senior leadership. Gilmour will graduate five players in DeMell, Andre Rodgers, Matt Benisek, Vinny Bandwen and Teddy FitzGerald.
“It was great. We’ve been playing together since our freshman year,” DeMell said. “We grew closer and closer as the years went on and it was something that we all wanted to achieve. We actually made it happen and it was great.”
While Gilmour coaches and players will miss those five seniors, the team is optimistic about the future of the program going forward.
“(The younger players) saw what it takes to beat the best,” DeCrane said. “They certainly will start to work towards that. We had younger guys working hard and getting better at practice. I thought our practices were really good. We’ve had younger guys there going against our starters and rotation guys. It’s really going to benefit our program going forward.”