Ohio State Student Drives into Crowd after Big Win

An Ohio State student drove his car into three people during a post-game riot after the Buckeyes beat the Texas Longhorns in a big football game over the weekend.

An Ohio State University student accused of driving his car into three people, injuring them slightly, was among several people arrested during a raucous celebration of the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes’ win over No. 2 Texas. There were about 40 fires reported, with couches and mattresses set ablaze, in student neighborhoods Saturday night, said Columbus police Sgt. David Howson, whose department arrested about 17 people, five of them on arson charges. A trash bin also was set on fire, burning two nearby cars, he said.

Battalion Fire Chief Kevin O’Connor said he was treated for bumps and bruises after he and two others were struck by a car that came through a temporary command post set up in the driveway of a student union building. The two others, Ohio State assistant vice president for student affairs Barbara Rich and her husband, were treated early Sunday at Ohio State University Medical Center for minor injuries.

The driver of the car, George Karadimas, 22, a student at the school, has been charged with vehicular assault, said Ohio State Assistant Chief Rick Amweg. He declined to comment on whether alcohol was involved. Karadimas was being held in a Franklin County jail and is scheduled to appear in court Monday morning for an arraignment, said sheriff’s deputy Travis Carter.

Oddly, “Karadimas” doesn’t sound Muslim to me. Perhaps he converted?

Seriously, I’m as big a sports fan as the next guy. But I’ve never done anything more violent than cursing at the television in reaction to a victory or loss involving my team.

OTB

Jim O’Brien Wins $2.2 Million from Ohio State

Ohio State must pay former basketball coach Jim O’Brien about $2.2 million plus interest for firing him for giving a recruit $6,000.

[...]

The 56-year-old O’Brien, who coached the Buckeyes for seven years, guided them to the Final Four in 1999. He was fired in June of 2004 after revealing to then-athletic director Andy Geiger that he had given the money to Serbian prospect Aleksandar Radojevic. He had sought $3.6 million in his lawsuit.

O’Brien charged that the university did not follow his contract in releasing him. Judge Joseph T. Clark agreed, ruling in February that O’Brien broke his contract by giving the money and failing to inform university officials, but the error was not serious enough to warrant firing. The university violated the contract by firing him without compensation, the ruling said. In his ruling Wednesday, Clark said, “… this single, isolated failure of performance was not so egregious” to lead to O’Brien’s firing under the lenient terms of his contract.

A subsequent investigation vacated that trip to the Final Four and found that O’Brien had violated NCAA bylaws. The sanctioning body of college sports put Ohio State on three years probation in March for violations that including those that occurred in the basketball program under O’Brien.

O’Brien had asked for reimbursement for his annual salary of $236,552, plus damages of $3.3 million. His contract specified he was due 3 1/2 times his base salary for the length of the time remaining on the agreement. He still had more than five years left on the contract.

Ohio State contended O’Brien was owed nothing because he violated his contract by breaking NCAA rules. “We continue to believe that the university acted appropriately in dismissing coach O’Brien,” Ohio State vice president and general counsel Christopher M. Culley said in a statement. “The NCAA sanctions that followed the court’s initial decision in February 2006 validated the serious nature of the violations and reinforced to us that we took the appropriate action in terminating his contract.”

How conduct so egregious that it cost the university a forfeited Final Four and three years probation–meaning much more playoff money than the entirety of O’Brien’s salary during the period–does not warrant firing is beyond me. If anything, O’Brien should owe Ohio State a refund for the forfeited year, since he didn’t technically “coach” there at all.

Dallas Cowboys 2006 Draft: Day 1

The Dallas Cowboys got the linebacker they were targetting, Ohio State’s Bobby Carpenter, with the 18th pick. They also achieved two other goals they had announced prior to the draft: recouping the 4th round pick that they traded away last draft so that they could take Chris Canty, and taking the “best available player” on their board regardless of need.

Nick Eatman:

The Cowboys have said all along they were in position to draft the “Best Available Player” when Saturday’s NFL Draft got underway. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the team’s aggressiveness in free agency didn’t give the team many glaring needs heading into the draft. But as Saturday’s first three rounds unfolded, two things became clear: The Cowboys indeed still had a couple of holes to fill. And they filled them.

The club drafted Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter with the 18th pick, and then landed Notre Dame tight end Anthony Fasano with the 53rd selection after moving down four spots through a trade with the Jets. And that was the first of two trades the Cowboys pulled off Saturday. The second one cost them 12 spots in the third round – moving from 80 to 92 – but gave the Cowboys that all-important fourth-round pick. The Cowboys entered the draft without a fourth-rounder, having traded it to get Chris Canty in last year’s draft. And then the Cowboys completed the wild day by drafting Grambling defensive end Jason Hatcher.

The Cowboys will go into Sunday’s final four rounds with a total of six picks after acquiring three via trades on Saturday. But regardless of what happens on Sunday, the success of this draft will ultimately hinge on Carpenter, a player Jones said he couldn’t risk not taking when he became available. Despite history suggesting the Cowboys might trade out of their 18th overall pick in the first round, they stood pat and drafted a player they had targeted all along.

Not only does Carpenter fit the Cowboys’ 3-4 defensive scheme, with the ability to play the strong side linebacker opposite DeMarcus Ware, but he should be everything Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells is looking for. Carpenter is the son of Rob Carpenter, who played four seasons at running back under Parcells with the Giants from 1981-85.

“We were so happy to see him still there for us,” Jones said after the pick. “He’s a compliment to what we’re doing with DeMarcus Ware. He’s a short term in that we think he will be an immediate contributor. He’s done everything that we’re going to ask him to do. Take on the tight end. Cover on the outside. Rush the passer. He’s done that and he’s got a great background through osmosis with his dad having played in the NFL. “He’s got serious character qualities and has a high motor. We wanted to get the best player we could for the future but also someone who fits what we do in the future. And he’s that guy.”

And maybe it won’t be long before he’s a “Parcells Guy.” However, Carpenter said that title is something he’ll have to earn. “I wouldn’t characterize myself as one of those guys yet. I believe that’s something that’s got to be earned but I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” Carpenter said. “My dad said he always valued hard work and that’s something that I’m going to bring to the table every day. If there’s anything that has been questioned, hopefully I can answer that as well.”

Carpenter will get his first chance to do so next weekend when the Cowboys invite all of their draft picks and rookie free agents, which will be signed Sunday night and Monday, to Valley Ranch for a three-day mini-camp from Friday to Sunday.

Along with Carpenter, all eyes should be on Fasano, a somewhat surprising pick considering the Cowboys already have two-time Pro Bowler Jason Witten and went out and signed free-agent Ryan Hannam in the off-season. But soon after the Cowboys drafted Fasano with the 53rd pick, Jones held his only press conference of the day and told the media he envisions an offensive style that includes “two starting tight ends.” While Jones basically said the Cowboys will have little to no need for a fullback on the roster, he also made a bold statement regarding Fasano, who caught 47 passes for 576 yards last season for Notre Dame. “I expect him to come in here and start,” Jones said. “But I want to be real clear now. Not start in place of Jason Witten. Both of them will start.”

Fasano not only played two seasons with Cowboys running back Julius Jones at Notre Dame, but also spent last season under head coach Charlie Weis, a former Parcells assistant. Jones said Notre Dame runs a similar offense to the Cowboys and uses the same terminology, which could be make for an easier transition for the second-round tight end. “I couldn’t be more excited. It’s a plug-in-place type of situation with the similar offenses we have run,” Fasano said. “I don’t think it’s going to be an easy transition no matter where I was, but I think with this offensive scheme and this coaching staff it’s probably the best situation I could have walked into. “If you are an outsider looking in it is a weird situation. But with the philosophy using two tight ends and being real multiple tight end set oriented I think it’s going to be a great fit.”

Now what that means for Hannam is unclear. But if the Cowboys are anticipating playing more two-tight sets, having three quality players at the position should give them plenty of depth.

And speaking of depth, the Cowboys ignored a few thinner positions in the third round and piled some more on the defensive end spot. In the third round, after moving back 12 spots to acquire the fourth-round pick from Jacksonville, the Cowboys took Hatcher, a relatively unknown prospect who figures to have tremendous upside. The 6-6, 284-pound pass-rusher had 11 sacks last season for Grambling and wowed scouts this off-season by running in the 4.8 range in the 40.

The Cowboys picked up three defensive ends in last year’s draft in Marcus Spears, Chris Canty and Jay Ratliff, and Greg Ellis still remains very much in the picture, especially as a nickel pass-rusher.

While outside linebacker was a position the Cowboys were expected to address, tight end and defensive end were small surprises. But because of the Cowboys’ draft-day trades, they’ve added two more picks for Sunday, meaning they will enter the second day of the draft with six selections over the next four rounds.

One hopes the vision for two tight ends on offense is Bill Parcells’ rather than Jerry Jones’. Still, it makes sense to have the best athletes possible on the field at all time. Keeping a mediocre fullback on the field as a blocker is silly if that means keeping a fullback who can both block and catch would be silly.

While one hopes the Cowboys can pick up a viable free safety and perhaps another wide receiver today, I feel good about what they’ve done so far. In the post-Jimmy Johnson era, the Cowboys have had only a handful of good drafts. All of them have been when they simply drafted their board rather than reaching to grab a high risk/high reward player that most had rated several rounds lower.

In terms of the Rick “Goose” Gosselin Top 100, here’s how the Cowboys did yesterday:

18th pick: Bobby Carpenter LB Ohio State – #18
53rd pick: Anthony Fasano TE Notre Dame – #54
92nd pick: Jason Hatcher DE Grambling – #88

They’re plus three on the day. No great catches but no reaches. The second day, though, is often a spot where one can grab a high ranked guy that fell for some reason. That’s especially true if a team is willing to draft value rather than need.

Jean-Jacques Taylor brings this important news:

[O]wner Jerry Jones said he’s committed to the 3-4 defensive scheme whether Bill Parcells is the Cowboys’ coach or not. Parcells, who did not make himself available to the media Saturday, signed a two-year contract in January. “We’ve really covered a lot of ground to be a 3-4 team, and I don’t intend to change that for a long time to come,” Jones said. “You can’t be flipping in and out of systems. Some players fit some systems and don’t fit others. We’re going – and going strong – defensively with the 3-4.”

I agree. And the team is well-stocked with young, talented players that fit that scheme after the last draft and a half:

A look at the projected starters on the defensive line and linebacker in 2006 reveals DeMarcus Ware, the 11th player selected in the first round last season, and Bradie James as the only returning starters as the Cowboys have gotten significantly bigger and younger. Last season, starters La’Roi Glover, Greg Ellis, Al Singleton and Dat Nguyen were each at least 30. Now, Jason Ferguson is the only 30-year-old starter in the front seven.

Adding Carpenter solidifies the Cowboys’ front seven because he fills an important role. In the 3-4 defense, the outside linebackers are the most important players because they provide the pass rush. At Ohio State, Carpenter (6-2, 257 pounds) showed he can handle every job the Cowboys will ask him to do. He can put his hand on the ground and rush as a defensive end, cover running backs and tight ends, and he has the size to be strong against the run even when he is matched against 330-pound tackles. Carpenter, who had 14 career sacks at Ohio State, also can be an effective blitzer at outside linebacker, which will force opposing offensive coordinators to decide which side to slide their pass protections because Ware and Carpenter each have the ability to rush the passer.

The radical reshaping of a defense that was already pretty good Parcells’ first year with the team–they were ranked #1 statistically and carried a team with Quincy Carter at quarterback and Troy Hambrick at running back to a 10-6 record and the playoffs.

NFL Draft 2006 – Round 1 #29 – New York Jets – C Nick Mangold

The Jets are on the clock with the second pick of the draft. Could they grab LenDale White?

Nope: They took OSU center Nick Mangold.

Rick Gosselin had him projected going to the Bears at #25, giving him high praise: “[O]ne of the safest picks in this draft. The only knock on him is his position. Centers don’t generally go high in drafts. He’s been described as a Mark Stepnoski with a bit more size.” Fans of football, especially the Dallas Cowboys, in the 1990s need hear no more. Stepnoski was a perennial Pro Bowler.

NFL Draft 2006 – Round 1 #25 – Pittsburgh Steelers (from Giants) – WR Santonio Holmes

The New York Giants are on the clock. They won their division last year and have quality young players at many of the key positions, notably quarterback and tight end. They could use another wide receiver or corner. Goose projected them to take Tye Hill here but the Rams took them way up at #15. Not a single wide receiver has gone yet, so they have their pick of the litter.

The Giants traded their pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They picked Ohio State wide receiver Santonio Holmes, the consensus best WR in this draft class.

They reportedly traded their 3rd and 4th round picks to move up from the #32 spot. They must have been high on Holmes; there would surely have been a top receiver available at #32, a mere seven spots later, with none yet off the board.

NFL Draft 2006 – Round 1 #18 – Dallas Cowboys – OLB Bobby Carpenter

The moment I’ve been waiting for since last November! The Cowboys are on the clock. There are a lot of studs left, including FSU corner Antonio Cromartie, the 14th best player in the draft according to Rick Gosselin. Still, the Cowboys probably don’t need to spend a 1st on a cornerback and there are several stud linemen still in this draft.

Jerry Jones has said he’d love to trade down to pick up the 4th rounder he traded away last year to draft Eric Canty. I’d love that, too, if they can do it without dropping too far.

If not, I’d love to have NC State DE Manny Lawson or Ohio State OLB Bobby Carpenter.

Safety is the biggest “need” position for the ‘Boys but, short of Michael Huff falling to them, spending another 1st round pick (Roy Williams) on a safety just doesn’t make sense. On the other hand, with the 3-4 now firmly in place, another pass rusher would be a welcome addition. If defense wins championships, and games are won in the trenches, it just makes sense.

The pick: Bobby Carpenter

Arguably, not the best player available. But Parcells loves linebackers and he coached Bobby’s dad, Rob, who was a running back with the Giants in the 1990s.

Update: DC.com’s Rob Phillips,

For the second consecutive year, the Cowboys spent their first-round pick on a dynamic outside linebacker. The Cowboys drafted Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter with the 18th overall pick, bolstering their depth at one of the most important positions in the 3-4 defense. Carpenter was the fifth linebacker taken in the draft, following fellow Buckeye A.J. Hawk (5th overall), Florida State’s Ernie Sims (9th) and Kamerion Wimbley (13) and Chad Greenway (17).

Carpenter (6-2, 254) has good size for an outside linebacker in a 3-4 and shows good instincts and range. His father, Rob Carpenter, played running back for Bill Parcells when he coached the New York Giants.

Carpenter helped form perhaps the best linebacker group in the country last season, featuring first-round pick Hawk and Anthony Schelegel. The Buckeyes ranked first in rush defense (72.4) and fifth in both total defense (281.3) and scoring defense (15.2).
Carpenter finished 10th on Ohio State’s all-time sack list (14.5) and recorded 142 of his career 191 tackles in his final two seasons with the Buckeyes.

[...]

The Cowboys still haven’t drafted an offensive player in the first round since 1997, when tight end David LaFleur was taken with the 22nd overall pick. The club selected linebacker Ware (No. 11) and defensive end Marcus Spears (No. 20) with its two first-round picks last year.

The Cowboys seemingly addressed all of their needs in some capacity through free agency. They added depth on the offensive line with guard Kyle Kosier and tackle Jason Fabini and signed high-profile free agents Terrell Owens and Mike Vanderjagt to fill their needs at wide receiver and kicker, respectively. Safety has been mentioned as a potential first-round target throughout the off-season, but the Cowboys matched New Orleans’ offer sheet for Keith Davis and signed veteran Marcus Coleman two weeks ago. Both players have NFL starting experience at free safety.

NFL Draft 2006 – Round 1 #8 – Buffalo Bills – S Donte Whitner

The Bills don’t have a quarterback, making Leinart the ridiculously obvious choice. Unfortunately, the Bills have not made a smart move so far this offseason and seem to think they’re good at QB. That rules out not only Leinart but Jay Cutler.

FSU defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley is the likely pick. It’s not a bad one, to be sure. Except that Leinart’s still on the board.

Pick: Wow. Ohio State safety Donte Whitner.

Gosselin rated him #17 overall [OTBS] and had him projected to go to the Dallas Cowboys at #18. So, Goose’s streak of picking the draft ends after seven in a row.

It may be that the Bills legitimately had Whitner much higher on their board than other teams. That’s a professional call that they’re in a better position than I am to make, without a doubt. But why not trade down a few spots and get Whitner for what others were willing to spend? Surely, they could have gotten, say, a 4th round pick from Arizona to move up a couple slots and have a guaranteed shot at Lienart. Indeed, that would still have been a lousy deal in terms of the famous Jimmy Johnson trade chart but it would have still given Buffalo Whitner and a 4th round pick–and Whitner for less money contractwise.

NFL Draft 2006 – Round 1 #5 – Green Bay Packers – LB A.J. Hawk

Can the Packers pass on Leinart? He would have been the first overall pick last year. Still, they took a quarterback, Aaron Rogers, in the first round last year.

Linebacker A.J. Hawk is the guy the Packers are supposed to take. He’s a superstar. But they could not have expected to be in the position of grabbing the best quarterback in the draft with the fifth pick.

Pick: Hawk.