It looks like Sam Hubbard’s going to be playing with a little more juice than usual on Super Bowl Sunday…

Bengals DE Sam Hubbard says the team wants to win a Super Bowl to honor Harambe, who was killed at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2016

(via @PardonMyTake) pic.twitter.com/Ht1BbK5JTn

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) February 3, 2022

Win it for Harambe.

Word of the Day: Onus.

 “DEFINITELY STILL A BUCKEYE.” Listen, the whole “is Joe Burrow a Buckeye?” thing is getting absolutely exhausting to discuss and write about, so hopefully this quote can put this entire conversation to rest so we can all move on.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who initially went to Ohio State before he transferred to LSU: “I’m definitely still a Buckeye. I graduated from there.”

— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) February 3, 2022

Cool? Cool.

If you want to root for him because of his Ohio State connection, very cool! Go for it!

If you think that’s really weird and sad to call him a Buckeye because he actually had all of his success at LSU and not Ohio State, that certainly makes sense! Keep on feeling that way if you’d like!

Personally, as someone who writes about Buckeye football for Arby’s money, I feel like the Ohio State connection is strong enough to continue to mention him in some capacity on this website as he helps lead the Bengals to their first Super Bowl victory alongside five of his former Buckeye teammates.

If that bothers you, please feel free to simply keep scrolling when those words come up on your screen. Maybe I will start issuing a trigger warning from now on.

 FIX IT NOW. The good news is, Jim Knowles has fixed a broken defense before. The bad news is, it took him about four years last time.

But he’s well aware he doesn’t have that kind of time at Ohio State.

However, this is a challenge unlike anything the 56-year-old Knowles has taken on before. True, he’s orchestrated defensive turnarounds in his previous stops, but those took time. His Oklahoma State defense was one of the best in the country in 2021, the result of four years of getting his system to take hold in Stillwater.

“It’s not lost on me that I don’t have four years here,” Knowles said. “This program is ready to win every single game right now, and we have to get the defense to that level.”

…

It will take time to get the system fully installed, years even. Knowles won’t have everything in place in his first season. But he feels the defense will be able to make real strides in Year 1. The key is not to overload his players with too much, too soon while still making life difficult on opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks, causing “indecision” on their end without making his own players overthink things.

…

“From what I’ve seen, we’re not far off,” Knowles said. “I think the guys that were here are good coaches. I just feel like we can gain a lot through presentation, being systematic, having answers, having variety so that the offense doesn’t know what to expect, and being aggressive. I think there are things we can do just through the packaging of it. But I don’t think we’re far off.”

Hypothetically, the players should be more talented in this rebuild than they were at the last stop, so you would think that would help. Taking a dude who built a top-5 defense on three-star players and handing him a roster full of four and five-star players *should* yield solid results.

But truthfully, it doesn’t even have to be perfect – especially in the first year. The reality is, even if Ohio State had a defense that was just slightly above average in 2020 or 2021, it could have won a national title. So with how gas this Buckeye offense is going to be next year, I’ll be fine with that.

As long as there’s noticeable and meaningful improvement in year one, I’m cool with waiting to see the finished product. I’m even giddier about the idea of him taking on the long-term “head coach of the defense” role for the foreseeable future.

 THE RIVALRY NEVER STOPS. Haskell Garrett was on the bad end of a battle with a former Michigan offensive lineman at Senior Bowl practices yesterday and was sidelined with an apparent shoulder injury.

Heres the play, good play from Stueber here finishing. #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/RyzglZM8XX

— Inside The Draft (@Jacobkeppen) February 3, 2022

But the good news is, it looks like he’s all good to play in Saturday’s game despite the injury. And he ain’t happy about the way he was blocked.

Homie just mad I have the other gold pants hes missing . Aint nun but some icy hot and a massage wont fix

— Haskell Garrett (@HaskellGarrett_) February 3, 2022

The rivalry is alive and well, even in Mobile, Alabama.

 WHY NOT? You know what’s missing from Ohio State’s 2022 recruiting class? A five-star defensive end. But the Buckeyes have a chance to fix that!

BREAKING: Five-Star DL Lebbeus Overton is down to 5 Schools and will reclassify to 2022

The 65 265 DL from Alpharetta, GA is ranked as the No. 2 Player in the nation (#2 DL)

Where Should He Go? https://t.co/xkpxIaTC3v pic.twitter.com/GcztbVvmGJ

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 3, 2022

The last extended pursuit of a five-star defensive end had good results. I’m certainly down with trying again.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “3 Nights” by Dominic Fike.

 NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. How a former Eagle Scout turned into a suburban drug lord raking In millions a year… A school offers full tuition to 58 students after a scholarship award message error… Lie detection systems go high-tech… How thinking about ‘future you’ can build a happier life… The world’s best Guitar Hero player was a cheater… The benefits of being alone…