End Zone: OSU 12-01

12/1/2011

One of the more interesting elements to come out of the Ohio State news conference on Monday introducing Urban Meyer as the next head coach of the Buckeyes was the revelation that so many of those "breaking news" stories of the past couple weeks were actually quite broken.

In a reckless race to be first and therefore momentarily relevant, so many ran a huge number up the flag pole and told everyone to stand at attention and salute. Countless experts "confirmed" Meyer had a seven-year deal for $40 million "locked up." They puffed out their chests and strutted like prairie chickens. Only they missed it by a year and around $10 million. If I had been that far off on my fourth grade math homework, Sister Mary Clavera would have had me doing flash cards during recess ... for a semester.

A gaggle on Google had Meyer signed, sealed, and delivered at Ohio State a week before anyone actually put their John Hancock on any piece of paper. It was a "done deal" these boxer-shorts-in-the-basement authorities insisted, demonstrating the same level of restraint as a bunch of drunks at a bachelor party. Nothing was on paper at that point, nothing signed -- try buying a house with that kind of "done deal."

Monday, there finally was a deal and Meyer signed a contract. Using the frenzied ex post facto news model of the past month we can now safely proclaim this: "Meyer beats Miami". And when he does next September, we had it first.

Read more from Matt at the Buckeye Bits blog at toledoblade.typepad.com/BuckeyeBits or on Twitter @mattmarkey.