Had the opportunity to grab lunch with Coach Meyer yesterday. He is really doing well and I had a blast reminiscing about the 2012 year and catching up with how the Fox stuff is going. I've done a ton of behind the scenes stuff with him since I left and he was really appreciative of it. Some of the highlights:
- He is still pissed about me getting out of coaching LOL. He said "you were fantastic at it and good OL coaches are hard to find." I literally dedicated all of my life in 2012 to making sure the OL didn't suck, and if you ever run into any of those kids, ask them about what I did that year. It was insanity, but the results were a new OL room culture and a very productive group that mostly went on to the NFL.
- I complimented him on his TV debut and I really think he enjoys it. It is a way to talk ball, get paid, and have zero stress. I'm very critical of analysts who don't put in the work to really understand what they are talking about and just give generic commentary, and he is the complete opposite of that. Fox over ESPN, forever.
- He loved when he got setup at STK and is actually going to hook up my chef there for an OSU game. Reiterated it was the best meal he has ever had.
- We talked OL play and some of the things I really emphasized when I coached. Showed him some videos on technique stuff. He is a passing game guy, and generally they don't have a clue on intricate OL stuff. He loves talking and learning ball though.
- We talked about Greg Mattison and I told him I think he is an excellent ball coach. He had him during the glory days of the Gators before he went to Ravens, so I know what he thinks of him.
- Tim Tebow showed up while we were walking around. I'm not sure how many of you have met Tim in person, but good lord is he strapped up. Built like a defensive end.
- Saw my man Pantoni, who is a Friend of the Grove. He is great as always and has a badass new office, as do most of the people in the building.
- The new add-on that includes a cafeteria and players lounge is a site to behold. It is named after the great Keith Wandell, who has donated $5 m plus. He is the former CEO at Harley Davidson and is one of my biggest mentors in business (along with @Bama buckeye and @NevadaBuck). The kitchen has fresh food delivered from the Giant Eagle order van every day, and the meal I had was great. They have a giant mongolian style grill that you can order about anything on and a pasta bar where you pick the ingredients and order up. We've come a longggggg way from having literally no food in 2011 in the ENTIRE building. Some of that is new NCAA laws, but alot of it is Coach Meyer demanding the best for our guys and then the athletic department having to raise the money for it. That being said, I don't think our ticket prices will ever be getting cheaper.
