While We’re Waiting… Julio Jones, Buckeyes Hoops, NFL Labor and more

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

So Julio Jones might be a bit of a reach at 6 now that he has a broken foot requiring surgery…  It’s pretty amazing Jones was able to run a 4.39 forty anyway, but this must have been a pre-existing injury the wideout simply wasn’t aware of while training for Indianapolis.  Jones’ strong Combine effort seemingly helped to solidify his standing as a likely top-15 pick.   We heard similar optimism at this time last year about Demaryius Thomas’ broken foot, which remained a problem for him after Denver drafted him.   Michael Crabtree, on the other, had a similar injury and enjoyed a productive rookie year.  [ProFootballTalk]

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On the Buckeyes heading into the Big Ten tourney and March Madness – If they take care of business this week, they’ll also be top seed in the Big Ten Tournament and sit opposite Purdue and Wisconsin in that bracket. It’s not a given, but it also appears that a dangerous and improving Michigan team would land in the Purdue-Wisconsin half. I’m not sure  anybody wants to see Michigan State in Indianapolis, either, but I’m also not sure if the Buckeyes were to lose early in the Big Ten Tournament and go home and rest that anybody would really shed any tears. That’s for down the road, but that’s where this team’s goals are. Down the road, down the bracket line, down in Houston. [Zac Jackson / FSOH]

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How good can the players’ bargaining power be in the NFL labor dispute if their agents don’t even understand the issues? – “It was scary how little some of the agents knew about what’s going on and what’s about to happen,” said an agent in town for the NFL scouting combine. That agent was among a half-dozen who estimated that perhaps as few as 5 percent of the almost 1,000 agents in attendance Friday appeared capable of explaining the complex issues to the players they represent. [Jason Cole – Y!]

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So, about all those NFL rules about not contacting players… Which better mean that Colt has a copy of that playbook. From there, it’s a short trip to Kinko’s, and it’s safe to assume McCoy has a working phone line and a decently-sized backyard. A leader better know what to do. Real Facts of The Law: Whatever else about the NFL labor dispute, it’s not The Wire. Nobody’s going to be allowed to tap Colt’s phone or search his house. Let’s not cut off our nose to spite our face here. We really don’t want to hear any excuses. [ClevelandFrowns]

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Horizon League tourney preview… Nowhere in the country is the margin between good fortune and bad luck thinner than in the Horizon League. The first conference tournament in America to kick off also gives us one of the more unique scenarios in Championship Week. Three teams have stood out above the pack all season in conference play, Milwaukee, Butler and Cleveland State. All three finished with a 13-5 conference record and thus each took a share of the conference title. However due to the tiebreaking process and the vagaries of the Horizon Tournament seeding, Milwaukee and Butler will get a two-round bye into the tournament’s semifinals. [Matt Jones / CBS Sports]

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Last, but not least, I am shamelessly plugging my own work at Cleveland.com yesterday.  I talked about how overwhelming the thought of drafting truly is for scouts and GMs. [Craig Lyndall / Cleveland.com]