Happy Monday, friends and fans!

As the smoke blackens and the heat rises, Kyler Murray to the Arizona Cardinals appears to be the reality that is destined to happen. However, there is still a lot that needs to happen before it’s a done deal, such as the OU Pro Day taking place this Wednesday. For some, it’s a no-brainer. Need proof? Check out these electronic billboards off a highway in Arizona.

The 5’10” > 3-13 sign is simple, yet effective. With all the discussions on Murray over the past few months surrounding his height, it’s easy for some to forget what matters more in the game of football — winning. The Cardinals are in this position to draft the former dual-sport athlete because of all the winning that escaped them last season.

My personal favorite billboard is the one that reads “Life’s too short. Kyler’s not”. It’s a clever spin on a widely-used phrasing template, but it gets the job done. More than anything, it’s true. Up to this point in his playing career, height really hasn’t been an issue for Murray. Could it finally catch up to him in the NFL? Maybe, but there are plenty of statistics out there that suggest otherwise. Nevertheless, he’s an exceptionally rare talent, and nobody wants to be the team that skipped the chance to draft a player like him.

If I could offer any advice to the Cardinals, it would be this: Keep calm and draft Kyler Murray.

Now onto this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! Tre Brown expresses high praise for Jalen Hurts, Antonio Brown wants to play with his cousin “Hollywood”, a son boosts his father’s donut shop with the power of Twitter and more!

OU Links

• Representatives for all 32 NFL teams and over 100 media members are expected to be in Norman this Wednesday for the OU Pro Day. For a direct comparison, there were about 80 media members for Baker Mayfield’s Pro Day. The stage is set for Kyler Murray. It’s time to put on a damn show.
• Oklahoma’s Kristian Doolittle was named the Big 12’s Most Improved Player after his breakout season. If it wasn’t for his many heroics, the Sooners could be on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA Tournament picture. Christian James and Brady Manek were also bestowed with conference honors. Congratulations, Big Doo, CJ and Brady!

• SB Nation’s Chris Dobbertean projects Oklahoma as a No. 8 seed in his latest bracketology update. Winning at least the first game of the Big 12 Championship this week could go a long way towards making that a reality.
• Tre Brown, the cornerback who had a bit of a breakout season in 2018, has been impressed with what he’s seen from Jalen Hurts so far. If the QB plays at a level close to the two Sooner starters before him, Oklahoma is going to be mighty fine this fall.

• Make sure you take some time to read up on Allen’s post about the Sooners’ 2011 defense. Brent Venables was in his final year as Oklahoma’s DC, and while it obviously wasn’t the best year ever on defense, it wasn’t all bad. Alex Grinch’s unit is going to have to do more than simply gang up on the teams with poor offenses if OU wants to change its defensive identity.
• Oklahoma’s Dom Demas won the 141 pounds Big 12 title, becoming the first Sooner to do so since 2014. Next he’ll take to the mats in the 2019 NCAA Championship. Boomer!

• Now that Antonio Brown is with the Raiders, he’s already (jokingly) pitching his cousin, Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, to join him. It would certainly make Oakland’s receiving corps a must-see unit if that were to happen.

• Don’t forget to check out Kartik’s update on how the three former Sooners balling out in the NBA did this week. Trae Young recorded his first pro triple double, while Blake Griffin and Buddy Hield each have their teams in the playoff picture.
• In case you missed it, Virginia grad transfer OG RJ Proctor picked Oklahoma over Texas, Florida State and others. It’s a very welcomed addition, as the former Cavalier provides depth and experience.

Around the Sports World

• I know it’s March, but this is madness. C’mon, man, did you honestly believe the world’s worst attempt at a flop was going to get you anywhere? To be fair, Liberty did win and punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament, so at least the incoming texts on his phone aren’t all bad.

• Former Miami Dolphins slot receiver Danny Amendola has agreed to sign with the Detroit Lions on a one-year deal for $4.5 million.
• Real Madrid has fired manager Santiago Solari after approximately four months on the job and replaced him with Zinedine Zidane.
• Snowy soccer in Germany? Yeah, that’s a common thing, and unfortunately for this player he was robbed of a goal because too much snow accumulated on the ball and the surface, causing it to stop just before it crossed into the net. What a shame.

• Staying with soccer, check out this fan running onto the field and punching Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish. It’s probably the worst thing a person can do as a fan at a sporting event, and the penalty is apparently 14 weeks of jail time. The good news is that Grealish was not seriously hurt by the sucker punch.

Stick to Sports!

• A man in Missouri City, Texas opened a donut shop, but business wasn’t booming in the slightest. That’s when the man’s son went to Twitter to express the saddened state that had overtaken his father, and the locals sprang into action, flooding the shop with business and completely selling him out of his stock of goodies. What an absolutely heart-warming story.

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