OSU Football: Blackmon-Weeden bond strong

We knew that the Justin Blackmon-Brandon Weeden connection was stout.

On a day that the Oklahoma State standouts announced that they were spurning the NFL and returning to college, they proved that their bond might be stronger than expected.

Sure, we saw the Weeden-to-Blackmon connection time and again this past season. The quarterback and the receiver combined for nearly 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns. They could just give each other a look or a nod or a glance and make something happen. They had a connection that quarterbacks and receivers dream about.

Apparently, it is a bond that extends beyond the field.

These two were a package deal. That’s a phrase normally used when talking about recruits, but really, it fits here, too. Weeden wasn’t going to the NFL unless Blackmon did, but he wasn’t staying at OSU unless Blackmon was, too.

And vice versa.

“With me, it was pretty much all this guy,” Blackmon said of how much his decision was impacted by what Weeden was doing. “We talked to each other through text messages and phone calls and things like that. We got on the same page, and we figured it out.”

Weeden said, “Once I knew that he was coming back, it was kind of a no brainer for me. I’m in a unique situation because of my age and all that, but what’s another year?”

Especially when you’ve got the nation’s best receiver on your side.

“When Blackmon decided he was coming back,” Weeden said, “it was pretty much a lock.”

It’s amazing to see how this relationship has bloomed in the past year. Think back to this time last winter. Weeden was a quarterback with lots of potential, and Blackmon was just a guy in the receiver corps who was fighting for playing time.

But during the spring and the summer, an on-field relationship started to develop. Blackmon became Weeden’s safety blanket. In trouble? Throw it to Blackmon. Need a first down? A big play? A touchdown? Throw it to Blackmon.

That evolved into a special bond that led them to come to a mutual agreement about next season.