Block O Table – Spring Game, NFL Draft Prospectus
Incidentally, while I enjoy reading your thoughts, compiling them into a synopsis can be rather tedious (just because of the enormity of responses I get). If anyone is interested in “hosting” the Table for the next month (asking the questions, summarizing the responses), feel free to let me know. You don’t need to have a blog in order to ask the questions or summarize the answers. You can just send the questions and synopsis to me and I can post it on behalf of you. All credit will be given where appropriate.
Without any further stalling for time, the questions appear below. This month’s topic will be looking ahead to the Spring Game, as well as the NFL Draft. Feel free to elaborate on your answers.
01. I’m not sure if you heard, but the Spring Game and the NFL Draft are the same day: April 25th. This is rather unfortunate considering how many Buckeyes are in the NFL Draft and how many of them are likely to be taken the first day. Assume you can: A) Go to the Spring Game and watch the Brew Crew (hopefully) show the future of Ohio State football is bright OR B) Stay at home, not watch the Spring Game, and follow the NFL Draft. If forced to such a binary position1, what would you do? Why?
02. We all wish our Buckeye alumni well at the next level of football, but let’s be negative nancy for the moment. Which of our possible first day picks in the draft (Jenkins, Beanie, Laurinaitis, Robiskie, and I guess Freeman) do you fear will struggle the most at the next level?
03. Conversely, which of the remaining Buckeyes in the NFL Draft do you think will have the greatest success in the NFL?
04. For concerns of either this individual’s legacy at Ohio State or the team’s chances at returning to the BCS in 2009, who needs to shine the brightest and prove himself at the Spring Game?
05. In that same breath, what relatively unknown commodity has the breakthrough performance at the Spring Game that Taurian Washington had at last year’s game (though nothing came of it for the 2008 season). What Buckeye do you think will steal the show?
Extra Credit
EC. I understand not everyone who reads this blog is an Ohio State graduate, but I thought about asking this anyways. What is your favorite moment on campus that’s not connected to an Ohio State sporting event? If there’s a funny story about a house party on Ohio State’s off-campus, or a whimsical story at one of Ohio State’s many fine watering holes, or something else that’s not simply being in Ohio Stadium for a Buckeye victory, please share.
- Either/Or is the question here. [↩]
1. Spring Game, no question. Even if the dates didn’t coincide, my “following” of the news on draft day would consist of (maybe) watching the crawl on ESPN and then reading whatever this and other Buckeye blogs had to say about it. I’m in that significant minority of CFB fans that pretty much hates the No Fun League. Of course I want our boys that get to the league to do well, but I just can’t really get too excited about, say, the Patriots doing well just because Vrabel was an important part of their defense – by that standard, I’d also have had to wish them ill because of where their QB went to school, no?
2. I think all of the guys you mentioned’s chances of being solid if not awesome contributors in the NFL are pretty good. I guess I “fear” most that Beanie will suffer from a lot of slings and arrows if he spends any significant amount of time hampered by injuries his first couple of seasons. If “struggle” means “isn’t up to the job talent-wise”, then Laurinaitis – as good as he was, I think we can all agree that objectively he was overrated (or at least over-hyped by the Musbergers of the world). In particular, I always thought Brian @ MGoBlog’s criticism that he struggled to shed blockers was right on the money. The problem here is that it’s an expectations game being played and that it’s subject to all sorts of unreasonableness.
3. If he can get his head together, Alex Boone. All the physical tools are there. Everyone deserves second (and third, and fourth, etc.) chances in this life, and this is especially true where substance abuse is concerned.
4. Brandon Saine. With Boom’s success last season, and Berry/Hyde’s arrival this Fall (assuming they’re as good as advertised), this Spring is probably Saine’s last chance to “demand” a significant amount of carries/recs.
5. James Jackson. I’m excited to see him on returns especially. I’m not sure how “relatively unknown” of a quantity he is, though, so I’ll choose Garrett Goebel as a less-hyped name that’ll be on everyone’s lips after the Spring Game.
E.C. On-campus: In the 70′s my Dad was a professor at OSU, and he did a lot of his research on weekends (isotope geology – figuring out how old rocks are). Me and my brother spent endless hours just roaming around the Oval, Mendenhall Labs, the Union, the Orton Hall museum (I used to have nightmares about the giant sloth skeleton), Mirror Lake, the old Larkins, etc. I have an almost mystical connection to that campus (or, more properly, the way that campus USED to be).
Off-campus: I met my ex-wife at Papa Joe’s when she crooked her finger at me from across the bar.
1) In real life, I will do neither as in all probability I will either be working on some project, or refereeing an AAU basketball tournament in order to get out of working on some project. However, despite living in Cleveland (or maybe because I do) the draft means nothing to me. I would take my younger kids to the spring game. But I stiopped going a long time ago when I noticed a correlation between my attendance and the Buckeyes having a disappointing season.
2) I fear for Beanie’s durability, but in truth I have to agree with El Cabong that the expectations for Lil Animal are too high because I was always frustrated that too many of his tackles were made chasing runners down from behind. Sheddng blockers and overpursuit were always trouble for him.
3) Rory Nichol. Has good tools. Just because Uncle Jim is allergic to calling plays for the TE doesn’t mean the Buckeye TEs were crap.
4) For his own legacy, Ray Small. So many flashes of brilliance. So many self inflicted gunshot wounds. For the BCS side of the equation I’m going to go with Terrell. He needs to start showing that he can read defenses and throw the ball accurately in the 10-15 yard range.
5) I’m going for a re-run of Taurian again along with Lamar Thomas making the Kick Return game be productiive. I’d also like to see one of the young LBs like Andrew Sweat or Etienne Sabino really open some eyes.
EC) Years ago, I was commuting back to campus every weekend from Cleveland to visit my then girlfriend who lived in Drackett Tower. One very cold winter weekend we went for a walk with some friends to Mirror Lake. That year, the fountain had not be turned off before everything froze and there was a 5-6 foot tall mountain of ice and snow out in the middle of the frozen lake. I went to “climb the mountain” and busted a couple who were in the “cone” of the what turned out to be a hollowed out mountain while they were trying to scrog each other. The girl was nekkid from the waist up and nicely endowed. The guy was sufferring from the temperature outside.
team secret falcon has weighed in. i know everyone was holding their collective breaths….
phew.
The Silver Bullet has officially thrown their opinions into the ring. Please enjoy…
http://www.osusilverbullet.com/4/post/2009/04/block-o-tablespring-game-nfl-draft-prospectus.html
yeah, i should probably link my response as well – sorry…
http://www.teamsecretfalcon.com/2009/04/block-o-table-round-two.html
1. Spring Game without a doubt. This is a much shorter term “springboard” for establishing a team. As much as I follow OSU alums, unless they wind up in Cleveland, or gasp, Buffalo, they’re pretty much scatterd to the wind as far as I’m concerned.
2. I fear for Beanie. He hasn’t exactly had an injury-free career, and he won’t be playing against the likes of Akron or N’Western anymore.
3. I think Robiskie will do well. I think he was underutilized at OSU, and if he gets to the right team, I think he’d make a realy good #2 receiver.
4. I think TP needs a big game. IMO, there were/are a lot of questions about his throwing fundamentals and the year ended with quite a bit of ‘he said / she said’ with injury. He had a solid season for a frosh thrown into big time football, he had the expected stumbles, but he’s got to emerge this year.
5. I think Guiton will have an impressive Spring. He seems to be one of teh most unknown of the inknown quantities, but if the offensive philosophy is to open things up for TP this year, Guiton may really benefit from it.
EC. This is an NA for me. I graduated from Muskingum College, down the road in New Concord, OH, so I’ve got to pass on this one.