Observations from Sunday’s Practice
Do Work
- I’m treating Andy Miller and Austin Spitler as placeholders for Mike Adams and Etienne Sabino. For Mike Adams, this might be a necessary source of motivation and an appropriate punishment for earlier transgressions in January. If Sabino leapfrogged past Spitler in the regular season last year, I expect him to do the same again this year.
- It’s good to see Andre Amos listed as the other starting corner, at least for now. Injuries have haunted him his entire career, and it’s why I kinda expect to see Travis Howard eventually take the other starting spot. I don’t mind being wrong on that prediction.
- I was a little geeked out to read that Orhian Johnson played a lot of nickelback in the practice. Ohio State recruited two intriguing safety products in 2008, with Johnson being the free safety and Domicone as the (possible) strong safety. As I wrote previously: I can’t imagine many quarterbacks trying to fit a ball at the third level where a 6’4 free safety with a 40 inch vertical is lurking. Yeah, Boyeeee.
- Jake Stoneburner came off as enormous in the photo taken of him by the Bucknuts staff. It was exciting to read that he stuck out in practice as well. Ballard is good; Stoneburner might be unstoppable in the right situations.
- If Taurian Washington can stand out so visibly in practice, it begs the question why he doesn’t see the field in games. And, no: I don’t adhere to the sentiment that the staff is purposely holding him back because of some fetish with Dane Sanzenbacher1. I’d just be interested to know what the staff sees elsewhere that leads them to believe he’s not mentally ready for serious playing time.
- Maybe this year will be different? The wideout rotation is wide open.
- I noticed “fullback” wasn’t mentioned once by Ken Gordon outside of the short yardage or goalline reps. That confirms (at least initially) what I think will be coming in 2009.
- I’m really interested to hear how Browning is doing. I wasn’t too excited to hear that he was moved to guard and that Cordle was moved to tackle. I subscribe to the Woody Hayes/Bo Schembechler/Urban Meyer philsophy of specializing in a task, repeating said task ad nauseum until it is perfected, and brutalizing the opponent with ruthless efficiency. Bollman’s “jack of all trades” approach is a little disconcerting. Of course, I don’t want to be right about this. I just want it to work. Opposing defensive linemen need to be crushed under the weight of the glory of The Ohio State University via iterations of pancake blocks until said condition of total domination is met. In that same vein, Jim Bollman coming off as a bit oblivious to the increasingly hard questioning in this interview doesn’t inspire confidence either. The offensive line has been getting worked over already, and Bollman didn’t seem to cognize that fact in the interview, let alone form an opinion on it.
- They play different positions anyways, so that doesn’t matter. For the record: my observations come from a non-random sample of YouTube comments on miscellaneous Buckeye-related videos. It’s not directed at anyone in particular. [↩]
Mario Manningham was on his way to be the MVP of the Ohio All Star game four years ago at Crew Stadium before Amos started covering him full time and shut him down. Hope he still has the ability he showed then.
“I subscribe to the Woody Hayes/Bo Schembechler/Urban Meyer philsophy of specializing in a task, repeating said task ad nauseum until it is perfected, and brutalizing the opponent with ruthless efficiency. Bollman’s “jack of all trades” approach is a little disconcerting.”
Well said. I have to wonder if the depth is the reason they do this. We have some serious talent but I’m not sure we have the depth to have each player specialize in only one position.
Bollman has got to go. He just has no fire….everything with the Bucks now seems so cerebral, calm, and measured. I think we just lack attitude, attitude, attitude. Looks like Boren is starting fights and getting nasty with people at practice according to Jim Cordle on the O-Zone, and that is EXACTLY what we need. Bad ass dudes who want to hurt somebody on every play. Dudes who take it personally that tOSU has looked like a chump in every big game in recent memory ESPECIALLY in the trenches. Watch the interview with Browning on the O-Zone….no attitude! “Oh sometimes you don’t make a play you just get up and try again..ha, ha.”
Whatever.
I agree with Vico…quit switching them around after the order is established. Force them to be perfectionists at they’re position. Have depth at that position in case of injury, don’t switch the whole damn line around. Foster the ‘tude, and give them the tools to use it with great strength and conditioning and excellent position coaching.
http://www.theozone.net/football/2009/SpringBall/offensiveline.htm
Maybe there IS hope for us.
The OLine is and always will be my biggest frustration with tOSU. Its been few and far between the seasons that they’ve had what used to be a Buckeye trademark…a dominating and nasty OLine that just controlled the line of scrimmage. It was more BOONE/REHRING/BROWNING’s fault that my namesake didn’t have a senior season than it was his own. I used to hate (hate is a strong word when talking about a Buckeye..but in this cake may be true) Tyson Walter as the most overrated and undeserving of any olineman to ever wear the scarlet and gray. There are times that I think he fell to NUMBER FOUR onthat list after watching last year. What scares me worse is that one of them are still inthe mix to play this coming season. As far as I’m concerned, I wouldn’t let Browning carry Tressel’s headset wires as he’d probbly jest get in the way.
wow…I was ranting…I lost control of my typing fingers. case instead of cake and just instead of jest. blech. Its a good thing I go to so many games. If I had to watch Browning play on TV in 13 games, my TV screen would never survive the year.
Don’t forget probbly.
You are 100% correct……but….Boeckmann was not exactly Mr. Pressure either. A little pass rush and it was full speed into a fuck up with that kid.
You’re not alone Todd. My shoddy remote control survived the 2008 season… barely. I’m not much the thrower or anything, but that offensive line complicated things. The line is all I really want to watch when I watch a football game. I demand dominance. I got the 2008 offensive line. Hmm. Brewster was spot on for most of his time as a starter, though he did struggle against Penn State. The rest of them, though. Hmm…
Throw me into the lot that’s skeptical of Browning playing anywhere on the offensive line as a starter. If Shugarts is healthy and earns the spot, I think moving Cordle to guard and Browning to second-in-line somewhere is only appropriate.
Of course, I don’t necessarily want to be right about this. I just want it to work, dammit.
I’ve seen enough of Browning. I think we owe one to the weasels. Send him to Ann Arbor as thanks for Justin Boren?
“I noticed “fullback” wasn’t mentioned once by Ken Gordon outside of the short yardage or goalline reps. That confirms (at least initially) what I think will be coming in 2009.”
Who/what are you eluding to? Carlos Hyde? and what do you think the return game is going to look like? lamar thomas and jaamal berry? It’d be nice to see some pure speedsters back there (not robiskie and hartline)