Meanwhile, Cam Heyward and Chimdi Chekwa Will Return
The news from Cameron Heyward is an enormous relief for Buckeye fans, who were staring down the prospect of losing both starting defensive ends and, in the form of Heyward, losing a person who may be a veritable monster in the trenches as a senior. It’s not that Heyward wouldn’t be rewarded handsomely for going pro. In my personal opinion, he’s the better pro prospect of the two (Gibson) and will be very valuable to teams in the NFL as a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme in what’s quickly becoming a 3-4 league. Unlike Gibson, Heyward has decided that he isn’t finished at Ohio State. It’s likely that Cameron Heyward saw what Ndamukong Suh did as a redshirt senior for Nebraska and realized that he could up his profile by returning for a senior year, a year in which he should hopefully stand out considerably.
It’s also likely that Heyward is just enjoying life as a college student, and has his eyes set on another prize.
“I am excited about next season and am looking forward to being one of the senior leaders of our team. I sat down and talked at length with my family about my situation, and they totally support my decision. I’ve been blessed to this point. I am just having fun being a college student.
“I learned a lot from seniors like Doug (Worthington) and Kurt (Coleman) and all they were able to accomplish during their senior year. I would love to be a part of Buckeye tradition like that. I think the upside is very positive.
“I want to help our team achieve the goals of winning another Big Ten title and possibly accomplishing a national championship. If I could win some recognition, that would be great as well. I think I can be a leader for our team, and I know another season will help me become a better player.”
Chimdi Chekwa’s decision to return seems economical. Everything I’ve gathered from analyst insight and, of course, the rumormongering, suggests Chekwa wanted to go pro and probably would’ve done so if he had received a favorable review from the NFL Draft Advisory Board. I don’t think he did, and so he returns to the Ohio State secondary for a last hurrah.
Written by: Vico |
I’m not sure if Thaddeus’ decision is a good one, but he did what he feels he has to do. Best wishes to his new stage in life. Good move by Chekwa to stay for another year. I’ve caught up on Penn State and Michigan games (thanks to OHD YouTube-O-Vision) as well as my recording of Rose Bowl. Chekwa is probably the least impressive of our DB’s, so another year should do everyone good. I’m getting a chub thinking about Heyward coming back, and believe me, at my age, I can’t be wasting “them” on who-stays-who-goes announcements.
However, Vico, I think you’ve touched upon the capstone decision for the 2010 season; what will Donnie Evege do?
Pretty exciting news after losing two players earlier today.
I don’t know, V. – there was all kinds of “escape from Donnie” on the KO return where the Ducks pulled the reverse.
I wish Thad all kinds of luck – I don’t really know whether he’s making the “right” decision, football-wise, or not because I haven’t watched a non-Super Bowl NFL game for at least four years – but I can’t really quibble with the notion that he doesn’t have much more to prove to anyone at this level.
Of course, my okay-ness with this may just be influenced by the fact that Cam is staying, as well as the depth remaining at the position that Vico alluded to in the prior post.
As far as Chekwa staying, well, duh. He needs to get a LOT better.
Not a bad move at all for Thad. A goof chunk of teams still run 3-4 defenses, and he’ll be solid 3-4 OLB. Nate Williams is similar enough that there *shouldn’t* be a big dropoff.
Cam staying is an absolute coup. Dude is easily good enough to be a top 15 pick this year. He’ll be destroying people next year.
I am glad he is staying for my personal edifaction, but he should go.
It would be nice if that heralded “Fab 5″ offensive line ever plays really good. I will take Justin Boren until then. The running game could be devasting, if teams are not in a run blitz every down knowing Pryor’s passing, and Tressell’s play calling habbits.
What, you didn’t watch the Rose Bowl? For gosh sakes, how many times does Tressel have to open up the playbook once he’s comfortable with the qb’s play (see late 2005 and 2006 as well as RB) before you quit with the Uncle Jim play calling critique. As far as I’m concerned, Uncle Jim has earned the respect to accept that his system isn’t the most glamorous but is verrry effective. You want pretty? Go cheer for Indiana.
You don’t have to be creative to win games, just dogged and strong in your convictions. It also helps knowing that a set system works, and considering Tressel has won better than 80% of his games at Ohio State, I think he’s doing something right.