Our Honor Defend

You were warned that posting around these parts would likely grind to a halt.  I’m finishing up here in Michigan, heading back to Alabama tomorrow and should (soon) return to a normal posting schedule.  A lot happened during the week that I was unable to cover in a piecemeal fashion.  I hope to discuss some of this below.

Fall Campin’

Fall campin’ is proceeding as normal through the week, minus the one two-a-day that was halved because of concerns over high heat and humidity.

This is an important time to hammer out important questions on the roster.  Fortunately, the Buckeyes do not have too many roster concerns entering the season.  Losing enough important contributors to count on one hand, the slew of returning starters is exactly why many are so high on the Buckeyes entering the 2010 season.  Nevertheless, Buckeye fans are probably more concerned about replacing depth than they are about replacing starters.  Complementing players like John Simon, Nathan Williams, Posey-Sanzy and the Boom and Zoom Connection with important contributors right off the bench will make the Buckeyes truly special in 2010.

As such, players like Jaamal Berry and Carlos Hyde are worth following.  The upperclassmen Brandon Saine and Dan Herron will be getting the carries on offense, joined by the sophomore Jordan Hall.  Berry, who came off a redshirt year and thus has to make an impact, and Hyde, the belated 2009 enrollee who made it in time for winter quarter, may help the Buckeye rushing attack (complemented by Terrelle Pryor’s natural proclivity to find edges against defenses) become the rolling ball of butcher knives in college football this season.

Berry has come up in conversation, saying some interesting things entering the season.  Aware of his prowess as a tailback in high school, Berry is aware that fans expect that to carry over into the last phase of his amateur career: college football at Ohio State.  More than just aware of it, Berry says he intends to follow through with that potential.

“Big plays and touchdowns is what (fans) should expect and that’s what I’m going to do,” said a confident Berry at the team’s media day last week.

Buckeye fans may remember that a string of reaggravated hamstring injuries is what prevented him from contributing immediately.  It haunted him for the remainder of the year, ultimately being a factor in the redshirt.  Berry mentioned that the culprit had been identified by a chiropractor and corrected.

As the weeks dragged on, his frustration grew. Fans tantalized by tales of his quickness grew impatient to see him in action. Berry ended up sitting out the season and redshirting. His career seemed stalled at the intersection of hype and reality.

“It was pretty tough, battling the injuries and a lot of adversity,” Berry said. “Coming in as a top recruit, people expected me to play. But they don’t know (what’s going on) behind the scenes.”

After the season, he was determined to find some answers. Why, despite all the rest and rehabilitation, were his hamstrings so bothersome?

A visit to a chiropractor provided the answer – and relief.

“My legs were misaligned, so it was causing more stress on my other leg, and that’s why I kept re-pulling my hamstring,” Berry said.

The cure was a twist of the torso here, a wrench of the back there, and, “it was amazing. It popped in place and I haven’t had any more problems.”

So there you have it.  This should be good news for Buckeye fans with high hopes for Berry.  He joins a crowded backfield where he must start contributing now, but there is reason to be optimistic that he will not be playing hobbled.  This tidbit from Bucknuts suggests that some backfield mechanics are tying up Berry at the moment.  Simply, he is making his first move too early and ultimately moving east-west in the backfield.  However, the big play potential is still clearly there.

Superlatives for the 2010 Kids Abound

I don’t think you could swing a cat through the Buckeye cyberspace without connecting with some positive reports about the incoming freshmen.  For a class that was supposed to be a stopgap class and characterized as a bit disappointing in light of the past two classes, this definitely pleases me.  I will mention what I can recount below.

• Andrew Norwell, aforementioned in my Better Know A Buckeye series for definitely having the right attitude coming in to Ohio State, has held his own in practices (albeit with a false start here and there).  He got in a scuffle with fellow incoming freshman David Durham.  After getting the best of his classmate in a “Showtime” drill, the tensions boiled over into blows.  Don’t read too much into this incident; they are frequent occurrences in this sport.  For his efforts during the drill, Norwell was congratulated by Brew Crew linemen Mike Brewster and Mike Adams.
• Christian Bryant, yet to be profiled in my series, came in drawing very quiet, very tentative comparisons to Antoine Winfield.  That is: he hits so well, with such authority and gusto for a guy in his relatively small frame that the comparison to Winfield seemed natural.  You don’t want to make it because it’s so easy to make it.  You definitely don’t want to jinx it.  Bryant, for what it’s worth, is keeping that comparison on the tip of people’s tongues early into camp.
• Taylor Graham is the best pure passer on this team.  This much is not surprising, given the other quarterbacks include Terrelle Pryor, Kenny Guiton, Joe Bauserman and Justin Siems.  However, showing his skills so early means he is making it known that he is not at Ohio State as a mere legacy and a backup to either Kenny Guiton or Braxton Miller.
• Tyrone Williams is enormous.  Again, this much is not surprising.  Ohio State signed a 6’7 tree for a split end who, in a best case scenario, we thought might contribute as a freshman in red zone situations.  There is obviously a long way to go, but Williams is performing admirably toward filling this role in 2010.
• Corey “Philly” Brown is working it too, continuing to make strides in proving himself as a potential contributor.
• Johnathan Hankins has passed the look test.  Weight was always going to be an issue with him and it may be partly the reason for the discrepancy in college offers and the ambiguity in college offers.  He is definitely not going to be an Adam Bellamy-type of linemen, but that he has shown up in better shape than most guessed has many very happy.  Naturally, there is still progress to be made here.  Importantly, Hankins is still carrying out a lot of weight and stamina in the summer heat and humidity is wanting.

Keep in mind that the positive reports do not equate to everyone on the 2010 team being instant contributors.  JT Moore making a nice tackle on the third team against Bo DeLande is nice, but does not mean he will be blowing up John Clay in Camp Randall this season.  Instead, interpret the good news here as affirmation that the upperclassmen, many of whom came to Ohio State with the explicit intent of returning Jim Tressel to the promised land (read: the predominantly junior Brew Crew class of 2008), are cultivating the necessary mindset in camp.  The veterans are serious about this upcoming season.  The young’ns, to their credit, are diligently following their lead.

The Last Play in the World

Jim Tressel runs a simulation in practice called “The Last Play in the World”.  The ball is placed on the 15 yard line, with no timeouts, one second left and the offense (viz, the Buckeyes) down by 5.  The first team offense ran this drill earlier in the week, the scenario recounted by Doug Lesmerises.

They came out with Terrelle Pryor in the shotgun, running back Brandon Saine to his right. Two receivers go left, with DeVier Posey out wide, covered by Travis Howard, and Dane Sanzenbacher next to him in the slot, covered by Tyler Moeller. Taurian Washington splits out as the third receiver to the right, covered by Chimdi Chekwa, with Jake Stoneburner on the right end of the line as the tight end.

And then this happens.

Important takeaway: Buckeye football is coming, much sooner than later.

Tyler Moeller Is Back In the Swing of Things

Tyler Moeller lost all of last season to an unfortunate assault in a Florida bar, while vacationing with his family.  The legal fallout of the incident now concluded, Moeller has returned to the team and is hoping to claim a roster spot.  While admittedly struggling to make peace with what cost him the 2009 season, he is making the most of his return to the team.  A blockquote follows:

Even during a simple drill, Coach Paul Haynes had to tell him to “slow down”, but here really is no “slow” setting on the football field for Moeller. He’s is all out, all day. He is exactly what you want in a football player.

As starting safety Jermale Hines put it on Tuesday, “Tyler Moeller is tailor-made for football. Period.”

He also had a hit on DeVier Posey that left the Buckeyes’ no. 1 receiver a little dizzy.  Moeller, who may be in prime position to the Buckeyes’ nickelback this season, would have it no other way.

Elsewhere

• Jake Stoneburner is optimistic about his chances of contributing to the receiving game.  He is thinking he is capable of having over 30 receptions in this offense.
• 11W notes that the addition of Amanda Belichick, daughter of New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Beeeeeelichick, to the women’s lacrosse program comes with eyes on an obviously higher prize.  Gene Smith is savvy.
• Buckeye Football Analysis speculates that sprint draw plays are going to factor more prominently into the 2010 offense.  Read up on this breakdown if you want to know more about what the series of plays hopes to accomplish.
• Yours truly was interviewed by Penn State blog Linebacker-U, asked about a variety of questions ranging from blogging, to the 2010 season, and even the shooty hoops.  Head on over and read it if you want to know what I sound like after a few beers at Dominick’s.
• Jim Tressel is not entirely up to date with the kids these days, and that’s why we love him.

A Darker Shade of Gray

Maybe the biggest talking point of Media Day earlier in the week was the uniform.  Always a big event for media and fans interested in a rapidly approaching upcoming season of Buckeye football, the Buckeyes sported what appeared to be significantly grayer pants (compare, contrast: here and here).  This is in fact the case.  The Buckeyes’ grayed up the pants for 2010, ending the mostly matte gray/off-white that they had been sporting for the past several years.  The players like them and, well, so do I.

You may remember one of my dumb posts a few months ago where I asked for this.  Specifically, I think the Buckeyes need a specific gray, even if that gray is a silver to match the helmets.

However, the change of the home jersey to feature no gray whatsoever has underscored just how not-gray the pants have become.  I do not get to see what the uniforms look like up close and personal, so I can not verify this.  However, the pants look more and more like a neutral color that you would while looking for a bucket of Behr for the living room paint job.  It lacks the “gray” that I think we all think of when we think of the school colors.  The only time when there appears to be some kind of consistency is under the lights.

The darker gray comes with a more accented Buckeye stripe on the pants, albeit one that appears to be mesh to aid in greater “breathability”.  This is something else that I like about the change.  All told, I will attribute the new pants to me getting what I want.  So therefore, I win.  I’m hoping that an overhaul of the end zone comes next.