2008, shaping up to be the crunkest year on record.The start of spring practice is finally upon us and thanks to a Tressel press opp yesterday, some bits tickled out of the Kremlin.
One of the more interesting nuggets was the news that Antonio Henton was not the clear-cut #2 at quarterback heading into the session. The Vest went out of his way to point out how good Bauserman has looked:
"The thing that stands out with Joe is how quickly he lets the ball go," Tressel said. "When he first got here and he hadn't played football in three years and he was used to throwing that baseball, he wasn't quite as impressive as we had remembered him in youth camp when we recruited him."
Yes, part of that is fostering competition and is what any coach from pee-wee up says, but the other side of that coin is softening the landing for when LiC shows up this summer, sporting that #2 jersey.
Tressel indicated that Rehring, Person and and Brewster will sit out spring practice due to recent surgeries. This presents a perfect opportunity for the younger lineman to prove they can play on a consistent basis. Tressel all but issued a challenge to Mike Adams when discussing the opening vacated by Barton:
"I'm sure if I'm Mike Adams I'm thinking, 'I'm taking that spot over.'"
Speaking of surgeries, Beanie finally got his wrist right and he'll be held out of some contact drills. Personally, I don't think that's enough. The guy should have a team of round-the-clock masseuses (Gholston-style) and be put on blocks of ice at night. He's that important to the show.
Tressel also mentioned that the staff had spent quite a bit of time studying the offenses from the past three seasons and have come to the conclusion that 2005's edition was the best. Ken Gordon expands on this further:
That also happened to be the season in which they used the most spread. By 2006, Troy Smith was a pocket passer, but in 2005, he was a dynamic open-field runner and passer both. I liked the late-2005 model better, personally.
Gordon mentioned that Small, Saine and to some degree Boom Herron could help the team stretch the field vertically and horizontally and that's true, but that dude from Western PA knows a little something about that type of offense as well. He will play early and often (more on that in a later post).
Bucknuts has a look at what the spring 2-deep may look like and it's pretty sick. I'm trying to contain myself, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a more loaded Buckeye lineup in my lifetime.
Finally, some choice quotes from the Malcom Jenkins chat held yesterday:
Nate (Chillicothe): After experiencing preparations for Florida and LSU, what do you think needs to be addressed in preparing for another tough matchup with USC so we can contend for another national title this year?
Malcolm Jenkins: One word - Focus. Everyone needs to focus and be disciplined.
...
Matthew Smith (Perrysburg, OH): Malcom: How well of an asset you think TP is gonna be to the Ohio State Buckeye Offense, and do you think he has a chance to play early on, or will he have to put in his time like everyone else??
Malcolm Jenkins: I'm not sure how much he will help because I've never seen him play but if he works hard enough and has the right mindset he could play earlier.
Captain in-waiting?
Comments
Okay. I give up. For what does "LiC" stand?
Anyone see the Dispatch today? Boren's considering OSU? His little brother is being recruited, so I guess he could come here and play with him (presuming he commits), but wouldn't the penalties outweigh the benefits of transferring here? He'd have to be released from his scholarship to transfer here, wouldn't he? And isn't there a two-year penalty for an intraconference transfer?
I hear Bauserman lit up practices from the Illinois game, on. Folks sometimes forget how highly touted a prep quarterback he was. He was a big catch for OSU, before he chose baseball. He can move a bit in the pocket, and isn't as stiff as Boeckman. No scrambler, though.
Henton still can't throw the out, and has major accuracy issues. Not mechanical, fixable issues - flat-out accuracy issues. One has to see him in practice to appreciate some of his limitations. He's talented, but not the kind of quarterback who can carry a team, a la Troy. I don't think he's all that great with his feet, either, but that's an opinion I seem to be holding alone.
Did you hear OSU scheduled Tenn. in 2018/19 ?
http://www.dispatch.com/live/c...
yeah, MJ is classy as hell (like pink champale â„¢ beastie boys) and definitely should be a captain.
and competition at QB can be both a good and bad thing right now. boeckman needs someone to push him, as does pryor, but if TP is really the next Big Thing a QB controversy is the last thing we need
Who are your captains next year? Here's who I have:
-Animal
-Jenkins
-Robo
-Boone
Alex Boone as a captain? That would be quite a turnaround. I think it's more likely to be Boeckman. But your other three picks are solid.
-Animal
-Jenkins
-Boone
-Boekman (if your 2nd year starter/senior QB is not a captain then you have a problem......look at Michigan from last year)
Any truth to the rumor that Butch Reynolds has left the team?
"Any truth to the rumor that Butch Reynolds has left the team?"
yep, that's a done deal.
Boeckman as a captain is another obstacle in the way of getting more time for Pryor. Do any of you have any real confidence in Boeckman after the way he ended the season? You're supposed to improve as the season progresses, not regress.
Did Hartline photoshop himself into that picture?
Joe, LiC is "LeBron in Cleats" AKA #2.
Joe Fox, do you watch practices? Yours are the first criticisms I've heard of Henton's play that weren't limited to decision making.
sup
losing Butch Reynolds for this season is a kick in the pants. I was really excited to see what he could do with our incoming recruits. I hope we find someone as good to fill in at the position.
Brian, you said:
"Boeckman as a captain is another obstacle in the way of getting more time for Pryor. Do any of you have any real confidence in Boeckman after the way he ended the season? You’re supposed to improve as the season progresses, not regress."
If you think we need a freshman to come in and start at QB then you have already given up on this season. I think that "LiC" will be a star player for the Buckeyes in the future......however, he will not be here for spring practices and as a QB will not have enough time to learn the system....Boeckman took us to the National Championship in his 1st year as a starter....what else can you really ask for? Now you want to throw him under the bus? These are the reasons that the Ohio State University is stereotyped with having bad and ungrateful fans.
Last year Flynn was not the most talented QB on his team (LSU) and the year before Leak was not on his (Florida). But they both started and won their teams National Championships.....and why you ask? ....because they had EXPERIENCE. Remember, Vince Young? He didn't win a National Championship his 1st year as a starter either. He (whom Pryor is being compared to) needed experience also.
"Joe Fox, do you watch practices? Yours are the first criticisms I’ve heard of Henton’s play that weren’t limited to decision making."
I get to watch about three out of every five, time permitting, and a friend attends every one.
I suppose one can question his decision-making, which is probably par for the course with a kid who hasn't played that much, but it seems to me that he's just not that accurate - it goes in spurts, which is really maddening - and he has definite problems with certain throws that make or break a quarterback.
That's just me, though. I hope Henton makes the starting decision as difficult as possible. I hope all four quarterbacks do that this year.
Agree with Wil completely.
I never said he was going to start but he has to get snaps. Maybe Boeckman makes a jump this year, but he scared the bejezus out of me every time he dropped back to pass the last 3 games.
Joe Fox,
I do have a problem with your statements. I question your knowledge with such statements as "He was a big catch for OSU, before he chose baseball." except he was a 3 star Rivals.com QB, ranked 22nd in the nation.
Scout went even further, at the time, to say "While most of the Bucknuts are begging Jim Tressel and his staff to offer Kentucky signal caller Brian Brohm, what they got was a relative unknown who transferred to Tallahassee (Lincoln) from a small school in Virginia."
Joe Fox=Joe Bauserman?
Props for caption achievement...
"I do have a problem with your statements. I question your knowledge with such statements as 'He was a big catch for OSU, before he chose baseball.' except he was a 3 star Rivals.com QB, ranked 22nd in the nation. "
Armchair scouts fascinate me. Please don't tell me that you find the Rivals rankings to be correlative to success on the D-I level. For every five-star recruit you can show me who did well at OSU, I can show you one who didn't see much time. And I can show you a plethora of supposed, three-star "'tweeners" who went on to spectacular careers at OSU, and a host of other schools.
By your rationale, OSU would not have offered either Troy Smith or A.J. Hawk. Poe, if OSU offers you a job scouting, do us all a favor and turn it down, for the sake of the program.
"Scout went even further, at the time, to say 'While most of the Bucknuts are begging Jim Tressel and his staff to offer Kentucky signal caller Brian Brohm, what they got was a relative unknown who transferred to Tallahassee (Lincoln) from a small school in Virginia.'"
First of all, Brohm was a legacy at Louisville, and it was widely known that Louisville was where he was going to play, in order to follow in his father's and brother's footsteps. Even OSU can't just waltz into anyone's house and offer them a scholarship. You choose those recruits *whom you believe you have the best chance to land*, and can help your program, and you concentrate all your efforts on them. There are too many recruits out there to have a shotgun, "let's hope for the best" approach. That's not how recruiting works.
Secondly, Bauserman was a solid "get" for the program *at the time,* because the coaches wanted to make an effort to recruit new positions in Florida. They hadn't had much luck wooing quarterbacks there, and Bauserman showed them that they could go into Florida and get a talented guy to come north.
*Go to practice*, watch Bauserman's progress since the week of the Illinois game, and tell me if he doesn't throw a much better ball than Henton. It's not perfect, of course, but he's more accurate, with better arm strength and accuracy - especially on the throws that count. He won't create much with his feet, but he can move in the pocket, and he's developing patience. The guy's been playing baseball for a few seasons, and it takes time to get things back in the groove - presuming you ever get it back (ask Drew Henson). On the other hand, if you don't want to go to practice and watch for yourself, you could just rely on a years-old Scout report. Puh-leeze.
*Watch Henton in practice.* Henton is erratic, impatient, but a strong presence in the huddle. The players like him. That may remind some folks of a young Troy Smith, but Smith could make key throws that Henton apparently can't, and I'm just not sold that Henton's accuracy problems are fixable.
"Joe Fox=Joe Bauserman?"
Um.... no. I'd be prepping for practice now, instead of being stuck at a conference in Albuquerque.
Poe McKnoe = Some guy hawking subscriptions to Scout?
Buckstash....
Joe Fox,
Such bitterness abound. 550 words in a blog comment? Did somebody touch a nerve?
I made no comments about Joe Bauserman's abilities whatsoever...You said "highly touted prep quaterback" and "a big catch for OSU". If you replaced Bauserman with Terrelle Pryor in that context, then I'd agree. And he could very well be a better QB than Pryor.
Conference in Albuquerque = Spring Practice in Columbus?
You know this!!
Poe McKnoe, I love how you actually took the time to count the words in his post.
Oh yeah, and your blog sucks.
RANDOMOSUFAN,
I count fast. I also copy and paste in to Word even faster.
And you hurt my feelings! I like my blog! At no point did I attempt to recreate the magic that Eleven Warriors has, because they are far and away the best Ohio State blog. However, if you are bored and 11W hasn't updated at that exact minute, I think mine can be a good read (especially if you're bored).
Let's bring this back to the actual topic at hand...
make love, not war...or ay least gawk at hot bartenders.
Its cool, RANDOMOSUFAN is a troll who posted a dancing Will Smith video for a Buckeyes 2008 video.
I just wish we could talk about Ohio State sports.