Five Things: Illinois
The Middle Cinnamon Roll
If you’ve ever thrown down an 8 pack of Pillbury’s oven baked cinnamon rolls you know two things. One, they are orgasmically delicious. Two, the middle one is the greatest and softest of them all. With those two facts in mind, my brother has officially annointed Beanie as the Middle Cinnamon Roll.
First, there’s no doubt he’s a great back. A healthy Beanie is the best back in the country and yesterday was another example. He continously displayed his power dragging players for extra yards while also showing his agility and quickness hitting holes and hurdling helpless defenders to the tune of 24 carries and 143 yards – good for a hair under six yards a pop.
Impressively, Beanie didn’t have a negative yardage play (3 for no gain) while busting runs of 13, 25, 30 and 35 in a consistenly bruising performance.
The other side of the coin, however, is this marked another game where he left the field at least twice due to tweaks. Look, I’m not saying the guy isn’t a workhouse nor am I trying to pile on because I’ve got nothing but love for #28 but I can’t help but challenge the whole warrior label that some want to place on him.
The continuous nicks causing him to remove himself from the game mean something, don’t they? If nothing else, don’t they register on the radar of NFL scouts who supposedly leave no stone unturned? I don’t know..I’m not losing sleep over this I’m just wondering what you all think about this topic. Is he a warrior in your mind? Are the constant nicks and plays missed legit in your book? Will it impact his draft status? I’m honestly curious as to what everyone thinks about this taboo topic.
The Deer, The Steer and Our Fear
Even with the Illini defense armed with the knowledge a running play was coming (52 rush, 10 pass), Beanie and Pryor couldn’t be stopped. Force yourself to give the line some of the credit – don’t just shower it all on the Deer and the Steer. Pryor was electric running 13 times for 110 yards and a score while Beanie got loose for the aforementioned 24/143. To put up those stats with that lack of balance is a testament to the guys up front, though I don’t have much good to say about Illy’s front four.
I can’t believe I’m typing this but Rehring actually had two great blocks according to my notes (my handwriting is sloppy and I was sitting in a bar so maybe I’m misreading) and Cordle also created some running lanes in between he and Brewster. I don’t care if OSU played Columbus State, to put up nearly 6 yards a pop when the defense knows you are running 84% of the time is impressive.
Of course, the concern with all this is that even though OSU again won the surest way on a windy day for the second consecutive Saturday, the lack of balance, or even preparation for furture balance could be setting the Buckeyes up for the annual bowl melt down. Sure, running it 84% of the time (74% last week) will get past chumps like Northwestern, Illinois and Michigan, but I don’t think that approach is gonna fly against a legit bowl foe. That said, what do you do? I don’t particularly blame Tressel for the play calling considering the weather and the fact Illy couldn’t stop the run but I’m not sure the overall offense is improving due to lack of need to throw a pass.
Regardless of who OSU is matched up with in January, they are certain to at least be better than anyone on this year’s schedule with the exception of USC and possibly Penn State. Trying to run it 4 out of 5 plays, in good weather, isn’t going to get in done in a bowl. I hope Tress has some WD-40 for TP’s throwing arm. It’s going to be rusty…
Thanks for the Dirty Hit
I’ve never been a Ron Zook fan so my bias is probably in play here but are they not a DIRTY team? Seriously, I will always excuse an agression penalty in the flow of the game but Zooker’s boys were a little over the top. Beyond the extra cirriculars that weren’t called, they spent a lot of time pushing, shoving and woofing after plays in a way that the ‘Canes would be proud of.
In particular, I think it was #4 Donsay Hardeman, who was responsible for the helmet to helmet hit on Sanzenbacher on the TD drive putting OSU up 30-13. Without DVR, I think I recall it was a 3rd and 4 at midfield when Pryor fired a pass intended for Dane that another Buckeye WR tipped. If not for the suspension worthy hit, Illinois would’ve gotten the ball back down only 10 but personal foul kept the TD drive alive. Thanks, Dirty.
And what’s up with Vontae Davis? Why does such an established and talented player feel the need to chirp after every play? He went out of his way to jaw with Pryor, which was ironic from the standpoint that resident idiot and ESPN analyst Andre Ware forgot to notice. I guess Ware was too busy criticizing Pryor’s comments after the NU game to notice how a seasoned veteran like Davis behaves on the field.
Seriously, did you guys catch Ware essentially saying Pryor’s comments fire up a defense and change the game? Idiotic. If that’s the case, then what’s the excuse for Pryor torching the fired up Illini defense for 110 yards (8.5 ypc)? Am I to believe if wouldn’t have talked he would’ve had 200 yards rushing? Bottom line, words don’t make defenses better and words don’t break tackles. Ware belongs on Raycom, at best.
Where’d the Defense Go?
Once again, Juice and the Ilini offense gave the Buckeye D fits racking up 455 total yards (season high against OSU) though the Buckeyes did stiffen up a bit in the second half yielding just 163 after surrendering 292 in the first.
The first half was highly frustrating as Heacock stayed almost exclusively in zone and chose not to blitz Juice on more than a few obvious passing downs and/or 3rd and mediums allowing the shady passer to survey the field. One particularly painful example was Juice’s first TD pass on 3rd and 6 at the OSU 8 yard line. He had all day to throw before launching a turd to Chamberlain for the score. That play killed me because the few blitz calls to that point seemed to pay off. To his credit, however, Heacock did dial up more blitzing as the game wore on.
I thought Moeller, in particular, did some nice work off the blitz in place of an injured Hines. A Moeller blitz forced Juice into the second quarter INT and he ended up with 7 tackles (2 TFL) and forced a fumble on the day.
As for his mates, the first half was a missed tackle convention resulting in numerous long runs. In the opening half, Illinois racked up 167 yards rushing on the strength of 8 yards per carry. Ridiculous.
Though this unit didn’t have its best game but they did enough to slow Illinois in the second half allowing just 47 yards rushing on 14 attempts (3.35 ypc) keeping the game from ever being in doubt. Problem is, Illinois just isn’t any good. All I can say is thank goodness OSU got some early turnovers or this would have been a totally different game.
Other Stuff
- Hartline is now officially on my list. I was already a little salty on him after reports he was one of the whiners when Boeckman was shown the pine then followed up by more than his share of drops but yesterday put me over the edge. In case you don’t already know what I’m talking about, I’m referencing the 3rd and 7 reverse to Hartline midway through the fourth quarter. As Hartline neared the sideline, he blatantly avoided any contact stepping out of bounds just shy of the marker. Of course, TP picked up the first down on a sneak but what the hell was Hartline doing? Total wuss move. And don’t tell me he was concentrating on the sticks and thought he had enough yards – I don’t think he ever even looked. Inexcusable to not stay in bounds and turn up field whether you get the first down or not.
- Malcolm Jenkins had another strong day with 2 tackles, 3 pass break ups and his second blocked punt of the season. He now leads the team with 8 break ups (not counting all the ladies he’s sent packing!). Man, I’m gonna miss that guy. A true Buckeye.
- Kurt Coleman’s INT gave him a team leading fourth of the season and he also had a career high with 11 tackles. Of course, that’s bound to happen with RB’s are dancing in your secondary for much of the game.
- I said it last week too, but it was great to see Boom in there looking healthy again. He’s no Beanie but he moves the pile pretty well for a guy with that frame and can make guys miss.
- What the hell happened on OSU’s last drive of the first half? Taking possession with 2:39 to go, Tress played it so conservative that he left :41 on the clock knowing full well his defense had no mojo to that point. I get running the ball four consecutive times to start the drive but to not throw, or even roll out with the possibility of a throw, on 3rd and 3 near midfield was a little painful to watch. AJ then shanks a 33 yarder and Illy does their thing to make it 23-13 at the break. Not fun to watch.
If Moeller could have wrapped up, he could have had about 5 TFLs. Although he failed to finish a lot of those, it was good to see him actually getting in there on blitzes. Compare him yesterday to, say, Kurt Colemen who appears to be magnetically attracted to the blocking RB when blitzing.
Correct place to post this; also sorry for the length, I am just venting.
I know some of you knock Tressel. However, when you have a beast as a power RB, I say hammer the SOB’s. The knock against him really comes at making adjustments and seeing the match-ups on the field to take advantage of it. For example, when Illni had a certain package on the field and it ran off a big play against a certain defensive package, they did two things very effective against our defense early on. 1) They trapped the defense through a hurry up offense. 2) I am assuming they had plays designated to take advantage of certain packages, in which they were able to call plays quickly to exploit the situation that they preferred. That is very good game planning. Thank god Heacock went blitz happy later in the second qtr and second half to offset the Illni strategy. When trapped early in the game, the defense became confused and passive. Hopefully Heacock realized this when his defense is trapped in an ambush; you have to attack to escape. Overall the defense would have done a lot better if did not have so many missed tackles. To my point about Tressel, he sometimes appears to get into instinctive grooves where it is hard for him to go away from his bread and butter. Despite the fact that his bread and butter is being taken away with 8 to 9 in the box. Hopefully, Pryor’s maturation in his ability to read and to throw the ball more effectively will allow him to open up a bit. In addition, he has to anticipate what other defenses will do and counter his tendencies; thereby using his tendencies to setup situations to exploit. One thing he did do was come up with a better pulling and trapping game in the front line, to give his O-line a chance. Especially on a day where there were poor field conditions and everybody knew he was going to run the ball. I thought O-line graded out to a solid B to B+. I would still like the offense to attack more and exploit situations where defense is stacked in the box.
In regards to next Saturday, let this be a warning to ALL of OSU’s Coaches, the dickheads from up north will throw everything they can think of at you. Expect to see the hurry up offense at times if not all day especially if it proves successful. Our defense has to be prepared mentally for this challenge. We will still have to stop the run but expect a fast tempo from their offense, especially if they see whatever the Illni saw in our manpower. Also, there will be a handful of reverses, discipline football and SOLID tackling is needed. In addition, if they are 4th and short on our side of the fifty, expect them to go for it.(see the Panther vs. Detroit game from today) Our offense has to expect the same, 9 in the box will be a common sight with all out blitzes. They will force Pryor to beat them with his arm. Special teams may see two or three trick plays. Guys, their season is pitiful so they have nothing to lose. Coach Tressel, when find yourself up two touchdowns late, make sure you unleash the offense to put the proverbial “ ‘silver’ bullet in the head” to finish them off. It is that time of the year where we take no prisoners.
It’d be a lot more lopsided if the defense could remember how to tackle. It was frustrating to see them run through all those defenders who couldn’t wrap up. Seriously, I hope they work on tackling drills and bringing back the sled for the o-line. PS, I hate Andre Ware… this is why we need to win all of our games so we don’t get stuck with these crappy color analysts.
i love moeller, but he’s heacock’s zone LB because of his speed and pass D ability. which makes sense i guess but he could easily be a force on a blitz-centered man defense if heacock played it that way
TOTALLY 1000% AGREE WITH THE COMMENTS ABOUT BEANIE.
I think he is a great back but Tressel wants to put our whole team on his shoulders and the dude has continuously proven he can’t handle it. Very talented back, not tough enough to be great.
I’d agree with you about Beanie if we had a stellar line and an intimidating passing offense, but we don’t and we don’t. Beanie is the prime mover of the entire offense, and without him those lanes wouldn’t be there for Pryor. He puts the fear of The Hop into opposing defenses and sets success up for us (See: USC game). And so defenders are going to give him their best shots. Did you see that early hit by Vontae Davis against his right leg at the line of scrimmage? That was nasty stuff, I thought certain knee injury. Beanie takes such a pounding, I don’t mind when he pulls himself out of a game every once in a while, especially when we are in control. Cause you know what? He goes back in when he needs to do so. He is a warrior, the most important of the 11 by far.
Chris,
Yep, I’m somewhat concerned about Beanie’s nicks over the last couple years, but I give him a free pass for yesterday. Hell, I almost tweaked my hamstring getting off the couch to get a refill. Look at it this way, in the past few weeks we’ve seen The Beanie Hop and The Beanie Leap… and a few wins.
Not too concerned about playcalling last two games. Buckeyes played in worse weather than we have in Buffalo right now, so a heavy run game was probably called for..
Re Illini class, or lack thereof; not to put too fine a point on it, but they can blow me. Davis was chirping, Jenkins was getting woofed (hint, check the scoreboard Illini) and the hit on Sanzenbacher.. As an aside, I think a post-season MRI on Sanzenbacher could be pretty scary with the head-shots he’s taken this year. One tough dude.
I agree, Boom looked good. Great to see him get the reps and do well. Nice observation on Hartline; he had a drop yesterday, but the tip-toeing (please don’t hit me) out of bounds on the end around really galled me. To his credit, he did get a good block at the corner on Beanie’s Leap run. Speaking of which, big time atta-boy to TP for running downfield to get a block on the same play.
Defensively, I know Illinois has a good offense, but christallmighty, couldn’t anyone tackle in 1st half? Being a fellow Muskingum College alum as Heacock, I’m a bit more forgiving, but why pussyfoot with zone when aggressive play is needed to squeeze the Juice? I did like the twist blitz toward end of 3rd qtr that lead to Homan’s sack. Nice call, better execution.
Can’t wait until next week. GO BUCKEYES!
Quality win. I was at a wedding, but the film looks good.
Held Benn to 0 return yards on 2 punts. Shaun Lane for Heisman.
Not directed at Chris, but if you’re seriously knocking Beanie for lack of toughness, keep in mind he is probably the most-worked back in the Big 10 not named Javon Ringer. Guy’s a warrior. He’s been playing injured for two straight years and he’s now 6th (I think) on the all-time rushing list at a school known for its running backs. Lay off the kid. He’s doing all he can. Don’t say he can’t fucking play through pain because he’s been playing through pain nearly his entire time as a starter, you douchenozzles. We owe winning records the last two seasons entirely to this kid, because we know that the defense, passing game, offensive line, and special teams aren’t elite in any sense of the word, and we wouldn’t have a prayer of competing with even our lessers without Beanie in the backfield.
It’s also worth noting that Beanie is very close to Jim Brown. He got up slow after every single play of his career. And then destroyed dudes again on his next rush.
Maybe Beanie is just taking that to another level.
In agreement with Pogue, MINDFAIL DOES NOT COMPUTE.
Except for: Beanie also moved past Pepe Pearson for fifth on OSU’s all-time rushing list with 3,143 yards.
Keep in mind he’s done that behind one of the worst offensive lines we’ve had in 20 years.
Go with a 3-2-3 set up of the cinni-buns in a small square pan and you get 2 rolls that are beanie-esq
The only legitimate knock on Beanie is that he is injury prone. But you can bet despite being banged up he wants to play through the injury and carry it 40x every week, and that’s what makes him a warrior. An injury prone warrior, but a warrior nonetheless.
Remember how our lines in the ’90s turned Pepe Pearson and Michael Wiley from average backs into Destroyers of Worlds? I miss that.
Adrian Peterson couldn’t stay healthy in college, look what he’s doing in the pros.
HAY DID SUM1 SAY SUMTHIN ABOUT CINNABON
sorry for contradicting myself earlier…i dont think hes great.
im sorry but im done making excuses for beanie. his antics just rub me the wrong way. i dont care what jim brown did on the football field, the guy is a pathetic role model.
i do have somewhat of a bias on beanie overall because between siblings that see him socially, and friends of mine who are in the columbus police department, the dude doesnt exactly have a reputation of being a standup guy. i wish him luck in the future, but i am ready to stop relying on him.
What are these antics you speak of?
i believe you are the only one with such information, sam…mind filling us all in instead of leaving us scratching our heads…?
Look, I love Beanie as much as anyone, but I feel his constantly pulls himself out of games. That’s not warrior-esque, to me. Behind Eddie, he’s the best Buckeye RB of my lifetime so don’t get me wrong. It just seems he’s constantly nicked up. Of course he’s taking shots – he’s the tailback at Ohio State. Without stats, I’d venture to say Eddie averaged nearly the same carries per game and I don’t remember him hobbling off and/or waving a back up on to the field with the same regularity. If you want to call it injury prone, so be it, but to me injuries are things that keep you out of the lineup for games at a time, not plays at a time. Just seems it’s always something. It looks as if Pogue and the others will either disagree or pile on, but I think the same thing about his flu against Purdue. He missed a lot of plays that day and it was the same excuse making. He’s tired, he didn’t practice and what ever else was said. To me, if you want to be the best in the country, you play through it. Certainly easy for me to say because I’ll admit to being a world class wuss, I just don’t see the warrior label ringing true. I have a feeling Tressel doesn’t either after basically calling him out last year nor have I heard him gush about Beanie’s warrior mentality this year…I dunno – based on the comments I’m the one who doesn’t get it. Either way, that’s why I put it out there for you guys to chew on…
I love the Beanie but he’s no Eddie.
Chris, I couldn’t agree more on Hartline. I am completely done with that guy. I was watching with about 10 people, and I just started swearing up a storm for that pussy move. Put your head down and get a yard or two. That’s embarrassing from a football player. Especially when you see guys out there fighting for every inch.
I would have benched him immediately after that. We just don’t need him, when there’s guys right behind him who are more talented and would give better effort. What a worthless player.
I love Boone but he’s no Pace. And Eddie had the latter, not the former. Revisionism run amok.
PS: Full disclosure, I don’t really love Boone.
Anyone notice that Dr. Saturday averages about 5-15 comments on his blog posts, usually on the low end, and then he posts this about the buckeyes:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Beanie-Wells-ascends-contemplates-the-limits-of?urn=ncaaf,122352#comments
And receives in the area of 400+ comments to that post? The people doth love to hate on us.
That’s Flip’s video in that post. Buckeyedom has its Scorsese.
And let them Hate all they want. Illinois would finish 4th in the SEC. I half kid. Or do I?
Sam: you’re an idiot, and I’m ashamed we share names. Don’t throw bullshit accusations at good people just because you have some stupid personal beef against them. I’ve met and briefly talked to Beanie and he’s a damn good guy.
Also, I’m shocked at these open attacks on players from people I otherwise respect. I draw the line on ad hominems on freaking players. These are college kids, you jackalopes.
Totally agree on Hartline. That was a “c’mon man!” moment when he ran out of bounds. Why not an end-around with Thomas or Posey?
No joke, I have a Jackalope taxidermied all to shit, hanging up on my wall. I kill’d it on the open plains of South Dakota, with my bare hands. Or, I bought it from Wall Drug and gave it to my gf as a gift. Then when we broke up, I got that shit back from her, cause come on, no way I’m letting that Jackalope go.
Hell yeah, that Beanie article on rivals/Yahoo is my second 15 minutes of e-fame (first 15 credited to 11W and C-bus ABC6).
Well, at least we’re the most talked about team on the World Wide.
People love to hate; me included! Boise State sucks.
I love me some Eddie George, but I’ve never been as excited to watch a RB every single game as I am with Beanie. The guy has so many weapons and that makes him such a thrill to watch. I mean, defenders used to have to worry about him either blowing past you or taking that ridiculous stiff arm to the face. Now they also have to worry about being leaped over!
And, as Matt pointed out above, Eddie’s non-Bollmanized offensive lines were an asset not a liability. And he had a bad ass fullback like Sualua. And people had to worry about Glenn/Hoying/et al in the passing game.
the guy has multiple domestic violence “situations.” please understand that i am a huge osu football fan and that i think a lot of these players are subjected to intense scrutiny, however i also think they are accountable for their actions.
please take this for what its worth because this is only a blog (although a good one) but Beanie has been on the verge of being arrested more than once in the last few years. as i heard it, again take it for what its worth, he has a penchant for tearing the shit out of girls apartments when “they dont give him what he wants”
Pogue – ive got nothing against ya man. sorry you are embarassed about your name
I’m embarrassed that you spelled embarrassed incorrectly.
haha, my bad
How can anybody even bring this up about Beanie?
I guarantee everyone that mentions anything negative or remotely mentioned him being “soft” are the same people that call off work or miss school because they have a case of the sniffles and they make sure everybody knows about it with incessant whining.
Get real people.
How many of you have actually played some sort of organized football? Do you know what it is to play with pain? We don’t know how bad or hurt he truly is and what it’s taking for him to go out and play in a hard-nosed conference, pounding the ball 20-30 times a game with a target on his back the size of Brutus Buckeye’s head.
I, for one, don’t think he is anywhere near being soft. I think he is dealing with a bad, nagging injury but his mentality is, ‘F it! I’ve got to play.’
If anything I think he’s showing NFL brass that I’ll play no matter what, unless my coach feels otherwise.
I’ll take a 50% Beanie over any back in the nation. Just wait til next year when he’s gone and see what we’re missing with Boom (Bust) and Saine (BustII) toting the rock. Good luck with all that Terrelle! Hope Jaamal Berry is the real deal.
The name’s fine, we share a name with the owner of the greatest mustache in the world, Sam Elliot. Don’t spread lies about players and shame said name.
Me -
It’s been pretty well documented that Beanie has failed to “show NFL brass” over the course of this season. Kiper doesnt have him at #17 for no reason at all. This guy was a sure top 5 before the year started but now people are gun-shy.
That hamstring “injury” was such a perfect example the other day.
Pogue –
I didnt see anything with my own eyes, however, if I was telling a “lie” it would mean that the cop didnt actually tell me this and a sibling of mine didnt actually have a friend affected in the situation. I can assure you that both of them could go off for a good while on their Beanie stories.
Don’t be so naive that you think the dude is a stand-up guy because he runs hard and he slapped you five one night.
“Me” please explain to us how Boom Herron is a bust.
Look, if Beanie Wells was involved in anything VAGUELY suspicious in ANY WAY, it’d be ESPN’s top story for six months straight. This program is being watched by vultures in the media and has been ever since the Clarett scandal. I don’t believe a word of what you have to say.
I have friends in the Columbus Division of Police (there is no such thing as the “columbus police department”) who told me that sam has been on the verge of being arrested several times for sucking goat dicks. This cannot be a “lie” because I say so. Also I heard it from “a sibling” (weird verbiage that, no? “sibling” rather than “brother” or “sister”?) of mine who heard it from a friend whose goat was “affected in the situation”. You should hear them go off on their sam-sucking-goat-dick stories.
Putting the joking aside for the moment: we know that either “sam”, his cop, or his sibling is lying because he’s alleging domestic violence, and yet there are no arrests. “Domestic violence” includes destruction of property. There is zero repeat zero discretion afforded to the police whether to arrest someone in a domestic violence “situation”. Even if the victim doesn’t want to file the complaint, the police have no repeat no choice in the matter.
If Beanie tore up some young woman’s apartment because he was refused sex, and the cops showed up, he would have been charged. He hasn’t been charged, therefore sam’s allegation via cop/sibling/sibling’s friend/whoever cannot be true, QED.
First of all I hope these “situations” are bogus, but bogus or not it sucks to hear stuff like that about a Buckeye.
I also have issue saying he’s “soft”. He has single handedly won games when the passing game was ineffective which seems to be the case way too often in his time as the starter. He is such a freak of nature that Tressel has no issue calling his number repeatedly if that might be enough to pull out the victory. Running into stacked boxes behind an average line is not good for your health, but I also understand why this a topic of discussion. With exception to the toe he has not really had any serious injuries yet he goes down with some frequency during games. I would argue that I can’t remember a time when he was on the bench during crunch time of a game he started and yesterday was no exception.
my thoughts on beanie…
He is just a big baby. he is a great back but i think he is soft. he reminds me of a mommas boy who everytime he cried as a little bean his, mom ran to comfort him. i really think he “churches” up his pain, to make it seem greater than it is….
I dont mind when guys who can back it up on the field talk. I dont mind when Pryor does it.
Vontae Davis backs it up, so I dont mind him yapping at all. A little trash talking by your star is to be expected.
On the eve of our annual big game, some of you decide to trash our team and some of its key players. I find this disheartening. You have the whole off season to play the rumor game. Trolls!!!
How ’bout we just drop the heresay from Sam and until evidence is substantiated, let it go. It serves no good. Could ‘Sam’ really be DickRod trying to stir the pot to get Beanie out of The Game?
long live beanie! that’s all i got to say about the situation…never been more excited to watch a rb every single hand off
7 yard run turns into a 24 yard hurdle play..come on..who saw that coming
Agreed, Scott. It’s all BS until it comes from a credible source.
On a beginning note did anyone notice Florida destroy South Carolina 56-6? Did anyone hear anything about them running up the score? Just curious. Anyway, Chris I agree with you 1000% about Hartline. He has turned into a real bitch as far as I am concerned. From the angle I was watching from I am pretty damn sure he could have gotten that first down if he cut up field. Instead, he runs out of bounds?!?! We’ve all seen him make great catches, he’ll put his body out there to make a great catch for a TD but, when it comes to getting the extra yard or blocking and doing the little things he bitches out. I really do hope he tries and goes pro. I really dont think he was happy with TB being benched and I think his play has moments where it reflects that.
As far as Beanie and whether or not he is a warrior. I wouldnt go that far. Last year he did play on a bumb ankle and wrist. But, he was still very effective. This year its his foot. All football players get nicks and bruises and sometimes have to come out of the game. He went out Saturday a few times but always was back in a few plays later. He needs a break just like any other running back so I dont see the big issue. As far as his draft status is concerned. I still see him as a top 5 back. I also think he would be better served leaving this year then staying. I say that due to him and his injuries. I think getting him to a pro team and getting him to there training staff he may be better served. Just as long as its not Cleveland otherwise, he’s screwed.
Chris-
I really hope that the Mrs. pissed you off or something and bizarro chris just started typing away. I’m amazed at how fast we have forgotten the ‘04 Buckeyes and how shitty that Buckeyes team was, but now we have this? Everyone is intitled to their opinion, and I certainly respect yours, but calling out beanie is….wait for it…..out of hound (and to think I was just bitching about how everyone was using that term).
Maybe we have just become so jaded and fed up with the obvious flaws of this year’s team that it is time to start attacking the strengths. Beanie is THE strengh of this team. I can’t wait till the kid goes pro because I want to see what he can do with an actual offensive line in front of him. He is our motor, and without Beanie, well, just look at the Ohio and USC games…
I’ll agree, he may not be Eddie, but as someone pointed out, Pepe got 1600+ behind O Pace and that line, so that is pretty much where the argument should stop. I have no idea what it is like to run full speed during Big Ten play in the middle of November and get slammed by a LB or SS, but I bet it’s painful. Take in account Beanie’s size and speed and I need a break just thinking about it.
I do not doubt Beanie’s toughness, in fact, I applaud it. And anyone who thinks Beanie can’t carry a team need only look back to last year (I know, so long ago, easy to forget) to the Wisconsin or scUM games. Kid’s a beast and will prove it on Sundays.
Couldn’t agree more about Hartline though. My roommate and I watched him run out a yard short and pretty much called him a pussy at the exact same time. Between him pouting about Boeckman, dropping passes and playing like a whispering eye, I wish he was a senior.
Matt- you’re right on Boom. Perhaps I was a tad harsh to label him a bust, but I just don’t see anything special about him. I know all the coaches cooed about him, but I don’t see him being anywhere near the type of back that should be starting (next year) at OSU.
Sam-That’s okay. He’ll slide, a little bit, but some team (owner) will take a “gamble” on him.
Well said, 1812 Nut.
http://blog.dispatch.com/1812Nut/2008/11/beanie_wells_freak_of_nature.shtml
Tyler et al…I’m a little confused with everyone’s responses as if I said Beanie touches kids…All I said is that I challenge the warrior label. To me, warriors don’t take plays off and/or exaggerate their nicks and I feel that’s what Beanie does. If you all disagree with that, so be it, but that’s what I see. Because I see that, I think the ’soft’ label might be a bit much but that was more about using the opposite of warrior. As I said in my previous comments, I don’t recall Tress throwing the warrior label on him anytime this year in addition to publicly challenging his toughness last year. Further, I respect Spielman’s opinion on toughness as much as anyone alive and he has inferred multiple times this year that Beanie isn’t as tough as his reputation. After that, all I did was pose the question as to whether or not you all agree (which is quite obvious) and ask if anyone thought it would impact his draft status. I personally do, but I guess we’ll see.
As I wrote in my post, I also see a great back that is the best in the country when healthy. I honestly don’t see what all the fuss is about.
You have to be nuts about Beanie’s injuries being a concern. EVERY NFL back gets niggling injuries. Clinton Portis, LT, Adrian Peterson – they all have injuries. Sure, Beanie misses a play here or there. But then he comes back out. There is nothing wrong with that. Plus, having a two-back system is en vogue right now in the NFL. Expect Beanie to be limited in his carries in the NFL.
Beanie Wells is my favorite Buckeye of the last decade, but you have to admit the dude has a dramatic flare for the quick-healing injury.
I don’t know what it means. Maybe he’s so good he just does that to toy with everyone. The defense, his teammates, the stadium and those watching on TV.
Maybe his skin is just really soft, but the rest of him is baked iron?
I agree with Chris and Jason…
Assassin, you are correct that every RB has injuries and I think thats the point. It seems as though Beanie is quick to pull himself out to have a “normal” running back injury looked at instead of staying on the field.
I think Beanie “scares” himself. If something doesn’t feel 100%, then he says “Oh shit…not again…” and runs to a trainer. Given his past, I’m not saying I don’t understand, but he has to suck some of that up and deal with it. We have seen him in the past sitting on the sidelines when we are trying to pick up a must needed 1st down – Being the elite RB he is and the heart and soul of this team, unless you are taken off in a cart you need to be on the field.
The flu bug that almost kept him out of the game was another good example… WTF was that all about? Throw up in a trash can and strap your helmet back on.
However, I do love Beanie and wouldn’t trade him for any other running back in the country. He is a warrior when he has the ball in his hands, but I think the injuries have gotten to his head. In Scarlet and Gray or getting paid on Sunday, he will be a force next year.
As a side note, can Beanie still win the Doak Walker award? He may not have the numbers to back him since he missed 3 games, but he has been by far the best back in the country when suited up.