An Extremely Early Look at the ‘09 Offense
We took a look at the ‘09 defense earlier this week and today we’re peaking ahead to the offense. Just like the look ahead to the defense, incoming freshman are out of the conversation for now, regardless of how fresh Duron Carter might be.
One thing I think we’ll see is an offense similar to the high-scoring team we saw in 2006. Losing Wells sucks beyond the most miserable thing you can imagine, but his departure will force the offense to diversify a bit. I’m not faulting Tressel for the smashmouth approach we saw the last two years, because if you coached Beanie Wells, you’d want to run him 200 times a game as well, but if nothing else, he adapts to his personnel.
Line: Adams, Cordle, Brewster, Boren & Shugarts
Usually when a line loses three starters, the next batch is thought to be in rebuilding mode. If you caught the Buckeyes the last handful of times they’ve been on in primetime, you realize that might not be the case. And let’s not forget, the play of said veteran unit is the number one reason Todd Boeckman lost his job.
DO WANTSo we head into 2009 relishing the thought of actual position battles1 and the excellence that is nurtured by competition. Sure, there’s that small problem with the guy that coaches the line — and I’ve come to terms with the fact that Bollman will be around for at least one more season — but look at it this way: if this line fails to live up to expectations as well, we can definitively say that, yes, it is the coach. And march on his house with torches.
But back to the line… Brewster and Cordle will be returning and it excites me to no end that Brew will form a battery with Pryor for the next two years. Cordle has struggled at times in his career, but showed promise in some guard play this season. A senior-to-be (unless he springs the mother of all surprises on us today), he has good size for a guard and will provide some leadership to the group.
Adams is healthy and ready to go and should slide into Boone’s vacated left tackle spot. After sitting out a season, Boren is ready to start at the other guard spot. It’s always a good thing when one of your new starters has two seasons of Big Ten play under his belt (including an all-conference honorable mention nod his sophomore year). And in the unlikely event the Buckeyes lose two centers in a game, Boren is the third member of this line with starting experience at that spot. Because you never know.
Right tackle is where things get interesting. Shugarts should be able to edge the incumbent Browning here, but he just went under the knife and will be missing spring ball. If he’s healthy and has a good fall, however, the job will most likely be his. If the injury bug lingers, then Browning could step in with his dozen career starts. He was embarrassed at times this year, but he was only a sophomore and I continue to hold out hope that he’ll grow into a good player2.
Providing depth on the line will be Moses, Smith and Blankenship. And though I’m excluding future Buckeyes from this exercise, Jake Mewhort looks kind of beastly.
Receivers: Posey, Sanzenbacher, Small & Ballard
With the graduation of Robo and the Hartline’s early exit, the receiving corps is losing two guys with a ton of game experience. Though the passing game as a whole had a down year, it’s hard to account for all the two of them did beyond just catching balls.
That said, this is another area of the offense that has a chance to improve a bit over 2008. The receivers should naturally benefit from a more polished Pryor throwing the ball to them and his feet will create many, many big play opportunities for wideouts breaking deep on plays that appear to be broken. Vince Young and Limas Sweed killed defenses on plays like this.
If Small can stay out of the doghouse, he brings a lot to the field. At times early in the season, most notably against USC, he was the Buckeyes’ best receiving option. Dane actually finished the year with the same amount of catches as Hartline, and he’s the possession guy with the ability to get decent YAC with another year of strength training. And then there’s Posey. A hybrid of Sanzenbacher’s clutch and Small’s burners, he should be Pryor’s #1 target for the next two years in Columbus. His feet are wet and ‘09 should be a breakout.
Flash Thomas and Stoneburner will be there to provide depth and should the Bucks roll five-wides, that’s a formidable set.
Ballard is back at tight end and his shoestring grab against the Longhorns has me thinking good thoughts. Assuming the offensive gameplan decides to utilize him, that is. Backing him up will be DeLillo, who has great size as well, and J.D. Larson.
Backs: Pryor, Herron & Martin
Pryor will be entering his 2nd year as a starter at quarterback and many of us, myself included, hope that he adds a potent passing game to match the magic of his feet this season. Granted there were rumblings about injuries, but at times he looked pretty awful throwing the ball in the Fiesta Bowl. He will put it all together, it’s just a matter of how soon. If he comes out in the opener slinging the ball, it could be a long season for Buckeye opponents.
Big shoes to fillLosing Wells at tailback is huge, but I think most of us have enough confidence in Boom’s abilities to at least get some sleep this summer. He started the season strong, but got popped at Wisconsin and missed a few games. I think what’s most encouraging to me is the fact that he finished with a bang, torching Michigan and then breaking off a few solid runs against the Longhorns. Not a bad ending to a redshirt freshman season at all.
Fullback is anyone’s guess, but I like Jermil Martin. There are Saine-to-fullback rumors, but he’s going to need to bulk up a bit more before making that move. Marcus Williams is another possibility, but he’s a bit undersized. Regardless, the winner of this battle won’t see as many snaps as the fullbacks did in 2008 and if they’re looking to tote the rock, they’ll be disappointed. Buckeye fullbacks had all of two carries and seven receptions in 2008.
Conclusion
As already stated, the offense will be a more wide-open affair in 2009. It’s almost impossible to think the team will be any worse than it was at times this year, what with Pryor’s evolution and all. If things click early, this group has a chance to do some damage.
1 Yes, I realize that technically Browning won a job in 2008, but with the injuries to Shugarts and Adams early in their careers, who exactly did he beat out?
2 I am completely aware of the fact that I might be alone on this one.
I am excited to see the line next year. Having Boren will be a plus and I’m thinking he could easily slide in as the leader. Just keep Browning away!
Well I notice that you don’t mention any of the incoming guys. I think 2 Freshman, (Berry and Carter) will play and contribute a lot!
I think Berry will disappoint anyone with high expectations. And Carter will need to show a lot to displace anyone ahead of him now. I wouldn’t be surprised, particularly if Taurian stays, if Carter took a redshirt.
Don’t sleep on hyde he could be the power back in short yardage. Boom and Berry “killer b’s” or “dr pryor and mr hyde”.
I know we aren’t consider incoming guys, but Berry looks really, really, good, against inferior h.s. talent of course.
for Brandon Saine’s sake, i hope he finds his niche.
berry plays against some south fla speed those guys have been good to us in the past. look it up. im not talking about mo wells. our team is going to be the fastest overall its ever been
Whenever the SEC guys start going off about how the South has all the speed I think of Maurice Wells and get confused. I guess not eveyone from down here can be Chris Gamble.
“There are Saine-to-fullback rumors” ahhhh fullbacks have to block… That has not been his strong suit.
Browning=fail
Shugarts please heal quickly.
I like Stoneburner, he will turn some heades this year. Great combo of size and speed. Also, Zach Boren is a bulldozer for fullback.
I know you left out incoming freshmen, but they will play a big role this year.
(It’s Justin Boren, just FYI)
NVM.
Justin Boren = OL x-fer from Michigan
Zach Boren = LB/FB Recruit for 2009
I know my Buckeyes!! How dare you question me!
Just kidding, Im a big douche.
heades=heads, pig latin
Fullback has been a disappointment. OSU has not had a dominating fullback since.. Nicky Sualaua— man that guy was a beast and blasted holes for
E D D I E……… he could carry the rock on short yardage also. OSU recruited Aram Olson (who was reported to be the next beast) and he was a BUST– injuries have him done with football I think.
I hate the fact that OSU does not put much emphasis on Fullback or TightEnd — both can be receivers, options on screens and the Fullback can take a handoff. This keeps defenses guessing. I wonder why Tressel thinks this way?? It seems that we are using a player who is converted to fullback from another position every year.
Saine as fullback / rcvr would be nice especially with Herron as the tailback; unfortunately we are back to the o-lay and wiff block problem. Do you think Saine has a low threshold for pain and that is why he does not like to mix it up?
Well, let’s keep in mind that the balls the fullbacks and tight ends caught this year were mostly from Pryor – not Boeckman. Yes, I know Boeckman hardly played the last 8 games of the season, but also remember Boeckman didn’t utilize them last year either, so I think that’s reason to believe 2009 could see the TEs and FBs catching more balls.
I don’t know… Matt Keller, while a bit undersized, was a damn good full back… even more productive than Sualaua in some regards. I’m not saying he was as good a blocker, but overall, Keller
might have an edge.
Man what happened to Conner Smith? That guy came in as a huge prospect and hasn’t done much at all. I think that is another failure of the line coach. Smith may rise up and take some time away from Cordle but how he couldn’t beat out Ben “false start” Person is beyond me. The Oline is in good shape, they will be green but much more athletic than the one we started last year with.
Picture this set….
Pryor
Boom
Posey
Sensenbacher
Carter
Small
Flash
now that is fast and awesome! :-)
James Jackson has more speed than Carter … I hope he gets a look. Although Carter’s height will be nice for fade routes near the goalline, kid is 6′3″.
He might only be 6′1″ at the NFL Combine in a few years, though.
I would love to see us go to a 5 wide set more often and consistently. It proved to be effective against Michigan when Troy Smith ran it. I would be happy with a 4 WR set and boom in the back field to pick up a block if needed.
yes… and showing those sets often makes the running game better for the RB and the QB….. show pass, throw pass, throw pass, running lanes open.
4 wide with boom in the backfield would be really hard to defend, especially if we option pass, roll Pryor out, the defense that stays back with the recieves is going to be burned 10-15 yards every time, the moment they step up, it’s a deep TD. It’s classic videogame football. and with Boom being as dangerous as i think he will be with a toss play, that’s a lot for any defense to handle.
Exactly. Fullback shmullback.
also fields is a bad ass
I was getting sick of seeing Boone get beat off the ball by speed rushers. I was undecided if he had poor technique or if he was just that slow. I’m excited to see some new blood at the left tackle spot. I have a feeling our line has the potential to be much better next year which means good things for TP.
Don’t forget, with TP at QB, if they over pursue the rush, it just springs him free most of the time.
I think Browning might surprise and maintain the right tackle position.
I hope not
Nobody’s talking about Carlos Hyde for fullback. The guy is a natural born monster.
true… forgot about him… and he can tote the rock as well.
PALM BEACH BUCKEYE, don’t tell me you have forgotten about Jamar Martin killing linebackers back in the day.
P.S. I think Carlos Hyde is going to end up at tailback guys.
Jamar Martin was awesome also….. I just remember Sualua being a dominant force on the field and making holes where none existed.
I also recall him being used on some short yardage situations to get a first down or a TD….. I love the Fullback in that situation–you don’t have to hand the ball off 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage to a RB in an I formation— not sure why Tress doesnt utilize that—- snap, fullback comes forward to the QB, ball in chest, first down!
i think you are right given his size and speed are reminiscent of…*tears* Beanie. though i hope jimmy t has seen the value of having a FB like stanley havili/carlos hyde after watching him burn the defense back in the coliseum.
i absolutely love the idea of a fullback like havili.
1460 just announced that Donald Washington is going pro.
this doesnt make me happy. I was hoping he would take the job from Heacock.
http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2009/01/ohio_state_football_fickell_of.html
shit. i sure hope he doesnt accept
That link was on the side of the site earlier. Not sure if people know about it, but check out the Good Shizzy section for links like that.
That sucks! For osu’s sake I hope that he doesn’t take it, but it may be what he needs to do professionally.
Isn’t that a lateral move, at best? Wait, ND, that’s just like taking a MAC job.
Granted, he’s not the top guy here, but the top guys are getting old. Don’t be surprised to hear he got a raise and is staying. :)
I love Boom but I’m curious to see if Berry does not redshirt and what kind of impact he can make if he sees the field.. nobody has mentioned that.. also I would expect to see Duron Carter catch a few balls..
Because some of us saw Berry play in that All Star game, and he looked small, and went down easy. He has more than stature and dreadlocks reminding us of MoW. I’m not saying he won’t be a solid player in a spread offense. But I just don’t have very high expectations for him.
Now, Carlos Hyde, that kid was a monster. I expect him to be a solid backup to Boom. And wouldn’t be shocked to see Flash standing next to LBiC 5-10 times a game.
Ah, how we forget about redshirt freshman… Yeah, Hyde may well be #2 at TB.
Hyde is an incoming recruit, right?
Heh. Yeah, Just stopped reading about him 8 months ago, so it seems like he’d be a redshirt by now. :)
Don’t forget about Lamaar Thomas–that kid is a burner. Watch out for him.
Anybody think we’ll see more 2 QB sets? Give Bauserman some reps and keep him online to take over for TP when he bolts early?
Let’s just go with a 10 wide set and never run the foorball again. That way we can play sissy football against the Big 12 and SEC in the bowl game and get our rear ends beat again.
Really getting sick of people saying “we need more speed on the field” or “we’re fast so we’ll be better”. Speed has not been an issue and will not be an issue. The problem for this team is, has been, and will be scheme (or really a lack thereof it seems as of late). It’s as simple as that.
“fast” = faster
I’m glad all these guys are leaving…I feel cleansed.
Colonoscopy cleansed? eeeks
Nothing wrong with a good cleansing every now and then. Allows new blood to get
through the system.
I hope these young linemen live up to their billing…sounds cliche, but the season depends on it. We’ve got incredible speed and zero creativity. We’ve got a defense that will need an identity. And we’ve got a QB that can probably make some things happen, but who’s still got a ways to go. For that combination to win games, you need the best O-line possible.
This line needs to be monstrous.
Look, lets just be realistic here. If you think for a second that Tress is gonna get rid of his boys (Heacock/Bollman) and give up O play calling duties then you’re wrong. In fact, you’re just plain ol’ crazy. He’s too damn loyal to his guys and that’s just the way it is. We all know it. We hate to admit it, but we all know it. These kids are gonna have to learn that they’re immediately down 2 touchdowns before the game even starts with these guys running the show. They need to know it, accept it, and come out fighting.