TP, entering spring ball like 39 lbs. stronger.The leaders of that group are gone and the debate over their legacy will last a few years, but most Buckeye fans are ready to quickly turn the page to a younger, perhaps speedier pack of Buckeyes. The buzz is growing, morphing recent basketball posts into heated discussions on football and all climaxing at the April 25th spring game.
There will be plenty of time to breakdown the current roster as we roll through spring and into fall, with the much anticipated Sept. 12th matchup with USC. So we thought it would be a good idea to take a different approach and focus on a few things that we probably won't see this April.
1. Tressel abandons the punt. Is there a better time now that AJ Trappasso is gone? It is well documented how much the Vest loves the punt, but why not go a little Madden '99 and just go for it every time. Most of their 4th downs should be 4 yards or less and with the dual threat of TP and speed in the backfield, it would be a perfect fit to liven up the predictable offense. Is there any doubt Pryor could pooch punt when necessary?
2. No RB's will be tapping on their helmets for a breather. For us at 11W, the RB position is open for the first time in 4 years. Yes, Boom Herron has the experience and presumed lead going into spring, but Brandon Saine is healthy and we have found out the freshmen backs are coming in ready to compete this fall.
We all had to get used to the Beanie tap last season as he fought injuries all year, but with this stable of backs, any tapping of the helmet for rest breaks could result in a slip down the pecking order. Herron and Saine will get the bulk of the carries this spring, but come fall the totes will become more precious and Tressel has proven he is not scared to play a newbie.
3. TP will line up in a tackle eligible super secret pass play. It was brought to our attention by Tim May on Sunday that Terrelle is continuing to work towards his bonafide freak status as an athlete, while trying to bring his passing fundamentals to that same level. Who knows exactly how much muscle he has gained since the season ended, but if he nears 250 he could at least equal some of Browning's efforts at RT last year.
The Bucks have struggled in short yardage situations recently and since JT already lined Pryor at WR, the next logical step is a tackle eligible. Laugh all you want, but this could be the reason the Vest wants practices closed to the public, no one can see the super secret USC killer.
4. Tight Ends will be featured in the offense. The TE position has been the least utilized aspect of Ohio State football since the arrival of Jim Tressel. With a movement towards the spread and only 3 tight ends on the roster, there is no reason to believe this is going to change. Nicol and Ballard combined for 13 catches last year, but seemed open at least 4 times a game. Finding the TE is part of TP's evolution, but something tells us that won't come until his pro days.
5. Tressel goes a Twittering. What would Woody have thought about Twitter? A man such as Tressel keeps it close to the Vest and shies from the limelight, so don't look for him to be giving Carrol-like updates or filming self produced videos encouraging others to join the flock. There is no guarantee JT would wax tweet-like poetry such as Zook, Brewster and RichRod, but imagine if Tressel started giving his media updates only through Twitter.
Feel free to discuss any other ideas of what we won't see this spring, otherwise I'm sure the comment section will take a life of its own throughout the day and especially after Tressel's kickoff press conference at noon.
Comments
IN THE YEAR 2000...
lydell ross returns to ohio stadium for a pregame recognition of former ohio state running backs. after accepting a soft pat on the back from gordon gee, lydell falls down for a three yard loss.
I'm really not sure - at all - what to expect from this year's football team, and oddly enough, that feels GREAT.
LiC lining up @ WR in the Fiesta is possibly the craziest thing Tressel's done since he got here (as much sense as it made, it was still way, WAY out of the box for The Senator), and from where I'm sitting, it signaled his willingness to modify his old-school attitude to accommodate - finally - the reality of the otherworldly talents of Terrelle. And I'm betting that fucking Bollman pooh-poohed the idea, but that's another subject.
If what May wrote about Pryor's offseason work is even a little bit reliable - always a crapshoot with that dude, who pretty much embodies the worst of hidebound-sportswriter cliches worse than anybody at The Dispatch other than Bob Hunter - then we're all in for a treat this fall and for at least one more year.
Predictions seem silly at this point, but I'll venture a few (caveat lector: assuming no significant injuries):
1. Read-option out the ass. LiC will avg. 100+ y/g on the ground.
2. Rather than Stoneburner-to-tight-end-and-hoping-Pryor-looks-for-the-tight-end, I think you'll see Stoneburner line up at every receiver position in every game, and when you see him @ TE, Ballard will be on the other end of the OL. It'll be a matchup-dependent thing, and will lead to more catches for BOTH Ballard and Stoneburner than any TE's gotten during Tressel's tenure.
3. Tressel will deploy a far more potent offensive approach, not just for the reason that he has an otherwordly talent at QB, but also because he feels like his defensive backfield is more vulnerable to big plays than it's been during his tenure and he'll need to score more points and build bigger leads. This will lead to us scoring 60+ at least two times.
4. Tressel will be correct in his (aforementioned, conjectured) assessment that this defense is vulnerable. Don't get me wrong - I think the horses are all there, but they need training. Who knows how it'll all come together by the end of the season, but I think overall this will be the "worst" defense by far, statistically speaking, of the Tressel era.
5. All "Wildcat" talk aside, we're still talking about Tressel here - Ray Small will return more kicks for TDs than "Flash" Thomas will get carries (this is the prediction I think is most likely to be wrong, FWIW).
6. USC is in big, big trouble when they visit the 'Shoe.
7. On 21 November, Michigan will need to beat the Buckeyes to get to .500 and eligibility for the Motor/Dead City Bowl. There will be lots of talk about them reclaiming respect at home, and laying the first big brick of the foundation for their ongoing return to glory. They will proceed to be so completely dominated that this year's version of The Game will join "Because they wouldn't let me go for three" in Buckeye lore.
8. If we get to the MNC, we win it.
El Caballo de Sangre, I don't think this qualifies as a list of predictions but merely a Buckeye wishlist we can all agree with.
Um, not to be TOO snotty, but I'm predicting these things - like it says - so it's "a list of predictions". QEDMF. Not to mention that I also predict the worst Buckeye D under Tressel, which doesn't really "qualify" as part of a Buckeye fans's wishlist.
Also: many things could go wrong. Those are the things I think are going to happen if things go mostly right. Again: like I said.
lol this made my morning
IN THE YEAR 2000:
Everyone gets geeked about how stacked we are at defensive line, gushing about how much depth and experience there is there, only to learn that while the D-line players did gain an extra year of playing experience, the D-Line remains physically underwhelming, routinely gets hosed by less-highly regarded Big 10 offensive lines, and yes, did not somehow magically gain monster athletic ability in a single offseason. (See: last years LBs and DBs, with exception of Jenkins.)
Matt, valid points but it has been the O- and not the D- line which has been the Buckeyes achilles heel. Thaddeus Gibson is a legit "monster" pass rusher. Cameron Heyward is a solid if not great tackle. IF Lawrenece Wilson returns to his potential, this could be a very strong unit and one of the better ones in the nation. The LB's will be better from an athletic standpoint but they will make some mistakes early due to youth and inexperience. Coleman is a stud at safety and Russell will be more than adequate. Corner may or may not be cause for concern, but again we have ridiculous young talent in the stable. If we can survive USC, this team will go all the way. They are loaded and the offense will resemble more of what we saw Troy Smith's last year than the very limited version from last season. Go Bucks.
I read in the Dispatch this morning that Stoneburner has officially moved over to tight end.
Calm down El Caballo de Sangre I'm a Buckeye fan as well. I hope your
"predictions" play out but I just think Tressel is too conservative! Trust,
me, i would love to see him ditch the Senator like persona and develop
a nasty, impeached Governor like mentality!
Here's what Corey read:
"So it won't be all tailored to what Terrelle does well and to what (backup) Joe Bauserman does well. It will be some of what Boom Herron does well, what those wideouts do well, what Jake Ballard adds to the picture at tight end, and what Jake Stoneburner offers us now that we've moved him over to tight end."
Stoneburner, with a receiver's pedigree, could offer a stretch-the-field threat from tight end that hasn't been available for a number of seasons. So the options -- both from a personnel and a philosophical standpoint -- are there to overhaul an offense that ranked a lackluster 76{+t}{+h} nationally last year with a 342.69-yard average.
What are these tight ends of which you speak? I as a buckeye fan know not what they are. I thought the guys at the end of the line with numbers in the 80's were just smaller offensive tackles.
HAHAHAHAHA. YES!
FINALLY! We are done with the lame basketball season and can focus on what C-bus was built on....FOOTBALL!
No predictions or guarantees from Ski today, just overwhelming optimism....
i've been saying for over a year now that stoneburner has the potential to become a travis beckum-type weapon for our team, and hopefully Tress and co figure out that TEs aren't just for blocking anymore
I just heard osu student tickets sold out in an hour and forty minutes and the Michigan away student allotment sold out in about 10 minutes
Things that won't happen
1. Tressel ditches his sweater vest and dresses for gameday in a beat up vintage OSU hoodie purchased at Long's bookstore in 1985.
2. OSU vows to quit scheduling MAC teams in non conference play, says they will only play teams in BCS conferences in the non conference season in football.
3. OSU rips out the Huntington Club seats, and puts all season ticket sales on a first come first served basis. Tickets go on sale on Ticketmaster at 9:00 AM this Saturday.
4. OSU relocates Block O to section 23 and student sections are sections 13 to 27 on the east side of the stadium .
5. Tressel becomes the first major college coach to convert the offense to an A 11 system.
Anything interesting outta the noon press conference today?
I just looked around and haven't found anything posted yet. Hopefully some reports start to pop up around mid-afternoon. I do have an inclination he mentioned something about abandoning the punt, because they won't need it this year.
Agreed
Abandoning the Punt: lol...it's funny this is mentioned, because every single Buckeye fan who bought last year's edition of EA NCAA Football plugged Pryor in for Boekman, and never punted on 4th down!
is anybody buying student tickets today? They changed the ticket policy and had us buy it through ticketmaster. I rushed through buying them and it saw afterwards ticketmaster charged me $310 for the 5 game season package.
I've been on hold for 30 minutes waiting to unload my anger on some poor customer service rep.
I most definatley did my friend......
and BTW I heard a rumor the student tickets to USC are already sold out
Boeckman never even saw a single snap
Lydell lives here in tampa. Ive watch games with him at BW3's he is a buckeye. He loves the Buckeyes. You are a scumbag for dogging on him. He helped get Ohio State a ring.
you know nothing. You predict the National championship game yet you predict the worst d of the tressel era? smoke another one
thats a shocker. who is USC? I need two tickets to that one.... anyone?
if it's true it would have taken 4 hours
TICKET-BASTARD IS WHAT I CALL THEM!
Didn't say if this was from the pc or not but it was just posted on the PD's web site.
http://www.cleveland.com/bucke...
USC-------------we are playing the University of South Carolina?? wow!!! The 'Ol ball coach in Columbus!!!! Is he bringing the Big Cock with him??? We would never have the courage to schedule that other USC----
The defending NC gators have heavyweights like:
Charleston Southern
Troy
FIU
wow!!!!!!
Also this:
http://www.cleveland.com/bucke...
wow indeed
but other than USC, our schedule is pretty weak in the B10. Really disappointed that Sparty rotated off....hopefully Iowa fields a team this year
Let us know how this worked out EJ, I have a feeling that price may be right with all of Ticket-Bastard's fees tacked on to each ticket.
Usually, how much less expensive are student tickets vs. regular tixs?
Ticketmaster, you screwed me!
Apparently this happened to a lot of people. There was a glitch in the system this morning making a lot of the students that bought tickets get upgraded tickets, meaning they paid double price.
but... you dont control conference schedule... you do control non conference
Hope you can eat this month!
For the record.....a game-worn Ben Person jersey is exactly the same as a brand new jersey.....nothing on it
lol lol lol very good ski...
and #28 is only good for about 1/2 of the game... then it needs to be humg up to rest.
I know your not dogging on Beanie.
when does NCAA Football come out? I need a fix.
end of july I believe
well.... gotta state the truth... I love me some Beanie but it seems like he never finished a critical game.
Wisconsin '07.
Michigan '07.
Wisconsin '08.
Just off the top of my head. He was integral in all these wins.
I don't ever remember a football player who didn't get hurt at least once in his career. Beanie is the man. He got alil turf toe no big deal. Even though the talking heads at espn are dogging on him too you know that there are a bunch of teams that want him. It wouldn't shock me if he goes alot earlier than people think. 6'1 235 with 4.4 speed doesn't come around to often.
http://www.gamerevolution.com/...
I wish this was an april fools joke....but sadly, EPIC FAIL
LSU 08 he had 155 yards.
No, he got on the field on fake punt passes, as the punter.
LOL i think he was my holder on field goals too...
Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest and North Carolina State.
What are 4 teams from the ACC that Tress and Co. visited this off-season?
All right folks, it's been over a week since I last posted, and here are my Half Marathon results:
(Yeah I know not all of you care, but for those who do...)
Official Finish Time 2:00:11, I still can't break two hours, (I reasoned with myself, that when I do, the Bucks will beat an SEC Team in a bowl game, since our results are directly linked), anyway here are more stats:
Number of O-H shout outs:4
Number of I-O respones: 3
Number of "Go Bucks!" responses: 1
Number of 11Warrior.com shout outs: 3
Number of scUM fans taunted (at the race): 1
Number of old ladies wearing scUM jackets taunted today at the gym: 1 (I told her she should take it back to the store)
Anyway, I got my Troy Smith start in, Raised fist at the finish, then I developed some f*cked up medical issues (not race related) that kept me out of the loop for most of last week. I am good now, and if anyone is going to be in New Jersey for the Marathonnext month, let me know...I will have pictures of that one...
hope you're all better now, and congrats on finishing the half-marathon!
easy girl, it was a joke and i think even lydell would find it funny too.
love his last name
I don't know whether I am surprised or just looking for affirmation... Regardless, I am interested to know whether this exceptionally informed forum believes that we are poised for a National Championship run? Without going into all of my specific reasons, I feel we are in the "driver's seat" for the following reasons: 1.) No one in The Big Ten should realistically challenge us. 2.) The only meaningful game we have in the out-of-conference season is against USC and it is at The 'Shoe in a night game against a new QB (albeit this should be our biggest hurdle of the season). 3.) This IS Tressel's most talented team he has coached (no disrespect intended toward Buckeye "greats" such as Troy Smith, Teddy Ginn, AJ Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Gonzalez, etc., etc., etc. I realize there is A LOT that has yet to be proved on the field, but I feel like we are being overlooked from within even our own fan base. Guys, this is going to be a GREAT year...
Excuse me - I have to go puke now.
1) You never know (Illinois in '07)
2) I'm still not confident in our chances in this game. At this point I'll have to see it to believe it. Our big game reputation is in the dumpster.
3) I agree about the talent but lets hope there's no complacency. Last year's OU game scarred me forever and I hope I never experience another game like it. I guess I don't know for sure that complacency is the reason they almost lost but that's how it appeared.
Have I mentioned how excited I am for the Spring game?
And the funny thing is we get bitched at for our out of conference schedule
In a break from the utmost of statistically-impossible trends, Ohio State's opponents are routinely flagged for committing penalties.
A man can dream, can't he?