Will Boom explode in '09? (AP: LaPrete)Well, maybe not slighted entirely but it sure has been a quiet spring when you consider Boom Herron is firmly cemented as the starting tailback after filling in admirably for the often dinged Beanie Wells last season.
Coming into last season, the biggest knock on Boom was a lack of size but he's cured that problem adding 10 pounds bringing his current weight to around 205. The added weight combined with an already tough running style should do nothing but increase his durability and effectiveness between the tackles.
Still, with a currently healthy Brandon Saine fairing well in spring drills, Boom seems to be almost an afterthought on various sites and in the MSM. My guess is Boom researches what everyone is saying about him as much as the rest of the guys do (even if they don't want you to believe it) and hopefully the lack of talk about a guy who averaged 4.9 yards per carry last season behind a ridiculous line combined with a painful passing attack is providing even more motivation to excel.
He has to at least find it interesting that he's not getting much run beyond some blurbs here and there while Saine, who even during rare occurrences of health mostly flashed a knack for finding tacklers like a heat seeking missile in real games, is getting mad love from the press.
Now, don't take that statement as hate on Saine because I'd love nothing more than for him to finally emerge as a consistent threat but he has to prove that he can. Boom has already done that. Of course, Boom still might not be a prototype 25 carries per game runner so somebody has to step up and Saine is obviously going to get the first shot at doing so. If his 15 carry, 77 yard performance in the jersey scrimmage is an indication of things to come, sign me up for the Saine fan club. But for now, I'd rather hang my hat on Boom being the guy to consistently produce.
So, what's the prevailing thought out there? Do you even agree that Boom isn't getting much run for a guy starting at tailback for The Ohio State University?
I know many of you are excited about Saine's spring but do you feel he can stay healthy and if so, based on what you've seen, is that enough to be a true compliment to Boom and Pryor?
I know I definitely like the thought of Saine as a receiver out of the backfield (A Meggett 3rd down type) but he's never shown much between the tackles prompting many, including myself on numerous occasions to refer to him as only a track star in shoulder pads. Do you truly see him as an all-purpose running back or as more of a specialist? To me, it's a no-brainer for Boom to be the primary rusher with Pryor as the real "backup". Then, Saine and any freshmen that might want to step it up can duke it out from there.
Comments
Boom will be twice as effective as Beanie. Count on it.
meaning just as effective, but actually on the field twice as long ;-)
I dont want to even get everyone started on the Beanie injury stuff - I took enough grief on that last year...But I do think Boom is primed to blow the F up this year.
I think boom showed flashes of greatness on the field last year at 195. I'm anxious to see what he can go at 205 betweent he tackles now.
he's an elusive, speedy guy for sure. i think he'll be good to great this season.
saine has good hands outta the backfield, i just don't think we've really seen enough of him to know what he's really capable of. he caught a nice pass in that LSU game(debacle) and not much else.
2 back shotgun/pistol with pryor!!!! = well, i'm not gonna say. it's just filthy.
There is no doubt that Herron will be looked at as the "starting HB" for the Buckeyes next year, but I think we are going to see something we really haven't seen here at OSU.
Even though Herron will be the starter, the stable is far too large for us to really focus on one guy. With a back like Beanie, we needed him to get his touches when he was healthy. I don't think Herron is like that. I think Herron will be a guy that will make the most out of every carry he gets, but isn't a guy that needs to have 20+ carries a game like Beanie did.
I believe we will see a strong rotation of RBs throughout each game. Whoever has the hot hand or fits that formation will be whos in the game and we won't have to gameplan or find ways to get X guy the ball and it should really open the playbook since each of our backs appear to bring something different to the table (not only thinking about Boom and Saine, but Berry and Hyde as well).
As for the love that Saine has gotten and the lack of lover Herron has received during Spring ball....It's interesting, but I think the love for Saine is coming out of shock more than anything. The kid is a hell of an athlete, but minus some great plays he made as a Freshman here and there, he hasn't been the guy we thought he would be (as the post says). I don't chalk it up as Saine out performing Herron, but just people getting excited about a healthy Saine that appears to be becoming the player we hoped he would be....???
It's starting to look more and more like the staff wants an NFL-style two-back system, and Saine and Herron are probably going to be your guys, provided one of the freshmen doesn't light fall camp on fire.
I'd like to see a Saine play a little H-back ala Cooley from the Redskins. He has good hands outta the backfield, can assist with speedy DE rushers in the blocking game, and the end around with the fastest guy in Ohio will always be an option. So many options with Saine. Line-up split backs and send him in motion so as to have a LB cover him, can you spell mis-match? Ok, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself......
Chris, you still alive? I was about to put out an 11W apb!
Excellent point about the "shock factor" with Saine. That's probably dead on. I also agree Boom doesn't need 20+ carries to do his thing.
I do disagree, however, that we'll see a deep rotation of guys getting significant carries. I just don't see that with Tressel. He's a guy that functions on trust and while the youngin's will get a chance early, I bet the rotation slims down considerably once conference season starts. Only so many RB's can get enough reps in practice to make Tress feel comfortable giving them a chance to potentially fumble. I could be wrong but that's my take...
Yeah. I'm alive! With all of us writing articles for the BBC magazine again this year, we scheduled some time off so we could concentrate on our deadline. I'm officially back in action now that my article is complete.
No Chris, I think you are dead-on with that man. Tress plays not to lose, and a big part of that is fumbling/turnovers. Especially in the Defense first B11, holding onto the ball is crucial. Remember all the fumbles Beanie had in his frosh year? Berry will have to be a stunner to get a ton of reps before next year....
health is the key this year at TB........ how many games did Beanie go out last year?? How many did he take himself out of--Fiesta Bowl anybody?? If you are not in the game, you cannot make an impact. Herron, Saine, any combination of, and/or mix in the new freshman is great, but they gotta stay on the field.
Berry is too good to sit on the bench.
We will be like USC the next two years loaded at tailback with Saine, Hyde, Berry, and Boom. The OC needs to be creative drawing up plays with all the talent we have. Really no excuses for not bringing home some hardware one of the next two years.
all due respect, no one know that "Berry will be too good to sit on the bench"..... how many 5-star recruits don't cut it in college. I hope they all are so good that the coaching staff can't decide who to start, but let's wait and see before we annoint anyone. Right now Boom is the proven commodity and someone has to beat the man to be the man..... woooo!
I can see that, he definitely fumbled at least once in the Under Armor game (someone can correct me if it was more than that). Five star recruits, though, do have a pretty strong correlation with national titles (buckeyecommentary.com had a quantitative analysis back in February). But even without running the numbers, Florida, USC, LSU, these are the teams getting the most 5-star guys...they're either winning national titles or kicking the crap out of every ranked team they play. Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas...these are teams that are constantly coming up just a hair short.
So even if they don't cut it at the school they choose, they're either competing hard to play which is good for whoever's beating them in practice, or you could look at it like they're simply not playing for a team or a coach that suits their abilities.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/...
too bad for DickRod (again) LOL.
point well taken.. I agree completely... just making the point that Berry has not proven anything yet, and we need to wait and see.
Thats a great point about Tress Chris..
I'm discrediting Boom at all. In fact I think he could actually be more productive than Beanie and more importantly a guy that we can count on for an entire drive (I loved Beanie too, but it would have been nice to see him complete the drive he started!)
I don't see Boom changing the view that a lot of people have of him in C-Bus... I think OSU could easily lead the NCAA in rushing next year when you think about the talent we have at running back and then throw in the fact that Pryor will have more freedom in the offense and I think will have a longer leash to do his thing...but when people check out the Sunday Extra and flip to the Box Score, I don't see Herrons name jumping out at them that he's the back he should be getting credit for.
*** I do think that Hyde will get a good amount of carries next year. I'm not saying he's better than Berry, thats something we won't know until Fall, but I do think his size/speed ratio is something that will stand out amoung the rest of the stable and he will see the field to really change the pace. ***
Opps... "Not discrediting"
Welcome back, brotha man, upstairs on the 4th floor (holding up 3 fingers)
Boom-Baby, don't listen to all the hype. The job is yours to loose. Saine has not exactly stayed healthy for long periods of time. Freshmen are freshmen until they show me different. Tote the mail, add 5 more lbs before fall camp starts. Justin B is ready to show you the way to 1700 yards.
not a huge loss, but i'll take it!
Yeah man, there's no way that we nab a short, lighter, scat back, highly touted RB with dreads up out of florida that would disappoint us. There's no way on earth that said back would run for consistent -2 yard losses out of the I-formation. That would never, ever, ever happen.
OH YES I WENT THERE, BERRY = MO WELLS REDUX, everyone must give me props come this season when i am proven correct.*
*if i am proven wrong, please disregard.
What are you Rich Rod's PR manager? Every single article published about the guy it is immediately on 11w
I, for one, would love to see #1, #2, and #3, lined up in the pistol formation...
...and if Small gets his act together and his #4 jersey back, a #4-#5 and a #7-#8 pairing at WR....
God help us if Jamaal Berry ends up with #30 or #34...
......No, but the sheer embarrasment for Dick-Rod.... he can't get a decent QB to sign with the Wolvereenies.... I guess no one was impressed with Pat White. I just love any kick in the balls to those Scums up north!
what are you?? Big Brother? go monitor someone else's e-mail habits, troller.
LOL
#34 needs to be buried, not Berry'd...you see what I did there, with the word play, did ya see?.....LOL
lol
Has anyone heard whether Pryor will be changing his jersey number or not?
Berry being "too good to sit on the bench" - whatever that means - doesn't preclude him sitting behind better players. This is Jim Tressel we're talking about; sometimes his refusal to play the young guns is frustrating, other times, it's warranted due to the sheer talent at that position. A lot of people here said Sabino is too good to sit on the bench, but this past Saturday's draft has him.... sitting on the bench. Neither he nor Berry will be busts for taking a year to learn the game and get in the college groove.
Boom can put even more weight on by Fall.. I think he is the man.. I was in his fan club all last year.. he consistently performed great when Beanie was on the bench...
Boom remember .. Chicken, Tuna, Brown Rice, Protein Shake, Broccoli.. Gym.. Sleep..
Repeat repeat repeat
Yes, Stewie... LOL
A relaible source (some guy that works at The Buckeye Corner) told my sister he was. Of course that was right after she just bought a #2 jersey.
Boom is the power back, and Saine will be out there when the Bucks spread it out.
As long as it doesn't have a name plate, it can double as a Jenkins jersey, so its a win-win
Okay, this is getting out of hand with "Boom will be more productive than Beanie"
Injuries or not, Beanie is 1 of the top talents we have EVER had at tOSU.
I love Boom and I think he will be a good player......maybe even Pittman level......but not Beanie level.
If we are smart we will play it like this:
Boom will be the main back (15-20 carries) with Berry as the main back-up (5-10 carries). Hyde will be the short yardage specialist. And Saine will play a Percy Harvin type of role where he'll get about 5 carries a game and line up as a slot receiver a lot.
*See, I would have been a good Spring game assistant.
**Too bad none of this will happen in our offense.....we'll probably spend most of the time running Jordan hall up the gut and sending Carlos Hyde on sweeps.
people have this nostalgia about Saine because he had a couple of amazing games two years ago and was hyped big time out of high school. Boom wasn't, and even though he's got the most PT and will probably help our offense more than any back this season, people want The Next Big Thing (a label they already attached to saine).
i don't worry about boom, he'll be fine and will shut people up. it's sad what it says about the fanbase though.
Other than the wheel-route outta the backfield against LSU, what else has Saine really done? Other than disappoint?
against washington he had 9 carries for 83 yards, and against kent state he had 9 carries for 69 yards. those were his only two good games, but i think it gave people who jumped on his bandwagon early the kind of fuel they wanted to keep his fanclub going.
look, i love the dude. saine, by all reports, is a great kid and can really help our offense. but Boom is the starting RB. let's treat him like it.
That was basically my point while trying to be careful about trashing his total lack of a resume. I've never seen a back be so tackle-able. Whoa. New word. Again, I pray the reason he's yet to get me excited is due to injuries affecting his play but I'm not confident that'll turn out to be the case.
If anything, Eddie George should have taught a lesson about giving up on a guy. i know most of you vaguely remember his career, but alot is to be learned from history, especially as a Buckeye.
It would only be beneficial to the team and JT's play calling, that we have more than one back posing a threat out of our backfield.
Not saying Boom hasnt earned the starting job, but lets hope that every player on the roster can add something to the team.
Just watched a YouTube video of Pryor and last season, and they spliced in Malcolm Jenkins doing that funny-ass dance to Jump Around in the 4th Qtr. of the Wisky game, CLASSIC.
it's all for nill unless that offensive line finally lives up to potential.
there is an upside if they don't: we get a new O-coord in a year or two.
I think its now or never for Bollman. If we under-perform this year he is out I would think (hope and pray too)
i agree with this in a sense, but i've heard this a lot and i think it's just a backhanded compliment to boom to say "yeah he's the starter but isn't it great that we have so many weapons"
i just don't understand why no one thinks herron can be a 20+ carries a game type guy; i understand that OSU fans have a big bruising RB fetish, but holy crap javon ringer just plowed his way trough about a trillion carries last year and he's SMALLER than Boom is. i think having one RB in the backfield is important because we need consistency at that position, and boom is the dude to provide it.
since i'm studying(lazy) where is that link??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
There you go little buddy, enjoy. LOL
I'm trying to find a picture of the mid-field scuffle between us and scUM prior to the game this year, but cant find one ANYWHERE. You cant tell me that NOBODY got a picture of that and put it on the internet! If someone has one or can find one, please paste a link...please! Would be a great background for my laptop
If the offensive line gels and then performs as we expect it to Saine, Hyde, Berry, and Boom should all have a productive year (depending on playing time and injuries).
Another good one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
I hope he lights it up with the orange.
CORRECTION: Wil, you know its getting out of HOUND with the comparisons on productivity.....come on champ, your better than that
Every time this whole OSU offense thing of a Bollman fiasco comes up I think of Florida's offense. Why? Well if you just sit there and watch Florida run their offense the way they do and think about what they are really doing then you can probably come up with the conclusion that their playbook is a pain in the a** to defend. Anyone else see this? Last year I watched a few florida games and saw an offense that does a tremendous job of confusing the defense and really manipulating the players minds to make them think which then I think makes the defense play slower. Now my question is why isn't this type of offensive game plan under Tressel? Why would he not want to play a type of offense that gives you the edge in the game because the defense has no idea how to defend or stop your playbook? What does everyone think about how Florida runs their offense and how it benefits them in big games?
Leave me alone, or I'll run right up your ass like you were my offensive linemen.
Because Ohio State likes to line up and overpower you.
There's no gimmicks or tricks. It's just the way it is. I watched the Iowa-Ohio State game with Robert Smith and John Cooper on BTN the other night. That was BORING football. Hand off. Hand off. REALLY BAD PASS. Punt.
OSU just doesn't believe in a high powered offense. When the going gets good, the backs start running off tackle.
It is what it is.
Tressel doesn't get enough credit for his rapport with his players:
As usual, the draft was lighthearted.
Scarlet spokesman Anderson Russell, a safety, boldly predicted that the Gray team would be limited to less than 50 yards rushing, prompting hoots from the Gray side of the room.
Tressel got the last laugh, though, when he pointed to Russell's blue hoodie, which was decorated with a sort of gilded, predominantly gold pattern.
"Russell didn't have a coat, so he ripped down some hotel curtains," Tressel said.
I agree. The whole thing was pretty Tressel-esque boring...then he rips in to Russell for wearing this big ass blue hoodie.
It should be noted Tress was sporting shades and a Hawaiian shirt (could it really be Hawaiian? it had OSU logos and buckeyes on it.
Dammit, I'm not still Lydell Ross.
i sure do wish "electric slide" was one of the options in today's poll question.
LOL! Classic
Is anyone else getting freakin' jacked at how unpredictable things might be next year? From what he's said in interviews, it sounds like Pryor is looking to reach some sort of Super Saiyan level (yeah, I went there). We might have a backfield that never tires out. Thaddeus Gibson is looking to quote "destroy" whoever has the football. Coleman, of all people, is looking to be a major leader of the defense, and might make captain. JT has made mention of using more TE and FB. The receivers might be so fast that they might leave fire-trails as they go back to the future.
It's gonna be fun.
P.S. I'm changing my name on here to Bucksfan (a name I use on other sites) because some d-bag Michigan Troll is posting on here under the name Steve, as some of you might be aware. So he can f'ing have it.
Funny question: What position is Percy Harvin going to get drafted at in the first round of the draft?
I mean seriously.
He was a good RB and WR in college because he was strong and fast. That doesn't exactly translate into the NFL. Has everyone forgot about this? I mean seriously, the idea of Percy Harvin running real routes and making plays in the NFL is mind boggling to me.
Maybe they can draft him for the wildcat.
Well that's the point I am trying to make, Florida just plain runs a weird and confusing system. But that doesn't mean it doesn't work for them. It is funny to think what the heck Percy Harvin is gonna do. Steve Bucks Fan, I too think we will be unpredictable but our offense needs to come up with an attack to win the big games. I like what Pryor said about feeding the receivers and what not because we need that. We need 5 receivers who can catch the ball and make plays as well as Saine being that Percy Harvin guy in the spread or whatever. I like to think with Pryor's attitude that we will see a more aggressive offense.
I like the idea of Harvin catching a ball over the middle against the packers and AJ Hawk putting him in the ground. Silver Bullet style...
Brandon Saine is NOT Percy Harvin. But also, the Ohio State offense has no idea what open space is.
Percy Harvin was to the Gators as Beanie Wells was to Ohio State. Bizzaro-College Football would have had Beanie running out of Florida's offense and Harvin being an OK wide receiver.
Such is life.
tackle-able = Maurice Wells
Good dude, but a defender breathing hard could knock him over.
Saine is indeed NOT Percy Harvin but with his speed and at 100% health I believe he can be a threat in a Percy Harvin like role with creative run plays out of the spread. Very doubt-full Saine will be like Harvin.
OK, I give. Who was 34 again?
nevermind, figured it out :p
Thank you, after an all day excursion to the library that was literally better coming home to than a beer and a woman haha.
I watched it too and, yea, this was a painful game to watch. Unbearable actually. I will never root for Florida but I've got to admit they're exciting to watch.
Agreed. Mo was the definition of tackle-able. Saine is merely his understudy to this point.
Not to split hairs (or dreds), but Rasta was from Georgia if I'm not mistaken. Those huys don't run as fast as the Florida guys like Berry. Everyone knows this because Bob Greasy says it is so - repeatedly.
you are border line obsessive compulsive following rich rod.....give it a rest man you have your own life to live. I guess I shouldn't pick on the guy who's life revolves on praying for failure for another man. Pathetic. Simply pathetic.