Ready for more Tresselball? Reading Kyle's presser notes and digesting JT's full transcript yesterday, I've got a sneaking feeling that we're in for a good old fashioned dose of Tresselball against Indiana. Despite Tress having this to say about Pryor's injury, do any of you expect him to throw that much?
Sunday we did a little bit of drills and weight lifting and all that, so we didn't really test it, per se. Yesterday was our day off and he was in doing his film study and his rehab and all. I would expect every day he'll get closer to 100%. I don't know who's 100% after five games that has as much wear and tear as a guy that has his hands on the ball, but I think he'll be fine.
The comment seems to indicate Tress thinks Pryor's injury is nothing to be concerned about but there's no way he's going to risk the franchise dropping back more than 15 times against Indiana, is there? It's really not even about the passes, it's about the fact his line is highly suspect when it comes to pass protection and we already know that probably at least 75% of Pryor's rushing attempts this year are the result of leaving the pocket on what began as a pass play. Throw in other factors such as Indiana's porous run defense, Wisconsin looming next week and JT's probable desire to control the ball to keep Wisky from getting any additional ideas on how best to attack our secondary and you've got a recipe for a Tresselball Saturday. I'm okay with it, just preparing myself for it. If it unfolds as such, hopefully the pollsters will be wise enough to realize it.
One last thing on the presser, I continue to find it interesting that while Jaamal Berry has been virtually annointed as Heisman worthy by many who comment on the site, the media attending the presser and Tressel himself barely ever refer to him when blabbing about the much debated running back situation. I know the bullish response is to blame Tressel for favoring lesser upperclassmen but I have to believe Berry must clearly separate himself from Saine, Herron and Hall or else Tressel would at least mention his name. I wonder what the real deal is - practice fumbler? Poor pass blocker? Not enough command of the playbook? Or just good old fashioned lack of trust since the other three have more experience?
Hines on the move? With the news that Moeller will be lost for the season, rumors persist that Jermale Hines could potentially move from his safety spot to the Star position as early as this week, essentially swapping positions with Christian Bryant. Considering how OSU has lined up this season, that would still put Hines on the field for virtually every snap but talk of such a move is concerning from my perspective.
The idea of starting two young and unproven players at safety in Bryant and Orhian Johnson is a scary thought. Johnson has been one of the most underwhelming young guys OSU has plugged in on defense in recent memory and Hines provides a bit of a security blanket able to make up for Johnson's youthful shortcomings. I personally have plenty of faith in Bryant and while there's likely to be a drop off as he gets his feet wet, the potential is there. I say let him learn the ropes with help over the top as opposed to letting he and Johnson be the help over the top.
No Student Council. Indiana starting cornerback Richard Council injured his knee in the loss to Michigan and will be out for an extended period. Council started all four games this season and 14 of 19 over the past two. Again, I'm not sure how much the Buckeyes will air it out but Council's loss will be felt on a defense currently ranked 98th in Pass Efficiency Defense and 88th in Total Defense. Senior Adrian Burks and junior Andre Kates are expected to step in for Council.
Somebody needs a diaper change. Though his Ducks survived another Pac-10 defensive struggle outlasting Stanford 52-31, Oregon head coach Chip Kelly was so pissed at halftime that he had this exchange with my girlfriend as he walked off the field:
Andrews: “What are you barking at these officials for? What are you saying?”
Kelly: “It’s really loud so you gotta raise your voice.”
Andrews: “So what are you saying?”
Kelly: “I just want to know why they won’t come talk to us, I think Jim and him (head referee) got friends, I don’t know I just want some explanation on some things.”
Anything can happen in the heat of the moment and his comments were far from insane but this is just one more reason to be glad Tressel is at the helm of your favorite program. Kelly comes off like a tool in the interview and remember he's the leader of the same program that implied the Buckeyes were stealing Oregon's signals in the Rose Bowl last year. For my money, Kelly's an easy guy to root against. The Pac-10 issued a public reprimand and ordered him to spend 10 minutes in timeout.
BYOG. If you're going to the game Saturday, you may want to bring your own grub in addition to that flask stuffed down your britches. The Dispatch reports a concessions walkout is a possibility as workers for Sodexo continue to explore unionizing. Reportedly, eight workers split just before a a soccer match in Crew Stadium last weekend (came you blame them?!) and with 24 full-timers and 100 part-timers scheduled to be on the payroll Saturday, a larger walkout could be in the works. With scabs lined up to replace the pros, OSU doesn't expect the concessions lines to be any less convenient than usual.
