Urban Meyer held court at a presser following the first spring practice and if the theme of last spring was a "clown show," Meyer was noticeably positive about how he felt his team is coming along this spring. A few highlights:
- On how the practice went: "It was fine. I'm not really concerned with attitude. Just concerned with the development of some players. After day one, I can't give you a whole lot, it's the first day in shorts, but we had a good attitude."
- On who stood out: "Tyvis Powell (at star) and Pittsburgh Brown had good days."
- On the weird calendar structure of camp, with spring break in the middle: "It's just the way the calendar works. This is early. I like it."
- On Braxton Miller working out with George Whitfield: "I liked it because the last time we were allowed to coach Braxton was Friday before our rivalry game. Instead of sitting there and playing video games, he's working on the fundamentals of quarterback play. I love it." He jokingly added: "The quarterback guru working with Braxton Miller is a guy named Tom Herman."
- On missing his leaders from last season: "The only thing I don't feel great about is when I look and don't see my leaders from last year... I grew to love those guys."
- On the youth on the defensive side of the ball: "Defensively, there's a lot of young puppies running around out there."
- On the punter situation: "We feel good with Drew [Basil] but we're keeping our eyes and ears open." On Frank Epitropoulos: "He's got a long way to go but he's got talent."
- On the defense: "I'm glad Roby came back. You feel a sense of stability in the back end. I'm worried about the d-line, but there's some talent there."
- On the defensive line: "Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington have a leg up [because they saw action last year]. Guys like Steve Miller have to get going. Chris Carter -- how much longer is he going to be here? Last time I checked, you could only redshirt once. It's time to go play."
- On Roby's two-pick afternoon: "He's one for one. I'm going to grade him every day. You either did your job or you did not."
- On the receivers: "They looked better today."
- On Braxton Miller: "I thought Braxton had a heckuva day... a heckuva day. I thought he was outstanding today." Said his footwork was outstanding.
- On clown shows: "I think the appropriate term was 'clown show' at this time [last year]. It didn't feel like a clown show today."
- On Jordan Hall: "Boy was he great today. Didn't bat an eye. He was great."
- On Curtis Grant: "A lot of focus is on him right now. It looked pretty good to me. Do we still have hope? Absolutely, yes." Meyer also said David Perkins is running with the 1s.
- On what needs to come together: "If we put together a good D-line and linebackers we'll have a good team. If we don't, we won't. It's that simple."
- On his Champion's Club: "Certain guys will get an opportunity to eat steak; others won't."
- On Tyvis Powell: "Tyvis earned the right this offseason… I really like him, by the way."
- Half joking about creating a "Fragel Award": "He was a below average football player that had a very good season for us."
Comments
Wow, surprised by the Tyvis Powell stuff. Also calling out Chris Carter.
I have a feeling that Chris Carter won't be eating any steak in the near future.
Make or break time, big man.
The postgame show is brought to you by... Christ, I can't find it. The hell with it...
Great news about Perkins running with the 1's. I really hope that he locks down a starting spot, I think that if he really hits his stride, he could develop into a Shazier clone on the opposite side. And if Curtis Grant starts to get it this year, watch out.
I wouldn't cheer for Michigan if they were playing the Taliban.
I haven't seen enough of Perkins tackling to compare him to Shazier in that regard, but I know for sure that it is pointless to compare his speed to Shazier... because he is faster than RDS! Perkins will be the next (first) Perkins.
He doesn't tackle, he runs through guys
Glad there is still hope for Curtis Grant - that would be huge for the backers.....
The Carter call out was about as blunt as it gets. Also...Perkins with the 1s? That's interesting.
I am pulling for Chris to make some kind contribution, but I am skeptical.
I agree man, Perkins has that Shazier attitude about him. Like he wants to smack someone in the mouth.
So do we call Perkins "Boom"?
I definitely am!!
Coach Meyer has a way of motivating guys and delivering a message. Best not to jump to conclusions from day 1.
Pittman is the only guy not accounted for today hope its nothing serious I had high hopes for this kid.
Tim May tweeted that he is off the team and is transferring.
On Pittsburgh Brown having a good day, you have to believe that he is not going to bow out and give Doran Grant the starting spot, I'm looking forward to seeing those two go at it for the starting job. Calling out Chris Carter was great as well, that guy is HUGE, it would be awesome to see him eating up blocks come fall.
How much can you take away from guys running around in shorts? Probably not much, but I am so amped to eat any OSU football news, its like I've been stranded on an island and 11W delivered a fat juicy steak on my rock. Yum.
Okay I don't know how to embed tweets but Beau Bishop, Doug Lesmerises and Brandon Casteel were talking about Cam Burrows getting reps with the 2's and Eli Apple not getting as many and that Apple struggled a bit.
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault."
--Jack Tatum
Apple needs to put some bulk on, and he's behind Burrows in that regard. I would guess the staff sees Cam as a guy that's more physically ready at the moment.
On who stood out: "Tyvis Powell (at star) and Pittsburgh Brown had good days." Powell was far and away my favorite recruit from last year. I hope he keeps up the good work!
love Powell! you can just tell he loves EVERYTHING about Ohio State and will do anything to get on the field
Are there any videos of Braxton throwing? I would love to see what an offseason with Whitfield did for his mechanics.
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault."
--Jack Tatum
You can see how much his Psych background permeates everything Urban does. Every statement he makes, from praise to criticism, seems extremely calculated on his part to motivate the players to be as good as they can be. One of the many reasons hes one of the best college coaches today.
I'm glad Boom Perkins is running with the 1's... I was very high on this kid when Urban went and got him. Looking forward to his speed and raw athleticism on the field. I feel like he could be a beast for us on D.
Time is flying...and that is a very good thing!
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
Any word on whether or not they're doing another open practice for the students? Because that was awesome last year.
I wouldn't cheer for Michigan if they were playing the Taliban.
My only real question is whether Braxton spends spring break back out with Whitfield or working routes with the dedicated WRs.
Doubt he'd fly out to SD for a week after one week of practice. I would hope he'd be working on chemistry with the receivers.
Nope just to Oklahoma it seems
I've missed these A LOT
Sounds like a good day overall. How many days til first game?.
Guess this means 5yr seniors of the Bauserman mold are no longer acceptable under Meyer
I am very excited for one fifth year senior, Jordan Hall. I think he will be the biggest surprise on offense this year.
Respectfully,
Larryp713
So excited about Powell getting recognized. When he committed to the Buckeyes he was asked if the uncertain (at the time) future of the football program gave him any doubts about coming here. His response was "I didn't hear anything about the business school closing". That made him my favorite commit from his class.