WELCOME TO THE SPRING PRACTICE EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!!!!!11111
Urban Meyer — fresh off a surgery to remove a headache-causing cyst that's plagued him since 1998 — opens his third Ohio State spring camp today. Kyle and our master photographer Walt will be on hand to provide updates throughout the day.
This will be the first of 15 practices, culminating with the Spring Game on April 12th. There are 39 lettermen returning to the team, with five offensive and seven defensive starters back for another tour.
The Punter from Down Under, Cameron Johnston, will also be back in the fold.
Although Braxton Miller isn't expected to participate in spring drills, there will be plenty of storylines across the board: Braxton's back-up, the rebuilding of the offensive line, Chris Ash's impact on the defense, which young receiver is going to step up and El Guapo's heir, just to name a few.
Braxton won't be the only Buckeye sidelined by injury, however. Evan Spencer, Chase Farris and Devin Bogard will all be held out while recouping from injury. Redshirt freshman WR James Clark will be limited.
As for position changes: Cam Burrows (whom I like a lot) will be moving to safety, and Joel Hale will be moving from defensive to offensive line. Chase Farris will also be heading back to the offensive line.
So yeah, spring practice is a long haul's away from a fall banger in the Horeshoe, but there's still going to be a lot drama for us smallfolk to speculate and analyze.
BRAXTON'S GOT A LIST; HE'S CHECKIN' IT TWICE. Braxton may be sidelined, but Tom Herman will still be making sure his star pupil stays busy:
“I think probably as improved as he got in the mental side of playing quarterback [in 2013], he still can get a whole lot better,” Herman said. “He can probably make that same leap this year and still have work to do.
“Just the constant studying of the game, studying of defenses and the studying of our plays now that we’ve kind of done the same thing for two years in a row. ... I think he’s getting to that point where all that stuff is slowing down, and he needs to stay on that path.”[...]
“When you know what you’re doing, know what you’re seeing and what everybody else around you is doing, it’s easy to play with great fundamentals because you’re relaxed,” Herman said. “If you’ve ever stood back there and tried to make a decision in 1.9 seconds and see the things that he has to see and process that kind of information that fast, there’s a tremendous learning curve to that."
People were pretty hard on Braxton in the aftermath of the two losses. He's absolutely not a finished product, but the kid has improved leaps and bounds every year. (Throw on a tape from his freshman year if you doubt me.)
I'm looking forward to seeing what Braxton and Texas Tom Herman can cook up in the kitchen for what should be their final dance in Ohio State colors.
ANONYMOUS SCOUTS ON FUTURE BUCKS. It's that time of the year: anonymous scouts take out their hatchets and butcher college prospects. Here's what a few are saying about former Buckeyes:
Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State: 5-10, 190. Fourth-year junior. "He or (Darqueze) Dennard go first," one scout said, referring to the cornerbacks. "I question a little bit his stuff off the field. You've got to do more homework on him. But he's an explosive, fast player." Character questions cloud his status. "He's the most talented (cornerback) but he's totally undependable for me," said another scout. "Something's missing with him. When you talk about quickness, speed, athletic ability, change of direction, he's got all that. Then he just gets beat every game. It's mental. Some guys just don't have a feel for it. He just plays that way."
*Thinks about the year Roby had* That's probably fair.
Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State: 5-11½, 230. Production improved each year during five years in Columbus. "He could be late first (round)," one scout said. "It's just if he clears through the personal stuff, the off-field. Because he's a big dude and he runs big. He's just a power back." Wonderlic score was merely 9. "I don't know if that makes a difference at running back," another scout said, referring to the Wonderlic. "Good player. Just the stuff they tell you about him, you worry about his work ethic. He had some stuff off the field."
"He's a big dude and he runs big;" that's big, if true. Much was made of Carlos' sub-literacy score of 9 on the Wonderlic, which would be horrible news if the Wonderlic wasn't a crock of shit. (You can take the Wonderlic here.)
And it should be noted to anybody planning to play in the NFL: a single dust-up with the law (even one not resulting in charges or conviction) can result in the dreaded "off-field issues" baggage.
It wasn't all mixed reviews, however:
Ryan Shazier*, LB, Ohio State: 6-1, 237. Third-year junior. "He can really run," one scout said. "I don't think he's as tough as (Tampa Bay's) Lavonte David, but he's faster. He runs like a deer. You'd have to think about him over Mosley." Should be taken in the first round. "He's little but, damn, he's the most explosive guy on the field," another scout said. "He goes in the 20s."
THOSE WMDs. Nevada police arrest man after drunken joyride (in a stolen airplane)... 49ers refuse to tag Donte Whitner with franchise tag... Goat's head, likely prop in ritualistic sacrifice, turns up in Brooklyn... Do analytics take the fun out of sports?... CPD searching for SE Columbus 12-year-old boy... OSU receives emails about closing due to cold (and lack thereof)... Giant virus resurrected after 30,000 years from permafrost... Map showing which countries read the most...
