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Adams Slims Down as Competition Heats Up
By Brandon Castel

It was getting to be a problem.

As an offensive lineman, Mike Adams? massive size had always served him well on the football field. That is until recently. At 6-foot-8 and well over 300 pounds, Adams was literally a mountain of a man by the age of 18.

Nicknamed ?Big Mike,? in high school, Adams used his size and strength to dominate opponents on his way to being named a U.S. Army All-American two years ago, but the Dublin Coffman product felt himself slowing down (literally) when he got to the college level, and not just because the competition was speeding up.

?I have lost about 40 pounds, then I put a few back on, and I'm about 300 pounds right now,? said Adams, who enters his second seaso000000067n at Ohio State. ?I feel faster, I feel like I can move better all around.?

It?s uncertain whether Adams? weight contributed to any of his injury issues last season, but he certainly did not look like the same player this spring that scouts saw when he was tabbed as one of the top offensive tackles in the country in the class of 2008.

Most were quick to blame the left tackle?s spring struggles on a lack of toughness, but carrying 30-40 pounds of extra weight would certainly throw off a player?s balance, which was something he seemed to struggle with when going against faster defensive ends like Thad Gibson and Cameron Heyward in practice.

?It was something I decided to do for me,? he said. ?To get my body right and help my chance of playing more this year.?

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