Ginn & Breaston worry one Big-10 defensive coordinator

[Dryden]

To appear in the upcoming college football issue of everyone's favorite rag, ESPN The Magazine:

Ted Ginn Jr., WR/KR, OHIO STATE "It's simple: give him room and he'll go the distance, period. We don't have anybody who can handle him one-on-one. I don't know who does. He's named specifically in our game plan, and there aren't a lot of other guys like that. We'll make sure we have something in place to try to neutralize him. He got better and better as the season went on, and so quickly that it was scary. And Ohio State got better each game at using him in different ways. You can use him horizontally and vertically because he plays at warp speed. When he's on the field, he makes OSU a totally different team." -Big Ten defensive coordinator

Steve Breaston, WR/KR, MICHIGAN "Ginn and Breaston are mirror images. Breaston's broken finger set him back last season, but when he's healthy, he's the total package. Though he is maybe a hair slower than Ginn, he has a little better feel in open space and is more familiar with the game. He's definitely a better receiver. Some guys are fast but can't see, or have great vision but not speed. Breaston has two legs and two eyes. He's strong, too, not a little guy. But he's in a whole different world now that Braylon Edwards is gone. He'll slide into Edwards' spot, but how will he handle being the No. 1 option on passing plays? Then again, Michigan has too many weapons to double-cover him. It gets depressing talking about Ginn and Breaston." -Big Ten defensive coordinator

[Pheasant]

2 legs and 2 eyes....oh shit. Just what kind of freak is this Breaston guy?

[AJHawkfan]

Originally Posted by Dryden

We'll make sure we have something in place to try to neutralize him

What, like putting Breaston on punt coverage, or kicking it towards the sidelines, or kicking it really high, so he has to fair catch it? How'd that work out for you Lloyd?

[MililaniBuckeye]

Though he is maybe a hair slower than Ginn, he has a little better feel in open space and is more familiar with the game. He's definitely a better receiver.

I don't think Breaston is a better receiver now...he was early last season, but not now.

[Dryden]

Follow up from the same issue. OSU debuts in their Power 16 rankings at #5. Full write up follows (where are they getting their information?! Some of this is stock AP stuff from a month ago, but some, such as info on Wells, is news to me):

A 3-0 start was followed by three straight losses. But OSU went 5-1 down the stretch, including a home win over Michigan.

After keeping the Buckeyes afloat with 4 TDs and 87 ypg in their first six games, Santonio Holmes went from turf-burner to second option. “Early on, he was about the only guy making plays,� says Jim Tressel. That was before game-changing CB Ted Ginn Jr. started to line up regularly on both sides of the ball. His 59-yard TD grab against Indiana on Oct. 23 pretty much ensured sidekick status for Holmes (41.5 ypg, 3 TDs in the final six games). But Tressel knows OSU can't live on Ginn alone. As always, he'll play it close to the sweater vest, but the coach will surely exploit the attention Ginn garners. Who will be the beneficiary? Holmes, of course. “We need to recognize when Santonio's being singled,� Tressel says, “and go to him.�

Tressel wants to play two running backs who will combine for 1,700 yards. Problem is, the top returning runner, sophomore Antonio Pittman, mustered less than a quarter of that (381 yards). Expect the Buckeyes to lean heavily on true freshman Maurice Wells, who rushed for 5,955 yards and 55 TDs in his career at Sandalwood High in Jacksonville. Can a 5’10", 185-pound 18-year-old withstand the Big Ten grind? “A lot of people said Michael Hart couldn't handle it,� Tressel says. Fair point.

Few teams have the linebackers OSU does. There's so much talent that the defense will dabble in the 3-4 and experiment with LB Bobby Carpenter at DE just to get the best Bucks on the field. Watch for “Field Florida Fire,� a signature OSU blitz that sends Anthony Schlegel, the Air Force transfer whom OSU coaches call the best natural leader they've ever seen, inside the OT. As the tackle blocks down on Schlegel, Carpenter blitzes outside. One or both usually come free.

It's impossible to game-plan away from the linebackers, they're everywhere. Your guys have to at least be able to pick out the zone blitz. Use four- and five-wideout sets to force a nickel D and take your chances with future first-rounder LB A.J. Hawk or Carpenter on a receiver. But do what you do. Don't let the blitzes destroy your offense.

Originally Posted by AJHawkfan

What, like putting Breaston on punt coverage, or kicking it towards the sidelines, or kicking it really high, so he has to fair catch it? How'd that work out for you Lloyd?

!?!

You realize these quotes are from a defensive coordinator, and obviously not a UM staffer since it's the same DC talking about both players?

[2002UNC]

Why is everyone so high on Breaston? Hes a great return guy but I'm not impressed with him as a receiver. He'll put big yards up against teams like Eastern Michigan or Idiana but he disappears against good defenses. Breaston is a better receiver...right...those 8 yard screens and slants against us really hurt

[AJHawkfan]

Originally Posted by Dryden

You realize these quotes are from a defensive coordinator, and obviously not a UM staffer since it's the same DC talking about both players?

Yeah, I realize. I just mentioned his name since that was their plan of keeping the ball out of Teddy's hand (and he's such a douchebag).

[crazybuckfan40]

Breaston is not a #1 receiver. Only reason he made plays last year was b/c Edwards was getting double teamed on the other side. Wait till they put two on him. Ginn is going to face single and sometimes double b/c we have holmes on the other side.