LB James Laurinaitis (official thread)

[smithlabs]

Originally Posted by bkochmc

The official box score credited James with 5 tackles.

There needs to be a statistic for %total tackles. Like James had 6/55 total tackles or 11% of the total tackles in the game. That way, good defenses aren't penalized for limiting the number of plays. I know Tressel said he would have liked more defensive reps but that is a problem I would feel good having.

I wonder what the percentage of tackles he had while in the game? It must have been around 30%. Take out 15 tackles from kickoffs so he has 6/40. Now figure he was only in on half of the plays so he has 6/20. My reverse engineering worked and I have "proved" he made 30% of the tackles he possibly could have. That is impressive, even if they are only assisted tackles from jumping on the pile.

[bkochmc]

Originally Posted by smithlabs

There needs to be a statistic for %total tackles. Like James had 6/55 total tackles or 11% of the total tackles in the game. That way, good defenses aren't penalized for limiting the number of plays. I know Tressel said he would have liked more defensive reps but that is a problem I would feel good having.

I wonder what the percentage of tackles he had while in the game? It must have been around 30%. Take out 15 tackles from kickoffs so he has 6/40. Now figure he was only in on half of the plays so he has 6/20. My reverse engineering worked and I have "proved" he made 30% of the tackles he possibly could have. That is impressive, even if they are only assisted tackles from jumping on the pile.

6 = 5? Must be new math.

I would also be interested in the % of plays he made tackles while in the game.

**Obvious statement ahead**
JL has a real nose for the ball.

[bkochmc]

Originally Posted by schwab

I'm sure I saw him recover a fumble also. Who it was credited to, I can't be sure, probably Hines, but I stand firm that JL had the ball when it mattered.

Originally Posted by DaddyBigBucks

+1

Hines had the ball temporarily and was still on his feet when he lost the handle. JL covered it on the ground and handed it to the official.

Originally Posted by BuckeyeMac

Yep, after watching the game on replay I was able to watch that play quite a few times. Hines originally recovered it, but he dropped the ball being tackled which should count as a fumble (I believe). JL covered it up on the ground and he should have the 1 fumble recovery stat in his column. You can see this in the replays they showed.

I agree... when I made that initial post I was in a hurry and just looked at his stat line and forgot about the fumble recovery. FWIW official stats (which we know are wrong from time to time) credit Hines with the recovery.

Youngstown State vs Ohio State (Aug 30, 2008)

[Magua]

Originally Posted by bkochmc

I agree... when I made that initial post I was in a hurry and just looked at his stat line and forgot about the fumble recovery. FWIW official stats (which we know are wrong from time to time) credit Hines with the recovery.

Youngstown State vs Ohio State (Aug 30, 2008)

Hines jumped on it initially but I think it squirted out while he was on the ground and JL game up with the ball running around waving it in the air.

[BB73]

Originally Posted by Magua

Hines jumped on it initially but I think it squirted out while he was on the ground and JL game up with the ball running around waving it in the air.

The whistle shouldn't have been blown. Nobody had possessed it when JL pulled the ball out of the back of the pile, and neither of his knees were on the ground - he was leaning over a YSU player.

[smithlabs]

Originally Posted by bkochmc

6 = 5? Must be new math.

I would also be interested in the % of plays he made tackles while in the game.

**Obvious statement ahead**
JL has a real nose for the ball.

I have worse new math than that. There were only 39 defensive plays in the game. I was double counting assisted tackles as if he could have two assists on the same play. Still I claim close enough.

[Buckskin86]

September 5, 2008
Buckeyes Diary: One Man Down
By The New York Times

Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis won the Butkus award last season and the Nagurski award the season before that. A two-time All-American, Laurinaitis was projected as a first-round pick in April?s N.F.L. draft, but elected to remain at Ohio State for his senior season. He?s been checking in with The Quad?s Thayer Evans from time to time to talk about the season. In this installment, he discusses his daily schedule, Terrelle Pryor?s potential and why he prayed as soon as he saw Chris Wells get injured.

The toughest game is always the first game, but I thought we played really well in our season-opening victory against Youngstown State. You never know what to expect from the other offense in the first game. You can watch all the film you want from last year, but you know they?ve got new personnel, new schemes and new things they?re going to put in.

It really comes down to kind of going out there and playing on principles. For our defense to play the way it did was exciting. Obviously, we looked at the film and there?s always room to get better, but I like how we started off. We need to make sure we?re building on that.

It was a little bit scary when our running back Chris Wells went down with his right foot injury. The first thing I did was pray, which is what I do any time one of my teammates or opponents goes down. For a guy like Chris to go down is really worrisome because he?s a tough kid. If he can?t get up and walk off the field, there?s a real problem. Anytime someone fumbles untouched like that, you know it?s not good and that something went really wrong.

He?s the type of player that if there was any way he could play this weekend, he would, because he?s tough mentally. He?s been working hard in the rehab room. It?s pretty cool to see him coming back strong and taking that kind of approach. I?ll be interested to see what happens from there. It?s good to know that he should be O.K. and that everything looks good for him. I?m excited to see what kind of progress he makes.

Chris is obviously a huge part of this team, but if he doesn?t play this Saturday against Ohio, it?ll be exciting to see what the other guys can do. We have Maurice Wells, who is a very polished guy that has done his job well. We can see what Daniel Herron and Brandon Saine can do.

Since we don’t start school until Sept. 24, it’s good to have football all day. That’s a big advantage for us. You appreciate being on the quarter system right now because most other teams are already balancing class with football. Until classes start, I basically start my day at 9 a.m. with a 30- to 45-minute workout. After that, I get in the cool tub for about 10 minutes. Then, I usually watch film from 10 a.m. to about 11:20 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. After lunch, I watch film from noon to 1 p.m. and then get in the hot tub for about 10 minutes. Afterwards, I get taped up and get my pads ready for practice. It’s then more film until 2 p.m., when we have meetings. Practice usually starts around 3:30 p.m. and we’re often at dinner by 6:30 p.m. But before dinner, I watch post-practice film, do another workout, and get in the cold tub. Following dinner, I watch a little more film and then head home.

Buckeyes Diary: One Man Down - The Quad - Sports - New York Times Blog