Bigger and Fast, Very, Very Fast, Amos Anxious for Fall Camp By John Porentas
Taking a redshirt year can be a tough thing. For the most part, incoming freshman football players at Ohio State were the stars of their teams. They are used to playing and used to being in the spotlight. The reality-jolt that suddenly arrives when they discover that they are not good enough to play at OSU yet sometimes leaves players disappointed and to some extent bitter, no matter what they say a year later.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=100 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD>Andre Amos
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We didn't get that impression from OSU redshirt freshman defensive back Andre Amos. Amos admitted that playing was something he wanted to do last year, but seemed unusually mature regarding the decision to redshirt him last season.
"I felt a part of the team because I go out there and I work as hard as the guys who start. Really after I redshirted I just worked hard on readying the guys that I was going against. I figured if I was going to sit out a year I may as well get the best out of it and better my teammates as well, give it all that I can, 100 per cent every time I go out there," Amos said.
Amos came to the Buckeyes as a highly touted wide receiver, but has now moved to the defensive side of the ball where he is working as a cornerback. The last time we saw Amos was in the North-South All Star game where he was inserted as a defensive back in the second half. Amos was called upon to slow down current Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham in the second half after Manningham dominated in the first half. Manningham did not have a catch in the second half. Despite that success, Amos was redshirted in 2005, but sees the silver lining in that process.
"Coming in everybody wants to play right away, but there was a lot of great talent in front of me," said Amos.
"I took the redshirt freshman year as a chance to better my game. I learned a lot from Ashton (Youboty) and Tyler Everett, the older guys, who have now gone on to the next level. They really showed the younger guys, the class that I came in with, a lot."
Amos used the year to hone his defensive skills after being known primarily as an offensive player.
"When I came in I really didn't know much technique. In high school it's just really line up across from the guy and cover him because you're better than him. Now, everyone is of equal or better talent out here, especially in the Big Ten, there's a lot of really talented teams, so I just took it in. The coaches did a really good job and the coaching staff is great," said Amos.
Amos also used his redshirt year to improve himself physically. He is much bigger and is fast, very, very fast.
"I put on 20 pounds. I weigh about 182," said Amos.
Putting on 20 pounds is good, but what stands out is that Amos was only about 162 when he arrived at OSU, which probably explains why the OSU coaching staff elected to redshirt him last year. Amos is still an exceptionally lean athlete that looks like he could fill out even more with more time in the weight room and in the OSU nutrition program. The really good news is that despite the increase in size Amos remains fast, very, very fast.
"I ran 4.31 in in the 40. I was fast in high school, but the kind of explosive workouts that we do here has really improved my speed, technique, everything," said Amos.
Amos said he felt as though he had gotten faster as a result of his work over his redshirt year and over the summer, but was a loss to estimate just how much faster.
"That was really the first time I ever ran a 40," he said.
Amos has spent a whole year trying to improve himself and his teammates and now feels like he is ready to make a challenge for playing time in the OSU defensive backfield.
"I really think I've improved a lot," he said.
"It's really going to be a battle for the corner spot because we're all working hard and we've had great springs, a great winter, everything is just really going good. We're ready to compete. The corners are going to be real good this year.
"I really think the team is in really great shape. We're only getting a couple of days off over the summer and on those days some of the guys are coming in and getting extra workouts in. I feel that is going to help us get to that next level, that national championship step."
The Buckeyes concluded summer conditioning last week and are off this week. The next step for Amos is fall camp, a step he is looking forward to making.
"I think I'll be in the mix. It's very competitive out there and I just can't wait for camp," he said.
"Camp is not really made for fun. It's more like a focus point where we hit all the little spots we're going to have to be real sharp on when the season comes.
"That's really where you determine who is going to be the starters to carry this team to where it needs to be. It's an opportunity to show your teammates that they can count on you and earn the trust of your coaches."
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04-03-2006, 08:41 AM
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