D line

[LouisHMartinez]

He looks like 5th or later. You want to bet $50 or what ?

I'm not here to flame any Buckeyes. I'm just saying I don't think there's as much talent at the position as many think.

[SanClementeBuck]

And, as with many of your other recent anti-Buck player posts, you are wrong. No way you are other than a flamer...a myopic one at that.

[LouisHMartinez]

But he will first become OSU's all time sack leader, earn first team league honors, be honored first team all American on EVERY list, win the Hendricks, Lombardi, and Outland awards too. He may up being the first defensive linemen taken with the #1 pick since Dan Wilkinson too.

Is that better now ?

[BuckeyeInTheBoro]

Ahhh "Big Daddy"... He ruined it for a generation of future DL... couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

[BrutusBobcat]

Really the greatest asset of this year's DL is depth. Whether or not you have a Big Daddy, or an all B10 pick is less relevant than being able to keep the line fresh for 60 minutes. When you get down to guys like Green, Frost, Maupin, Cotton, Abdullah, and Gholston possibly getting solid minutes in, things look pretty good. There could be 11 guys getting time in. Add that to the depth at LB and there is lots of reason for high expectations.

[Oh8ch]

There are too many talented players on the DL for someone not to step up (we have 5 DL who were rated in the top 10 at their position coming out of HS). Despite the rotation we did have an experienced and talented starting DL last year and the rest of the crowd had limited reps. Nobody really had an opportunity to show what they were capable of. Fraser was dinged after the first game. Patterson showed moments of absolute brilliance as a true - and inexperienced - frosh. One or two of a 10-12 man group are likely to disappoint - but two or three others are going to put on a show.

Our secondary is dramatically improved.

We have the number one rated CB from each of the past two classes, 5 DBs rated in the top 10 at their positions, and three more rated in the top 20. THAT is depth. And I for one am buying into the story that EJ was pushing Gamble before the thumb. A strong secondary will give the DL more time to do their thang. And I don't think the LBs will hurt us too much.

I can't recall any OSU D with this much depth. You could field a team of all 2's that could represent in the Big Ten. Our only problem is inexperience and we may be overestimating that.

I am pumped.

[BIATCHabutuka]

excellent point on how our two's could compete in the big ten against other schools starters.


i wonder if this were to be a reality where our two's would rank against the other school's ones.

surely both our ones and michigan's ones would beat our twos, but then it gets interesting.

i am willing to give iowa, purdue, and wisconsin the benefit of the doubt here.

i do think that our twos could beat teams like penn state, minnesota, and michigan state and they would most definitely beat scrub squads like northwestern (who still haven't beat us since i was a fetus in 1971), indiana, and illinois.

so i guess that i would peg our number twos as being the 6th best team in the fantasy land big ten (with now 12 teams counting the OSU B squad).

[Buckeye737]

BIATCH - I agree with you on the #2 DL assessment. I would also give the nod to Purdue, Wisky, and Iowa, since they usually are fairly strong.

[ashlandbuck]

I have to at least partially agree with Martinez.... If Simon goes on day one, he'll barely make it. I'd predict an early day two draft.

[themongoose32]

According to Madden 2003 Simon will be drafted in the second round by the Chicago bears. Hopefully he will have fun playing with Krenzel.



The Mongoose

[SanClementeBuck]

Interesting comments about the future. Wish I could be so certain about predicting where players will be drafted in a year. My, my, why don't we suggest to Simon and some of our other budding all-stars that they skip the 2004 season since their evolving talents, maturity and skills are obviously frozen in the 2003 season.