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07-29-2006, 03:42 PM
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Personally, I feel we should have a better year off the edge this year. Look for Gholston to garner alot of PT this year. Looking at his body and his play at the Spring Game, he has excellent work ethic off the field at is worthy of an on the field try out. PS. Excellent writeup!          
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08-01-2006, 01:37 AM
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08-25-2006, 05:07 AM
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the Defense...
i wan't to know where our d, is at... malcom jinkins...jamairo oneal....marcus freeman. those are going to be the big young players in the defence backfield and at linebacker....i live in califorina right now and don't get the coverage,,,, let me know where we stand on d...go bucks
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08-25-2006, 09:27 AM
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Check out this thread
CFN's Defensive Unit Rankings it has the national rankings for Defense as well as some good discussion. this one is exellent as well 2006 Ohio State Outlook: Defense
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08-30-2006, 06:24 AM
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DDN
QB Smith likes new OSU defense, but time will tell Tressel isn't sure how the inexperienced unit will respond By Doug Harris Staff Writer Wednesday, August 30, 2006 COLUMBUS — Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith professes to have no worries about the team's defense, although it's gone through an extreme makeover since the last time the game jerseys were unboxed. No A.J. Hawk, Donte Whitner or Bobby Carpenter — all taken within the first 18 picks of the NFL draft — and nine new starters in all. But while even coach Jim Tressel admits he's not sure how the newbies will fare Saturday in the opener against Northern Illinois, Smith is convinced of one thing after three weeks of preseason camp: He's tired of tangling with them. "They give us fits and troubles every day in practice, so I know what kind of defense they can be," he said. "They're going to be fast. They're going to come after you. We've got some defensive backs ... with a nose for the ball. And (defensive tackles) Quinn Pitcock and Dave Patterson are probably two of the best interior linemen I've ever played against." The Buckeyes had the stingiest defense in the Big Ten last season, allowing just 15.2 points per game. But they went through a similar overhaul after waving good-bye to a menacing 2003 bunch, and the 2004 squad needed more than half a year to find its footing. "Do they have similar athletic abilities (as last year's defense)? I think the answer to that is yes," Tressel said. "The original assessment of height, weight and speed, I think we're fine. Now, we'll find out football-wise (if they're just as good). And that's what the season's for."
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08-30-2006, 06:24 AM
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ABJ
It's time for young Buckeyes to shine Veterans laud talents of unproven OSU defenders By Marla Ridenour Beacon Journal sportswriter COLUMBUS - It's not unusual for Ohio State players to be highly touted before getting the chance to be highly productive. Upperclassmen raved about how quarterback Troy Smith threw the ball, were amazed by the swagger receiver Santonio Holmes had from the minute he arrived and wondered why a receiver as athletic as Roy Hall never played. That's the kind of buzz surrounding the unproven Buckeye defense going into Saturday's season opener against Northern Illinois. OSU lost nine starters from a unit that finished No. 1 in the nation against the run. Six of the nine were drafted into the NFL, three in the top 18 picks. Among the linebackers and defensive backs listed first on this week's depth chart, only three of the seven -- James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins and Brandon Mitchell -- have started a game for Ohio State. That doesn't bother senior defensive tackle David Patterson. Patterson, a Warrensville Heights product, is eager to see those stepping in for the likes of A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter. ``I've watched a guy like Marcus Freeman who has been making plays in practice for years,'' Patterson said of the new starting strong-side linebacker. ``I've seen these guys do major things in practice. I can't wait to see them do it in a game. I really can't wait for you guys to see what they can do. ``It's like you have a little brother or cousin and you know he's good at football and you play with him in the backyard. No one else gets to see him but you. Then finally they play a game and their talents are on display for everyone.'' Smith, now a Heisman Trophy candidate, is confident the replacements will be fine. ``They give us fits and troubles every day in practice,'' Smith said. ``They're going to be fast. They're going to come after you. We've got some defensive backs who are going to make some plays on some balls, not to say we didn't have any in the past. We've got guys with a nose for the ball.'' Say what you will about the talented 2005 defense, but it had just six interceptions and six fumble recoveries in 12 games. The Buckeyes committed 21 turnovers. Patterson said defensive end Vernon Gholston, redshirted last year with a hand injury, has made great strides. All-American candidate Quinn Pitcock, a fifth-year senior defensive tackle, said strong safety Mitchell has stepped up as a leader in the secondary after contributing mainly as a nickel back last season. The defense gets an immediate test because Northern Illinois boasts the nation's leading returning rusher in senior tailback Garrett Wolfe. The 5-foot-7, 177-pounder has totaled 3,286 yards the past two seasons. ``I know our defensive coaches and I have a lot of confidence in this defense,'' OSU coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday. ``I also know we have some great challenges, Garrett Wolfe and these guys coming in. Look down the road at the rest of the people we play. They better grow.'' Tressel said the starting lineup probably will be in flux until the Sept. 23 Big Ten opener against Penn State. Ohio State also faces No. 3 Texas and Cincinnati before then. ``Maybe at the start of the Big Ten schedule you'll really see what our depth chart is,'' Tressel said. ``I don't know that there will be great changes. I'm saying I think we'll know.'' Pitcock said the front four needs to carry the young defense early in the season. He and Patterson are the two returning starters and team captains along with Smith and center Doug Datish. ``We feel like it is our responsibility,'' Pitcock said of the defensive line. ``If we can make a play quick and give them time, not have to worry as much and get used to game speed.... It should always be on us at all times.'' Smith thinks that will happen naturally. ``Our front four, I can't say enough about them,'' Smith said. ``David Patterson and Quinn Pitcock are probably two of the best interior guys I've ever played against. They're going to give teams fits.'' Tressel believes the defense has the talent to replace the standouts it lost. ``The assessment is two or threefold,'' he said. ``Do they have similar athletic abilities? I think the answer to that is yes. The next assessment is all about playing football, and playing football over time. The thing about A.J. Hawk, Nate Salley, (and) Donte Whitner is they were always there. I remember when Donte Whitner had knee surgery and was back in eight days. ``The original assessment of height, weight, speed, I think we're fine. Now we'll find out footballwise and that's what the season's for.'' Patterson doesn't sound the least bit worried. ``It's kind of a fun thing,'' he said. ``I can remember yesterday, everybody's like, `Let's get ready fellas, it's game week.' I remember walking up to Marcus Freeman in the locker room like, `It's showtime, baby. Let's show everybody you can play with the best of them.' ''
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08-30-2006, 06:37 AM
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Dispatch
OHIO STATE FOOTBALL Starters on defense still hard to identify Early games apt to be shakedown cruise Wednesday, August 30, 2006 Ken Gordon THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH  Three weeks of preseason camp left the Ohio State defensive picture as clear as mud. The same questions surround the Buckeyes now as they did entering camp: How well can OSU replace nine starters? And who is going to step up and seize starting roles? This doesn’t necessarily mean the Buckeyes will struggle on defense; it means they’re still struggling to figure out who should play. At the first game-week news conference of the season, coach Jim Tressel rendered the defensive depth chart irrelevant. "We’re going to play a number of players," he said of Saturday’s season opener against Northern Illinois. "I think that’s what you do early in the year for a lot of reasons, one of which I think is a lot of guys deserve to play. "When you look at our depth chart, maybe at the start of the Big Ten schedule, you’ll really see what our depth chart is. I don’t know that there will be great changes, I’m not saying that, I’m saying I think we’ll know." In other words, Tressel hopes the reason for an unsettled two-deep is because the Buckeyes are too deep. Even the defensive players themselves aren’t sure who is starting at certain positions. "I’ve been asking a lot, even in the back end (secondary), ‘Who’s playing?’ " defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock said. "No one knows. Everybody is kind of rotating in and out, no one is really sure." Fittingly, the only defensive back Pitcock singled out as having caught his eye — freshman Kurt Coleman — is not listed as first- or second-team. But as Tressel said, check back in three weeks before the Big Ten opener against Penn State. The competitions that were kindled in the spring and raged the past three weeks are still burning bright. "Jobs are still up for grabs," linebacker John Kerr said. "I believe the fighting is going to go on for a long time; it’s far from over. This is a big game for a lot of guys to see who performs, who’s going to be reliable." Some spots are more set than others. It’s clear that Pitcock and David Patterson are the tackles. The starting linebacking trio of Kerr, James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman is pretty solid for now, and Malcolm Jenkins has one corner spot tightly locked down. But there are some linebackers pushing hard, such as Tyler Moeller, Ross Homan and Larry Grant. Four players are solidly competing for the two defensive end spots: Jay Richardson, Alex Barrow, Vernon Gholston and Lawrence Wilson. And the secondary other than Jenkins is the defense’s version of the Wild West. "It’s wide open right now," Jenkins said. "Everybody has done a great job competing. It’s making it hard for coaches to choose one person. As long as everybody keeps competing and playing well, there will be a rotation for at least two or three games." That rotation might look like musical chairs Saturday. The music might not stop until the end of September. "I think you may see a little more substitution when it comes to the back seven, and I think for two reasons," Tressel said. "One, to find out for sure who should be ahead of whom. And secondly, we think we have a decent number of guys that are capable, and we’ll see how they do when they get their opportunities." kgordon@dispatch.com Dispatch COMMENTARY Tressel left guessing just like rest of us Wednesday, August 30, 2006 BOB HUNTER  SHARI LEWIS DISPATCH Ohio State coach Jim Tressel answers questions from members of the news media during a luncheon at the Jack Nicklaus Museum.  Before Jim Tressel’s first weekly news conference of the season began, Ohio State spokesman Steve Snapp announced that the "experts" — his description of two OSU assistant coaches — would be available to reporters instead of the coach after practice today. A smiling Tressel made a joke out of it as soon as he got behind the microphone. "It’s good to know that I’m not one of the experts ... " he said. Tressel is Ohio State football expert No. 1, of course, which is only one reason that exchange seemed so ironic. For all of the questions Tressel fielded from reporters yesterday, the ones in the minds of most people are the questions that even he can’t answer. He can tell you what he thinks of Northern Illinois running back Garrett Wolfe, who despite his small stature sounds like a cross between Jim Thorpe and Jim Brown; explain why he admires NIU coach Joe Novak, who sounds a lot like Vince Lombardi; and tell you enough about the Huskies — a "fighting, tough, nasty bunch" — to make you wonder whether it’s a good idea to allow your wife and kids to get within 500 feet of these monsters in the stadium. Closer to home, Tressel can describe how Ohio State’s inexperienced defensive players "have similar athletic abilities" to the previous ones, relay how much confidence he has in his new kickers, say that freshman running back Chris Wells "looks even quicker" than he did in the spring and conclude that senior quarterback Troy Smith will do "a significant amount" of checking off at the line of scrimmage this season. What Tressel can’t tell the media or anybody else is whether the No. 1 Buckeyes are going to be as good as poll voters, or even he and his coaches, think they are. No matter how much confidence he has in his young defense, he doesn’t know for sure whether it will let him down this Saturday or next week against Texas. He knows his players are big and strong and fast; that, unfortunately, does not definitively answer the question. Only games can do that. "I think the next assessment is all about playing football, and playing football over time," he said. "And the thing about, Nate Salley, the thing about Donte Whitner is they were always there. I remember the time when Donte Whitner had a knee surgery and was back in eight days. He was just always there for you. I think the original assessment of height, weight, speed, I think we’re fine, now we’ll find out footballwise and that’s what the season’s for." But news conferences are for questions, and before the season opener, there are always a lot of them. While experience tells us that Tressel would probably encrypt his response in a smooth, indecipherable lather even if he knew exactly what was going to happen, it’s clear that this is not a coverup. When the season isn’t even one down old, even the coach is dealing in supposition. He would like to know what’s going to happen even more than the rest of us. So it is that a reporter asks whether these kickers are more mature than they were a year ago, and Tressel quite honestly says he doesn’t know. "I don’t know that you know until you get out there and the other jerseys are rushing you and the crowd is full," he said. What this says is that if he doesn’t know, the expert leaning on the fence in your back yard, the expert on the bar stool next to you and the expert at the office water cooler are mostly talking for their own amusement. There are lots of people who think they have all the answers before the season begins. The more certain they are of their "knowledge" of what lies ahead, the dumber they probably are. Tressel isn’t even sure what to think of that experienced, explosive offense he has. "I don’t think we know for sure who we are right now," he said. A real expert knows that finding out might take a while. Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch . bhunter@dispatch.com
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08-30-2006, 06:46 AM
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Buckeyes ready to walk the walk OSU wants to see how talk plays out; depth chart a work in progress By JON SPENCER For The Advocate ADVERTISEMENT  Season openers at No. 1 Ohio State is 6-0 in season openers when it is the nation's top-ranked team. Following are the results: Year Opponent Score 1942 Purdue 26-0 1958 No. 20 SMU 23-20 1969 TCU 62-0 1970 Texas A&M 56-13 1980 Syracuse 31-21 1998 No. 11 West Virginia 34-17  What's online? For complete Ohio State coverage throughout the season, log on to www.NewarkAdvocate.com and www.BuckeyeBuzz.com. Share your thoughts on writer Jon Spencer's blog. COLUMBUS -- Ohio State captain David Patterson has seen enough film of season-opening opponent Northern Illinois to have a pretty good idea what to expect from the Huskies on Saturday. If only he could say the same about the guys in his huddle. "Sometimes it's weird," said Patterson, who with fellow tackle and captain Quinn Pitcock represent the only starters back on defense for the defending Big Ten co-champions. "I was close with guys like Ashton (Youboty) and Marcus (Green), and now they're gone.  ADVERTISEMENT OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1'); "The young guys are all really good players, so I'm looking forward to see them play. Everyone is going to make mistakes, but if you're being aggressive, you can overcome those mistakes. It should help that we all get all along well." Bonding with your teammates at meal time or in the weight room isn't the same, however, as meshing on the field. That's why coach Jim Tressel didn't spell out his defensive lineup in permanent marker Tuesday during his first media luncheon of the season."I think what (the two-deep) says is you really don't know until you play games ... and we're going to play a number of players," Tressel said. "Typically, in the beginning of the year, the games are warmer and our rotation is healthy, so we're going to play a lot of guys in the game. "Maybe by the start of the Big Ten schedule, you'll really see what our depth chart is." For the most part, the Buckeyes who opened camp as projected starters kept those jobs. One of the few surprises was at strong safety, where senior Brandon Mitchell moved ahead of highly-touted sophomore Jamario O'Neal. Only Mitchell and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins have any starting experience in the secondary. Senior Antonio Smith, a former walk-on, will start opposite Jenkins at the other corner. The secondary will be under the gun immediately because Northern Illinois is effective at using play-action to keep defenses from stacking the line against 5-foot-7 tailback Garrett Wolfe. The senior dynamo ran for 1,580 yards last season -- including 393 in losses to Michigan and Northwestern -- and ranks as the nation's top returning rusher. Wolfe's presence made life easier for quarterback Phil Horvath and vice versa. Last year as a junior, Horvath led the nation with a completion percentage of 70.6. "If all a sudden the ball is coming out of there (in play-action) and somebody's running by you (in the secondary), if you haven't experienced that feeling of 'Oh my gosh,' then you're going to have to see it," Tressel said. "This is going to be a great opener because they give you all the different pressures you could possibly have, and they are a fighting, tough, nasty bunch. I think our young guys in the back need to see and feel that." The Buckeyes also are starting over at linebacker, where fifth-year senior John Kerr and sophomores James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman take over for the decorated crew of A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel. One of the biggest stories of the preseason was the decision to move the 6-3, 244-pound Laurinaitis from the outside into the middle, bumping Kerr to the flank. "He's a little ahead of his time," co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell said of Laurinaitis. "But he played in two big games last year (subbing for Carpenter at Michigan and starting the Fiesta Bowl) and got some good experience. "He gives us size and toughness and the ability, like Schlegel, to set everything for us, get adjustments down and control the huddle. He's got a real presence." Backup tailback Chris Wells, of Akron Garfield, and backup flanker Ray Small, of Cleveland Glenville, are the two true freshmen to crack the two-deep. Wells and starter Antonio Pittman could give the Buckeyes one of the better 1-2 backfield punches in the country. "I think (Wells) had an excellent spring and a very, very good camp," Tressel said. "He's really hungry to learn what we're doing. Just watching him (Monday), he looked even quicker than I've seen him ... and I think he's looked awfully quick." Aaron Pettrey, a redshirt freshman from Kentucky, has been named the starting kicker over spring frontrunner Ryan Pretorius, a 27-year-old sophomore from South Africa. But that's not necessarily a permanent designation. "I don't know that you know how they're going to do until you get out there and the other jerseys are rushing at you and the (stadium) is full," Tressel said. "I have a lot of confidence in those guys. "Aaron gets the first shot out of the gate, but it's a long season. Consistency over time is what it's all about."
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08-30-2006, 06:52 AM
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New-name D JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer 08/30/2006  Email to a friend Post a Comment Printer-friendly  Cornerback Malcom Jenkins will be depended on even more this year. COLUMBUS -- From the end of spring practice to the beginning of fall camp, something changed within Ohio State's defense. At least to receiver Anthony Gonzalez. After the Scarlet and Gray game, Gonzalez was still seeing an inexperienced defense that hadn't learned how to play fast. By the start of fall camp and into this week's preparation for Northern Illinois, Gonzalez sees a defense that has caught up to the offense. ''There were a few practices in a row for about a week straight where the defense got the best of us,'' Gonzalez said. ''They came into (fall) camp, I remember thinking to myself Ôwere they practicing when no one else was around?' ''They got so much faster and better overall from the end of spring to the beginning of fall camp. A lot of it I give credit to the strength staff as well as the guys just getting in and learning their assignments and getting them down cold. If you don't know your assignments, you can't play as fast as you want. I feel like they know their assignments now.'' Given that the season is just days away, they better. The top-ranked Buckeyes face Northern Illinois and tailback Garrett Wolfe on Saturday. Wolfe was second in the nation last year with 1,580 yards rushing. And just to be clear, he didn't do it against any weaklings. Wolfe ran for 148 yards on 15 carries against Michigan in last year's opener, then followed it up with 245 yards and three touchdowns against Northwestern. Ohio State's rebuilt defense will have, in theory, nine new starters. But it could actually be more than that. This isn't like the last two years, when A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel took nearly every snap at linebacker for the Buckeyes. Coach Jim Tressel assured yesterday that a lot of different players will get a look defensively. ''I think you may see a little more substitution when it comes to the back seven for two reasons,'' Tressel said. ''To find out for sure who should be ahead of whom, and secondly, we think we have a decent number of guys who are capable. We'll see how they do when they get their opportunities.'' As expected, sophomore James Laurinaitis is the new middle linebacker, flipping positions with John Kerr. Laurinaitis played in the middle all through high school, so the move back to the middle isn't much of a big deal for him. In fact, by the end of spring practice, he was half-expecting a change. ''They kept telling all of us to make sure you knew all three positions,'' Laurinaitis said. ''So we kind of figured something was coming.'' At 6-foot-3 and 244 pounds, Laurinaitis is a little bigger than Kerr (6-1, 230). But Kerr led Indiana in tackles as a true freshman as a middle linebacker four years ago. Marcus Freeman starts on the other side, but those will hardly be the only linebackers to play Saturday. Junior Curtis Terry, junior college transfer Larry Grant, redshirt freshman Tyler Moeller and true freshman Ross Homan will likely see time there as well. In the secondary, fifth-year senior Antonio Smith, a former walk-on with five minutes of experience at corner, staved off redshirt freshman Donald Washington, who had made a strong push for the starting job. True freshman Anderson Russell, a relative unknown when the recruiting class was announced, has worked his way into becoming the nickel back. Most everyone on the team, coaches and players alike, are confident the talent is there to eventually be a good defense. But no one can say with any certainty how long the growing process will take. ''The old cliche that there's no substitute for experience is absolutely true,'' Gonzalez said. ''Things just happen a little quicker on Saturdays, things get a little crisper and teams are a little better than you thought they were. If you've got guys that have been there before and understand that, it certainly helps. There are also guys who just show up and can play no matter what and accelerate the learning curve. My hope is our defense has a lot of those guys.'' Despite what the depth chart looks like now, Tressel warned not to pay too close of attention to it. There could be a number of changes between now and the start of the Big Ten season. ''We're going to play a lot of guys,'' Tressel said. ''I think when you look at our depth chart at the start of our Big Ten schedule, you'll really see what our depth chart is. I don't know that there will be great changes, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that I think we'll know.''
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08-31-2006, 06:41 PM
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OZone
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09-01-2006, 06:21 AM
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CPD
Bucks' DBs worry when fakes are real NIU's offense tests inexperienced defense Friday, September 01, 2006Doug Lesmerises Plain Dealer Reporter Columbus- Ohio State's defensive backs read offensive linemen to identify a pass or a run, then read the drop of the quarterback as he moves away from center. At the same time, the corners in man-to-man coverage must have their eyes trained on the receivers in front of them. Meanwhile, they may be hearing echoes of the words drummed into them during preseason camp, as remembered by senior strong safety Brandon Mitchell. "If you make a mistake in the secondary, it's a touchdown." Ohio State expects nine defensive backs will see time during Saturday's season opener against Northern Illinois. That includes four players (backup corners Andre Amos, Donald Washington and Kurt Coleman and safety Anderson Russell) who will be taking their first college snaps. Three others (starting corner Antonio Smith, starting free safety Nick Patterson and backup strong safety Jamario O'Neal) are special teamers who have played little or no defense. In Northern Illinois, they'll be facing a team known for its play-action passes, with a star running back in Garrett Wolfe. "When you have a running back like that," cornerback Malcolm Jenkins said, "every time you see the ball even close to being in his hands, you want to come up and make the tackle." Then the Huskies have a quarterback in Phil Horvath who completed 70 percent of his passes last season. It's sell the run, sell the run, sell the run, gotcha. "If you haven't experienced a hard run-action and all of a sudden the ball is coming up out of there and someone's running by you," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said, "if you haven't experienced that feeling of 'Oh, my gosh' before, then you're going to have to see it." Jenkins, starting at one corner, is a sophomore who played in 10 games last year and made three starts. Mitchell has played in 33 games as a Buckeye and made eight starts. Smith is a fifth-year senior and special teams veteran, who cornerbacks coach Tim Beckman said "has been as stable as any of them in camp, so he deserves to start." The rest of the experience is measured in minutes, not games. "With young players, it's like a roller coaster," Beckman said, "day one is good and day two is uh-oh." That's why the Buckeye coaches want to play them all Saturday, not in mass substitutions, but on a rotating basis. And in a change from last year, they've been teaching them as a unit. Before, Beckman took his corners while Paul Haynes worked with the safeties. With veterans, that worked. This season, the corners and safeties have had some of their meetings together and watch most of their game tape together. Now one group knows what the other is thinking and doing, maybe making it easier to cover each other's mistakes. "We're all learning at the same pace," Mitchell said. It wasn't always a quick pace. "We started out a little shaky," Jenkins said of the first days of preseason camp, "but the last couple weeks we pulled together." It's not a surprise that Mitchell and Smith, the seniors, are starting now. It won't be a surprise if that changes during the season, with perhaps true freshman Coleman moving into the starting lineup. It won't be a surprise if someone gets caught peeking on Saturday on what looks like a run, and "uh-oh" kicks in. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dlesmerises@plaind.com, 216-999-4479
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09-01-2006, 09:54 AM
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Let the fittest emerge
Defense wins championships. OSU needs to quickly settle out the starters from the role players and build some continuity in the back 7. Hopefully some players will step up early through week 1 and then early in the game week 2 making the coaches’ job easy.
The process of obtaining and maintaining a starting job with a bunch of fresh open spots on D is a Darwinian process. We certainly have potential but it needs to emerge from the crucible of real game experience. Competition for spots is great during spring and fall practice. It keeps players focused on getting better, faster, and stronger. Once the season starts however, having your main players locked and loaded makes for the best game planning and situational calls. With experience and proven starters, the coaches know the strengths and weaknesses of the players, the players know the system, and the D is focused on executing the defensive game plan. My hope is when we look back on the opening 3 games of the season we look back and in hindsight say this is when a couple of stars emerged from the back 7.
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09-01-2006, 06:09 PM
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09-01-2006, 06:53 PM
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Defense
watch out for gholston!
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