2008 tOSU WR discussion (official thread)

[Buckeyecty4]

Originally Posted by bukIpower

I think they're very much related? anyone else care to chime in on this one... I for one think they're very much related. In high school for instance our recievers ran the same run blocking/beating press coverage in the same drill. Look at Gamble, Look at Teddy Ginn or hell you could look at the WR from the patriots Brown who had to play DB as well. They can go either way. We're a poor press coverage wideout group for some reason no getting around that, but with the physical Stoneburner/Posey coming in that should get much better. Also I agree with what is being said about Robo to an extent.

IMO, I would myself take Manningham, D.Thomas, Benn, and possibly Arrington over Robo. However, lets not forget that Boeckman like stated couldn't find Robo to save his life late in the year...

How many times did we hear an announcer say "Boy, had boeckman looked left he had a streaking wide open...." I think if Boeckman played close to his abilities in the last 4 games Robo ends the season with some pretty eye popping numbers for a 1st year starter (I don't consider being the #3 option in 06 a starter).

Next year we have a lot to be excited about but IMO we are not going to strike the fear of god into opposing teams... The only reason next years group is going to put up good number (and they will, because I think so) is because the running game to be honest is going to be SICK!

Call me crazy but I'm just not crazy about Hartline as our #2 option... I would like hartline like the Colts used Gonzo this year. The in the slot guy who makes the catches on 3rd down, and thats really it. I like Robo as the go to guy, because he can get deep and he catches well in traffic. However, give me Robo/Posey/Hartline/Washington as my order any day of the week over Robo/hartline/Small/Sanzo. I really liked washingtons size and speed combo and I would like to see more of him.

Does anyone else think that our #1/#2 options are kind of too similiar?? I mean they're both tall, above average speed, play well as possesion guys... We need to be more diverse at reciever. Have a guy who can slash and juke, have a guy who can go deep over the middle, have a guy who's big and powerful. Thats why the 06 group to me was so talented... Sure, Troy Smith was great but he was only great because he also had a plethora of talent to throw to. You had ginn with the burners, you had the abilities of Gonzo underneath weaving in and out of people, and then you had Roy hall who was a bull of a reciever. Look at the patriots too.... Deep threat in Moss, underneath guy in Welker, and a intermediate guy in the guy from tennessee (name slips me but I wanna say stallewell)


GO BUCKS!

Yes Hartline and Robo are pretty similar.. In an ideal world i think we'd have Robo as a #2 and Hartline at the #3, slot role... But that's not gonna happen..

I think we are still 2 yrs away until we have the dynamic attack you are talking about... Posey, Stoneburner, and Thomas are all dynamic guys.. Posey is an all around star WR in making.. Stoney is the freak, who can move well for a big man, and can go up in traffic and snag balls.. And Thomas hopefully is the burner, in the Ginn mode..

I just dont expect a ton from them this year.. it's hard for true freshman WR to make big impacts...

We really need Ray Small to figure things out and the three kids from the 07 class to rise up.. Taurian Washington was supposedly one of the best deep route runners around coming out of HS.. And Torrence, i hope he can step up.. i was very high on him, but something tells me he's gonna have a tough time seeing the field.. whether it's the baseball thing being in the way, or not being polished at WR, i just have a bad feeling that Torrence isnt gonna get in the mix..

[utgrad73]

Originally Posted by Buckeyecty4

Yes Hartline and Robo are pretty similar.. In an ideal world i think we'd have Robo as a #2 and Hartline at the #3, slot role... But that's not gonna happen..

I think we are still 2 yrs away until we have the dynamic attack you are talking about... Posey, Stoneburner, and Thomas are all dynamic guys.. Posey is an all around star WR in making.. Stoney is the freak, who can move well for a big man, and can go up in traffic and snag balls.. And Thomas hopefully is the burner, in the Ginn mode..

I just dont expect a ton from them this year.. it's hard for true freshman WR to make big impacts...

We really need Ray Small to figure things out and the three kids from the 07 class to rise up.. Taurian Washington was supposedly one of the best deep route runners around coming out of HS.. And Torrence, i hope he can step up.. i was very high on him, but something tells me he's gonna have a tough time seeing the field.. whether it's the baseball thing being in the way, or not being polished at WR, i just have a bad feeling that Torrence isnt gonna get in the mix..

This is where I get on my Sanzo soapbox, cty4>

Another name that you missed (but implied) in this last paragraph was Dane Sanzenbacher (one of the three kids from the '07 class). He is a polished WR and has already made it one the field in '07. JT and Coach Hazell saw something in him last year as he stepped in for Ray Small and a season of PT makes a lot of difference. He will be back competing for a spot because he is a gamer with great field awareness that shouldn't get overlooked. He possesses one of those football intangibles that makes the difference between a good WR and a great one.

When you combine Ray, and the two Brians with TWash and Zoom (we have seen his speed and pass catching ability) and the three from the '08 class, I'd say the future looks pretty bright.

This is one of the best WR cores I've seen at tOSU in a long time. We have more depth at WR for the next 3 to 4 years as well as RBs who can catch the football. But, then there's the QB. They'll need to sort out if Henton or TB at QB can make the passing game work. I'm not just talking about throwing deep balls all day, but rather a more balanced passing game using the slot receivers and TE's as much as thowing it deep to Brian and Brian. They can get it done but having a mobile QB in the mix would make it that much more interesting. I like TB as our QB for the experience factor. I would like to see TP join the team and have him and Henton on the field too.

[Taosman]

I'm really not so sure Sanzo was the answer last year. And.
Where did he go? He was skinny. Smart kid, though. and he did make some plays. The year in the weight room and coaching will have benefited him tremendously. Competition should be better, also.

[Best Buckeye]

Originally Posted by Taosman

I'm really not so sure Sanzo was the answer last year. And.
Where did he go? He was skinny. Smart kid, though. and he did make some plays. The year in the weight room and coaching will have benefited him tremendously. Competition should be better, also.

I think he just kind of hit the freshman wall and just needs conditioning as you say. I still firmly believe he will be a good one for us.

[MililaniBuckeye]

Who as Michigan's "play-maker WR" the last few years? Mario Manningham. Was he a "burner"? Based on today's combine numbers in the 40 (4.62 and 4.59...check his thread), not hardly. Still, Mannigham could get open on just about anyone with his moves and route running despite his lack of Teddy Ginn speed. You don't have to be the fastest player on the field to be the most dangerous pllayer on the field.

[Buckeye86]

Originally Posted by MililaniBuckeye

Who as Michigan's "play-maker WR" the last few years? Mario Manningham. Was he a "burner"? Based on today's combine numbers in the 40 (4.62 and 4.59...check his thread), not hardly. Still, Mannigham could get open on just about anyone with his moves and route running despite his lack of Teddy Ginn speed. You don't have to be the fastest player on the field to be the most dangerous pllayer on the field.

Jerry Rice would be another example of a receiver, arguably the best ever, who didn't have game breaking speed but still dominated.