2009 Linebacker Discussion

[matt_thatsme]

Seems like we are lacking the traditional size at LB, but the trade off is more speed. I hope that the D line steps up next year, I think the smaller LB corp would be benefited very much if the D line can take up blocks and keep linemen off the linebackers.

[bukIpower]

What's confusing to me is how well Moeller played in the games he started etc, but how it took injuries to get him on the field. I think the coaches absolutely have to find a spot for Moeller, but i'm not so sure thats going to be possible when we play the power teams.

Who would you rather have on the field Hines or Moeller? Because ultimately that's probably what the coaches are going to have to choose between.

Sabino-Spitler-Homan

With Hines as a saftey and Moeller as a nickle back... Hmmm talk about a big aggressive secondary.

[martinss01]

this is what i expect to see this year:

homan
spitler
sabino

whether or not homan plays W or M really is a secondary arguement imo which will be answered more by the other guy as i think he is capable of handling either. with the d line starting to come into their own i think homan is really going to have a break out year. don't think he is getting near the attention from the fans he should be.

spitler is another guy who i think is virtually a lock. physical, hard nosed, agressive, bad intentions. i personally would like him to be a tad bigger, but he seems to be the direction the coaching staff is going with lb's. he actually reminds me a little bit of wilhelm.

sabino is my pick to fill what i consider to be the only real vacant spot. he's going to have a lot of competition and while i really like rolle. i think he will have to wait another year to see the field. from what little i have seen of sabino i have really been impressed with him. just a gut feeling as a lot can happen in the coming months, but my vote is for sabino atm.

hines i think is going to stick at safety at some point. i think he will grow into a nate salley type that is more athletic and hits like mike doss. i have really high expectations for hines and imo its going to be all but impossible for the staff to keep him off the field.

for moeller... if the d keeps the same 3 - 3 look they have put together for spread teams moeller will be the de replacement in that configureation as he was towards the end of the year. he'll get extensive playing time throughout the year unless hines doesn't find a home elsewhere. if thats the case its going to be a heck of a battle between the 2. id give the edge to hines should that be the case, but i really like moeller and have to think he will see the field in some capacity.

[HorticullyBuck]

So it seems Homan is a lock considering previous starts and experience/age. If he stays healthy will he start for sure??

[Buckeye86]

Originally Posted by HorticullyBuck

So it seems Homan is a lock considering previous starts and experience/age. If he stays healthy will he start for sure??

nothing is for sure

as to the chances of him starting, you already answered that

[calibuck]

Next year will be veerrrrrry interesting. Only one person left (Homan) started, but several (many?) played. Did anyone distinguish themselves? I think so, (am sure others have their opinions), Hines, Moeller, Sabino, ? in limited roles. Great that they gained experience, because there will be relatively little experience at LB. And LB is the focus of the OSU defense. That the D-line funnels the runners to the LB's who clean up and make the tackle. Not sure enough about performance to say who will be the other starters, and at what position. Maybe Bell has the chops to start, maybe not. Certainly to get some experience. Spitler has had the misfortune to back up a 3 time All-American, and must be salivating to start, and based on experience and time with the program, he could very conceivably start. Not sure how the determination will be made, other than practice, and making plays in practice. And then of course in the first several games......my hunch is that it'll be by committee for awhile until everyone can settle in, and the starters will rise above the competition. We've been spoiled by our linebackers over the last several years (it seems like decades, with Carp, etc. up to JL). In any case, it won't be the strength of the D, but certainly won't be a weak sister.

[bukIpower]

Well obviously Homan starts. Another starter though IMO is Spitler. I think the motor on him and his PHYSICALITY is something that could really make that interior defense tough to stop. I always thought Spitler was a tad more physical than even Animal in the middle but just not the athletic ability JL had.

Homan though is very solid. I think it'll be interesting to see who the nickle LB's are though. Does anyone think this would work in nickle formation?


LB: Homan
LB: Moeller
NB: Hines

I think it would be extremely effective getting both our smaller but faster LB's on the field at the same time. If you had that formation with some zone blitzes and Moeller coming hard it would be Brutal.

The thought of Moeller, Hines, Williams, and Gibson on the field at the same time.....

[Flash TarHusky]

...they watch, live, and breath videos like this:

http://www.ourhonordefend.com/2009/0...atzenmoyer.php

Animal certainly saved our bacon many a time over the last few years. But in years past you could count on Doss, Katzenmoyer, etc., to punish people in a manner that we simply haven't seen since.

I would also like to see 70 point offensive explosions, a la Cooper, but that's another discussion for another thread...

[Onebuckfan]

The competetion should be outstanding, with no sure thing except maybe Homan, performance in practice will decide who starts. I'm sure last year our younger LB's were trying but had to know JL and MF were starting. This year everyone is equal and should make for a spirited spring and fall.

[hawaiianbuckeye]

I expect to see #38, #51 and #3 at LB. Spit, Homan and Bino.

[Redhawk]

Ohio State football: Questions at linebacker - Ohio State Buckeyes Football & Basketball Blog (OSU) - cleveland.com

Today it's the linebackers, a group losing two three-year starters.

Here are the players in the mix, what we think will happen and what questions need to be answered.
We'll be back around lunchtime with some thoughts from the OSU coaches on the linebackers, and then come back again later in the day with a final look at where the linebackers are.

2009 OHIO STATE LINEBACKERS

Who's gone: Starting middle linebacker and three-time consensus All-American James Laurinaitis; Starting strongside linebacker Marcus Freeman.

Candidates
Ross Homan (Jr.), Austin Spitler, (Sr.), Tyler Moeller (Jr.), Etienne Sabino (So.), Brian Rolle (Jr.), Andrew Sweat (So.), Dorian Bell (Fr.), Storm Klein (Fr.), Zach Boren (Fr.), Adam Homan (Fr.), Jordan Whiting (Fr.)

Projected starters: Homan is the only returning starter as the weakside linebacker from a year ago, though he was typically replaced when the Buckeyes frequently went to the nickel. Spitler has been backing up Laurinaitis for two seasons and eagerly awaiting a chance to play. Moeller has emerged as a linebacker/safety mix who can play in the nickel, just like Jermale Hines, but I list Moeller as a linebacker and consider Hines a safety because Hines started at safety last season when Kurt Coleman was injured. But they are similar players playing similar roles. Sabino played on special teams last season and might be the kind of talent that's hard to keep on the sidelines. But it looks like Spitler in the middle flanked by Homan and Moeller if the games started today.

Questions: How close of a Laurinaitis proximity is Spitler and how great will the dropoff be from one friend to another? Is Homan, who has been flashing for two seasons, ready to develop as a true game-changing ballhawk? With less established players, will the Buckeyes go to more situational substitutions, running linebackers in and out against the run or the pass? Can Sabino be kept off the field or will he force his way into the starting lineup - and might the same question apply to highly-rated freshman Dorian Bell? Who will play in the middle and take over as the de facto quarterback of the defense? Which of the true freshmen might play at least on special teams, and which might be redshirted or moved to fullback? After the great senior linebacking crew of A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel moved on after the 2005 season, the new wave led by Laurinaitis and Freeman made a smooth and successful transition - will it be that smooth this time?

Ohio State football: Coach talks linebackers - Ohio State Buckeyes Football & Basketball Blog (OSU) - cleveland.com

One of the questions for the Ohio State linebackers was whether coach Luke Fickell would return this season. He's sticking around, but he has to find replacements for James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman from an interesting crew of veterans who haven't played much - like Austin Spitler and Brian Rolle - and talented young guys - like Etienne Sabino, Andrew Sweat and Dorian Bell.
Here's what Fickell had to say a week ago on National Signing Day.

Is Austin Spitler your middle linebacker?
Right now, he is the middle linebacker. But we're going to be doing a lot of moving around in all of spring to figure out how we can get the best three, four, five guys in situations to play.

I remember James Laurinaitis moving to middle linebacker right before the start of preseason practice his sophomore year.
He was a SAM backer his whole freshman year and we moved him around and tried to get guys in the best spots and get their personalities and different things meshed together. I think that will be the big trick this year.

Is Etienne Sabino in the first group?
No, not really. Right now you'd say it's Spitler and (Ross) Homan and (Tyler) Moeller. But I don't know that we'll have a real (first) group at all come the spring.

Is there room for (true freshman and five-star recruit) Dorian Bell to make a push?
I think all these guys are going to make a push. Maybe more so some of the guys that have unique specialties. That's one thing coming in as young guys, if you have something you can do that's unique as well as play on special teams, you're going to have some of those opportunities.

Ohio State football: Linebacker projections - Ohio State Buckeyes Football & Basketball Blog (OSU) - cleveland.com

Is Etienne Sabino the next James Laurinaitis? Is Ross Homan the next A.J. Hawk? Is Dorian Bell the next Chris Spielman? Is Andrew Sweat the next ... OK, we're done with that. It's hard to know how the Ohio State linebackers are going to take shape next season without knowing who the middle linebacker is going to be.

At this point three years ago, it looked like Ohio State's middle linebacker was going to be John Kerr, and then Laurinaitis moved to that position in the summer and we all know how that turned out.

So I don't know if there's reason to put much stock in the idea that Austin Spitler is listed as the starting middle linebacker this moment. He's been a great backup for three seasons, as far as we know, though we never saw it on the field because Laurinaitis never left it. But there's no doubt in my mind that Laurinaitis was correct when saying that Spitler could have been starting for a lot of teams the last three seasons, when instead he waited his turn behind an All-American.

But Spitler is a fifth-year senior. He'll be gone after this season. So I'm not sure the Buckeyes want to prepare someone to serve as the leader of the linebackers and then have to do it all again next season, not when there are younger options readily available. So I don't think Spitler will be your middle linebacker in the season opener. Luke Fickell mentioned fitting personalities, not just physical talents, into positions, and that means finding a leader to fill that middle linebacker spot.

Could that be Etienne Sabino as a sophomore? Or might it more logically be Ross Homan as a fourth-year junior?
Homan showed a lot of ability as a weakside linebacker, where, as A.J. Hawk showed, you can do a lot of damage when your primary job is to run free and chase the ball from sideline to sideline. I think Homan does that well. I think he could also line up in the middle, call the signals, blitz at times, or take on blockers and fill the hole, or drop into coverage.

I think Sabino could fit at either position as well, and he was the third-string middle linebacker last season. So my guess is that between Homan and Sabino, one will be your starting middle linebacker and one will be your weakside linebacker. I can see Spitler keeping a starting job on the strongside, lining up over the tight end. But he'd be the guy to drop out first when the Buckeyes go to nickel.

Also, expect more situational substitutions. Homan might stay on the field regardless, but I could imagine some version of a base defense on passing downs than includes both Tyler Moeller and Jermale Hines on the field as outside linebackers/nickel backs.

Maybe there will be more rotating, with freshmen like Dorian Bell, Jordan Whiting or Storm Klein getting to play linebacker and not just on special teams. Same with junior Brian Rolle.

Don't expect Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman to be replaced with just two guys. But my feeling is that Homan and Sabino are going to become the two best playmakers at linebacker, and the two players that someway, somehow, will be on the field the most.

A guess at the two-deep
SAM linebacker: Austin Spitler, Tyler Moeller/ Dorian Bell
MIKE linebacker: Etienne Sabino, Spitler
WILL linebacker: Ross Homan, Brian Rolle/Andrew Sweat

[RugbyBuck]

Trust the coaches. Seriously, though, I had my doubts when Fickell came back, but he seems to have been doing a fantastic job for the real Linebacker U.

[brutus2002]

Its kinda like goin g to Baskin Robbins and picking flavors...Damn wht a beautiful situation to be in as a coach.

IMO the starters/playing time will be determined by competition. This is why when Michigan fans start boasting about the speed they are recruiting I laugh...we are ready for their gimmick offense.

I think we are gonna roatate these guys liberally. Hines will play the star position no matter what. Moeller well get plenty of rep. Rolle, Hines, Moeller, Sabino, Spitler, and Homan!!!! Look out B10.

[Cavball9]

As of right now, the depth chart is:

WILL -- Homan
SAM -- Sabino
MIKE -- Spitler

Also -- Ross did get a medical his sophomore year. He does in fact have two years left.

[Buckeye Poe]

Nobody els thinks that Bell has a shot, if not i would love to see him get a lot of playing time. He is the best LB in the nation this year, everything that I have seen from him screams play maker. Even if he doesnt start I think that he will shine on the special team and earn more and more time as the year goes on