Spring Practice Tidbits

[BB73]

There's a separate thread for the Spring game, this one will be for what's happening at the practice sessions before April 25th.

Dispatch

Thursday: First of 15 spring practices over the next 3 1/2 weeks


- Saturday: First day of full-contact drills

- April 10: Kick scrimmage. The team is split, with points being awarded only for scores in the kicking game (by field goals, kick/punt return touchdowns or TDs on fake punts or fake field goals).

- April 18: Jersey scrimmage, Ohio Stadium. Closed to the public, it features the offense vs. the defense, with the coveted scarlet practice jerseys up for grabs.

- April 25: Spring game, 1:30 p.m., Ohio Stadium. The game will begin after the conclusion of an 11 a.m. men's lacrosse game between Ohio State and Notre Dame. Admission is $5 and covers both games. Tickets can be purchased at the Ohio State ticket office at the Schottenstein Center.

[utgrad73]

Originally Posted by BB73

There's a separate thread for the Spring game, this one will be for what's happening at the practice sessions before April 25th.

Dispatch

? April 25: Spring game, 1:30 p.m., Ohio Stadium. The game will begin after the conclusion of an 11 a.m. men's lacrosse game between Ohio State and Notre Dame. Admission is $5 and covers both games. Tickets can be purchased at the Ohio State ticket office at the Schottenstein Center.

Or via Ticket Master online at ---> (Will Call)

Ohio State Buckeyes Spring Football Game tickets Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH, Directions, seating chart. Official Ticketmaster site.

[Buckskin86]

Jim Tressel: Battery killer
The man held court with the assembled media horde for 67 minutes today....wow! I was concerned my digital tape recorder would give out before he would, but I'm happy to report I caught the whole thing.

In fact, I'm sending the audio right now to our tech people. Look for it at the end of this post.

Tim May and I are both writing stories for tomorrow, and you'll see a lot of the material parceled out in feature stories over the next few weeks.

But just off the top of my head, here are some notes and observations:

-- Tress demeanor report: Relaxed, calm. Sporting an OSU polo shirt that the coaches wore at the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, so he doesn't have any ill will toward that game, apparently.

-- OSU has just two quarterbacks working in spring ball, so they will be careful not to over-work them -- Terrelle Pryor and Joe Bauserman. Ross Oltorik, a walk-on freshman last season, is playing baseball full-time this spring. They have another brand-new walk on, Justin Siems, who is so new Tressel said he just learned how to pronounce the kid's name today (it's SEEMS).

-- Justin Boren will start at guard and be very good. No, Tressel didn't say it in so many words. But mark it down. It's a done deal.

-- He said the Buckeyes will have to get a bit more creative without Beanie Wells in the backfield, but didn't specify how. Look for less I-formation, but other than that, your guess is as good as mine.

-- Players who will not participate fully in spring drills due to injury: Zach Boren, Lawrence Wilson (still recovering), J.B. Shugarts and Keith Wells. That's it, a pretty short list.

Jim Tressel: Battery killer (Blogging the Buckeyes)

[Buckskin86]

Ohio State football: Spring updates from Jim Tressel
by Doug Lesmerises, Plain Dealer Reporter
Wednesday April 01, 2009

Some highlights:
* The coaches this offseason visited Duke, North Carolina (and former Browns boss Butch Davis), Wake Forest and North Carolina State. The idea was to get some different ideas on new schemes more than anything, but Tressel said one of the main thoughts the staff got from its visits was this.

"We got it pretty good," Tressel said. "If we have two or three or four or five little things we just learned that we never have done or considered, maybe we can get even better. "

But overall, the visit made the staff appreciate home.

"The first thing we talked about is we have great facilities here," Tressel said. "And the second thing is we have great kids. And the third thing is a lot of the things we saw others doing well, we were doing them very similarly. And maybe even some things we felt as if maybe we were a touch ahead in that category. Certainly we're not woe is me. And sometimes you need to go look around and recognize that maybe we're doing things OK."

* Players expected to sit out spring practice while recovering from offseason surgeries include offensive lineman J.B. Shugarts, defensive lineman Keith Wells and freshman linebacker Zach Boren. Junior defensive end Lawrence Wilson, coming back from a torn ACL, won't participate in contact drills during the spring.

Ohio State football: Spring updates from Jim Tressel - Ohio State Buckeyes Football & Basketball News - cleveland.com

[JBaney45]

Might be a dumb question, but is the kick scrimmage open to the public? (Since it doesn't say that it isn't..like the jersey scrimmage does)

[jwinslow]

Originally Posted by JBaney45

Might be a dumb question, but is the kick scrimmage open to the public? (Since it doesn't say that it isn't..like the jersey scrimmage does)

the only practice open to the public is the one they hold in the shoe during fall camp.

[osugrad21]

DDN

Ohio State faces lots of questions this spring


By Rusty Miller
Associated Press

Thursday, April 02, 2009

COLUMBUS ? Jim Tressel tries to avoid prematurely judging his Ohio State teams.
With 31 players gone from last year's squad heading into the start of spring practice on Thursday, it would be difficult to do anyway.
"I've never really walked into a season and said, 'Well, this is a rebuilding year. We're not going to do as well,' or 'This is a reloading year, we're going to be better,' or 'We're experienced. Everything's going to be wonderful,'" the Buckeyes' coach said Wednesday while previewing his team. "Because none of those are true. There's such a fine line in how well you do."
Most of the more recognizable names are gone from last year's team that went 10-3 and won its fourth consecutive Big Ten title. Linebackers James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman, Thorpe Award-winning cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, wide receiver Brian Robiskie and quarterback Todd Boeckman used up their eligibility, just some of the 28 seniors who said goodbye to the program.
In addition, tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells, wide receiver Brian Hartline and cornerback Donald Washington all elected to give up their final year in scarlet and gray to make themselves available for the NFL draft.
So the Buckeyes must rely on the maturation of sophomore-to-be Terrelle Pryor at quarterback, along with the promotion of several players who have been waiting for their big moment in the sun.
Tressel, starting his ninth year with the Buckeyes, addressed several key areas in a wide-ranging discussion of more than an hour:
On Pryor developing into a complete quarterback: "I hope he becomes a lot more comfortable in what he's seeing and where he needs to deliver the ball and enhances his own confidence in getting the ball to the playmakers. ... His priorities (last year) were he was only going to throw it if he was sure. I'd rather err on that side rather than, 'Aw, I'll just throw it.' But to get real good you have to get to the point where you let it go."
Cont..

[osugrad21]

CPD

It will be hands off Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor during spring practices

by Doug Lesmerises/Plain Dealer Reporter Wednesday April 01, 2009, 11:42 PM


Associated PressWith the Buckeyes offense squarely placed on Terrelle Pryor's shoulders there will be a no-touching rule in effect for the sophmore quarterback when spring practice begins.
COLUMBUS -- Terrelle Pryor will be surrounded by invisible electric fencing during Ohio State's spring practices. Naughty defenders will be zapped with an electric shock like a dog straying from his yard. Actually, Jim Tressel hasn't thought of that quite yet. But an offense that clearly belongs to Pryor -- with running back Beanie Wells, both starting receivers, the starting tight end and three starting linemen gone -- will have to function during 15 spring practices without taking out the star of the show.
With incoming freshman Kenny Guiton not yet in school and walk-on freshman Ross Oltorik focusing on baseball, the Buckeyes have only Pryor, redshirt sophomore Joe Bauserman and new freshman walk-on Justin Siems behind center with spring practice starting today.



This is an offense that should feature fewer fullback and I formations, Tressel said, while attempting to work new pieces into the scheme, like pass-catching redshirt freshman Jake Stoneburner, who is moving from receiver to tight end. But while Tressel expressed renewed enthusiasm for sophomore running back Dan Herron and emphasized what a big spring it is for his young receivers, the most dangerous part of the Ohio State attack won't be on display very often. "We probably won't run the quarterback a whole bunch this spring honestly, because we only have two of them," Tressel said. "But it's something we've got to figure out. One of the things I remember with Troy [Smith], Troy would get so upset when he was young because he didn't want that black jersey on. He wanted to go make plays. We were trying to work on other things, but we didn't want to get him killed."
That goes double for Pryor. This spring should be more about the passing game anyway, with Tressel appreciating Pryor's careful tendencies last season, but knowing he has to be more willing to let the ball go into tight spots.

Cont...

[Taosman]

Chic Harley runs around the end in the Big Ten Championship game between Northwestern in 1916



Have the Bucks ever had a snowy Spring practuce?

[ShakerBuck]

"They have another brand-new walk on, Justin Siems"

some good info here

2007 Statistics Passing Yards 2458 Passing Completions 204 Passing Attempts 370 Touchdowns 15

Player Report Card

Athleticism B Size A Accuarcy A- Arm Strength B Quickness C Leadership B College Readiness B+ Potential B+ Intangibles A-

[sandgk]

Originally Posted by Taosman

Chic Harley runs around the end in the Big Ten Championship game between Northwestern in 1916



Have the Bucks ever had a snowy Spring practuce?

Yes

[Buckeye86]

Originally Posted by sandgk

Yes

yeah, it alternates just about every year between freezing cold with precipitation to getting sun burnt

[mooktarr]

I might go see the spring game this year. Anyone have parking tips or the same for game day?

[brodybuck21]

Originally Posted by mooktarr

I might go see the spring game this year. Anyone have parking tips or the same for game day?

I always park on 1 of the side streets south of the medical center. Its a farther walk but you dont have to pay and you can usually get out ALOT quicker

[TheStoicPaisano]

2009 Spring Roster

The above link has all spring walk-ons and early enrollees listed.

Notable numbers:
J. Boren 56 --> 65
Adams 74 --> 75
Oliver 14 --> 20
Sabino's whirlwind jersey tour lands back at 6.

Z. Boren 44
Klein 32
A. Homan 49
Mewhort 74
Wood 23
Jackson 15
Barnett 14