2008 Preseason and Regular season Polls

[jlb1705]

Originally Posted by Gatorubet

Five in drive

Ohio State. We heard the same thing last year: The team has never been in better shape, never been more focused --

No we didn't. At least that's not what we were hearing at this time last year. Last year was a REBUILDING YEAR in Columbus, and we were hearing about how they wouldn't be able to replace the likes of Troy Smith, Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez, Quinn Pitcock, etc.

M*ch*g*n () was the team we were hearing about being experienced, talented and hungry, what with Jake Long, Bike Hart and Lloyd Christmas all staying in college so they could muster a win against the Buckeyes or in a bowl game (or crack the top 5 in the Div. I-AA poll).

To say that the buzz about the Buckeyes leading up to this season is similar to what was being said this time last year is just not true. And you know, if the author really wanted to drive home a point about how the Buckeyes are a program on the move, all he really had to point out was the fact that the Buckeyes won 11 games and returned to the BCS National Championship game in a rebuilding year.

[Gatorubet]

Originally Posted by Steve19

I'm surprised about these comments about their defense. USC's offense chewed them up for more than 600 yards and they were flattered when the offense scored early in the third quarter to make it 21-10 and then raced down the field again before the turnover and the open door to the rout.

I think this year, we will be ready for these guys and that we will score more than 40 points on them. I like 42-7 for an outrageously early call.

Yeah, maybe. But Jax is right, if you use that soft zone against the spread and you have any athletes at slot back/receiver, you get mismatched linebackers trying to chase down guys seven yard after the catch. You guys not going man against Harvin and co two years ago was a bad decision. You have the talent to go man, even if you give up the odd big play. But it is frustrating to see a team dink and dunk down the field for first down after first down when it keeps your own offense off the field and wears out your D. I would be surprised if you don't use a lot more man covearge this year. When will you be better as a group than this bunch? If not now, when? Screw the zone.

[brodybuck21]

When will you be better as a group than this bunch? If not now, when? Screw the zone.

A-[censored]ING-MEN!!

[NFBuck]

Originally Posted by TSN

Five in drive

Ohio State. We heard the same thing last year: The team has never been in better shape, never been more focused --

Another example of a journalist paying no mind to the truth. Who in the blue [censored] said we were in better shape last year? We began the year ranked outside of the Top-10. The words we were hearing last year at this time were "rebuilding" or "reloading". IIRC, TSN picked us 4th in the Big Ten last year. [censored]ing idiot.

Seriously, how do some of these idiots get these jobs?

[Buckeneye]

Originally Posted by TheIronColonel

Stewart Mandel: Georgia exits spring practice as No. 1 - Stewart Mandel - SI.com

Mandel's spring exit poll. As follows:

1 Georgia
2 Ohio State
3 USC
4 Missouri
5 LSU
6 Oklahoma
7 Florida
8 Texas Tech
9 Auburn
10 Wisconsin

LOL, especially @ LSU being #5

[t_BuckeyeScott]

That was yesterday before the news.

[Buckeneye]

Originally Posted by t_BuckeyeScott

That was yesterday before the news.

I know, but its Mandell; I still like to laugh at him.

[Gatorubet]

Originally Posted by t_BuckeyeScott

That was yesterday before the news.

Actually, LSU might be better with that cancer cut out of the leadership body of the team. Sometimes the over achiever replacement is better for the team's success than the head case prima donna star who stays and infects them with his attitude. We'll know by early October.

[Dryden]

Originally Posted by Gatorubet

Yeah, maybe. But Jax is right, if you use that soft zone against the spread and you have any athletes at slot back/receiver, you get mismatched linebackers trying to chase down guys seven yard after the catch. You guys not going man against Harvin and co two years ago was a bad decision. You have the talent to go man, even if you give up the odd big play. But it is frustrating to see a team dink and dunk down the field for first down after first down when it keeps your own offense off the field and wears out your D. I would be surprised if you don't use a lot more man covearge this year. When will you be better as a group than this bunch? If not now, when? Screw the zone.

The problem the past two years has been alternately having DEs that aren't complemented by the DTs, or vice-versa, and the early exits of a parade of great Jrs in the secondary that ultimately burned us in 2006 when a number of things (injuries, lack of development, etc) robbed us of depth. All you need to know to see how we got burned against UF in '06 is consider that the starting back four consisted of a RS Sr former walk-on, a RS Sr who had previously been a career back-up, a RS So career back-up who was only playing due to injury to the #1, and true So Malcolm Jenkins.

3 of the 4 would not have started any other year but that year. They won the jobs by default. The soft zone was to protect them -- that didn't work out so well.

[Gatorubet]

Originally Posted by Dryden

The problem the past two years has been alternately having DEs that aren't complemented by the DTs, or vice-versa, and the early exits of a parade of great Jrs in the secondary that ultimately burned us in 2006 when a number of things (injuries, lack of development, etc) robbed us of depth. All you need to know to see how we got burned against UF in '06 is consider that the starting back four consisted of a RS Sr former walk-on, a RS Sr who had previously been a career back-up, a RS So career back-up who was only playing due to injury to the #1, and true So Malcolm Jenkins.

3 of the 4 would not have started any other year but that year. They won the jobs by default. The soft zone was to protect them -- that didn't work out so well.

Do you think the spread was responsible revealing the weaknesses, as you had great stats going into the game. I mean, I defer to what you say of course, but that same crew seemed to achieve great success along the season. So I'm wondering, do you think it was the spread system that put the pressure on them that they had not seen, or what?

[TheIronColonel]

I'd say it was some combination of the spread and (in '06) too much hype and (in '07) too much pressure to perform. We really don't get to see the spread much in the Big Ten; a lack of experience against it and, as was mentioned before, a defensive scheme designed to protect against the big play at the cost of allowing the short game. I personally think that the spread is magnificent against soft zone, because there are fewer defenders up near the line of scrimmage. By the time the quarterback has to make a read (in pass or run) the play has developed somewhat and everything is upfield, to some degree. Zone read offenses should gobble it up because they can get defenders in space with little support where (theoretically) shifty athletes can make plays for the offense. In the passing game, lining up 4 or 5 wide and allowing flankers to carry the zone back a bit to open up underneath routes worked very well for Florida in '06, IIRC.

It's well trod ground, but in '06 there was too much hype and an (apparent) lack of respect for Florida. They spent too much time having too much smoke blown up their asses about how great they were (admittedly, they were) and how Florida had no chance (they did). In '07, there was a huge amount of pressure due to last year's debacle. I think that those two things, coupled with personnel churn and the choice of defensive scheme vs the spread, were the root causes.

[Dryden]

Originally Posted by Gatorubet

Do you think the spread was responsible revealing the weaknesses, as you had great stats going into the game. I mean, I defer to what you say of course, but that same crew seemed to achieve great success along the season. So I'm wondering, do you think it was the spread system that put the pressure on them that they had not seen, or what?

I don't know. Obviously, there were a huge number of issues in the NC game on the O-Line, with the special teams coverage, with losing Ginn on the first play allowing UF to concentrate on erasing Gonzo, all of which contributed to the problem by repeatedly putting the defense in a bad spot from UF's first play of every series, over and over again. The crew that finished the year was not the crew that stoned Texas or Iowa, though. Anderson Russell in particular, the starting safety, was lost in the Iowa game, and his absence had a ripple effect through the back seven in terms of what schemes could be run, and how the players responded to their assignments in those schemes through the rest of the year. Juice damn near beat us, as did Michigan. As everybody saw, that team wasn't equipped at that point to defend UF, or Michigan for that matter, in November and January as they would have been in September and October.

[Gatorubet]

Originally Posted by Dryden

The crew that finished the year was not the crew that stoned Texas or Iowa, though. Anderson Russell in particular, the starting safety, was lost in the Iowa game, and his absence had a ripple effect through the back seven in terms of what schemes could be run, and how the players responded to their assignments in those schemes through the rest of the year. .

I did not know that. I could see that happening. Reggie Nelson was the glue that made our defense work. "The Erasor", who made up for other mistakes in coverage. We used to say, two thirds of the earth is covered by water, the other third by Reggie F-in Nelson.

One guy (or his loss) can make a huge difference in a scheme.

[buckeyemania11]

Originally Posted by TSN
Illinois: The story is that dynamic quarterback Juice Williams struggled this spring. The reality is that Illinois is going to be scary good on defense with an influx of developing young players. No team in the Big Ten will have a better front four or secondary, and if young linebackers Martez Wilson and Ian Thomas learn quickly, Illinois won't be far from another significant jump.

I dont see how Illinois secondary will be the best in the big ten, I could be wrong but I think they lost both of their starting safteys

[Steve19]

Originally Posted by Gatorubet

Yeah, maybe. But Jax is right...

Originally Posted by buckeyemania11

I dont see how Illinois secondary will be the best in the big ten, I could be wrong but I think they lost both of their starting safteys

Sorry, I was jumping in between computer runs. I wasn't commenting on being surprised at what Jax said, but rather the press. I just don't think they are better than Ohio State anywhere on defense.

Originally Posted by jlb1705

No we didn't. At least that's not what we were hearing at this time last year. Last year was a REBUILDING YEAR in Columbus, and we were hearing about how they wouldn't be able to replace the likes of Troy Smith, Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez, Quinn Pitcock, etc.

M*ch*g*n () was the team we were hearing about being experienced, talented and hungry, what with Jake Long, Bike Hart and Lloyd Christmas all staying in college so they could muster a win against the Buckeyes or in a bowl game (or crack the top 5 in the Div. I-AA poll).

To say that the buzz about the Buckeyes leading up to this season is similar to what was being said this time last year is just not true. And you know, if the author really wanted to drive home a point about how the Buckeyes are a program on the move, all he really had to point out was the fact that the Buckeyes won 11 games and returned to the BCS National Championship game in a rebuilding year.

You are dead right. Where does all this talk come from? These idiots listening to one another. We were given virtually no chance of getting to the NC game at the start of last season.