2011 Linebackers Discussion

[cbrian815]

I dont think anyone seems to know his status. Some have speculated that his injury was really bad and lingering. I have a feeling if healthy he will make some serious noise. He will play right away if healthy and surprise a lot of people. He is instinctive, reminds me of A.J. Hawk. Plays a lot this year if healthy. Go Bucks

 

[pnuts34]

I would love to see McVey backup Moeller at the Star and develop into that next great Star player, and let Bryant play Safety primarily

 

[osugrad21]

Re: McVey

It is definitely a tough situation with a variety of advice being given. Some sources are saying he is being advised to hang it up but others are saying he is giving it one more go. It the shoulder gives again, he is almost definitely done.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Re: McVey

It is definitely a tough situation with a variety of advice being given. Some sources are saying he is being advised to hang it up but others are saying he is giving it one more go. It the shoulder gives again, he is almost definitely done.

Damn. Gotta' appreciate his heart but I have to think there are regrets about him playing through it his senior year.

 

[funman]

In the limited time I've seen Newsome in games, I like his ability to rush the passer. I wasn't impressed with him otherwise, albeit in limited time.

Sweat will be the Mike, Sabino the Will, and Klein the Sam. At least this is what I was told by someone that should know. Bell has a lot of talent, but he isn't "getting it" (think Sabino's first couple of years). I think Dorian needs to work hard to get back in Fickell's good graces and I really don't know how much we'll see of him in the first couple of games next year. And this isn't any knock on his ability.

I don't think you will see Sabino at anything other than Will; remember Sweat won the starting Sam job this year because Sabino had a hard time learning the different responsibilities. He's not going to play any other LB position other than that. Also, I wouldn't sleep on Newsome getting a lot of action.

 

[y0yoyoin]

i think going into next year the LB position is going to be very intersting...Sweat and Sabino are for sure's (i hope for Sabino's sake), and i see getting alot of PT and rotating in are Bell and Klein...With Bell suspended for the first game i think Klein and Grant will get alot of PT...Cromwell should be redshirted especially with his injury, Price i see getting red-shirted as well...i believe Whiting is suspended a game and not to sure about McVey as to where he will be playing and his current status with his injury...Shazier is a wild card...i cannot see him getting redshirted and could be a special teamer at first and see some PT in some Nathan Williams roles...good news is, it is such a blessing having this much depth at LB...and who knows we could have shazier and grant getting alot of PT or maybe Price steps in and gets looks...lots of players and only really one for sure starter in sweat...going to be fun to watch and should be alot of competition for PT

 

[matcar]

i think going into next year the LB position is going to be very intersting...Sweat and Sabino are for sure's (i hope for Sabino's sake), and i see getting alot of PT and rotating in are Bell and Klein...With Bell suspended for the first game i think Klein and Grant will get alot of PT...Cromwell should be redshirted especially with his injury, Price i see getting red-shirted as well...i believe Whiting is suspended a game and not to sure about McVey as to where he will be playing and his current status with his injury...Shazier is a wild card...i cannot see him getting redshirted and could be a special teamer at first and see some PT in some Nathan Williams roles...good news is, it is such a blessing having this much depth at LB...and who knows we could have shazier and grant getting alot of PT or maybe Price steps in and gets looks...lots of players and only really one for sure starter in sweat...going to be fun to watch and should be alot of competition for PT

Even when you add in the star position, there's still just a boatload of talent for relatively few positions. That's why spring is SO MUCH fun to watch.

 

[AuTX Buckeye]

Speaking from an arm chair QB view (I know some about football, but couldn't tell you why player x plays MIKE vs LEO etc) ....with the crazy amount of talent at the LB position I almost wonder why we wouldn't look at switching to a 3-4 or even a 2-4-5 (including Star).... I know our DL has talent...but the wealth at LB might warrant a look outside the standard 4-3.. Again just my thoughts.

 

[stowfan]

Speaking from an arm chair QB view (I know some about football, but couldn't tell you why player x plays MIKE vs LEO etc) ....with the crazy amount of talent at the LB position I almost wonder why we wouldn't look at switching to a 3-4 or even a 2-4-5 (including Star).... I know our DL has talent...but the wealth at LB might warrant a look outside the standard 4-3.. Again just my thoughts.

Talk to Grad.

 

[Buckeye86]

Speaking from an arm chair QB view (I know some about football, but couldn't tell you why player x plays MIKE vs LEO etc) ....with the crazy amount of talent at the LB position I almost wonder why we wouldn't look at switching to a 3-4 or even a 2-4-5 (including Star).... I know our DL has talent...but the wealth at LB might warrant a look outside the standard 4-3.. Again just my thoughts.

Here's something I wrote in the fall about the defense.

The Evolution of Ohio State's Defense

The great thing about what Ohio State is doing is that with the LEO and the STAR, they can basically switch between the 4-3, 3-4, 3-3-5 and pretty much every set in between at will with minimal personnel changes.

 

[akronbuck]

Here's something I wrote in the fall about the defense.

The Evolution of Ohio State's Defense

The great thing about what Ohio State is doing is that with the LEO and the STAR, they can basically switch between the 4-3, 3-4, 3-3-5 and pretty much every set in between at will with minimal personnel changes.

great post and very true.

 

[k2onprimetime]

We basically do run a 3-4. I think all of the Linebackers get redshirted except Grant. I think Shazier takes the Leo spot when Nathan Williams graduates, but he needs a redshirt yr to add size. Crowell will redshirt because of injury. And Price is gonna reshirt because of the amount of LB's we already have.

 

[cbrian815]

We basically do run a 3-4. I think all of the Linebackers get redshirted except Grant. I think Shazier takes the Leo spot when Nathan Williams graduates, but he needs a redshirt yr to add size. Crowell will redshirt because of injury. And Price is gonna reshirt because of the amount of LB's we already have.

I agree there could be a lot of redshirts but the staff has shown they are not afraid to play the best players. If Crowell, Price, Shazier or Grant can pick up their responsibilities and assignments then they play. The staff also tries to let the student athlete have a lot of input on the redshirt versus playing.

I would guess that if McVey can`t go with the shoulder(sad) then possibly two guys play. Who steps up is truly a guessing game. We just recruited an amazing LB class. Grant and Price have college ready bodies now. Crowell isnt far off. Shazier needs weight but is an amazing athlete. I think this could end up being a special group in a few years. Go Bucks

 

[scarletngray]

Here's something I wrote in the fall about the defense.

The Evolution of Ohio State's Defense

The great thing about what Ohio State is doing is that with the LEO and the STAR, they can basically switch between the 4-3, 3-4, 3-3-5 and pretty much every set in between at will with minimal personnel changes.

Great breakdown! Thanks...

Question: You did not mention the Viper position. Is this the same thing as LEO or a bit different?

:osu:

 

[BuckTwenty]

From what I know about Crowell, I wouldn't count him redshirting just yet. This guy trains like its his full time job and is WELL ahead of time in rehabbing from that injury. He is driven and I think the coaching staff is going to have a hard time keeping him off the field.

It's fun to speculate who's gonna start and who's gonna contribute, but I have a feeling these freshmen are really going to push some of our existing players on the roster for playing time this year at LB. And Lord knows we need SOMEONE to step up on special teams coverage this year...