2011 tOSU Football Discussion

[Mac]

I'm just proud to be a Buckeye. That's all I have to say.

 

[k2onprimetime]

I'm just proud to be a Buckeye. That's all I have to say.

Same here , I think its almost time to get the countdown started for springball

 

[GeorgiaBuck2]

There are a lot of holes to fill next year. A lot of seniors walk out the door, and obviously there are holes to fill with the suspensions. This is another reason I love JT, instead of being interested in style points, he gets his subs in and gets them reps. Even though we lose a bunch of starters, there is usually more experience returning than would meet the eye.

 

[Buckskin86]

Article published January 09, 2011
Huge hurdles await Ohio State football in 2011
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

COLUMBUS ? The sales of game programs should be brisk come Sept. 3, because the team Ohio State puts out on the football field for its 2011 season-opener against Akron will be tough to recognize compared with the group of Buckeyes that recently knocked off Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.

A senior-heavy 2010 roster mandates that 24 Buckeyes move on, their football eligibility spent. NCAA sanctions against five prominent juniors will further plunder the roster of available players for the first month or so of the coming season.

You will need that program, since this will resemble a collection of primarily stand-ins performing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. There will be nearly as many unfamiliar faces as we see in the newly sworn-in 112th Congress.

The best estimate is that among the 22 players who started on offense and defense for the Buckeyes against Arkansas, 14 won't be available to challenge the Zips. If the five-game suspensions handed out to quarterback Terrelle Pryor and three other offensive starters hold up under appeal, Ohio State will also meet Toledo, Miami (Fla.), Colorado, and Michigan State with its depleted group of Buckeyes.

Pryor, tailback Dan "Boom" Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, tackle Mike Adams, and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas have all been sanctioned for their involvement in the sale of Ohio State apparel, Big Ten championship rings and other awards, which they exchanged for cash and discounts on tattoos.

Cont..

http://toledoblade.com/article/20110109/SPORTS16/110109574

 

[Buckskin86]

Here?s a look at the players who should be trying to run things.

Quarterback
In a typical situation, Pryor probably would be coming back as the preseason Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year for a third straight time, one of the Heisman favorites for the second straight time and a guy looking to break every quarterback record at Ohio State. In the Sugar Bowl, he already passed Cornelius Greene as the all-time leading rusher among OSU quarterbacks and he tied Bobby Hoying?s career record for touchdown passes with 57.

Instead, with the suspension, everything changes for him personally, though the job should be waiting for him when he returns. Until then, Tressel has to find a new starter from Joe Bauserman, a senior in 2011 who has thrown 47 career passes; redshirt sophomore Kenny Guiton, with two career passes; Taylor Graham, who redshirted this season; and incoming freshman Braxton Miller, the No. 2 quarterback recruit in the country, according to Rivals.com.

That?s a wide-open race, but figure Miller to work into the picture one way or the other. If Pryor could start by the fourth game of his freshman year ahead of Todd Boeckman, Miller can play early ahead of this group.

Running back
No more than three backs can expect carries, and there are five legitimate contenders. Herron should retain his starting job when he returns, though he should expect less of a workload. That?s because Rod Smith, who redshirted this season and was the star of bowl practice, and sophomore Jaamal Berry should demand the ball with their ability. Junior Jordan Hall has shown something too, though he may settle in more as a return man, while sophomore Carlos Hyde is there as well.

By crunch time in November, Smith may be the go-to guy.

Receiver
The return of Posey, who caught 53 passes this season, looms large for the Buckeyes, who would have been ridiculously inexperienced without him. The rest of the returning receivers combined for 11 catches for 127 yards this season.

While Posey is suspended, sophomore Corey ?Philly? Brown and sophomore Chris Fields should be the leading candidates to start. But anyone could grab a job ? redshirt sophomore James Jackson, redshirt freshmen James Louis and T.Y. Williams, or incoming freshmen Devin Smith and Evan Spencer. This would have been Duron Carter?s time to emerge if he hadn?t left for junior college after last season, and he might be missed.

Offensive line
Left tackle Adams, center Brewster and right tackle J.B. Shugarts will return as senior starters. During Adams? suspension, look for sophomore Andrew Norwell, who played well backing up Shugarts this season, to slide in as the starter. The leading candidates to replace graduated guards Justin Boren and Bryant Browning are redshirt sophomore Jack Mewhort, who has impressed people since he got to campus, and redshirt sophomore Marcus Hall, who played tackle as a true freshman but could move inside after sitting out this season for academics.

Redshirt sophomore Sam Longo and incoming freshmen Brian Bobek and Chris Carter could also figure in.

Defensive line
Senior Nathan Williams and junior John Simon are back as starters, but replacing Cameron Heyward will be almost impossible. He was the key to what the Buckeyes do on defense, sliding between tackle and end as they shifted between a 4-3 look and 3-4 look. There isn?t an obvious candidate on the roster to do that at anywhere near the same level.

Sophomore Johnathan Hankins is the best bet to replace Dexter Larimore at the true defensive tackle spot, while the fourth starter should come from the group of sophomore Adam Bellamy, junior Garrett Goebel and incoming freshman Michael Bennett, who broke his forearm during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday.

Linebackers
The Buckeyes will get the three best linebackers on the field, and the guess is that will be senior Andrew Sweat, junior Etienne Sabino and sophomore Dorian Bell. Sweat started at strongside linebacker this year, but he had played weakside linebacker in the past and is the best bet to replace Ross Homan there. Sabino redshirted this season, in the middle of his career, while moving back to the middle and has the best chance to replace Brian Rolle. Bell has played on the weakside, but adjustments will be made if he deserves to play ahead of juniors Jon Newsome and Storm Klein.

There?s a lot to sort out here, but the potential among the top players is pretty good.

Defensive backs
All the injuries this season will help the Buckeyes next season. Tyler Moeller, who missed the last half of the year with a torn pectoral muscle, will be back for a sixth year of eligibility and hold down the star position in the nickel defense, and he will be needed. C.J. Barnett won a starting safety job from Orhian Johnson in the preseason, then was lost for the year to a knee injury in the second game of the season. So Barnett proved he was a player, then Johnson gained a ton of experience, and they should be the two starting safeties.

At corner, Travis Howard is ready to step into a starting role as a fourth-year junior after playing a lot as the No. 3 corner this season. Dionte Allen, who transferred from Florida State this season, may be the favorite to win the other starting job as a senior, though sophomores Christian Bryant and Corey Brown, who can both play safety and corner, will fight for time somewhere.

Also keep an eye on redshirt freshman Bradley Roby and incoming freshmen Doran Grant and Jeremy Cash.

Special teams
Punter Ben Buchanan returns as a junior, while kicker Drew Basil should move up from kickoff specialist as a freshman to handling everything as a sophomore, replacing the graduated Devin Barclay.

All of them will come back as Sugar Bowl champions, off a 12-1 year. And though there are holes, that always helps.

?It?s huge having momentum going into the off-season,? the graduating Larimore said. ?Guys believe what we?re saying, guys believe that we can get to those BCS games and national title games. And that belief is what propels you into the off-season.?

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2011/01/ohio_state_footballs_2011_hudd.html

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I think that Pryor gets a team captain if he stays. Tressel loves the redemption song. Nathan Williams, Michael Brewster and Moeller make a lot of sense, add in Pryor. The 2011 Buckeyes will be young at many positions so I wonder if we see a captain from the rising-junior ranks as well: Howard? Zach Boren?

He won't allow a captain who won't be available for almost half the season due to improper behavior. In think Brewster and Moeller are near locks. No juniors will be captains this year (Z. Boren is a lock for captain in his senior season).

 

[k2onprimetime]

He won't allow a captain who won't be available for almost half the season due to improper behavior. In think Brewster and Moeller are near locks. No juniors will be captains this year (Z. Boren is a lock for captain in his senior season).

Nate Williams probably too

 

[scarletngray]

He won't allow a captain who won't be available for almost half the season due to improper behavior. In think Brewster and Moeller are near locks. No juniors will be captains this year (Z. Boren is a lock for captain in his senior season).

My guess is that the Captains will be Brewster and Stoney on Offense and Sweat and Moeller on Defense. All four are very solid guys and will be the leaders of the team, especially early on.

:osu:

 

[Diego-Bucks]

My guess is that the Captains will be Brewster and Stoney on Offense and Sweat and Moeller on Defense. All four are very solid guys and will be the leaders of the team, especially early on.

:osu:

I don't know all of JT's criteria for a captain whether its great presence, on-field production, overall age, whatever. But Stoney and Sweat are both redshirt juniors (granted, they'd be in the program the same timeframe as the Brew Crew) and they are both only recent starters. I imagine they COULD be captains, but they don't stick out to me yet as obvious junior captains. If that were the case, Zach Boren would be the junior captain for me.

 

[k2onprimetime]

I don't know all of JT's criteria for a captain whether its great presence, on-field production, overall age, whatever. But Stoney and Sweat are both redshirt juniors (granted, they'd be in the program the same timeframe as the Brew Crew) and they are both only recent starters. I imagine they COULD be captains, but they don't stick out to me yet as obvious junior captains. If that were the case, Zach Boren would be the junior captain for me.

Sweat never redshirted

 

[Diego-Bucks]

Sweat never redshirted

You are correct. But he's still seems raw on the field (my perception, not necessarily fact) and when I compare his progression to the 2010 captains and their relative experience at the time of captain-hood, Sweat's just aren't as obvious to me as they were for Cam, Homan and B-Rolle: all multi-year starters. Maybe I should not use the comparison to our most recent distinguished Buckeyes; maybe Sweat fits the bill like Austin Spitler fit the bill.

But as of now, I just don't see Sweat as a clear choice for a team captain. The most obvious trait going for him is that he has started some games and he is a senior who is not suspended.

 

[scarletngray]

Sweat being referred to as just "starting a few games" really isn't accurate. IIRC He started a few games last year when Homan went down, but was a starter for the entire 2010 season and will be again for the 2011 season.

In addition, to say he is just a Senior who was not suspended is also short changing his work in the classroom, his work in the community and his performance on the field, which was solid this year.

Other than Ty, who else on D would be a sure and solid selection, other than Sweat? He meets all the criteria in my book.

Let's remember this is also in light of 5 Seniors having to sit out 5 games. There is no way any of them can serve as Captains imo. In addition we lose Cam, Dex, Homan, Rolle, Chekwa, Hines and Torrence on D. Out of those left, who is most qualified? And who has proven themselves both on and off the field?

:osu:

 

[Diego-Bucks]

Sweat being referred to as just "starting a few games" really isn't accurate. IIRC He started a few games last year when Homan went down, but was a starter for the entire 2010 season and will be again for the 2011 season.

In addition, to say he is just a Senior who was not suspended is also short changing his work in the classroom, his work in the community and his performance on the field, which was solid this year.

Other than Ty, who else on D would be a sure and solid selection, other than Sweat? He meets all the criteria in my book.

Let's remember this is also in light of 5 Seniors having to sit out 5 games. There is no way any of them can serve as Captains imo. In addition we lose Cam, Dex, Homan, Rolle, Chekwa, Hines and Torrence on D. Out of those left, who is most qualified? And who has proven themselves both on and off the field?

:osu:

I understand he's been the 3rd linebacker in the base 4-3 defense and a significant back-up in 2009. But Heacock runs a much smaller percentage of plays in the base 4-3 than before and I'd be more inclined to say that Moeller and Bryant was that 11th starter (or at least saw more snaps on average in a game this past year than Sweat). Again, that's my perception of Sweat's on field performance, not necessarily fact. But I think perception plays a key role in a captain so I wonder how others feel. Was he invisible? Far from it. But I just don't know the extent/effectiveness of his on field contributions.

His off-field contributions I know next to nothing about. But to be clear, I have admitted that to me, he is not a CLEAR choice of captain. I wouldn't disagree with him being named captain, but he isn't an obvious choice. Again, I don't know what criteria Tressel uses to select the captains. In 09, the Buckeyes ran with 3 permanent captains and they were all on defense. Maybe we see a small number of 2011 captains.

The gist of my argument I feel is somewhat validated by your comment "who else on D would be a sure and solid selection, other than Sweat?" This premise essentially tells me that you reach a conclusion that he is a valid option in a field that is now void of many valid options. My point that I made was that the most obvious thing going for him is that he is a senior who has started who is not suspended... I'm not sure we are very far apart in this.

The Buckeyes have 3 clear captains so far in my imo: Brewster, Moeller and Nate Williams.

 

[kc286496]

Is there a thread anywhere that talks about any prospective transfers this off-season? Curious to see if any guys are shopping around to get a full-time gig somewhere else.

 

[GeorgiaBuck2]

Is there a thread anywhere that talks about any prospective transfers this off-season? Curious to see if any guys are shopping around to get a full-time gig somewhere else.

Sorry man. Tried opening up a thread for you but I guess there are other threads more appropriate for your question.