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ESPN Top 100 CFB Players

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Buckskin86

Buckskin86

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http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=feldman_bruce&id=1765404

44. A.J. Hawk, Ohio State, OLB: OSU's top tackler (104 tackles, 4 sacks), can also cover. He should be a Butkus frontrunner in '04. Headlines -- along with Bobby Carpenter -- what figures to be one of the top-three linebacking groups.

96. Dustin Fox, Ohio State, DB: Few corners get tested more, and in all fairness, few are better tacklers. Will set a good example for Ted Ginn, OSU's marvelous incoming CB recruit.

I would liked to have seen Simon Frasier,Santonio Holmes, Nate Salley or even Schlegel (for what he did at Air Force).
 
KillerNut said:
Dustin Fox: Few are also worse at covering a reciever.

Fraiser probably just missed. We are young this year in terms of full-time game experience. This list will look different at the end of the year.
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How many times has Fox been beaten deep? How many times does he get "burned" underneath or in the flat? How many of those was the D in a zone? How many times is he effectively playing safety against the short stuff and helping the linebackers cover the WRs and TEs in the flat before releasing down field? How many YAC does he give up?

Dustin Fox is one of the best DBs in the B10. ESPN put him in their top 100 for a reason..and that reason isn't because he can't cover a receiver. I firmly believe he played corner better than Gamble last season, he certainly was tested more often and didn't give up much.

I have never understood the criticism, but I usually just chalk it up to ignorance. Fox has been outstanding his entire career at OSU. He has earned the right to be a captain this year and his talent is why many outside the haters include him in lists like ESPN's top 100....the kid is a player.
 
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Sloopy45 said:
Its sad that we don't have an offensive player on this list. If we don't get some production from the TB spot this year, we'll be in trouble.
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If the list were open to kickers Nuge would be in there :wink:

IMO we have a couple of offensive guys who might crack this list after the season. The reason guys like Santonio and....umm.....Santonio get no love is that our O was so woefully unproductive last year it is easy for outsiders to dismiss the whole lot.

If we don't have a RB or a QB in the top 100 after the season it may have been a really bad year. I'd like to think we will have both. Afterall, Orton isn't that great IMO and I certainly hope that Zwick or Smith can be at least as productive as Kyle...and Kyle is in the top 20.
 
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HINYG8: "If the list were open to kickers Nuge would be in there"

True. I expect a huge year from Mr. Perfect.

"If we don't have a RB or a QB in the top 100 after the season it may have been a really bad year."

The bottom line is this: this is The Ohio State University. All the offensive production starts with the running game. If we can't run the ball, defenses will key on the pass & shut down the air attack. That's the way its always been, and the way it always will be. If we can get Haw or Kennedy to step up and be a Freshman sensation like Reggie Bush or the Vincent kid from LSU, then we can do some serious damage. If not, I can't expect much from Zwick and Santonio, and understandably so.
 
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Sloops:
If we can get Haw or Kennedy to step up and be a Freshman sensation like Reggie Bush or the Vincent kid from LSU, then we can do some serious damage. If not, I can't expect much from Zwick and Santonio, and understandably so.
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I take that to mean you don't think a healthy Lydell Ross or Mo Hall can be the answer? Watching Lydell is frustrating. He shows signs of being a solid back but he just always seems to get dinged. I thought he was turning the corner towards the end of last year until the scUM game. The way we were throwing the ball that day, out of necessity I know, we should have been able to do a little more damage on the ground, especially after we got within 7.

Whether it be Pittman, Kennedy, Haw, Guilford, Hall or Ross we obviously need more production out of the TB position, especially breaking in a new QB next year. It's gonna be awfully tough with a pretty green group up front. Can't wait to see who, if any of them, step up and get our running game back to where it needs to be.
 
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I still think the OL is a bigger question mark than RB. We have decent backs. If Ross stays healthy, he could have a great year (for him), in which he will push for a 1,000 yard season. He isn't the next Eddie or Robert Smith, but I think he'll do ok....IF the OL can give him a hole every now and then. The reason Clarett was missed so much last year is because the OL couldn't seem to run-block for shit. Yeah, I know that three to four of them may be drafted, but they did not play well together, and because they were so immobile, all our running plays were VERY predictable. The OL is a must-have this year. They need to play well.
 
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Nutty: "I take that to mean you don't think a healthy Lydell Ross or Mo Hall can be the answer?"

Not at all. Don't get me wrong, far be it from me to criticize college kids, and Lydell & Mo are both good kids, but neither can anchor a running attack at this level.

Neither is explosive, neither is as fast as reported, neither hits the hole hard, and Lydell gets hurt every play. My Dad's even nicknamed him "Band-Aid." I thought Lydell would be a special back after his freshman season, but he slowed down at the end of that year (from getting pounded on in the B10 Season as a smallish 17 year old TB), and never got back up to speed his entire career.

I'm not big on what people tell me, I go by what I see on the field. People tell me Mo Hall runs a 4.3, but I haven't seen it. Herbie even said on-air that he looks like he's pulling a sled when he returns kicks. Neither makes any big plays either.

I'm hoping that the Froshs have the talent to come through. RB at Ohio State is like Centerfield for the New York Yankees, or Center for the Lakers, or Quarterback at Notre Dame, or Tailback at USC. Its one of the most hallowed positions in all of sports, and we need a stud there at all times.
 
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