jparsell82
Sophmore
I thought it was a little strange seeing Larry Grant as the back-up at middle linebacker. I'm glad to see he's picking up the system.
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Ex-OSU linebackers keep the link strong
9:37 a.m.
COLUMBUS - The aura of graduated linebackers A.J. Hawk (Green Bay Packers), Bobby Carpenter (Dallas Cowboys) and Anthony Schlegel (New York Jets) looms over Ohio State’s young defense.
They’re all gone to the NFL, but those former Buckeyes haven’t been far away. They’ve been keeping in regular touch with coaches and players as this new defense comes together.
“It’s a big change for them,” OSU linebackers coach Luke Fickell said. “The biggest thing when they call back, they want to know how these guys are doing. It’s amazing, they want to know about Ohio State more than they want to talk about what’s going on with them.”
Sophomore starting middle linebacker James Laurinaitis has been among those getting on the phone.
“I’ve learned so much from those guys, if I still had a question right now about a certain play, I could call Anthony and he’d remember,” Laurinaitis said, “but they get football questions all the time. So it’s, ‘Anthony, how’s the wife?’ or ‘A.J, how’s the wife?’ or ‘Bobby, how’s Dallas?’
“Bobby will give you a great story. Bobby reminds you about how hot it is in Texas all the time.”
Fickell was reminded that one of Carpenter’s jobs during training camp, as the Cowboys’ top draft pick, was to provide water for head coach Bill Parcells. Carpenter wasn’t exactly the subservient type at Ohio State.
“It might be hard to see,” Fickell said, “but money does funny things to people.”
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Ex-OSU linebackers keep the link strong
9:37 a.m.
COLUMBUS - The aura of graduated linebackers A.J. Hawk (Green Bay Packers), Bobby Carpenter (Dallas Cowboys) and Anthony Schlegel (New York Jets) looms over Ohio State’s young defense.
They’re all gone to the NFL, but those former Buckeyes haven’t been far away. They’ve been keeping in regular touch with coaches and players as this new defense comes together.
“It’s a big change for them,” OSU linebackers coach Luke Fickell said. “The biggest thing when they call back, they want to know how these guys are doing. It’s amazing, they want to know about Ohio State more than they want to talk about what’s going on with them.”
Sophomore starting middle linebacker James Laurinaitis has been among those getting on the phone.
“I’ve learned so much from those guys, if I still had a question right now about a certain play, I could call Anthony and he’d remember,” Laurinaitis said, “but they get football questions all the time. So it’s, ‘Anthony, how’s the wife?’ or ‘A.J, how’s the wife?’ or ‘Bobby, how’s Dallas?’
“Bobby will give you a great story. Bobby reminds you about how hot it is in Texas all the time.”
Fickell was reminded that one of Carpenter’s jobs during training camp, as the Cowboys’ top draft pick, was to provide water for head coach Bill Parcells. Carpenter wasn’t exactly the subservient type at Ohio State.
“It might be hard to see,” Fickell said, “but money does funny things to people.”
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2006 tOSU Linebackers
CPD
Linebackers vie for playing time
Thursday, September 14, 2006 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus- Expect Ohio State to continue to play several linebackers for at least another week. Linebackers coach Luke Fickell said Wednesday backups like Larry Grant, Curtis Terry and Ross Homan will get snaps.
"It's the right thing to do," he said. "We're just happy to be in a situation to get guys in there, and if they all play good, that's better for us."
It's not always easy to pull off though. Fickell said he forgot to get starting weakside linebacker John Kerr in the game as much as planned against Texas. The Buckeyes played a nickel defense, with two linebackers, about 75 percent of the game, and James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman are typically the linebackers in that lineup.
But when the Buckeyes did use their base defense later, it was Homan's turn to cycle in, and Kerr was left out. Kerr and Homan are basically sharing that job now, but Fickell said it wasn't Kerr's performance that kept him on the sideline.
"It was really an oversight by me, and I apologized [to Kerr] for that," Fickell said. "In a big game, you're not always focused on someone in particular, you're focused on the game and the call, and it can slip your mind."
Davie on board:
ABC TV analyst Bob Davie, who was part of the broadcast team for Ohio State-Texas on Saturday, sees a national title game path for the Buckeyes.
"I don't think anyone expected Ohio State to dominate the way they did," Davie said Wednesday. "They are definitely the favorite I think [to win the national title]."
Davie listed Ohio State's toughest remaining opponents as Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State.
"Keep in mind, Iowa will be a completely different football team with Drew Tate back at quarterback and the game being played at Iowa," Davie said. "Bottom line, I think it will come down to Ohio State and Michigan."
Seen in 9.1 million households, Saturday's game was the most-watched regular season college football game since 1996.
CPD
Linebackers vie for playing time
Thursday, September 14, 2006 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus- Expect Ohio State to continue to play several linebackers for at least another week. Linebackers coach Luke Fickell said Wednesday backups like Larry Grant, Curtis Terry and Ross Homan will get snaps.
"It's the right thing to do," he said. "We're just happy to be in a situation to get guys in there, and if they all play good, that's better for us."
It's not always easy to pull off though. Fickell said he forgot to get starting weakside linebacker John Kerr in the game as much as planned against Texas. The Buckeyes played a nickel defense, with two linebackers, about 75 percent of the game, and James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman are typically the linebackers in that lineup.
But when the Buckeyes did use their base defense later, it was Homan's turn to cycle in, and Kerr was left out. Kerr and Homan are basically sharing that job now, but Fickell said it wasn't Kerr's performance that kept him on the sideline.
"It was really an oversight by me, and I apologized [to Kerr] for that," Fickell said. "In a big game, you're not always focused on someone in particular, you're focused on the game and the call, and it can slip your mind."
Davie on board:
ABC TV analyst Bob Davie, who was part of the broadcast team for Ohio State-Texas on Saturday, sees a national title game path for the Buckeyes.
"I don't think anyone expected Ohio State to dominate the way they did," Davie said Wednesday. "They are definitely the favorite I think [to win the national title]."
Davie listed Ohio State's toughest remaining opponents as Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State.
"Keep in mind, Iowa will be a completely different football team with Drew Tate back at quarterback and the game being played at Iowa," Davie said. "Bottom line, I think it will come down to Ohio State and Michigan."
Seen in 9.1 million households, Saturday's game was the most-watched regular season college football game since 1996.
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Ohio State doesn?t seem to run out of linebackers
BY DONNIE COLLINS
STAFF WRITER
09/14/2006
http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=2185&dept_id=416049&newsid=17194213
Goodbye A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter. Hello James Laurinaitis.
So much for the end of Ohio State?s run with dominant linebackers.
Honors flowed like a Sammy Davis Jr. song for the 6-foot-3, 244-pound sophomore this week, after setting a career high with 13 tackles, forcing two fumbles and intercepting a pass in the top-ranked Buckeyes? 24-7 thumping of No. 2 Texas on Saturday night.
He was named the Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America and earned the top defensive honor of the week in the Big Ten, too.
It wasn?t just the stats that carried Laurinaitis from virtual unknown to game-changer in 60 minutes. It was the big plays he made when the Buckeyes needed them most.
He forced a fumble that Ohio State recovered in the first quarter after Texas drove to the Buckeyes? 7, then his interception of Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy set up a third-quarter field goal.
?It was a dream come true kind of game,? Laurinaitis said. ?I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.?
It was a performance that took college football pundits by surprise. But Laurinaitis? coach was a bit less stunned.
The reason: His work ethic.
?He has a lot of pride in the tradition of linebackers at Ohio State, and he understands he?s got a lot more work to do to move in that direction,? Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said. ?He studies the film hard. He trains in the weight room hard.
?He knows the game. He?s a bright player.?
Ohio State doesn?t seem to run out of linebackers
BY DONNIE COLLINS
STAFF WRITER
09/14/2006
http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=2185&dept_id=416049&newsid=17194213
Goodbye A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter. Hello James Laurinaitis.
So much for the end of Ohio State?s run with dominant linebackers.
Honors flowed like a Sammy Davis Jr. song for the 6-foot-3, 244-pound sophomore this week, after setting a career high with 13 tackles, forcing two fumbles and intercepting a pass in the top-ranked Buckeyes? 24-7 thumping of No. 2 Texas on Saturday night.
He was named the Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America and earned the top defensive honor of the week in the Big Ten, too.
It wasn?t just the stats that carried Laurinaitis from virtual unknown to game-changer in 60 minutes. It was the big plays he made when the Buckeyes needed them most.
He forced a fumble that Ohio State recovered in the first quarter after Texas drove to the Buckeyes? 7, then his interception of Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy set up a third-quarter field goal.
?It was a dream come true kind of game,? Laurinaitis said. ?I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.?
It was a performance that took college football pundits by surprise. But Laurinaitis? coach was a bit less stunned.
The reason: His work ethic.
?He has a lot of pride in the tradition of linebackers at Ohio State, and he understands he?s got a lot more work to do to move in that direction,? Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said. ?He studies the film hard. He trains in the weight room hard.
?He knows the game. He?s a bright player.?
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OSUBuckeye4Life
"THE" Ohio State Buckeyes
osugrad21;606177; said:
Man I dont think ANYONE saw this coming in the offseason. Hopefully this is more a testiment to Terry's play and not Freeman's.
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I haven't broken down film on the linebackers or particular players or units like some on this site, so this is just my casual impression, but...
I think the word being used with Curtis, "Physical" is what is really starting to get him noticed. It's what I noticed about a few of his plays against Texas. Not that Marcus isn't able or can't be, but the thing I look for from someone (linebacker or safety) is to have 2 or 3 plays a game that put a little fear in the opposing team, like Big Kat used to do (Corby Jones), not just to the player he hits, but the guy's teammates who think "Oh shit! These guys are 'Big Boy Football!'"...Like Curtis' and Jay's hits on Mr. McCoy. We need a linebacker to consistantly bring the wood and unload on somebody a few plays a game so other teams lose a step while looking over their sholder hoping that they're not a Sports Center highlight (in a negetive way) waiting to happen.
Hopefully Marcus and company can start having more of those moments themselves, but if Curtis is adding that aspect to our D more than another guy (without completely foresaking his assignments and blowing plays while he's in there), then I definitely want him in there.
Glad to have an embarassment of riches at LB.
:osu:
I think the word being used with Curtis, "Physical" is what is really starting to get him noticed. It's what I noticed about a few of his plays against Texas. Not that Marcus isn't able or can't be, but the thing I look for from someone (linebacker or safety) is to have 2 or 3 plays a game that put a little fear in the opposing team, like Big Kat used to do (Corby Jones), not just to the player he hits, but the guy's teammates who think "Oh shit! These guys are 'Big Boy Football!'"...Like Curtis' and Jay's hits on Mr. McCoy. We need a linebacker to consistantly bring the wood and unload on somebody a few plays a game so other teams lose a step while looking over their sholder hoping that they're not a Sports Center highlight (in a negetive way) waiting to happen.
Hopefully Marcus and company can start having more of those moments themselves, but if Curtis is adding that aspect to our D more than another guy (without completely foresaking his assignments and blowing plays while he's in there), then I definitely want him in there.
Glad to have an embarassment of riches at LB.
:osu:
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akronbuck
Legend
bunch of great points and I know its been posted but, when a LB gets handle/blocked like a wimp that kills me. Curtis has that f-you attitude and thats what they need.
All these lbers have the talent but, they need that killer attitude and so far only one is showing that. Whose mommy looks great
All these lbers have the talent but, they need that killer attitude and so far only one is showing that. Whose mommy looks great
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Buckeye86
I do not choose to discuss it
Ozone
Football
Buckeyes Rushing to Improve Rush Defense This Season
By John Porentas
The Buckeye nation was aghast after the season-opener with Northern Illinois. Not because of the outcome of the game, but because Northern Illinois was able to roll up 173 net rushing yards against an OSU defense that in past seasons has given up rushing yards grudgingly.[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Luke Fickell
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Photo by Jim Davidson [/FONT]
"If you can't stop the run you're going to have a long day," said OSU linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell. "When you put all the emphasis on stopping the run and you don't stop the run it hurts even more."
"That's the thing we always talk the most about here is shutting down the run and having the ability to make at team one dimensional.
"That's probably what we haven't done and that's probably one of the big things that we're going to have to focus on. For us to be a good defense or even a great defense we know we have to shut down the run. It's something we always harp on but it's something we have to get a lot better at this year."
Last week against Texas, the Buckeyes were once again vulnerable to the run, allowing the Longhorns 172 net yards on the ground. If your cup is half full, that's an improvement of sorts, though one-less yard is hardly what most would call a dramatic improvement. Despite the minimal improvement in the numbers, Fickell says he saw improvement in his linebacking crops from week one to week two.
"We felt like we played better, got off of blocks better, pursued better," Fickell said.
Fickell sees improvement, but says there is still work to be done.
"We're not there yet. We missed maybe 13 tackles. There is some youth to it, there's some making the play to it, really to me it comes down to the fundamentals of making tackles when you have the opportunity," Fickell said.
The missed tackles rankle Fickell, though as in the case of the improvement he saw in pursuit angles and shedding blocks, Fickell saw some improvement in the tackling as well. According to Fickell, the Buckeyes probably missed more than 13 tackles against Northern Illinois.
"It may have been a few more," said Fickell of OSU's missed tackle count vs. Northern Illinois. "That's one thing that we always look towards and evaluate at the end of the game to see how many tackles we missed," said Fickell.
"Double-digits meant that you didn't have a good game, that's on the whole defense," Fickell said.
Fickell said that while the missed tackle count is disturbing, it is nothing new with young linebackers. The group of linebackers that just left Ohio State that included A. J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel had similar problems early in their careers as well. He recently reviewed a game from that group's junior season and saw a group that was not nearly as effective tackling as they were in their senior seasons.
"We watched Cincinnati from 2004 and there's a distinct difference you can see in those guys," said Fickell.
While Fickell definitely is not happy with the missed tackle number, he sees reason for hope for improvement.
"It comes down to personnel in almost everything we do," said Fickell."We have the personnel to do it. We just haven't come together as a whole unit yet," Fickell said.
Fickell likes the development he is seeing in his personnel, and that doesn't mean just the starters. Current backup Larry Grant has caught his eye of late including his play in the Texas game.
"When Larry was in there he did a very good job and he's had a very good week (this week)," said Fickell.
"He's a guy who is learning and getting better. You can say he's a junior, but he's only been here six months," Fickell said.
Another player who flashed for Fickell in the Texas game was Curtis Terry."Curtis did a great job. He only played 17 plays and I wish he would have played a lot more," Fickell said.
"We played a lot of nickel, so there wasn't as much of an opportunity for him to be in there because of the nickel stuff, but he's shown he can do some great stuff for us right now."
It will probably be a different story this week against Cincinnati whose offense probably won't dictate as much nickel defense. That will mean more time on the field for linebackers. Look for Terry to get a lot more than 17 plays against the Bearcats.
"Curtis always had the ability," said Fickell.
"He's just really starting to mature a lot more, starting to understand the game. There's no doubt that he can play. It's really about having an opportunity. Last year he didn't have an opportunity behind Bobby Carpenter or Anthony Schlegel or A. J. Hawk because we moved him around to every position. Really its about having the chance to play," Fickell said.
Fickell said that the verdict is still out on whether freshman linebackers Thaddeus Gibson and Tyler Moeller will redshirt, but there is still some possibility that one or both of those players will see action this season. Ross Homan, the freshman linebacker who enrolled last spring, has already played this year but had some injury problems in fall camp and is still adjusting to the college game.
"The spring really helped him out a lot, but the speed of the game is still new to him, and missing a little bit of camp hurt him but he's coming along," Fickell said.
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CONGERSBUCKEYE
Senior
I am a very big fan of the rotation system. Doesn't allow guys to feel like they have a lock on their position and keep working hard. There is not a significant drop off to whoever was in and believe in the fourth quarter it really benefits the TEAM. The depth on this team needs more discussion because I have never seen this much talent and depth ever at OSU
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OSUBuckeye4Life;606183; said:
As coxew noted above, I think it's a little of both. Terry looked impressive against Texas, whilst Freeman didn't seem to be in on many plays.
Terry, Laurinaitis, and Homan would be a nice LB trio...
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akronbuck
Legend
CONGERSBUCKEYE;606547; said:
ya, your right. ThERE Were 57 players in that texas/osu game and that was crazy. If the team has that much talent they all deserve a shot to play .
I hope recruits take this as a positive and a chance to show what they can do to get on the field
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CONGERSBUCKEYE
Senior
It is a huge luxury and most programs even some in the top 25 can not say it. Can ND or Michigan throw their second string line into their game this weekend? It is the best demonstration of Coaching/preparation, Recruitment and players desire/execution. I see it like Duke and NC and now OSU in basketball. Everyone one on the bench contributes and makes the overall team stronger. You work harder in practice when you get that game taste in your mouth. It is Awesome with a capital A. I think another telling sign of this is by Conley's remarks about Tressel and the direction of the program. He is taking it to another level and I as fan enjoy being spoiled to lose almost a record amount of players to the NFL and still seen as the team to beat. Go Bucks no letting down.
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