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Tom Archdeacon: Less oxygen, more catches for Buckeyes' 'Bubble Boy'
By Tom Archdeacon
Staff Writer
Friday, September 15, 2006
COLUMBUS ? If you think Ohio State's Anthony Gonzalez was breathing some rarefied air last Saturday night in Austin ? he had a game-altering eight catches for 142 yards and a score in what may be the most hyped, most watched showdown of the regular college football season ? you should be around him the rest of the time.
When it comes to exotic intake, the junior receiver is the "Bubble Boy" of Buckeye football. At least, that's what his cousin calls him.
Gonzalez spends up to 12 hours a day in the tent-like hypoxic chamber he's constructed around his bed. Sitting inside it, he kind of reminds you of a piece of cake you'd find in one of those see-through, air-tight containers on the counter of a diner.
He sleeps, studies, listens to music and writes e-mails on his laptop in the contraption.
The unit simulates low-oxygen conditions found at high altitude ? Columbus air, he said, has 22 percent oxygen while his tent has 15 ? and continually breathing the rarefied stuff raises his red blood-cell count and improves endurance.
Gonzalez said it works, and OSU cornerback Malcolm Jenkins tends to agree: "He never gets tired in games, so I guess it's working."
If statistics are proof, Gonzalez is about as good as they come in his studies and sports.
A philosophy major who one day hopes to attend Stanford Law School, he's had a 4.0 grade-point average every OSU quarter but one.
As for football, Gonzalez ? not Heisman Trophy hopeful Ted Ginn Jr. ? is leading the Bucks in pass catches with 12. Going into Saturday's game with Cincinnati, he has 195 receiving yards and two scores.
Too often opposing defensive coordinators view his balding presence the same way that New Orleans' critic did last year. In an e-mail sent to Gonzales, the guy dismissed him as "a slow white guy"... who's fat.
Except for the race, the guy's dead wrong.
The 195-pound Gonzalez has 4.3-second speed in the 40-yard dash, and in short bursts even coach Jim Tressel thinks he might be faster than Ginn.
While Texas put its primary focus on Ginn, helping Gonzalez, Tressel said savvy is what sets "Gonzo" apart:
"If someone asked me what he knows better than anyone else, it's when the quarterback is ready to throw.
"He understands timing. Is it a three-step drop? A five? Play action or bootleg? He knows how many people (the defense) is bringing because that has an impact. Gonzo does a great job of awareness. "
Gonzalez said it's simply the product of plenty of study, some of which occurs while he's Bubble Boy.
Once he heard how several Olympic-caliber athletes use the tents, he talked his dad into ponying up the $5,000.
"It works," Gonzalez said. "I'm gonna sleep in it forever. I've had no problems ..."
With a grin and a shrug, he then admitted to one:
"It was pretty weird. I was out to dinner, and this guy starts yelling at me, saying because the tent was expensive, I was taking money. I said, 'What's wrong with you? I didn't take money.' "
When that argument fizzled, the guy started another loud attack, Gonzalez said:
"It was uncomfortable. He thought someone had to be paying for me ? that I couldn't afford the place. I just said, 'Hey, I can handle this.' "
And why not.
He might be high altitude when he sleeps, but when he puts on a bib, the Bubble Boy is more down to earth.
The restaurant was Bob Evans.
Tom Archdeacon: Less oxygen, more catches for Buckeyes' 'Bubble Boy'
By Tom Archdeacon
Staff Writer
Friday, September 15, 2006
COLUMBUS ? If you think Ohio State's Anthony Gonzalez was breathing some rarefied air last Saturday night in Austin ? he had a game-altering eight catches for 142 yards and a score in what may be the most hyped, most watched showdown of the regular college football season ? you should be around him the rest of the time.
When it comes to exotic intake, the junior receiver is the "Bubble Boy" of Buckeye football. At least, that's what his cousin calls him.
Gonzalez spends up to 12 hours a day in the tent-like hypoxic chamber he's constructed around his bed. Sitting inside it, he kind of reminds you of a piece of cake you'd find in one of those see-through, air-tight containers on the counter of a diner.
He sleeps, studies, listens to music and writes e-mails on his laptop in the contraption.
The unit simulates low-oxygen conditions found at high altitude ? Columbus air, he said, has 22 percent oxygen while his tent has 15 ? and continually breathing the rarefied stuff raises his red blood-cell count and improves endurance.
Gonzalez said it works, and OSU cornerback Malcolm Jenkins tends to agree: "He never gets tired in games, so I guess it's working."
If statistics are proof, Gonzalez is about as good as they come in his studies and sports.
A philosophy major who one day hopes to attend Stanford Law School, he's had a 4.0 grade-point average every OSU quarter but one.
As for football, Gonzalez ? not Heisman Trophy hopeful Ted Ginn Jr. ? is leading the Bucks in pass catches with 12. Going into Saturday's game with Cincinnati, he has 195 receiving yards and two scores.
Too often opposing defensive coordinators view his balding presence the same way that New Orleans' critic did last year. In an e-mail sent to Gonzales, the guy dismissed him as "a slow white guy"... who's fat.
Except for the race, the guy's dead wrong.
The 195-pound Gonzalez has 4.3-second speed in the 40-yard dash, and in short bursts even coach Jim Tressel thinks he might be faster than Ginn.
While Texas put its primary focus on Ginn, helping Gonzalez, Tressel said savvy is what sets "Gonzo" apart:
"If someone asked me what he knows better than anyone else, it's when the quarterback is ready to throw.
"He understands timing. Is it a three-step drop? A five? Play action or bootleg? He knows how many people (the defense) is bringing because that has an impact. Gonzo does a great job of awareness. "
Gonzalez said it's simply the product of plenty of study, some of which occurs while he's Bubble Boy.
Once he heard how several Olympic-caliber athletes use the tents, he talked his dad into ponying up the $5,000.
"It works," Gonzalez said. "I'm gonna sleep in it forever. I've had no problems ..."
With a grin and a shrug, he then admitted to one:
"It was pretty weird. I was out to dinner, and this guy starts yelling at me, saying because the tent was expensive, I was taking money. I said, 'What's wrong with you? I didn't take money.' "
When that argument fizzled, the guy started another loud attack, Gonzalez said:
"It was uncomfortable. He thought someone had to be paying for me ? that I couldn't afford the place. I just said, 'Hey, I can handle this.' "
And why not.
He might be high altitude when he sleeps, but when he puts on a bib, the Bubble Boy is more down to earth.
The restaurant was Bob Evans.
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Enquirer
Gonzalez good to have on your side - just ask offense
BY DUSTIN DOW | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
COLUMBUS - Three days into practice, and Anthony Gonzalezknew something had to change.
It was three years ago, and the redshirt freshman from Cleveland had come to Ohio State because coach Jim Tressel told him he'd have a good chance at playing defensive back. But it clearly wasn't working out.
"I walked in and told Coach Tressel, 'I think I need to play offense. I'm not any good at this.' " Gonzalez, now a junior, said Tuesday.
The switch was made and, three seasons later, Gonzalez has turned himself into one of Ohio State's foremost offensive players - right alongside fellow wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and quarterback Troy Smith.
But don't expect to hear much boasting from Gonzalez. Despite catching a career-high eight passes, one for a touchdown, in No. 1 Ohio State's win last week at then-No. 2 Texas, he doesn't plan to get any extra attention Saturday when the Buckeyes host Cincinnati at Ohio Stadium.
"If I'm a defensive coach and I'm thinking of players to stop on Ohio State, I wouldn't put myself very high on that list," Gonzalez said.
"We'll see this week, but I really don't think so. Look at the other weapons on our team. It would be hard to convince me I'd be up there."
Gonzalez' statistics suggest otherwise. Though Ginn and Smith are Heisman Trophy candidates, Gonzalez leads the team with 12 receptions (16 shy of his total last season). He's averaging 97.5 receiving yards and 110.5 total yards per game and has two touchdowns. Against Texas, he had eight catches and scored OSU's first touchdown, taking advantage of the Longhorns' focus on Ginn.
"When he gets moving, it's like a cheetah running," said UC coach Mark Dantonio, who was an Ohio State assistant during Gonzalez's first year at OSU. "They've got some other guys who can run as well. But Gonzalez, you really can't double up on Ted too much because they're going to go to Gonzalez as well. He's an emerging star."
Gonzalez is known for his studious game preparation, so Tressel wasn't surprised the receiver realized how to exploit the Texas defense.
"If someone would ask me what's the thing that he knows maybe better than anyone else, he knows when the quarterback is ready to throw it," Tressel said. "He understands the timing of, is it a three-step drop, is it a five-step drop, is it a play-action, is it a bootleg. How many people are they bringing? Because that has impact on when the quarterback has to throw. He does a great job of his awareness."
Gonzalez, who grew up a Michigan fan before converting to a Buckeye, wouldn't have been able to make such offensive reads coming out of high school. But things changed quickly for him after graduating from Cleveland St. Ignatius to the pressure of Division I college football.
The son of Cuban immigrants - Eduardo, a former Elder High School football player, and Jenna, a UC graduate - Gonzalez intensely seeks any edge he can get. He sleeps in an oxygen-reducing tent to improve his endurance, and he scrupulously breaks down opposing defenses on video tape so that he not only knows how to outmaneuver a defensive back, but he also is aware of what Smith is dealing with at quarterback as well.
"It was something I didn't take up until I got here," Gonzalez said. "High school, you're just playing. In college, a lot of times it's difficult to figure out what the defense is doing unless you study it."
Knowledgeable as he is, Gonzalez expects to see a defensive scheme from Cincinnati similar to that used by Northern Illinois in Week 1 but with more zone blitzes.
But if the first two weeks indicate anything, Gonzalez will find a way to get open.
GONZALEZ'S STATS
Buckeyes wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez is on pace to catch 72 passes this regular season, smashing his career high of 28 in 2005.
Gonzalez good to have on your side - just ask offense
BY DUSTIN DOW | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
COLUMBUS - Three days into practice, and Anthony Gonzalezknew something had to change.
It was three years ago, and the redshirt freshman from Cleveland had come to Ohio State because coach Jim Tressel told him he'd have a good chance at playing defensive back. But it clearly wasn't working out.
"I walked in and told Coach Tressel, 'I think I need to play offense. I'm not any good at this.' " Gonzalez, now a junior, said Tuesday.
The switch was made and, three seasons later, Gonzalez has turned himself into one of Ohio State's foremost offensive players - right alongside fellow wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and quarterback Troy Smith.
But don't expect to hear much boasting from Gonzalez. Despite catching a career-high eight passes, one for a touchdown, in No. 1 Ohio State's win last week at then-No. 2 Texas, he doesn't plan to get any extra attention Saturday when the Buckeyes host Cincinnati at Ohio Stadium.
"If I'm a defensive coach and I'm thinking of players to stop on Ohio State, I wouldn't put myself very high on that list," Gonzalez said.
"We'll see this week, but I really don't think so. Look at the other weapons on our team. It would be hard to convince me I'd be up there."
Gonzalez' statistics suggest otherwise. Though Ginn and Smith are Heisman Trophy candidates, Gonzalez leads the team with 12 receptions (16 shy of his total last season). He's averaging 97.5 receiving yards and 110.5 total yards per game and has two touchdowns. Against Texas, he had eight catches and scored OSU's first touchdown, taking advantage of the Longhorns' focus on Ginn.
"When he gets moving, it's like a cheetah running," said UC coach Mark Dantonio, who was an Ohio State assistant during Gonzalez's first year at OSU. "They've got some other guys who can run as well. But Gonzalez, you really can't double up on Ted too much because they're going to go to Gonzalez as well. He's an emerging star."
Gonzalez is known for his studious game preparation, so Tressel wasn't surprised the receiver realized how to exploit the Texas defense.
"If someone would ask me what's the thing that he knows maybe better than anyone else, he knows when the quarterback is ready to throw it," Tressel said. "He understands the timing of, is it a three-step drop, is it a five-step drop, is it a play-action, is it a bootleg. How many people are they bringing? Because that has impact on when the quarterback has to throw. He does a great job of his awareness."
Gonzalez, who grew up a Michigan fan before converting to a Buckeye, wouldn't have been able to make such offensive reads coming out of high school. But things changed quickly for him after graduating from Cleveland St. Ignatius to the pressure of Division I college football.
The son of Cuban immigrants - Eduardo, a former Elder High School football player, and Jenna, a UC graduate - Gonzalez intensely seeks any edge he can get. He sleeps in an oxygen-reducing tent to improve his endurance, and he scrupulously breaks down opposing defenses on video tape so that he not only knows how to outmaneuver a defensive back, but he also is aware of what Smith is dealing with at quarterback as well.
"It was something I didn't take up until I got here," Gonzalez said. "High school, you're just playing. In college, a lot of times it's difficult to figure out what the defense is doing unless you study it."
Knowledgeable as he is, Gonzalez expects to see a defensive scheme from Cincinnati similar to that used by Northern Illinois in Week 1 but with more zone blitzes.
But if the first two weeks indicate anything, Gonzalez will find a way to get open.
GONZALEZ'S STATS
Buckeyes wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez is on pace to catch 72 passes this regular season, smashing his career high of 28 in 2005.
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Im glad you put Gonzo's stats up at the top, he deserves it. To me he is just as good a reciever as Ginn, (not taking anything away from Ted). He just is a different style of receiver.
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txbuckeye1983
We are the innovators, they are the imitators
I'm glad the rest of America finally knows about Gonzo.
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OhioState49
Hall of Fame
hahaha! i didn't know he was cuban until i read that article on him from the tent bed last week!
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John F Kennedy;616717; said:
It will be interesting to see if Kirk Ferentz handles his own Cuban Missile Crisis the way that you did. Probably not, as he has no weapons of his own with which to force Tressel to withdraw his Missile from Kinnick's End Zones.
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.
.
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(Get your mind out of the gutter. I didn't mean it that way.)
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