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2006 Notes (and Babb's comparison to 2002 defense) merged

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korchiki said:
have they ever considered using Haw as a KR...just a thought...his speed is supposed to be incredible
Click to expand...

Just a thought and not a bad one.
With Holmes likely taking his pro style routes and return duties to the pro leagues I think we can count on seeing someone new hauling in those kicks.

Haw would likely be a dynamite choice.
 
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There are several key questions that Ohio State has to answer next season, such as:
1). Can Ginn take his game to the next level? We all know that he has the ability to make spectacular plays, but the key here is consistency. We need to be able to count on him to be a constant force that Holmes has been for the past couple of seasons.
2). Can we get a couple of young guys to emerge from the DL? To compete in the B10 you ultimately have to play great run defense. If Lawrence Wilson gets stronger in the offseason I believe that he has a chance to emerge as a starter next season with the amount of pt that he has gotten. Next we just need either Cotton and/or Abdallah to become a force up the middle.

Young guys that need to step up next season off the top of my head: O'Neil, Laurinaitis (although I don't know if you can still call him a young player after playing through a game against U of M), Lawrence Wilson, Alex Boone, Dukes/Lyons. If those guys have productive seasons, you are looking at a hell of season.
 
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The thing that sticks out in my mind is the fact that every EVEN year we get optomistic about our seasons and a possible run at a N/C. Then win the ODD years come drifting in, we seem to become abit pestomistic.

I wonder how many times we won a national championship, when we had to go up to the team up north. By my calculations the percentage is quite low. I think the year of 57 we won an N/C against Oregon but the rest of the calculations was in favor of the even years(42, 54, 68. 02).

The year of 2005 may have been a 1st had we beat Texas and PennSt. In 79 we had an excellent chance to win a national championship. That year we beat Michigan in the big house but we lost to SoCal in the Rosebowl.

The point i make here is that when we don't have to go to Michigan we seem to look for a run of the Roses. Or a trip to another National Championship.
 
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I can't believe I'm on page 6 of this thread and still haven't seen any mention of two potentially HUGE stars. Amos at CB next year is a very real possibility. He'll either start or be the nickelback, and he's turned heads all year in practice.

Brian Hartline at WR is another. As much as you may think it sucks to lose Holmes, that cupboard could not get any more full of talent than it is now. We have Beanie Wells coming in, and Dukes, Lyons, Hartline, and Robiskie to back up Gonzo and Ginn. Cordle is a stud on the OL. The Defensive line will be better next year than it was this year, with Worthington and Pitcock. I'll also mention another surprise to be, who has only been mentioned once that I've seen - Nader Abdallah. Yeah, he'll do ok as well.

The secondary will be strong. We have *enough* experience on this team to make a legitimate run. Remember, our starting QB will be a senior, and everyone knows that he is an excellent leader. Pitcock and Youbouty have plenty of experience, and will likely be captains, depending on whether Whitner stays or goes. Whether we make that run or not depends on the coaching. Every year we've been excited about the next year's offense, and every year we've been pissed at the offensive production in the first half of the season. If this team starts out in 2006 as they have the last four years, then we'll drop at least two games. If we come out firing, it could be one hell of a ride.
 
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Interesting (to say the least) take on the 2006 defense. Babb is changing positions all over the place in an attempt to re-create 2002. Somehow I do not see this happening...

Babb Bits: Can The 2006 Defense Rival 2002?
By Charles Babb
Date: Dec 4, 2005

When looking ahead to 2006, many fans feel like the defense will be a question mark due to all the key players that need to be replaced. But is the potential there for a unit that will be similar to 2002?

Recreating a Defense
 As promised, at the risk of embarrassing myself, the following is a position by position description of how one might re-create the dominance of the 2002 defense.
Defensive Tackles
 What made the trio of Tim Anderson, Kenny Peterson, and David Thompson so dominant? Anderson understood leverage and hustled on every play. It wasn’t unusual to see him making a tackle near the sideline. Peterson was a converted defensive end; his quickness upset the apple cart inside where guards and centers were unused to his speed. Thompson was just a large human being determined to get in the backfield after languishing on the bench.
The three who meet these criteria on next year’s squad are David Patterson, Quinn Pitcock, and Sian Cotton. Pitcock plays the dirty role inside – not dirty as in cheating but dirty as in thankless. His job in the Buckeye defense is to take on blockers, and he frequently is double teamed freeing others to make the play. Patterson, a starter at defensive end in 2005, lacks the long arms to play the position well. Tackles get their mitts on him, and by his own admission he sometimes can’t see the quarterback. Further, tackles are used to players who are actually faster and quicker; handling Patterson is not all that tough of a chore with only his bulk creating a problem. If Patterson is moved inside however, the guards and center are not used to that level of quickness. He is able to pinball around and slip through to pressure the quarterback.
My key reserve for this position is one of two players. I would prefer Cotton if he can put it together mentally. No player at Ohio State other than perhaps Ted Ginn has more talent at their respective position than Cotton. He is a mammoth at 6’4”, 315, and he can carry that weight without an inch of fat. He has the potential to be as disruptive as any tackle the Buckeyes have had since ‘Big Daddy’ Wilkinson. He has first round talent, but the only question is – does he want it bad enough to work? My second choice would be Alex Barrow. He has solid quickness for the outside, but unusual speed if dropped inside – along with arms long enough to ruin the day of any offensive coordinator. Coaches spoke with him before he even arrived on campus about the possibility of playing inside with his frame so this would be no stretch.
Defensive Ends
 What defines a great player on the edge?
If you had to pick the best Buckeye defensive ends not just from 2002 but from 2001 until now, who would they be? In order I would take: (1) Will Smith (2) Bobby Carpenter (3a) Mike Kudla (3b) Darrion Scott. Each was fast enough to change the offense. Instead of having enough time to throw a deep pass, quarterbacks were forced to drop the ball off on short patterns, i.e., in the national championship game against Miami, there were no 40-yard bombs. Ken Dorsey lacked the time and had to dump it off to Kellen Winslow, Jr. early and often. This is in direct contrast to what happened against Minnesota when Cupito had all day to sit in the pocket and Youboty was hung out to dry.
Does anyone else notice the similarities in those four names?
Three of the four best pressure defensive ends for Ohio State in the past five seasons were not defensive ends when they arrived in Columbus. They were large linebackers. Their quickness allowed them to add 15-25 lbs of bulk and drop down. They did not need blitzing linebackers to free them and forced teams to go to maximum protect formations. Not only that, but frequently they came free anyway – especially if even one linebacker or defensive back was sent on a blitz. This impacts everything from negative yardage plays to turnovers; it’s easier to pile up interceptions when the quarterback is rushed to throw downfield where his players are outnumbered 7 to 3 instead of 6 to 4.
The question in my mind therefore is who on the Ohio State roster has the potential to spend the offseason becoming a speed/rush defensive end and a starter in 2006?
The names I can come up with based on body type alone are Chad Hoobler, James Laurinaitis, Austin Spitler, Mike D’Andrea, and Marcus Freeman.
Freeman appears to be a starter at OLB and may be too valuable to drop down. Add to that his height/wingspan would likely land him in the same situation as that of Patterson; it’s tough to get away from a 6’6” tackle once he gets his hands on you. Mike D’Andrea, my first choice for this role, is oft injured and adding 20 lbs to a player who has trouble staying healthy to begin with is normally not a bright idea.
Laurinaitis played a good deal this season, so I’m guessing he might be too critical to move as well. He may be the heir apparent to Hawk’s slot. Spitler has the look of a linebacker or fullback, not a defensive end. That leaves Chad Hoobler. He is not critical at middle linebacker with both D’Andrea and Jon Kerr looking to start before he sees the field, and he has the size, wingspan, and quickness to repeat what Carpenter, Scott, and Kudla have done before him. Clearly it would all depend on how well he can fight off an offensive tackle and if he takes solid angles to the backfield, but I would at least give it a shot starting now. Dropped into the mix with Lawrence Wilson, Vernon Gholston, Jay Richardson, Ryan Williams, and Doug Worthington, Hoobler might become a difference maker as a rush defensive end.
If there are no current players on the roster who can fill this role, then I would recruit several. Of the linebacker class in 2002, two of the five have ended up standouts at other positions (White and Kudla) and a third may be most at home with a hand down in the pro ranks (Carpenter).
Linebackers
 This is where the Buckeyes will take the largest hit in 2006. No other position will lose this amount of talent, and it can be argued that we will see a significant drop off in the level of play.
Again I ask – why was the 2002 unit so good?
It started in the middle. The best linebacker for Ohio State that year was All American Matt Wilhelm. When an offense has to face an All American up the middle, they learn quickly there are few yards to be found inside. Their next step therefore is to scheme plays that stretch the defense to the outside. In 2002, those outside spots were manned by a linebacker with solid speed (Reynolds) and one with outstanding speed in Cie Grant. Grant in particular changed the field with his defensive back quicks and ability to rush the quarterback successfully (ask Ken Dorsey about that one if you have doubts).
The most athletic linebacker is Mike D’Andrea. He likely is the starter in the middle if he gets healthy. He could put it together in his senior seasons to force teams outside. Marcus Freeman has played well enough that he will take over for Carpenter without a significant loss. The question (and drop-off) is found in the position currently manned by Hawk.
Clearly you don’t simply replace a guy like Hawk. Hawk is both fast and smart; he is always around the football. He is possibly one of the top three linebackers to ever play at Ohio State, and that is saying a great deal considering the tradition at the position. The only answers are to accept a lesser player at the position in 2006 – or to find a player with something else to bring to the table, i.e., it is unlikely the Buckeyes have a player on the roster who is the ‘next A.J. Hawk’, but they might have someone who could be the next Cie Grant.
Enter Brandon Mitchell. Here is a young man who is playing at 205 but is 6-3. He could add 15 lbs easily to play at the same weight as Grant. He has similar speed, and he loves to hit. Also like Grant, 2006 will be his final season; he will want to excel in order to have the best shot at reaching the next level. Depth at safety is sufficient that he would not be missed so long as Donte Whitner stays for his senior year and the young pups like Jamario O’Neal, Anderson Russell, and Donald Washington continue to develop.
If the coaching staff deems Mitchell too important or Whitner exits early, Curt Lukens and Nick Patterson are two who are not currently seeing the field that could have a shot at playing time if they master the linebacker position. Their speed would help the defense from east to west and even north to south – allowing coaches freedom with schemes to confuse a quarterback and notch turnovers and negative yardage plays.
Defensive Secondary
 The starters here are fairly easy to pick out barring early NFL exits. Whitner will play strong safety and give quarterbacks nightmares. Malcolm Jenkins will continue to use his blazing speed and developing ball skills to shut down passes to the outside. Youboty might not be Shawn Springs, but he projects to be every bit as good as Dustin Fox as a senior – if not better. The final position is free safety. Assuming Mitchell is now at linebacker, the perfect fit would appear to be someone who is rangy, who likes to hit, and has speed. Who on the roster does that describe? How about Jamario O’Neal? For nickel back, it is tough to find a player with the skills of a Will Allen. He could cover as well as support run defense with wicked blows. With a number of young players who are redshirting it is difficult to project with any accuracy, but I would go with a young cornerback like Andre Amos, incoming freshman Kurt Coleman, or perhaps A.J. Wallace if the Buckeyes land him.
This would leave the starting unit with two key reserves as follows:
DT
 Quinn Pitcock
David Patterson
(R) Sian Cotton OR Alex Barrow
DE
 Lawrence Wilson
Chad Hoobler
LB
 Brandon Mitchell
Mike D’Andrea (or Kerr)
Marcus Freeman
DB
 Ashton Youboty
Jenkins
Whitner
O’Neal
(NB) Amos or Coleman
This defense might make up for its losses with the addition of better overall speed, added size inside, and a ball-hawking secondary. They might leave the opposition to marvel in their wake – just as they did in 2002.
“We knew they were fast but not that fast…”
Click to expand...
 
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tg on defense

i am sure nobody has forgotten but tg WAS the highschool defensive player of the year. any chance at all that starting his junior year and adding hopefully a few pounds we see him ala gamble playing on both sides of the ball. i just dont see it unless he can bulk up a bit but what do you think.
 
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Okay...this guy says freeman will take over for carpenter without a sig. loss. Cut me a break. The LB situation will not be what it was in 2002. D'Andrea is no Matt Wilhelm...doesn't have that experience and isn't near as smart. Carpenter can not be equally replaced. But at least he got one thing right, the biggest loss will be Hawk.
 
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Babb is really leaving Youboty out to dry in his comparisons, Ashton was playing injured for half the season.

For anyone that has recorded the games, watch the blocked punt against MSU again. Ashton lands awkwardly on the block, and is clearly favoring his left leg/hip on the TD return. ABC shows a shot of Youboty being helped off the field right after John L.'s meltdown in the interview with Jack Arute, and Ashton really wasn't the same CB the rest of the season.
 
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babb has other non-sensical articles... so this one isn't that surprising. We can be very solid next year, but you don't lose hawk, carp, schlegs, kudla, green, salley and suddenly become worthy of comparison to the world-stopping D of 02.
 
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