2006 Running Backs Discussion

[BearBuck27]

I don't agree with that one. If Mo Wells goes four years averaging 3.3 ypc, you may have a point, but I think it's very premature to label the kid a soft runner based only on very limited duty as a true freshman. I think it's very likely he's going to be a much more potent weapon in the offense this year, and for the following two years.

I agree. I can't stand the Haw groupies over on BN that do nothing but bash MoWells for not blowing up as a true frosh while playing behind a 1,300 yrd. rusher.

 

[jwinslow]

Running styles, do you agree?

Haw - Like Edge James, slides under the tackles to get 2 more yards.
Pittman - Never seen before, turns his back when he's about to get tackled.
C Wells - Like Clarett, a lot of stiff arms.
M Wells - Like L Ross, gets tackled at first contact.

Haw runs nothing like Edge imo... I have no idea why he's in the discussion, tho.

CWells carried the ball from his own goalline a few times during the jersey scrimmage. Each play he took the handoff, took a step or two, stopped, waited and then exploded through the hole. Those plays reminded me a lot of edge, patience & vision followed by hitting the hole.

Pitman turns his back before contact? Since when?

Maurice Wells is not similar to lydell at ALL, other than doing a little too much dancing before the hole. He has brilliant open field moves, but was used on telegraphed runs up the gut last year. Far too early to judge his abilities.

 

[RhodeIslandBuck]

I think we should move Mo Wells to the slot a couple times this season so he can showcase his skill in the open field.

 

[daddyphatsacs]

Running styles, do you agree?

Haw - Like Edge James, slides under the tackles to get 2 more yards.
Pittman - Never seen before, turns his back when he's about to get tackled.
C Wells - Like Clarett, a lot of stiff arms.
M Wells - Like L Ross, gets tackled at first contact.

I liked Haw behind C Wells for running style. But Pittman was incredibly productive.

I think it's too early to judge Wells, and I'm not sure how bringing up Haw adds anything to this conversation. He, and his running style are a moot point as I see it. M. Wells was a froshy last season, you cannot judge a tailback by his freshman campaign. If that was the case, Eddie George would have been considered worthless. Obviously we all know how Eddie turned out. Wells began to show a lot of expolsion late in the season last year. This will continue as he gets more comfortable with the offense, and he plays faster (which really became apparant late in the season).

 

[lvbuckeye]

I think we should move Mo Wells to the slot a couple times this season so he can showcase his skill in the open field.

i read somewhere during the spring that they were lining him up as a wingback in the 'shot-Ginn.' that should open things up a bit for him...

 

[Best Buckeye]

backs

It will be interesting to see if Beany can move up to backup by the end of fall practice. No way do you supplant a guy who got 1300 plus yards, running forwards or backwards. Can Mo build up the strentgh and improve his knowledge to stay ahead of Beany? Will Beany be able to learn the offense and improve enough in the scheme and his blocking?
If Beany does not then does he red shirt? Are we forgetting the fullbacks in the short yardage scheme of things?

We only have to wait 16 lifetimes to find out haha.

 

[daddyphatsacs]

If Beany does not then does he red shirt? Are we forgetting the fullbacks in the short yardage scheme of things?

Beanie will not redshirt this season, he's too skilled. They'll find a way to get him on the field. I think that our fullbacks will see action via the pass, I don't envision them running the ball often.

 

[ZachDumas]

Haw's style

Haw runs nothing like Edge imo... I have no idea why he's in the discussion, tho.

CWells carried the ball from his own goalline a few times during the jersey scrimmage. Each play he took the handoff, took a step or two, stopped, waited and then exploded through the hole. Those plays reminded me a lot of edge, patience & vision followed by hitting the hole.

Pitman turns his back before contact? Since when?

Maurice Wells is not similar to lydell at ALL, other than doing a little too much dancing before the hole. He has brilliant open field moves, but was used on telegraphed runs up the gut last year. Far too early to judge his abilities.

Haw runs just like Edge. It is really pretty uncanny. Good pick up by whoever pointed that out.

 

[cincibuck]

This morning's (Friday, 08-17) Enquirer ran a piece on Pittman stressing that only Archie had more yards as a sophomore in school history. Then quoted Bollman as being firmly in Pittman's camp. Made me wish I hadn't bet my v-cash that Wells would be the spotlight back by the end of game four.

 

[Zurp]

This morning's (Friday, 08-17) Enquirer ran a piece on Pittman stressing that only Archie had more yards as a sophomore in school history. Then quoted Bollman as being firmly in Pittman's camp. Made me wish I hadn't bet my v-cash that Wells would be the spotlight back by the end of game four.

That reminds me.. I've got some more vCash now that I need to go put on Pittman. I think I'm up over $150k on that one.

Edit: Crap - nevermind. That bet closed on August 1.

 

[matcar]

Haw runs just like Edge. It is really pretty uncanny. Good pick up by whoever pointed that out.

Comical commentary. We've seen him run, what 30 plays in game situations and another 30 in practice and he runs like E James? Hmmmm.

Having said that, best of luck to Haw, I hope that he turns out to be a good one. But I'll take our current stable anyday.

 

[Best Buckeye]

backs

some people hope so much for a greaT recruit the sound like Randy and his Qbacks hahahahaha

 

[osugrad21]

Link

[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]Stop dips into Wells, stick with Pittman [/FONT][/FONT]


[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]Sunday, September 17, 2006[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]Bud Shaw[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]Plain Dealer Columnist [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Columbus [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] -- Ohio State's time share at running back gives Antonio Pittman half-ownership after a season that would leave any running back expecting a welcome mat inscribed with the family name and balloons tied to the mailbox. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] The math in coach Jim Tressel's 50-25-25 deal adds up. It's the proportions that don't compute, not when Pittman's 1,331 yards in 2005 rank second all-time among OSU sophomores, behind Archie Griffin. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]One look at Chris Wells, everybody's Parade All-American from Akron Garfield, and you imagine tacklers with busted face masks and the voice of John Facenda booming from on high. But involving a third party, sophomore Maurice Wells, must be Tressel's idea of keeping defenses guessing, because any other way you view it amounts to squatter's rights. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Pittman ran 16 times Saturday for 155 yards, providing some semblance of consistency to an offense suffering a Texas-sized hangover. He was a grinder early and a sprinter later, going around end for a 48-yard touchdown in a 37-7 win over Cincinnati. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] "After that first quarter, Antonio did a good job of making some things happen for us," Tressel said. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Pittman's work over the past two seasons should give him control of the lock box, and Saturday suggested it will be sooner than later. There's no quicker way to a coach's good side than delivering the big roundhouse punch while attending to all the details of good footwork. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] "You can keep him in the game in all situations," offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said. "He's speedy. He can be elusive. He's a very good pass blocker, especially for his size." [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Pittman's game-winning touchdown against Michigan and 60-yard score that knocked the wind out of Notre Dame have given him credibility as a closer. Saturday's run didn't quite belong in the same category, though it did come in the fourth quarter at a time when OSU's lead was only 20-7. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] His earlier production in moving the chains was just as valuable.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] "I've been telling you all along the spark Antonio provides for the offense," said quarterback Troy Smith, who twice found Ted Ginn Jr. for touchdowns. "It's all kinds of unsung heroes within any football team. That's why I talk all the time about the offensive line, and that's why I've been talking about Antonio Pittman from the start." [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Going along with the program since returning from last season hasn't hurt Pittman, who two years ago mentioned himself in the company of Clinton Portis, but has since been Tressel-ized. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] "Having competition makes the team better," Pittman said Saturday. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]The closest he's come to suggesting he wants full-time status was this week when someone asked if he preferred carry after carry to possibly staying fresher later in the season. Given the choice, he said, "I'd like to be worn out." [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] Pittman isn't big at 5-11, 195, making Chris Wells an especially good complement. But Pittman's experience and his ability to turn the corner demand his 50 percent increase. On a team with Ginn Jr. and receiver Anthony Gonzalez, Pittman's speed is underrated. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] The last time he showed up later than expected was the first day of spring practice in 2004, when he got lost on the campus bus system. When he finally showed up with five minutes left in practice, the coaches made him run. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] "A lot," he said Saturday. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] As for this season, he's not running enough. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif]To reach Bud Shaw: [/FONT][/FONT]

 

[Buckeye86]

[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] -- Ohio State's time share at running back gives Antonio Pittman half-ownership after a season that would leave any running back expecting a welcome mat inscribed with the family name and balloons tied to the mailbox. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif] The math in coach Jim Tressel's 50-25-25 deal adds up. It's the proportions that don't compute, not when Pittman's 1,331 yards in 2005 rank second all-time among OSU sophomores, behind Archie Griffin. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,sans-serif][FONT=arial,sans-serif][/FONT][/FONT]

I disagree with the insinuation that Pittman is getting shorted somehow with the running back rotation. Pittman put up his numbers yesterday (which were outstanding) and got a break. With Wells and Wells giving him spells early in the year, when the grind of the Big 10 is in full swing Pittman is going to be fresh and gashing defenses for big time yards when we need him the most.

 

[Onebuckfan]

I disagree with the insinuation that Pittman is getting shorted somehow with the running back rotation. Pittman put up his numbers yesterday (which were outstanding) and got a break. With Wells and Wells giving him spells early in the year, when the grind of the Big 10 is in full swing Pittman is going to be fresh and gashing defenses for big time yards when we need him the most.

I agree totally. If a game is on the line late Pittman willbe in there and be fresh. God for bid Pittman gets hurt, I wouldn't want Beanies first meaningful carry to be late in a close Iowa GAME.