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2006 Spring Practice/Game Thread

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With all due respect to hard work and over acheiving, this is OHIO STATE and no matter how you want to color it, its NOT good when a walk on is listed as a starter in the secondary.

An old adage says that the further from the line of scrimage your position plays the easier it is for youth to play the position. Im sorry but when I read that a former walk on has beat out SCHOLARSHIP players Im GRAVELY concerned about the secondary.

Im not meaning this to come across as a slam on anyone except that you have to question the recruiting if a SENIOR walk on is better than anyone recruited in the last 3 recruiting classes especially given the number of DB's OSU has recruited over that period of time. You shouldnt miss, that bad.
Click to expand...

I respect your opinion, but I do not think the situation is that OSU missed on recruiting. I believe it is more of an experienced kid who has made it hard for the staff to not give him a chance. I am not concerned at all, I tend to look at this as a very positive thing, I know the guys we have recruited the last few years in the secondary can play and are talented and to have a former walk-on outshine all the other players, well....its a great situation in my opinion.

Just because a kid is a walk-on does not mean he could not play or start elsewhere, maybe he just wanted to be a Buckeye and decided to take his chances or maybe he is a late bloomer who has developed at this stage into a great player.

I don't believe in sterotyping a kid just because he was a walk-on.
 
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Antonio Smith walked on at Ohio State with an academic scholarship. He's a mechanical engineering major who has been a Buckeye for four seasons, along the way establishing himself as a special teams demon in three seasons on the field.
Click to expand...

To add, brains can make up for a lot of physical issues. If you are at the right spot at the right time you do not have to worry about making up ground.
 
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I agree 100% with the late bloomer/hard worker argument...there have clearly been many walk-ons who have achieved stardom in the past.

Regardless of that, Antonio may have been a scholarship quality player out of high-school, but didn't receive an offer from tOSU because of "perceived" depth at the DB position. Shit look how many MAC players end up in the NFL, even at skill positions...i'm sure none received Big Ten offers.

In addition, I thought i remember reading that Antonio received a full ride based on academics (could be wrong) so a FB scholarship wasn't needed? maybe that is why he wasn't offered, and why he chose to attend his dream school instead of the schools which offered?

anyone know what offers he had out of HS?
 
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I have to agree with 21 and BK here. There are a lot of "flops" in the recruiting game (four or five star recruits who do nothing in college), and there are many surprises - AJ Hawk is a good example. Remember his recruiting class? He was the LEAST touted LB in his class, and only a three star recruit, but look how he did. Just because this kid hadn't quite blossomed by the time of his High School recruitment doesn't mean he doesn't have talent. I'll trust our coaches...and I'm still saying Andre Amos will be the brightest surprise of 2006.
 
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Wasn't the great Terry Glenn a walk-on? IIRC, he was. Regardless, I don't think it's a recruiting issue...it's just that every once in a great while you really find a kid who will work his butt off and practice like crazy to come from nothing to something. You think every NFL pro-bowler was a 4 or 5 star recruit? Forget about it.
 
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Nebraska carved out a nice little place in CFB history with walk ons. The Nebraska offensive line in particular was regularly stocked with walk on players who became All Americans.

Like grad said, Ohio State has two of the better secondary coaches in the nation. Enough said, IMO.
 
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www.theozone.net



Football
Competition at Safety Yielding Surprises This Spring
By John Porentas
The Ohio State defensive secondary has been gutted like a lake Erie walleye that found its way onto a hook and into an ice cooler.
That's what it looks like from the outside looking in anyway. The Buckeyes lost both starting safeties (Nate Salley and Donte Whitner) and both starting corners (Ashton Youboty and Tyler Everett) from the 2005 squad. When the Notre Dame game ended, panic began to set in among the Buckeye faithful when they started thinking about the secondary in 2006. That's the public, but fifth-year senior Brandon Mitchell, who saw considerable playing time last year as both a safety and a nickel back, says he isn't worried a bit.​
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=100 align=left><CAPTION align=bottom>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Brandon Mitchell [/FONT]</CAPTION><TBODY><TR><TD>
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"Definitely not," said Mitchell.
"Just because the media or people outside the program hadn't seen the people that we have coming in on the field doesn't mean that they're not good players. They're very good players that have stepped up and they're ready to play as you could see at the jersey scrimmage," Mitchell said.
Mitchell may be onto something. The Buckeye secondary did hold up admirably in the jersey scrimmage while playing against one of the best receiver corps in the U.S. They also practice against the group on a regular basis, and according to safeties coach Paul Haynes, that's a plus.
"I think it only helps," said Haynes.​
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=100 align=right><CAPTION align=bottom>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Paul Haynes [/FONT]</CAPTION><TBODY><TR><TD>
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"We've got probably one of the best receiving corps in the country, to they're seeing them every day in practice. If they can do it against these guys, they can do it against anybody," Haynes said.
The Buckeyes lost four starters, but do return some experience, notably at safety where Mitchell is back for his fifth season and Jamario O'Neal will be back for his sophomore season after seeing considerable playing time as a nickel back and safety last season.
"A big thing about Jamario that has been a very big positive is his attention to detail," said Haynes.
"He's been playing 'right'. That was kind of his problem before. He was playing fast but he would be in the wrong spot, or he'd be playing three-deep and we'd be playing a different defense. Right now this spring he's playing 'right','" said Haynes.​
<TABLE height=5 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=100 align=left><CAPTION align=bottom>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jamario O'Neal[/FONT] </CAPTION><TBODY><TR><TD height=178>
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According to Haynes, it isn't just some experience last season that O'Neal, and for that matter all the new DBs, are drawing upon. The Buckeyes used bowl practices last December to start getting players for this season, especially in the secondary.
"During bowl preparation we got a lot of practice with these guys, preparation knowing that they would be the guys this year," said Haynes.
"I think bowl practice helped him (O'Neal) a ton. He got a lot of reps. Bowl practice was like another spring. There were 11 or 12 practices where those guys were those guys were worrying about just that. I think that bowl practice helps them out a ton," Haynes said.
Haynes is hopefully of finding a two-deep at three positions this spring, strong safety, free safety, and the "star" position that is essentially a the nickel back. Right now, the depth chart has Nick Patterson and Jamario O'Neal penciled in at the safeties with Patterson playing the free safety spot and O'Neal the strong safety. Backing up Patterson at free safety is Mitchell, while Anderson Russell and Curt Lukens are competing for the backup spot behind O'Neal.​
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=100 align=right><CAPTION align=bottom>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Nick Patterson [/FONT]</CAPTION><TBODY><TR><TD>
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The real surprise at safety this spring has been the emergence of Patterson as the starter ahead of Mitchell who was assumed by most to be the heir-apparent at safety. Both are tall (Mitchell is 6-3, Patterson is 6-2) and both are thick (Mitchell weighs in at 205, Patterson 210). Where Patterson may have an edge, however, is in the speed department. Mitchell is not slow, but according to Haynes, Patterson is a real burner.
"He can run, he's a legit 4.4-type guy," said Haynes.
"He's aggressive and he's smart, so he has all the right tools of a free safety that you would want. The big thing is get some preparation," Haynes said.
The player that has stepped up at the "star" position is redshirt freshman Anderson Russell who has obviously delighted his coaches.​
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=100 align=left><CAPTION align=bottom>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Anderson Russell [/FONT]</CAPTION><TBODY><TR><TD>
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"A great surprise is Anderson Russell. Anderson Russell is a hundred-mile-an-hour guy that's doing a great job just flying around. He will probably play our star position. He will probably play Donte's spot, and he gives us that energy like Donte did last year," said Haynes.
While the front runners have been established, things are not yet set in stone. There is still the possibility the depth chart can change this spring.
"It's a fierce competition back there. Of course we're all friends and we all watch film together but everybody is coming to play. Everybody is stepping up," said Mitchell.
According to Hayes, while the group might be short on experience, the one quality that stands out in the group is the ability to run.
"Surprisingly I think we'll be faster in the secondary than we were last year. These guys fly around," said Haynes.​
 
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"Surprisingly I think we'll be faster in the secondary than we were last year. These guys fly around," said Haynes.

Our defense being faster? That is a scary thought.

To be fast though, you have to KNOW where to be. That will be the challenge for this young group.
 
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www.theozone.net



Football
Buckeye Defensive Backfield Taking Shape - Corners Stepping Forward
By John Porentas
The NBA has come to the OSU football team.
OSU defensive backs coach Tim Beckman was asked who is currently in the first group of defensive backs, and Beckman rattled off a list of three familiar names, and the name of an NBA player.
"Right now Yao (Ming) and Malcolm (Jenkins) have been playing at the corner positions and then Jamario (O'Neal) has stepped in and played well and Nick Patterson. Those are the four. If we go nickel, Anderson Russell is the one who jumped in and had a great scrimmage. There are seven days left and there are people in the wings who want to step in and be starters too, so the competition has made us better as a secondary," said Beckman.
The Buckeyes will not actually be putting a corner on the field next fall that stands over seven feet tall. "Yao" is actually Antonio Smith, affectionately known to his teammates and coaches as Yao. Without exception, they all refer to him by that name.
"They call me Yao," explained Smith.​
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=100 align=left><CAPTION align=bottom>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Antonio "Yao Ming" Smith [/FONT]</CAPTION><TBODY><TR><TD>
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"Every year we have a basketball tournament. I guess coach Mel Tucker, when he was here, we had the basketball tournament and I kind of showed these guys up a little bit, so they nicknamed me Yao Ming," said a slightly embarrassed Smith.
Smith is listed at 5-9 on the OSU roster, about a foot-and-a-half shorter than Yao Ming, but OSU's Yao has pulled off perhaps the biggest surprise of the spring. In the space of one month he has gone from a non-scholarship walkon player to a full scholarship player who is currently the leading candidate for a starting corner position.
Smith is a surprise to most observers, but with hindsight, maybe that surprise is actually a bit misplaced. He has stood out as one of OSU's gunners on special teams, always getting down field to pressure return men. OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock has said this spring that he is looking for playmakers for his defense this fall, and Smith definitely proved he falls into that category on special teams. Maybe outside observers didn't notice, but apparently the OSU coaching staff did.
"Yao was always one of those guys we stuck in there and he'd run down on kickoffs and punts and make plays," said Beckman.
"The credibility that he gave himself through special teams is always a big part. We always say to those defensive backs, if you're not on a special team then we've probably got a problem, because you're the type of athlete that can play on every special team," Beckman said.
The gunner position on special teams is usually reserved for the fastest players on the team. Smith was chosen for that spot last season on a team laden with fast players. That says plenty about his speed. As to his athleticism, you need only to look at his nickname. In a basketball tournament populated by elite athletes, he was the one that earned the nickname Yao. Laugh if you will, but we think it says something. Then there are the intangibles.
Yao is a fifth-year mechanical engineering student with 3.0+ GPA. That tells you pretty much all you need to know about his intelligence level. The young man is very bright. He also has a great attitude. Though he languished for four years as a special teams player, he never pouted. He simply kept his nose to the grindstone.
"Regardless whether anybody hears about me or not, I have a personal goal. That's to get better everyday," Smith said.
Smith has practice at the corner position for most of his Buckeye career, but last season practiced as a safety, an experience he feels is now of great value to him as a corner.
"I feel that that helped me a lot, playing safety. It's a little more responsibility. You have to learn all the defensive backs positions, so I feel like playing safety a little bit I can see how my job as a corner how I have to help those guys out to help the whole defense out," said Smith.
Smith has earned a shot by his play and persistence. His current status as a number one corner is anything but a token given to a fifth-year senior, it is a bona-fide opportunity to be the number one guy. Beckman explained why that is the case.
"Because of our belief in him as defensive back coaches and as a defensive staff," Beckman said.
"He's earned it. He had as good a scrimmage as we had back there at the corner position, so somebody has to take it from him. That's the way college football is," Beckman said.​
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=100 align=right><CAPTION align=bottom>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Malcolm Jenkins [/FONT]</CAPTION><TBODY><TR><TD>
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Smith is currently penciled in at one corner, and sophomore Malcolm Jenkins, who earned playing time last year as a true freshman and several starts when injuries made that necessary, at the other corner. There are also a host of other players in the wings vying to be in the two-deep and hoping to make a challenge for a starting position should Jenkins or Yao slip up.
"I would say right now between Andre (Amos) and Donald Washington," said Beckman of the players who are competing for the status as the "next" corner on the depth chart.
"Donald Washington has had a great spring too, and Mike Roberts has done a good job," he said.
The OSU secondary will have many new names this fall, and according to one veteran, will also have a bit of a different emphasis. This defense is hoping to be a big-play defense and has looked like one in the early going.
"The biggest thing that surprised me is the amount of turnovers we've been getting," said Mitchell.
"It's well-documented that we weren't very good at turnovers last year. I think we were 114 in the nation in turnover margin. That's been the emphasis in the spring and that's basically how we won the jersey scrimmage is getting a lot of turnovers," Mitchell said.
Safeties coach Paul Haynes explained what the OSU coaching staff is looking for in this year's secondary.
"Production; make plays," said Haynes.
"As a defensive back we're in the business of pass breakups and interceptions. No one every got drafted as a DB making a thousand tackles."​
 
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I agree that it is always interesting to see a walk-on do something other than long snapping and punting/kicking. But I also agree with the previous posters that it is a bit disconcerting that with all the schollie players in the secondary, we're using a walk-on.

Being an upperclassman, attending the film rooms, learning, does make that person know much more than a very inexperienced freshman, redshirt freshman, or even sophomore. Raw talent will only take you so far, and then experience has to take over. Or said another way, experience can make up for a lack of raw talent over time (for awhile).

Don't discount the psychological impact that the coaches are using on the youngsters. I'll also bet v-cash that there's a schollie player at the position when Northern Illinois rolls around. There's plenty of alums that wonder what Tressel is up to using a walk-on when we've got all these 3*-5* kids back there, and he'll be forced to play the schollie kids. (At Miami U, if you weren't on schollie (basketball team) (back when Tates Locke was coach, you didn't get too many minutes - it reflected badly on the coach if a walk-on was better than someone getting their education paid for).

By the way, for all the historians, wasn't Connor Smith's Dad a walk-on for OSU in the past? I believe he was. And I remember Brent Mushmouth saying that 'a walk-on was the best that Ohio State has at the position'. Maybe it was a nose-guard, not an o-lineman.......(I also seem to remember this walk-on made second team all Big10).

:oh: :io: :banger:
 
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Some interesting and valid points regarding the secondary by all. A few more things to consider:

1. We still have a ways to go until September 2. These battles will continue throughout spring and fall camp. The best players will play regardless of status.
2. Regarding a walk-on being ahead of recruited players at that position - let's not forget that we recruited the #1 rated corner two years in a row. Neither ended up at that position. In addition, the projected starter for this season surprised many and went to the pros.
3. Because Heacock coaches a position, in addition to being DC, there are two full-time assistants working with the secondary. As both assert themselves a little more in their second year, technique, terminology, and expectations will be more familiar to players.
4. The young corners will continue to mature. I believe that in high school, Amos, Washington, and Coleman were two way players. Obviously, they have a lot to learn. But there is no denying their athleticism.
5. Remember, gang, this is a work in progress. You don't lose every starter and expect not to have some hiccups. There will be some ups and downs, that's the nature of the position.

Enjoy seeing the different perspectives from everyone out there.
 
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808 Buck said:
Some interesting and valid points regarding the secondary by all. A few more things to consider:

1. We still have a ways to go until September 2. These battles will continue throughout spring and fall camp. The best players will play regardless of status.
2. Regarding a walk-on being ahead of recruited players at that position - let's not forget that we recruited the #1 rated corner two years in a row. Neither ended up at that position. In addition, the projected starter for this season surprised many and went to the pros.
3. Because Heacock coaches a position, in addition to being DC, there are two full-time assistants working with the secondary. As both assert themselves a little more in their second year, technique, terminology, and expectations will be more familiar to players.
4. The young corners will continue to mature. I believe that in high school, Amos, Washington, and Coleman were two way players. Obviously, they have a lot to learn. But there is no denying their athleticism.
5. Remember, gang, this is a work in progress. You don't lose every starter and expect not to have some hiccups. There will be some ups and downs, that's the nature of the position.

Enjoy seeing the different perspectives from everyone out there.
Click to expand...

Couldnt of said it any better myself.

I think you bring up a great point about the D-cordinator and not having to learn with new coaches, but guys they are all familar with.
 
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