2006 Spring Practice/Game Thread

[Steve19]

If we are to be at Iowa playing late, then I hope we go there a few days early and adjust to the time zone difference. An hour may seem like it's not too much, but it leaves you out of sorts and your body responds. Our loss at Northwestern was at something like midnight Columbus time, IIRC. The guys didn't have any gas.

Gene Smith, let Tressel take the boys early and spring for an extra night in hotel. We need this game.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

Why do we agree to play an early-season away game at night every year? The previous ones haven't gone too smoothly. 02 NW, 03 Wisc, 04 NW, 05 PSU. I realize TV has most of the say in the process, but you think we'd be able to have some influence. The Texas game has to be at night because of the heat, but the Iowa game is a landmine.

We're Ohio State. Should we be scared of the dark?

 

[jwinslow]

We're Ohio State. Should we be scared of the dark?

why is this? Most of these night terrors were on the road and after a bye. Did we lose to Texas b/c of the darkness, or b/c our execution was awful? Troy was pretty suspect during the day against SDSU.

night losses after bye: 03 Wisc, 04 NW, 05 PSU
night struggles: 01 Minn, 02 NW, ... feels like I'm missing one ...

day losses on the road: 01 UCLA, 01 PSU, 01 Minn, 03 Mich, 04 Iowa, 04 Purd

day struggles on the road: 02 Wisc, 02 Purd, 02 Ill, 03 PSU, 04 NCSt, 04 MSU, 05 Minn (somewhat), 05 UM

Quick calculation (not official):

JT home: 30-4
JT away: 14-7

JT teams simply struggle on the road. Maybe we struggle at night b/c they put potentially great matchups on at night? (Tex, PSU, Wisky... even Wash based on pre-season hype).

edit: thx bkatt, got them mixed up

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

night losses: 01 UCLA....

I believe the game we lost to UCLA (13-6?) was a day game and that we beat them (42-20?) at night in Bellisari's first start.

 

[ant80]

Quick question: Apart from the fact that we seem not to do well in night games, is there any reason why a lot of people on this board seem to dislike night games?

 

[Padraig]

Quick question: Apart from the fact that we seem not to do well in night games, is there any reason why a lot of people on this board seem to dislike night games?

Love 'em at the 'Shoe...not fond of them on the road. Just makes for a tougher environment on the road, but it goes both ways.

 

[AJHawkfan]

night games

Quick question: Apart from the fact that we seem not to do well in night games, is there any reason why a lot of people on this board seem to dislike night games?

Everyone has their reasons, and guys on here will try to feed you all kinds of B.S. stories, but for the most part, it's about alcohol. Most of the guys bitching about night games are the ones who can't hold their alcohol. They start drinking too early, and end up passing out before kickoff. Their buddies then shame them relentlessly until halftime, when they generally shave their eyebrows and half of their head. The drunk idiot then wakes up and usually vomits all over himself and the couch/lawn chair/coffee table/fat chick that he happens to be laying on. The owner of the house/fat chick gets pissed and kicks him out and he's left staggering down the street talking nonsensically to whoever happens to walk past him on the street. Wherever this drunk idiot falls down, he sleeps, only to wake up in a pool of his own urine and vomit, on Sunday morning. He is then left no option but to find his way home and watch the highlights on ESPN, right after the 20 minute feature on MoC, T.O., or whoever that week's idiot is.

God I miss college.........

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

4/7/06

OHIO STATE FOOTBALL SPRING PRACTICE

<H1 class=red>Tight ends receive more consideration in passing

</H1>

Friday, April 07, 2006

Doug Lesmerises

Plain Dealer Reporter

Columbus- Not that you were worried, but one-third of the way through spring practice, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith has looked sharp and serious, say teammates and coaches. Stud running back recruit Chris Wells, a freshman in the fall who started classes early, has a long way to go learning the system, but is physically ready for the college game right now.

At linebacker, Marcus Freeman, after an injury redshirt season, looks speedy and healthy, and junior-college transfer Larry Grant is an athlete-and-a-half.

Asked about standout play so far this spring, receivers coach Darrell Hazell interrupted a question to highlight one position in par ticular.

"You know what, the tight end spot has been the biggest difference," Hazell said.

That would be the position that accounted for 21 catches and nearly as many games lost to injury last season. With Ryan Hamby gone to graduation, Rory Nicol back from the foot injury that wiped out his entire 2005 season and Marcel Frost finally comfortable after his position switch from defensive end, the Buckeyes are looking at an added threat in the passing game.

"I think the tight end role will expand this year," said Nicol, who played 10 games as a freshman in 2004. "We're doing some new things with us. I really think we'll see a lot more plays there, and we might even be in a lot more two tight ends than we've seen in the recent past. We have some more potential and maybe some more athleticism."

The Buckeyes used two tight ends very little last season until converted senior lineman Andree Tyree stepped in as a crucial second blocking tight end in the Michigan win. That's because Nicol was gone, Hamby missed the final four games of the regular season with an injury and Frost was playing for the first time after moving over from the defense in 2004.

Now, with the 6-5, 260-pound Nicol, who is first on the depth chart, and the 6-5, 255-pound Frost, a former star at Brush High, Smith should have more reasons to look toward the middle of the field.

"You've got that extra dimension to cover," said Frost, who originally committed to Iowa as a tight end before coming to Columbus as a defensive end - though catching the ball was always in the back of his mind. "If you have that tight end that can stretch the field, it's hard to double the wide receivers."

Peterson also emphasized the tight ends need to block some sizeable defensive ends in the Big Ten, and Frost, a natural pass-catcher and high school receiver, has been working on that part of his game. He caught seven passes for 70 yards last season but said it takes about a year to fully learn the offense.

The Buckeyes seek to constantly change the looks they throw at a defense. While Wells in combination with incumbent running back Antonio Pittman could offer some new twists in the backfield, the tight ends should make the biggest difference in the passing game.

"We really couldn't do too much last year, but if everyone stays healthy, I think we can do a lot this year," Frost said.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 216-999-4479

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

4/7/06

Offense wants to keep scarlet practice jerseys

Friday, April 07, 2006

Tim May and Ken Gordon

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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The players on the Ohio State offense know they are marked men going into the first major scrimmage of the spring on Saturday because they have something the defense wants: the scarlet practice jerseys.

Once seemingly the property of the defense, the offense took them away with a one-sided scoring effort in the spring jersey scrimmage last year and held on to them in the last-chance scrimmage in preseason camp.

"I don’t ever want to lose these jerseys," tight end Rory Nicol said after practice yesterday. "They’ll show us some (past) film of, say, the punt team practice and I see A.J. Hawk in a red jersey and it just doesn’t look right."

Hawk, the All-American linebacker and Lombardi Award winner, and eight other starters from the 2005 defense now are awaiting the NFL draft, which means the defense is very young this spring. There are eight starters back on the offense, led by quarterback Troy Smith. The offense should be a solid favorite Saturday.

That is, if it stays away from mistakes. While the offense scores in conventional ways and also gains points for first downs and big plays, the defense needs to rack up sacks, forced punts and, more than anything else, takeaways to have a chance.

Bragging rights are on the line, and that goes for the coaches, too.
"Any time we are put in a competitive situation your juices flow and you want to win," tight ends coach John Peterson said. "Any time you win and keep those scarlet jerseys, that’s a positive thing for your offensive unit."
Still speedy



Don’t assume the offense will be ahead of the defense based on experience, Nicol said. He has been impressed with the defense’s athleticism.

"People fail to realize how many guys are over there that played significant time," he said. "It’s just a matter of them getting together, getting on the same page and meshing. They’re going to be fine, they’re a physical unit and they’re fast. I don’t think the defense we had last year was that much faster."
More on jerseys



When talking about the team’s new form-fitting jerseys for this fall, fullback Stan White Jr. chuckled at how they might reveal if a player is in shape or not.

"You’ll be able to see all the curves," he said. "The offensive line, it might give them some motivation in the summertime to make sure they have that stomach looking nice."

[email protected]



[email protected]

 

[biobuck]

Troy Stepping Up: Word out of OSU spring football is that quarterback Troy Smith is really impressing in almost every way possible. The latest to sing Smith's praises is tight end Rory Nicol.​

<table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100"> <caption align="bottom"> [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Troy Smith [/FONT] </caption> <tbody><tr> <td>

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"Troy mentally understands this offense as well as anybody," said Nicol.​

"He worked really hard this off-season learning a lot of stuff. He's sharp. He knows when he makes a mistake, which aren't very many, and he'll tell me when I make a mistake or when somebody else makes a mistake. He's really, really sharp this spring," Nicol said.​

Nicol said that Smith's improvement is noticeable between snaps as well.​

"I think Troy has really stepped up as a leader," he said.​

"Troy has worked. He's not messing around right now, he's not out there screwing off, he's taking his leadership role very seriously, and that's something good."​

OSU wide receivers coach Darrell Hazell agreed.​

"Troy's done a nice job," Hazell said. "I think he's kind of taken up where he left off last year, being a great leader, he's throwing the ball very well."​

The Vanishing and Re-appearing Tight End: There was a time not too very long when the tight end was an integral part of the OSU offense. In 2002, tight end Ben Hartsock was almost always on the field and was well-integrated into the OSU offense. Since then, however, the tight end has seemed like an afterthought, partly due to the talent at other positions, and to some extent, due to circumstances at the tight end position itself. Last year, for example, the injury bug hit the tight end position leaving the Buckeyes in a lurch.​

"There's no question that we were hit with some injuries last year and we had to adjust on the run," said OSU tight ends coach John Peterson.​

"That's part of football. This year we're healthy right now and getting better in the spring."​

<table align="right" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100"> <caption align="bottom"> [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rory Nicol [/FONT] </caption> <tbody><tr> <td>

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Peterson has a full cadre of talent to work with this spring. Marcel Frost is back as is converted linebacker Brandon Smith. Rory Nicol has returned to action after sitting out last most of last year with an injury, and preferred walkon Will Crall is getting reps as well. Peterson has yet to determine who will be on the field next fall, but he does know what he is looking for in a tight end. He acknowledges that the tight end must be an effective receiver, but says that is it doesn't end there.​

"We're looking for tight ends who can single-block in the run game and protect and allows the offensive line to free up inside. I think we have a some guys who can do a great job in the run game also," said Peterson.​

As to the candidates for the position themselves, they all seem to feel they are improved players and all seem to be on the same page as Peterson as to the role of the tight end.​

<table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100"> <caption align="bottom"> [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Marcel Frost [/FONT] </caption> <tbody><tr> <td>

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"I feel great. I can play a lot faster and there's not as much thinking. It's more reaction. I can see the field a lot better and I feel more comfortable than last year," said Frost.​

"I'm about 260, and I'm probably going to play at about 255. I played at about 262 last year. I think I'm a little faster at the lighter weight. It can't hurt to be faster. Me being quicker can only help me get away from linebackers and DBs," Frost said.​

"I'm trying to improve on my blocking skills so I can run block and pass block and do more than just run routes and catch balls," Frost added.​

All of the candidates have enough speed to be effective receivers, but are not the type of tight end that can just run routes. All three have the size to be able to block at the line of scrimmage as well, which is just what Peterson is looking for.​

"I think we're all pretty similar," added Nicol.​

<table align="right" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100"> <caption align="bottom"> [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Brandon Smith [/FONT] </caption> <tbody><tr> <td>

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"There's not anything that I can say that I do way better than Marcel or Brandon. I think we're all pretty similar, pretty complete. I don't think any of us are burner-fast that can't touch a defensive end and block them. I think we're all pretty well balanced. I think we're similar, I really do," he said.​

Nicol says he senses a return of emphasis to the tight end position this spring.​

"I feel like we're trying to get the tight ends more involved in the offense," he said.​

"We want to be able to run the ball like we have in the past and we might have fell off a little bit. We want to be a power running team and be able to go two-tights or go one-tight and be able to spread it out with an empty backfield too. I think this spring there has been more emphasis on the tight end position whether there be one of us or two of us in the game, at least for these first five practices."​

That versatility required at tight end is very demanding.​

"I think it might be one of the hardest positions on the field, because you have to know all the offensive line calls, all the running plays, then you have to know the passing routes and everything as well. It's pretty hard," said Frost, but a good tight end can bring a great deal to an offense.​

"Stretching the seam is something we all can do and I think we'll see that a little bit more this year," said Nicol.​

"I think when you have a tight end that can consume some of the middle of the field and be a dominant blocker and a solid receiver, it opens up your offense. It's endless what you can do with a good tight end. Look at NFL or college teams with a good tight end. Their offenses just expand and expand."​

Newcomers Impressing: Several members of the recently signed recruiting class are on enrolled at Ohio State already and participating in spring drills. There have been a couple who have definitely stood out in the first few practices.​

"I think Larry Grant, the JUCO kid that came in, has made some unbelievably athletic plays," said Rory Nicol of the new OSU linebacker.​

"As far as being an athlete and making plays and just being a football player, he's really been impressive for sure."​

Over on the offensive side of the ball, running back Chris Wells continues to earn praise as well as sophomore wide receiver Brian Robiske.​

"I think Brian Robiske has stood out if I had to name a guy off the top of my head and I think Chris Wells has looked good physically," said Nicol.​

"Mentally, he's (Wells) young and has a long way to go but he's just been here five practices."​

Bringing the Lumber: The OSU tight ends line up every day across from the OSU defensive ends. Nobody knows better which of those defensive ends are the most difficult to handle than the tight ends. According to Brandon Smith, there are some defensive ends on the roster right now that can really bring it.​

<table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100"> <caption align="bottom"> [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Alex Barrow[/FONT] </caption> <tbody><tr> <td>

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"(Alex) Barrow has a good pop on him, Jay (Richardson) is a senior and he comes off the ball pretty good, Vernon Gholstin is one of the bigger, stronger guys on the team so he's packing a wallop," said Smith.​

"There's no weak link in there."​

Defensive end is just one of many positions where the Buckeyes are looking to fill positions on the defense, but Nicol, like other Buckeyes this spring, says the OSU defense is not exactly a mere shell of its old self.​

"That defense isn't going to be weak," said Nicol.​

"People fail to realize how many guys are over there that played significant time here.​

<table align="right" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100"> <caption align="bottom"> [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Marcus Freeman [/FONT] </caption> <tbody><tr> <td>

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"They need to mesh together, but as far as having individuals who are great players, we have them. They're going to be fine. They're a physical unit and fasts. We have a lot of speed over there and a lot of young guys who are anxious to make a name for themselves and some coaches who know what it takes," Nicol said.​

On the speed issue, Nicol is particularly impressed with one linebacker coming back from an injury last season whose speed he compares to that of A. J. Hawk.​

"I think Marcus (Freeman) is all the way back, he's so fast," said Nicol.​

 

[BadBucki NCC]

Why does it have to be only April?

Reading about the practices and how good the team looks is really getting me anxious.

It is good to hear Troy is stepping up as a leader and taking the team on his shoulders. Can I say HEISMAN.

Plus most of the national media is acting like our d is going to be below average because of our losses. I wouldn't be surprised if our d ends up better than last year (of course by the end of the season).

 

[RB07OSU]

Me too. I just can't wait to see the boys strap it up and go to war. It's great to hear that Grant is doing well.

 

[Buckeyes27]

Reading about the practices and how good the team looks is really getting me anxious.

It is good to hear Troy is stepping up as a leader and taking the team on his shoulders. Can I say HEISMAN.

Plus most of the national media is acting like our d is going to be below average because of our losses. I wouldn't be surprised if our d ends up better than last year (of course by the end of the season).

i agree

Troy Smith for Heisman

i think the defense will be better than most think by the time season comes around. a lot of new and really talented players seeing the field this year.

if the defense is 65% of what it was last year at the beginning and gets better, look out Scotsdale Arizona, Buckeyes are comeing back to the home in the desert!

 

[scarletngrey11]

O-Zone Notebook

A couple things stand out:

"I'm about 260, and I'm probably going to play at about 255. I played at about 262 last year. I think I'm a little faster at the lighter weight. It can't hurt to be faster. Me being quicker can only help me get away from linebackers and DBs," Frost said.

"I think Larry Grant, the JUCO kid that came in, has made some unbelievably athletic plays," said Rory Nicol of the new OSU linebacker.

Bringing the Lumber: The OSU tight ends line up every day across from the OSU defensive ends. Nobody knows better which of those defensive ends are the most difficult to handle than the tight ends. According to Brandon Smith, there are some defensive ends on the roster right now that can really bring it.​

"(Alex) Barrow has a good pop on him, Jay (Richardson) is a senior and he comes off the ball pretty good, Vernon Gholstin is one of the bigger, stronger guys on the team so he's packing a wallop," said Smith.

That defense isn't going to be weak," said Nicol.

"People fail to realize how many guys are over there that played significant time here.​

On the speed issue, Nicol is particularly impressed with one linebacker coming back from an injury last season whose speed he compares to that of A. J. Hawk.
"I think Marcus (Freeman) is all the way back, he's so fast," said Nicol.

Also talks about how Troy Smith is stepping up.​

 

[BuckeyeKid789]

I believe the game we lost to UCLA (13-6?)

I was at that game. My first and only OSU game so far. :(