2006 WRs

[martinss01]

i don't think gonzo can make a bigger name for himself. with a new qb coming in next season, he really has no reason to stay other than completing his education. where that priority falls in relation to a paycheck from the nfl is a decision he has to make. but i know what id do :p. for ginn, smith is gone this season regardless and you can't get much higher than the 1st round which i believe he is a lock for at this point. as much as i hate the idea, i really don't see either staying.

but to be perfectly honest, i couldn't be happier with the wr core we have waiting in the wings with the brian twins, small, and not to venture to far away from the subject of the post... nicol. boone and rehring covering your blindspot, the wells twins/potentially pitt behind you and that wr unit to both sides... this is a good place to be a qb :).

 

[TheStoicPaisano]

Robiskie
Hartline
Small
Dukes
Lyons
Lukens
With Sanzenbacher and Washington--as a minimum--coming in next season, we're set.

Lukens has been moved back to defense--although his unofficial position is injured list. Either way, we should be good even if Gonzo doesn't come back (I think he does).

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

As for who is staying or leaving:

Ginn is a football player, not an academic kind of guy. Don't get bent out of shape and put words in my mouth. He is intelligent, but he is not all about academia. He's gonzo (weak pun intended).

Gonzo is a philosophy major, so you can bet that he has already thought very deeply about this. He is a planner, and a decision this integral to his future has been made some time ago.

The real question for Gonzo is; as a redshirt junior, is he on pace to graduate by the end of this school year? He plans on going to Stanford Law. Finishing BEFORE going pro is probably in his plans.

My guess is that he IS on pace to graduate and he will. Gonzo is gonzo too.
​

As for next year's receivers:

You know I'm all about the stats. I like numbers the way I like a good Black & Tan. But I also know that football is all about instinct. When my gut talks I listen.

My gut doesn't talk often. It said that Vinny Testaverde would take a long time to catch on in the pros, if he ever did. My gut was right. It said that Peyton Manning would be the real deal. Chalk up one more for my gut.

Now my gut won't shut up. It's silent on Smith, Ginn and Gonzo. But it won't let me sleep with what it has to say about Brian Robiskie.

I have NOTHING to base this on other than just watching him play and listening to my gut; but I'm telling you this guy is the ONE. I'm not talking Gonzo or Ginn good. I'm not even talking Santonio Holmes good.

Larry Fitzgerald is the closest comparison I can make for where I think Robo is going; but when he gets there, people won't be comparing him to anyone. He will be the standard.

I realize I'm a bit out on a limb here. Nobody else is saying that he's THAT special. I mean NOBODY.

But there it is. Robo is going to go down in OSU history as our best ever. I believe it. I won't ask you to believe it... yet.

But if I'm right I won't let you forget it.
​

 

[RhodeIslandBuck]

I think you can take it to the bank that Ginn is gone.

IMHO, I think Gonzo stays, just something in my gut is telling me that.

 

[Kueller]

I'm looking at USC/Texas, teams that lost their all-everything quarterbacks last year and are still in the top-5. If all the juniors bail when TS leaves we could be looking at a rebuilding year. If Pittman and the G-men stay we could be looking at another top-5 team. If they choose to go the latter route there will be plenty of sportscenter time to go around for those players as they get to showcase themselves, instead of simply being part of another TS highlight. Gonzo would be a young QB's dream, great hands, knows how to find the opening (I would say "seam", but with Gonzo, he's usually so wide open the "seam" is more like those punk-rocker jeans with the middle third of the pant leg missing around the knees).

 

[Tbuck]

Just makes you sooo frustrated that we missed out on Fred Davis don't it . . .

 

[neomits]

Everyone's gut is talking.

Time for dinner I suppose

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Both Gonzo and Ginn drafted in the 1st, in a year that WRs like Calvin Johnson and Dwayne Jarrett, just to name a couple off the top of my head, will be available in the draft? Possible, but to me, unlikely. When you can stay in school, get your degree, and get selected in the 1st next year (let's face it, we will still be loaded with talent), why go this year when you'll be luck to go in the second and face a real possibility of falling into the third, like Youboty did? If Youboty had the chance to make that decision again, I bet he would choose to come back to school. It's not even all about the money. A team can afford to bury a third round pick in the depth chart, not so much with a first.

The best advice that you can give to Gonzalez is to just look at this situation realistically, are you going to be a first rounder? If a lot of scouts tell him that he is definitely a 1st rounder, then go take the money. If the scouts tell him no, that he is a second rounder (which means a first day guy for underclassmen), then forget about it, cuz you are going to regret it.

 

[jwinslow]

When you can stay in school, get your degree

I never understood this argument... he'll have plenty of money to come back and finish if he flops in the NFL

let's face it, we will still be loaded with talent

How will that talent execute? We lose our QB, FB, C, RG... 3 of our top 4 WRs (in this scenario)... and possibly our RT and RB (Which leaves us with 1 productive RB in Chris).

It seems very feasible that Gonzo would have less success as a WR next year.

2008 draft competition:
Sidney Rice*, James Hardy*, Limas Sweed, Mario Manningham*, Adrian Arrington, Robert Meachem, Desean Jackson*, Jarrett Dillard*, Todd Blythe*.

* - underclassmen

 

[BuckTwenty]

I'm kinda shocked that not only are the majority of you are saying they're gone after this year, but that you can "take it to the bank" that they're gone.

I still have yet to hear Ginn say he's leaving for the NFL after this year, and he's been asked it a couple times before. As for Gonzo, games ago I think the consensus was that you could "take it to the bank" that he was staying, and there's a chance he *might* start working on his master's during that 5th year if he chooses to come back (ala Brandon Mitchell). Pittman probably feels like he still has some things to prove, getting looked over not only on our offense, but on the national scene as a top-flight back (even while being in the top 10-15 rushers nationally).

Overall, both Ginn and Gonzo are GOOD ENOUGH to get drafted high and play very well in the NFL, sure... but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are :: painted in the endzones:: gone. See Joey Galloway, Mike Doss, Will Smith, AJ Hawk on that one. Maybe it's my biased positivity when it comes to people leaving early for the big leagues, but I don't think this one will be over until the fat lady sings.

 

[BB73]

You know I'm all about the stats. I like numbers the way I like a good Black & Tan. But I also know that football is all about instinct. When my gut talks I listen.

My gut doesn't talk often. It said that Vinny Testaverde would take a long time to catch on in the pros, if he ever did. My gut was right. It said that Peyton Manning would be the real deal. Chalk up one more for my gut.


Now my gut won't shut up. It's silent on Smith, Ginn and Gonzo. But it won't let me sleep with what it has to say about Brian Robiskie.


I have NOTHING to base this on other than just watching him play and listening to my gut; but I'm telling you this guy is the ONE. I'm not talking Gonzo or Ginn good. I'm not even talking Santonio Holmes good.


Larry Fitzgerald is the closest comparison I can make for where I think Robo is going; but when he gets there, people won't be comparing him to anyone. He will be the standard.

I realize I'm a bit out on a limb here. Nobody else is saying that he's THAT special. I mean NOBODY.

But there it is. Robo is going to go down in OSU history as our best ever. I believe it. I won't ask you to believe it... yet.


But if I'm right I won't let you forget it.

I'm amazed that nobody has mentioned Fitzgerald as a comparison for Robiskie before (I've searched his thread , and 'Fitzgerald' does not appear). I've thought about it for the last two years, since he hung around NFL receivers just like Fitzgerald hung around the Vikings WRs growing up. I never posted it, because I didn't want to put that comparison on him.

I'm not saying I agree with your projection for his career, although I agree he's an excellent young talent. I'm just noting my surprise that LF's name hasn't been brought up before. Maybe everybody else was intentionally holding back like I was.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

I'm amazed that nobody has mentioned Fitzgerald as a comparison for Robiskie before (I've searched his thread , and 'Fitzgerald' does not appear). I've thought about it for the last two years, since he hung around NFL receivers just like Fitzgerald hung around the Vikings WRs growing up. I never posted it, because I didn't want to put that comparison on him.

I'm not saying I agree with your projection for his career, although I agree he's an excellent young talent. I'm just noting my surprise that LF's name hasn't been brought up before. Maybe everybody else was intentionally holding back like I was.

I have been thinking the same thing, just never mentioned it on the board. I thought that I had said something in one of game breakdowns, but checked thru them and found out I have not.

As for Ginn and Gonzo leaving, Ginn is gone. I would be willing to put just about anything on that. You can take that to the bank.

As for Gonzo I am not so sure. I will break it down:

- When teams scout Gonzo they are going to see that alot of his big plays are made against LB's safeties and 2nd corners with man coveragae. He is a huge benefactor from having Ginn on the other side. The scouts might look at this and say what will he do against guys that he really hasnt been forced to go up against in his career. Unlike guys coming out in the draft like a Jarret, Johnson, Ginn, Sweed who face the double teams and the other teams best corner week in week out.

- Gonzo could also see this as being why he needs to come out early b/c his stock won't get any higher. Also he could think that he isnt going to have the playmakers around him next year, so his production could go down.

- With Gonzo never facing those double teams or facing those number one corners will a team be willing to invest a first or second round pick on a guy that might not be able to be an NFL #1 receiver. Heck even Michael Jenkins is struggling and Holmes is about the 4th receiver for the Steelers. I would rate both of them guys ahead of Gonzo.

- We all know that Tress is only going to advise him to go if he is going to be a first or early second rd pick.

- He could also want to come back and be a senior and be a captain. Sometimes this means alot to guys. See AJ and Doss for example.

I am in noway saying Gonzo is not a great receiver for us, just putting out the points that are going to made if he starts thinking about going to the draft.

 

[Oneshot]

I agree with CB40.

Gonzo hasn't faced double teams: he hasn't shown he can be the number 1. Tone had that opportunity for two years, Ginn has had it for one year, but Gonzo has shown it for zero years.

He needs at least one year of being the number one receiever to show teams that he can be a franchise WR. After all, that's what teams draft in the 1st round. No team drafts a solid supporting WR in the first round... they draft Fitzgeralds, Calvin Johnsons, Sidney Rices. And why would you leave early unless you are a for SURE first rounder? (Tressel himself discourages it if he doesn't feel you're going in the first round)

Until Gonzo shows that he is on that level (I think he is), then he should not go, due to the fact that he wont be drafted in the first round. His stock CAN go higher. Coming out would be a mistake.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

CB40 made a lot of very very good points in his post. I would also like to add that as the draft nears, teams have a tendency to emphasize potential rather than production. What that means is that teams that are interested in Gonzo suddenly sees some guys who put up less production at a smaller school, but are 4 inches taller than him and runs about the same. And then you go through the combine and play in evaluation bowls and somehow the guy who is 6-5 runs a 4.3, and you know you are screwed. Every year there are a few of those under the radar guys who rise really fast and a lot of guys with great production on the college level falling out of the first, into the second round and worse. I guess my point is this, for underclassmen, if you are going to go, you better make sure that you are going in the 1st round.

 

[nwbuckeye]

I way second this, TG is explosive at the college level but I dont see him in any way ready to play against monsters like Ray Lewis. He needs another year to get stronger and better at wide receiver and why do we have to base his whole life around "taking the money and running" How about finishing his education something that I bet his parents would want him to do. Life isnt about how much money you make, the money will be there after his college degree is finished. Let the kid decide if he wants to finish school and dont automatically decide that it is a no brainer to always turn pro early. There's a lot to be said for getting the degree and bettering yourself that way, enjoy another year of college, and have fun at the college level before you embark to your step down to the pro level.