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2007 Player Performance opinions

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craigblitz

craigblitz

Juice, Full of Juice!!
The past 5 years I have been taking notes and on each major contributing player at the end of the season for fun and to have something tangible to remember when talking about the good old days of OSU football with my son. Anyway, this year I decided to post it and would love to get others opinions on certain players etc to add to my notes and scrapbook.

Anyway, by in large most of the players played they way I thought they would or a little better. Anyway here is my small breakdown.. I look forward to hearing your opinions..

1 Marcus Freeman - Decent year. It seemed when he played well our D was really able to click. Disappeared a lot at times though and doesnt get off blocks really well but I think if he returns he will be a valuable piece to our team.
2 Malcolm Jenkins - Great great year.. stepped up from last year and if he comes back I think he will be a captain. But the millions might be too hard too pass up and I couldnt blame him if he went.
3 Jamario O'Neal Will never understand why his god given athletic ability has not translated or produced on the field yet. I hope something goes off and he has a great year next year.
3 Brandon Saine Started off with a bang.. got hurt and was never the same. Tons of upside and potential. Was it just me or did he look like he really bulked up during the NCG Hope the bulk doesnt kill his speed like it did with Lydell.
4 Kurt Coleman Gets around the ball really well.. Has great closing speed Has to start making tackles. Way too many tackles up high, but I think he has a HUGE 2008. Love the potential this kid has
4 Ray Small I think I am in the minority here, but I have not been impressed with Ray at all this year. Has not produced that much on ST. Average receiver. A lot of fans are very high on him, maybe my expectations are too high but just thought he had a down year.
5 Chimdi Chekwa Great first year for the young man Next in line to be a great Buckeye DB
6 Larry Grant - Kid plays with a fire has crazy closing speed but another player who I think can do more with the athletic ability he has. He very well could be a great pro. His numbers will get him drafted for sure.
9 Brian Hartline Steady, made some great plays. Totally exceeded expectations and will be a key contributor for 2008
9 Robert Rose Injuries has hurt RR this year for sure but even before being hurt didnt seem to live up to the expectations that were placed on him after a really good Freshman showing. I cant wait to see a fully healthy RR next year.
12 Dane Sanzenbacher Really glad to see Freshman contribute and Great Dane did just that. Can not wait to see him mature and get a little bigger next year.
15 A.J. Trapasso - I think Trap is really really underrated and he has had a really good year. Another in a recent line of great punters at OSU.
17 Todd Boeckman Played a lot better then I thought he would at the start of the year. Had some great games vs inferior teams. Gets too rattled and gets happy feet. I like the kid a lot just not sure he is the answer to bring home a NC
20 Donald Washington Had a great season and really held down the other CB position next to Jenkins. The bar has been raised for him next year and I think he can live up to the hype.
21 Anderson Russell - Our defense is better with him in there for sureHad a very solid season but I had higher expectations. Kid is a warrior and I think he will have a great 2008.
28 Chris Wells Started the year REALLY slow and I was hoping he could shake it off.. I would say he has done that and I am willing to say he is the best RB in college football. There is not a back in the country I would trade him for.
33 James Laurinaitis - Here is a giant serving of crow I need to eat. I did not believe the hype he was getting. I thought last year he was just in the right place at the right time for many INTs but the kid is a beast and is the heart of our D. Really hope we can watch him play for one more year.
34 Maurice Wells - He has really improved but we do not utilize his attributes to the fullest. He can make some things happened for sure. Next year I am hoping he can improve our return game a lot..
36 Brian Rolle - Future stud He killed some people on ST this year
37 Thaddeus Gibson - Future stud Might just be a maturity thing, but the kid plays with a pissed-offness that I like and can really make some plays He will have a break out year next year.
38 Austin Spitler Solid back-up, might find himself as the number 1 next year Has to control his emotion out there and play smart.
42 Tyler Whaley Tank thank goodness someone stepped up at the FB position.. Went from OLine to a very solid FB Pleasant surprise for sure
49 Dionte Johnson Was a captain but did not have the year I thought he could have. Had such high hopes for him after his Freshman year and kind of fizzled since then,
50 Vernon Gholston - Stud
51 Ross Homan Injured hope he gets his medical RS
55 Curtis Terry - Injured
63 Ben Person Coming into the season my expectations were not high but when he was recruited they sure were.. I would say he played the way I thought he would. Nothing outstanding but didnt regress or hurt us in anyway
64 Jim Cordle - Did a solid job as the full time starter. Many are not too impressed with Jim but as a Soph I think he has a decent year.. Hope he can find a way to add good weight for next year though
71 Steve Rehring Very solid year for Steve Was in a little better shape Needs to control emotion.. 15 yard penalties really hurt a team. Not saying this jut based on the NCG either.
72 Dexter Larimore Was hoping for a lot more but cant really complain with his perfiormance. All of DTs need to step up.. EVERYONE of them they are the key for us having a really good defense next year or a NC type of defense
74 Kirk Barton Lived up to the hype Played really well and will be missed for sure next year..
75 Alex Boone His improvement from last year to this year has been really noticeable. His expectations are out of this world high but I think he had a very good season. Think he will be back next year At least I think he should be
80 Brian Robiskie - Totally exceeded expectations this year. Wonderful body control Makes the catch anywhere(except for 1) and just an absolute clutch player. Need to have a true game breaker to compliment ROBO next year
84 Doug Worthington - Liked the move to DT and played solid We have to get better there.. Have to have to have to if we want to compete with the big boys
85 Ryan Pretorius Solid.. not great.. Personally thought Pettrey played better but coaches know a lot more then me.
86 Jake Ballard - I think Jake is so under-utilized He is a player.. Absolute great player waiting to happened IMO. Hope we utilize his skills more next year.
87 Lawrence Wilson - Cant really evaluate due to injury
88 Rory Nicol - Solid year.. See Jake Ballard writing. Doesnt have the ceiling Jake has but is a great asset to the team that we need to use more.
92 Todd Denlinger Ok year.. nothing to write home about.. I really thought he could come in and take over where Pitcock left off but that did not happen Hope he improves next year.
93 Nader Abdallah Got a lot more from him then I thought we would
97 Cameron Heyward Freak Enjoy him the two more seasons we have him in Columbus.. If Big Vern goes his development will soften the blow especially if we get Wilson back at full go Awesome year for this young man.
 
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craigblitz;1060388; said:
28 Chris Wells ? Started the year REALLY slow and I was hoping he could shake it off.. I would say he has done that and I am willing to say he is the best RB in college football. There is not a back in the country I would trade him for.
Click to expand...

Maybe Knowshon Moreno. MAYBE.
 
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SNIPER26;1060393; said:
Maybe Knowshon Moreno. MAYBE.
Click to expand...
Knowshon has some talent, some amazing talent, but I give Beanie the advantage due to the power he can bring with the speed. One on one I'll take Beanie all day. I don't think Knowshon could drag Glen Dorsey to a five yard gain or send a DB flying five yards through the air with a stiff arm.

Thank you very much for this analysis very impressive and I tend to agree with most of it.
 
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Excellent summary - might not agree on all particulars, but a great write-up.

On Beanie - I think he is undoubtedly the Buckeyes best hope for another Heisman next year, that is how overwhelmingly good I think he can be in his junior campaign. The most devastating combination of power, strength and speed I have seen suited up at running back for Ohio State in decades. (And yes, that takes it back before Eddie).
 
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Improved/Impressed
gholston
Animal
Russel
Washington
Freeman
Grant
Robo
CHRIS WELLS
The tight ends
Cordle
Person
Barton
Heyward
Chikwa
Wells- somewhat better runner, and he produced more.

No Improvement
Jenkins-Yes he's very talented but call me crazy he just didn't produce. He's not around the ball enough. However, I think playing him at saftey is VERY STUPID.
Hartline
Boone


Needs Improvement
Coleman- yes it's his first year but he needs to get heavier and work on his tackling.
Rehring-Needs to drop a little weight to help with his quickness.
Boeckman-I struggled with putting him here and he did great for the first 3/4th, but teams figured him out and now he needs to improve on that. Because if he does not improve on his weaknesses teams will solve our offense next year.
Small- He was hurt a bit this year but he needs to step up. He was going into this year our only true home run threat. Not only did he not full fill this position but he failed as a returner as well. Ranking 112th in kick returns is unacceptable.
Saine-Did great the first 3 games, but he needs to now take his play to the next level.
Defensive tackles-We knew we'd struggle at this position before the season started, but now we need these people to put some work in this offseason. We need to get thicker IMO in the middle, and we need to become better at holding up blocks.
Special Teams-The punt team is the only part of our special teams that did well this year. Kickoffs we had too many returned, Kick Returns we didn't do well at all (FIELD POSITION!!!!!!), and we sucked at protecting the field goal kicking this year (Gata have it).
 
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I love Malcolm Jenkins, I think he is easily one of the best cover corners in the college game, but (with the exception of his INT) I don't think the NCG necessarily helped his stock. He gave too much of a cushion on an LSU 15+ yard play and got beat by Doucet for a TD on a relatively easy route.
 
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OregonBuckeye;1060636; said:
I don't recall the ball coming his way all that often. As far as production, can you elaborate on that?
Click to expand...
Seriously. He was an All-American. If by "lack of production" he means INT's, a lack of INT's is in and of itself production because the opposing team isn't throwing your way.
 
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I think comparing Malcom to the 'drop-off' season Chris Gamble had at db a few years back is about the same. Chris's stats were way down but that is because nobody dared to attack him. Ask the coaches that played against Malcom what they think.

Also with Brian Hartline... interesting that you didn't think he lived up to expectations.. I guess it all depends on that, but for me I was expecting Brian to be a good third option and he proved to be a lot more.
 
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Ya, Brian is a great possesion receiver.....let him play with Ginn and Holmes and see what his numbers look like.

LSU did not fear Ray Small in the least....he was single covered all night, and the one time we took a shot deep with him, Ray did a poor job protecting his position and left Todd out to dry, IMO

I think Robiskie is as solid a receiver as we have had in a very long time...his game will translate VERY WELL to the NFL, and I;m keeping my fingers crossed he stays next year b/c his departure would be a huge hit to whoever plays QB next year.
 
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