2009 tOSU Offensive Line Discussion (official thread)

[GomerBucks]

He looked great in the spring game last year, was going to take over Bryant Browning's spot before he got hurt, and looked great in action in the games he played in...as a true freshman. I am highly optimistic about him if he is fully healed from his surgery and gets back with the pace of the game.

That spot on the right side was never his. He was competing but he was never listed as the starter. JB is a good kid and will do well, but he needs to be healthy and learn his assignments before he will be ready.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

He looked great in the spring game last year

I never saw it. Looked like a true frosh to me.

 

[RB07OSU]

That spot on the right side was never his. He was competing but he was never listed as the starter. JB is a good kid and will do well, but he needs to be healthy and learn his assignments before he will be ready.

The week he was going to start over Browning was the week he got hurt, per grad.

I never saw it. Looked like a true frosh to me.

Dominant in his pass blocking...seriously, he was shutting people down. I watched him especially close.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Dominant in his pass blocking...seriously, he was shutting people down. I watched him especially close.

I saw him get beat a lot. Certainly not dominant from what I can remember. But I also probably didn't key in on him as much as you. I remember Bryant Browning shutting down Heyward almost every time they went at it.

 

[GomerBucks]

I know the specific time you are talking about and there were a couple of days where he was going to have the opportunity to play and depending on how he did that week he may have gotten the start. He was working in with the ones but was never named the starter. It did become moot when he hurt himself.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

We still could use more than the current 14 OL on scholarship...with OL being the overall hardest to project and most susceptible to injuries, 18 scholarship OL is not too many.

 

[smithlabs]

We still could use more than the current 14 OL on scholarship...with OL being the overall hardest to project and most susceptible to injuries, 18 scholarship OL is not too many.

Good points. I was trying to comment on the process more than the numbers.

As CBF40 was saying, TE can become OL. 14 OL would feel a lot more comfortable if we had a full contingent of TE. Since OSU is short on both OL and TE (per your calculations), 14 OL feels very fragile indeed.

Another point to consider is how long it takes a player to develop in a position. If a position can be filled with a player right out of high school than it is easier to recruit to fill voids. I believe that OL and QB are the hardest positions to develop so you need to keep the stables full. It wouldn't bother me at all to be deep at OL.

 

[amybuckeye]

We still could use more than the current 14 OL on scholarship...with OL being the overall hardest to project and most susceptible to injuries, 18 scholarship OL is not too many.

Totally agree although some guys will move from TE to OL making the OL # > 14. 18 plus OL would suite me fine.

I understand if they pass on a guy like Donnal or whoever, that's their choice. I just don't understand the numbers thing at OL. I must be missing something because I don't get what the reasoning might be.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

As CBF40 was saying, TE can become OL. 14 OL would feel a lot more comfortable if we had a full contingent of TE. Since OSU is short on both OL and TE (per your calculations), 14 OL feels very fragile indeed.

Totally agree although some guys will move from TE to OL making the OL # > 14. 18 plus OL would suite me fine.

Right now, the only TE whom I see possibly moving to OL is Fragel...he has the best size of the three and is a great blocker. Stoneburner was moved from WR to TE, and the last I heard DiLillo was about 245 pounds. Not saying that Stoneburner or DiLillo won't move to OL, but I think it's highly doubtful those two do.

With 15 scholarships, before any early-exits or transfers, to give for this class (and possibly 16 depending on what develops with Hyde) I see no reason not to grab at least three OL for the 2010 class. Now obviously, we may have to wait a while still for "big fish" like Henderson, Kouandjio, and Linder to see if we will get to three for this class...

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Moved the above four posts over from the "Ideal Distribution of Scholarships" thread...

 

[smithlabs]

Right now, the only TE whom I see possibly moving to OL is Fragel...he has the best size of the three and is a great blocker.

Which is one more than the number of WR you see moving to OL I remember the rhetoric around Fragels recruitment along the lines of he would make a good OL if needed. Which, probably, helped with the offer.


If I squint just right I could imagine Denlinger, who played a little TE in the spring game, moving to OL.

Bottome line is I agree with picking up another OL this year and I wouldn't mind if they were a TE in the mold of Fragel.

 

[Buckskin86]

Asked about the left tackle position, Jim Tressel answered with three names competing for two tackle spots: Mike Adams, J.B. Shugarts and Andrew Miller. Then he spoke of "young guys" who might try and push those three.

Now, does that mean players such as Bryant Browning or Jim Cordle are out of the tackle mix on the two-deep? No, but it seems to me that for all intents and purposes, it appears the jobs are Adams' (left) and Shugarts' (right) to lose.

Wrapping up Big Ten meetings (Blogging the Buckeyes)

 

[GomerBucks]

Obviously, I still have love for the guys who just left, but a little birdie has told me that the Oline is doing much better now that the last group of seniors have moved on..... I am hearing nothing but positives about how the Oline room feels about this upcoming season.

I didnt bother asking too many specifics, but I would imagine that the 1st team OL when camp opens will be: Adams, Boren, Brew, Cordle, Shug...

Miller and BB are both great guys and I hope they are able to contribute too!

 

[Electron Boy]

Obviously, I still have love for the guys who just left, but a little birdie has told me that the Oline is doing much better now that the last group of seniors have moved on..... I am hearing nothing but positives about how the Oline room feels about this upcoming season.

I didnt bother asking too many specifics, but I would imagine that the 1st team OL when camp opens will be: Adams, Boren, Brew, Cordle, Shug...

Miller and BB are both great guys and I hope they are able to contribute too!

that's a decent starting line, i really like boren at LG. my biggest concern is with shugarts and adams, those guys really need to show that they can compete at a high level consistently. with shug, he hasn't really had the chance due to injury, but i really hope boren has knocked some sense into adams by now. LT is no joke, and the last thing we need is pryor on his back constantly because adams couldn't pick up a blindside blitz

 

[calibuck]

Let me say this about that......we are all hoping that the OL will be 'better' than last year's version. Too many DE's skirted the flanks to stuff plays (Browning was one). Whoever they plug in there will have to be quick and effective.

Now, with the great DL that OSU will put on the field this year, and the very quick DE's, why would not the tackles Tress & Co select be great? If they are holding off Gholstin and group, then they gotta be good!?!?! Maybe last year's edition of the OL did not have the quality DL to go against? Dunno, but USC and Texas certainly showed up the flaws in our OL. Having said that, Browning cost yardage (as did others) with their jumping offsides. Hard to fault someone for being aggressive, especially as a underclassman. Would rather see them aggressive than back on their heels, waiting contact, instead of initiating it. But when all is said and done, experience and aggression (spelled Boren, we all hope) will show the young'uns the way. They'll have to jell mighty quick (Navy look out) before USC comes a'callin'.

:gobucks3::gobucks4: And SCUM :scum4: