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2010 tOSU Defensive Backs, or Secondary, Discussion

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k2onprimetime;1697957; said:
I would like to see Brown, evege, and clarke get looks at safety. After rewatching the game Orion struggled a little bit.
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Really? I thought, some of the players raved about Clarke and Evege in practices at CB. And I thought Evege is looking like our next starter at Nickel
But I agree that Brown should get looks at S, probably FS.
 
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pnuts34;1697968; said:
Really? I thought, some of the players raved about Clarke and Evege in practices at CB. And I thought Evege is looking like our next starter at Nickel
But I agree that Brown should get looks at S, probably FS.
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Well clarke isint helping us on the bench so maybe giving him a look at Safety would help him get on the field.
 
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k2onprimetime;1698025; said:
Well clarke isint helping us on the bench so maybe giving him a look at Safety would help him get on the field.
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He's a redshirt freshman...if you move him now what are you gonna do when our two senior corners graduate? It's called depth, not everyone can play. Clarke knows this as well as the other young guns on the team. You have to either show that beyond any doubt you should play, or you wait your turn and mature.

You can't just move everyone around to try and get them in the two deep.
 
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Ohio State Buckeyes secondary should give defense some confidence: Hey, Doug!
Published: Sunday, August 01, 2010
Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer

Q: Hey, Doug: How do you think the secondary will be this year? Is it going to be a weak point? I know they lost a few people in those positions. -- Jerome Borer, Chesapeake, Va.

A: Hey, Jerome: Senior Chimdi Chekwa should be one of the best corners in the Big Ten and senior Devon Torrence, who had some rough times in the spring, is a great talent. Throw in sophomore Travis Howard as the third corner, and the Buckeyes have some skill there, the kind that should give the defense confidence to take some chances because they trust their ability to match up on the outside.

At safety, I've always been a fan of senior Jermale Hines, but even though he started at free safety most of last season, he has really made his mark playing the star position and bringing the attitude and hitting ability of a linebacker into a safety role. Tyler Moeller, coming back from a season on the sidelines after a head injury, is the same kind of player. If Moeller is healthy, I'll be curious to see if the Buckeyes can play them at the same time in the nickel defense or if they need more cover skills on the back end.

Redshirt sophomore Orhian Johnson, at 6-2 and 205 pounds, has intriguing size and is expected to start next to Hines in the base defense. So it's not a weak group. But with a very solid front seven, the safeties are the biggest area to watch, and if the Buckeyes can't find a leader back there like Kurt Coleman was last season, they could be more vulnerable to the big play.
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Ohio State Buckeyes secondary should give defense some confidence: Hey, Doug! | cleveland.com
 
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Article published August 18, 2010
Buckeyes Hines, Johnson aim to leave mark at safety
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

COLUMBUS - If you had to search and pinpoint a potentially vulnerable spot in an otherwise stout Ohio State defense, the safety position would likely get the paint of uncertainty for the coming season.

But it's almost a case where the choice is made by default, since at a place where great defense is usually the minimum standard, most of the other positions are stacked with returning starters or well-seasoned veterans.

"We've got a lot of [defensive] guys back," senior linebacker Brian Rolle said, "and whether they were starters last season or not, everybody out here can make the plays. We're confident in every guy."

What puts senior Jermale Hines and sophomore Orhian Johnson in the spotlight is that they are replacing a couple of Buckeyes who were regulars at the safety positions for the past three seasons. Kurt Coleman was first-team All-Big Ten and the conscience of the Silver Bullets last season, while Anderson Russell was also a long-time fixture in the secondary.

Hines has played a lot at safety, and at the hybrid "star" or nickel position that requires the coverage skills of a cornerback and the thunder of a linebacker. He was fourth on the team with 57 tackles last season, but assuming the leadership role on the back end of the defense at free safety, and with Johnson being counted on to start at strong safety, this is new ground for both.

"It's a challenge, but as an athlete at Ohio State, you know you are going to get challenged a number of times in your career," Hines said about replacing Coleman. "There have been ups and downs, like any team experiences in practice, but overall I'd say we've been doing pretty good."
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toledoblade.com -- The Blade ~ Toledo Ohio
 
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Article published August 24, 2010
Chekwa, Torrence give OSU plenty of experience at cornerback
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

COLUMBUS - For any commander, those guys guarding the perimeter are critically important to the entire operation. They are the sentries out on the frontier,
essentially alone on an island.

In football, that's the cornerbacks. They are the one man to beat for offenses attempting to strike quickly and take the least-impeded route to the end zone.

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has put his trust in seniors Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence to protect the outer limits of the field for the Buckeyes' defense. Chekwa has played in all 39 games in his Ohio State career, while Torrence has appeared in 33.

"That's a lot of game experience there," Tressel said about the pair, who give the Buckeyes seasoned, battle-hardened veterans at the vital cornerback position. They will be matched up against the opposition's best receivers, down after down, man-on-man.

"We go up against them every day in practice, and they're both really good cover guys," Ohio State senior wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher said recently. "You feel like you earn anything you get in the passing game when you're facing talented players like our corners. I think it makes us better, facing them every day."
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toledoblade.com -- The Blade ~ Toledo Ohio
 
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Can physical safeties cover?
Inexperienced group known more for delivering big hits than playing pass defense
Friday, August 27, 2010
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Their relative inexperience is a matter of record. Their coverage skills are unproven.

But one thing that should not be questioned is that Ohio State's safeties will hit.

Jermale Hines, Tyler Moeller, C.J. Barnett and Orhian Johnson have something to prove this season - Hines that he can be a full-time starter, Moeller that he has recovered from a serious head injury, and Barnett and Johnson that they deserve a starting job.

From watching them play in the past, though, and from their teammates' testimonials, there's little doubt that all of them enjoy delivering blows.

"(Jermale) as well as Orhian have got to be the two most physical safeties I've ever seen," linebacker Brian Rolle said. "(They are) two guys who can spread the field and play sideline-to-sideline as well as come down in the box and play some linebacker."

He left Moeller and Barnett out, but Hines filled in one of those blanks.

"I knew Tyler would be Tyler," Hines said of Moeller, who was held out of contact in spring practice. "As soon as he got cleared, I knew he was going to come out here, work hard every day, compete and knock the mess out of people."
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http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...8/27/can-physical-safeties-cover.html?sid=101
 
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REPORTER:: Jim, you guys are getting sort of banged up in the secondary, who are some names that you think are going to have to step up in the next week and in the coming weeks?

COACH TRESSEL: I'm trying to think, corner-wise, Dominic Clarke has been a guy that's been fighting to get that done. Corey Brown got probably 20 snaps, so those would probably be the two from that standpoint, corner standpoint. Orhian Johnson has to keep getting better and he played pretty well. He played pretty well there. Aaron Gant's going to have to be able to do some things and Nate Oliver's going to have to be able to step in. Christian Bryant's got to keep coming along at that star position because he probably hasn't had quite as many reps. Tyler probably took an extra series in the course of that game and he's got to come along a little bit there. Losing C. J. and now with Travis out for a week or two, that's two of your Top eight, so numbers nine, 10, they've got to step up. We ask a lot of that group on special teams, so those guys have got to fill in some spots whether it was the starting group or the back-up group special teams-wise as well.
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http://www2.nbc4i.com/sports/2010/s...el-football-buckeyes-turn-focus-ea-ar-237451/
 
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Secondary is a major concern. If there?s one area of the defense that draws special attention after this game it has to be the secondary. Starting corner Devon Torrence suffered a hip pointer against Ohio and barely practiced this week. Then Chimdi Chekwa left the game with back spasms and the Buckeyes almost gave up a long touchdown on the very next series. The No. 3 corner, Travis Howard is out with a shoulder injury and Donnie Evege could miss the rest of the season with a dislocate elbow.

Redshirt freshman Corey Brown looks like he has a bright future, but he and Dominic Clarke got picked on a little bit today while Chekwa was out; enough so that they put Chekwa back in the game in the fourth quarter. Making matters worse, Orhian Johnson seemed lost on a few plays and didn?t rotate to help over the top the way C.J. Barnett had been doing before he went down with a knee injury.

Chekwa?s health has to be a major concern right now. He has had issues with his hips, his hamstrings and now his back. If he can?t stay healthy, the Buckeyes could have major issues in the secondary.
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http://www.the-ozone.net/football/2010/EMU/postgame/10things.html
 
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After rewatching the game, it appears alot of the blown coverages are on OJ. On the TD Dom Clarke gave up, you could tell he was thinking he had OJ over the top. They play a ton of zone and little man, so it looked like the young guys where getting there feet wet with that in a game.

But overall I thought the problem yesterday was focus, and all the young guys we had out there. Plus this game will give the staff alot of teaching moments for the young guys.
 
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