2012 Offense Discussion

[cincibuck]

D. Smith is a speedster but needed to get stronger.
Philly Brown was hurt a lot but is a down field threat.
Stony is a mismatch nightmare.
As is Hall.
Hyde is a speedster who can score from anywhere on the field.
Brax can take it the distance.
Maybe the "problem" was a lot of conservative play calling? Not using our "speed" guys enough?

We saw 'flashes' last year; times when all those you mentioned showed potential, but for various reasons were never consistent.

Brax doesn't seem to have a top gear. He makes people miss and he has big play potential, but I wouldn't tag him as "can score from anywhere." In the few times he was allowed to throw the young receivers didn't catch the ball. When Posey returned and at last the receivers could get open, Brax couldn't hit anything consistently.

Put the Tattoo five on the field for the whole season and last year's team is totally different, certainly beats Michigan and probably goes undefeated in a mediocre Big 10. Take Pryor off the field, but let Boom and Posey remain and the team probably loses no more than one - two games.

I think the lack of senior leadership played a major part in last season.

Now the leadership will have to come from sophs and freshmen. Hmmmm, remind anyone of 68?

 

[FrancisSoyer]

We saw 'flashes' last year; times when all those you mentioned showed potential, but for various reasons were never consistent.

Brax doesn't seem to have a top gear. He makes people miss and he has big play potential, but I wouldn't tag him as "can score from anywhere." In the few times he was allowed to throw the young receivers didn't catch the ball. When Posey returned and at last the receivers could get open, Brax couldn't hit anything consistently.

Put the Tattoo five on the field for the whole season and last year's team is totally different, certainly beats Michigan and probably goes undefeated in a mediocre Big 10. Take Pryor off the field, but let Boom and Posey remain and the team probably loses no more than one - two games.

I think the lack of senior leadership played a major part in last season.

Now the leadership will have to come from sophs and freshmen. Hmmmm, remind anyone of 68?

He has the longest run by a QB in Ohio State history. He may not be Ted Ginn but he has some top gear.

 

[Onebuckfan]

If Brax can become comfortable with and knowledgeable about the new offense he can lead until then Zach Boren is probably our best leader.

 

[Diego-Bucks]

Then why did Urban run the scheme at Utah with Steve Savoy, who had better averages than Harvin? Yes, having a 5 star WR with freakish skills doesn't come along very often, but neither does a Chris Wells, or Terelle Pryor. That doesn't mean that you have to abandon power running or dual-thread QBs when you have someone that may not be as adept.

Now Terrelle gets TWO threads on BP?! I thought one was enough.

 

[jlb1705]

Brax doesn't seem to have a top gear. He makes people miss and he has big play potential, but I wouldn't tag him as "can score from anywhere."

Well, he can score from his own 19-yard line...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWzqIY0RhiY"]Braxton Miller's 81 Yd Touchdown Run Against Indiana - YouTube[/ame]

...and from the opponent's 44-yard line.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJv68jFzLG0"]Braxton Miller 44-Yard Touchdown Run on Wisconsin - YouTube[/ame]

Plus if your vision and blocking are good enough you don't always need a top gear and you can walk the last twenty yards.

 

[Boostinlsj]

Braxton has an issue with letting up on his way to the endzone.

This is a touchdown if he doesn't let up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=HX_9X01-v2A#t=306s

 

[redguard117]

I did notice that. Hopefully he'll realize he can't let up in college and still score as he could in high school (although he still managed to vs Wiscy and Indiana)

 

[cincibuck]

He has the longest run by a QB in Ohio State history. He may not be Ted Ginn but he has some top gear.

Against Indiana, against Wisconsin. We're not talking blazing defensive speed here.

Oh, let's shoot for being the next person in the gator pen.

I don't see him as having the same kind of "take-it-to-the-house" speed as say: Shoelice, Pryor, Newton, Vick or a couple of the last few QBs from Oregon whose names escape me.

I grant you that I've listed some extremely talented folks, and that's why I hold that phrase - a threat to score from anywhere on the field- in check.

Can he make a big play? Yep. Can he make folks miss him? Phenomenal skill at that. Can he get a vital first down? You betcha. Can he run away from good corners or outrun a good safety's angle? I don't see it.

Does that mean I don't like what he did this season? Nope. I thought he displayed a good deal of talent and determination - and I shudder to think of what the season would have looked like had he not been there-, but he's got some serious issues to address with his passing game and he's not a burner IMO.

 

[Cornerback6]

First off, I agree on the letting up thing. For some it won't be a huge deal until it happens at some critical point in a game down the stretch. Hopefully he's already aware and corrects it...if not, hopefully before said critical point.

About Brax having a top gear. With shakes like his, he doesn't neccessarily need it. I don't care if you're playing IU or Northwestern, if you're scoring from 81 out, there are scholrship corners and safeties trying to run you down. With or without superior blocking, Miller is always a threat to score because of his toolset moreso than his flat speed. TP had the flat speed, but was super easy to chop down at the knees in open field. Brax is next to impossible to bring down in a one man open field situation. I'm sure too that he'll continue to play faster as his confidence and experience grow which often translates to football speed, as opposed to a 40 time. Let the staff shave a hundredth or two off his 40 to boot and I think we'll see Braxton's ability to take it to the house on any given play. Either way, a fun point to debate.

Hopefully with a new offensive scheme, we can also get guys like CBrown, DSmith & Hall in the open field to do much of the same. Last year, if it wasn't a 50 yard bomb, those guys didn't have many opportunities to score (minus a few carries for Hall inside the red zone). For the most part they didn't have many opportunities to showcase their skills after the catch at all. Then again, if your leading receiver doesn't crack the 20's in receptions, then this becomes obvious. We love to throw CB that fly though. Now if he can shake the Roy Hall hands, kid could be gold. FWIW, not intended as a harsh jab at Roy because I loved him in S&G, but he never seemed to get over his confidence issues which lead to quite a few drops. Hoping Brown does and blows up for us.

 

[pnuts34]

Cornerback6, I agree with your points. But id rather see braxton get the ball in our rbs and wrs hands. I personally don't like our starting qb running and taking terrible hits in the open field, unless he's as big as Newton, Tebow, young or pryor. I don't. Want brax to turn into a pocket passer since that's not his game, but id like him to run a little less than last year. Even though he ran more as a necessity at times.

 

[Bestbuck36]

Cornerback6, I agree with your points. But id rather see braxton get the ball in our rbs and wrs hands. I personally don't like our starting qb running and taking terrible hits in the open field, unless he's as big as Newton, Tebow, young or pryor. I don't. Want brax to turn into a pocket passer since that's not his game, but id like him to run a little less than last year. Even though he ran more as a necessity at times.

You might want to do yard work on Saturdays then because Miller is going to be running on called plays maybe more than ever next season. A lot of his plays this year were him checking down and running but this season's offense is supposed to have a ton of misdirection and option to go along with the passing game. He's going to be on the move 90% of the time possibly. As long as he doesnt start trying to take defenders on he'll be fine. Learn the slide and to get out of bounds when its not wide open space and he'll flourish for the next couple of years.

 

[pnuts34]

You might want to do yard work on Saturdays then because Miller is going to be running on called plays maybe more than ever next season. A lot of his plays this year were him checking down and running but this season's offense is supposed to have a ton of misdirection and option to go along with the passing game. He's going to be on the move 90% of the time possibly. As long as he doesnt start trying to take defenders on he'll be fine. Learn the slide and to get out of bounds when its not wide open space and he'll flourish for the next couple of years.

Are you basing this playcalling on Urbans past teams?

And id prefer him sliding and getting out of bounds, but idk if he'll always do that in the heat of battle. And braxton isn't the biggest of qbs and has a number of injuries in the past. I just prefer to keep him from taking massive hits in the open field. Imo, he's not the same runner as Tebow and I hope he isn't used that way. Id like him on options but passing more

 

[BuckeyeBill]

Gotta say I like the 2012 Offense Discussion MUCH better than the 2011 Offense Discussion.

 

[Mrstickball]

Against Indiana, against Wisconsin. We're not talking blazing defensive speed here.

Oh, let's shoot for being the next person in the gator pen.

I don't see him as having the same kind of "take-it-to-the-house" speed as say: Shoelice, Pryor, Newton, Vick or a couple of the last few QBs from Oregon whose names escape me.

I grant you that I've listed some extremely talented folks, and that's why I hold that phrase - a threat to score from anywhere on the field- in check.

Can he make a big play? Yep. Can he make folks miss him? Phenomenal skill at that. Can he get a vital first down? You betcha. Can he run away from good corners or outrun a good safety's angle? I don't see it.

Does that mean I don't like what he did this season? Nope. I thought he displayed a good deal of talent and determination - and I shudder to think of what the season would have looked like had he not been there-, but he's got some serious issues to address with his passing game and he's not a burner IMO.

Thing is, Braxton has the same YPC Pryor did his freshman year. Braxton running, when its called, is something he will develop as he grows.

Its also a schematic problem. Urban will utilize him to the best of his abilities, I believe. His YPC should shoot up as he teaches and uses Braxton's abilities to propel the offense in the direction it needs to go.

 

[Bestbuck36]

Are you basing this playcalling on Urbans past teams?

And id prefer him sliding and getting out of bounds, but idk if he'll always do that in the heat of battle. And braxton isn't the biggest of qbs and has a number of injuries in the past. I just prefer to keep him from taking massive hits in the open field. Imo, he's not the same runner as Tebow and I hope he isn't used that way. Id like him on options but passing more

Combination of his past teams and how he's already stated Braxton will be used. If he had a Braxton Miller at Florida, he'd probably have won a Heisman also. He's far and away a better all around runner than Tebow. Tebow just knew how to handle the ball, and get tough yardage any time he needed it. Braxton will have to get better with his ball handling and his reads obviously but I dont see him without the ball in his hands making a play at least 50% of the game. The only time he'll not be a major factor in the play is the straight hand off. Not knowing how much better he gets at passing is the only thing that keeps me from putting him right in the mix with the Oregon QB's. If he gets a lot better, he wont need to run as much. If not, he'll be tired by the end of every game for sure.