2014 Spring Game, April 12th @ 1:30p ET

[buckeye4ever21]

I can't get excited about the corners shutting down The passing game in a glorified practice..they probably did fine last year too. Our passing game has not been that good lately. I didn't see a Sammy Watkins on the field Saturday much less a Taj Boyd.

The difference is this year the defense is going to play physical and come up and smack you in the mouth. Physical press coverage will take away wr screens passes and not let receivers have seperation. This will actually let our Dline get to the QB because he can't get it out of his hand as quick because routes are covered up right away. The last few years defenses have been passive based but I can already tell Ash wont call games that way.

 

[HorticullyBuck]

Yes I always thought it was interesting last year playing soft coverage while rushing. Then when it seemed when we didn't rush there was no safety over the top help. New year coming :)

 

[RB07OSU]

Rewatching the game with the advantage of DVR, written with the grain of salt that it is one practice:

1) Michael Hill was very impressive...big SEC-type defensive tackle. He was in on about every tackle and if not, he was disrupting flow. Love his potential. Tyquan Lewis was maybe even more impressive, he has really got himself ready to play physically and it shows.

2) Kwon made some nice plays. In particular there was a play where he was looking run, diagnosed pass, and got back to bat a pass away on a drag route...really impressive diagnosis and even more impressive athletically. Keep making those types of plays kid.

3) Eli Apple was playing some physical coverage and I liked to see his confidence out there. Frequently Barrett would be looking to his side to no avail, he was glued to whatever receiver they threw at him. Showed plenty of willingness to tackle.

4) Hopefully Neurenberger can execute like that during the season, I liked what I saw.

5) I think Cardale was too focused on showing his cannon than making the right read and putting touch on the ball. As always, he has the tools but just needs to be consistent. Barrett had some really nice moments and will keep improving...loved his footwork, pocket presence, and the way he scans the field. Throws a really pretty deep ball too.

6) Worley looked just like his highlight films from HS out there...flying around, playing physical, and wrapping up. Great looking player, tackling machine and plenty athletic. Also, loved what I saw from Lee out there, physical player and looked good in coverage...great goal line stand on Corey Smith and ended up saving a TD. I don't know exactly how the depth chart will shake out, but those guys impressed me much more than Trey Johnson (he was MIA).

7) I know we had some guys out but the mentality of aggressive play and sound tackling looked apparent to me. You can say "same thing last year" but you would be wrong...I remember missed tackling and soft play being rampant in last year's spring game. Whether there is substantial improvement or not remains to be seen of course, but the culture looks to be of a silver bullet defense and I am cautiously optimistic.

8) Kyle Dodson really got ate up pretty bad out there...unfortunately performed as much of the practice reports had indicated.

9) He is young but I was expecting more from Lisle...he was getting beat pretty bad out there.

10) Cameron Burroughs is a specimen...looks like a LB out there playing safety but was solid in coverage all day.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

Rewatching the game with the advantage of DVR, written with the grain of salt that it is one practice:

1) Michael Hill was very impressive...big SEC-type defensive tackle. He was in on about every tackle and if not, he was disrupting flow. Love his potential. Tyquan Lewis was maybe even more impressive, he has really got himself ready to play physically and it shows.

stop with that shit

 

[buchtelgrad04]

stop with that [Mark May]

What does it even mean?

 

[RB07OSU]

stop with that [Mark May]

While I am not into the whole SEC speed/elitism bent as a whole (I will never say "an SEC talent"), there is no way to deny that recently the SEC has clearly had the best interior DLs in the country as a conference and it has not been close. Big 6'3 300+ guys that can move. Plus Hill is from South Carolina, not sure if I'm stretching much in saying that. As for OSU, we have developed ourselves into the exception for the Big Ten recently.

 

[buchtelgrad04]

Labeling anyone as an "SEC [insert position]" is regurgitating what is heard on ESPN. They don't have a trademark on good football players. What was Big Hank considered?

 

[RB07OSU]

Labeling anyone as an "SEC [insert position]" is regurgitating what is heard on ESPN. They don't have a trademark on good football players. What was Big Hank considered?

A late 2nd round pick who has not played yet in the NFL and an anomaly at that? I am sorry but I am not an ESPN regurgitator and I take offense at that. I hate the SEC with a passion and dispute that the talent disparity is that wide between conferences as a whole. I simply am saying that the DTs are a different breed down there and it has been well documented around here....for whatever reason, they grow like trees down in that area of the country.

As a side note, I am really glad I can do a review on the entire Spring Game and this is the discussion that follows that stems from one aspect of it...

 

[RugbyBuck]

He's right and Urban agrees with him. The SEC, largely because of Meyer, moved to more athletic defensive tackles and he has made it a point to replicate that in Columbus. We now have the same type of players and, I daresay, will have the best tOSU defensive line I've ever seen and which will be every bit as good as anything in the SEC. He was using "SEC-type" descriptively not normatively and he's correct. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Mike80]

how about instead of SEC-type we say Meyer-type?

 

[buchtelgrad04]

No, there have been athletic defensive lines since the 80's. It's not new and absolutely not exclusive to the SEC. Missouri's defensive line was the best in the SEC. Not one player in the 2deep was from SEC territory.

I don't get how the SEC label applies to an athletic dline. If anything, it's a Jimmy Johnson-type dline, IMO.

 

[Mike80]

I think we can all agree on this: PUMPKIN ESPiN and its SEC bias.

 

[Dryden]

A late 2nd round pick who has not played yet in the NFL and an anomaly at that? I am sorry but I am not an ESPN regurgitator and I take offense at that. I hate the SEC with a passion and dispute that the talent disparity is that wide between conferences as a whole. I simply am saying that the DTs are a different breed down there and it has been well documented around here....for whatever reason, they grow like trees down in that area of the country.

As a side note, I am really glad I can do a review on the entire Spring Game and this is the discussion that follows that stems from one aspect of it...

Agree. Been widely acknowledged for quite some time, and not just by ESPN.

From 2010 (SI): http://www.sportsillustrated.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1188374/index.htm

"Logging the high school hometowns of all 309 NFL defensive linemen who ended the 2010 season on a roster or on injured reserve is revealing. Despite the fact that the region accounts for only 22.1% of the nation's population, 43% of the NFL's defensive linemen went to high school in these 10 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee."

From 2012 (AP): http://bigstory.ap.org/article/sec-dominating-nfl-roster-spots-defensive-line-0

The SEC sends more defensive linemen to the NFL than any other conference — and it's not even close.

A review of NFL opening day rosters by STATS LLC shows 50 defensive linemen from the SEC. The Atlantic Coast Conference is a distant second with 33.

LSU has had a defensive lineman taken in the draft for the past 10 consecutive years, and will likely extend that to 11 with two draft eligible DTs this year (Ego Ferguson and Anthony Johnson, both likely to be picked in the first 4 rounds).

Hell, even Hampton University in SE Virginia has as many or more DL in The League than 10 teams in the B1G.

Maybe it's the increased obesity rates, or the ability to participate in football activities outside of the typical fall season at the high school level, maybe it's all the chick-fil-a restaurants, or maybe it's something else, but somehow the southeast is producing a disproportionate number of very athletic wide bodies.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

And it's not exclusive or all inclusive to the SEC....so calling it SEC-type is as dumb as saying the SEC won NCs. The SEC didn't win shit....teams from the SEC did. Individual teams who individually gathered better talent and coaching. Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia had nothing to do with Alabama or LSU being the best teams in the country. I don't buy the "they were better prepared bc of their schedule" nonsense either. They had better talent.....LSU even more so to compensate for their moron head coach.

 

[RB07OSU]

Agree. Been widely acknowledged for quite some time, and not just by ESPN.





LSU has had a defensive lineman taken in the draft for the past 10 consecutive years, and will likely extend that to 11 with two draft eligible DTs this year (Ego Ferguson and Anthony Johnson, both likely to be picked in the first 4 rounds).

Hell, even Hampton University in SE Virginia has as many or more DL in The League than 10 teams in the B1G.

Maybe it's the increased obesity rates, or the ability to participate in football activities outside of the typical fall season at the high school level, maybe it's all the chick-fil-a restaurants, or maybe it's something else, but somehow the southeast is producing a disproportionate number of very athletic wide bodies.

Really glad I read your post, I was about to run down 2000-2014 by draft selections and you just saved me the time. Not only are they drafted high, but in more quantity than anywhere else. Also, see this link for all the draft history. UFM has flat out said that we need more DL from the south and he has made it an emphasis with this staff in both targeted prospects and commitments (already have Bosa, Hill, Holmes, and Lewis).