2017 tOSU Offense Discussion

[pnuts34]

I only believe JT will be better than last year, not a world beater but if he is it will be crazy. With the defense, the new approach and the people stepping up, especially tight end, we'll light up the scoreboard like a pinball machine. The depth is the biggest reason they'll improve across the board. I've never seen a Buckeye roster this deep from position to position all around. The 2nd and 3rd string QB's have enough skill to win most games on our schedule, I'm confident of that.

I was just stating that our team in 2015 was even better than this one, and fans said the same thing in the off season... I remain optimistic that Wilson can fix some of Becks errors but a number of things need to be cleaned up to put up those kind of numbers

 

[sparcboxbuck]

I only believe JT will be better than last year, not a world beater but if he is it will be crazy. With the defense, the new approach and the people stepping up, especially tight end, we'll light up the scoreboard like a pinball machine. The depth is the biggest reason they'll improve across the board. I've never seen a Buckeye roster this deep from position to position all around. The 2nd and 3rd string QB's have enough skill to win most games on our schedule, I'm confident of that.

I remain optimistic.

Our QB room is capable of beating most teams on our schedule... think about that... wow.

 

[Bestbuck36]

I was just stating that our team in 2015 was even better than this one, and fans said the same thing in the off season... I remain optimistic that Wilson can fix some of Becks errors but a number of things need to be cleaned up to put up those kind of numbers

I totally understand and that name you mentioned not being here is why I'm most optimistic and seeing those guys run in person this spring is a big part of it.

 

[jwinslow]

I was just stating that our team in 2015 was even better than this one, and fans said the same thing in the off season... I remain optimistic that Wilson can fix some of Becks errors but a number of things need to be cleaned up to put up those kind of numbers

Which is a wise approach. They should have averaged 50 (given the 45 averaged in 2013 & 2014 without x-Brax, veteran Zeke/Thomas/etc), but RT, Urban's QB circus, the 3 headed awfulness running the offense got in the way.

 

[ScriptOhio]

FILM STUDY: HOW OHIO STATE LOOKS TO MAKE LIFE MISERABLE FOR OPPOSING DEFENSIVE ENDS

There is the mandate that players go '4 to 6, A to B' with relentless effort. There's the focus on competitive excellence, demanding players maximize both their in-game and mental repetitions. There's also the cohesion-building concept of the 'Power of the Unit.' And, perhaps most famously, there is the mantra that E (event) + R (response) = O (outcome), a mindset that has won over even the largest of skeptics.

But as you might expect from the leader of such a successful organization, Meyer has a set of core beliefs that shape the way his offense is built from the ground up each season. At Bowling Green, Utah, and Florida, Meyer became known for his integration of the quarterback in the running game, re-equating numbers in favor of the offense instead of removing the signal-caller from the play after handing off.

Unlike some of his peers, who lean almost exclusively on only one or two concepts, Meyer's teams have always featured one of the most diverse running games in the nation, integrating both zone and gap-blocking schemes. But the Buckeyes' head coach has always paid close attention to what those peers are trying, looking to infuse his game plans with the latest innovations in the game, such as Run-Pass Options (RPOs).

But the core philosophy that is mentioned far less is Ohio State's desire to attack edge players like defensive ends and outside linebackers in numerous ways, keeping them on their toes and unable to disrupt the Buckeyes' game plan.

Entire article: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...ke-life-miserable-for-opposing-defensive-ends

 

[OSUK]

Looking at the offensive roster, I don't see a lot of holes or questions.

I guess we would start our biggest concerns with the receivers and H-back. The Bucks need 4-5 guys out of the following: Victor, Hill, McClaurin, Dixon, Mack, Grimes (and possibly frosh Gardiner and Harris). It looks like Paris Campbell will be the H with Hill and/or Glover-Williams backing him up.

I like where they are at with Baugh at TE. Alexander being injured is a blow, but someone should emerge as a 2nd/back-up TE from among Hausmann, Hawkins, Farrell, or Berry.

RB appears to be in good hands with Weber, as long as he is healthy. McCall showed me enough last year to trust him and be excited when he is in the game. Dobbins looks like he will play some. Not sure about Williamson yet. But with those four, it looks like we have enough for "a pair and a spare".

I have been a big JTB fan, so I feel really good about QB. I don't have a strong opinion yet about Burrows or Haskins as a back-up. It's an either/or thing for me right now. If JT would get hurt, I would feel pretty confident that either could take over and run the offense. I'm interested to see if Martell is red-shirted or maybe they will put a run oriented/wildcat/option package in for him. That would be fun to see if he is effective.

On the O-line, I feel good about Price, Jordan, and Jones. Prince needs to show some improvement in pass pro. But I would think that the Buckeyes can find a 5th starter from among Knox, Burrell, Pridgeon, Feder, Taylor, Bowen, Munford, Myers, Wholabaugh, Cupp, Alabi, or Davis.

 

[ScriptOhio]

With More Ownership, Buckeye Receivers Expecting Bigger Results

The Ohio State Buckeyes have to replace their top three receivers from last season, which will always cause growing pains.

The fortunate thing for OSU is that the players who stepped up this spring all saw the field in 2016. The unfortunate thing is that their production last season totaled just 54 receptions between six returning receivers.

The numbers could have been better, but it just didn’t happen. Be it the fault of the quarterback, the offensive line, the system, or the receivers themselves. Don’t expect the blame to be deflected, however.

“All you guys saw it,” H-back Parris Campbell said in the spring. “We weren’t making plays when they were supposed to be made. Too many balls on the ground, too many opportunities left on the field. As a whole unit, I feel like we never left a game feeling like we did what we wanted to do. For me that’s the summary.”

In terms of experience, the Ohio State receivers have it. K.J. Hill is the leading returning pass catcher among receivers for the Buckeyes with 18 catches in 2016. He missed a few games due to injury, but was a fixed member of the rotation. Parris Campbell chipped in 13 receptions, but his nine starts are a much better indicator of his experience level. Fourth-year junior Terry McLaurin (11-114-2) started four games last season.

It is time now for that experience to meet expectations. New coaches will help that, but so will the mindset from the receivers that this team is now theirs, and how they play will dictate the Buckeyes’ success.

“There’s a lot more ownership,” McLaurin said this spring. “I feel like there was a lot of ownership last year, but we meet with the quarterbacks every single day, we watch every single deep ball that’s thrown. There’s just more emphasis on the passing game. Coach Wilson and Coach Day coming in here, that’s the one thing they said from day one, we want to get this passing game going because when that gets going, it opens up everything else. So from day one, we knew what the objective was and we’re just pushing every day to get better towards that task.”

Entire article: http://theozone.net/2017/06/ownership-buckeye-receivers-results/

 

[ScriptOhio]

How Will the Ohio State Offensive Line Limit Sacks in 2017?

The Ohio State offensive line started out pretty well in 2016. They allowed just two sacks in their three non-conference games and three sacks in their first three Big Ten matchups. That’s an average of .83 sacks allowed per game and it would have put the Buckeyes in the top five in the nation in that statistic.

Then came the Penn State game. The Nittany Lions sacked OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett six times, and only Barrett’s escapability kept it from being more. In one game, the Ohio State offensive line had doubled their sacks allowed. They bounced back well in their next three games, allowing just three sacks total to Northwestern, Nebraska, and Maryland.

The next three games, however, went a lot like the Penn State game.

Michigan State notched three sacks against the Buckeyes. Michigan put Barrett down eight times, and Clemson got him three more times.

Even with the Penn State debacle, the Ohio State offensive line allowed just 14 sacks over their first 10 games. The ugliness came over the next 14 sacks, however, which only took three games to compile.

It was not the way an offensive line wants to close out a season, but it wasn’t just the fault of the guys up front.

“I think there’s a lot of things, a lot of actual breakdowns with coaches,” center Billy Price said this spring. “I know in particular they always talk about our route depth, our protection depth, what happened here. There’s some fault with the offensive line, there’s some fault elsewhere, it’s a collective offensive thing that we need to get better at and we’re improving in that drastically.”

Entire article: http://theozone.net/2017/06/ohio-state-offensive-line-limit-sacks/

 

[pnuts34]

With More Ownership, Buckeye Receivers Expecting Bigger Results

The Ohio State Buckeyes have to replace their top three receivers from last season, which will always cause growing pains.

The fortunate thing for OSU is that the players who stepped up this spring all saw the field in 2016. The unfortunate thing is that their production last season totaled just 54 receptions between six returning receivers.

The numbers could have been better, but it just didn’t happen. Be it the fault of the quarterback, the offensive line, the system, or the receivers themselves. Don’t expect the blame to be deflected, however.

“All you guys saw it,” H-back Parris Campbell said in the spring. “We weren’t making plays when they were supposed to be made. Too many balls on the ground, too many opportunities left on the field. As a whole unit, I feel like we never left a game feeling like we did what we wanted to do. For me that’s the summary.”

In terms of experience, the Ohio State receivers have it. K.J. Hill is the leading returning pass catcher among receivers for the Buckeyes with 18 catches in 2016. He missed a few games due to injury, but was a fixed member of the rotation. Parris Campbell chipped in 13 receptions, but his nine starts are a much better indicator of his experience level. Fourth-year junior Terry McLaurin (11-114-2) started four games last season.

It is time now for that experience to meet expectations. New coaches will help that, but so will the mindset from the receivers that this team is now theirs, and how they play will dictate the Buckeyes’ success.

“There’s a lot more ownership,” McLaurin said this spring. “I feel like there was a lot of ownership last year, but we meet with the quarterbacks every single day, we watch every single deep ball that’s thrown. There’s just more emphasis on the passing game. Coach Wilson and Coach Day coming in here, that’s the one thing they said from day one, we want to get this passing game going because when that gets going, it opens up everything else. So from day one, we knew what the objective was and we’re just pushing every day to get better towards that task.”

Entire article: http://theozone.net/2017/06/ownership-buckeye-receivers-results/

I like the accountability and embracing the pressure of being at a premier collegiate football program like OSU. Just have to get it done on the field now

 

[ScriptOhio]

Pre-Fall Positional Projection: Ohio State Wide Receivers

Last week’s projection of the Ohio State quarterbacks was a story of consistency and success, led by senior J.T. Barrett. This week’s projection of the Buckeye wide receivers is the polar opposite. The group, affectionately known as Zone 6 by their coach, has really been missing the consistency and “Zone 6ishness” over the last couple of seasons. This despite guys like Mike Thomas, Braxton Miller, Jalin Marshall, and Noah Brown manning the position.

Going into this season, perhaps the single biggest question for the Buckeyes is how well can these guys even play? Will this group of unproven but highly-touted players be able to develop the trust of Barrett? Or will we still see the indecisiveness of Barrett because the rapport is not there?

As I spoke about with the quarterback projection, I believe the passing offense will be better. A question remains, however, about who will step up and bring the receiver respect back.

THE STARTER
Going into the fall, you can really only put one guy in the category of starter — redshirt junior Parris Campbell. After starting off and on over the past two seasons, Campbell has really yet to make his mark for the Buckeyes. Dating back to his start against Virginia Tech as a redshirt freshman where he got wide open early and dropped an easy touchdown, Campbell always seems on the verge of doing something special but has yet to make the type of impact that many have expected.

This season, Campbell is sliding inside to the H-back position, which was previously manned by Curtis Samuel. It will be impossible for one person to duplicate the numbers of Samuel this year. The Buckeyes just don’t have someone with that ability, and if your expectation is for Campbell to put up Samuel-type numbers, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

This season, you will see a different type of H-back than you have seen recently. I feel like this year it will serve more as a pure slot receiver, as we saw with Philly Brown. Sure, there will be some runs by a handful of players lined up in the slot, but it will not be as featured as it has been in years past.

With this transition to a more traditional slot, Campbell will have the ability to succeed like he hasn’t had before. He has shown glimpses of the ability to make people miss with his tremendous speed on kick returns, and this move to the slot will help showcase those skills more than on the outside. Instead of lining up against the team’s top corners, Campbell will be one-on-one with a linebacker or safety on many occasions. They will get him the ball early, giving him a chance to make the first person miss and get downfield.

As you can tell, I’m a big fan of this move and I think it will be huge for Campbell. Expect him to easily have the best season of his relatively young career.

THE COMPETITORS
Now comes the hard part — deciphering who will get the starts on the outside. There are so many talented players who are just waiting for the opportunity to shine, but who will get the first crack? Based on years past, we can assume there will be some kind of rotation. Last year, I feel like this rotation hurt the Buckeyes and never gave Barrett a chance to build a rapport with his outside receivers. Will this year be any different? Let’s take a look at those guys who realistically have a chance at starting for Zone 6 this year.

Entire article: http://theozone.net/2017/06/pre-fall-ohio-state-wide-receivers/

 

[ScriptOhio]

Buckeye wide receivers bringing swagger back

Ohio State looks to hit on some big passing plays in 2017 and then do some celebrating.

When the new offensive coaches of Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day arrived at Ohio State, they didn't just bring bright offensive minds or an ability to work with quarterbacks.

Both coaches brought something more to the Buckeyes.

"Swagger," wide receiver K.J. Hill said of what's different with the program this offseason. "I’ll say that because Coach Wilson got some to him and Coach Day got some to him. So we’re coming behind them, leading us on the offense. We like that."

It's been a while since there has been any justifiable swagger in the wideouts room. Last season, the top OSU pass catcher was a former running back in Curtis Samuel, who had more than double the receptions or yards of anyone on the team. Along with Samuel, the next two Ohio State pass catchers are not returning in 2017.

So where did the swagger go?

"I feel like there was a little bit of a gap," redshirt junior Terry McLaurin said.

"It’s just that consistency that we need. And now there’s such a clear objective of what is expected from the head coach, offensive coordinator, from Coach (Zach) Smith. Now it’s our job to do it as players. And if you don’t then you’re just not going to play."

Entire article: http://ohiostate.247sports.com/Arti...wide-receivers-bringing-swagger-back-53357028

 

[bukIpower]

Just rewatched some games from the past few years and had a obvious observation... Parris Campbell is much taller and bigger then any H back we have had in UFM time.

He's just as straight line fast as any hback we've had but boy I didn't realize how much bigger he was then players like Samuel or Wilson.

Cannot wait to get this year started and to see the improvement day 1.

 

[colobuck79]

Last night I re-watched the Michigan State game from last year. Although a win in bad weather at a tough place, it was a classic study of under achieving. We had that team over matched in every facet, yet didn't put them away, and almost blew it. The offensive coaches were horrible, in play calling and especially in getting the plays out to JT too late. The O-Line did not have a good game, JT missed some receivers, and there were a number of drops. Also, JT held on to the ball too long and had to run way too much. It was painful to watch. PAINFUL.

 

[bukIpower]

Words cannot describe how happy I am that last year's coordinators are gone. Even if it meant losing Ed all together I was more then fine letting them walk after underachieving so badly (particularly with that 15 group). Once I knew Wilson was our next guy I gave it no second thought

 

[Dryden]

Just rewatched some games from the past few years and had a obvious observation... Parris Campbell is much taller and bigger then any H back we have had in UFM time.

He's just as straight line fast as any hback we've had but boy I didn't realize how much bigger he was then players like Samuel or Wilson.

Cannot wait to get this year started and to see the improvement day 1.

Can't wait to see Parris and McCall get touches in Wilsons screen game.