My 3 keys (if we are talking about taking a legit shot at the title, not mowing over McNobody Central Tech throughout the season):
1) Defensive front 7: Your defensive front wins you games, period. Sure we have a good secondary but no DB in the country can cover consistently with little pass rush and a weak run defense. We have guys coming back that should make this a good DL but expectations need to be tempered somewhat. We just lost two of the best DL I've witness at OSU in Simon and Hankins, plus two very steady players in Williams and Goeble. Everyone likely knows I'm a diehard recruitnik and while these guys look great on paper, we are asking new guys to fill big shoes and somewhat familiar faces to embrace a much bigger role. Bennett is the only proven commodity on an every-down basis and health is an issue. Hale has experience to his name but hasn't really shown much yet. Washington looked great but has only one game where he was an every down player. Spence can rush the passer but needs to work on his run defense and becoming an every down DE. Carter has massive potential but that's all it is right now. Miller needs to take a big step and at least graze the surface of the expectations he had coming in. Can Bosa, Hill, Price, etc. come in and contribute early? There is plenty of talent with just enough experience for this to be a very good front 4 rotation. However, lots of questions need answered before we know that.
As for the linebackers, obviously only Shazier is proven. Hopefully some of the toute LB class of 2012 (Perkins, C. Williams, Perry, and Perkins) can step up or one of the incoming Mitchell or Johnson can come up big. Unless Grant has the offseason of the century, I highly doubt he is the answer. In my eyes, we only really need two guys to step up...I see the Star being on the field alot, whether that be C. Brown, Bell, or Bogard. Regardless, I do not see this group as becoming spectacular this year, but they do need to be solid. Shazier will make the big plays if our DL can hold up their end and the other 1-2 guys need to make tackles and play their 1/11th.
2) Braxton's progression: Obviously needs to progress mentally and make better reads. This offense is going to be mamouth on the run. The offensive line flat out blows the running lanes open...best returning run blocking unit in the country imo. Hyde blew up last year and should continue to be great for us. Hall will be back and he can do some serious damage, plus Rod looks special if he just holds onto the ball. Plus I feel Dunn be can be really good if called upon and coaches raved about Ball. Now all that is well and good but we need an improved passing attack to really have a dynamic offense. This offense will need to carry the team and that is a rarity here at Ohio State. Braxton will have a serious arsenal of weapons this year (especially with adding Marshall, Wilson, Cory Smith, Baugh, and EzE to Devin Smith, Philly, Vannett, and Thomas...oh and Braxton as a runner) but Brax MUST get them the ball. Braxton doesn't need to be an all-world passer to make this happen, but he does need to be effective enough in his reads to keep the defense guessing. This means he must improve substantially here.
3) Leadership: Behind every championship there is tremendous leadership (see '02). Simply put, Simon is impossible to replace. However, I do think there are enough high-character individuals on this team to lead us to a championship. Mewhort and Devin Smith need to step up on offense and Shazier/Bennett/Barnett/Roby on defense. The talent is there but much of it is young and needs guidance.
