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RB07OSU;1480582; said:I'm still a huge Keith Wells fan.
To be fair, Long did not say categorically that Wells will never play a down at OSU. He said that Wells won't play unless he changes his attitude/approach. Whether the latter is accurate, I couldn't say, but the two things are clearly not the same.generaladm;1480551; said:If [Wells is] still a non-factor during his junior year, I'll accept the questioning of his (fill in the blank). But I can't stomach "never play here" this early without some major back up.
buchtelgrad04;1480544; said:I dislike reading the majority of Duane's blogs. I always get the vibe that he likes to bash players moreso than he does praise them. His information could be true, but the way he comes off is very negative, from my perspective. I know Keith, he's a nice kid, I'd be a little surprised if he was to "never play here."
Against Troy, I remember that vividly.Seriously, I remember seeing him in there and he didn't redshirt, did he?
Asked specifically about the status of receiver Ray Small and Keith Wells, Tressel said both were doing fine as far as he knows.
...
"Last year I was kind of devastated with injuries," said Wells.
"I dislocated my shoulder twice, so after the Texas game I went on ahead and had labrum repair surgery.
"The labrum is in your shoulder and is pretty much the muscle tissue that keeps the ball in the socket.
"All in the off-season, the summer and the spring, I've been rehabbing and getting my strength back so I can go out and compete."
Wells is in camp and champing at the bit to prove himself as a player who can make the same kind of impact that his classmate Williams made last year. Wells' biggest obstacle to that goal will be the formidable talent already on the OSU depth chart at his position. To see the field Wells will have to displace players like Thaddeus Gibson or Lawrence Wilson, both of whom are pure defensive ends, or even players like Cameron Heyward or Robert Rose, both of whom can play inside or outside. Despite the wealth of defensive ends, Wells is not deterred.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Keith Wells[/FONT]
"That doesn't discourage me," said Wells.
"I feel like once I'm at my point, the point
where I want to be, there won't be any competition for me."
Bold words, but Wells thinks he can walk the walk to back up the talk. He also knows that is a major challenge.
"There's definitely a lot of competition on the defensive line but at the same time once I get to where I want to be it won't matter who's on the depth chart. I feel like I'll excel over anybody," he said.
"The competition (at defensive end) definitely motivates you. At any given time you can move up on he depth chart and at any given time your spot can be taken, so you've definitely got to stay humble and you've definitely got to stay hungry."
What may help Wells get onto the field this year is his versatility. He has the size to be an effective run stopper yet possesses the speed an athleticism to rush the passer. That means he can fill several different roles, and that should help him get onto the field this year.
"I can play long and rangy and at the same time I can take on run blocks," said Wells.
"I've got my hand in the dirt right now but at any given time I can stand up and play the Leo position that Thaddeus Gibson plays. I can pretty much move around the line. I'm pretty versatile.
"Right now I'm playing with my hand in the dirt but they're experimenting with me at Leo also."
Cont'd ...
Extra Points
-Sophomore Keith Wells has been playing the role of defensive end Adrian Clayborn in practice. Clayborn is tied for second in the Big Ten with 7.5 sacks this season. Tressel also said they plan to redshirt Wells after he played sparingly as a true freshman last season.
Keith Wells back with twos. Yesterday I reported that Keith Wells was primarily working with the third-team defensive Thursday with redshirt freshman Melvin Fellows getting more reps with the twos. Wells was back with the second group on Friday, however. He beat tight Reid Fragel badly on one play and batted down a pass from Joe Bauserman. This will probably be an ongoing battle between Wells and Fellows, but what it tells me is that Cam Heyward is going to play a lot of strongside defensive end this year unless one of these two emerges as a dependable backup.