LB Austin Spitler (official thread)

[Buckskin86]

Austin took that love of twang to Ohio State with him in the bed of his Dodge Ram (which has a hemi, he pointed out to me) and was known as the ?country guy? by his teammates and Coach Jim Tressel. Austin and some of his teammates, (Coleman, Ballard, James Laurinaitis, Todd Denlinger, Brian Hartline, Dane Sanzenbacher, Todd Boeckman) were often just as well known as the headliners at the country concerts they attended.

After five years as a Buckeye, you?d think he?d be used to the attention, right? But a few weeks ago at OSU?s Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Austin was in the hot tub when Thaddeus Gibson said, ?the big guy wants you.? Austin walked into Coach Tressel?s office to find none other than Kenny Chesney!

Austin said he was kind of speechless for a few seconds until he came up with ?I?ve seen some of your concerts? to which Kenny said, ?I?ve seen some of your games!?

‘Mama’ Nancy has a reason to be proud

 

[Magua]

‘Mama’ Nancy has a reason to be proud

LOL that's awesome. But, what was KC doing in the WHAC hanging out with Tressel? Thought he was a Vols fan!?

 

[Buckskin86]

Jim Tressel is already getting the early reports on his recent players.

?I?ve talked with the (Miami) Dolphins since they?ve had minicamp,? said Tressel, the Ohio State football coach, when asked about former Bellbrook High School and OSU linebacker Austin Spitler. ?They were really pleased. They know he could be one of those tough (strong-side) linebackers. He?s going to be a great special teams guy. He?s a big guy. He can run.

?I expect him to have a good chance.?

Tressel expects big things from area Buckeyes in NFL

 

[Buckskin86]

Ohio State linebacker returns to packed gym to express gratitude to Greene County town.
By Marc F. Pendleton, Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Staff photo by Ron Alvey Austin Spitler, who played football at Bellbrook and at Ohio State, was taken in the seventh round of the NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.

Staff photo by Ron Alvey Austin Spitler was honored at an assembly in the gym Tuesday, May 11, at Bellbrook High School.

Staff photo by Ron Alvey Austin Spitler, the first player from Bellbrook High School to ever be selected in the NFL draft, speaks to Bellbrook students Tuesday, May 11.

BELLBROOK ? They had all assembled to honor newest favorite son Austin Spitler.

And after addressing the packed Bellbrook High School gymnasium, the honor was all his.

?I just can?t thank them enough for having me back here,? said the 2005 Bellbrook grad, Ohio State football captain and Miami Dolphins draftee at a school assembly Tuesday, May 11. ?I don?t think they know how much this means to me. I?m thankful for the opportunity. It?s a great honor.?

Spitler long ago left Bellbrook, but the sprawling Greene County community that?s tucked between Beavercreek, Xenia, Centerville and Kettering has never left him.

That?s why he was so gracious to students, teachers and coaches during an end-of-school ceremony to acknowledge his many accomplishments on the field and in the classroom.

Nervous current Golden Eagles football players asked him questions. Girls giggled at the sight of the wedged-shaped, 6-foot-3, 236-pound linebacker.

And there to enjoy it all was his father, mother and grandmother.

?I grew up in Bellbrook throughout my life and have been here since I was a little boy,? Spitler said. ?I couldn?t be where I am today without Bellbrook.?

That would be in the midst of trying to crack the Dolphins? final roster after being picked in the seventh round of the NFL draft. He leaves this week for another Miami minicamp.

A standout special teams player throughout much of his just-concluded Buckeyes career, he?s the only OSU player ever to be selected captain by his teammates without having started a game.

He said his best hope of sticking with Miami is to again excel on special teams.

Spitler receives a hero’s welcome at Bellbrook

 

[Buckskin86]

Inside linebacker
Karlos Dansby gets one spot for sure, likely the ?Mo,? or weak inside linebacker spot, and is a front-runner to be the play-caller on defense. But there will be an intense competition for the ?Mike? spot. Channing Crowder has started 63 games in five seasons with the Dolphins, but he?s A) still rehabbing a Lisfranc fracture in the middle of his foot and isn?t participating in football drills, and B) didn?t thrill the Dolphins with his production last year (52 tackles, one sack, one interception in 13 games). Pushing Crowder the hardest will be fifth-year linebacker Tim Dobbins, acquired in a draft-day trade with San Diego and had 50-plus tackles the past two seasons in a reserve role. Veteran Reggie Torbor is back, but he may be on the outs now that the Dolphins drafted Iowa?s A.J. Edds in the fourth round and Ohio State?s Austin Spitler in the seventh round. Crowder needs to get healthy to stave off the competition.

Add (5:35 p.m.): And wouldn?t you know it, Torbor was cut Thursday afternoon. He was under contract through 2011 and was due $6.1 million in base salary.

The Daily Dolphin ? Blog Archive ? Competition is the theme of the Dolphins’ upcoming mini-camp

 

[Buckskin86]

And finally, seventh-round pick Austin Spitler: ?He?s done a really nice job. You can tell he comes from a good football program, and he?s not overwhelmed by this stuff at all. He can digest the X?s and O?s. He?s quality in coverage, he?s a good run support player. He ran into some injuries at Ohio State that diluted some of his playing time, but he?s a quality football player.?

The Daily Dolphin ? Blog Archive ? LB coach Bill Sheridan sizes up his job candidates

 

[starBUCKS]

Miami Dolphins: Austin Spitler agrees to terms – Miami Dolphins – Sun-Sentinel

As of Friday morning, according to a league source, the Dolphins have agreed to terms with seventh-round pick Austin Spitler, a linebacker from Ohio State.
Spitler will sign a four-year contract with a base value of $1.83 million, including a signing bonus right around $40,000. The deal includes a fourth-year escalator clause, the source said, which could significantly boost the value of the deal should Spitler work his way into a starting role.
Kurt Coleman, a former Ohio State safety taken eight picks ahead of Spitler, has a maximum value of $3.2 million in his deal with the Eagles, thanks to a similar escalator clause.
Spitler, slowed by minor injuries at Ohio State and stuck for much of his tenure behind star middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, has shown strong potential on special teams in the early going with the Dolphins. Spitler was voted a Buckeyes co-captain as a senior, when he shifted to strong-side linebacker.
New Dolphins linebacker coach Bill Sheridan expressed confidence in Spitler during last month?s veteran minicamp.
?He?s done a real nice job,? Sheridan said. ?You can tell he comes from a really good football program. He?s not overwhelmed by this stuff at all. He can digest the X?s and O?s. He?s quality in coverage, he?s a good run-support player. He is a quality football player.?
Spitler, 6 feet 2 and 243 pounds, joins fellow linebackers A.J. Edds (fourth round) and Chris McCoy (seventh round) as the only three members of this year?s draft class to sign.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Seems like he could carve out a nice Donnie Nickey-like career for himself.

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyGphlxAq6E]YouTube - Fins Focus - Austin Spitler[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Edds out for the year (helps Spit)...

Losing Edds opens the door for fellow inside linebackers Austin Spitler and J.D. Folsom to move up the depth chart. Monday, with Spitler still battling an illness that has kept him out the last two days, Folsom got the call and moved up to work with Tim Dobbins on the second unit.

Spitler and Folsom were the Dolphins? seventh-round picks the past two years. Folsom spent all but two games on the Dolphins? practice squad last year.

Sparano said this morning that Spitler?s recovery is ?going very well right now,? but added he didn?t think the former Ohio State standout would quite be cleared to practice on Tuesday. Sounds like he?s close to returning, though, and with Edds out, the opportunity staring him in the face should make him more eager than ever.

UPDATED: Dolphins confirm rookie A.J. Edds lost for the season – Miami Dolphins – Sun-Sentinel

 

[Buckskin86]

Injury update

Rookie LB Austin Spitler, who is battling an illness and has not practiced in several days, "had a little setback," Sparano said. A return date is unclear for the seventh-rounder from Ohio State.

Veteran defensive end has spent seven prior seasons with Dolphins defensive coordinator Mike Nolan - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Rookie LB Austin Spitler, who had been ill with salmonella, returned to the field. Spitler isn't sure how he contracted the condition but he spent two days in the hospital and said he's lost about 15 pounds. ?

Marshall fails to impress during scrimmage - Sun Sentinel

Spitler gets a look: Rookie linebacker Austin Spitler, who watched practice from the sidelines, got in about 10 plays in his return to action after missing several days of work. He said afterward he had spent two days in the hospital with salmonella poisoning.

"It was a really bad deal," he said. "I was in the hospital just dying."

Notebook: Dolphins' defense dominates offense in scrimmage

(On Austin Spitler and how much ground does he have to make up)? ?Well, I?m sure that Austin was excited about it. We were happy about getting him back out there. Obviously the kid worked really hard during the course of the offseason and to miss the period of time that he missed I?m sure being able to get out there today on a day like today was probably very pleasing to him and for us too. So, we just really wanted to use him limited. I would say that target was about 10 plays for him so, I?m sure that?s where he was about.?

Q & A with Miami Head Coach Tony Sparano :: SportsPageMagazine.com

 

[Buckskin86]

BOUT WITH SALMONELLA

Linebacker Austin Spitler lost 18 pounds and missed a number of early training camp practices because he somehow contracted salmonella. Spitler, the seventh-round pick from Ohio State, said he spent two days in the hospital and was constantly ill.

``It was a bad deal,'' he said.

But he's on the road to recovery. He returned to practice Saturday. Spitler said he reported to training camp at 250 pounds and got down to 232 after the bout with salmonella, but is now up to 242.

Read more: Miami Dolphins receiver Patrick Turner has some catching up to do - Miami Dolphins - MiamiHerald.com

 

[Buckskin86]

DOBBINS, SPITLER BATTLE

When rookie A.J. Edds went down with a season-ending knee injury, it opened the door for a linebacker who excels at pass coverage. Dobbins and rookie Austin Spitler are vying for that role but both are slowed right now.

Until recently, Dobbins (ankle) was the first choice.

``What we were trying to do was get down the road with Dobbins a little bit,'' Sparano said.

Spitler recently returned from a case of salmonella and has looked good.

``I've kind of liked what Spitler has done out there right now,'' Sparano said.

Read more: Miami Dolphins O-line's evaluation hindered by injuries - Miami Dolphins - MiamiHerald.com

 

[Buckskin86]

Seventh-round pick Austin Spitler gets his big chance Saturday.

The Dolphins had fourth-rounder A.J. Edds penciled in as their third-down linebacker in passing situations before he suffered a torn ACL. Then they turned to Tim Dobbins, who hasn?t practiced since turning an ankle Tuesday.

Karlos Dansby and Channing Crowder will be the starters at ILB against Tampa Bay, but they?ll surely leave by the end of the first quarter, turning over the inside responsibilities to, among others, Spitler, who missed several of the early days of practice due to salmonella poisoning.

Spitler wasn?t a starter at Ohio State, but hasn?t looked out of place in the many drills he?s run with the linebacking unit. With 2009 pick J.D. Folsom and recent free-agent signee Micah Johnson as the only other players on the depth chart at ILB, he?s sure to get a long look.

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