LB Bobby Carpenter (All B1G, National Champion)

[Buckskin86]

Adam Caplan Adam Caplan ‏@caplannfl

Chiefs are looking at their depth at ILB. Worked out Bobby Carpenter and Bryan Kehl earlier this week, per source.

https://twitter.com/caplannfl/status/243477096628899840

 

[Buckskin86]

Source: Bobby Carpenter set to return to Patriots
October 2, 2012

A source was able to confirm Tom E. Curran's report that the Patriots will be re-signing Bobby Carpenter.

The linebacker was signed by New England in April as a free agent. He went through all the rigors of training camp before falling victim to final roster cuts. The move was somewhat as a surprise at the time as he'd performed well enough to be considered solid depth for the position.

It seems the Patriots now need it.

Dont'a Hightower played just nine snaps Sunday against Buffalo before suffering a hamstring injury. The team announced his return as questionable, but the rookie came back to the bench only to sit, helmet off, for the rest of the game.

Carpenter will provide the insurance needed if Hightower will need to miss time.

More information will be available Wednesday after the team begins practicing again.

http://www.csnne.com/football-new-e...-return-to-Patriot?blockID=782935&feedID=3352

 

[Tonyank]

Looks like he's back per his twitter.

 

[Buckskin86]

Patriots release Bobby Carpenter

According to multiple reports, the Patriots have released linebacker Bobby Carpenter.

The 29-year-old linebacker signed with the Pats this offseason. Though he was released at the end of the preseason, he was resigned again on Oct. 3. The seven year veteran only recorded two tackles in four games with the Patriots.

Caprenter, a former first round pick, has also spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Last season, he played in all 16 games with the Lions, recording 29 tackles and one interception.

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/s.../2012/10/30/patriots-release-bobby-carpenter/

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U16yg_ijMQ"]Explosion Drills with NFL Linebacker Bobby Carpenter - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Draft analyst: Bobby Carpenter's breakdown of ESPN All-Time Buckeye draft

 

[cincibuck]

Draft analyst: Bobby Carpenter's breakdown of ESPN All-Time Buckeye draft

Lack of vision - how can you not pick Warfield early? Look at what he does early in Cleveland and then at Miami. You have to look past what kids accomplished on Woody's offensive team.

Other MIAs: Parker, Hicks, Schafrath, Houston, A whole flock of great LBs, Cousino, Tovar, Gradishar, and the guy in the booth- Speilman.

Best QB? Schlichter - too bad you can't bet on that.

 

[Muck]

Lack of vision - how can you not pick Warfield early? Look at what he does early in Cleveland and then at Miami. You have to look past what kids accomplished on Woody's offensive team.

Other MIAs: Parker, Hicks, Schafrath, Houston, A whole flock of great LBs, Cousino, Tovar, Gradishar, and the guy in the booth- Speilman.

Best QB? Schlichter - too bad you can't bet on that.

Draft Position:
5 - Spielman (#1 LB)
8 - Hicks (#2 OT)
9 - Parker (#1 OG)
39 - Gradishar (#4 LB)
52 - Paul Warfield (#6 WR)
63 - Jim Houston (#6 DE)
76 - Steve Tovar (#11 LB)
96 - Schlichter (#4 QB & final pick overall)

The full draft can be found HERE

 

[Dryden]

Best QB? Schlichter - too bad you can't bet on that.

Schlichter was picked last because the three other participants took Smith (1st rd), Miller (8th rd) and Kern (15th rd) earlier. That meant Bournival had his choice between Schlichter, Hoying, Germaine, etc since no other QBs could be taken.

 

[Buckskin86]

A Freshman Perspective: OSU Training Camp

Posted by Bobby Carpenter on 8/10/2013


Playing at Ohio State was the opportunity of a lifetime, not only for me, but for all the players who have donned the scarlet and gray. One of the greatest benefits of playing at Ohio State is the quality and skill of players that are on the squad. The roster is littered with 4 and 5 star recruits, players who have always been the best on their respective teams growing up and could never imagine someone else taking their spot. Most players out of high school (like myself) felt they were big and fast enough to play right away and camp would not be that much more difficult than it was in high school.

After a week of camp all of those perceptions change. By the end of the first week, freshmen have come to the harsh realization that no matter how talented they are, college football is hard. It is not just the practices that wear you down, in fact practices are rarely what wears the players down. The difficulty lies in the seemingly endless meetings, along with the extremely intense pre and post practice walk-throughs that weigh on your mind. To help you understand, I am going to take you through a day in the life of a player during an Ohio State training camp.

6:00 AM: the alarm rings. If you are injured, then you know the coaches expect you to get a round of treatment prior to practice. You drag yourself out of bed, head down to the bus and ride over to the Woody Hayes Center, the Ohio State Football practice facility. You grab some quick breakfast in a silent cafeteria because no one really has the energy or will to talk. After you finish eating and walk to the training room like a zombie, your treatment begins. When your hour of treatment is finished, you are finally awake and head to the hot tub to loosen up those tight muscles. No matter how long you sit in the tub, no amount of time will help your soreness at this point. You get dressed and head to the meeting rooms for a quick meeting before practice. Plays are installed quickly during pre-practice meetings and players must learn them on the fly. No excuses are allowed for mental errors because you didn’t learn the 'daily install' before practice.
cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/101

Urban Meyer's Special Teams Impress

Posted by Bobby Carpenter on 8/1/2013

I would first like to start out and say that this 2013 Ohio State football season is going to be extremely exciting. The expectations are high (as they should be) and the prospects for a great season are very promising. With the ability to play in the B1G, Big Ten, Championship game and a bowl game for the first time in the Urban Meyer era, a B1G Championship is expected, as is a BCS Title berth. However, this will require the Bucks to essentially win 25 straight games, going undefeated this season after last year, an extremely difficult undertaking. Keeping the difficulty of that feat in mind, I see no better man to lead this team than Urban Meyer.

Special Teams is too often forgotten during the preseason breakdowns, but too often it is the crucial piece when vying for a National Title. If you look back at the last 20 years, many National Title runs have been catapulted or derailed due to a pivotal special teams moment. Whether it is a last second field goal, blocked punt, or a kickoff returned to the house, they can make the difference.

Urban Meyer places such an emphasis on Special Teams that last season he, himself, was the coordinator. Rather than simply pass of the role to an assistant on a new staff, Meyer took the role on at Ohio State. He felt it necessary to set the tone for the team by coordinating them. Take a look at the results: A blocked punt against Indiana to turn momentum; Corey Brown’s punt return in the ‘Shoe' against Nebraska that set the table for what ultimately became a route.

There are two stats that are vital measurements for any Special Teams unit: Net Punt, which is the distance of the punt minus the return, and Drive Start Average or DSA, which is where a team starts after a Kickoff. DSA is a great measure of both your Kickoff and Kickoff Return teams because it will tell you how far your offense has to travel for a touchdown and how much field your defense will have to defend. Short fields are great for an explosive offense, like Ohio State's, and you would love to have your defense trot out to the 20-yard line, knowing that they have 80 yards of field to defend. That will allow both the offense and defense to play aggressively because of the length of field that they will have to work with.

cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/42

 

[Buckskin86]

Seniors Won't Tolerate Sleepwalking Through Non-Conference
Posted by Bobby Carpenter on 8/28/2013

A big reason why recruits commit to play for Ohio State is the potential to play in games that will be in the national spotlight. This expectation doesn’t change as the players progress from their freshman to senior year. So the question, which everyone wants an answer to is, “How do the players stay focused through a weak and seemingly boring non-conference schedule?” It is a valid question.

With no Texas, USC or even a Cincinnati to climax the non-conference schedule, what motivates the 2013 edition through spring ball, summer conditioning, Two-a-Days to the start of the B1G season? It can’t be lowly Cal Berkeley can it?

The answer to this question is a surprising one. Yes. The Cal Bears will serve as a motivation for this squad. After the way the game unfolded at The Horseshoe, maybe they should be worried. But, this team understands the task at hand. It is known that every game should be and needs to be a dominating performance. A one score victory against an under-matched opponent will not suffice, no matter who, where, or when they play.

cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/185

 

[Buckskin86]

Running with the Bulls
Posted by Bobby Carpenter on 9/2/2013

There is a consensus throughout Buckeye Nation that a 40-20 victory against the Buffalo Bulls in the opening game of 2013 was not what Buckeye fans had expected. I’m sure that’s not what Urban Meyer expected, it is a pretty safe bet that not a single player anticipated it either. The performance was exciting and encouraging at times, but most left the Shoe that day with a feeling of disappointment, and it’s ok to feel that way. This team will continue to improve and so will Braxton Miller. The following is the how I viewed the key points of this game and some thoughts to chew on throughout the week.

Braxton looked great at points throughout the game, especially his first touchdown toss to Devin Smith. He appeared to have command of the offense and early in the game he raced it up and down the field. With that being said, he still rushed his reads at times and later in the game he was a little skittish in the pocket. There has been progress made in his game, but he still has a ways to go. This was evident Saturday when the rush was intense and his initial receiver was covered. Experience will be his best teacher from here on out and the only way to acquire it is to play games.

cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/245

 

[Buckskin86]

Attacking the Aztecs
Posted by Bobby Carpenter on 9/10/2013

Early in the 2012 season the Ohio State Buckeyes were notorious for their slow starts to games, something Urban Meyer wanted to avoid this season in the non-conference schedule. In the opener against Buffalo, the Bucks came out of the gates fast with a 23-0 lead, then slowed down dramatically in the 2nd quarter. Against the Aztecs on last Saturday, OSU was able to blaze through the entire first half without the services of Braxton Miller to the tune of a 35-0 lead. However in the 2nd half, while the defense looked good, the offense never seemed to find rhythm.



The question now becomes: why does this team seem to start fast, but have trouble maintaining their momentum for more than a few quarters? For me, it all goes back to inexperience. Everything was rolling in the first half, but sometimes halftime can be a team’s biggest enemy, it can kill all of the momentum they’ve gained in the 1st half. This is going to be Urban Meyer’s great challenge this year with his team. He will have to find a way to expedite the maturation process to get them where he wants them to be by the end of the season.

cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/10344

 

[Buckskin86]

Grounding the Bear Raid
Posted by Bobby Carpenter on 9/15/2013

Whenever you play a team that is highly skilled on offense and has been running nearly 100 plays a game, expectations always need to be adjusted for the defense. Typically the Silver Bullets’ defense aims to hold their opponent to under 14 points. A gaudy goal? Yes, but that’s the precedent that has been set by the great Buckeye defenses of the past. Against the Cal Bears’ offense, 21 points would have considered a win.

Generally against a pass heavy offense, defenses will play a variety of two-deep coverages. That will give the secondary the ability to roll the corners up tighter on the outside receivers and eliminate the quick easy throws that a high-tempo spread offense lives on. The Bucks did a little of this on some 3rd-down situations, but they mostly played varieties of a single-high safety or a three-deep look. This change up allowed them to play some man-to-man coverage which helped players in the deep middle, provided help for the corners and for the low middle, which are the linebackers.
cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/10407

 

[Buckskin86]

Defining the Defensive Effort against the Rattlers
Posted by Bobby Carpenter on 9/23/2013

It was a struggle to figure out what to take away from the Buckeye’s performance on Saturday against the Florida A&M Rattlers. The game was more or less a pick your score event and from a defensive standpoint, the Buckeye coaching staff would accept nothing less than dominance. Dominance just doesn’t occur on the scoreboard (even though a shutout is always nice), but it is what your eyes tell you during the game. The Rattlers were never in scoring territory and had no sustained drives. It is one thing to hold a team scoreless, but it is something else altogether when a young defense can rise up and prohibit nearly all first downs. This was the objective for the OSU defense and they achieved it.

Coming off a game where the Buckeye defense gave up over 500 yards in total offense, the defense was vulnerable to having a letdown against a vastly inferior football team. This let down never occurred and it was very refreshing to watch the defense take up the challenge after being slightly embarrassed last week against the Cal Bears. It was a classic trap game from a defensive stand point and while no one ever questioned if the Buckeyes would win; it just needed to be a flawless outing. I liken it to more or less a Thursday practice or Friday walk-through during the season. All of the players knew exactly what to do and it was time to come out and polish up the game plan. No mistakes, no blown assignments, no coverage issues, just attention and a focus to detail that is unparalleled. That can be tough when the game plan lacks the creativity and excitement. There was no need to play more than just the base coverages and fronts.

cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/20462