Worm02;1274211; said:
FWIW, being a close friend of Boom's (he's like a little brother to me), I can tell you that people have been doubting him since high school in regards to Ohio State, and some still are. First, they said that he wasn't good enough to be a Buckeye. When he became a Buckeye, they said that he wasn't good enough to play. When he played, they said that he wasn't good enough to start. Once he started, some people, though not as many as before, said that he'll never amount to much. What more does he have to do? He's not perfect, but who is? When he makes a mistake, he learns from it. He always moves forward, he holds on to the ball, he gives up his body to protect the quarterback, etc. Being from Warren, he looked up to Warren Harding's runningbacks such as Maurice Clarett (he garduated with Boom's older brother David in 2002), Richard Davis (used to play for Toledo), Delbert Ferguson (plays LB for Cincinnati), Deryck Toles (played LB for Penn State from 1999-2003), Carl Diggs (played LB for Michigan from 99-03), etc. Now that he's at Ohio State, he looks up to Beanie. He learned a lot from all of them, but being on the same team as Beanie has been even more beneficial to him because it's more "hands on."
Boom has traveled a long road to get to where he is, but I promise you that he's not satisfied yet.
I highlighted the two important parts.
The one thing that everyone has to realize regarding Dan Herron is that all he has done since he arrived at Ohio State is improve.
Week 1: 5 carries, 17 yards, 3.7 YPC
Week 2: 12 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD, 4.2 YPC
Week 3: 11 carries, 51 yards, 4.6 YPC
Week 4: 20 carries, 94 yards, 4.7 YPC
Week 5: 10 carries, 50 yards
And, frankly, I've seen all of Ohio State's games this year. Every time I see him go out on the field, he is bringing something more each time. And, his speed is very underrated. To put it simply, I saw him take that hole for that 25 yard run and I had to ask myself who had just made that run. He is starting to find those big holes. When he gets a hole and go north to south, he isn't afraid to make contact and he has blazing speed.
To me, he embodies the idea of what Jim Tressel sees as essential in a football player. He doesn't make mistakes. He always falls forward. He gets involved in the blocking game. He isn't afraid to take a hit. He isn't afraid to make a block. He loves to make contact. He takes whatever the defense gives him. And, he only cares about getting better. He lowers his body, making him harder to tackle. He seems like the kind of player that will be a role model during his Junior and Senior seasons. And, he is only a Redshirt Freshman guys. He is just a Redshirt Freshman. For a Redshirt Freshman, he has incredible football IQ.
For the other point, lemme just state that it's unfair to compare Daniel Herron to Maurice Clarrett and Beanie Wells because they are both once in a decade talents (As stated in another thread), like Eddie George was for the 90s, Byars was for the 80s, and Griffin was for a friggin' lifetime. We just happened to have both of them in one decade, so we are definitely spoiled.
And, as NastyDogg stated, as soon as he learns to go straight into that hole, he will be spectacular.
The next jersey I'm buying is a #1 jersey. Certain players make impressions on me, even if they aren't superstars. Daniel Herron is one of those guys.
On the BTN topic: The camera crews are efficient, in my opinion. The audio isn't that great, though. I listen to the BTN and I listen to any game on ESPN or ABC, and there is a huge difference. Hopefully they'll learn in time, because I really like how our conference has it's own network. And, if they become more presentable, I'm sure they will be picked up by almost every cable company. They just need to improve.