RB Chris "Beanie" Wells (All B1G, All-American)

[osugrad21]

The fumble yesterday was caused by wearing the white undershirt, which is slipprier on the ball than skin. After the fumble, he pulled the sleeves of his undershirt up over his elbows so his forearms were bare.
I doubt we will see Beanie have anything on his forearms from here on out.

Eh, if there has to be a reason beyond poor ball-handling, the sleeves are as good as anything else. However, there is "daylight" on that ball when Beanie is running and that is inexcusable at this level of competition.

 

[martinss01]

*shrug* this is all part of playing a freshman. we all recall clarrett's 3 fumble performance against northwestern. as mentioned earlier, george's 2 fumbles. a freshman tb playing significant time putting the ball on the ground isn't unusual. is this cause for concern and an issue that needs to be addressed immediately? absolutely. does this lower my faith in beanie? in the short term a little, yes. does this decrease my high hopes for him in anyway? not even a little.

you can blame the clothing if you want. but beanie is simply adjusting to the college game. he can't get away with the things he could in college. the defenses are bigger, faster, and hit harder. personally im happy this is happening now so it can be addressed rather than a few weeks from now.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

In short yardage situations (where he's fumbled both times) in which he's called to run up the middle for a first down, there is absolutely no reason not to have both arms wrapped around the ball...none. As big as he is, he should be able to run 100 times in a row into the line without ever dropping the ball.

 

[rocketman]

Yeah, he might put the ball on the ground, but he does a hell of a job of making us all forget about it when he gets the ball again and pushes the pile, getting 6-10 yards after contact. I guess you have to credit the defense for cleaning up any mess left behind by the turnovers though.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

He can just get them all out of the way now, and not have one in a big game when we can't afford it.

Besides teh fumbles Beanie has improved his game and is starting to use his vision just a little bit more instead of just going for the 2 or 3 yards he was being asked to do most of the time earlier in the season.

 

[jwinslow]

OSU Picture Archive

Minnesota cornerback Keith Massey (9), right, grab's Ohio State running back Chris Wells' helmet Saturday,Oct. 28, 2006 during the second half of a college football game in Columbus, Ohio. Massey was penalized for face mask in this play. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

 

[Best Buckeye]

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061031/SPORTS/610310339/1006

Fumbles plague one half of the dynamic RB duo at Ohio State
By Jon Spencer
News Journal




COLUMBUS -- They mostly provide background vocals for their rock star quarterback. Yet according to the stats, tailbacks Antonio Pittman and Chris Wells give top-ranked Ohio State one of the Big Ten's more formidable one-two punches.
Heading into Saturday's game at Illinois, they've rushed for 1,285 yards and 14 touchdowns. Only Wisconsin's P.J. Hill and Lance Smith (1,513) and Michigan's Mike Hart and Kevin Grady (1,314) have chewed up more turf -- remarkable given the tricky footing and sorry state of the Ohio Stadium field -- and only the Badgers backs have scored more touchdowns (17).
Getting Pittman, the veteran from Akron, and Wells, the rookie from Akron, to mesh hasn't been a problem. At 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Wells packs a straight-ahead wallop. Combined with Pittman's deceptive speed and strength, it makes for a devastating combo.
The problem has been keeping Wells from punching his own team in the gut. Michigan fans will laugh and say he has a mean right (double) cross.
Wells' fumble at the Minnesota 9 in the second quarter of Saturday's 44-0 victory marked the second time in three weeks and third time this season he's coughed it up in short-yardage situations.
Picture an Army tank with a high-performance engine. That's Wells. Except that OSU's designated short-yardage back is in danger of being dubbed the short-possession back if his bad habit continues. Maybe he needs whatever gunk Kenny Rogers was using in the World Series to grip the ball.
After Wells fumbled at the OSU 29 in the opening moments at Michigan State three weeks ago, the defense made one of its patented stands (the opposition hasn't scored on any of OSU's nine turnovers) and coach Jim Tressel went right back to Wells on the next series.
"We needed him to go back in there," Tressel said at the time, "and get back on the horse that threw him."
Wells rode the bench a bit longer after his fumble Saturday. The Buckeyes ran 28 more plays before the bullish freshman returned to the field late in the third quarter with the game well out of reach.
"It's distressing, there's no question about it, and we're not going to be as good a football team as we'd like to be if we continue to fumble," Tressel said. "Obviously, Chris has got to work to make sure that doesn't happen anymore.
"Chris is going to be one of our running backs and I'm sure he, more than anything else, wants to make sure he does what the team needs."
A contrite Wells is a scary Wells. Immediately upon his return, Wells showed his immense potential, ripping off an 8-yard gain, lugging most of the Gopher defense with him.
"The offensive line did great, but on that play I was just excited to get back in the game," Wells said.
Like a great closer in baseball, the always upbeat Wells appears able to block out disappointment. He recovered at Michigan State to score a touchdown and lead the team in rushing (53 yards, 12 carries) after Pittman rolled an ankle. After his "timeout" Saturday, Wells scored for the third straight week and finished with a career-high 90 yards on 15 carries against the Gophers.
"I was disappointed, but at halftime the coaches told me to put (the fumble) out of my head," said Wells, who has rushed for 391 yards on 82 carries (4.8 ypc) and scored four TDs. "Coach Tressel instilled confidence in me by putting me back in the game."
The first guy offering Wells encouragement after his fumble Saturday was Pittman.
"When I came in, (tailbacks) Lydell (Ross) and Mo (Maurice Hall) helped me," said Pittman, who has rushed for 894 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. "There was a lot I didn't know and there's a lot I know now that I want to share.
"This is my school. I represent it. I want the tradition to keep going. One-thousand yard backs fell off a couple years here, so I'm going to do whatever I can to help Mo (Maurice) Wells and 'Beanie' (Chris Wells) so that, hopefully, they can pass on what they learn."

 

[Bleed S & G]

lol i dont think it was the sleeves, as grad said.. there is way too much daylight on the ball when he runs.. going between the tackles and being hit, why not just put 2 hands on that thing if one isnt working.. i understand the free hand is nice but it seems that most his fumbles come when he's bouncing people off his shoulderpads, not when stiffarming

 

[Best Buckeye]

lol i dont think it was the sleeves, as grad said.. there is way too much daylight on the ball when he runs.. going between the tackles and being hit, why not just put 2 hands on that thing if one isnt working.. i understand the free hand is nice but it seems that most his fumbles come when he's bouncing people off his shoulderpads, not when stiffarming

Good RB's don't fumble. He just has to learn to hold onto the ball.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

DDN

Tressel shows confidence in Wells

OSU back has excelled in short yardage, except for three fumbles.


By Doug Harris
Staff Writer

Thursday, November 02, 2006



COLUMBUS ? Ohio State tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells has three of the team's nine turnovers this season, having fumbled for the third time during a first-half carry against Minnesota last week. But coach Jim Tressel didn't allow his prized freshman to stew for long.
"Coach Tressel came up to me at halftime and just said, 'Get ready to play the second half,' " Wells recalled.
The Akron native rewarded his coach's confidence by rushing for 90 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. But if he were playing under another regime, Wells might have been banished to the bench for the rest of the year.
Before evolving into a Heisman Trophy winner, Eddie George was a tentative freshman for OSU who fumbled twice on the goal line against Illinois in 1992. After those miscues, he didn't play any meaningful minutes for coach John Cooper over the last seven games.
But while Wells did have to wait 28 plays to begin redeeming himself for his bobble against the Gophers, he figures to see plenty of action for the No. 1 Buckeyes again this week at Illinois.
And asked at his weekly press conference whether he could trust Wells in the high-stakes game Nov. 18 against Michigan, Tressel said, "Absolutely."
The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Wells has been a punishing runner, virtually unstoppable in short-yardage situations. OSU fans often watch him disappear into a passel of defenders, only to see the pile move like a giant amoeba.
Underrated junior Antonio Pittman, who racked up 1,331 yards last year (the second-most by a sophomore in school history), is still clearly the team's No. 1 tailback. But he no longer has a monopoly on the position.
He has amassed 894 yards in nine games this season while averaging 5.5 per carry with 10 TDs. But Wells has collected 391 yards and four scores while averaging 4.4 each tote.
"Beanie has done a great job all season," senior right guard T.J. Downing said. "We love seeing Pitt out there doing his thing ? because we strive to get him that 1,000 yards just like last year. But to see (Wells) coming along like he is as a freshman, that's reassuring. It's means Ohio State is going to be taken care of for the next few years."
Tressel said his only advice to Wells would be to "hold (the ball) tighter. It's got to be the most important thing in the world at that moment, to hand that ball to the official. If that's the most important thing in the world, then maybe you have a chance to do it."
Wells is merely grateful to have a coach with a forgiving nature.
"Coach Tressel gives me confidence when he comes back to me like that," he said.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

OSU worries about Wells losing his grip


Friday, November 03, 2006 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus -- If you're searching for a flaw in the Ohio State offense, look down. On the ground. It's that football lying there.
The Buckeyes have fumbled 11 times and lost seven of them. That's not an extraordinarily high number, and it puts them in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. But that could make the difference in a tight game against a team like, oh, say, Michigan, which has lost just three fumbles.
"It is distressing, there's no question about it," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said after the Buckeyes fumbled four times, losing three of them, in Saturday's 44-0 win over Minnesota. "And we're not going to be as good a football team as we'd like to be if we continue to fumble."
Quarterback Troy Smith has fumbled four times, running back Chris Wells has fumbled three times and backup quarterbacks Justin Zwick, Todd Boeckman and Rob Schoenhoft and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins -- on a punt return -- have fumbled once each.
Smith handles the ball every play, and fumbles will come, though Tressel has reminded him to tuck that ball tight when under pressure. Starting running back Antonio Pittman has not put the ball on the ground in 163 carries, and none of the receivers have been charged with fumbles either.
The worry is Wells. Three of the seven lost OSU fumbles have come in 82 carries by the freshman power back from Akron. He lost the ball in the Big Ten opener against Penn State, at Michigan State and last week against Minnesota.
Wells attributed his latest fumble to a lack of concentration and a bad grip.
"I think it was the way I had it when Troy handed me the ball," Wells said. "I kind of cupped it."
After coming right back in the game after dropping the ball against the Spartans, Wells had a little time to think about it against the Gophers.
He fumbled with 12:57 left in the second quarter and didn't touch the ball again until the final three minutes of the third quarter. Wells searched for the bright side after the win, happy to get back in at all.
"They showed me a lot of confidence putting me back in the game," Wells said. "I tried to get those fumbles out of my head, and I did and I ran well."
That he did, there was no disputing that. But that's not enough.
"It's got to be the most important thing in the world, at that moment, to hand that ball to the official," Tressel said. "If that's the most important thing in the world, then maybe you have a chance to do it."

There wasn't much more the Buckeyes could do this week to make that point. Players on both sides of the ball said during preseason practice that turnovers were more of a priority, with the defense constantly going for strips, which theoretically made the offense better at holding on to the ball.
"That's emphasized so much through and through, it's almost hard to put extra emphasis on it," tight end Rory Nicol said this week. "That's something coach Tressel lives by. We had some issues with it the past few weeks, and it's something they pound down our throats all day, every day - you've got to take care of the football."
So, if the freshman loses the ball again, all that might be left for the Buckeyes to do is keep Wells, who's gained 391 yards and scored four touchdowns, on the bench for longer stretches. The coaches aren't at that point yet.
"Do we help ourselves as a team by keeping him on the bench? That was the question you ask yourself as a coaching staff," offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said. "Certainly the answer [Saturday] was not leaving him on the bench the whole time."
Illinois is hoping for a few OSU miscues Saturday, but even if Michigan was next, Tressel said Wells would be playing. If he gives up a fourth fumble, maybe that will change.
"Obviously," said Tressel, "Chris has got to work to make sure that that doesn't happen anymore."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

 

[stthegreat04]

yea no matter what he has to hold on the ball... some people still dont forgive Mo for fumbling the ball in THE GAME... lets just hope the CW doesn't make the same mistake

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Wells can't drop his history class

He could learn from other OSU fumbles

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sportswriter

CHAMPAIGN, ILL. - While history lessons are part of top-ranked Ohio State's preparation every week, freshman Chris Wells might be ready to change his major.
The backup tailback from Garfield High School could have had a rough few days. He lost his third fumble of the season in the shutout victory over Minnesota last Saturday. And Illinois (2-7, 1-4) provides the perfect opportunity for coach Jim Tressel to drive home just how disastrous those bobbles can be.
``Maybe Chris Wells needs to hear a little bit about Eddie's tough day against the Illini and understand that was something that was distasteful for him,'' Tressel said.
OSU running back Eddie George had the worst game of his career as a freshman against the unranked Illini on Oct. 10, 1992. Playing behind Robert Smith, George fumbled twice near the goal line. One, on the Buckeyes' first possession, was returned 96 yards for a touchdown. The other sparked Illinois on an eight-minute drive to the game-winning field goal as No. 21 OSU fell 18-16.
The following week against Northwestern, George ripped off a 60-yard run. Then he faded into oblivion for the rest of the season and played little as a sophomore. Coach John Cooper had no idea George would win the Heisman Trophy in 1995 with a school-record 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns. That season George, a chiseled 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds, set the OSU single-game mark with 314 yards against Illinois in November.
Cooper said this week that he didn't sit the young George because he thought that he had a fumbling problem.
``Sometimes fumbles are caused by good defense,'' Cooper said. ``The first one (George) tried to go over the top and the safety hit him. That was the first year defenses could pick up a fumble and run with it.
``I put him back in, which was probably stupid on my part, thinking he would score, and they made a great defensive play on the 1-yard line. Game over.''
Cooper wavered on whether George had a problem as a freshman when he said, ``He didn't play much more after that. I made the comment, `I was born at night, but not last night.' We had other good backs.''
Tressel's approach with Wells has been different. After Wells lost the ball Saturday at the Minnesota 15 in the second quarter, 26 snaps elapsed before he touched it again. But Tressel went back to Wells with OSU leading 30-0, and he picked up his fourth touchdown of the year a few plays later.
Tressel also put Wells back in after he lost the ball against Michigan State and Northern Illinois, when he dropped it at the NIU 2.
``It's tough because you get down and start to lose confidence when you fumble,'' Wells said last Saturday. ``But this coaching staff builds your confidence back and puts you back in the game.''
Starting tailback Antonio Pittman, a junior from Buchtel, was there, as always, to encourage Wells. When Wells got another chance, he carried a pack of defenders for an 8-yard gain on a third-and-two play.
``The offensive line did great, and on that play, I was so excited to get back in the game,'' Wells said.
``That's football. You fumble and move on,'' Pittman said. ``If you dwell on it and keep letting it get to you every time you go out there and you're worried about not holding onto the ball, you're not running right. Then it's easier for you to get hurt.''
Offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said there can be a fine line when deciding to bench a player who fumbles.
``We've got to improve on that,'' Bollman said. ``But we have to ask ourselves, `Would we help ourselves as a team by keeping him on the bench?' ''
A high school Parade All-American who stands 6-1 and weighs at least 225 pounds, Wells has carved a niche as the Buckeyes' short-yardage back behind Pittman, who has totaled 894 yards and 10 touchdowns. Wells is second on the team in rushing with 391 yards, including career-highs in yards (90) and carries (15) against Minnesota.
``I remember when I was a freshman, I couldn't figure out what was up and down in our offense, and he's out there making plays and doing great things,'' senior center Doug Datish said of Wells recently. ``His maturity level is such that I don't think of him as a freshman. I think of him as a veteran already.''
Senior right guard T.J. Downing of GlenOak admitted he'd rather be blocking for Pittman so the offensive line can get him his second consecutive 1,000-yard season, but he isn't down on Wells.
``(He) has done a great job all season,'' Downing said. ``To see him coming along like he has as a freshman, it's reassuring to know Ohio State's going to be taken care of in the future.''
Fortunately for Wells, his fumbles have not cost OSU. The defense has followed by forcing three punts. Other than having teammates try to rip the ball away in practice and encouraging him to concentrate, Cooper had few suggestions.
``You don't give up on a kid like that,'' said Cooper, who is still working for ESPN and as a consultant for the Cincinnati Bengals. ``Put him in and tell him to squeeze the pumpkin a little tighter.''
On Tuesday it was hard to tell whether Tressel had told Wells about George's bad day against the Illini. But Tressel sounded like he might.
``Not yet with every little detail, because I really don't know that story with every little detail, but he seems to know about it,'' Tressel said.

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

someone cure his fumblitis, we need him :(

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

Wells wears NOTHING on his arms... maybe he should.. something that can help 'grip' the ball to him.. like cloth or neoprene sleeves of some type

If I'm not mistaken, he wasn't wearing anything longer than his short short-sleeve jersey... the ball kept oozing out of his bare arms...

I realize the other side is... some ball carriers like the feel of the ball on their skin... but... maybe

Also, I'd suggest it as a coach just to make him think there is a helper... give him a different pysche... because it was obvious.. todays fumble was caused because he was trying TOO HARD.. NOT.. to fumble...