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Spring Practice Tidbits

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-- I'm sure everyone wants to know who's working on the first team units. So here's your first-team offense (at least for the majority of the reps. They worked on some specialty situations where personnel varied:)

LT: Andrew Miller
LG: Justin Boren
C: Michael Brewster
RG: Bryant Browning
RT: Jim Cordle

QB: Terrelle Pryor

RB: Boom Herron

TE: Jake Ballard

WRs: Ray Small, DeVier Posey, Dane Sanzenbacher (slot)

In short yardage, Todd Denlinger came in as a second tight end, and Adam Homan (yes, a true freshman) was the first-team fullback.

On defense (which was primarily in nickel, with two LBs and five DBs):

DEs: Thaddeus Gibson, Cameron Heyward
DTs: Doug Worthington, Dexter Larimore
LBs: Etienne Sabino, Austin Spitler
CBs: Chimdi Chekwa, Andre Amos
S: Anderson Russell, Aaron Gant
Nickel: Jermale Hines

It should be noted that Kurt Coleman (starting safety) and Nathan Williams (a key DE) were sitting out with injuries of some sort (it appeared a minor knee thing for Williams), and LB Ross Homan was in pads but I didn't see him take any reps in the team drills.

-- Interesting to me that Mike Adams was the second-team left tackle, behind Miller. Supposedly, those two are rotating pretty freely there.

-- When they played three LBs, Brian Rolle was in the game.

-- Two guys who looked like they could help this offense were Taurian Washington and Jake Stoneburner. Washington has been a forgotten man at receiver recently, but he played a lot today and caught a nice TD pass in which he split Nate Oliver and C.J. Barnett down the middle. Stoneburner could be a real mismatch as an athletic tight end, maybe in the mold of a Dustin Keller from Purdue or Travis Beckum of Wisconsin.

-- A player to watch on defense: DB Ohrian Johnson. He was with the first team at times in the nickel, with Chekwa-Amos-Hines-Russell. He flashed to me.

-- Posey got open deep downfield several times, but once Russell broke up the pass, and another time, Pryor laid the ball out perfectly down the left sideline -- great spiral, maybe a 50-yard pass, but Posey short-armed it and it was incomplete.

-- Speaking of Pryor, he still looks like he sling-shots the ball. It's weird, the ball sort of comes from behind his ear and is released without the full shoulder rotation...hard to explain. But let me say his passes looked accurate and had zip on them, for the most part.

QBs coach Joe Daniels turned to Pryor at one point and said, "You know what? You're not as bad as you used to be."

-- Sitting out, presumably injured: Coleman, Williams, LB Zach Boren, OL J.B. Shugarts and Connor Smith, DE Keith Wells and DB Jamie Wood.

-- They worked a fair amount on short yardage, third-and-1, fourth-and-1, with a real emphasis on physicality and toughness. A lot of hollering and pad-smacking going on.
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Practice? We're talking about practice? (Blogging the Buckeyes)

free pics from Bnuts...

http://www.bucknuts.com./news/articles/2009/4/5/photo-gallery-buckeyes-at-practice

free video from CoachTressel.com on Winter conditioning...

http://www.coachtressel.com/sidelin...eof.asp?section=videos&type=highlights&id=798
 
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more Spring Ball photo's

Ohio State Football Gallery: Spring Ball

More practice access!
In a move reminiscent of Jim Tressel's first year or two on the job, he has granted the media access to practice both today and Thursday. No cameras, though.

This is unprecedented for recent seasons, when the media was fortunate to get one or two open practices a year. Now this will be three in a week.

What it does is reduces the reliance of fans on certain "insiders" (on pay web sites) to tell you what their sources say is going on, who looks good, etc....now, the mass media, and people who cover the team on a daily basis, can actually be your eyes and ears and report first-hand, and you get it free. It's so democratic, I'm about to sing the national anthem.

More later, obviously. Oh, happy day!


Posted by Ken Gordon on April 7, 2009 11:18 AM | Permalink
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More practice access! (Blogging the Buckeyes)
 
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April 7, 2009
Tuesday practice: Football weather
Another full day of watching practice. It didn't matter to me that it was 36 and windy, and my hands eventually became too numb to take notes....I was like a kid in the proverbial candy store. Actually, it was like a kid chain-chugging Pixie sticks, it was that good.

Observations:

-- Injury report: Sitting out were J.B. Shugarts, Kurt Coleman, Keith Wells, Ross Homan, Nathan Williams, Zach Boren, Connor Smith, and Lawrence Wilson was held out of contact.

Safety Jamie Wood was back in action after sitting out Sunday's practice. He popped RB K.C. Christian pretty solidly on one play.

Defensive coordinator Jim Heacock said none of the key defensive guys are seriously hurt, and he expects Williams back on Monday.

New injury: DL Rob Rose went down during one-on-one drills with a left knee injury and was carted off, but teammate Doug Worthington later said he thought it was not serious, just a twist.

-- FIRST TEAM OFFENSE:

OL (left to right): Adams-Boren-Brewster-Browning-Cordle
QB: Pryor
RB: Herron (when they used a fullback, it was James Georgiades)
WR: Posey-Small-Sanzenbacher
TE: Ballard

-- FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE:

DE: Gibson-Heyward
DT: Larimore-Worthington
LB: Spitler-Rolle (Sabino rotated a lot, too, once again, most of the practice was spent in nickel)
DBs: Chekwa-Torrence-Johnson-Hines-Russell

-- Changes from Sunday lineups:

Adams at LT instead of Andrew Miller. This is a spot I believe that may be a concern for OSU. Adams needs to seize it; nothing against Miller, but if he's the opening-day starter, I don't think that's ideal.

Georgiades in for Adam Homan. No biggie.

Torrence playing ahead of Andre Amos on first team. Interesting.

-- Pryor was less than stellar. Several of his passes wobbled or were thrown low, and once, he missed an easy flip to Brandon Saine in the flat, throwing it over Saine's leaping arms. Of course, it was cold and windy, so call it one bad day and move on.
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Blogging the Buckeyes
 
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Pryor was less than stellar. Several of his passes wobbled or were thrown low, and once, he missed an easy flip to Brandon Saine in the flat, throwing it over Saine's leaping arms. Of course, it was cold and windy, so call it one bad day and move on.
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Opinions on QB play always seem to differ. Dave Biddle sounded very pleased with Pryor.
 
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OregonBuckeye;1444212; said:
It's official: Larimore will be an All-American this year.

98535555.jpg


And 20 sacks for Williams.

87489298.jpg
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BearBuck27;1444220; said:
Yep. Those are some damn impressive Red X's. :wink2:
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Gee I thought the photos were impressive. :biggrin:
 
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Spring Practice Note and Quotebook
By John Porentas

After allowing reporters to stay for an entire practice on Sunday a second OSU's practice session was unexpectedly opened to reporters yesterday, though this time around cameras were not allowed. The Buckeyes practices outside on a cold, windy, damp day that left reporters shivering, but the competition on the field could only be described as hot and heavy.

OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel prefaced spring practice with a comment that he wanted to see a more physical football team. The two practices we've seen reflected that goal. There was plenty of hitting, spirited hitting at that, and plenty of ones vs. ones competition, particularly by the offensive and defensive lines.

"I think it's been more physical than we've been since I've been here," said defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Jim Heacock who arrived in Columbus in 1996.

"There are a lot of reps against each other and physical play.

"I think everybody feels like we want to get a little tougher, a little more physical. I think we've got to get tougher. That's what football is about," Heacock said.
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The-Ozone, Ohio State Football, Wrestling, Softball, Basketball, Hockey, Baseball and More
 
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[FONT=arial,helvetica] Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor looks to throw a pass during NCAA college football practice Sunday, April 5, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)

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[FONT=arial,helvetica] Ohio State's Lawrence Wilson (87), Kurt Coleman (4) and Brian Rolle, right, take the field during NCAA college football practice Su

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[FONT=arial,helvetica] Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel talks to reporters during a news conference Wednesday, April 1, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

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OHKS101040309_1024x768.jpg
[FONT=arial,helvetica] Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel talks to reporters during a news conference Wednesday, April 1, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) [/FONT]
 
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Tressel likes this team more than the recent ones. Their is a different attitude now, I can feel it. I like this team more and I think everyone else will too. Their is hopefully going to be a toughness, speed, physicality, and desire to succeed and win every single play. I think that the players who are going to be in charge in the near future are players who have everything you could want in a football player. Guys like Brewster and Pryor and co are the exact guys we needed, and Tressel loves it!!!!!!! I can't wait for this year, regardless of record (it's gonna be good) I am going to love watching this team. Their is more talent and more desire and speed and physicality on this team than last years and I am guessing it's not even close.
 
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