CPD
OHIO STATE FOOTBALL INSIDER
OSU tries to buck past problems
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus- When Oklahoma kicked starting quarterback Rhett Bomar off the team last week for knowingly breaking NCAA rules by taking money from a car dealership for work he didn't do, the move shook up college football. It also brought Ohio State back into a discussion of which it does not want to be a part.
Mention misdeeds, and the Buckeyes come up. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel realizes the two-game suspension of quarterback Troy Smith announced 20 months ago, for taking $500 from a booster, and the suspension of running back Maurice Clarett for the 2003 season are far from old news.
"I think anytime things occur, people don't discount them for quite some time," Tressel said.
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</script>He compared his program's position to that of Pittsburgh Steelers rookie receiver Santonio Holmes, the former Buckeyes star who has been arrested twice since he was made a first-round pick.
"The only thing Santonio is going to be able to do is, over time, he's going to have to prove for years and years that he's the kind of guy that we believe he is," Tressel said. "That's what you have to do as a program.
"When the issues come up, and things happen, you're going to have to prove for years that you're who you want to be."
Tressel also clearly doesn't find this Ohio State story angle of much interest.
"People have to fill their space when they write," he said.
Advance screening:
The Buckeyes are planning to offer a rare sneak peak to the public with an open night practice later in the month. Neither the date nor place has been finalized, but it likely will be on Aug. 21, and Tressel sounds enthused.
"We'll fill up some stands and just get a little buzz going, get a little nervousness maybe, get some balls up in the lights and do everything we can to make it gamelike," Tressel said.
The Buckeyes play two night games in the first month of the season, Sept. 9 at Texas and Sept. 30 at Iowa.
Freshman news:
<script language="JavaScript"> <!-- if (parseFloat(navigator.appVersion) == 0) { document.write('<IFRAME WIDTH=468 HEIGHT=60 MARGINWIDTH=0 MARGINHEIGHT=0 HSPACE=0 VSPACE=0 FRAMEBORDER=0 SCROLLING=no BORDERCOLOR="#000000" SRC="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_sx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s2/s2osf/@StoryAd"></IFRAME>'); } --></script> <noscript> [URL="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s2/s2osf/@StoryAd?x"]http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s2/s2osf/@StoryAd?x[/URL] </noscript>One player who might be out of the linebacker competition is freshman Mark Johnson, who was ranked by rivals.com as the sixth-best inside linebacker prospect in the 2006 recruiting class. One of five linebackers in the recruiting class, he sounds headed for a redshirt year.
"He had a shoulder procedure, so he will not be able to practice full speed," Tressel said. "Mark will miss a lot of time."
Asked about other freshmen who stood out in conditioning tests Monday, Tressel mentioned offensive lineman Connor Smith, linebacker Tyler Moeller, safety Aaron Gant and Glenville defensive end Robert Rose.
"He ran well this morning, and he certainly looks the part," Tressel said of the 6-5, 260-pound Rose. "We'll find out when you strap it up, but I'm thinking he'll be pretty good."
OHIO STATE FOOTBALL INSIDER
OSU tries to buck past problems
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus- When Oklahoma kicked starting quarterback Rhett Bomar off the team last week for knowingly breaking NCAA rules by taking money from a car dealership for work he didn't do, the move shook up college football. It also brought Ohio State back into a discussion of which it does not want to be a part.
Mention misdeeds, and the Buckeyes come up. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel realizes the two-game suspension of quarterback Troy Smith announced 20 months ago, for taking $500 from a booster, and the suspension of running back Maurice Clarett for the 2003 season are far from old news.
"I think anytime things occur, people don't discount them for quite some time," Tressel said.
<script src="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s2/s2osf/@StoryAd" language="JavaScript1.1"></script> <script language="javascript"> // enter width here var w=250; // enter height here var h=250; document.write('<table width=420 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0>'); document.write('<tr valign=bottom>'); document.write('<td width=383>'); document.write('
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</script>He compared his program's position to that of Pittsburgh Steelers rookie receiver Santonio Holmes, the former Buckeyes star who has been arrested twice since he was made a first-round pick.
"The only thing Santonio is going to be able to do is, over time, he's going to have to prove for years and years that he's the kind of guy that we believe he is," Tressel said. "That's what you have to do as a program.
"When the issues come up, and things happen, you're going to have to prove for years that you're who you want to be."
Tressel also clearly doesn't find this Ohio State story angle of much interest.
"People have to fill their space when they write," he said.
Advance screening:
The Buckeyes are planning to offer a rare sneak peak to the public with an open night practice later in the month. Neither the date nor place has been finalized, but it likely will be on Aug. 21, and Tressel sounds enthused.
"We'll fill up some stands and just get a little buzz going, get a little nervousness maybe, get some balls up in the lights and do everything we can to make it gamelike," Tressel said.
The Buckeyes play two night games in the first month of the season, Sept. 9 at Texas and Sept. 30 at Iowa.
Freshman news:
<script language="JavaScript"> <!-- if (parseFloat(navigator.appVersion) == 0) { document.write('<IFRAME WIDTH=468 HEIGHT=60 MARGINWIDTH=0 MARGINHEIGHT=0 HSPACE=0 VSPACE=0 FRAMEBORDER=0 SCROLLING=no BORDERCOLOR="#000000" SRC="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_sx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s2/s2osf/@StoryAd"></IFRAME>'); } --></script> <noscript> [URL="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s2/s2osf/@StoryAd?x"]http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s2/s2osf/@StoryAd?x[/URL] </noscript>One player who might be out of the linebacker competition is freshman Mark Johnson, who was ranked by rivals.com as the sixth-best inside linebacker prospect in the 2006 recruiting class. One of five linebackers in the recruiting class, he sounds headed for a redshirt year.
"He had a shoulder procedure, so he will not be able to practice full speed," Tressel said. "Mark will miss a lot of time."
Asked about other freshmen who stood out in conditioning tests Monday, Tressel mentioned offensive lineman Connor Smith, linebacker Tyler Moeller, safety Aaron Gant and Glenville defensive end Robert Rose.
"He ran well this morning, and he certainly looks the part," Tressel said of the 6-5, 260-pound Rose. "We'll find out when you strap it up, but I'm thinking he'll be pretty good."
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