WR Ted Ginn, Jr. (Official Thread)

[MililaniBuckeye]

Man, I'm not sure who's doing the smoking here. TG2 is going to be a corner. Our depth at WR is stupid, with Lyons, Dukes, Gonzales, Hall, Holmes -- don't forget Jordan comes back from injury next year also, and we've got Hartline coming in as well...Now let's talk about what we have at CB. Youboty. EJ hasn't managed to step up and take the position from anyone yet, losing out to both Gamble and Youboty. What makes anyone think that he'll beat out Ginn?...This isn't some BN nonsense, like Fox to his "natural position" or Whitner to CB -- the kid was the #1 prospect in the country on defense and has taken apart the best WRs he's faced.

The "smoking one" ain't me. It doesn't matter what other WRs we bring in, Ginn is undoubtedly the most dangerous of them all...just because we have Ginn at WR, we shouldn't bring in additional quality WRs? You want as many great WRs as you can get...you want as much depth there as possible, especially with our 4-5 WR sets we run. If Randy Moss were here, would you move him from WR because of our "stupid" depth, regardless of how good he may be on defense?

Next, when talking about who we have at corner, how many plays has Ginn had there? None...not one..zippo...nada. However, even fifth-year senior Harlan Jacobs saw action there. Now if Ginn were going to be used at corner, don't you think the staff would've put Ginn in there instead of Jacobs in order to get him experience there for next year, especially if he is the "lock-down" corner you and other "experts" profess?

It's totally obvious that the staff has no intentions, at all, of putting Ginn at corner.

 

[osugrad21]

I do think Ginn will play some D next year...starter maybe, nickel probably.

However, this perceived "depth" at WR is a vast overstatement IMO.

Holmes--Solid performer
Ginn--Threat every time he touches the ball
Hall--Inconsistent at best and struggles to seperate
Lyons--Good experience this year, but still unproven
Gonzales--Inconsistent...some good plays, some rally bad plays
Dukes--Unproven...kept the RS this year, but good words coming out of practice
Jordan--Another unproven commodity
Hartline--mark down the RS for next year

As I see it, depth in numbers not in talent as it stands now.

A lockdown CB is nice, but considering the scheme JT prefers, it is almost a waste of talent. However, TG gives opponents somebody to worry about on every play while on offense.

 

[Sdgobucks]

If he is a better WR then the other guys at WR then he should play WR. If he is a better CB then the other guys at CB then he should play CB. If he is better than the other people at both positions then he should be conditioned to play both positions.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

...If he is better than the other people at both positions then he should be conditioned to play both positions.

I doubt very seriously that there is any athlete at the pro, let alone college, level that could play both offense and defense full-time.

 

[Sdgobucks]

I doubt very seriously that there is any athlete at the pro, let alone college, level that could play both offense and defense full-time.

You may very well be right, but I thought I had read in an article that his dad thought that he (jr) could if he was conditioned right, but again I am not sure on that.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

SD, maybe for a game or two, he might be able to handle it, but not for a long stretch let alone an entire season.

 

[Sdgobucks]

SD, maybe for a game or two, he might be able to handle it, but not for a long stretch let alone an entire season.

Yeah you are probably right, and you make a good point. I don't know wheather he should play defense or offense, but I think it would be a good idea for him to be trained or taught the other side of the ball in case of an injury at somepoint in the season. He would be a nice back up at whatever he doesn't play for 1 or 2 games.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Again, I'm not saying that he won't play defense at all...just that he won't be switched from WR to CB as his full-time position.

 

[JXC]

Why? Why do people want to see him on defense so bad? Let's see...we have a future all-american in Youboty...and we have a class act captian senior in Fox. So...what are you going to do...have Ginn play nickle? I really can't see any reason why he plays defense.

 

[OSU5NC]

The thing that's so tempting about Ginn to CB is the concept of 2 lockdown CBs. With Youboty and Ginn completely shutting out their receivers, we can play insane amounts of man and blitz our LBs and safeties often. Without Ginn, we have to play soft-zone, like we played against Purdue. I'm hoping EJ gets his act together and steps up big and shuts us all up and we keep Ginn on O, but I think he might end up going back to defense. Ginn says that he prefers defense, but will play where he's needed. One final point is that lockdown cornerbacks are much more valuable than big play receivers. TS will make plays with or without Ginn..

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

The thing that's so tempting about Ginn to CB is the concept of 2 lockdown CBs...Without Ginn, we have to play soft-zone, like we played against Purdue...

Why do you people continue to insist on Ginn being a lock-down corner? Again, don't you think that if he were, that he would've at least had a snap at corner during the season. By the way, we played man for almost the entire second half at Purdue and shut them down, without Ginn.

 

[cincibuckeyenut]

Why do you people continue to insist on Ginn being a lock-down corner? Again, don't you think that if he were, that he would've at least had a snap at corner during the season. By the way, we played man for almost the entire second half at Purdue and shut them down, without Ginn.

Mililani, I have seen enough of your posts to know you are smarter than this. You are one of the better posters around here. You ought to know full well why Ginn wasn't out there this year.

#1) Ginn was the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year last year. In the allstar games, he went up against the best of the best and completely shut them down. He is a lockdown corner, period, end of story.

#2) Ginn was a freshman and cornerback may be the most difficult position on the field to learn. If you make a mistake, it will cost your team 6 points. It is very rare for a freshman to play CB

#3) WR and PR on the other hand are somewhat easier to learn how to play and you can rely more on your athletic ability to make plays (of which Ginn has a ton of). Even given that, Ginn took till midseason to really get involved and become a factor.

#4) Going into the season, it was known that Ginn could play both places. But, our strength of this team was the back 7 (LB and DB). We were young and inexperienced everywhere else, with only Holmes as a proven playmaker. It was obvious the offense was going to need more help than the defense.

So, given all that, it is very clear why Ginn did not take a snap on the defensive side of the ball. Next year, having lost Fox and without a ready made replacement, Ginn will be of more need over there. And he has proven himself a playmaker who you must get involved as much as possible wherever you can. I think it is an easy step to assume Ginn will go both ways.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

To be honest about this topic......we don't need him at corner this year.....Now, next year depends on alot of different factors.......will EJ Underwood improve? Can Jamario O'Neal make the transisition or does one of the other guys step up and make an impact?

For the team this year, he is way to valuable on offense to even split time on defense, but could he play both ways? My opinion would be with his ability and the chance to get reps on defense, he could be very good.

In reality I think next year he will continue to be a main guy on offense and in certain situations in the game, I think you could see him on the defense (ie third down, nickel or dime coverages)....with that said, I still believe it all depends on the who is the corner opposite of Youbouty.

Either way, its a nice thing to talk about and possibly have it happen, its a testiment of his ability.

The kid is scary..

 

[MegaWoody]

Does anyone here remember Gamble's final year? When he was moved to defense nearly full-time? Would you say he lived up to the potential he showed the previous year when he played on offense? Do you think he was as big a help to the team in 2003 as he was in 2002? Neither do I.

JT took his best athlete and kept him from touching the ball on offense. IMHO that was a costly mistake. Your best athlete, your greatest threat to score on any given play -- and Ginn is clearly that -- should touch the ball, with fresh legs, as often as possible. When Ginn does that, he's an immediate Heisman candidate. When you tire him out, playing corner and receiver, effectively making him run pass routes on 100 - 120 snaps per game, you're kidding yourself if you think his legs stay fresh and he runs full-speed. No one can do that -- not Chris Gamble, not Jerry Rice, not Jim Thorpe. Nobody. (You're also doubling the risk of injury, just by the way.)

Let Ginn be phenomenal on offense and kick/punt returns and let him rest his legs when the defense is on the field. Maybe let him roam around looking for picks as a nickel or dime back in critical passing situations. But please JT, don't kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Let our quaterback get him the touches he needs to win games. Don't rely on opposing quarterbacks for that.

 

[scarletngray]

Does anyone know if TG2 even played WR in HS? I thought he played QB at Glenville. Fact of the matter is that this guy could be a superstar at QB, WR or CB, as well as PR and KR.

Question is, where do we need him the most? And were will he spend the most of his time? He will play both sides of the ball and special teams, no dobut about it.