Ohio State Spring Practice Thread

• OneBuckeye

  

  I believe spring practice opens on Thursday of this week, post updates if you got em. A good preview is below. http://bucknuts.com/index.php/component/option,com_idoblog/Itemid,1347/id,9725/task,viewpost/
  

  No, you don’t get time to unwind following Ohio State’s basketball season. Spring football practice starts Thursday and there are several important storylines that I will be following.
  
  First and foremost is left tackle. There are so many varying reports coming out of the WHAC that it’s difficult to decipher exactly what’s going on with rising junior Mike Adams. One minute you’ll hear he’s coming along well and is the odds-on favorite to win the starting job. Then another source will insist that Adams is still making poor decisions off the field and is getting drug tested twice a week. (There are rumors he has already tested positive for marijuana twice during his OSU career and a third strike would mean a full-year suspension.)
  
  So, spring ball will be a good time to find out exactly how Adams is doing. Last spring, I didn’t think it was a good sign that he was splitting snaps evenly with Andy Miller at left tackle … and it turned out that it wasn’t. I thought Adams needed to lock down the starting LT spot by the end of last spring and he obviously didn’t do that. Therefore, left tackle became an issue all season for the Buckeyes with Jim Cordle eventually holding down the spot the best he could.
  
  Left tackle can’t be a complete mystery this year if OSU wants to be a serious national championship contender. It’s that simple. Someone needs to step up and win the job this spring. If that’s Adams, great. It could be Miller for all we know (although that would be highly unlikely from my perspective).
  
  However, another possibility is that rising junior J.B. Shugarts will move from right tackle to left tackle and sophomore Marcus Hall would start at right tackle. My gut feeling is that how it might turn out because I think the Buckeyes’ five-best linemen are senior LG Justin Boren, junior C Mike Brewster, junior RG Bryant Browning, Shugarts and Hall.
  
  Adams will have a chance to prove that he deserves to be a starter this spring. For everyone that says spring ball isn’t important … they are right for the most part. But there are glaring exceptions and Adams is certainly one of them. And that’s true for everyone else that wants a shot at the left tackle position.
  
  As for some other quick hits on spring ball …
  
  Terrelle Pryor: How is his knee feeling after arthroscopic surgery? He looked fine when we got a chance to see OSU’s 6 a.m. workout a couple weeks ago, but he wasn’t running full speed in any of the drills. (He went through most of the workout, but also worked on the side at times.)
  
  Beyond his physical health, how does he look as a passer? Is his still inconsistent? Will we even really be able to tell since they won’t be going live very often? (The jersey scrimmage being one possible exception – although Pryor could wear a black no-contact jersey that day.) No matter the time of year, Pryor is a storyline all by himself and it will be interesting to monitor his progress in April.
  
  Starting SAM linebacker: Here is another category where you will hear opinions all over the map. Scout.com reported that Etienne Sabino has the job locked up. We’ve had sources at Bucknuts tell us that Andrew Sweat is the man to beat for the job despite coming off a knee injury.
  
  Sabino should get the majority of reps with the first team this spring since Sweat likely won’t be fully cleared, so that will help ‘Bino’s chances. I was told last year that the thing holding Sabino back was the mental aspect of the game. However, there is no doubting his talent – just look at the kickoff in the Michigan game where he nearly knocked the UM return man out (and knocked himself out in the process). He can bring the wood, no doubt.
  
  But if healthy, look for Sweat to be in the starting lineup. The coaches love him. He was playing a lot in a reserve role last year – more than Sabino or any other backup linebacker – before the injury.
  
  Others in the mix to get playing time at linebacker are Dorian Bell, Storm Klein and Jordan Whiting. Spring will be key for all of them if they hope to play more than on special teams in 2010.
  
  Starting free safety: It appears to be a three-man race between young players: Sophomores Orhian Johnson and C.J. Barnett, and redshirt freshman Jamie Wood. Johnson will be a third-year player and Barnett played on special teams as a true freshman last year. It’s going to be interesting to see who ends the spring No. 1 on the depth chart at FS as the Buckeyes look for someone who has the ability to have the ball go through their hands and hit them in the facemask several times throughout the course of the season. (Ah, we kid our good friend Anderson Russell. Or “Russell Anderson” as Pryor called him once.)
  
  My “WAG” as the kids would say? Barnett. Not great size but has the speed and is more physical than Johnson. Also curious to see what Wood can do after his redshirt year. He was a highly-rated prospect coming out of high school. Plus, having a safety named “Wood” would be great for sportswriters who like to use corny puns. “Boy, he can sure lay the wood.” (And you thought I was going to say something perverted. Whoops, maybe I did.)
  
  No. 3 WR: Taurian Washington is one of those players that has proven spring doesn’t really matter all that much. As the two-time winner of the Bam Childress Memorial Award for Spring Excellence, maybe the best thing for him would be to have a bad spring and then turn it on when the season begins. George Costanza knows what I’m getting at here: “Do the opposite, Taurian.”
  
  But seriously, Washington even opened the 2009 season as the Buckeyes’ No. 3 receiver. Two drops later in the season-opener against Navy and he was benched for the rest of the season. “Thanks for playing, here is your parting gift. Connor Smith and Evan Blankenship will show you to your seat on the pine.”
  
  Everyone thought he was going to transfer – including Taurian himself. But he decided to stick around for his senior year. Can he secure the No. 3 WR job? Or will Duron Carter cease using Reggie Germany as a tutor and secure the top backup spot for himself? Or maybe redshirt freshmen Chris Fields and James Jackson will step up this spring and prove they belong. There is some decent talent to work with there, but the Buckeyes need someone to rise up as the true No. 3
  
  No. 3 RB: Speaking of third wheels, another intriguing question is who will be OSU’s No. 3 tailback in 2010. Obviously Brandon Saine is going to be the starter (he is coming of a season in which he was consensus second-team All-Big Ten and I think bigger things are in store for his senior year) and Boom Herron will be the backup. No matter what you think of Herron, that is not going to change. Don’t kid yourself. Kid runs hard, doesn’t fumble, knows his assignments and the coaches love him. I expect Saine to get a higher percentage of the carries this year, but Herron is still going to play.
  
  And that brings us to the No. 3 spot. Sophomore Jordan Hall is in the incumbent and has a very good chance of retaining his job. However, Carlos Hyde is charging fast and it will be very interesting to see how he looks this spring. It’s also apparently make-or-break time for Jaamal Berry who has told one of our sources that if he’s not No. 3 on the depth chart coming out of spring, he will transfer.
  
  That’s probably just some emotion boiling over, but most young athletes aren’t exactly patient, so it’s not that difficult to believe. Especially considering the fact that Berry was one of the top RBs in the country coming out of high school.
  
  No. 3 DE: The Buckeyes are in excellent shape with Cameron Heyward (headed for first-team All-American honors this season in the opinion here) and Nathan Williams as the starters. But they are hurting for depth and spring will be a time for guys like Keith Wells, Solomon Thomas, Jonathan Newsome and Melvin Fellows to step up. Heyward slides down to tackle on passing downs (or at least did when the Buckeyes had good depth at DE) and there will be a lot of snaps available for whoever emerges as the No. 3 DE.
  
  No. 3 Corner: Ohio State has perhaps one of the best starting corner tandems in the country with seniors Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence. Travis Howard ended the season No. 4 on the depth chart and the rising sophomore figures to be the No. 3 corner now with the departure of Andre Amos. However, he will be challeged by the likes of Corey Brown (we need to get middle names for the two Corey Browns so we can tell them apart in print in the future), Dominic Clarke and Donnie Evege.
  
  Kick/punt returner: Ray Small’s up-and-down career (and by that I mean pull your hair out and scream) came to an end just before OSU’s Rose Bowl win over Oregon and now the question is who will step up as the Buckeyes’ kickoff and punt returners. It’s an important question for the coaches to answer. Well, presuming they actually want a kick returner that can do more than catch the ball and go straight ahead for 10-15 yards (sorry, Boom and Zoom) or a punt returner that can do more than fair catch the ball at best (sorry, DeVier Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher).
  
  I think it will have to be one of the young guys if OSU has any chance of being explosive in the return game. And that means Jackson or Fields most likely. I’ve heard both of them are good kick and punt returners. Of course, I also heard time and time again that Lamaar Thomas was a good kick returner. Everyone seemed to agree with that except the teams that were defending OSU on kick returns.
  
  So, who knows, but it sure would be a nice boost if Jackson or Fields (or both) proved they were ready to be contributors in the return game this year.
  

  [/quote]
• OneBuckeye

  

  Another thing to watch this spring is Tyler Moeller, it will be interesting to see how much he is involved and how much contact if any he participates in.
• devil1197

  I figured one of the RB's would either want immediate time or transfer. I had Berry in mind as he seemed to be the top FR last year but the injury gave way to Hall performing decently and Hyde is probably a better overall fit for the offense. Berry was going to get reps in against USC but he went down with the injury and never recovered quick enough.
  
  Crazy to see Adams not listed as one of our best lineman, but he'll have the opportunity to prove it.
  
  Hopefully Sabino can gather himself as I think he has the best physical tools at the LB spot.
• OneBuckeye

  

  I gaurentee Berry will the number 3 out of spring... he blew people away in practice when he wasn't even at 100% last year, if he is healthy he will push very hard for time. Hall is good, but doesn't have the ceiling. I just hope Berry keeps his mouth shut and puts in the work though.
• devil1197

  OneBuckeye wrote: I gaurentee Berry will the number 3 out of spring... he blew people away in practice when he wasn't even at 100% last year, if he is healthy he will push very hard for time. Hall is good, but doesn't have the ceiling. I just hope Berry keeps his mouth shut and puts in the work though.

  Hyde will be a stud for OSU though, I think the extra year of prep helped tremendously.
  
  The thing is Berry will be a nice change of pace as Hyde is similar to Herron/Saine as far as pounding the ball.
• OneBuckeye

  

  Personally Rod Smith>Hyde... we will see, but I watched a small highlight of a muddy game between Hargrave and Fork Union and Hyde wasn't running over the people like he was in high school, granted Hargrave is much better talent. I think Rod Smith is just the better big back.
• devil1197

  OneBuckeye wrote: Personally Rod Smith>Hyde... we will see, but I watched a small highlight of a muddy game between Hargrave and Fork Union and Hyde wasn't running over the people like he was in high school, granted Hargrave is much better talent. I think Rod Smith is just the better big back.

  Rod Smith is good but I'll take Hyde performing in Florida in HS over Smith in Indiana imo just on pure state talent alone.
  
  I think Smith will red shirt this season.
• Thunder70

  

  Or will Duron Carter cease using Reggie Germany as a tutor and secure the top backup spot for himself?
  
  
  I almost fell out of my seat laughing...
• devil1197

  Carter will be back on the field as OSU's #3 imo. That will be the last mess up for Carter at OSU.
• vball10set

  think they'll break the 100+ thousand mark this year??
• OneBuckeye

  

  This just in from the dispatch http://blog.dispatch.com/buckeyesblog/2010/03/moeller_wont_try_contact_until.shtml
  

  Moeller won't try contact until fall
  Fifth-year senior Tyler Moeller will not participate in contact drills this spring, the Dispatch has learned.
  
  But that's not a bad sign for the linebacker/safety, who is simply taking it slow in his return to football following a serious head injury suffered in an off-field incident last July.
  
  After being punched in a Florida bar/restaurant, Moeller fell and hit his head. He suffered a subdural hematoma, otherwise known as bleeding on the brain, and had holes drilled in his head and a titanium plate inserted in early August.
  
  He wasn't cleared to resume working out fully until late January. The plan all along was to keep him out of contact in spring ball, so again, this is not a setback.
  
  All indications are his recovery is going very well. But until he starts hitting in fall camp, nobody will know for sure if Moeller will play again.
  
  If he does return, he likely would be a contender for a lot of playing time, either as a safety, an outside linebacker, or nickel back.

• OneBuckeye

  

  Two more articles from the dispatch.
  
  http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/03/28/spring-spruce-up.html?sid=101
  http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/03/30/spring-gives-osu-receivers-chance-to-bloom.html?sid=101
• jpake1

  

  I think you'll see Berry be the #3 when he's healthy. Hall can be solid, and I expect good things from Smith, Hyde-- but all in due time. I think Adams better get his shit together or he'll forever be buried. Hall is going to be a great one, and that alone will put the pressure on Shugarts to move to left tackle. Maybe Adams is the best talent, but I'd rather play with the guy I can count on. Adams doesn't deserve that respect yet. I've heard GREAT things about Moeller during the winter. I heard he looks faster than ever (he's slimmed down for the * position) and that he was catching people in drills that nobody else could or should for that matter. I'm not sure who will win the LB spot, but I'd have to go with Sweat because he's a JT type of guy. I still expect us to go deep like usual. I think we might see a bit more subs this year to keep the guys fresh. I fully expect Carter to be the #3, and I even think he could have a pretty big year (in OSU terms). I bet he worked his ass off this offseason with the bad taste in his mouth.
  
  If the weather is as beautiful as it was last year, I expect them to go over 100k. Remember last year that the 1st round of the draft was going on. That took away a decent amount of people.
• devil1197

  jpake, Moeller can be as fast as he wants but we cannot judge him until he is going 100% contact drills again.
  
  He could never play again depending on how he reacts to contact to the head.
• jpake1

  

  Ok? Am I judging the kid? I just said that I heard he looked GREAT during the winter. That's very nice to hear since he's coming off a serious injury. It doesn't matter whether he ever plays again or not. I'm happy that the kids life is getting back to normal and that's he's functioning very well in a physical manner.
• devil1197

  jpake1 wrote: Ok? Am I judging the kid? I just said that I heard he looked GREAT during the winter. That's very nice to hear since he's coming off a serious injury. It doesn't matter whether he ever plays again or not. I'm happy that the kids life is getting back to normal and that's he's functioning very well in a physical manner.

  Never said you were, defensive eh?
  
  He has made great progress but the main factor will be if he can sustain physical contact. I sure hope he can but I am leaning towards him not being able to play at 100% again which is a shame because he would have been great for OSU.
• jpake1

  

  I'm not saying you did, nor am I defensive. There's a reason I used the question mark. I didn't know if you were implying that you thought I was judging the kid. I didn't want to fully assume, so I asked. That's all. I hope he can play because I think he can be a big help when healthy. My gut is telling me that he'll bounce back from this and be a productive player for a championship team this year.
• devil1197

  Just from the magnitude of his injury and how fast paced the college game is now, I am not sure how much contact he can take before receiving his first concussion.
• thedynasty1998

  

  And everyone gave me crap when I said Adams was suspended last year due to failing the piss test.
  
  Adams, even if he can piss clean, might get passed up. I really like Hall at RT and I think Shugarts moving to LT could improve the line all around.
• se-alum

  

  devil1197 wrote: Just from the magnitude of his injury and how fast paced the college game is now, I am not sure how much contact he can take before receiving his first concussion.

  I'm assuming that if there were a huge risk of further trauma, he wouldn't ever be cleared for contact, and would most likely have already given up football. If he's cleared, it pretty much means that he is at no greater risk for a concussion than anyone else.
• OneBuckeye

  

  se-alum wrote:

  devil1197 wrote: Just from the magnitude of his injury and how fast paced the college game is now, I am not sure how much contact he can take before receiving his first concussion.

  I'm assuming that if there were a huge risk of further trauma, he wouldn't ever be cleared for contact, and would most likely have already given up football. If he's cleared, it pretty much means that he is at no greater risk for a concussion than anyone else.

  
  Doctors already stated that if he gets hit the wrong way once his career is over.
• detectivegibbles

  ^^ Pretty sure anyone can get hit the wrong way and their career would be over.
• jpake1

  

  Ain't that the truth.
• devil1197

  detectivegibbles wrote: ^^ Pretty sure anyone can get hit the wrong way and their career would be over.

  Duh
  
  But I think the % chance of it happening to Moeller is a little bit higher.
• 0311sdp

  I hope Moeller is able to play, but I think if he can play that he will be a situational player because having him and Rolle on the field at the same time just makes the LB corp too small. (but very fast) just an opinion.