Football
The-Ozone Note and Quotebook
By John Porentas
Left Tackle Update: Spring football ended with the left tackle position still unresolved. OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel is anxious to see how that critical situation along the offensive line pans out this fall. He's also glad to see sophomore JB Shugarts back in the mix at that position after sitting out spring ball following post-season shoulder surgery.
"He's got to jump into the fray at tackle," said Tressel.
"He looks good, I've seen him in my office a couple of times. He says he feels great. How exactly the tackle thing is going to sift itself out at whose at right, whose at left, we've got a whole bunch of practices to figure that out, but JB has to be in the fray.
"He (Shugarts) was in my office twice last week. He looks good and he says he's feeling good and doing everything. I don't know of any reason why he wouldn't be ready (this fall).
"He was held out this spring because we're very conservative with surgeries and why rush one and have a chance to take three steps backwards? I'm not so sure that if there were a game last spring he would have convinced the doctors he was ready."
Shugarts will be welcomed back, but there is plenty of competition for the tackle spot.
"You've got Mike Adams, you've got Andrew Miller, and you've got some young guys I think, I hope, if I were all those guys I'd be wanting to say 'You're going to have to be dealing with me about playing time at tackle,'" Tressel said.
"I think it's one of the areas that we need to get tons and tons of reps and experiences and evaluations. That's tough duty because we have some guys on the edge that will test you. To me the guy that ends up emerging at that position will be the guy who knows what happens every play, who gets his feet right, learns, and is focused.
"If you're a left tackle and a guy beats you around the edge it's not much different than if you're a quarterback and throw an interception, because that's your world."
Most Gullible Buckeye? It's talked about every year, then it never happens. Since the 2002 season when Ben Hartsock was an important part of the offense the tight end has been the forgotten man in the OSU passing game. Every year the talk is of getting the ball to the tight end, but it never seems to materialize. Despite the history, tight end Jake Ballard is drinking the "This is the year we actually throw it to the tight end" Koolaid.
"Spring ball was a lot different this year," said Ballard.
"We had a lot of balls coming our way. They trust a little bit more and there has been more of an incentive to get the tight ends the ball. I really think it's going to change.
"I've been hearing it for three years. It does get old, but I have a good feeling. Tress had been telling me a lot of stuff," Ballard said.
We've heard it all before, but there is something else to consider this time around. One of them is who isn't still on the OSU roster, namely one Chris "Beanie" Wells, and that says Ballard is reason to believe the tight ends may actually see the football some this year.
"You can't replace Beanie Wells," Ballard said.
"Brandon (Saine) and Dan (Heron) are different types of backs but they're not Beanie Wells. That's why I think we're going to spread the ball around, because I don't know if our running backs are 25-30 carry backs. They might be 10 or 15 apiece and maybe help out in the receiving game, so I think the ball is going to be spread out and spread around a lot."
Consider this as well. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jake Stoneburner has been moved to tight end. To ignore him as a receiver when he is on the field would be a real waste of talent.
"Jake is a different case," said Ballard.
"He was a 6-4 receiver that they wanted to stay at 215. The kid was weighing in at 225, 230. It wasn't going to work, so he bumped down to tight end because that's where he's going to be best for Ohio State and maybe even at the next level."
Ballard says his own receiving skills have also improved.
"I'm faster than I ever have been, I'm running routes better and my knowledge of the receiving game is a lot better. I think the coaches are realizing that and they realize I could be a big weapon for us. Hopefully they give me a chance and a shot."
Whether they throw it to the tight ends or not, they will be required to block. Ballard says that Stoneburner is definitely getting the hang of that part of playing tight end.
"He's getting better," said Ballard.
"Tress has been saying that we emphasize that you have to be able to both block and receive. If you can't do one or the other you're not going to play as much. He's a decent blocker and he'll be getting better the more of it he does."
On the Road: Some members of the OSU coaching staff made a road trip this summer. They visited North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest on a whirlwind tour to talk to the coaching staffs at those schools about how they do things. OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel said the trip was fruitful, but the kind of things the OSU coaches picked up are not likely to cause radical changes in the way the Buckeyes play.
"I think when you go visit other people you don't come away with anything new, but you come away with little things, little tweaks about how people do things," said Tressel.
"Off hand I can't think of any earth-shaking, game-changing things.
"There are only so many ways you can line up. I think we line up in most of them. You've got to have five guys with those big numbers, so now you're only moving six guys around."
Putting it on and taking it off: The OSU defensive line will look a bit different this fall, not because there will be different faces, but because some of the members of that unit have really changed their bodies over the summer.
Defensive tackle Doug Worthington reports that he as gained some weight and now weighs in at 287 after playing at around 275 last year.
"I definitely maintained my speed," said Worthington of his size increase.
"That was first and foremost. The muscle just seemed to stay on more this year as the off-season went by and I was still running and still conditioning. It just seemed like it stayed on a little bit better."
According to Worthington, it's a different story for other members of the defensive line. Cam Heyward is down to 285 after playing in the 290 to 295 pound range last season. Defensive end Lawrence Wilson is playing at 267 to 272 after playing at closer to 280 two years ago. Fellow defensive end Thad Gibson hasn't changed his weight, but has changed his body.
"For a while the whole defensive line felt like we had to get big, had to get bulky, but now Cam has lost weight, Rob Rose lost weight, Lawrence Wilson lost weight, Thaddeus got solid, a lot of his baby fat is gone," said Worthington.
"Lawrence with his rehab is stronger than ever. He's in the 267 to 272 range and he's very happy with that."
Stick with Football: Defensive end Thad Gibson has a passion for football. He also has another passion; music.
Gibson fancies himself quite a singer and artist and actually has a little studio set up in his apartment where he can sing. He's not bad when it comes to music, but according to Doug Worthington, he's not really all that great either.
"Thad is very into it. He thinks his next career is going to be music. He really thinks he can sing," said Worthington, who then deadpanned "He has no chance."
"He might be able to write a song for somebody because he's talented as far as putting words together and melodies, but as far as singing, it's not going to happen."
Fully Vested: Ohio State Head Football Coach Jim Tressel has become famous for, among other things, his game day attire which always includes a sweater vest. Tressel says this season will be no exception.
"I've got a whole new set of sweater vests. I'm ready to rock and roll for this fall," Tressel said.
Terrelle's Challenges, End to End: Terrelle Pryor will be back for his second season in a Buckeye uniform, and expectations are high for the quarterback from Pennsylvania. According to Jim Tressel, the keys to Pryor's improvement as a QB are at the opposite ends of his body: his head and his feet.
"I think it all starts with your feet," said Tressel.
"If you can get to the point where you have your feet under control and just right and it becomes second nature. Sometimes in drills it's easy. You're focused on your feet and you do it and you do it.
"Then you throw a secondary out there and you have 2.5 seconds to figure out what they're really in, where are my guys going, and use the proper footwork. It needs to be so ingrained. Technically, we believe everything begins with your feet.
"If your feet are right then your motion and everything else is in harmony with what you are doing."
The other key for Pryor is to develop the mental ability to remain focused on the next play and never dwell on the last one.
"From a general standpoint, having that ability to travel from one play to the next with focus immediately going to the next moment, and not concerning yourself with what happened," Tressel explained.
Tight end Jake Ballard says he can see a change in Pryor as compared to his freshman season.
"I think he's overall more comfortable with everybody," said Ballard.
"He's not the freshman who came in here and took a senior's job, a senior who was a good guy on the team and everybody liked him, so a lot of guys didn't know what to think.
"Terrelle came in and did a great job. He's definitely developing into one of the leaders on the team. He's definitely going to be a great player for us."
Sizing them up: Evaluation of potential recruits is one of the most important activities a coaching staff engages in during the off season. OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel says the Buckeyes have their own ways of doing that, but that the recruiting combines are not an important aspect of that process as far as the Buckeyes go.
"We don't get too involved," said Tressel.
"We look at video, we look at grades, we talk to coaches, then hopefully we see them in our own youth camp so you can see them first hand.
"Hopefully you see them in a track meet or a wrestling match or basketball game. High school combines are probably way down the pecking order.
"The combines are not something we pay much attention to," Tressel said.
The Corner Market: The losses of Malcolm Jenkins and Donald Washington at corner will make that position one of high interest this fall. According to safety Kurt Coleman, Chimdi Chekwa will likely hold down one corner while Andre Amos and Devon Torrence are still competing for the other starting position. Amos is a fifth-year senior who looked like he would earn playing time two seasons ago before a knee injury cut his season short. Torrence meanwhile is a junior who has split his time between football and minor league baseball until this year, but has decided to forego baseball this summer to concentrate on football.
"Andre is a fifth year senior. I know for a fact he's 100 percent healthy. He's looking honestly really good out there. He' s looking like he's ready to play," said Coleman.
"Devon stayed back and didn't go to baseball this summer. He's progressed so much."
Coleman thinks that Torrence decision to concentrate on football was a tough one, but the right one.
"You struggle anytime when you have to choose between two loves, and he loves both sports, but he felt like it was best for him to stay back and learn the system a little more, get a lot more reps instead of going to baseball," Coleman said.
"I think he's going to make the transition real well."
Power of the Press: OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel became an author last year with the release of his book The Winner's Manual. Tressel says he has been surprised at some of the impact that book has made.
"I've gotten feedback from hundreds of people around the country that have used it in their programs," Tressel said.
"High schools, whether it be boys teams, girls teams, athletic departments, and I've been a little bit surprised.
"I knew in the Buckeye Nation it would be something that would interest those who want to know a little bit more about Ohio State football. I guess I didn't realize that it would have quite the ripple outside."
Tressel says he has kept some of those communications just in case he encounters some "rainy days" in the future.
"I've tried to keep a lot of the letters and emails that have been sent, just so maybe one of those days when I'm not feeling go good about what's going on I can whip out one of the letters and say 'Maybe we can keep going.'"
Going Long with Terrelle: Terrelle Pryor will no doubt launch a deep ball or two this season as OSU's quarterback, but according to Jim Tressel, Pryor is learning to go deep in another sport as well.
"He's gotten this sudden urge to be a golfer," said Tressel.
"He's like addicted to golfing.
"His high school coach told me that in their booster club outing this past weekend he won the long drive at 350 yards.
"When I talked to Terrelle I said 'You hit that thing 350 yards? Was there like a big wind?'
"He said 'Yeah it was windy, man it was windy.' I said 'And you were with the wind?'
"He said 'No, I was into the wind, but Coach, I don't think it was really 350. It was only like 335.'"
Brandon's Back: Running back Brandon Saine was going to have a big role in the offense last season, but that role never materialized due to a rash of injuries that literally ruined his season. According to Jake Ballard, Saine is back to full health this year and poised to be a major contributor to the OSU offense.
"He's definitely to where he used to be before," said Ballard.
"Last season he had a lot of injuries. I think he's definitely coming back to where he used to be and I think he's going to be a big threat for us offensively.
"He brings mismatches. Whether he's coming out of the backfield and going on a pass route or breaks one down the field. If he's in the receiving game a linebacker is not going to be able to cover him.
"There's no way. He's too fast."
Not for pipsqueaks: The Big Ten has a reputation as a physical football conference, one in which you had better have that chin strap buckled up when the ball gets teed up for kickoff. That fact, says OSU defensive tackle Doug Worthington, probably helps keeps a certain kind of player out of the conference.
"Some guys who are 150 pounds and run 4.2 wouldn't want to play in this conference because you've got big guys coming and running down stream," said Worthington.
"It's a physical conference.":
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