Arapahoe

Most importantly you need to utilize your players to their strengths. I'm all for the spread (or traditional run game) IF it's to our players advantage.

jtothero

I'll be interested to see what we do with some of the shifty RB's we've recruited like Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry.

Agent Johnny Utah

Is Jordan Hall enrolled early for participation in spring practice?

__________________
I wanna go back to Ohio State
To old Columbus town,
I wanna go back,
I gotta go back,
To Ohio
Ohio, Ohio

Buck68

how do you "use a player/players to his/their strength/s"?

how do you decide what is "to our players' advantage" in order to be "all for" the play/formation/scheme you pick?

not trying to be cute or sarcastic...i'd like to know and decided to ask you because you said these things were "most important".

====

Buck68

thoughts on what to look for during spring practice:

[situation] most of us do not have direct access to spring practice. However, most of us do have some connections, however far removed and tortured, to those who DO. So, i intend this post to help anyone get info we want...like BlockONation asking us to submit questions to him for his interviews with players....

[secrecy] practically, the better we [or any fan group] is at gathering data, the more [not linearly, emotionally] powers that 'feel' and be, perceive this as a threat in general, or some form of 'helping the enemy' in particular. And would it not also 'be reasonable' for a fellow fan to see it as adverse to the team in some way? So...our continuing challenge is to 'find out more' in OUR self-interest as fans...but post it here in ways "not perceived as bad/offensive" by ...said 'powers that be'. INASMUCH as we worked on figuring out how to do this...would that process not be helpful to any of us in coping with similar situations in any part of our lives?

1-player WC test stats. Best would be stats by test category over multiple test dates. Stat comparisons by amount of change might be less sensitive, by omitting the player's current ability in that category. Modifiers [like 'faster'] require interpretation of the intent and accuracy of the provider AND, at best, provide >=< trend input with zero means to compare to other players or standards.

2-player skill data. Source[s] for skill descriptions would sure help us all 'get on the same page' in asking questions, or relaying tidbits. Consider the range of description and detail in what we commonly see labeled as an 'assessment' or 'evaluation'. Who bothers to stop and consider differences, let alone substantive differences, in what such terms mean? But any person exercising their common sense, 'knows' that a comparison requires [a] standards, [b} a comparative process, and [c] accurate data.

3-drill descriptions. When JT got here, he 'changed' practice organization and content. Boy did he ever. There is a wealth of opportunity here to [a] learn about football AND sports and 'athletics', [b} learn about details in how to prepare...well, [c] note who puts what kind of motivation and effort into them. Rationally, observations in this area do not reveal game plan methods, schemes, and intentions. OTOH, these 'tidbits' indicate 'the walk' of all 'the talk'. One of my favorite examples here of the significance of WIGO in drills was the ol' 3D on 2O swing pass drill. Bam Childress became the 'player of choice' to get the swing pass that started the drill. Watching defenders try to tackle him in space...was quite revealing in many ways. Observing defenders that QUIT in this drill...was an eye opener with respect to player, captain, and coach response to 'adverse stimulus'. Starter performance in this drill...in an excellent indicator of our current capability to control opponent players 'in space'. Our weaknesses in those areas, AS WELL AS our efforts and progress in addressing them... are observationally evident! LONG BEFORE 'perfect storms', 'it was closer than the score' 'southern speed'...and all the mountains of bovine scatology we insist on deluding ourselves with.

4-what individual players are doing in drills, by position. Here, powers that be get sensitive pretty quick to info on starters...but not much defensiveness over the SAME info about 'reserves', 'redshirts', 'scrubs'.... Well...those guys are the future...AND...their quality and effort is a major input into the quality competition that can provide in helping the starters to prepare and develop. D'oh! Over time...observing the lessers...provides a wealth of comparative data for ... starters AND team quality.

5-Scout team obs. Our scout team purpose historically has been to give our starters 'the looks' that our coaches presume our next opponent will use against us. The starters practice 'look' recognition and the signals/assignments/responses our coaches want the starters to make v those 'looks'. Versus a 'gotoguy' 'dominator' on the opponent team, coaches MAY select a particular player to more effectively 'simulate' what that opposing player can do. Writing about this before the game would be rationally harmful to our cause...but AFTER...?!

====frankly, when i attended practice between 1995 and 2003 and wrote about parts of the above...i 'experienced' all those 'gimme mores' and 'can't waits' and genuflecting you see on the internet for those who Feed the Fans. Nowadays, occasionally, i get "you're nuts now why don't you 'be like you used to'"?

Why not? I'm not at practice these days, so i am not able to observe.

But what many whine, call 'psychobabble', take offense to, and ban me for...is simply 'how to do what i did'...that these same people 'couldn't wait for' and 'never get enough of.'

Finally, i keep CHOOSING to NOT take offense to all this angst...or to recover from instinctively taking offense BEFORE i post.... ;-{)} That doesn't make me one bit 'better' than anyone. If i did it all right all the time, it wouldn't make me one bit better than anyone. It's only what i ought to do, in success or failure or anything in between... according to Good Authority.

OSUBasketballJunkie

Bucknuts.com (Free)

O-Line Ready To Spring Into Action.................

Buck68

I'm sort of 'transmitting in the blind' and using dated inputs...but...

'time and change surely show', how mantras rep in O HI O. [USC version: "just as expected"]

so, our OL:

Adams went from 'big' to 'instantly emerging sudden impact Orlando Pace' status in his senior HS year.... Then, here, in addition to rumors of injuries...there were motivational and 'team rules' rumors. Since then...substantive silence has accompanied the fav and loyal choice of IGNORE. However, Pryor's comments provide a current Tea Leaf to read in Buckeye Bipolarity so there Is No Misunderstanding: "you can do it - you ain't makin' it [so far]."

So, the 'big story' IMO is Andy Miller this spring, for a couple reasons. Foremost, here in ZeroLeakLand, people 'will be allowed' to mumble and infer about how Andy's developing. Now last year was the UsualDancing about how to get you to switch to OL from TE after the "You're a TE Really" Storyline Everybody Knew was Bogus because only jerks like those at scum lie to their players and We're So Trustable. Part Deux of that is the carrot conundrums of 'how surprisingly well you're doing' at your best position for you...OT'. Now that our coaches and Andy are 'on the same page', hopefully all the possible versions of who did it to who so popular with fans ...are of zero distraction to Andy. Since i BRILLIANTLY deduce WE NEED A LEFT TACKLE...for me, Andy Miller's spring performance is Thee #1 spring substantive, observable issue. So, second reason at last: insiders will 'have some rope' to report little substantive tidbits of assessment and performance, as long as it's buried in bushels of bovine scataology and conflicted mantra iterations.

GO ANDY!

Process of Elimination: Boren, Brewster, and Cordle have virtually no competition at the 3 interior positions.

Elimination by mentionings, mixes, and omissions: Connor Smith, Blankenship.

Unknown: Mewhort.... When's he get here? TIA

RT: Browning by default until Shugarts returns. All the fluff about beancounting what number sets who back too much is...more than gratuitous. And until Shugarts 'antes up' to the Pryor challenge...the competition is moot.

So...to Andy first...and every other competitive offensive lineman who some Nobody has failed to mention ... spring beckons, opportunities at Tackle and UtilityMan abound!

GO BUCKS!

p.s. Anyone think it'd be relevant to find out about any basic or 'wrinkle' changes to our blocking schemes & techniques? ;-{)} Zone, anyone?

OSUBasketballJunkie

Here are some key dates for the spring.........

Spring practice for Ohio State's football team kicks off this week, notable dates below:

Wednesday, April 1: Head coach Jim Tressel press conference, noon.

Thursday, April 2: First day of practice. (closed to the media)

Wednesday, April 8: Tressel’s spring kickoff luncheon, 11:30 a.m.

Friday, April 10: Kick scrimmage at Ohio Stadium, 3:30 p.m. (This event is open to the media, but closed to the public).

Saturday, April 18: Jersey scrimmage at Ohio Stadium, 9:30 a.m. (This event is open to media, but closed to the public)

Wednesday, April 22: Spring game draft, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 25: Spring game, 1:30 p.m.

OSUBasketballJunkie

Bucknuts.com$

Spring Primer: The OSU Offense.................

Buck68

Hey all you feelers out there! April 10th and 18th are totally exciting times to be private, not public; to be media, not medium! Have a happening on those two days in Ohio Stadium ... and then allow us elsewhere to be the beneficiaries of your roving eyeballs! TIA