BBN Ohio State Spring Game Preview: Defensive Line

 

BBCDL1

Welcome to Thursdays with Slyvester (and el Kaiser). It’s sort of like Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays with Slyvester (and Fridays, too). Basically, it’s when I get bored at work, open Microsoft Communicator and begin to bother SYR with whatever is on my mind. Sometimes we talk Buckeyes, sometimes it’s video games and Reality TV, and sometimes we share.

This time, however, SYR was asked to provide a contribution to the Buckeye Blogging Network’s Spring Game Preview. (I had told them earlier I was a little too busy to help out (busted!)). So what follows is a stream of conscious between the two of us. (You may notice I have a touch of the ADD and tend to go off-topic). It’s a bit long, so hit the jump for the full conversation

docholliday_normalEl Kaiser: Praise the Lord, He’s given me another day

 

 

brutus_normalSYR: Morning

So BBC cornered me last night and got me to do a post for this BBN thing.

So I need your help

 

docholliday_normal hahahahahah. Fine, ok. What are we going to be previewing?

 

brutus_normal

I chose DL

 

docholliday_normal Naturally

 

brutus_normal Because, well, at least then we can write about Simon and Big Hank

 

docholliday_normal Absolutely

 

brutus_normal Three areas to look at:

What will be most different this year than last? (Could be personnel, could be scheme)

What are you excited to see at each position? What are you concerned about?

Who will stand out? Who’s a "rookie" you’re keeping your eyes on?

docholliday_normal I’m hearing big things about Michael Bennett

 

brutus_normal Yeah

 

docholliday_normal Pittman?

 

brutus_normal And basically every incoming freshman could see time

 

docholliday_normal John Simon will win the Big Ten Defesnive Player of the Year

You can run and TELL THAT.

 

brutus_normal So right now looks like the starters are: John Simon, Jonathan Hankins, Garret Goebel, and Adam Bellamy. I forgot about Garrett Goebel

Our DL may play 15 guys this year sheesh

Nearly forgot they moved Chris Carter to DL, too. Lol

 

docholliday_normal They did?

I did not know that

 

brutus_normal Yep

Apparently he didn’t fit the body style for OL

And Vrabel likes his nastiness for DT

 

docholliday_normal Well, he definitely likes to "get nasty" if you know what I mean

 

brutus_normal Darryl Baldwin, Adam Bellamy, Chase Farris, Garrett Goebel, Joel Hale, Big Hank, Kenny Hayes, Steve Miller, JT Moore, Se’Von Pittman, John Simon, Nate Williams, Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington, Tommy Schutt… That’s about all that I can see who could see playing time.

Holy crap that is 15

 

docholliday_normal Dang I forgot about Steve Miller, too.

He was a huge recruit

 

brutus_normal Yeah he will see a lot of time

There is nothing wierder then when your dog is having nightmares

 

docholliday_normal lol

He’s dreaming that Obama wants to eat him

 

brutus_normal hahaha

https://twitter.com/#!/markpantoni/status/192966129835188225/photo/1

 

docholliday_normal NICE

Too bad it’s not when he was a Patriot

 

brutus_normal Agreed

It is a powerful point though

 

docholliday_normal Can I just say how pumped I am for the Avengers movie?

 

brutus_normal Agree 100000%

 

docholliday_normal The line where Iron Man is talking to Loki is the best

"I have an army."

"We have a Hulk"

 

brutus_normal Me and Eli love that part lol

 

docholliday_normal Today is national high five day

So air-IM-high five

 

brutus_normal Well then a high 5 to you

 

docholliday_normal UGGGHHH!! Of course Communicator dies at the worst possible time and I lost everything from the last 20 minutes

So let’s try this again

 

brutus_normal hahaha

 

docholliday_normal So let’s start with the starters: John Simon

 

brutus_normal So I live next door to John Simon’s cousin which pretty much makes me the most knowledgeable person in the world on him.

 

docholliday_normal Clearly

You really do? That’s pretty cool. Of course, there’s this:

http://photo.the-ozone.net/details.aspx?SeasonID=11&SportID=4&CollegeID=0&PhotographerID=0&SortType=0&EventTypeID=0&SportEventID=bdf21c26-7c5e-447b-a817-6619b5d0f5ac&TeamMemberID=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&PhotoNumber=55&ReturnRowCount=12&ReturnPageNumber=0

Ladies…

brutus_normal UGH what is wrong with me?

He’s surrounded by pretty girls and the first place my eyes look is at his package.

Then I look over the rest of his physique before I even notice the girls he’s standing with.

There is no doubt in my mind Simon will be B1G DPOY and an All-American.

 

docholliday_normal I say he’s the single biggest reason we beat Wisky last year.

 

brutus_normal I think the only thing Simon needs to have a breakout year is consistency from his line mates

 

docholliday_normal Yep. He can pretty much plan on being double teamed all season long

 

brutus_normal Not if we get better play from people like Nate Williams and Big Hank

 

docholliday_normal Well, that’s the hope. But, if he’s going one-on-one, he’s winning that battle.

Against anyone in the country.

What if John Simon had to block John Simon?

 

brutus_normal With the exercise and strength program they have now he will only get better.

My neighbor told me when you walk in the Simon house they have a weight room in their living room, not a couch and TV.

 

docholliday_normal Dude is already at like 2% body fat

hahah that’s awesome

 

brutus_normal John Simon is the key to our defense. If he gets pressure and avoids getting double teamed we will win a lot of games.

 

docholliday_normal agreed

Do you think he’ll play a lot of DE?

Or, with all the freshmen coming in, he’ll slide back over to tackle?

What’s our defensive front going to even look like?

 

brutus_normal I think he will be strictly DE this year.

Can’t imagine using him at DT with his speed and rushing ability from the outside.

 

docholliday_normal True

That should eliminate a lot of the double teams

 

brutus_normal He will get body checked by TEs and RBs though.

 

docholliday_normal Hey, it’s their funeral.

 

brutus_normal No one can handle him one on one.

Hopefully Simon will get a huge sack on Denard Robinson and while he is still on the ground, he ties his shoes for him.

And that’s all I got to say about The Beast.

 

docholliday_normal Ok, so, Jonathan Hankins. He so doesn’t seem like he’s a “Jonathan”.

 

brutus_normal I would like to see how Hankins looks right now.

 

docholliday_normal I’d like to see what he eats for breakfast.

I ate half a box of Cookie Crisp once

 

brutus_normal Half boxes are for DBs

The thing that amazes me most about Big Hank is his athletic ability.

 

docholliday_normal Do you think he could finish off a jar of Nutella?

Like that guy on Youtube?

That was impressive. Two spoonfuls of that stuff I have to undo the button on my pants.

 

brutus_normal I think he gargles with a jar of Nutella

 

docholliday_normal hahah

Yeah, it’s been interesting to see him go from a bowl full of jelly to where he’s at now. That physique has come a long way, baby.

 

brutus_normal When I look at Big Hank, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t World Class Athlete.

 

docholliday_normal He doesn’t look imposing but he can move.

Exactly

 

brutus_normal His motor never seems to run out of gas.

Remember when we saw Adrian Clayborn of Iowa on his knees late in the 4th quarter in that close game against the Buckeyes?

 

docholliday_normal Well, you consume 18000 calories

See if you run out of gas.

 

brutus_normal He has speed and strength and a relentlessness to him that is hard to find in a guy with his body style. And by style I mean Big Bass Brothers style.

If he is able to clog up the middle and get off blocks OSU will be hard to run on up the middle.

 

docholliday_normal http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hbApfZDWZHY/T5AeTwBslaI/AAAAAAAAQSM/6nOKevPdlWg/s1600/inattentional+blindness.jpg

How many red balls are there?

Quick

Now close the window

Quickly!!

Close it!

NOW!

 

brutus_normal Five

 

docholliday_normal Did you close it?

Describe what you saw.

 

brutus_normal A man with red balls floating all around him.

 

docholliday_normal Anything interesting about that man?

 

brutus_normal He was Indian.

 

docholliday_normal Hahaha, that definitely is interesting

Anything else?

 

brutus_normal Shirtless

That’s all I remember. Lots of chest hair.

Was there something I missed?

 

docholliday_normal You noticed he was shirtless? What is wrong with you?

Yeah, go look at it again.

Look at his hands.

 

brutus_normal lol 12 fingers

What’s this got to do with Big Hank?

 

docholliday_normal Nothing. But just try to imagine Hankins with 12 fingers.

You know who had big hands? Alonzo Spellman. That dude had freakishly large hands.

So did the lady who taught my CMOS layout and design class at Ohio State.

Have big hands? Have we got a place for you at the Ohio State University!

 

brutus_normal lol

 

docholliday_normal I just came across that, I had to share it.

We can get back to the DL now.

Anything else we should know about Hank?

I assume Guiton and Miller will be in black jerseys on Saturday?

Do you think Hankins or Simon will be able to control themselves?

They clearly hate quarterbacks.

 

brutus_normal There is no touching of QBs

And few, if any, QB runs

Meyer said he wants to see how they look throwing.

 

docholliday_normal Right

I believe his exact words were, "you’ll see a lot of throwing."

 

brutus_normal I am geeked to see a glimpse of what our offense will look like

 

docholliday_normal "…but not sure if you’ll see a lot of catching."

 

brutus_normal lol true

 

docholliday_normal Ok, moving on to Nate Williams.

 

brutus_normal Do you think he will get his starting spot back during summer practice?

Nate is a tough call seeing how he hasn’t played in a year and is out all spring.

 

docholliday_normal Agreed. So he’s out for the spring game?

 

brutus_normal Yeah, he’s not playing in the spring game.

I think he is due a chance to start, though.

He is supposed to start running this spring and be full go for start of summer practice.

What I remember of Nate Williams is he is relentless and fast but small.

OSU lists him at 6’3" and 249 lbs

 

docholliday_normal Who will be starting then at DE if Williams is out?

Stevie “Guitar” Miller?

 

brutus_normal Miller and JT Moore have had most of the snaps with 1st team

 

docholliday_normal Well, as far as Williams is concerned, regardless of whether he starts or not, he’s getting plenty of playing time.

He’s always been a guy I’ve never understood.

 

brutus_normal Agreed

 

docholliday_normal He gets the nod over players I thought would have been better than him.

 

brutus_normal He is too big for LB and too small for DL.

 

docholliday_normal But he’s played since he was a freshman and gotten consistent pressure and penetration.

 

brutus_normal He is a “hybrid” defensive lineman for sure.

He is able to use his smaller size to avoid being blocked and his speed to close in on the QBs.

But you will never hear anyone say, “look at his great technique.”

He isn’t a traditional 3 technique DL

 

docholliday_normal Like I said, very unorthodox.

 

brutus_normal He is a guy who plays very well in college but those skills wont translate to the NFL, sadly.

 

docholliday_normal Yeah we’ll see. Goebel?

I really like Garrett Goebel. He’s like that fourth guy on those lines back in the day with Vrabel, Finkes and Fickell. The guy you can never remember his name.

You don’t remember he’s there, but always comes up big right when you need him.

 

brutus_normal Yes, exactly that guy.

6’4" and 285 lbs… He is a hole filler.

You tell him to go out there and plug a hole period.

 

docholliday_normal “Hey, you, you there. Number 53.”

“Go get in people’s way. No i don’t care if you make a tackle. That’s what Grant and Shazier are for.”

“Just make someone’s offensive line coach tear his hair out. You get a helmet sticker every time their coach throws his hat on the ground.”

 

brutus_normal He is the kind of guy who won’t get any accolades or attention but will play DL in the NFL for 15 years.

 

docholliday_normal Or, he’ll get addicted to video games and waste two years of his life away

COUGH Quinn Pitcock COUGH

 

brutus_normal He is officially listed as the starting Nose Tackle.

If I told you six months ago that the DL would be 15 deep in 2012 would you believe it?

 

docholliday_normal Six months ago we were in the pits of despair.

I would probably just cry if you asked me about the 2012 defensive line.

 

brutus_normal Crap. I wonder if I forgot anyone else?

I don’t know if Pittman plays this year.

He is injured right now and out for the spring game.

Urban said no one will red shirt, but I think Pittman and Schutt might.

 

docholliday_normal hmmmm

So Urban has been on the job three months and you’re already doubting his word.

 

brutus_normal I guess I shouldn’t.

 

docholliday_normal YOU’RE DANG RIGHT YOU SHOULDN’T.

I SHOULDN’T BE YOUR FRIEND RIGHT NOW.

So, to answer some of those questions. What do you think will be different?

 

brutus_normal The biggest difference from last year in my opinion is depth and talent.

 

docholliday_normal Yeah. We need to be able to stop the run. We got shredded too much last year.

Thinking about the Penn State game makes me want to puke.

 

brutus_normal The lack of depth last year meant our guys were tired and the lack of offense didn’t help either.

If those two things are fixed this year will be a 10 win season, easily.

 

docholliday_normal Yeah, I can see that.

Who are you looking forward to see play that probably won’t start?

 

brutus_normal It has to be either Noah Spence or Adolphus Washington.

Those two guys are men already and highly recruited. They are game changer defensive ends.

 

docholliday_normal So what makes you say those guys are game changers?

 

brutus_normal They are two of the highest rated recruits Ohio State has ever gotten at the defensive end position.

Remember Spence was ranked the 4th best recruit in the nation and both were highly coveted 5 stars.

Having seen both them play in an All Star game against the best in their class they both dominated big time.

If these guys live up to potential… Sky’s the limit.

 

docholliday_normal I hope so.

So i think we covered most of this. Anything else we missed? Anyone else to discuss?

 

brutus_normal I don’t think so.

There are so many who will see playing time it is hard to cover everyone.

 

docholliday_normal Alright, well I better wrap this up and go do my real job for a few minutes. This defensive line is going to be amazing and could go down in history as one of the best.

I can’t wait!

Comments

  1. eK, SYR; good stuff here, or at least what I read. I was stuck on the Simon photo – did you guys have anything to say later in the article? I’m sure my wife will be looking for an explanation why that photo is our screensaver.

  2. Thanks, Ken. There isn’t much to say about this line past that Simon picture. You didn’t miss much. I’m surprised either of us were able to continue chatting afterwards…

  3. sportsMonkey says

    GARGLES WITH NUTELLA

Trackbacks

  1. […] and Quarterbacks Buckeye House Call – Defensive Backs Men of the Scarlet and Gray – Defensive line  The Silver Bullet – Linebackers AKPC_IDS += […]

  2. […] to The Lantern about how he and his dad work out on Christmas morning and even our own SYR had this anecdote about the Simon’s love for working […]

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