Archives for August 2013

So Athlon recently came out with their list of the 100 best College Football based Twitter accounts to follow. What it did was lead me to make a joke on twitter about making a top 100 Ohio State based Twitter accounts post. After a few of my followers poked and needled me I agreed to try and do it. this list is completely arbitrary and my own opinion which means it is perfect and without flaw.

1.) @GerdOzone– Tony Gerdeman is the perfect blend of information, comedy, snarkyness, and trolling. The best thing about Tony? To me it is that he will interact with anyone and everyone every time you tweet to him. He has built a cult like following and I have declared myself as his fan club President. If you aren’t following Gerd then you are doing Twitter wrong.

2.) @i_aint_yer_pa- Tony Rice is the GodFather of Ohio State blogging. He also happens to post the funniest and strangest things you may ever see. Yes, I am completely biased.

3.) @KyleRowland- Kyle Rowland has the audience and fan base every OSU site wants in Eleven Warriors and the skills to boot. He is a wonderful writer and gives out lots of info.

4.) @Ramzy– Ramzy Nasrallah is one of the better writers in sports let alone for an OSU based site in Eleven Warriors. His greatest strength though may be his ability to battle media trolls who attack OSU or its fans and make them look like idiots.

5.) @MarkPantoni- What is there to say about this man. His tweets are like a great conspiracy novel with fans trying to read into everyone of them to see if he is hinting to a new recruit.

6.) @PDBuckeyes- I doubt most of us know how to pronounce Doug Lesmerises last name and without copy and paste no way I could spell it correctly. He gives us fans so much info and always seems to have good scoops.

7.) @BuckeyeNotes- What more is there to say Jerry Emig is the mothpiece of the Ohio State football team and program. If he tweets it then it is gospel and not a rumor.

8.) @TIM_MAYsports Tim is a longtime stalwart at the Dispatch but a relatively newbie to Twitter. He has picked up tweeting quickly and finds a way to make indy Racing sound entertaining.

9.) @BCastOzone- Brandon Castel would be higher on this list if not for taking a few months off this year to do a “Real Job”. He is knowledgeable and a great writer and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy when you read his writings.

10.) @LoriSchmidt– Lori Schmidt isnt on this list because she is a woman she is on here because she is a dang good follow and her interactions with her fans is top notch.

Here is the rest of the top 25 without all the butt kissing remarks and explanations.

11.) @JeffBoals
12.) @brdispatch
13.) @steakNstiffarms
14.) @11W
15.) @BeauBishop
16.) @Birm
17.) @Jason_Kint
18.) @BenAxelrod
19.) @11W_Michael
20.) @SpinnerShells @GG_40 @Nicki_07
21.) @JeffSvoboda
22.) @RappUp
23.) @BlackStripeBlog
24.) @MarcusHartman
25.) @Jbook37

Honorable Mention @alexgleitman and @MChungOZone and @The_BBC

Well as you can see I made it to the Top 25 before I stopped. I am sure I missed on a lot of great people but this list is a wide variety of OSU twitter accounts. This list is meant to be debated and I hope all of you will do that in the comments. I specifically left off motsagers except for Tony because well just because. I wish there were more females on the list and I think I may have missed some notable ones. What say you feel free to add or take away from my list.

After thinking back to the start of last season, I have some of the same reservations about this year’s linebacker group. With the exception of Ryan Shazier, the unit is very inexperienced. There are plenty of players that need to step up and make a big impact on defense this year. Let’s take a look at some of the names vying to add their name to the great tradition of Buckeye linebackers.

Who the Buckeyes lost from last years team…

Zach Boren – Has a starting fullback ever changed to starting linebacker halfway through the season (making the change in one week) and instantly become the team’s second best linebacker? If you ask me, that is exactly what happened last year when Zach Boren moved to starting MLB. He was a difference maker down the stretch and solidified the otherwise turbulent position. Zach is continuing his pursuit of playing football. He signed a free agent contract with the Houston Texans.

Etienne Sabino – Etienne is another guy who suffered through injuries at OSU. He was a solid player that often went unnoticed. I believe sometimes “senior leadership” is overrated, but given the buckeyes have struggled with continuity over the last couple of years at linebacker, Etienne’s experience will be missed. Etienne also was undrafted. He signed a free agent contract with the New York Giants. There have been some promising reports coming from Giants camp. It appears Etienne has a decent shot of making the roster.

Other losses – Storm Klein and Conner Crowell Best of luck to all!

Who will replace them…

Before we look at some of the new projected starters this year, a linebacker preview is not complete without mentioning Ryan Shazier. Ryan is the clear leader of the Buckeye linebackers. He has proven himself. He will be a beast. The preseason All-American selection is well deserving of the accolades coming his way. Below are a few comments from Ryan after practice this weekend courtesy of theozone.net.

Let’s take a look at a few players that need to step up and contribute (in a big way!). They are inexperienced and young. The talent is there. We are waiting for it to burst onto the field.

Curtis Grant – Curtis is the current projected starter at MLB. The ups and downs (mostly downs) of Grant’s young career as a buckeye have been well documented. He was a consensus 5-star recruit coming out of high school. Rivals rated him as the 2nd overall prospect, not linebacker, 2nd overall player. The expectation was enormous, but Curtis has yet to live up to the hype he received coming out of high school. Reports this preseason say Curtis is a “changed man”; ready for the big time. He is saying all of the right things…

“It’s more than determination,” he said. “A lot of things have changed in my life that has made me a lot hungrier about the game and things I needed to do. I tell my mom every day, ‘We’re going to make it.’ That’s my promise to her, and I’m determined to make it for her.”

Time will tell if this is the year he finally breaks out and becomes the player we have been waiting for. Grant was in the same position last year as the starting MLB, but was only able to hold the spot for 3 games. That has to change this year. Grant’s limited contribution to date still makes him the second most seasoned linebacker behind Shazier. Hopefully Grant can quickly recover from the concussion he suffered early in camp.

Joshua Perry – I will be the first to admit that Josh is a bit of an enigma to me. He was a member of the Rivals top 150 coming out of high school. It is quite possible his ability is being overlooked. He played sparingly as a freshman, mostly on special teams. Often times, players without high expectations and out of the spotlight are the unsung heroes of a team. I am hopeful that Josh can mold himself into that type of player. I need to see Josh play more to make a better assessment of what he brings to the team. He will have his chance this year as he steps into a starting role. If the spotlight has been dim until now, that is all about to change. I am looking forward to see what Josh brings to the table. Again courtesy of the ozone.net, here are some comments from Josh after practice this weekend.

Who are the Backups…

That is a good question! You tell me. A pair of highly touted recruits are making a strong case to contribute this year – Mike Mitchell and Trey Johnson. Given the lack of depth at linebacker, I would be surprised if either of those player red-shirt this year. Both Mike and Trey are big time talents as you can see from their highlights and high school stats. From what I have seen and read thus far, I believe the Mike and Trey will be required to contribute early and often especially on special teams. I would also not be surprised if one or both push for playing time at the linebacker spot as the season moves along.

As I looked down the roster for other players expected to contribute, the same theme holds true – NO EXPERIENCE! The Buckeyes need to avoid injury at the linebacker spot this year. Since there are no fullbacks to pull from this year, let’s all hope the young guys can continue to develop. The Buckeye defense is really lacking depth at this position.

Player who could surprise…

Mike Mitchell – For me the obvious choice here is Mike Mitchell. The uncertainty surrounding Curtis Grant may provide an amazing opportunity for the true freshman. Can’t wait to see how this plays out. Has the season started yet?

How they will fare…

Let me continue to beat a dead horse…Shazier will be a beast! The rest of the group is a crap-shoot. Your guess is as good as mine. One thing last year’s linebackers had going for them was an experienced defensive line. This year, that is not the case. The development of the young linebacker group will be largely connected to the development of the front four. Ultimately, the Buckeyes have a long tradition of great linebackers. The players will develop. The play will be solid. That doesn’t change the fact that the Buckeyes start the 2013 season with one linebacker with experience, period. The other players need to step up early! How will they fare? … ????????????? … Time will tell.

Good morning Buckeye Nation.

Hype Video: We will start you off with a new video I just came across being passed around on twitter last night. It was produced by 82WProductions.

Great video and perfect timing so enjoy The Chase to 8

Morgantown Defeat: Andy Bevin of the Mountaineers soccer team scored the only goal in the 75th minute for West Virginia Sunday against Ohio State in Morgantown. In the first of three exhibition games the Buckeyes played 17 players including 8 newcomers.

Tonight the men’s soccer team go at it again for their second preseason match facing IPFW at 7pm on the Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Hopefully the Buckeyes can bounce back tonight and put one in the win column.

National Teams: A former Buckeye and two incoming Buckeyes will represent Buckeye Nation on the U.S. Senior and Junior National Teams in Gymnastics. Former Buckeye Brandon Wynn earned the spot along with incoming freshman Jacob Dastrup and Andrew Rickly.

“I am proud of the guys for their performances this weekend,” Ohio State head coach Rustam Sharipov said. “It was the first U.S. Championships for Michael Newburger and Danny Steiner and it was a great experience for them.”

Redshirt junior Michael Newburger finished third on the pommel horse and sophomore Danny Steiner finished 25th in the overall.

Great job Buckeyes and way to represent Buckeye Nation.

Google+: With another football season getting ready to start we have reactivated our Google+. I am excited to get the Google+ page back up and going there are so many possibilities on what we can do there especially with you our readers.

Until next time Buckeye Nation…

Thanks to the fine people at Buckeye TV and their Sports Director @bradleycomer we have the video of todays interview with Braxton Miller.

*Updated* to include video of Coach Coombs and Armani Reeves…

With today’s practice being the last one the media will be allowed to attend and ask questions today we got some great info on how things are going. Here is a sample of tweets we saw from the guys there who cover the Buckeyes.

Lots of good info… Armani Reeves getting the start at CB for Roby and Tyvis Powell getting the start at the “Star” position is huge for OSU. A lot of young players will be called on to play significant minutes. If I see any other info released today I will update this post.

The center position is very important for the offense to function smoothly. A center has a huge role in the offense. The center has to be on top of his game the entire game because one turnover off a bad snap can cost a game. Most of Ohio State’s offense is in the shotgun formation so the center has to snap the ball a couple yards. Bad snaps can lead to a lot of busted plays or Buckeye fans can see Braxton Miller make something out of nothing.

Last Year Performance:

Corey Linsley is the returning center for the Buckeyes. Last year he had a very solid year. There was no issue where snaps were consistently flying over Miller’s head or going wide. Linsley does a good job on getting the snap back and sticking on a block. Him and Miller have good chemistry so Buckeye fans aren’t expecting any problems at the center position.

Looking at the Depth:

Corey Linsley (6-3 297)- Linsley is entering his senior season (red-shirt). He has been with the program for five years now and is going to be a huge piece on the offensive line. Corey was named honorable mention all Big Ten Conference. He is also a three year letter-winner. There is no doubt he will be the starter for the Buckeyes.

Jacoby Boren (6-2 287)- Jacoby is entering his sophomore season. He is a valuable backup and brings great depth to the center position. He may be the next guy up next season when Linsley is gone. Jacoby is the third Boren brother to play at Ohio State. His brother, Justin and Zach were both great players.

Pat Elfein (6-2 293)- Pat is going into his freshman year (red shirt). He sat most of the 2012 season due to a foot injury. Pat is the Buckeye’s third deep center. Pat has also had some reps at right tackle. Elfein was rated the 22nd guard by ESPNU.

We finished up our ranking of the top twenty-five players in the B1G this season. We are Buckeye fans, of this there is no doubt, but we also tried to be subjective enough to rank the best players in the league. Yes, there were Buckeyes at the top of the list but that’s simply because the Buckeyes are loaded with the best players in the conference this year.

We present to you now, our complete rankings from #25 to #1. (This post is going to be long and image and YT heavy, so hit the jump for the complete list)
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