Remember our Linebacker preview from a few weeks ago? Yeah, so maybe we were a little off. The O-Zone is reporting a few tweaks to the two-deep for the linebackers:

According to linebackers coach Luke Fickell, the depth chart at linebacker has James Laurinaitis as the number one middle linebacker, Marcus Freeman as the leo linebacker, and John Kerr at the will linebacker. Laurinaitis is backed up at middle linebacker by Larry Grant, Freeman is backed up by Curtis Terry, and Kerr by true freshman Tyler Moeller. Ross Homan, who was considered to be challenger for a starting position, has been out a week with a hamstring problem. Fickell described Moeller as “someone you notice, someone that when the ball get to the line of scrimmage, he’s always there.”

I wonder what prompted the changes? I’ve always thought Kerr would be a quick middle linebacker, maybe more suited for the outside, but putting him at will linebacker is an interesting move. Laurinaitis at middle linebacker is even more interesting. I guess he bulked up some and got stronger. He is a big guy to begin with, so I don’t see it being a problem with him in the middle. Backed-up by Larry Grant is good to see. At least we almost got Freeman right!

Another thing that surprises me is the absence of Austin Spitler from the two-deep. We are big on Spitler here at MotSaG, so color us surprised to see true freshman Moeller backing up Kerr, not Spitler.

There are a lot of people excited about watching the Buckeyes practice this coming Monday night. Planned to be held in the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, the coaching staff probably expected a moderate crowd of hard core fans and their offspring. With the hype and expectations of fans this year, I don’t know what they were thinking. Opening the practice to the public is one thing. But throw in an autograph session before practice starts and free parking and you’re asking for problems. There’s now way they can fit everyone that shows up in the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

The JOMS has a capacity of about 10k people. That’s approximately how many people will show up before 10 AM (the autograph session doesn’t start until 7). So now it appears that the powers that be have wised up and changed the practice venue. It looks like it will now be held at The Horseshoe. I haven’t found any links to the change, so I may be completely wrong here, but it might be something to keep in mind if you’ve been on the fence (either way) about going to the practice. It should be a good time and a great chance to see how the Buckeyes are progressing.

Okay, that was fast. BuckeyeXtra.com has confirmed the change:

The location for Ohio State’s open practice and autograph session Monday night has been changed to Ohio Stadium, the OSU department of athletics announced today.

The event originally was scheduled to be held in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The change is being made to accommodate the large number of fans expected to attend.

Gates will open at 6 p.m., and a one-hour autograph session with the players and coaches in the stadium concourse will start at 7. Practice will follow at 8 and continue until about 9:45.

The Owens stadium has a capacity of about 12,000, including standing room. The original plan was that if that figure was reached, the gates would be closed.

Autograph seekers will be limited to one item per player.

Media Day, usually held in Ohio Stadium, was rained out and had to be held indoors, but that didn’t stop the Dispatch from capturing this endearing moment as Brandon Mitchell tenderly adjusts Marcus Freeman’s man jewelry. How precious. (This photo is screaming out for a caption):

“Caption Me“

More pictures at The O-Zone.

Here at MotSaG we have had our fun taking shots and expressing pity at [HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED]. Now that more details are coming to light about his life the past few days, a disturbing picture is emerging, and it seems appropriate to take a serious, sobering look at the situation.

Here is what we know – a collection of facts from disparate sources:

• Earlier this week, Columbus radio station 1460theFan (a Buckeye station) announced that this Friday, July 11, [HWSNBN] was going to come into the station, go on the air, and discuss the dramatic events of his recent life. Joe Montgomery, former OSU and NY Giants running back and confidant to [HWSNBN], said on-air that [HWSNBN] was coming in because he wanted to formally apologize to OSU, its fans, and everyone else for his actions. Montgomery was flying into Columbus to pick [HWSNBN] up and escort him to the radio station.

• During the evening of Tuesday, the 9th, [HWSNBN] apparently called Jim Tressel, to thank him “for being real.” He later told Tom Friend, a writer at ESPN, that “Me and Tressel and cool again.” He also apparently phoned his high school buddy LeBron James. He called Friend at ESPN to thank him for being supportive and encouraging. He called his current coach, Jim Terry, to thank him for the shot at playing professional ball again.

• When talking to Friend, [HWSNBN] talked about how he cried four times when holding his newborn daughter the previous afternoon, and added something quite chilling: “He said he’d do anything for that little girl, that he’d go to jail for 30 years for this little girl.”

• It seems that all of these conversations occured while [HWSNBN] was driving around with three loaded semiautomatic handguns, one assault rifle, a hatchet, and wearing body armor. There was liquor in the car, as well, although it is not known if he was drunk. Friend believes that he was.

• Apparently within minutes of ending the call with Terry, [HWSNBN] began “driving erratically.” He began swerving between lanes on I-70, making illegal U-turns across the grassy median, etc., where the CPD noticed and forced him to pull over.

• This entire incident occurred only a few blocks away from the woman who was set to testify against him in court next week, as a witness to his robbery charge.

Those are the facts. Here is my speculation:

• You don’t call all the people you’ve wronged and apologize, then call all the people you love to tell them “thanks” unless you (1) don’t plan on seeing them again, or (2) anticipate the possibility of never seeing them again.

• You don’t arm yourself to the teeth with handguns, an assault rifle, body armor, and a hatchet unless you (1) plan on using them against a person or people, or (2) anticipate the possibility of having to use them against a person or people.

• You don’t swerve around I-70 on the east side of Columbus, across medians and entrance ramps unless (1) you’re planning to have the police to notice you, or without (2) anticipating the possibility of them noticing you.

This is just one monkey’s opinion, but the facts indicate that [HWSNBN] was prepared to engage in some serious, Hollywood-style, ABC “movie-of-the-week” type freakin’ DRAMA last Tuesday night. Suicide? Possibly. Standoff? Perhaps. Death? Maybe. Destruction? Of some sort: probably.

It’s also clear that the CPD’s intervention prevented whatever was really about to go down from happening, which is the most shocking realization.

‘Nuff said about Tuesday night’s events.

When he founded MotSaG, el Kaiser approached me with my opinion on what stance we should take on [HWSNBN]. One the one hand, we’re sick and disgusted at the entire situation – most especially the media’s handling of it – and want it to go away. On the other hand, however, [HWSNBN] is an Ohio-sports personality, both current and past. To make things even murkier, a lot of us still have a smidgen of “fan-dom” left over from his awesome performance during the 2002 season. It’s tough trying to reconcile anger, appreciation, and pity for the same person.

I don’t think it was ever el Kaiser’s vision that we would have three [HWSNBN] posts in a row, but since MotSaG is in a unique position (Buckeye blog, Ohio Sports blog, and we all live and work in Columbus), perhaps we owe it to the blogosphere to chime in. As he wrote yesterday, this whole thing is just “sad, sad, sad.”

Ohio State tight end Marcel Frost was suspended for the upcoming season for violating team rules.

Athletic department officials declined to comment on the nature of the violation. Frost will remain on scholarship and will be eligible to rejoin the team next season, school spokesman Dan Wallenberg said Wednesday.

Frost played nine games and started the final five last season after Ryan Hamby suffered a knee injury, catching seven passes for 70 yards.

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Frost was expected to start this season for the Buckeyes, the preseason No. 1 in the coaches’ poll, but now sophomore Rory Nicol likely will get the nod.

Information from The Associated Press and SportsTicker was used in this report.

This may be old news about Erik Haw transferring, but I thought everyone would like to know where he is going.

Former Ohio State running back Erik Haw said he will transfer to Jackson State in Mississippi.

Haw rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries last season for the Buckeyes. He said he decided to transfer after learning he would likely be low on the depth chart at running back (Antonio Pittman and young stud Chris Wells will be 1 and 2) going into this year. He’s a sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining.

By going to Division I-AA Jackson State, Haw is eligible to play immediately instead of having to sit out a season if he went to another Division I school.

Haw went to Independence High School in Columbus. He played in four games with the Buckeyes last year.

The first installment of the USA Today Coaches Poll has been released and the Buckeyes find themselves at #1. The national media articles I have read today all begin with a similar sentence: Despite having lost 9 starters on defense, the Buckeyes are #1 in the coaches poll. After reading all three parts of our defensive preview, in which we previewed the linebackers, secondary and D-line, it is apparent that we are not too worried about the defense stepping up this year. The coaches showed me that they agree by voting the Buckeyes #1. As the old saying goes, OSU does not rebuild — it reloads.

You don’t have to look very far down the poll to understand how big the game Sept. 9th in Austin, TX will be this year. In fact, you can stop at #2. Amongst ourselves here at MotSaG, we think Texas is slightly overrated, but we understand they are garnering respect for being the defending National Champs. Losing a star QB is huge (especially when your new QB has never played a game in college), and let’s face it, Vince Young single-handedly won Texas the championship.

Does it get any better than this?

With all do respect to Northern Illinois and North Texas, only in their wildest dreams are they going to upset the Buckeyes or the Longhorns in week one. We are going to see a showdown of #1 OSU vs. #2 UT on 9/9. The game, as it did last year in Columbus, will go a long way in deciding who plays in the national championship game this season.

In the third and final installment of our 2006 Defensive Preview, we’ll be taking a look at OSU’s front four. Like the other two defensive corps, the 2006 D-line has a healthy mix of veterans and talented underclassmen.

Doing the research for this article left me with the impression that this line is not only above average, but should collectively be better than last year’s. This season’s starting four are (as a group) much bigger, stronger, and faster. There is some youth, but all players one- and two-deep have significant playing experience.

Overall, I expect these young men to contribute to a far superior pash rush this year. That should help immensely with countering teams that try and take advantage of our young secondary.

Instead of the two-deep discussions we presented in parts one and two of this preview, I’ll present the two fer-shure starters for each position, with a third that could back up either of them. In addition, there are four other talented young men that could be moved around and back up any of the front four.

Tackles

Quinn Pitcock 6’3”, 295 lbs, Sr. – Pitcock is the senior veteran and the anchor for the 2006 defensive squad. His OSU profile says it all: “Strong as a bull, quick as a cat, and tough as they come.” He’s been starting games going back to the mid-2004 season. Last year he scrapped in the trenches, accumulating 28 tackles, and was every bit the stable, dependable tackle as Hawk was as a linebacker. He’s unquestionably the strongest player on the team, but don’t let that fool you – he has dangerous speed, as he showed against Northwestern when he tossed some offensive linemen aside and blocked a punt (that the Hawk scooped up and turned it into a TD). Expect Pitcock to be double-teamed most of the season, which may allow the other front three to work some magic.

David Patterson, 6’3”, 285 lbs., Sr. – Starting alongside the dangerous Pitcock, Patterson is rumored to be every bit as quick. He’s been moved around the past few years back and forth (from end to tackle), but when Sweater Vest formally decided on a four-man front, he found a home on the inside, and recorded two dozen tackles last year. He’s got tons of high-pressure game experience, too… starting 36 of the past 37 games. Oh, and did I mention that he loves to hit people? He dropped Chad Henne in the only sack of last November’s rivalry matchup. Whattya bet Lllloyd double-teams him this year?

Joel Penton, 6’5”, 290 lbs, Sr. – Penton is the third “veteran anchor” to the line, and could back up either Pitcock or Patterson. Expect to see two of these three on the field at any given time, unless the game is in hand and the younger players are sent in. Tressel has used Penton as a “secret weapon” of sorts, sending him in to create havoc when the opposing line starts to get a bit tired… he’s got plenty of game experience, having played in almost every game for the past three years, and tons of speed (there’s that recurring theme again!), and doesn’t tire easily. His speed makes him versatile; so it’s possible that we could see him playing some reps at defensive end. It’s always great to give a player credit for his brains, too; Penton is an OSU-Scholar Athlete and Academic All-Big Te(leve)n honoree, as is his wife.

Ends

Jay Richardson, 6’6” 276 lbs, Sr. – If Richardson can stay healthy, he can be as deadly a defensive end as any other in the country. I say, “if,” because injuries have plagued his career. He has plenty of experience, being a regular on the line going back to the 2003 season. Richardson is known for his discipline; he’s not the type to get out of position. (Perhaps that discipline comes from the time he’s had to spend in the film room with a bag of ice on his knee?) Tressel likes to use him as a “jack of all trades” type of lineman – he’s great at the pass rush, but also has enough speed to catch up with a sprinting ball carrier and bring him down. Richardson is great at breaking up passes and was able to force a fumble against the mighty Vince Young.

Lawrence Wilson, 6’6” 270 lbs, So. – So, imagine you’re on a team with veterans like Teddy Ginn, Pittman, Pitcock, Patterson, etc. Then, during the spring game, your name is the first to be drafted for your position by your teammates. Think you might impress them a bit; maybe have their respect? Welcome to the world of Wilson. The most exciting story on the defensive line, Wilson has had a buzz about him since last season. How many 270 lb. men do you know that can squat over 600 lbs., bench 300, leap 36”, and run a 4.6? (There once again is the 2006 theme: speed and strength.) He lettered last year as a true freshman, added 20 pounds since then, and has been drawing comparisons to the OSU great Will Smith.

Vernon Gholston, 6’4”, 260 lbs, So. – If Pitcock is the strongest man on the team, then Gholston isn’t far behind; he reportedly benches 455 lbs (no – that’s not a typo). Despite his bulk, he’s got a reputation for being a great pass rusher. The experts at Buckeye Commentary predict Gholston will be the starter, ahead of the talented Wilson. My best guess is that Tressel will make that decision come September. Again, however, who is a “starter” for the defensive line tends to be academic on an OSU team… often, the backups play just as much time as starters do on other teams around the country. It will be exciting to occasionally see Gholston and Wilson on opposite ends of the line while Richardson catches his breath. If offensive coordinators are double-teaming Pitcock and Patterson, then they’ll have to choose between Gholston and Wilson; and both are scary enough to wreak all sorts of havoc in the minds of most Big Te(leve)n QBs.

Players to keep an eye on

Alex Barrow, 6’5″, 275, So. – Barrow will likely rotate in and out behind Richardson at the end position. He’s a third-year player out of OSU’s “other” farm team: Dublin Coffman. Barrow has had a great spring, adding 20 pounds to his bulk and increasing his strength under new coach Eric Lichter.

Doug Worthington, 6’7″, 274, Fr. – A former Parade All American, Worthington was rated the #2 prospect overall in the state of New York, and considered one of the greatest defensive line prospects in the nation. His size and speed make him absolutely dangerous at the end spot. Worthington hurt his knee during bowl practice last season, and had surgery earlier this year. We’ll know more about his status by the time fall camp starts.

Ryan Williams, 6’6″, 245, Fr. – Williams redshirted last season, and like Worthington, injured his knee during bowl practice with the scout team. Coaches like what they see in him, and – if his knee permits it – will use him extensively as a backup at the end position. Expect to see him used on special teams, as well.

Nader Abdallah, 6’5″, 310, So. – Fast enough to play end, but big enough to play tackle, Abdallah is expected to be a physical presence on the line. He’s in his third year with the program, and played in four games last year. Abdallah has had to endure quite a bit of drama in his young life; his home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and his entire family had to move to Columbus to live with him. Abdallah’s “portable” nature should serve him well as a lineman backup, on special teams, and on short-yardage or goal-line situations.

Final Thoughts

That wraps it up for MotSaG’s 2006 Defensive Preview. How’d we do? Make sure to check out parts one and two of our preview, if you haven’t already.

Most of the country considers the OSU defense a weak point – the folks in Texas even go so far as to call OSU “defenseless.” But after analyzing the three defensive corps, it seems clear that Tressel has things well-in-hand for an “above-average” to “pretty-darn-good” defense this season. I think this group of men is a year or two away from peaking, but there should be moments of greatness this season, and that’s all the Buckeyes need to complement what should be the highest-powered offense in the country.