I want to thank the staff at tBBC for the opportunity to post an article. I also want to thank the Thurman’s, Dave and Drew, of The Silver Bullet, for mentoring me on the ways and mysteries of sports blogging, way back when… I was going to upload a photo of the other swag, the t-shirt, but I decided not to compete in the Chris Lee/Anthony Weiner Self-Portraiture contest.  I’ll make this short, not to burn bandwidth. OK, on to what we’re here for..

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, …“

A Tale

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This season brings renewed hope that my preseason expectations for greatness will be met. Most of that hope centers around what new line coach Ed Warinner can bring to the table.

While it may take a few years to successfully make the transition to a new system and truly see domination, I am once again expecting big (or at least better) things up front in 2012 thanks to the injection of attitude and a new philosophy from the staff.

Here is a look at the OL depth chart heading into the first game.

First Team

Gardner initially “verballed” back in June, but was informed that his commitment wasn’t quite necessary at this time- there’s speculation that the Buckeyes wanted to see his discipline in the form of some conditioning.

He did the work, and was seen as a part of Friday Night Lights working with Buckeye great and offensive guru LeCharles Bentley… you can check his form in the photo to the right, from our friend Josh Winslow.

The off field dedication, the passion and potential that LeCharles saw in him all led to the staff welcoming him as a part of this incoming class. At 6′ 5″ and 300+ pounds, he’s projected as a guard at Ohio State, although he currently … [Read More]

Thank you to all the writers who are participating in this, and a HUGE thank you to Grant from Buckeye House Call for creating our graphics!

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The easy comment on the offensive line, be it at Ohio State or nationwide, is that the season will hinge on their performance.

Again, that’s the standard answer, but I have to believe that this year it bodes more true than ever in Columbus.  There are playmakers elsewhere on Offense, and the Defense (while thin in places) has the potential to be terrifying for opposing offensive coordinators.

But the Buckeye Offensive Line is a mystery at this point; which … [Read More]

Being from the Buckeye friendly town of Centerville and having recently received an offer from Ohio State, this commitment doesn’t come as a surprise, although it is still nice to officially welcome another player into the 2013 class.

I recently previewed offensive line recruiting, and this is what I said about Lisle yesterday:

Listed at 6’6″ 265, Lisle has a great frame to go along with above average athleticism- he can run well at the second level and get to his blocks in open space (highlights).

I see right tackle in his future.

Rated as a four-star by Rivals, Lisle currently holds offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Miami (FL) among others.

Even with such an impressive list, being

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In 2012, the Buckeyes had a serious need at tackle, which they helped address by signing Kyle Dodson and Taylor Decker.

They also signed projected interior players Jacoby Boren, Pat Elflein and Joey O’Connor.

Boren and Elflein could play defense, and O’Connor could play right tackle- but for right now two tackles and three interior players is what the 2012 class looks like.

Looking ahead to 2013, Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes are hoping to add depth across the board, but they will be focusing largely on tackles yet again.

Right now the staff is primarily targeting national players, but there are plenty of Ohio linemen that can earn an offer at camp as well.

Here is the breakdown.

Starting with tackles, the name at the … [Read More]

Last week I covered the awesomeness that is the Silver Bullet defense (line, linebackers, and secondary). I strongly believe that the defense alone is good enough to win nine games this season- regardless of what happens on the other side of the ball.

Nine wins is good at a lot of schools, but for Buckeye fans that is a borderline bad year.

To have a great season, and more importantly for Coach Fickell to secure a long term contract, the Scarlet Assassin offense will need to step up to win above and beyond nine games.

In this regard, “Scarlet Assassins” is an appropriate nickname for several reasons; most importantly because they will move against their opponents slowly and meticulously before delivering the fatal blow.

An eight minute fourth quarter drive capped off by Zach Boren leading Carlos Hyde into the end zone for the game … [Read More]

As the saying goes, games are won in the trenches. Cliche or not, a dominating offensive line can take a team to the next level. See: Wisconsin.

With three senior returning starters to anchor the line, Ohio State has the makings of domination in 2011.

Unfortunately, we haven’t reached the point in these ‘way too early’ previews where I don’t have to mention suspensions. Mike Adams, the returning starter at LT, will be serving a suspension to begin the year.

Scratch one of the senior anchors… at least for a few games.

The suspensions go a bit deeper than that for the offensive line… indirectly. With a new QB, inexperienced receivers, and a deep and talented backfield, the trenches will become even more important than usual for the Buckeyes.

Whether it is protecting an inexperienced QB for an extra second or opening holes for dynamic young runners, … [Read More]