Buckeye Blogger NetworkAfter a weekend filled with excitement and disappointment, it’s a bit of a quiet mood at tBBC headquarters. We like baseball, and know that OSU sports are amazing even if not the “got to be on television” variety, but I’d be lying if I didn’t confess that there’s a bit of a let down these days. Ah well… only two songs possible for today’s soundtrack. Onward.
Buckeye 411
Well, howdy-do, Buckeye nation! Thanks for paying attention to my little neck of the sunshine state… hope it works out as well as last time Ohio State had a team out here. You know what? Since we’ve already got a visit scheduled to the Bay Area for September, what say we just go for the trifecta and come on back out this way in January. Multiple options for today’s soundtrack- Vintage, Old School, Hippie, Country, Top 40, Hip Hop, Rock. Oh, and I’ve got a great recommendation for a place to stay.
Silver Bullet, Knotts Berry Farm
Buckeye 411
Welcome to the calm before the storm… unless you’re an NIT junkie, then your Madness has already started. In honor of Coach Calipari’s fantastic coaching job on Tuesday night, today’s soundtrack channels the thoughts of Wildcat fans as they get to watch the rest of the tournament. Hey… you think they’ll have time to join our Bracket Challenge?
It’s What We Do
Buckeye 411
If you’re not, watch this and see if your perspective changes any:
The future is bright for the defense. The now is a little shaky on depth.
Ohio State’s defense has been one of the most consistently excellent units in college football over the last decade.
Sadly, the 2011 season was a major bump in the road for the defense and the team. Needless to say, the Silver Bullets will be looking to get back on track in Urban Meyer’s first year as head coach.
There are some new faces on the defensive coaching staff to help out in that regard, but some familiar ones as well.
Luke Fickell is the primary holdover from the previous staff. He was the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Tressel. He will basically be assuming the same roll under Meyer- with perhaps a bit more emphasis on being the primary coordinator.
The best case scenario will be if Fickell can continue to implement the defensive system that has worked so well over the past decade and combine that with some fresh ideas from the new staff to take the defense to an even higher level of excellence.
The talent is in place to do that this season, but depth is a major concern everywhere outside of the trenches. Additionally, the transition to new position coaches could create some unexpected problems in the first year.
Here is a look at some of the things to watch for at each position as the spring game approaches and the depth chart is sorted out.
Courtesy of our friend Josh Winslow. Visit the full gallery for almost 200 pictures from practice.
Here are some of our favorites:
Defensive lineman Kenny Hayes added 45 lbs. in the strength and conditioning program this offseason.
Get ready for the Braxton Miller show in Columbus.
Ohio State starts spring practice today, and with it comes a new era in Ohio State football led by head coach Urban Meyer and his staff.
Most fans, including myself, are expecting many new and exciting changes this spring- especially on offense.
It goes without saying that these changes are a source of great anticipation and excitement in Buckeye Nation.
Spring practice will culminate in the spring game on April 21st, and I wouldn’t be surprised if attendance pushed 100,000 (pending the weather) given the buzz.
Media access to spring practice is another big question that will be answered in the coming days and weeks.
Under new management, it is possible that we could see unprecedented access to practice, which means unprecedented updates.
We will have to wait and see how that pans out (edit: the media will be able to observe practice once a week on Wednesdays), but increased practice reports is yet another reason for the excitement in the air.
Based on three practice reports or three dozen, here are some things to look for this spring.
