ohio state buckeyes football
april 2003 archive

04-30-03 (6:10am) absolutely no links that i can find early this morning. oh well. time to make up some crap i guess. today i am going to briefly comment on the wide receivers in the spring game.

returning starters michael jenkins and chris gamble didn't play much but they had little to prove honestly. there is little doubt that jenkins will start and still be krenzel's favorite receiver again this year. the big question is who is opposite him in two receiver sets. chris gamble will be out there for sure but how often is that question. most people speculate that gamble will play less on offense this year than last as he further develops into a defensive force. that puts us in a unique situation of having two star receivers coming back and still needing to see at least two receivers step up this spring.

most fans assumed that senior drew carter with his sub 4.4 speed would be the logical choice. drew did have a bunch of catches in the spring game and he looked lightning fast. unfortunately he also dropped quite a few passes if i recall correctly and that could kill his chances and offensive drives this year.

another player that has been stepping up at wide out is redshirt freshman santonio holmes. holmes had a big day in the kick scrimmage a couple of weeks ago and he was big again in the spring game. he had a long punt return for a touchdown and got open often and came up with some big catches in the spring finale. unfortunately santonio also put the ball on the carpet a few times in the spring game and that is no way to earn playing time. still though, fumbling can be corrected (much easier to correct than not catching the ball at all too). i personally think santonio works on ball security this summer as much as you can without practice and steps up to be a major weapon in the fall. i honestly think it is time for the typical bandwagon fans to start looking to buy a number 4 jersey. with safety wil allen and santonio sharing the number i expect big things from that uniform this season.

you can't talk about the spring game without talking about bam childress. bam has always droped people's jaw in practice and he did again in the spring game. he had the long kickoff return for a touchdown and two other touchdowns catching the ball. it is just a spring game though and like a good friend of mine reminded me a few years ago a notre dame receiver had 5 touchdowns in their spring game and never had that many touchdowns in his entire college career. sometimes spring game stats are a little out of whack. still though, bam was impressive. he is still short and there is no changing that. if bam gets off the line of scrimmage though (say as a slot receiver in motion) he could be a great weapon as a third wide.

the other receivers all looked like they were getting better but they all looked like they had to take a back seat to jenkins, gamble, holmes, and childress. roy hall showed the good size and used it well in the red zone in the spring game. he could be a weapon in goal line situations or on slant patterns. john hollins and angelo chattams still looked talented but i am not sure how they fit in the mix this year. they are getting older and some of the younger guys are stepping up and past them. the clock is ticking for them and that is a great motivator. perhaps they will make a push for playing time in fall camp this year. who knows.

anyways, that is all i have right now. i will be back online later today after work with some links i hope. until then, enjoy the day as it happens.
04-29-03 (8pm) late update and a late day for the vg. work didn't go so well today, but i am home, the belly is full and i am ready to go. it is going to be a shorter update than planned but i got some quality links and whatnot to share with all my buckeye friends.

i just got done answering all the site email and man did that take a long time. i should have included the link to the fiesta bowl authorized dvd in my morning update and that would have saved about 25 emails. oh well, live and learn. here is the link for the high quality, commercial free, authorized version of the fiesta bowl on dvd. i can't vouch for the company or the webiste, but man is the product high quality and worth the 20 bucks it costs. the video quality is outstanding.

in newspaper linkage from newspapers too lazy to post the links by my 6am cut off point, i have just two links. the lazy people at 1460 the fan have a piece written by hack tim may. the lazy people in cincitucky have an article from the AP that asks and answers some questions from spring ball. in further linkage i have a bunch from the sports magazine websites. the sporting news has a spring wrap up for the buckeyes. sports illustrated has a three pack of links worth checking out. this one is on the top ten heisman candidates, this one is on the number one ranked buckeyes, and finally this one is on the top 25 for next year with a spring wrap up for each school. very high quality stuff from the sports magazines today.

anyways, that is all i have in me for now. i am already tired and in need of a frosty cold beverage or six. more in the morning. enjoy.
04-29-03 (6:10am) first off one link for the morning. the dayton daily news has a piece on the osu depth chart after spring camp. good look at the team and well worth the price of a free click. now for some quick random thoughts.

i haven't yet discussed the spring game much and i think i will milk that out over the rest of the week. for now i am going to start with the position that everyone is interested in by covering the quarterbacks. first off the seniors. craig krenzel got an incomplete, but honestly he wasn't being graded on a pass fail basis either, it was more like he audited the class. krenzel didn't play much in the spring but that will change come fall ball. he is the clear starter. backup scott mcmullen was impressive again. mcmullen is probably one of the better back up quarterbacks in the conference if not the nation. scott showed a good arm, a quick release, and a great understanding of the offense. i would be very comfortable with mcmullen under center if krenzel were to get banged up.

now for the redshirts. justin zwick is a personal favorite of mine and he looked better and better as the game wore on. statistically he was the best of the quarterbacks and with his stark county lineage i am rooting on him big time. still though troy smith was just a notch below zwick statistically. statistics can lie though (especially in spring games) and i thought troy smith looked like the better of the quarterbacks. smith threw a prettier ball, with more zip, with adequate touch, and some great escapability and moves. basically if the qb skill is physical in nature troy smith is better at it than justin zwick unless you are talking about size of course. zwick is often thought of as the more headier qb, but i didn't perceive it that way. smith did force the one ball that was picked off but otherwise he made really good decisions i thought. i will have to watch my tape again to get a better look at the two, but i thought troy smith again looked head and shoulders above justin zwick.

in other news i haven't yet discussed, the washington game on august 30th is definitely an 8 pm kickoff. that is going to be a hard ticket so start working your contacts now. in further other news, i watched the full length fiesta bowl dvd that is for sale this past weekend and i gotta say wow. the dvd quality is amazing. the video quality is at least that of a digital cable connection if not actually much much greater. this official dvd is much better than any of the unofficial bootleg dvd's floating around out there. very impressive and well worth the 20 bucks or so.

anyways, i need to get busy this morning. i will have another update late afternoon with a look at the wide outs. enjoy.
04-28-03 (6:05pm) i finally got my car back from the shop after an insane 12 days just to get my windshield wiper motor replaced and a few cosmetic things fixed. anyways it is good to have the car back and in tip top shape.

in linkage i have a few more today. in draft news, i have links from 1460 the fan on the NFL draft, a piece on mike d'andrea from the mansfield news, a perece on justin zwick and troy smith from the massillon indie. that is the run of the mill links for today. i also have a couple less run of the mill links for tonight. first off the columbus dispatch has some links to some free video on the spring game. you don't even have to pay an insane 5 bucks a month to access the page. other unique link today is about a new scholarship offer from the buckeyes to top PA linebacker dan connor. i am going to update the recruiting database to reflect the offer, snag a little bit food, get busy on processing some pics from the spring game, then finally get busy on writing up some comments from the spring game. i believe it is the fear factor championship tonight too so i know i will be enjoying that tonight as well. more later, hopefully even some pics. enjoy.
04-28-03 (6am) sorry about missing the all the updates this big weekend. i think that was day two and three off from the site for me so far in 2003. oh well. i had planned on updating a few times both saturday and sunday but it just didn't work out with the travel back and forth to columbus and then the spring game and the NFL draft on my plate. i did have quite a bit of fun though and that is all that counts. i also have another 200 pictures for the site now from the spring game. they were all snapped from C deck, but the pics aren't that bad actually. a little different angle than i am used to but they are still useable. i will be busting out a bunch of pics probably over the next few months with no football.

i am just skipping the links that i missed this weekend. i hate doing reruns like that. i do have three links for this morning though. the dayton daily news has a piece on the buckeyes and day two of the NFL draft. speaking of the buckeyes and day two of the NFL draft the akron beacon journal and the cleveland plain dealer also have articles on that topic.

me, i need to get ready for work but i plan a rather lengthy update tonight on the spring game and my impressions from it. until then, enjoy monday as it drags on and on and on. i'm sure i will. more later.
04-25-03 (5pm) first off two more links and then some news on two prospects that the buckeyes are highly interested in. in linkage, 1460 the fan has a piece on matt wilhelm and the NFL draft. last link for now is from the mansfield news journal with some info on the buckeyes looking to replenish the middle of the defense this year. enough of links and on to some actual news.

in recruiting news, it looks like the bucks will be getting another verbal here in the near future in the form of carrollton lb - de - te chad hoobler. he had previously announced that he was going to make his decision public on the 27th (if i recall correctly) next month. speculation is that he will be a buckeye when that day comes. i haven't seen hoobler play yet despite him not living very far from me. ideally i will get to see hoobler in action this season. if he commits the 27th i know i will for sure.

final bit of recruiting news is in the form of another scholarship offer. it is being reported that the defending national champion ohio state buckeyes have made an offer to PA safety devon lyons. lyons is a big time prospect and probably one of the best 5 players or so in PA this coming season. some fans have found it odd that the bucks would be pursuing a true safety like this with all the depth we have at safety, but with a talent like lyons depth isn't an issue when it comes to making that scholarship offer. you offer, hope he commits, and then figure out how he fits into the team.

anyways, that is all i have right now. i am leaving for columbus in about 45 minutes and i will probably post sometime in the morning. enjoy the weekend and the spring game and the NFL draft. more saturday.
04-25-03 (5:50am) just two links real quick like before i get ready for work this morning. the dayton daily news has a piece on the NFL draft eligible buckeyes. last link for the morning is from the canton repository on the young linebackers getting ready to step into the spotlight.

sorry about the way too brief of an update this morning, but i need to get ready to go to work and do a few other things so i am ready to travel to columbus when the cbg gets off work at 4:30pm. i will still have updates from columbus. enjoy the weekend, i know i am going to.
04-24-03 (6:35pm) first off two newspaper links and then a really good news link for the fans out there. in newspaper linkage i got two more for today. 1460 the fan has a piece on T and A timmy anderson. the mansfield newspaper has a piece on the nuge.

now for the good news. out of state buckeye fans (as well as the half of ohio that doesn't get 10 wbns or ONN) will be able to catch the spring game afterall. it is being replayed on direct tv on channel 610 if you have the sports pack on may 5 at 8pm. scroll down the page for the official listing if you don't believe me. actually you should probably check just to be sure anyways. i don't have direct tv so i could have this wrong. special big thanks to the reader of the site who sent this in. i hope this helps plenty of buckeye fans get their fix on via tape delay on may 5th. by the way, if you do get this on your tv you will also get the penn state spring game on the 12th if you want to check out some of the competition. if you don't subscribe to / get the sports pack perhaps this would be a good time to check it out just in time to watch the buckeyes begin to prepare to defend their title.

anyways, that is all i have for now. i need to get with the cbg tonight and start to make our spring game plans and then forward them to the irish patent attorney and his special lady so we can coordinate the weekend.
04-24-03 (6:10am) sorry about not posting after work yesterday. i got some good news and i had to make some plans. originally i was thinking i was going to be working some saturday and wouldn't be able to travel to columbus for the spring game. yesterday i found out that i wouldn't be needed this saturday (or the next few too fortunately). i called my friend the irish patent attorney down in columbus and started laying plans for the weekend. i don't have tickets for the spring game and i am not sure if i will actually go to the game or just watch it and the NFL draft on television. there is always the possibility that i will watch the game on the tube and the crazy bearded guy will go to the stadium and do the photography thing too. ideally i will know more tonight when i talk to the cbg.

in linkage, i have quite a few this morning. the dayton daily news has a piece with info on maurice clarett and aj hawk as well as an article on mike doss and the cleveland browns. the canton repository has a piece on maurice clarett too. final link for now is from the cleveland plain dealer on the osu seniors and the NFL draft.

i got info on the satellite coverage of the spring game finally. unfortunately it is bad news for those not in ohio. the spring game will not be on the big dish satellite at all so don't waste your time scanning the skies for it.

i have been holding off on pics the past few days. i have noticed that the page was loading a little slow with all the graphics on the front page lately and i wanted to let some scroll off the front page before sharing more. i will begin posting more pics from spring ball probably next week. anyways, that is all i have for this time of the morning. more later.
04-23-03 (6:05am) just a few links this morning. the dayton daily news has a piece on the spring game draft. speaking of articles on the spring game draft, the canton repository has a piece on that as well. last link for the morning is from the cleveland plain dealer on maurice clarett.

another thing i wanted to pass along but have decided not to link is from the ozone. normally i would link it, but i don't want to link directly to their content in this case and would rather have people visit via their front page. anyways, the ozone has audio clips from jim tressel's spring preview at the alzheimer's benefit.

last thing i wanted to cover before hitting the showers is a plea for information. a reader emailed me looking for the satellite listings for the spring game. he wasn't talking about the direct tv or dish network type of satellite either, but the big fat dish type of satellite. i didn't have his info for him, but i bet a reader does. if anyone out there knows what the settings are for the big satellite to catch the spring game on ONN please email them to me so i can publish them here on the front page to help these guys out. scanning the skies for a signal is no way to spend a day.

anyways, i need to start getting ready for work. enjoy the day as it happens.
04-22-03 (4:45pm) first off some links. 1460 the fan has a piece on lydell ross and maurice hall. the mansfield news journal has a piece on craig krenzel. the new philadelphia times reporter has a piece on local product cie grant. last link is from the lima fishwrapper on the osu defense.

now for some news. the rumors keep on coming true. first ryan franzinger became a buckeye and now nate szep. those are two of the three names i have heard from ignatius transferring to the buckeyes. the third name of course is john kerr. these three transfers aren't all related, but i tend to think it backs up the readers who have emailed me for months now about these three former ignatius starts becoming buckeyes.

in other news the spring game draft was today. the o-zone was nice enough to post the rosters of the two teams. here is the scarlet roster and here is the gray roster.

anyways, that is all i have for now. i need to get some things done here tonight. i will try to get back online here later tonight. enjoy.
04-22-03 (6:05am) just one link that i can find at this time. the dayton daily news has a piece on the defending national champion ohio state buckeye offense. the bucks return all 11 starters in 2003 so big things are expected of the unit. not only do all the starters return, but the buckeyes return most of the key back ups in guys like drew carter, lydell ross, rob sims, nick mangold, ryan hamby and so on.

personally i am expecting big things from the offense as well. i don't expect us to open up the offense that much, but we probably will throw the ball a little more with a senior quarterback and an experienced offensive line. i think last year the buckeyes were something around 70 percent run and 30 percent pass. if that assumption is accurate, i wouldn't expect the bucks to run anything less than 60 percent of the time in 2003. sure that is still a run based offense, but it is opening up somewhat relatively.

coach tressel has the reputation of designing the offense around the strengths of the unit and that strength is still running the ball and being efficient at quarterback. there is no more efficient quarterback in the country than craig krenzel. he doesn't make many mistakes and he doesn't force the situation. like any good experienced quarterback he will throw the ball away or take the sack instead of throwing one up for grabs. definitely a live for the next play type of mentality. couple that with a great power running game and an offensive line that run blocks better than they pass block and it shouldn't be any mystery that the bukeyes are looking to run the ball.

as for the spring game though, i can see us throwing the ball quite a bit. first off it is great to work on your weaknesses like that and i expect the spring game will be an opportunity to work on pass protection and see how good the receivers really are. another factor that will most likely lead to more passing than the norm in the spring game is the health situation at tailback. with maurice clarett and lydell ross being held out of the spring game that leaves maurice hall as the only scholarship tailback for the spring game. sure the coaches will want to get maurice hall and 4th stringer walk on roshawn parker some serious carries, but i don't think they will try to pound the defense with either of them much.

the spring game draft should be interesting. i anticipate that maurice hall will be oone of the first guys selected due to the injury situation at tailback. a pick that the fans will be waiting to see is who is the third string qb in the eyes of the team. will it be justin zwick or troy smith? my stark county roots are pulling for justin zwick, but from everything i have seen it is looking like troy smith. should be interesting. i actually think the spring game draft may even be today now that i think about it. should make for some interesting reading material tonight if i am correct in that date.

anyways, i need to hop in the shower and get ready for work. more late this afternoon / early evening. enjoy.
04-21-03 (5:25pm) first off a link for this evening. 1460 the fan has a piece on mike doss and the NFL draft. suprisingly good read from the people at the dispatch honestly. not so coincedentally this was not written by tim may which may explain the quality of the article.

in recruiting news, i have a brief bit of news on west virginia's top player and a guy the bucks have made a scholarship offer to wide out brandon barrett. it seems that barrett will be visiting columbus for the first time this friday. there is of course an outside chance that he is blown away by the visit and commits on the spot, but don't hold your breath. not many out of state guys seem to verbal this early typically. i am lowering my expectations here (in part so i am not disappointed) and just hoping for brandon to name us as a solid leader.

in further news, dover's chauncey incarnado has a scholarship offer now from the university of maryland. it is believed to be the first offer for big chauncey. since chauncey actually reads this crap i write daily perhaps he will let me know if i am wrong here. definitely not trying to push any ohio kids away from ohio state, but maryland is a fine school and they have an up and coming football program. it is a little far away from home though and the ACC isn't really a true football conference (though they are getting better with the demise of florida state ironically). congratulations to chauncey and the incarnado family. it just goes to show what some talent and a ton of hard work will do for you.

in further recruiting news, i have no news on the potential transfer of vandy punter greg johnson. johnson was a freshman all american punter and he kicks field goals too. he would need to sit out a year as a transfer of course, but this times out well for johnson. with bj sander being the presumed starter this fall and being a senior, the punter job would be wide open for a guy like johnson to step in and start on a national championship caliber team. rumor has it that it is between us, texas a-m, texas, and maybe even k-state for his services. we have been incredibly lucky in the walk on and transfer departments lately. johnson would definitely continue that trend.

speaking of transfers, i have no real news on the john kerr situation yet. honestly we probably won't until school gets out at indiana. when that does happen though i fully anticipate that john kerr will pass up scholarship opportunities to other football powers to pay his own way and walk on to his boyhood dream of being a buckeye. i haven't heard any word on fellow iggy alum qb nate szep and his potential transfer. as for ryan franzinger, i have heard that he is in fact coming to columbus to join the buckeye football squad. i had read he was an offensive lineman, but now i am hearing that he is a fullback. either way a welcome addition to our buckeye family. i will take all the iggy kids i can get honestly.

speaking of ignatius, i am slacking off on that ignatius film and i want to apologize about that. i still have tons of highlights to post, but i haven't been able to get with the cbg and get some quality time in the studio lately. now with the cbg dropping off 206 pics from spring ball and i am even further behind than usual. i am going to still post probably another 10 minutes or so of highlights (i am capped at 15 minutes max and i will max out that account). i am hoping to do that here probably after spring practice gets over (with the spring game next saturday that is coming real quick like).

speaking of recruiting videos, get all the senior clips from my free recruiting archive while you can. i plan on deleting tham from the account to make room for more clips of current high school guys. that means the free highlights of donte whitner, dareus hiley, louis irizarry, devon jordan, and tony gonzalez will be unavailable online (though the gonzo clips with brian hoyer throwing the ball will probably still be posted now that i think about it). when those highlights are gone i will have room for more clips from last year as well as the clips i plan on filming this year. me and the cbg both have it cleared to leave work by 4pm at the latest on fridays this football season so we should be able to travel to most anywhere in the state. i am definitely seeing fred davis up in toledo sometime this year. otherwise my sked is wide open right now. i plan on probably seeing ignatius play at mckinley and quite a few top teams play at massillon this year. i am going to try and limit my travels to dayton and cincy this year (mostly because i have seen the top talent down there already and what i haven't seen is offensive line types and they are hard to get highlights of honestly). right now i am planning on not seeing huber heights wayne for sure (i already have tons of film on marcus freeman and it is just really a long drive for me). dayton chaminade-julienne though is coming to massillon i believe. other teams that i am going to try and see for sure include glenville, hubbard, austintown fitch, warren harding, and youngstown ursuline. basically it is back to my NE ohio roots again this coming season it seems. i won't know for sure until the OHSAA releases the master schedule (in june i think).

anyways, that is all for now. more either later tonight or bright and early in the morning. enjoy
coach tressel and departed linebacker matt wilhelm. 04-21-03 (6:05am) first off some linkage. the cleveland plain dealer has a piece on mike d'andrea this morning. nice to see the people at the plain dealer post their articles online earlier for a change. the canton repository has a piece on osu football and agents. this may be a rerun from the dayton daily news, i am not sure honestly and i don't have time to go back and reread the DDN articles yesterday to check.

that picture on the left is coach tressel and matt wilhelm. wilhelm is going to be difficult to replace this year. fred pagac jr has the most experience in the middle and may win the job, but mike d'andrea is making a push for the job too. rumor is that anthony schlegel would be the starter if he didn't have to sit out this year as a transfer from air force. if the senior pagac wins the job that is perfect timing with schlegel to take over next year. if a guy like mike d'andrea wins the job though that should lead to an interesting battle next spring and fall for the middle linebacker job.

anyways, that is all for me for now. i need to get ready for work. more later this afternoon. enjoy monday as it drags on and on and on.
battling for playing time at wide out, drew carter. 04-20-03 (1:25pm) i got some links for lunchtime. the canton repository has a good article on one of my favorite players kenny peterson. 1460 the fan has a piece on troy smith and justin zwick and their battle to replace krenzel someday. in further linkage the dayton daily news has not one but two articles on osu football and agents. last link for now is from the toledo blade of all places and it has some text on fred davis of rogers high. no real news here, just some ink on the local product, still though worth the read.

being easter and all it is only appropriate that i dish out some candy today. unfortunately the only candy i have is of the eye candy variety. oh well, it is fat free candy if nothing else. today's installment of eye candy is a new pic of wide out drew carter. carter ran a blazing sub 4.3 forty for the NFL scouts at OSU's pro day recently. since then many buckeye fans have been expecting big things from drew in the fall. right now he is behind michael jenkins and chris gamble at receiver but that could change. gamble may only be a part time offensive player many have speculated and that leaves open a starting job. right now the two names most mentioned in asssociation with that job are drew carter and redshirt freshman santonio holmes. guys like bam childress, john hollins, roy hall, and angelo chattams seem to be on the outside looking in right now for that open job opposite jenkins while gamble gets a breather.

anyways, that is all i have right now. i will be back online later this afternoon with some more random thoughts and more pictures of the buckeyes. enjoy what is left of the weekend.
heisman candidate chris gamble. 04-19-03 (6:45pm) first off some eye candy. this is a decent pic of two way star chris gamble from the kick scrimmage yesterday. you can see that gamble was happy to get on the practice field and to see the fans.

it is late in the day and i haven't yet posted links. anyways, here they come in the lazy webmaster way, bullet style.

anyways, that is all for now. enjoy saturday.
04-18-03 (10:20pm) not much of an update for now. i just got back with the crazy bearded guy and he brought me 206 pictures from practice today. i will be posting most if not all of these pics here in the future. for tonight i just wanted to post a couple of pics from the crazy bearded guy that he snapped at the kick scrimmage.

this first picture is of one of the more talented and impressive players of the practice session santonio holmes. santonio had a nice long reception on the day as well as an athletic play where he slipped, got up, and still made a play. the cbg thought santonio looked big time, just as we thought in fall camp. how he fits into the mix this fall depends on how the buckeyes will use chris gamble probably. gamble is most often thought of as a full time defensive and a part time offensive player this coming season. he is more valuable to the team as a corner right now is the logic behind that thinking. if gamble isn't a full time offensive player then we need another receiver to step up. drew carter is the logical assumption here, but it looks like santonio is making a huge push for the third receiver role if not even the starter's job when gamble is catching a breather.

the second and final pic i am posting right now below this paragraph is of michael jenkins about to haul in a great sideline grab and drag the feet with dustin fox providing coverage. this is one of the better shots the crazy bearded guy got from my quick glance at his work. it looks like we got some of the best pictures from practice we ever have today so i should have lots of nice eye candy to entertain us over the rest of the dead period. the cbg said this catch was just amazing. nothing less is expected of michael jenkins anymore honestly.

anyways, that is all i have for tonight. i will have another more complete update sometime saturday. me, i am out of here for now. enjoy the weekend, i sure am so far.
04-18-03 (5:05pm) the crazy bearded guy is in ohio stadium as i write this. here is a live cam shot of spring practice. in further linkage i have a piece from 1460 the fan on the special teams scrimmage. the cleveland plain dealer has a two pack of links. one on my man KP and one on troy smith and justin zwick. last link for now is from the mansfield news on mike d'andrea. next update will be as soon as i get my photos from the cbg. my first pics of spring ball. enjoy, it is friday after all.
04-18-03 (6:10am) first off two links then a paste of a good email i got last night. in linkage the dayton daily news has a piece on the nuge. this is not the article on the nuge i linked yesterday either. the final link for the morning is from the canton repository on the kick scrimmage and espn's coverage of it today in the shoe. this scrimmage is open to the public and the crazy bearded guy will be there getting some pics and thoughts for the site. the vg will be working but thinking of the bucks mainly. i should have pics either tonight or saturday. i will probably milk the pics for the rest of spring ball i imagine.

the rest of this update is a paste from an email from a friend of mine. it describes the similarities between coach tressel's repeat national champions at youngstown state and his repeat champions at ohio state this year. i didn't edit this email at all, it is the work of a true fan and a true friend of the site. for privacy reasons i am not going to pass along his name or email address or anything like that. i will use a nickname to identify and credit the author though. big thanks to the taxman. anyways, here is that email.

It was December, 1992, and YSU is playing Marshall in the 1-AA NC game in Huntington, WV. YSU cannot muster any offense whatsoever, and Marshall takes a comfortable 28 - 0 lead into the 4th qtr. To make matters worse, one of YSU's 2 main RBs is hurt - you may remember him, former Canton McKinley star Vinnie Clark. Well, YSU comes storming back to tie the game only to lose the game on a last second FG by Marshall. In 1993, YSU beats Marshall in the NC game and repeats in 1994 with perhaps YSU's finest team ever. The 1994 repeat team went undefeated after tying the opening regular season game with SF Austin (in the days before OT).

Now, go back to Tressel's first bowl game with OSU - Outback II. The only difference in the score between Outback II and the 1992 1-AA NC game was that in Outback II OSU scored a TD with no time remaining in the 3rd qtr to cose the gap to 28 - 7. OSU comes storming back to tie the game only to lose it on a last second FG. The following year, OSU wins the NC. And guess what - you WILL see a repeat. This 2003 edition of the Buckeyes will be truly explosive on the O with a very aggressive D. The explosiveness in the O will come from a very dominating, deep line with a stable of people in the skilled positions. It will be impossible to shut this O down, just as it was with the 1994 edition of the YSU Penguins. The O will be so explosive that it will take teams out of their game plans which will play right into the hands of Dantonio's quick, fast, mean and aggressive D that will be deployed on the field. You will see rotation not only on the D line, but also at LB and in the secondary except for Fox and Gamble.

Get ready VG - I kid you not. Get yourself a DVD recorder and get ready to record for posterity one of the greatest Buckeye and college football teams. This fall will be an absolute joy, and the Sugar Bowl will add icing on the cake. There is some unfinished business at the Sugar Bowl - namely, OSU must and will obtain redemption for the punking administered by Florida State a few years back.

BTW -another favorite play of Tressel's is the fly route. remember Gamble's catch in the Fiesta Bowl that would have been a TD had Gamble not had to wait for the ball? Well, go back to the 1997 1-AA NC game between YSU and McNeese St. YSU was trailing late in the 4th qtr, 7 - 3, and Renauld Ray from Orrville caught a TD pass with 1:30 left in the game for YSU's 4th NC. Ray ran the exact same pattern Gamble ran in the Fiesta Bowl. Tressel lulls the DBs to sleep with his "boring, predictible" O as the dick Hubbard on Bucknuts constantly whines about. And his boring play always puts his team in a position to win games.

excellent points from the taxman to remember. anyways, that is all i have time for now. more tonight, maybe even some fresh pics. enjoy.
mike d'andrea walks on to the practice field during fall camp last year. 04-17-03 (5:45pm) a few links for now. 1460 the fan has a piece on the nuge. the new philadelphia times reporter has a piece on osu day at the jake. in may cie grant will be singing the national anthem before the tribe game and a group of seniors will be throwing out the first pitch. the band and the cheerleaders will be there as well as some coaches too. sounds like fun to me. last link for now is from the good people at the ozone on mike d'andrea.

as for me, i am dead tired today. probably explains why i couldn't figure out what day it was this morning and that it was am and not pm. i guess it was the darkenss outside that was throwing me off. oh well. i am going to try and get back online tonight and work on the database if nothing else. anyways, that's all folks. enjoy.
04-17-03 (6:05am) first off two links before the sun rises. the dayton daily news has a piece on the national champion ohio state buckeyes and the lack of complacency so far among other things. the other link is from the canton repository on quarterback craig krenzel. both are good reads and well worth the free click.

i debated posting links from yesterday that weren't up when i left for work and then i forgot about last night when i updated around 10pm but i figured that everyone out there had seen the links already and i didn't want to post reruns. it is a difficult decision for me though now. i need to update early with the new job and the newspapers are a little lazy with posting the links online sometimes. typically i will post them late afternoon, but if i miss that update i will probably just skip the links and move on.

the vg will be working during the scrimmage friday, but the crazy bearded guy will be there with the vg's camera and associated equipment and he will be getting some pics for the site as well as some info. that will be getting posted this weekend. maybe even friday night. who knows. speaking of the kick scrimmage friday i have some information to pass along on that. the scrimmage kicks off at 3:15pm. the doors open to the free event at 1:30pm. get there early if you want a good seat i imagine. there will also be a ring ceremony for the seniors as they get their national championship rings. no word if the ceremony will be in the shoe in view of the public or in the locker room.

anyways, i am hungry and in need of a shower. today is pay day for the vg and i may need to go pick up my car late this afternoon so i may not be back online until a little later than usual. enjoy.
04-16-03 (10pm) sorry about missing the late afternoon update as planned. long story short, i had to take the car into the shop for some minor work. long story a little longer, i was using my windshield wipers today and when i was done the wipers pointed straight up instead of receding into the car like normal. my half assed solution was to drive around with my wipers on slow delay as a compromise. putting my full ass into it i took her in tonight. i am also getting some minor cosmetic things done with the car that i have been putting off for too long. anyways, i have arrangements taken care of now and i will be at work bright and early like usual (unfortunately).

enough about me and how about some buckeye football. last night i got an email from a recruit filling me in on his situation. the recruit that contacted me (and therefore i have no potential NCAA problems) was dover's big two way lineman chauncey incarnado. chauncey is a reader of the site and wanted to let me know about his current size and what is up with osu. i had him listed wrong in the database for starters. i had him at 6'7" and 300 pounds and he said that was inaccurate. he is actually 6'6" and a half and only 281 pounds. i also listed him as running a five flat and he is actually now running in the mid 4.9's (and getting quicker all the time). it sounds like chauncey is getting bigger, stronger, and faster. he is also getting lots of mail and some phone calls from the coaching staff and he was even an invited guest to a junior day. i now also have him listed in the database with 'osu interest'. sorry about the oversight chauncey.

i actually updated the chauncey incarnado listing in the database immediately upon hearing about my errors. i live only a few miles from chauncey and last thing i need is one of maybe a few dozen guys in this area bigger than me pissed off at me. i can just see myself getting pounded in buehler's in the ethnic foods section for some reason. the vg is a mere 6'4" and 252 pounds as i right this (i am about 12 pounds over my playing [with myself] weight). not that chauncey had any sort of attitude or anything like that at all either. you could tell he had a good sense of humor and was a bright guy from the email. anyways, i updated his record in the database and i will pass along any other information from chauncey that i get (that he wishes me to pass around of course).

i was actually in dover's crater stadium the very first weekend of high school football last year to see the game against canton central catholic. dover of course had the big boy on the line and canton central catholic has a top junior to be in steve anderson. unfortunately it started up with the lightning soon after me and the cbg got there and the game was eventually called. the game was to be played the next day but the cbg and me had tickets in the south stands to see the season opener against texas tech and obviously we weren't going to miss that for high school football. i may see dover this year, but i honestly don't know. right now they are a really good emergency team for me. if i get stuck working late or whatnot i can always make a 7:30 kickoff for a dover game. also i try to leave open a few weekends in case a player i really want to see (say fred davis of toledo rogers for example) gets rained out or is injured the weekend i plan to see him. when my schedule isn't impacted by the rain or injuries i then try to see some more games and new prospects in my area these open weekends.

anyways, that is all i have for now. i will be back online early in the morning with some linkage i hope. enjoy the best of the dave chappelle show at 10:30pm tonight on comedy central. dave is an ohio resident and is probably the funniest man alive. his best of show should be a classic. sure it is a rerun, but me and the cbg spout off lines from chappelle whenever we are together so we will appreciate the reruns for sure. the last poker night had a definite chappelle theme to it. anyways, check out chappelle show if you aren't uptight and enjoy laughing. enjoy.
04-16-03 (6:06am) three links for the morning then a teaser of what i plan on discussing later today. in linkage, the dayton daily news is leading the way like usual with a two pack. here is a piece on bobby carpenter mising the rest of spring camp with an injury. it sounds like bobby was out on high street when something went down and he jumped in to defend a person. long story short he didn't start it and was coming to the defense of another but it caused a serious eye injury and he is done with football until the fall. good luck with the recovery bobby. study that playbook with the one good eye while you are out because you still have an excellent shot at winning a starting job in fall camp. the other link from the DDN is on mike kudla. last link for now is from the canton repository on mike doss and the safety situation in the NFL draft.

last night i was checking the email when i got an email from a recruit ohio state is interested in. i will have some more on this player late this afternoon when i have more time. for now i need to jump in the shower, snag a breakfast, get the trash out on the curb and get my ass to work. more late this afternoon. enjoy.
04-15-03 (5:55am) just two links for tax day and then i am off to the shower and work. the dayton daily news has a piece on the defending national champion ohio state buckeye defense. as always doug harris has the good stuff. last link for the morning is from the cleveland plain dealer yesterday on the health of mike kudla. i didn't see it yesterday morning, i guess the old age home that cares for bruce hooley didn't get him up in time to publish it by 6am. oh well. honestly nothing new at all in this article so read it only if you are really in need of a buckeye fix.

anyways, that is all i have for now. i will have more late night tonight probably. enjoy.
04-14-03 (6:10pm) another day another dime. monday is in the books and i am back on the net before i get some grub. first off it is time for some linkage. the ozone has a couple of good articles today. here is a piece on the jersey scrimmage saturday and here is a piece on mike nugent. both well worth the free click. final link for now is from lorain morning journal and jason lloyd on mike kudla and his medical situation.

now that linkage is taken care of, let me check out what type of info is floating around out there today. first off a little news on the depth chart. during the jersey scrimmage saturday robert reynolds and freddie pagac were held out with injury. that left three sophomores manning the linebacker positions on the first team (though anthony schlegel apparently looked like a starter, he wasn't one since he must sit this year after the transfer from air force). mike d'andrea pretty much stayed at middle linebacker. bobby carpenter played both weak side and strong side linebacker as did aj hawk (along with a couple of snaps in the middle). no big surprises there honestly. when the buckeyes went with a fifth defensive back mike d'andrea went to the bench and nate salley was in the game. that is news honestly. so far the nickel has been much speculated about and now we have our first indication of who it may be.

it also sounds like both true freshman donte whitner and ashton youboty are still in the early part of the learning process. right now they are thinking too much to play an instinctive position like corner. i am not counting out either of them, but they have much to learn if they want to make an impact in the fall. fortunately for both of these guys, this spring ball is basically bonus practice and they will have all summer to absorb the defense and get ready to make a push for playing time in fall camp. i have never seen ashton play so i won't comment much there, but i have seen donte and i anticipate he will cover kicks and punts at a minimum this season. he is way too athletic to redshirt in my opinion. he could be a factor on the kick coverage unit like cie grant and mike doss were when they first broke in with the buckeyes.

in the somewhat comical somewhat bad news department, i have some info on former mckinley bulldog and projected starting safety tyler everett. i read on the o-zone that back up quarterback scott mcmullen actually ran over tyler in the scrimmage. the silver lining here is that scott mcmullen is obviously practicing like he is gunning for the starting job and that tyler everett will be looking to reclaim his honor in practice by head hunting a few ball carriers most likely.

anyways, that is all i have for now. i am going to try and get back online later tonight and work on the database. if i accomplish anything good i will pass it along on the front page. enjoy.
04-14-03 (6am) good morning to all out there. i sure hope i can find some links today after the sun rises. so far i can't find any links as of right now. i can't believe the lack of linkage yesterday the day after a scrimmage. oh well.

i honestly don't have much in me this morning so i am just going to ramble on a little bit and see if anything good comes out. the crazy bearded guy is definitely going to be at the kick scrimmage friday. he has the day off and everything. the vg will sadly be at work. i am not sure when the cbg will have a scrimmage report ready to share or when i will be getting the pics off of him to post, but i imagine it will happen sometime during the weekend or by monday at the latest.

one question we have been wondering about is when is the kick scrimmage friday? i imagine it is around 3pm like all the other weekday practices, but i haven't heard an official word. if anyone out there has a clue, i sure would appreciate it.

for the fans in the columbus area with nothing to do friday, try and swing by the woody and see some football. it is one of two chances the public is getting to see the national champion buckeye football team prepare to defend the title this spring. if anyone out there gets any pictures or scrimmage stories they would like to share, send me a text only email and i will provide you with a dummy email account to send the pics to. while on the topic of email accounts. i never open any email over 100kb unless i know what i am getting, so don't bother sending pics unless i have dealt with you often in the past or you give me some advance warning in a text email first.

speaking of the cbg attending practice for the vg friday, i got some more good news tonight from the cbg. he spoke to his good friend and friend of the site doctor doug yesterday. doug will still be living in toledo this football season for sure and he is definitely most down with going to ann arbor again to watch the buckeyes with me and the cbg. interesting story from doctor doug too. it turns out he didn't tape the michigan game this year and needs a copy of it. no problem there, the cbg should be able to help him out there. it is interesting though. two years ago me, the cbg, and doctor doug were sitting in the student section up in ann arbor (scalped for $90 a piece) when we all realized that none of us had made arrangements to tape the game. thank god for cellphones is all i can say. anyways, now that is two years in a row that doctor doug has forgot to tape the michigan game. not so coincedentally that is two victories in a row over michigan as well. sure coach tressel gets all the credit (along with the players), but perhaps doctor doug should never tape the michigan game again just in case. it can't hurt.

in other ramblings, it sounds like donte whitner is doing good in practice from what i have heard. i remember him as a solid tackler, a big hitter, and a speed burner in high school. it looks like he is up to the same old same old in practice. i have read from multiple sources that donte has been a tackling machine so far. with dustin fox staying put at corner i am not sure how much of an opportunity that donte will have to play defense this year. i look for him to make a big push to be that fifth defensive back in the spring game and fall camp and i know for a fact that he will be a contributor to the special teams units.

in further other ramblings, i have read that air force transfer anthony schlegel has been impressive so far. anthony isn't able to get on the field this year as a transfer, but this bodes well for the future at the linebacker position. schlegel has been reportedly dominant in short yardage situations. go figure that a guy with his experience and stregth would be strong at the point of attack. i can't wait to get a look at anthony myself in the spring game.

anyways, that is all i have in me for now. i will have more late this afternoon. enjoy.
04-13-03 (12:40pm) one more link for today and then on to some random thoughts on the scrimmage yesterday. this link is from the lima fishwrapper on craig krenzel and his laser eye surgery. as can be expected from a newspaper called the fishwrapper, this article is basically a rerun of another article we all read about a week ago slightly reworded with the same damn quotes in it again. i thought about not linking it, but hey it is the dead season for linkage so what the hell.

yesterday the buckeyes had their jersey scrimmage in the horseshoe. for the first time in some time the offense actually beat the defense and won the right to wear the scarlet jerseys. the defense was somewhat depleted without darrion scott and simon fraser terrorizing the quarterbacks, but the offense still put up solid numbers regardless of what level of depth chart was in the game. no official statistics were released, but some of the other major buckeye sites have posted their unofficial take on the stats. since i was busy doing my part helping the economy yesterday and wasn't anywhere near columbus (as if they would have allowed a guy like me in in the first place) i am just going to comment on some of the statistics and speculate wildly like i normally do.

the first thing that jumps out at you is santonio holmes. santonio had 5 catches for 200+ yards and a couple of scores. outstanding numbers for sure. while one of those passes was a 98 yard touchdown from 5th string qb matt trombitas (and i assume against 5th string type of competition), santonio still had a big day without that catch. in fall camp last year i was most impressed with santonio. he showed the raw talent and explosiveness of a big play receiver. not making a comparison here, but his style of game is similar to that of joey galloway. he isn't the biggest receiver in the world (and he lacks joey's strength too), but he has the speed, the acceleration, and the shiftiness to be a big time target. like i said earlier, i imagine he put up those big numbers against the lower ranks of the depth chart, but you can't fault santonio for burning them. it probably means that santonio is pushing his way up the depth chart if nothing else. mike jenkins and chris gamble are ahead of santonio for sure at this point as is drew carter most likely, but they had better continue working hard or santonio may just pass them up.

another name that jumps out at you from the statistics is redshirt freshman quarterback troy smith. personally i am rooting on my stark county boy justin zwick, but honestly i thought troy smith looked better in practice last fall and it sounds like he is still impressing the coaches this spring. troy threw for a high percentage yesterday and also came up with the big scoring plays in the passing game as well as some solid gainers with his feet. i am starting to believe that troy smith is the future of the buckeyes football program. i am not counting out justin zwick by any stretch of imagination (and i am still rooting on him), but troy has been impressive from every report i have ever read. honestly it doesn't matter this year between justin and troy. neither of those guys is going to beat out craig krenzel. most likely neither of these guys will pass up the impressive back up scott mcmullen either. they are in a battle for thrid string mop up duty and positioning for 2004, nothing less and nothing more.

the third and final player to stand out statistically to me was tight end ben hartsock. hartsock had more catches than all the other receivers and sounded like he was quite effective in the short yardage game. no word on how many of his catches were of the spectacular one handed variety either. i think of hartsock as a complete tight end. he can block for sure and he can catch the ball in the soft parts of the defense. he lacks the top speed to stretch a defense vertically, but he is a tight end afterall. ideally hartsock will become a larger part of the offense in 2003. i am looking for him to be used often in play action passing where krenzel ball fakes to mo or lydell or mo, hartsock chip blocks his man and then releases either into the flat or behind the linebackers that bit on the ball fake. a friend of mine and a long time reader of the site is quite familiar with the jim tressel youngstown state offense and he is telling me this could be a staple of the offense this year. it is probably my second favorite play (behind the naked bootleg) and i think the buckeyes have the perfect type of team to execute it for big yardage.

anyways, that is all i have for now other than this. here is the o-zone's picture gallery from the jersey scrimmage. me, i am about to enjoy some italian sausage and salad (and not that type of salad and not tossed salad either). enjoy.
04-13-03 (9:15am) just one link in the newspapers this morning. i found this suprising with the scrimmage open to the media yesterday. way to use them press passes guys. 1460 the fan has a piece on the passing game.

weak update, i know. i just got up though and i am hungry as can be and in need of a shower badly. last night was a load of fun though and that is all that counts. i am going to take care of those two items and then come straight back to the computer ideally with more links and definitely with some thoughts on the scrimmage yesterday. enjoy.
04-11-03 (5:20pm) first off a few links before i close up shop for the day and get busy to enjoying myself (and not in that way either). in linkage, i have three for this evening. 1460 the fan has a piece on bj sander, redgie arden, and miles williams. not a bad link despite the fact that it was written by tim may. in further linkage, the mansfield news journal has a quick bit on the 2003 defense and the youngsters getting reps this spring. last link for now is from a source that i normally don't link. jason lloyd of the morning journal is a trouble maker with the program (he initiated the mat wilhelm and ken-yon rambo thing for instance). while lloyd is a dick in my opinion, he does have a link today and there aren't many links out there this time of year. today jason lloyd busted out his best crayola and scribbled a piece on the bucks opening up the offense this year. nothing new in this link as it is basically the same article on this topic that i read earlier poorly rewritten. i expected nothing more from this hack of all hacks.

in a quick vg update, i am planning on taking most of the weekend off from the site. i will probably update once saturday and once sunday and that is it. next weekend the CBG will be at the kick scrimmage so i will have a more action packed weekend then. this weekend i am going to chill out and get some stuff done. i need to go in to work for a little bit still saturday and i need to finish doing my taxes this weekend so i can file them on the 15th as is my tradition. i am going to be partying with the CBG this weekend and i may get some studio time if there isn't a jam session there when i show up. enjoy the weekend, i sure plan on it.
04-11-03 (6am aka damn early) first off the big news and then a link. austintown fitch athlete (wr - s) miles williams has decided to become a buckeye. williams has all the physical characteristics you would want in a receiver for sure. he has gone a little under the radar though due to how he was used in high school last year (i heard they lined him up in a fullback position to get him the ball more often). i have already updated the recruiting database to reflect the williams decision.

what is the vg's take on miles williams, honestly i don't have one. i haven't had the opportunity to see him play football yet. williams makes it two players i will need to see from the youngstown area this year (along with shaun lane). throw in other youngstown area talent that i have already seen and would like to see again (delbert ferguson, richard davis, mario manningham, rocco cironi, tony reed, brandon braxton, darryl clark, and terrel washington) and it looks like i will be spending some quality time in the y-town area again this fall. ideally i can see a few of those teams play each other or maybe even come to my area (stark county area). it would be nice to cut down on some of the drive time this year.

in linkage, i could only find one this morning and it is a stale day old doughnut that i missed yesterday. oh well. it is a free link all the same. 1460 has a piece on the offensive line. that link wasn't up and ready at 6am le i was to do the links and i forgot about linkage yesterday as i was wrapped up doing the site email thing. perhaps 1460 the fan will have a new article today too. feel free to check for yourself by using the link in the left hand column. all the newspaper links there go straight to the relevant section of the paper for buckeye fans.

i am off the computer and into the shower to get ready for work. enjoy friday and the weekend as it happens.
04-10-03 (6:05pm) i got some interesting email today. the topic of that was my current opinion on delbert ferguson. my recruiting profile on him is quite strongly worded and my opinion of delbert is high. this reader was saying that delbert visited osu this weekend and the visit didn't yield a scholarship offer for ferguson. basically the reader was wondering if i still hold the same opinion of delbert that i did after seeing him twice last season in person. he also wanted my opinion on antonio pittman. long story even longer, i got kind of wordy in my response and when i was done with my reply it felt like an update so here we go in a slightly altered version of my email reply.

i just reread my column on delbert for the first time and it is rather strongly worded now that you mention it. still though delbert was the most dominant player i saw all year long. the only guys in his league were donte whitner, dareus hiley, tony gonzalez, jamario o'neal, ryan brinson, and mario manningham. while all those guys had big time speed, delbert had adequate speed and power galore, no relation to pussy galore that i am aware of.

i have read reports questioning delberts hands, but i think they got their quotes confused. delbert did have a ball security problem one of the two times i saw him last year but he was adequate at catching the ball out of the backfield. every pass thrown his way he caught. i'll concede that it wasn't as fluid as you would like, but coach mcdaniels will fix that in about one month or so. who knows maybe the two games i saw him were a fluke with the pass receiving too, always a possibility.

as far as a runner though delbert is the man. he is the same kid that ran over and through prescott burgess last season and gave him the shoulder injury that nagged him the rest of his senior season. i guesstimated his speed to be about 4.5 or 4.55. i also guesstimated marcus freeman to run a 4.65 and then he actually was clocked at 4.66 at a combine. i don't think there is a chance in hell that freeman would be able to run down delbert from behind unless he had the angle. i have read reports saying it is more like 4.8 for delbert but i don't buy that. who cares here really anyway, i don't care if he is track fast, i want football speed and delbert has tons of it. he was patient waiting for and setting up his blocks. he stuck with the hole as designed by the play and when the opportunity came to cut back, delbert cut on a dime and left people trying to arm tackle him. very good instinctive runner with great power and a great attitude carrying the ball. i see him as a bigger raymont harris type. delbert is tall like eddie and runs a little upright like eddie, but coach mcdaniels will correct that i have no doubt. i am quite familiar with mcdaniels work at mckinley and i imagine he is doing his same old thing at warren harding. delbert will run lower this year for sure.

as for pittman, i have never seen him play (other than tv highlights on the news) so i can't comment really. i know he isn't very big. he is like 5'10 or 5'11" and around 190 pounds or so (if i recall correctly). i personally dislike small backs but i have heard he should be up to near 210 by the time he gets to college. that is still a little small for my tastes though. he is supposed to be blazing fast though and he sounds like a player for sure.

this hatred of small backs is part of the reason why i like delbert so much. all the other backs in ohio are small backs and i don't think any of them will be every down feature backs in the big ten. put it this way, none of the other backs in ohio are probably as good as maurice hall and he doesn't hardly touch the ball for the bucks. this trend of small backs seems to be national this year too. there really aren't many true big backs in the nation this year at all from all the lists i have seen. that being said i think it is not a good year for tailbacks nationally if you run a power offense like the buckeyes. sure teams like florida state will love having all these small quick guys to build their junk offenses around, but they will end up flopping in the NFL like usual. i personally only want tailbacks in the 230 pound range. delbert can get there without having to bulk up much at all. a guy like pittman or ray williams or gary russell or any of the other tailbacks in ohio getting any press is going to have a real difficult time getting up to big10 size.

as for why osu is holding back with the scholarship offer, i have no clue. the only thing i can think of is that they don't want to scare off any national caliber backs by having pittman and ferguson already in the fold. the way i hear it is that if delbert is made an offer he will accept on the spot. maybe that is why they haven't made the offer yet. they know they have him, but the coaches want a national back in the class too. who knows.

final thought on ferguson, it is hard to watch the film i have on him and not want to see him be a buckeye. he is fantastic with the ball in his hands (almost as good as lloyd carr is with balls in his mouth).

anyways, that is all i have in me for now. i am going to answer some more email and grab a bite to eat. i will be back online again in the morning with more on the national champion ohio state buckeyes football team. enjoy.
04-10-03 (6:00am) sorry about not updating late yesterday. i did answer most all the site email last night and get some good info on some top prospects as a result. nothing is newsworthy and it is just background info more than anything. if it were relevant i would share it for sure (if the source consented to it being shared of course), but i think i will respect these prospects and their families privacy and just keep it under wraps. if it helps any all the background info was good news but honestly not newsworthy.

i didn't get to answer the email from a big contributor to the webiste last night though and i feel a little bad about it this morning. maybe i will drop him a line later today with some info that i don't care to share on the front page (and like i said it isn't newsworthy just background info). anyways, big thanks to you know who you are. you are a bigger part of this site than you and the readers realize. with me being pressed for time with the new job, it is a big help to have some great info in my email inbox every day. much appreciation.

some good news for the site this morning. the crazy bearded guy has cleared it with work to get off friday the 18th and will be in the horseshoe to get some pics for the site from the kick scrimmage. sadly the vg will be working like a maniac still on the 18th. oh well. the crazy bearded guy takes all the pics for the site at high school games while i take all the video. looking back at the gigabytes of pics we took this season, it seems his specialty is getting pictures of the punter with the ball on his foot so the special teams scrimmage should be right up his alley. i hope he gets some good seats and some good pics for the site. perhaps he will be able to drag out friend of the site, the vg, and the cbg the irish patent attorney out into the shoe and show him what the national champions practice like. inside joke that maybe three people will get, i believe that the cbg will be better able to party for the kick scrimmage than he did that one awful spring game we went to many years ago with the IPA.

speaking of friday the 18th, that is your first chance to see the buckeyes in action this spring if you are interested. i believe the scrimmage is in the shoe and it is at 3, 3:15, or 3:30pm. obviously i am not exactly sure of the time and i am way too lazy to bother looking it up. the only other opportunity you will have is the spring game on the 26th. the espn gameday crew will be in the shoe too on the 18th. they will be filming the scrimmage and i have read some reports that it will be on espn, but that isn't how i understand it. i heard that espn will be there filming the scrimmage and showing highlights of several spring camps during the dead periods of the NFL draft coverage on the 26th and 27th. it still could be on tv live and i could be wrong (i usually am dead wrong at least once a week), but i believe it isn't going to be televised live like some believe and only clips of it will be shown during the NFL draft.

as for links, i can't find any this early in the morning. the newspapers have been especially weak lately with the spring ball coverage. i know the media hasn't been allowed back into practice much but that hasn't stopped doug harris of the dayton daily news from writing a few articles. perhaps the other newspapers will pick up some slack friday. i believe that the media is allowed back into practice today. should make for some linkage friday morning. anyways, i need to hop in the shower and get ready for work. more later.
04-09-03 (6:10am) just one link for the morning before i bring up another topic. the dayton daily news has a notebook on the buckeyes today. the article discusses things like punter bj sander, the importance of the ground game, a cautionary tale about spring games, and a bit on the coaches not going on the road this year to see other teams in spring ball. pretty good article and well worth the cost of a free click.

now for a quick random thought. i hope everyone has enjoyed the recruiting database i have put together. i know it is way too early in the process to get worked up about recruiting, but it is there and working smoothly for anyone interested. i am still working on doing a customized search function as well as directly linking to the google results for each and every player. why do all this though you ask? good question.

my whole goal with the recruiting database is to provide a free tool for fans. my goal is to have some fans use the database to find top prospects from their area so that the fans can go see these guys in high school. ideally when a fan goes out and sees one of these top prospects they will care to share some video, still pictures, or at least pass along a text description of what the player looks like on the field. if enough of us can see just one or two games and share what we see, we can all see tons of recruits in action without having to use the old credit card.

i am going to post a complete how to guide here sometime before the start of the high school season. this will have basic computer tips, still camera use, camcorder use, a how to guide for posting stills and/or video on the net for free, a place to find maps to the high school games, a way to find out the telephone numbers of these high schools, tips on how to get good shots of a game from the standsand a link to all the relevant high school schedules. i also plan on doing a few feature games of the week whenever there is a great opportunity to see several top prospects in one game. basically i am going to do everything i can to make it as easy as possible for fans to go see high school talent in action and then share what they see with the rest of us.

i have very low expectations for this project (that way i won't be disappointed) but i would love to see at least one other guy out there film at least one game and share it with the rest of us. if that happens i deem this a success. if nothing else i know i will be going to high school football again this year nearly every friday night gathering more film and stills on top prospects. ideally i will bump into some of you on my travels around the state.

anyways, that is all i have in me for now. i am going to get back online late in the afternoon - early evening with some more buckeye thoughts. enjoy.
04-08-03 (4:55pm) sorry about missing the morning update today. i was locked out of the account by tripod while they were working on the server or something. oh well. i didn't have anything good to post anyways.

speaking of nothing gootd to post anyways, i still don't, but i do have some links. 1460 the fan had a piece on freddie pagac this morning worth the free click. the o-zone also had two free articles today (though free and ozone is somewhat redundant now that i think about it). the o-zone has a practice report and a piece on the situation at linebacker. both are well worth the read.

speaking of the o-zone, some readers are having serious issues getting into the ozone front page and or the ozone fan forum. trust me they are still there and working but they are having computer issues. they recently changed up their server and it is taking some time to get that info through the web so that the links to the ozone out there point to the right server. right now both links to the ozone in the upper right hand column of this webpage work for me but they may not work for all users yet. they will ideally within the next 24 hours so be patient.

i am going to try and get back online later tonight, but i can't make any promises. i had a late night last night watching the final four finale and i may end up crashing early tonight to make up for it.
04-07-03 (6:45pm) first off i would like to apologize for slacking off on the site. with my new job i have been somewhat drained both mentally and physically lately. throw in the fact that i had my dreams of attending spring practice last saturday and this saturday crushed by the athletic department and i am even less motivated. oh well. things are looking up at work. my plant is closing down probably in june and moving to a much larger facility only 5 minutes from my house. that should help out quite a bit with some of the physical fatigue. i am not sure what (other than going to practice of course) will get me out of my mental rut. if nothing else i will be refreshed by the spring game for sure.

i have been holding off on a rumor i have heard from multiple sources that appear as credible as they can be considering my only contact with them is via email. i have seen the rumor getting passed around a little more lately on the message boards so i might as well spill the beans now. first though a disclaimer. it is only a rumor. i have no clue if there is any truth to it. that being said, it is now rumor time.

there has been lots of speculation as to what is the deal with john kerr. for those not in the know, john kerr was a fantastic linebacker at cleveland st ignatius the same year that bobby carpenter, aj hawk, and mike d'andrea were getting all the headlines at linebacker in ohio. kerr wanted to be a buckeye badly but the offer never came and he ended up leading indiana in tackles as a true freshman instead. well things between kerr and head coach dinardo weren't good to put it mildly and kerr has decided to bolt from the hoosiers. the most popular rumor is that kerr will take a scholarship at notre dame, and honestly that makes sense to me. despite most buckeye fans outright hatred of ND, you have to respect the program and their history and the job coach willingham is doing. anyways, that isn't the rumor i have heard though. i have heard a rumor about a trio of former ignatius stars transfering to ohio state. john kerr is on that list rather obviously. the other two are nate szep (qb at st louis washington university or something like that) and ryan franzinger (offensive lineman, no clue as to his current school).

why would john kerr want to pay his own way to ohio state when he could have a full ride to ND you ask? good question. while the full ride to ND would be hard to turn down, perhaps the dream of being a buckeye is trumping that financial decision. besides, i believe (and i could be wrong here) that ohio state tuition is cheaper than tuition to cleveland st. ignatius. that being the case perhaps money isn't the factor that you would think it is. another factor here besides being a childhood dream coming true is the post graduate opportunities. if any of these kids had any desire to become a coach themselves someday in ohio high school football what better two coaches to learn the game under than chuck kyle at iggy and coach jim tressel at ohio state. that would be one hell of a resume to float around i would think.

do i think this trio of transfers is going down? i have no clue, but i also have no reason to doubt either party that has tipped me on to this, so yea i believe it is going to happen. i would love to have as many quality kids from quality programs walk on as possible. it could only help reinforce the ties to their high school programs and ohio state. perhaps having all these former wildcats in the scarlet and gray would make it easier for a guy like brian hoyer or mike massey to end up in columbus. st ignatius quarterback brian hoyer. photo provided by the good people at fuchs and kasperek. click on the pic to go to their site.

speaking of recruits from st ignatius, i didn't get into the crazy bearded guys studio this weekend like i planned to in order to compress more ignatius footage. i worked some saturday and was just wiped out after that. throw in some saturday night beers and losing an hour early sunday morning and it led to a day filled with naps for the vg sunday. i took two solid naps yesterday and then couldn't sleep last night. it sucked, and not in that good way either. long story short i didn't get into the studio to compress some more highlights yet. i have captured another hour of film (i use my camcorder to capture the analog tape in digital format on an hour tape then i transfer the highlights from that hour into the computer and compress them to get them ready to post on the net). i am going to try and get with the CBG this week and get in the studio, but it depends on how work goes i guess. if the rest of this week goes like it did today i will get in the studio for sure. maybe even our buckeye friend vladimir gonzalez will get some time too. i know he has the rest of the fiesta bowl captured and just needs to put it on one of the CBG's portable hard drives and compress it for the net.

still speaking of st ignatius recruits, lets assume this rumor of kerr, szep, and franzinger transferring to osu is true. i wonder if this will have any impact on the recruitment of qb brian hoyer and de mike massey. i can't see how it can hurt. right now massey is supposed to have a scholarship offer while brian hoyer is not supposed to have an offer (i suspect this will happen either after summer camp or after the high school season starts up). at least that is the offer status as being reported by the major pay sites. who knows if they are right or not here. anyways, ignatius is one of the crown jewels of ohio high school football and we need to strengthen the ties between our two programs. i hope like hell that we get both mike massey and brian hoyer this year, but i am not confident at all. i can see massey joining his brother at michigan quite easily and i can see another school making a hard push for brian hoyer and his considerable upside while the buckeyes pursue other national qb's that have more experience in high school. major league baseball may make a push for brian hoyer too in the draft this coming year. anyways, i have faith in coach tressel and coach conley to get the job done and done right, but i am concerned how we are recruiting at ignatius right now.

that is all i have in me for the moment. i am going to work on the database a little tonight to polish it up a little bit. i am still in the learning process here with php and mySQL but i am a quick learner. ideally i will have it at full strength by the time fall camp comes around. so far it is looking good, but i have much larger plans for it than what i am doing with it now. anyways, enjoy fear factor and the final four finale tonight. more on football in the morning.
04-07-03 (6:10am) only one link for the early morning. the dayton daily news has a piece on maurice clarett and the heisman trophy, the trimmed down offensive line, and fred pagac getting his chance. the article goes on to talk about coach tressel's heisman philosophy. he says that going into any given year you are looking at promoting your seniors and as the season wears on you promote your producers. seniors this year with heisman odds would have to include quarterback craig krenzel, wide out mike jenkins, and defensive linemen will smith, tim anderson, and darrion scott. while the odds are long on all those guys, they do play on a winning team (at least we all hope we are a winning team in 2003, you never know until you get out on the field) and they should all be primed for a big season. the two most likely heisman candidates are maurice clarett and two way star chris gamble. if clarett can stay healthy he should be one of the top two or three contenders for t trophy. the only thing that may stop a healthy clarett is the fact that he is only a sophomore. chris gamble should be a media favorite all season as well. there aren't many two way stars out there afterall. gamble will need to touch the ball a little more on the offensive side of things, and a key punt or kick return would certainly help too. otherwise i like gamble's odds quite a bit. if he picks off 6 - 8 passes, catches 40 balls or so, and finds the end zone maybe a dozen times in all sorts of manners he may just be the favorite.

anyways, that is all i have in me for now. i will be back online with another update late afternoon like usual. enjoy.
04-06-03 (10am daylight savings time) two links for the morning to keep us regular. the canton repository has a rather long article today. towards the end it gets away from osu football and into local canton sports news, but it is still good. the article is mostly about spring football if you couldn't guess from the time of the year. the only other link i have right now is from 1460 the fan on safety will allen.

i need to get busy today but i will be back online a little later today with a more complete update. enjoy what is left of the weekend.
04-05-03 (7:45pm) late update today, but it has been a good day. for starters the crazy bearded guy finally lived up to what he was saying during the football season. he had been shooting off at the mouth about getting an ohio state national champions tattoo if we were to win the fiesta bowl. being a team of destiny of course the buckeyes won that national championship, and likewise being a man of his word the crazy bearded guy got that tattoo after dinner tonight. here is the bloody picture. the CBG's tattoo in all its bloody glory

in other news, i do have a link to pass along. bucknuts has a half free practice report. it isn't pulitzer prize winning or anything but it is good and it is free and that is all i can ask. ideally this starts a trend for bucknuts of providing a little more free info than the news links or prospect reports of guys that have virtually no chance of getting an offer from the buckeyes. i hope that second pop up window i just got was an abberation. i have never seen the dual pop up from bucknuts until now and right now i am only getting one pop up when i refresh. i know it was from them by the address for sure. who knows, maybe the bohiostate.dat file that everyone gets (despite not asking for it) who visits their message board (and is used to ban me from the boards) identified me as evil and gave me the dual pop up treatment.

ideally the vg will be in the cbg's studio sunday afternoon and doing some more video work on the cleveland st ignatius tapes. i hope to do another hour of capture from the iggy film. when i capture an hour of film i still have to edit it down to maybe 5 minutes or so. i believe that good friend vladimir gonzalez is going to be swinging by and doing some video capture work as well. i can't s