Willyville Guy

I don't think it matters who is OC - it's Urban's read-option and it's never going to change while's the HC. The Army game was a step in the right direction. It'll be interesting to see if they look like a different team against PSU. I could almost hear Buckeye nation going nuts when Haskins came in for garbage time - he looked good!

I think that's what he was saying, but I wouldn't wait until a game is sewn up to send one of them out. Being "game ready," as Urban likes to say, should mean being out there with the first team offense and a game on the line. Burrow already has garbage time snaps under his belt, so maybe he'll go out first. No matter who it is, I sure hope it follows an accelerated process. Otherwise, we're looking at JT all year and ending up 9-3.

Brutal. I've stayed on the JT bandwagon longer than most, but it's clear that the Bucks need to go in a new direction. No 2 QB system; just a clean break with respect and sincere appreciation for all he has done during his four years playing here. The guy is 3-0 against TTUN and deserves royal treatment. I still don't completely understand why he came back this year. I also think the offense looks basically the same as it did under Warriner, which makes me wonder if Urban is really letting Wilson install a new offense. I was hoping to see OSU's offense resemble IU's (can't believe I just wrote that) but instead, it's just a bunch of QB runs and short, terrible passes - just like last year. On D, I actually thought the corners were okay on the outside during the game. The LBs got gashed on the underneath stuff though. That position is a complete disaster in coverage. Run D looks good. Lots of work to do before the next big challenge against Penn St., which looks very good to me. As for Army, recall how much class Tressel showed in the Navy game years back. He gushed before the game about what an honor it is to share the field with servicemen. Both teams ran out on the field together. OSU did not run up the score. That is the model that should be followed this week. Go Bucks!

Hilarious that anyone on Oklahoma said anything after the "basic defense" comment blew up in their faces last year. Anyway, maybe this belongs in a different thread, but one thing for Bills fans to watch in this game is the play of Oklahoma TE Mark Andrews. OSU had LB Jerome Baker covering Indiana's TE last week and, well, it didn't work. Andrews looks like a pro in the making and might have a huge game.

We'll learn a lot about Mayfield in his game against Ohio State this weekend. He'll face a defense that has a top-end line but a shaky secondary. We'll see what he does when presented with a combination of bright lights, physical pressure, and what should be several opportunities to find his receivers downfield.

So weird to go from no football to a tough conference road game at night. Not surprised at all to see a slow start in that environment - it's not like playing Akron. Indiana might have a better D, and certainly better WRs, than Oklahoma. During the first half, watching Indiana's offense look like Chip Kelly's Oregon and Ohio State's look the same as last year, I wondered if we're overestimating Wilson. Hope not. The crossing routes make sense as a way to help JT because they force him to throw ahead of the receivers and hit them in stride rather than waiting for someone to run a complete route, come to a complete stop, and then throw the ball. Even on Dixon's TD we saw JT's tendency to throw to a WR standing still rather than throwing someone open. Still lots of work to do. Can't help but wonder what this offense would look like with Haskins and Dobbins out there as full-time starters. In the meantime, I expect that JT and Weber (with a healthy dose of Dobbins mixed in) will work out just fine. Where's Demario?

Fired up for tomorrow night!! Can't wait to see what I expect will be the best Dline in memory -- Bosa might be the best player on the team and he's not even guaranteed a starting spot. Very curious to see what the Oline--which is reported to be larger than the Browns' Oline-- looks like on the field with all those 6'7'' boys out there. Hopefully optimistic about a new offense that can help JT thrive once again. But most of all, I'm glad the wait is over. Snap the damn ball.

Great: rain. We're screwed. I'm glad the backup QB competition is over but feel bad for Burrow. It took an injury to decide a competition that nobody expected would extend all the way to a week before Game 1. The kid just won't back down. I'd be surprised to see him transfer, even if it's objectively in his best interest, just because I can't see him conceding like that. I expect him to stay and fight like hell for playing time and continue to push everyone else along the way. Six friggin days until the redemption tour begins. Looking forward to a young, angry football team.

Looks like the annual early-season pot suspension.

Since camp started I've been pretty happy (that's an understatement) with the talent I see on both sides of the ball - although some questions need to be answered at WR and o-line. I've been even more satisfied with the coaches at almost every position, which is surprising considering a year ago I was stressing over the brain drain that follows a Natty and huge NFL draft results. I guess getting the coaches sorted was the only good thing that came out of getting blown out by Clemson last year. Anyway, after your post yesterday I had a little Buckeye bounce in my step. Until, this is, I saw on the Buckeye boards a crazy rumor about Coach Marotti heading to the Steelers? I hope that turns out to be false.

Greggg was called the most organized interviewee ever at the time. I certainly hope that distinguishing between the nurturing new coach and ruthless old coach is correct. But I'll be concerned if a picture emerges of McD with a bullhorn.

As a Buckeye fan, I'm sorry to see 12Gauge go and wish it would have worked out differently for him in Buffalo. Now a new fan base can wildly speculate about whether he's a good or bad QB. No matter what, he'll always have this and the playoff run that followed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhdNQHzusKo

https://twitter.com/Birm/status/887024747166523392 Ruckert to Ohio State. Nice.

I love the kid but facts are facts: he does look like an Ewok.

In fairness, club DJs can be pretty annoying. When Zeke was at OSU, his dad moved from St. Louis to Columbus to look after him and keep him out of trouble. It worked. Time for Jerry to bring dad down to Dallas.

I-O! The SB Nation preview is a good read. Interesting that it says Urban doesn't always trust JT's decision making in the passing game. I had always thought that JT's reads were what kept him in the #1 spot. Anyway, I'm pumped for the season. Looking at the posts above following the spring game, I'm reminded that Wilson called several plays for the tight end - which every OSU fan in the world wants to see more of every year. That, combined with the upcoming decision of Jeremy Ruckert, the #1 TE in the country and some people's #1 overall, makes for an enticing opportunity to further expand the offense under the new coordinator.

Spring Game notes: Touch tackling to start the game suggests that the coaches are more concerned than usual about injuries and depth. Not a great sign but it’s only April. Funniest take I saw was Ben Axelrod’s comment that touch tackling was a tribute to the 2013 defense. The QB situation is as we predicted. JT is the unquestioned leader of the team and a great running QB. He was also the third best passer in the Spring Game. His only deep ball attempt was intercepted. The other two (three!) looked silky smooth. I’m concerned that if the passes are still ugly early on in the season, the fans in the Shoe will start clamoring for one of the kids. Wilson and Day need to get this right. WR is still unsettled. Good to see Dixon finally get out there and show his stuff – if he can avoid injury then he seems like “the guy” to me. Sounds like the coaches plan to rely heavily on McLaurin, who did not impress me much last year. Hopefully he can make the leap. I’m still high on K.J. Hill. Victor may have a maturity issue. H-back looks sweet with McCall and Campbell. On the RB side, it’s interesting that Dobbins is already challenging A. Williams on the depth chart. Not sure what the issue is with Williams, or if Dobbins is just a stud. Defense looked nasty up front. CBs got abused a little bit – hopefully that suggests nothing more than improving WR play, but it’s tough to ignore the amount of talent that has left for the NFL from the back end. Plenty of work to do for Coach Coombs. Last year the story coming out of the Spring Game was what a great weapon Torrence Gibson would be at WR – and we know how that story ended. So as usual, none of this my amount to a hill of beans but it was good to see a packed stadium and the team on the field.

One of the takeaways from the Clemson game was that OSU didn't have any of the enormous and athletic DLs that the schools down south seem to have. So pulling Vincent away from FSU is a huge win. Looking forward to the spring game!

Strength & conditioning is a very important position. It's not just toning muscles and putting less cheese in the omelets; these guys are responsible for making a player's body right for the specific way he is used in the coaches' scheme. Bulking up, slimming down, managing speed versus power - all in a way that maximizes a player's performance late in games and limits the risk of injury. We always wonder if every team deals with injuries to the extent the Bills have over the years. The answer is probably yes, but if the new coach sees this as an area that needs improvement then I'm all for a change. Not a "nothing" move.

Miami.

I signed on to make the Ragland comparison. Love the kid but I'm not sure he's what we need right now.

If he dies, he dies.

Carol giggling on the sidelines as the NE coach stands out to me as HOF douche material. He's gotten a little better, but not much.

Thank you for your service!

Just among us fans I'm not sure what to think about any of these hires, BUT I'm encouraged that the HC and coordinators don't appear to be straight-up crony hires like we've seen in the past five years. I see experience, merit, and opportunity. Giddy up.