I always have OSU football on the brain, I've been called a bit of a fanatic at times. Now I'm not a fanatic in the sense that I dress up like a complete tool and try to get on national TV every chance I get and as a result embarrass the rest of the fanbase(token WVU fan comes to mind, since I have this discussion with a WVU alum and friend that I hang out with here in LA LA LAnd.) I've been foaming at the mouth every since I left the golf course at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena the evening of January 1st, wondering what could be. Everyone has their own wish list of what they want to happen with their respective teams, and a lot of our wants and needs are the same. With that said, I present you with my top 10 for 2010.
SCHWING!
9. Improved kick and punt coverage - A key component to Tresselball, but yet last year it wasn't the greatest. We got gashed on a couple of larger returns in the Rose Bowl and during other games in the 2009 season. Better pursuit angles and sure tackling are needed to keep the other team in poor field position. We've got the depth to have solid special teams, there are lots of guys that were big time recruits that are burried on the chart, this is their time to see the field and make an impact.
8. Brandon Saine, starting tailback - Consider me on "Team Zoom" for various reasons. No, it's not that I think "Boom sucks". I think he's very capable actually. However, Brand Insane allows us multiple looks with one player(and he picks up his feet when he runs, thus preventing the shoe-string tackle). Think about it. Saine can run up the gut, out to the edge, and catch passes out of the backfield. He isn't Beanie, Eddie, Mo C or Archie, but he's what we call in baseball a 5 tool player, he can do it all. (Although his blocking can be suspect)
7. The front 7 living up to the hype - This should be easy. We have a couple questions to answer still, like who will be filling the role of DE/QB destroyer like Bad Thad and The Gun Show did. My guess is a healthy dose of Nathan Williams, followed by another guy or two rotating in. Cam will continue to be Cam as long as he stays healthy. We've been deep at linebacker as long as I remember, so again, another area with some holes to fill but in large part, nothing to be concerned over. Sabino should get the nod and everything should be fine. One of the larger keys to the 2010 team is this group creating pressure up front and making up for some inexperience in the secondary. If the front 7 can do this the defense will be the best in the nation.
6. The infamous "open playbook"/EVIL JIM - Wait, there's a catch. I'm all for scoring tons of points, Pryor slinging the ball across the field, etc but only IF the team can handle it. If Terrelle isn't making the correct reads or on target, if the offensive line can't provide adequate protection we're looking at more of the same and people will jump from bridges and windows all over again. With that said, I think this is the year it happens again.
Speaking of Evil Jim, I want him to proclaim Jihad for the attacks of Purdue Harbor. I want to wage a major fatwa against the rest of the Big10, and scorch and salt the earth in Ann Arbor. Leave no doubt that we own the Hurricanes and that the call is only an conspiracy theory for Cane fans who haven't had much to cheer for since. Run up the score, tell Mark May to suck on "deez" and then seek revenge on the Floppy Haircutted ones of the south. Fear The Vest. Make Nebraska regret their decision to move a year early.
5. The continued improvement of Terrelle Pryor - Purdue Harbor to the Rose Bowl was like night and day. I don't know what clicked, but it did and that's all I really care about. Maybe he's "not where we thought he'd be" at this point, but let's be honest, are any of us? Keep in mind that he is just now entering his junior season. Couple that with the vast improvement from October to January and now you can be legitimately excited. To me it still hinges on...
4. The offensive line playing up to their potential - TP can be great as a passer if given adequate time to read a defense and for his receivers to get open. I'm not sure what the issue has been over the past 4 or so years but the only thing the O-line has done consistently is disappoint. Hopefully Big Boren contuinues to light a fire under their arses and this group remembers what it's like to get angry.
3. This "Tight End" thing that I've read about in history books - I remember this guy named Ricky Dudley vaguely from my childhood, he played something called tight end and the quarterback at the time threw him the ball I think. After that a meteor struck Columbus and all tight ends went extinct. However a scientist recently discovered some fossilized TE DNA in a mosquito encased in amber and used to to create something called a Jake Stoneburner(awesome name). I think we should use the tight end to make sure that Bill Nye the Science Guy was right in saying that "science rules".
2. Another Big Ten Championship - 6-pete anyone? It's no secret that this is the first goal of any Ohio State football team because you can't win a MNC without first winning the Big10. Go out an take care of business. Leave no doubt that we're the best team in the conference and maybe even the country. No falling in to trap games allowed, take each one as it comes and just win. Win big. Win close. Just win.
1. Bring Home the Crystal - We've been so close for every year since 2002 that people are going crazy. Literally crazy about not winning a title. Say what you want about 2006 and 2007 respectively, but we've been stirred in to a frenzy as a result. Many people would say it's foolish to expect to compete for a national title every year, those people are not Ohio State fans. We're a bit spoiled, and we know it. We've heard for long enough that we're slow, and that the SEC representative is the defacto title winner year in and year out. ESPN mocks us, Vanderbilt fans think we suck for whatever reason. It's time to put up or shut up. Win it all and win it convincingly. Besides, we all want to see Coach's happy face again.
