I have been a highly aware OSU football fan since the 1997 Rose Bowl victory over Arizona State, and have seen a variety of offensive styles and schemes during that span. The running back in Columbus is always a center piece of the offensive attack. You'll occasionally have an All-American caliber receiver (more often than not), a quarterback that defies expectations and becomes one of the best at his position in school history (Troy), and many other character actors that help to make the bigger picture thrive. One key element has been missing since the days of Brian Hartsock in 2003, though, and it may return in 2010.
Headline: OHIO STATE PLANS TO THROW TO THE TIGHT END. No way.... no. Nope. Not going to happen...or will it? I can't decide whether the return of throwing to the tight end consistently is truly going to happen this season with the emergence of Jake Stoneburner, or if it is all just yet another smoke screen to keep fans and critics debating until the season begins. Last season we heard the same thing, and we were left with only one game of solid tight end production which was the season opener against Navy.
I understand that it is all a matter of what the strengths of the team are that allow a team to utilize all of the weapons that it possesses at hand. I can comprehend that without a strong starting five on the offensive line a tight end must be kept on the line of scrimmage to keep a guy like Terrelle Pryor from getting smacked all day long. I get that utilizing the field along the hash marks with a tight end requires a consistent offensive attack, complete with a quarterback who is competent enough to be able to check down and make those types of throws. Luckily for OSU, they appear to have all of those necessary elements in place, which could make redshirt-sophomore TE Jake Stoneburner one of the best offensive weapons in the Big Ten. At 6"5 and close to 250 lbs, "Stoney" should prove the doubters wrong that an OSU offense under Jim Tressel will gladly share the passing game love to the underrated tight ends.
Still, the debate rages on whether it will actually happen. I am, as always, on the optimistic side of camp when it comes to OSU football debates. While I can be realistic, I truly believe that this season will feature more of an effort to incorporate Stoneburner into the offense. This does remind me of a funny debate that I had with my girlfriend one time. I was watching a documentary on the Iraq War, and the question was brought up when the troops would be starting to come home. I said that Obama during his campaign said that he would send a resurgence of troops into Afghanistan, then start to bring troops home. While he also said that he would start immediately, a new plan has been put in place to bring them home. She responded with the following, "Yeah, and I have a graduation plan. I plan on passing all of my classes, getting my diploma and graduating. It's all just a plan though until it happens". My first reaction was wowwwwww what a smartass comment (ha ha), but then I started thinking to myself that it was a legitimate thing to say. Until something actually happens, it is all just a plan.
We know that Tressel has shown signs of utilizing Jake Stoneburner in spring ball, and that he plans on using him. But will he this season? We will just have to wait and see...
4 months and 3 days until Marshall
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