The evening started out as a typical OSU sporting event, drinks and food at the Varsity Club. The pizza was good and the beer was cold. There was a decent crowd, all mostly wearing OSU attire. I was joined by Jeremy and Kevin and panelists Cleatus McBuckeye and Batman.
Here are some quick stats from VC, 2 pizzas, 4 pitchers, and 5 OSU fans.
As soon as I walked into the stadium I realized that I had left my team roster and other papers back at VC, but luckily the "Caped Crusader" grabed the items for me, he's always around to save the day. There was an autograph session prior to the practice, with the players and coach available. The teams came out with the defense in Scarlet (read this entry to find out why they have the scarlet jersey) and the offense in white. One of the first things our group noticed was that all the quarterbacks(Smith, Zwick, Boeckman, Schoenhoft, and Henton) had black "no contact" jerseys. Perhaps Zwick's injury last Friday during the scrimmage convinced the team to be cautious, although Zwick played without any sort of brace on his shoulder, so perhaps he is ok. The team split into groups across the field, running different drills all at the same time. One group had four or five QBs behind two offensive lineman facing one defensive lineman, with the QB throwing the ball across the line five to ten yards to a player that simply caught the ball. Another drill had the QBs practicing the snap. The lineman also practiced pushing each other. We saw drills with tight ends hitting blocks and running out for a pass. Some of the more interesting drills were the kicks. Both place kickers, Pretorius and Pettrey had a fairly equal number of plays. I did not see a major difference between the kickers, but I am sure the kicking scrimmage later this week will help clear up the picture. We did see one punt blocked and a couple decent returns. In each drill the players were rotated out after one play. We were able to see players at all positions. I found myself referring to the roster, to familiarize myself with some of the newer players. Smith and Ginn had some great connections. I was most impressed by the play of split end Roy Hall, and I see this fifth year senior having an important role in this team. Due to the low impact of the practice, we really did not see a lot of running by any of the backs.
The crowd was estimated to be 28,000 (yes, for a practice.) Even with concession sales, OSU officials believe they lost money on the event, since it cost $20,000 to bring in the lights. Here is a photo slideshow from the Dispatch. Overall it was an entertaining night and well worth the price of admission. Perhaps Cleatus, Batman or Jeremy can provide their own observations?
1 comment:
The players were fine, but I know that walking into the stadium Monday evening the question weighing on the minds of most Buckeye fans was whether Coach Tressel has the form and stamina for another season. Well, I'm relieved to report that Tressel looked good. He was in the standard gray t-shirt and white ballcap. He seemed a little jittery in the beginning, hesitating on the whistle and trying to blend in with the rest of the coaches, but then he started to loosen up and do some fine coaching. Nearly all his instructions were followed and I didn't see any signs of a strain or pull. As long as he stays healthy and doesn't accept any gifts from boosters, I expect a great perfomance out of Coach Tressel this season.
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