Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, writes Columbus Dispatch reporter Tim May, is loyal to his seniors. But Tressel is fair when it comes to the freshmen --- if they're good enough, they will play. Well a few freshmen are getting some attention this summer during practice, especially freshman receiver Corey Brown, nicknamed "Philly" because he's from the Philadelphia suburb of...
Jim Tressel Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, writes Columbus Dispatch reporter Tim May, is loyal to his seniors. But Tressel is fair when it comes to the freshmen --- if they're good enough, they will play.
Well a few freshmen are getting some attention this summer during practice, especially freshman receiver Corey Brown, nicknamed "Philly" because he's from the Philadelphia suburb of Upper Darby, Pa., and to differentiate him from redshirt freshman cornerback Corey Brown of Monroeville, Pa.
"Philly Brown, he ran a kick back the other day in a live kicking drill; he is impressive," senior cornerback Devon Torrence said. "For a freshman, he looks pretty good. I think he's going to play this year. I'm not the coach, but he's a talented kid."
Anyone could see that, said Chimdi Chekwa, the other starting cornerback. It was apparent this summer to Chekwa as he coached the young cornerbacks in seven-on-seven drills against the young receivers.
"From the beginning, my impression was he was fast; very, very fast," Chekwa said. "At first I thought my corners were just doing a bad job of technique, until I went and guarded him myself. Then I realized he is really fast. I know he has the speed, and as long as he gets coached up by (receivers coach Darrell) Hazell and listens to his coaches, he'll be a great player."
Also vying for the coaches' eyes, writes May, have been redshirt freshman Chris Fields and sophomore James Jackson.
Captain S
The Toledo Blade has a story on native Dane Sanzenbacher being elected captain of the 2010 Buckeyes.
He joins a list of former OSU greats like Craig Krenzel, Eddie George, Chris Spielman, Rex Kern, and Archie Griffin.
Sanzenbacher joins Bryant Browning, Cameron Heyward, Ross Homan, Brian Rolle, and Brandon Saine as the captains for this season - just the second time in OSU's 121 years of football that six players have been chosen for the role.
"It's a real honor to be mentioned among these great leaders," Sanzenbacher said yesterday. "I don't think it will change much for me; I just want to continue to contribute to this program any way I can."
OSU-Michigan
The Ohio State/Michigan game should stay right where it is, writes Columbus Dispatch columnist Rob Oller. Tradition should continue and the Buckeyes and that team up north should always play at the end of the regular season.
With all due respect to Big Ten presidents, athletic directors and others in positions of power who are considering moving Ohio State-Michigan to earlier in the season: Are you people nuts?
Bump one of the best rivalries in sports, the marquee game of the Big Ten football season, and then rationalize it by promising it will remain the best show? That's like saying the Masters would remain the best golf tournament even if it were played in September. Or that Christmas would feel the same in July. Nothing says Jingle Bells like the taste of eggnog in summer.
Oller writes that the game is so special that even jaded sportswriters get goose bumps over a final regular-season game, something is wrong.
Or in this case, something is right. When a colleague of 35 years in the business observes, as was the case several years ago, that "this still is pretty special" - this being Michigan players simply milling about during warm-ups - it says the game already is perfectly placed on the schedule. Don't mess with success.