Setting The Tone and Expectations For 2012

With the season rapidly approaching and tension somehow growing, I thought it was a good idea to take a step back and get mentally prepared for what is about to occur.

First off, as a member of Buckeye Nation I realize how hard it is to please us...thanks Tress. The first time I understood this was in 2007 when we lost to Illinois. I was 23 at the time and pouted like a little kid. I had followed the program for years but was definitely in the peak of my over-dependant fanhood. The games were everything to me, and I spent the whole week digesting what happened and what the next game means. I still am very much a fan, and probably even a little too involved, but I don't have any more crazy supersticians or an attitude issue following a loss. Looking back, I realize how pathetic I was, but I give partial blame to Jim Tressel because he spoiled the crap out of me. Even in '07 when we lost to Illinois, we still beat M:ch:gan and backed into a National Championship Game appearance, something that 99% of other schools would've been thrilled with. It's hard to be too upset with what went down that season especially considering the transition we made from the '06 season losing Smith, Ginn, Gonzalez, and Pittman; but at the end of the Illinois game, I was pissed.

That's a FUMBLE!!!

The missed fumble call that rolled out of the endzone, the illegal pick play that resulted in a TD, and the fact that we were playing the most penalized team in the B1G who somehow got away with holding call after holding call were all part of my frustrations that night. Throw in our usually stellar defense's inability to get Illinois' offense off the field, and you can see how I could be extremely disappointed.

I now understand, and hopefully all of you reading understand, that we are a tough group to please because we are knowledgeable and passionate about the game. We're not as focused on the W's and L's as much as the X's and O's...which translates to W's and L's, but that aspect of the game is never perfect; and you'd drive yourself crazy if you looked too far into it. That's the coach's job, and we should leave those frustrations to the coaches.

You get guys that are going to false start at the worst time, guys that are going to drop game-sealing passes that hit them square in the hands, and guys that are just going to make dumb decisions on and off the field. It's part of the sport at this level, and it sucks.  These guys have to learn from their mistakes, and even though they made mistakes, I still think their best interests were for this great university.  Things have happened in the past, but we have to remember that we are all on the same team.  What happens with the players and coaches on and off the field is out of our control. It is frustrating, but what can we do?  We can cheer and whine like we always do and like we will continue to do, but just remember that we are all on the same team here.

Looking at 2012, it's easy to be excited and very easy to have expectations that are shooting through the roof. We return experience on both sides of the ball and have brought in a hell of a coaching staff that will add a much better offense to a program where defense has been dominant.

The defensive unit should be much better than last year. It all starts up front as John Simon and Johnathan Hankins get another year under their belts. They have both taken advantage of this transition period by stepping up into leadership positions. The rest of the D-Line will look up to them and go as they go. I expect this unit to be the strength which allows the Buckeyes to matchup very well with rushing teams, like Wisconsin, which could funnel a lot of teams into an aerial attack.

The addition of 5* freshman DE's Noah Spence and Diesel Washington, and the possible return of Nathan Williams, are what sets this line up a notch, especially from last year when they struggled to pressure opposing QB's. I look for this new staff to find ways to get pressure because they have plenty of athletes to accomplish that feat.

The corners have to be the next best aspect of this defense. Bradley Roby, Travis Howard, and Doran Grant are expected to perform very well this year. Roby burst onto the scene last year and was pretty consistent. Howard had high expectations heading into last year and didn't quite live up to expectations. He wasn't a total letdown, but he is definitely now the #2 CB. That's clearly shown on the depth chart by having Grant listed as a co-starter to him. These guys are expected to be excellent this year. The increased pass-rush and the added off-man coverage should help their performance.

The big question for this secondary, in my mind, is the safeties. Christian Bryant and CJ Barnett have shown glimpses of excellence but also have been beaten badly in coverage. They might be the best run-stop safety tandem in the B1G, but they need to start making more plays in the passing game. Instilling fear of getting smacked when coming over the middle is a great thing, but they have to learn to cover the whole field. The good thing is that they were young last year, and practicing against Meyer's O will teach them lessons about coverage. Only sophomores last year, they have a chance to grow; and Coach Withers is surely going to help them.

Curtis Grant

The linebackers are going to have to get much better. Curtis Grant takes over at Mike, and expectations are still very high. He had his struggles a year ago, but he has the physical tools to be a playmaker right away.

Ryan Shazier had a big finish to last year and is probably the highest anticipated LB for this season. Like Grant, he's a sophomore and has the physical tools to be a great playmaker. He had issues last year with over-perusing. He was small for a LB, but you wouldn't know it by the way he hits. He has the attitude that you want in a Buckeye LB. He's added some muscle from his 5:00 am workouts with Simon and Grant, and he has had a chance to prepare for his starting role on the Silver Bullet squad, so I expect big things from him this year.

Etienne Sabino is a candidate for the award for individual most benefitting from the new strength and conditioning coach. For a junior outside LB, he didn't make many plays and looked slow. His foot speed and quickness need to improve if he's expecting to get to guys like Denard Robinson. He is being pushed by the two sophomore LB's and needs to step up into more of a leadership role this year if he doesn't want to be totally overshadowed by those two. I would expect him to have a much better year and leave Ohio State in style.

I'm not going to go too in depth on covering the offense just because I don't think we know what we're looking at quite yet. We saw a brief preview in the spring game, and where I do think that base offense is what we'll see early in the year, we missed out on quite a few elements. Braxton wasn't running the ball, Evan Spencer didn't play, Stoneburner played little, and Jordan Hall, the x-factor, wasn't playing. We all know that Braxton can run the ball, but it'll be interesting to see how often the Buckeyes use it and in what manner.

I think the passing game has to get going first. Philly Brown can stretch the field, and I would even look for him to get some handoffs this year in Hall's abscence. He'll grab attention from the defenses which will allow us to nickel and dime our way down the field. I think Stoneburner, Devin Smith, Michael Thomas, and Evan Spencer are all going to be a big part of that short and intermediate passing game. Verlon Reed and Tyrone Williams are others that may have a role in the offense, and Ricquan Southward is another freshman that could get a shot to show off.

Thomas burst onto the scene in the spring game, and he's not scared to do whatever is asked of him in this offense. He's big for a slot guy but has solid hands and speed. Many think he's going to just outright explode onto the scene this year.

We're going to see this a lot this year

I think Devin Smith is the next "Big Thing" to roll through Wide Receiver U. He's got all the tools to be a great receiver, and he is a big play waiting to happen, right Wisconsin?

This offense will be much more comfortable with each other now that they've all played together for a year. Yes, they are playing in a new offense; and I do think that will catch up with them at some point; but they have the potential to be fantastic.

The passing game will be complemented by a strong rushing game. Carlos Hyde is in better shape and has a burst to break big runs. Hyde did post the fastest 40 time of all the RB's.

Hall is the X-factor whenever he returns, and when he is full-go he'll be a force in this offense.

This team is much more mature than last year on both sides of the ball. This team has some Senior leadership but will return the core of this team next year.

There are so many things to look forward to this season with the new players, new coaches, new offense, new coverage schemes, new focus on the kicking and return game, and the same old hatred for our B1G rivals. It's really going to be a fun year, and that's for sure; but what is a realistic expectation?

The up-tempo offense should put up more points, but it also causes an increased risk of turning the ball over. The Tress in all of us cringes at that thought, but I think part of a better offense is taking those risks. We want more excitement, so get ready for it.  Remember, these players were brought up in Tressel's system, so maybe we get the best of both worlds.

I think the offensive transition will cause issues at some point this year, but when? A good bet is always big away games such as Michigan State and Wisconsin. This team is hungry and on a mission, and I really think they will finish better than 8-4. I think the UCF and Cal games could pose problems with being so early.  Much of our success could come from momentum of the previous week, so that could put us in trouble with Cal as UCF could be a frustrating game for us.  Those two B1G road games that I listed could also be trouble.  We will get to see how Coach Meyer handles Purdue as they've given us fits for years, so hopefully we don't take that week off again.  By my calculations, this is our year to win that game; so the real worry with the Boilermakers is in 2013.

More will be made clear once some snaps are taken, but I'm totally buying into the Urban Meyer hype.  We were a 6-7 team with basically a horrible offensive coordinator and tons of freshman and sophomores playing.  Six of those seven losses were by 7 points or less.  Miami was the only game that wast within reach, so this team wasn't far off from a much better season which is why I really believe Urban can make a quick turnaround.

These players on a mission, and the coaches are right there with them. They're all locked and loaded and ready to prove themselves.  Funny that we're just starting camp today!

I think a 10-2 season is definitely within the realm of possibility, but I won't be surprised if this team is looking for perfection come Nov. 24th when TSUN comes to town.

I'm really trying to be rational here, but there's just so many pieces that fit together. This season will be successful, and Ohio State will start to become more appealing to even more top recruits in the nation. I'm forecasting that the start of a dynasty is on our hands in Columbus. Make sure you're apart of this!