Football
Jim Tressel Notebook
By John Porentas
Spring drills continue for the Buckeyes. After practice
this Tuesday, Jim Tressel met with the media today to discuss far-ranging
topics, ranging from spring practice to Bobby Carpenter to the upcoming
season.
Climbing the Mountain: Spring drills are an
opportunity for a team to improve and develop a personality, and
for individual players to improve themselves. Tressel says he sees
his team doing just that this spring.
"I think they're really sinking their teeth into
trying to get better, and that's the best thing. I don't think anyone
out here is satisfied thinking that they're as good as we need to
be, players or coaches. I like the seriousness with which they're
approaching the limited opportunities we have with only 15 workouts
in the spring. I think they're trying to take advantage of every
minute and I think they're doing a good job of that," he said.
Tressel says he sees no evidence of complacency despite
OSU's success on the field last season.
"A lot of times I look at the little things.
Things usually slip in small increments," he said.
"I like to look at their focus, their attentiveness
in meetings, their punctuality, how much garbage is laying on the
ground in the locker room, just little things sometimes are indicators,
and I've been pleased with what I've seen in the area of little
things."
Tressel said that his team is improving, but that
the need for improvement is evident to him.
"I think realistically we've got to continue
to grow and understand the difficulty of the challenge we have ahead
and just how much better we're going to need to be. I don't see
us better than we were on January 3."
Tressel says the key to making his team aware of the
needed improvement is keep the reality of what it took to be successful
last season in front of them.
"Hopefully we learn and continue to learn the
things that made it possible to have that type of success, so those
things must continue, but all the while, our offense is very aware
that we had our lowest third down efficiency in five years, and
that's got to change. We had some things that were the highest in
five years, and that's got to continue. We just try to take a look
at it from a very real standpoint and train to try and be able to
continue the good and improve the areas that need improvement."
Carpenter Out: As was reported yesterday, linebacker
Bobby Carpenter will miss the rest of spring drills due to an injury
he suffered while trying to stop an altercation on high street.
"Whenever you lose a young player who is really
trying to get into the rotation, that hurts both him and the group,"
said Tressel.
"What you're missing is eight practices and a
lot of learning and that's disappointing that that's the case. Other
people have to come in and play that position and he's got to try
and continue to learn from an off the field standpoint."
Clarett Still on the Mend: Maurice Clarett
burst onto the scene last season as a star ball carrier, but missed
playing time due to a nagging shoulder injury. Clarett continues
to be held out of contact drills this spring as he heals from that
injury.
"He's in blue and he doesn't have that strength
up to where our trainers an strength people are confident. It disappoints
Maurice a little bit, and maybe irritates him a little bit. Maybe
the test is too hard we're putting him on, but it's just like if
someone was coming off a knee and there are certain standards you
have to go. He has to work to get there. I'm sure that he's hopeful
he can get some contact. One day he came out with his wrist taped
up with the words 'I'm bored, coach,' so I know that would to be
back. He's training like crazy," Tressel said.
Quarterbacks Improving: Craig Krenzel won the
hearts of OSU fans last season, guiding the Buckeyes to an undefeated
season and national championship. According to Tressel, Krenzel
is doing what the rest of the team is doing this spring, improving.
"I think he's obviously carrying himself with
more confidence. I think he always believed in himself and he always
felt like he needed to establish that over a period of time. I think
as he looks at things now he can now say 'I've seen that before.'
I've been really pleased with the way he's paid special attention
with his little things, his footwork and ball placement. A completion
isn't satisfactory to him. He wants the ball put in the right spot.
It's just experience and growth. Craig is getting better, which
is a great thing for a returning guy," Tressel said.
The Gamble Plan: Chris Gamble established himself
as a rare two-way player last season. The question this spring is
whether Gamble will play both ways next season, and whether he will
play on one side of the ball more than the other if he does go both
ways.
"You can only do so-much with Chris, especially
when the weather is so warm. I don't know that we would go exclusive
(on one side of the ball or the other)", said Tressel.
"I think my offensive coaches already are not
real happy with me as to how much defense versus offense he's been
playing. As far as exclusive, I don't think I'd get away with exclusive
yet."
While Tressel would not say that Gamble would play
on one side of the ball exclusively, he hinted that he will definitely
spend more time on one side than the other.
"Perhaps more action on defense than offense
in warm weather this year, but I don't know that he's going to play
128 plays. Lets say he plays 90. I would expect more of them to
be on defense, but I wouldn't exclude his offensive contribution
because he's a game breaker," he said.
Quarterback Controversy Coming: There's not
much mystery in who will quarterback the Buckeyes this season, but
the question of who will quarterback them in 2004 is already heating
up, even though not a single snap has been played in 2003. Highly
touted Justin Zwick and athletic Troy Smith are expected to compete
for that position in 2004. Which one has an edge at this point?
Tressel refused to be drawn into the question
"I think if we had a game today Craig would
be one and Scott would be two and I really don't know the answer
to who would be number three. It's way too early to tell. I like
little bursts of what I see of both of them (freshman QBs). I also
like what I see from Scott. I think Scott's doing a good job,"
he said.
Tough Schedule in 2003: If the Buckeyes are
going to repeat in 2003 they'll have to handle some tough competition,
both in league play in in their non-league schedule.
"When you open with a perennial upper echelon
PAC 10 team like Washington, I see talked about the fact that they're
one of two or three teams mentioned, with all their returners, as
a contender for the PAC 10, so that's going to be extraordinary.
You know that since the game ended January third, the morning of
the fourth, they've been thinking about coming to Ohio Stadium,
so that's going to be extraordinarily difficult," Tressel said.
"Then San Diego State, you can talk about the
big matchups are Washington and N. C. State, but I guarantee you
San Diego State is not game where we won't take a step forward.
N. C. State I'm sure will be picked in the top 10, they've got most
everyone back. Then four in a row at home, you have Bowling Green
then begin the league with Northwestern at home. We've got some
great opportunities but a whole lot of work to do before we're going
to concern ourselves with those," he said.
Tressel said the Big Ten will be tough, both to play
and predict.
"You know how it is in our league. Whatever they
predict doesn't come true preseason," he said.
"Obviously Purdue has everyone returning and
Michigan has most everyone returning. We've always got to think
that Wisconsin is going to rise up after having not as good a regular
season as they're accustomed to, then coming out in the bowl and
spanking the Big Ten runner up. We haven't played Michigan State
and Iowa since I've been here, but you can be sure they'll be good.
I know two of our opponents have open dates before us. We've always
got a little bit of a challenge."
Tressel said that picking a league favorite is a tough
thing to do.
"I think it's because it's a good league,"
he said.
"When people prognosticate, I think they do so
on who's coming back and what things ought to be. Very seldom are
they inside anyone's skull, knowing what they're thinking and feeling
and the emotions that are involved in it."
Just looking at returners, Tressel said, is not a
good barometer of how good or bad a team will be.
"Very seldom do they know how the breaks are
going to play out. We watched the Purdue game this morning and we
put the ball on the ground three times and won that game. Who would
have ever bet you could put the ball down three times on the ground
and win a four point game. You never know what's going to happen,
so I think that's why it's hard to predict it."
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