Football
No Monday Morning Blues for Posey
By Brandon CastelFor DeVier Posey, Monday morning cannot come fast enough.
While the rest of his Ohio State teammates are trying to soak up the final weekend before the dreaded start of two-a-day practices next week, Posey is simply killing time.
DeVier Posey After three months away from the Gridiron, the Buckeyes officially opened fall camp at the start of last week, but Posey is still waiting for his first real taste of live action this fall. Expected to be OSU’s No. 1 receiver in 2009, Posey spent most of week one as a spectator after tweaking his hamstring two weeks ago while doing one-on-ones with his brother Julian "Joonie" Posey, a defensive back at Ohio University.
"He and I were getting a little extra work in over the break and I tweaked my hamstring," Posey said. "But it's not too serious. I'll be out there Monday."
Now in his second season at Ohio State, Posey witnessed first-hand just how devastating hamstring injuries can be when he watched running back Brandon Saine miss all 29 practices last fall with his injury.
"(I am) just trying to be smart because hamstring can sneak up on you and I really don’t want a problem to reoccur at the end of September and it’ll be gone for a month when I can just take a week right now and it will be gone for forever," he said.
As a 6-foot-3, 205-pound wideout with speed, Posey certainly looks the part of a No. 1 receiver. Now Buckeye fans are waiting to see if he can play like one.
More in the mold of David Boston than Ted Ginn Jr., Posey caught 11 balls for 117 yards and a touchdown last season as a freshman, but without Robiskie and Brian Hartline around, the opportunities should come fast and furious for Posey and the other young receivers in 2009.
"I’m excited for our whole corps," Posey said.
"A bunch of us didn’t get to play too much, you only saw action from a couple guys, but we’re all excited to show our talents."
As one of the top-rated high school players in the country, many fans were hoping to see Posey contribute in the same manner as Julio Jones at Alabama or A.J. Green at Georgia last season, but the touches simply weren’t there. Along with Robiskie and Hartline, Posey found himself behind Dane Sanzenbacher and Ray Small on the depth chart in 2008, but he believes his freshman season was a blessing in disguise.
"I know what school I came to, and Ohio State is definitely Receiver U," he said. "I totally respect that. I feel like if I had gone to a smaller school where I could have played as a freshman I wouldn't have made as many leaps physically and mentally."
DeVier Posey The Buckeyes attempted to get Posey more involved in the offense late in the season, but the sophomore wideout admits that he wasn’t where he needed to mentally to contribute on a BCS-bound team, something he’s worked hard to change this off-season.
"I feel like understanding the game mentally allows me to show my physical ability a lot more," Posey said. "I’m definitely more comfortable as far as everything goes with the playbook and being on the field. I’m more relaxed and I feel like my mental approach to the game allows my physical abilities to show more. Now that that year has passed, I have more time to show what I can do physically."
Along with the progression he has made on the mental side of the game, Posey needed to progress physically as well. Known for his good hands and ability to track down the ball in the air, the Cincinnati native spent the summer working on his timing and route-running along with hitting the weight room.
"I feel like my route-running is a lot better," he said. "I've gained 10 pounds so I'm a lot stronger."
Although he wasn’t out there much during the first week of camp, Posey believes he has also developed a better chemistry with quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The two standouts became friends during the recruiting process, but they quickly learned that there is more to having on-field chemistry than being friends away from football.
"It’s definitely exciting when you get to play with a guy that great," Posey said. "He’s a good guy and it’s definitely an honor.
Pryor’s God-given talent was what first attracted Posey, but he admits now that it’s his quarterback’s work ethic that has impressed him the most of their first year together in Columbus.
"We like to work hard and we try to humble ourselves in the game by working hard," Posey said. "I’m just trying to work hard and keep my head down and keep grinding."
With the hamstring ready to go, Posey will get back to the grind this week as the Buckeyes begin their first two-a-days of the fall session starting Monday. While some players might use an injury to shy away from what Posey called "the most brutal week of practice all year," he has no plans to miss another minute of action.
"I'll be out there Monday," he reiterated.
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