HEY, DOUG!

Doug Lesmerises answers your Ohio State questions

AP PhotoRay Small was suspended for the Northwestern game and may or may not be back this week or ever again.

Q: Hey, Doug: Coach Ted Ginn is a remarkable man and Glenville kids have done really well at OSU. But the latest Ray Small incident seems just the latest in a fairly long list of Glenville players (including Troy Smith) who have had disciplinary problems with the Buckeyes. If I am correct, do you have any guesses as to why? - David Smith, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Marvin Fong/The Plain DealerBeanie Wells may well be most appreciated by Ohio State fans when he's playing on Sundays in the NFL.

Hey, Jeff: The running back situation for next year should be wide open. The first question is whether Wells returns for a senior year. Though he claimed in the preseason he'd be back as a senior, I've always believed he'll leave, his draft status too good to pass up. But he'll have to determine if the pain he's playing through in his right foot would dramatically affect his draft position, and, if he would need surgery for some reason, which we have never heard is the case, would coming back for a senior season greatly enhance his chances of going in the top 10 or top five?

But let's plan for his departure. That would leave Dan Herron, Brandon Saine and incoming Florida freshmen Carlos Hyde and Jaamal Berry in the backfield.

Playing in Wells' absence early in the year, Herron showed himself a solid runner as a freshman but lacked Wells' abilities to break tackles and get away. Lots of backs lack that.

Marvin Fong/The Plain DealerIs Terrelle Pryor the next Craig Krenzel or the next Troy Smith?
• Submit your questions for Hey, Doug! here

I'm willing to chalk up the fumble as a freshman thing, but do you see hints of the 2002 recipe coming out right now which could lead into next year's potential? Teamwork, nothing flashy, win with defense and punting, and let the QB make some plays when necessary. I see TP as possibly shaping up to be the next Craig Krenzel with more pop, not the next Tim Tebow, Juice Williams or Troy Smith. Thoughts? -- David Marsalek, Charleston, W.Va.

Hey, David: Interesting theory. First on Pryor, the Buckeyes are banking on him being much more than steady. Let's remember, one of Smith's great qualities when he won the Heisman in 2006 was the way he took care of the ball -- 30 touchdown passes against just six interceptions. In 2002, Krenzel threw 12 touchdowns against seven interceptions. As a sophomore and junior, Pryor's numbers should be more like Smith. But it's his game-breaking speed as a runner that will separate him from anyone else who has played quarterback at Ohio State -- so yes, he's going to be flashy. With young talent on the offensive line and receiver, I think the 2009 and 2010 offense could be explosive and that Jim Tressel is playing conservative now primarily because Pryor is a true freshman.

As for the defensive line, I think it's better but still not great. If you're planning on a shutdown defense, like the 2002 team, you can't bank on that next year. Malcolm Jenkins, James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman will be big losses. Freshman linebacker Etienne Sabino looks like a future star, but it's a lot to ask Chimdi Chekwa and Donald Washington to play at the level of Jenkins, and that's if Washington doesn't go pro himself.

So I think the Buckeyes need Pryor to be more than Krenzel next year. And he will be.

Marvin Fong/The Plain DealerWhat's been up with Terrelle Pryor lately?

Q: Hey, Doug: Did we expect quarterback Terrelle Pryor to be something he isn't? Did we overestimate Pryor's skill? Also, where is the motivation? We have been flat both on offense and defense. - Bob Moore, Austin, Texas.

Hey, Doug: When you read about evaluating recruits, Ohio State has had exceptional talent in the offensive line. I believe the class of '07, '08 and now '09 are considered to be overflowing with top-notch talent. How come we have not seen that translate into performance on the field? This is especially evident in big games. Is this a coaching issue? Our guys seem to come out flat. -- Ross Terradas, Pittsford, NY

Hey, Ross: Up until the current freshman class, which includes three five-star offensive linemen in Mike Brewster, J.B. Shugarts and Mike Adams, I don't think I'd call the offensive line overflowing with talent. Between 2004 and 2007, Ohio State recruited 10 offensive linemen, and only two were ranked as five-star prospects by Scout.com.

Alex Boone first started as a freshman and has played the best of the crew this season, though not at the All-American level that fans would have hoped for. Connor Smith, a 2006 recruit, hasn't come close to cracking the lineup yet.

I think there are two primary issues, then. The linemen, on the whole, aren't as athletic as they could be, and their lack of quickness can be exploited. That has come through in the explanation for Brewster's insertion into the lineup -- he's inexperienced, but he is athletic.

Though offensive line coach Jim Bollman is a veteran and has very good relationships with his guys, I think the fact that Jim Tressel stepped in to yell at the linemen in practice this season said something. Boone said he's among the guys who play better with motivation through yelling, and maybe those fires aren't as stoked each week as hot as they could be.

Associated PressOSU's Terrelle Pryor is not a viable Heisman Trophy candidate - yet.
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Q: Hey, Doug: I wrote earlier in the year asking your thoughts on quarterback Terrelle Pryor winning the Heisman Trophy. You thought I was crazy. Who do you think has a better chance now, Pryor or running back Beanie Wells? Wells seems to think he still has a chance. Is he crazy? - Robert Driscoll, Parma

A: Hey, Robert: Your optimism on Pryor's performance this season was not as misplaced as I thought. You at least have to be a starter to win the Heisman, and maybe you were among the few who thought Pryor would earn the job by the fourth game. This season, Ohio State doesn't have a Heisman candidate. No one has ever won it after missing three games, so Wells is out. And Pryor isn't going to put up the passing numbers to compete with all those Big 12 Conference Heisman candidates. In his three starts, Pryor's average game is 10-of-16 passing for 118 yards.

Q: Hey, Doug: Following up on the coaching questions, any chance a Chris Spielman or Steve Tovar, currently at Kansas, would join the staff? Spielman showed more intensity on the sidelines during Ohio State games than any player.

-- Tony Stautberg, Cincinnati.

A: Hey, Tony: I'm all for hiring guys who played at the program and guys who bring some intensity. Tovar, currently the linebackers coach for the Jayhawks, is certainly an interesting name. But if I was adding a coach to this defense, it would be someone who specializes in defending the spread. When Tim Beckman came to Ohio State from Bowling Green before the 2005 season, the new cornerbacks coach was touted as a spread expert. When he left to become the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State after two seasons, I'm not sure Ohio State replaced that supposed spread expertise.

Hey, Doug: The mark of a great coach is having your coaching staff in demand. Jim Tressel has had several defensive coaches become head coaches, such as Mark Dantonio at Cincinnati and now Michigan State, Mark Snyder at Marshall, and Mel Tucker, the current Browns defensive coordinator. My question is, why isn't Jim Bollman on anybody's short list? -- Chuck Ohl, Chardon

Hey, Chuck: Bollman, OSU's offensive coordinator, has spent 13 of his 32 years in coaching under Tressel, and I think we know that the way the coaching world works, there aren't a lot of coordinators in their mid-50s getting hired as first-time head coaches. But the guy did spend three seasons in the NFL. If you mean defensive coordinator Jim Heacock, he's in his 37th year in coaching and has already been a head coach, at Illinois State for eight years.

Luke Fickell and Darrel Hazell are the two coaches on the current staff with the brightest futures, in my opinion. I see both as head coaches someday.

I do think the defense might be well-served by the addition of an up-and-comer like Dantonio or Tucker.

Hey, Doug: I love Jim Tressel as the head coach, but isn't it time that he hired new-age offensive and defensive coordinators? Except for 2006, the offense has been hard to watch, and the last great defense we had that actually proved it against good teams was full of Cooper's players. With the level of talent that OSU can attract, shouldn't we see more production? Vanilla offense and soft zone defenses just don't work anymore in elite college football. -- Andy Pacyna, Bel Air, Md.

Hey, Andy: First let me say that nothing ups the quality of the questions like a decisive loss. My inbox is dripping with frustration. Keep 'em coming.

When it works, it's called staff continuity. When it doesn't, it's a staff getting stale. Four of Jim Tressel's nine coaches have been with him for all eight of his seasons in Columbus, and the others are in their seventh, fifth, fifth, fourth and second years.

In big games, it seems like opponents know what's coming. USC quarterback Mark Sanchez said as much after his four-touchdown game Saturday. What works with an overwhelming talent edge in Big Ten play hasn't worked against elite teams lately. I wrote a story last week about what the Buckeyes might have been hiding from the Trojans in the first two games. Other than Terrelle Pryor playing more, was there anything in the playcalling on either side of the ball that seemed like the unveiling of secrets?

I'm not calling for anyone's jobs, but these are legitimate questions for defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. But let's remember that Tressel is his own playcaller. "Offensive coordinator" Jim Bollman and the other staff members offer up ideas and suggestions, but in the end Tressel is the one making the decisions on the sideline about what to run.

This certainly looks like a team that could use some fresh input.

Got an Ohio State question? Send it in. Submit your question to cleveland.com/heydoug, and Plain Dealer Ohio State beat writer Doug Lesme rises will choose several to answer here in the sports section. All of Doug's answers are archived online.

Q: Hey, Doug: I have come to the conclusion that the Buckeyes got their top two priorities complete against Ohio University - No. 1, win; No. 2, don't show USC anything. But they didn't get the rest - No. 3, get Terrelle Pryor in the game; No. 4, have success at the running game; and No. 5, execute or block or tackle. Oh, and what is up with special teams and blocking in the back every time Ray Small has a good return?

- Tony Brunton, Limerick, Maine

Got an Ohio State question? Send it in. Submit your question to cleveland.com/heydoug, and Plain Dealer Ohio State beat writer Doug Lesmerises will choose several to answer here in the sports section. All of Doug's answers are archived online.

Q: Hey, Doug: I have a nightmare . . . Ohio State loses to USC in September, the Buckeyes meet the Trojans again on Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl and get beaten again, and in September 2009 the Buckeyes host the Trojans and lose for the third time. - Tom O'Malley, Cleveland

Hey, Doug: As a Buckeyes fanatic, I am somewhat concerned about the growing trend of spread and no-huddle offenses sweeping the nation. Seems as this could be the wave of the future, and traditional offenses such as what OSU runs leaves them behind. Might this be something that Jim Tressel needs to integrate into the offense in order to be competitive in games against the SEC and Big 12 powers? -- John Tibaldi, Wickliffe, Ohio

Hey, John: There would be reason to worry, if Ohio State ran a traditional offense. Nine of the 11 Big Ten teams run some form of the spread at least some of the time, and Ohio State is included in that group. The Buckeyes have worked on a modified version of the shotgun, might have two tailbacks in a formation together at times, still like running out of the I with Beanie Wells and also, with seven receivers they trust, could go five wide at times. Expect more no-huddle from the Buckeyes than you've seen in the past.

Ohio State won't use the quarterback as a runner in the spread with Todd Boeckman. But wait until Terrelle Pryor's in the game. Then wait until Pryor is the starter next year. I doubt the Buckeyes will ever go all spread, even with Pryor. Tressel wants his offense to be multiple. But the Pryor-led OSU offense in 2009 certainly won't be "traditional."

Hey, Doug: If Ohio State gets beaten by Southern California do you think the drumbeat will start nationally that Coach Tressel can't win the big one? --- Tom O'Malley, Cleveland

Hey, Tom: Let's start with some stats. In his seven years at Ohio State, Tressel is 29-10 against ranked teams, 8-4 against top-10 teams, 3-4 against top five teams and 6-1 in the Michigan rivalry that defines OSU coaches.

As for the drumbeat ... if the Buckeyes lose to the Trojans it will make your ears ring.

When you lose some high-profile games, it often becomes the case that "Big Games" exist only after the fact, usually after losses, and winning the big games that helped get you to the "Big Games" are forgotten.

After national stage losses to Florida and LSU, that's where Ohio State stands.

Marvin Fong/The Plain DealerEstablished as a shutdown cornerback for the Buckeyes, Malcolm Jenkins will probably see less action at safety than he did during the 2007 season.

Hey, Robert: It appears the plan is for Jenkins to stay at corner all the time this season, and I like it that way. He has a nose for the ball and made some picks from the safety spot by reading the quarterback, but he also got beat twice in the Illinois game by playing too aggressively and getting out of position. He's your best straight-up cover guy, and I never liked taking him away from a head-to-head matchup on obvious passing downs when you needed his lockdown abilities the most. If that means teams won't throw at him, then a team's best receiver is going to be ignored. That's a good thing for Ohio State.

Hey, Doug: Any extra tickets for the USC game? -- Roger Sassen, West Hills, Calif.

Hey, Roger: I can get you a pair for, let's say, $900. Sets look to be going for between $400 and $600 on eBay, and the extra couple hundred bucks I'll call my finder's fee.

At least you're already there. I know Buckeyes fans with plane tickets and no game tickets who are going to fly first and figure out the rest later.

Marvin Fong/The Plain DealerThe lasting image of Ohio State's lone regular-season loss in 2007 was the sight of Illinois quarterback Juice Williams consistently gaining yardage in the fourth quarter against a defense desperate to stop him.

Hey, Angelo: My reason for voting Ohio State No. 1 this preseason includes a mention of their defense ranking first in the nation in points and yards allowed last year. Those stats mean something.

Still ... yes, I think the defense has been overrated by playing inferior Big Ten, and other, opponents the last two years. In 10 games against Youngstown State, MAC teams, Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern the past two season, Ohio State allowed 57 points in 10 games. That'll prop up anyone's statistics.

Even more than the national title games, the inability of the defense to stop Illinois last season showed its vulnerability. When a visiting opponent eats up the final 8:09 of a 7-point game and your defense can't get a stop with an undefeated season on the line, that's not a great defense.

Still very good and better than most. But also overrated.