With training camp starting this week, Land-Grant Holy Land dives into its final topic each week of the offseason. This week, it’s all about making predictions that may or may not be reasonable. Some would even call them bold. You can read all Contents of the theme week here and all our Article on “bold predictions” here.
Everyone knows that the best part of being a sports fan is discussing and analyzing the most important (and least important) issues in the sports world with your friends. So we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL employees take different viewpoints on an issue and argue passionately. At the end, it’s up to you to decide who’s right and who’s crazy.
This week’s topic: Creating specific defensive packages for Ohio State
Josh’s opinion
As Ohio State football enters the second full week of fall practice, Ryan Day and his staff are likely close to deciding some key position battles.
Quarterback is the most discussed and perhaps most important of these battles, but I would argue that the “acquisition” of Will Howard in January somewhat predetermined the outcome. Day and Co. just needed validation, which Howard seemed to provide over the course of the spring and early summer through his work ethic, leadership skills, and increased/improved knowledge of Chip Kelly’s offense.
This raises questions along the line of attack (insert the meme “it’s been 84 years” from Titanic), as well as at tight end and linebacker. And while it can be fun to debate or argue about these battles, at some point it just seems redundant. Plus, I think OSU will be in a good place no matter who wins some of these position battles.
Gene may or may not agree, but my writing partner at least agreed with the redundancy part, which led him to propose a twist on the old position battle argument. And I was more than happy to oblige. He essentially asked, “What if we forgot about which players would win predetermined roles and instead discussed changes or adjustments?” these roles?”
He then went into more detail, focusing on the Buckeyes’ defense, saying, “Forget which player(s) you think will win the current battle for the LB2 or the backup nickel…Who would you put where if you had the ability to determine depth? AND adjust individual or all roles?”
That was music to my ears, and I hope it didn’t escape yours. Essentially, Gene and I decided to discuss who we would select or use for the starting lineup of the Ohio State defense in a specific package or role. I don’t think either of us would want to fundamentally change what Jim Knowles put in place in Columbus, but who knows. Maybe Gene wants OSU to play a traditional 3-4. Let’s (finally) get started.
If I were making defensive decisions – or acting as Knowles’ co-DC, with freedom and influence – I wouldn’t really change much. I love what the Buckeyes are doing. However, I would like to see a super strong pass rush from time to time. A true “Rushmen” front combined with Knowles’ (current) preferred formation.
Without further ado, my contribution to today’s episode of You’re crazyis a call to action for Knowles, Larry Johnson and Ohio State to put six of their biggest, fastest and craziest big men on the field… at the same time. This proposed group may not be the most disciplined or experienced group ever, but I think it would be a hell of a lot of fun on occasion. For the Buckeyes and their fans, not their opponents.
To start building this lineup or special package, I would move JT Tuimolou inside. He has shown occasional brilliance as a pass rusher, but 10 sacks in three seasons isn’t enough for me to keep him at the position. Plus, I really believe Tuimoloau could and would be an absolute threat inside alongside a guy like Tyleik Williams, who constantly requires double coverage.
If Tuimoloau and Williams make up my DT duo, I would line up Kenyatta Jackson and/or Caden Curry on the outside, opposite (of course) Jack Sawyer. I’m excited about both third-year players, so I don’t really have a preference. I think both are capable of replacing Tuimoloau’s pass rush presence, and that’s all I really care about with this group. Jackson and Curry wouldn’t be asked to set the edge and/or play containment in this scenario. Their only job would be to attack the opposing quarterback.
At linebacker, I’ll just go with the two craziest, most athletic options. Sonny Styles and CJ Hicks would be my guys, no matter how experienced they are. Because remember, this is a special, situational sub package. And I’d still have five stars in the secondary to act as our last line of defense.
The best backups for my replacement package would be guys who aren’t currently at the top of Ohio State’s rankings. This isn’t a shot at Cody Simon and/or Ty Hamilton, but I’m assuming pure upside. DE is covered by the trio I mentioned earlier, so at DT3 (behind Tuimoloau and Williams) I’m going with Jason Moore. The latter apparently had a great offseason, and at 6’6″ and 290 pounds, he’s exactly the kind of crazy athlete I’m looking for.
And then I put Arvell Reese on the field at LB3. Another player who seems to have had a strong year or more in the program. I would confidently put him on the field and just say, “See the ball, get the ball.”
Of course, this group would probably miss some assignments and be prone to big plays on occasion, but OSU still has the luxury of having the best secondary in college football! And we’re talking about a fictional scenario, so I can do whatever I want.
I believe the above group would be an absolute nightmare for opposing offenses. They are, pound for pound, nine of the best athletes on Ohio State’s entire roster. They would provide a ferocious presence in the pass rush while also giving the Buckeyes flexibility in run defense, option, short passing, etc.
Always freaks, Gene. That’s my motto in life and my football motto.
Gene’s opinion
This topic idea came to me after reading through much of the coverage of Ohio State’s training camp. While some of the big names you’d expect showed up early in practice, there were also some standout players among guys you wouldn’t expect to be in the starting lineup this season. The two that particularly caught my eye are CJ Hicks and Jermaine Mathews Jr., so I wanted to create a package to get them both on the field at the same time.
In doing so, I created what I believe is the Buckeyes’ ideal third-and-long subpackage. This package could be used on virtually any obvious passing play and would give Ohio State both a dominant pass rush and a shutdown secondary. It would also include the JACK position, which we have not seen with any consistency during Jim Knowles’ tenure in Columbus.
This package starts up front and utilizes three down linemen: JT Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams, and Jack Sawyer. None of the defensive tackles are meant to be disparaged here, but I’m taking one of them off the field to have Hicks play at the JACK position, lined up next to either Tuimoloau or Sawyer. Hicks, who the coaches have said may be one of their best pass rushers, could tackle the quarterback or drop back into coverage in certain situations to further confuse the opposing offense.
Since this is a pass prevention package, there will only be one true linebacker on the field besides Hicks, who will serve as the second linebacker when he drops back. That player could be either Sonny Styles or Cody Simon – the expected starting duo at the position – although I would give the preference to Styles since he has seen more playing time in coverage since moving from safety.
This allows me to field six defensive backs, with the usual three safety positions filled by Caleb Downs and Lathan Ransom, while Jordan Hancock is at nickel. At cornerback, the starting duo of Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun will be joined by Mathews Jr., who can play both inside and outside coverage after playing nickel in the offseason. Good luck to any quarterback trying to complete a pass against this large group of extremely talented DBs.
I’d love to see this Ohio State package on obvious pass attempts, and I don’t think it’s impossible we see something like that this season. The Buckeyes are at least two-man deep at virtually every position on defense, and it would make little sense not to try to make the most of that by using several different packages to get everyone on the field. Hicks and Mathews, in particular, are too good not to play, and this type of scheme could showcase the skills of both.
