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Zack Zwinak
Written by Duane Long   
Saturday, 30 May 2009 10:59
When I first saw the news that the Buckeyes had offered Zack Zwinak I was floored. We have at least one too many scholarship FBs right now, and there is a strong argument that we 2 too many, and we offered another??? I went over and looked at his film and came away thinking there is no way a player of that caliber plays full back in this day and age. He is a wrecking machine. What a striker. He plays with a motor and can he ever run. I don't care who ranks him where. That kid is a great middle linebacker prospect. Not that we need any but that is a take no matter what kid.
Then I watched the FB tape. He may be even better on offense. But we don't use the fullback on offense.Nobody uses the fullback as a runner anymore. I am left to wonder if that might  be changing. There is more evidence. Look at Adam Homan. In high school everyone thought linebacker. I did not think he was a linebacker at the Big Four level. Until the offer was extended it never occurred to me that he would be offered as a fullback. He was not Big Four caliber as a linebacker but he was a linebacker at the MAC level at least. You just don't think about any kind athletic enough and quick enough to be a linebacker playing fullback the way the position is used nowadays. I speculated that Boren would have a better shot at FB here because he would be better at running into things at a high rate of speed. I offered that if we were going to use the fullback as a runner again that Homan would be a better choice. Zwinak as a fullback right on the heels of an offer to another fullback who is a threat with the ball in his hands really makes me wonder if we are going to see the fullback as a skill player again. I will never understand why football coaches have voluntarily traded a skill player for another linemen. Obviously the fullback is not going to carry the ball enough to warrant conceding too much as a blocker but you can get an effective blocker without giving up on skills completely.

If this is what they are doing it is such a great idea.Think about the option in the offense again. I mean the option coming back seriously and with a great runner like Pryor at QB. We are not really running a true option. It looks like the option but more often than not I think the decision was made in the huddle who would be getting the ball. Think about how much more potent that option would be with a fullback who can gut a defense with the belly play. Having a fullback who can make the defense play him makes the option that much more effective. Less people on the move chasing the option if the fullback is a threat. Everybody a half-step behind because they have to see if Pryor might stick it in his belly as he goes by. Run that sprint out pass to the fullback. That is a natural off the option look. I remember when Jim Colletto was here how effective we were with that play. The fullback looks like a lead blocker. The quarterback just dumps him the ball. Maybe it is an option. Quarterback sprints out and makes a read on the fly. If the defense comes up to play him he can dump it. If the FB gets out on the linebacker, he keeps it.

I am going to have to work hard to not get worked up about this player, and even harder to keep from getting excited about the possible change in the offense.

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Comments (10)Add Comment
...
written by Buckeye Warrior, May 30, 2009
I do not share your opinion on this player or the need for the offer to him. It is also troubling that, if true that they are changing the offense, it is discouraging. They just recruited a lot of spped the last 2 years that fit into a spread offense. Why change so soon?
...
written by Detroit Bucknut, May 30, 2009
Tressel knows how to recruit towards the future ... look back at the 2006 Troy Smith team when OSU ran Michigan off the field and UofM had no DBs to counter what OSU was doing. Tressel was already recruiting a class that could handle what his team was doing to other people (Clifford, T.Howard,O.Johnson, etc). Having speed players for a wide open game is not mutually exclusive from having a talented back who could block/catch passes. The more weapons and components to attack a defense the better.
re:
written by Duane Long, May 30, 2009
Tressel knows how to recruit towards the future ... look back at the 2006 Troy Smith team when OSU ran Michigan off the field and UofM had no DBs to counter what OSU was doing. Tressel was already recruiting a class that could handle what his team was doing to other people (Clifford, T.Howard,O.Johnson, etc). Having speed players for a wide open game is not mutually exclusive from having a talented back who could block/catch passes. The more weapons and components to attack a defense the better.



That is what I am talking about. I am not talking about changing the offense. Add a few weapons that fit what you want to do. We have the personnel to do this. If I have a dynamic runner at quarterback, and that will always be Jim Tressels preference, we should have some option in the playbook. I mean the game day playbook. We have an older staff. This is older stuff. They were raised on this style of running game. When these coaches were first making their bones, everybody was running option, wishbone, veer. They may not have it in them to put together a modern passing game but they should be able to implement some option and a few belly plays in their sleep.
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written by Twoodbuck97, May 30, 2009
If anybody has been watching USC this decade, I think you can see how well the fullback can be use in a pro style offense. Marcus Freeman certainly remembers how good they used there FB. I am curious as to what the identity of this offense will be though.
re: re:
written by RipsManifesto, May 30, 2009
I agree with Trot that the FB can still be used effectively without returning to vintage football.

He brings up another good point: What is the identity of this offense? You can only have 11 on the field at a time. Suddenly offering all of these FBs in recent years is kind of confusing. Then again I think about WVU's offense, the year Pat White and company just killed Oklahoma in the bowl game, and they had a real beast at FB if I remember correctly.
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written by a guest, May 30, 2009
I think Adam Homan could bring a lot of added value to the offense THIS season...

If Pryor hits Homan with a little 5 yard dump he is good enough to turn it into 20...
...
written by dvo45, May 30, 2009
Note: The above comment is from me...

Let me add that I would LOVE to see some triple option game...

But, does OSU have enough practice to be very good at the option, and what are they going to take away from?
re:
written by Kasino Royale, May 31, 2009
Note: The above comment is from me...

Let me add that I would LOVE to see some triple option game...

But, does OSU have enough practice to be very good at the option, and what are they going to take away from?

Good point. There were times last season that our newer plays look down right horrid in execution.
re:
written by Duane Long, May 31, 2009
Note: The above comment is from me...

Let me add that I would LOVE to see some triple option game...

But, does OSU have enough practice to be very good at the option, and what are they going to take away from?



Your question is a very valid one. Some fans want to add more razzle dazzle. How many plays can you devote to that in practice? The beauty of this is we are already running some variation of it. The other thing to think about is, this is not the most varied offense. I don't know if modifying a few plays and adding a few others is going to push the boundaries of practice effectiveness
Dr.
written by Call Me Mike, June 02, 2009
Not looking at this as from a need or fill stance but
subjectively as a casual fan we views a lot of film.
He is a player with certain skill set and a unique blend of power and speed. Bring in the players and work at the particulars later. This young man would add something to this team.

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