The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Ohio State Alumni in the
NFL and their current situations.
By Bill Smith
The good:
The latest
reports from the Ravens OTA's indicates that Ex-Buckeye Troy Smith has
grabbed the inside track to the starting QB spot. This is just the first quarter, but he has
looked sharp and is making the reads quickly.
Former RT
and 08 draft choice Kirk Barton has signed his contract. It is a 4 year deal.
Second year
standout WR and Ex-Buckeye Anthony Gonzalez is in the mix to become the
starter replacing Harrison. Harrison
would become the slot receiver. So far,
Gonzalez has looked sharp and according to observers has caught everything
thrown his way.
Jay Richardson, DL Oakland is working
with the starting unit in the OTA's. He
started part of the season last year.
The Falcons
didn't get much positive press when they signed former Buckeye and Brown
defensive end Simon Fraser but he has been doing very well in the
OTA's. Right now he is on the second
unit behind Jamaal Anderson and will be at least part of the DE rotation with a
shot at starting this year. The Falcon
coaches like his size and pass rush ability.
DL Tim
Anderson was resigned by the Falcons, who are becoming OSU-South. Anderson
was signed to a one year contract in 07 and was part of the DL rotation.
The Bad
C Alex Stepanovich who started 16 games in his
rookie year with Arizona,
struggled through injuries in 05 and 06 and was released by the Cardinals. In 07 he was signed to a 1 year contract by
the Bengals and started 4 games there.
He lost games in 07 to injuries as well.
He was not resigned and became a FA again this year. The good news is that Alex has been signed by
the Falcons and has a shot at starting there.
One of the OL that Stepanovich is
competing against is former Buckeye OL Doug Datish who is also on the
Falcon roster.
The
Ugly—Really Ugly
Ex-Buckeye fullback Pete Johnson was found guilty of passing
a bad check this week in Urbana
Ohio. In his testimony, Johnson said he thought he
had enough to have the $13,300 check clear but it did not. He later paid the auto dealer for the truck
he was buying with a Certified check. Despite
that, he could face a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 21.
Ex-Buckeye David Boston pleaded not
contest to a DUI charge. He was
sentenced to community service and a fine.
He is planning to play in the CFL this year.
Bill Smith is a
former coach of several semi-pro teams and has scouted talent. He is a senior writer for http://BrutusReport.com. He has
also published several novels on http://ebooks-library.com/index.cfm and
edits http://fryingpanpolitics.blog.com