Players are buying into code green
Assistants’ checklists tell coach Meyer who is game ready.
The new COLUMBUS — phrase at Ohio State this week was code green. Those words were on the giant video screen above the indoor practice field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday.
Earlier in the week, coach Urban Meyer talked about players being game ready. Every coach has a checklist telling him how many reps players have received in practice and how many practices they’ve made.
At some point, a green mark goes through the player’s name.
“That means you’re ready to go play,” Meyer said. “That’s going to be so critical this year. It’s got to be clear to them what you have to do to get ready.”
Ten days before the season opener at noon Sept. 3 against Bowling Green, none of the defensive linemen had been told they were code green, defensive end Sam Hubbard said. He said defensive line coach Larry Johnson is a perfectionist and the whole unit still had to work to do.
However hard it may be to receive code green status, Hubbard said the players like the idea. They trust what the coaches are doing — whether it’s Meyer talking about season themes like “The Edge,” or the whole “Land of the Wolves” deal the coaches created in the spring — because they’ve seen the results.
“If you act too cool on something like code green and just forget about it, you’re never going to improve,” Hubbard said. “You’ve got to buy into it. The results speak for themselves. Guys are going to the NFL. It really does work.”
True freshman Michael Jordan is in line to begin the season as a starter at guard because of his maturity.
“Obviously with those young guys, it’s how fast they can pick things up,” offensive line coach Greg Studrawa said.
“He picks things up, he studies the game and he’s got a maturity level, for a freshman, that I haven’t seen in a long time. He’s very serious about technique, about wanting to play, wanting to be good. That burning desire is there, and that’s one thing that I think has helped him get up there with those other upperclassmen when he’s such a young guy.”
Freshman starter: