Salt City Sooner
3/16/2010, 03:14 PM
The Hammer:
NORMAN, Okla. -- Ronnell Lewis probably could have danced to celebrate his special teams dominance of Stanford in the Sun Bowl -- twice leveling kick returners and making everyone who watched wince. He could have done it again when he slammed Cardinal fullback Owen Marecic to the turf after an incomplete pass later in the game.
He didn’t. Didn’t do it after plowing full-speed into Kansas receiver Dezmon Briscoe’s chest on a return earlier in the season, either. That hit, Lewis’ favorite as a Sooner, forced Briscoe briefly to the sidelines while the Jayhawk offense took the field.
No one would have blamed him for pumping a fist or screaming at his opponent lying below him. But he backed off, and even a parade of helmet slaps and playful shoulder shoves from teammates could barely slow his retreat to the huddle or sideline, each time itching to do it again.
“I go out there and hit and that’s all the talking I do,” Lewis said. “I’m no trash talker.”
Lewis, a sophomore, could get a lot more chances to do his talking in 2010, with two linebacker spots vacated by Ryan Reynolds and Keenan Clayton. Lewis is working at both inside and outside linebacker this spring, and could permanently assume one of those spots this fall.
“He’ll be a big part of what we’re doing,” said defensive coordinator Brent Venables. “We’d be fools not to include him.”
Lewis’ persona, one Venables labels “mature” and “low maintenance,” stems from his roots in Dewar, Okla., the 919-person town where Lewis played eight-man football until his senior season, when the team upgraded to the 11-man game. Lewis treks 100 miles west virtually every weekend, back to the people he grew up around and a son he’s helping grow up.
“He doesn’t have a real big social network,” Venables said. “When he’s not doing school or football, that’s where he is.”
His family, friends and Dewar natives don’t recognize him as “The Hammer,” the nickname Lewis’ hits earned him and one he calls just “all right.” But when he is recognized in Norman or Oklahoma City, the country kid in him takes over, the one who wouldn’t dare be rude to a stranger, provided they weren’t trying to return a kickoff.
“All I can do is tip my hat and say, ‘Thanks,’” he said. “That was then. This is now. I’m looking forward to next season.”
For Lewis, it would be tough not to want 2010 to arrive quickly. It could be the one that establishes him as another great Oklahoma linebacker.
“He’s helped us by picking things up a lot better,” Venables said. “We talked about that today -- what it’s like sitting in the meeting room today versus last spring, and he’ll continue that development and making those leaps and bounds of improvement mentally. That will transition to physical play, to be more sure of himself and be more consistent.”
Getting a chance to showcase that improvement will mean a spring and fall spent proving he’s the one who should be sitting atop one of the depth chart spots at linebacker for a talented corps which also features the more experienced juniors Travis Lewis and Austin Box, as well as sophomores Jaydan Bird and Daniel Franklin.
“It’s one thing to go out there on special teams … and occasionally get out there when you’re ahead by three touchdowns,” Venables said. “It’s another thing to prepare and invest and play at a high level. It takes a lot -- it takes a huge commitment and the discipline to do it with consistency every day. It is a process. If anywhere along the line guys don’t invest in the process, you’ll get exposed.”
If that preparation goes as Venables hopes it does, and 2010 is a season of success for the sophomore linebacker, Lewis won’t be the one letting everyone know it.
http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/11100/reserved-lewis-shooting-for-starter
The LB's overall:
NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma probably won't be able to replace fifth-year senior Ryan Reynolds' experience or leadership at middle linebacker. Keenan Clayton's speed (4.57 40-yard dash), as a safety-turned-linebacker won't come, either.
Now, the young players stepping into starting roles will try to showcase their irreplaceable attributes.
Junior Travis Lewis is the only returning starter, but defensive coordinator Brent Venables can't even guarantee that spot isn't up for grabs. Lewis was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year as a freshman, but had 109 tackles in 2009, 35 fewer than his total in 2008.
"I don’t necessarily have anybody [as a starter]. Maybe Travis," Venables said. "You’ve got to earn it on the field."
Ronnell Lewis, who you might remember from earlier today, is the headliner among a crop of linebackers fighting for playing time this spring. Redshirt freshman Tom Wort, No. 85 on the 2009 ESPNU 150, is returning from a torn ACL suffered last fall and isn't quite at 100 percent yet. Junior Austin Box is the most likely to get in the mix immediately, and has started six games in his first two seasons. Sophomore Daniel Franklin and another converted safety, Joseph Ibiloye, will battle for reps this spring while still working some at safety. Sophomore Jaydan Bird, a 6-foot-1, 227-pounder, could also find playing time with an impressive spring.
But where any of them end up playing is as big of a mystery as who's playing.
"We got guys playing everywhere," Venables said. "Box playing all three. Franklin all three; Ronnell's playing two, plus pass rush. Ibiloye has played Will and Sam [both outside linebacker positions]. Trying to see who it’s easy for and trying to develop depth. Try to get guys ready to play."
For Ronnell Lewis, who most likely figures to play inside, that's just fine. Of course, he hopes to start, but where he is on the field and the depth chart isn't of prime concern.
"Special teams, defense, coming in on defense, it doesn’t matter where I am," he said.
http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/11113/ou-linebackers-ready-for-showcase-still-shifting
Our new DB coach, Willie Martinez:
NORMAN, Okla. -- Willie Martinez is the only new member of Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops’ staff this season.
“You come in here as a new coach, you really don’t know the entire history, all the reps the players had for three years, whether it’s good or bad, as you progress,” Martinez said.
But Martinez says his unique position, one not often afforded to brand-new position coaches, puts him at an advantage. He’ll get daily help uncovering that history from the man who coached Martinez’s defensive backs last year, Bobby Jack Wright.
Wright moved over to coach defensive ends in place of Chris Wilson, who left Norman for Starkville, Miss. to become the co-defensive coordinator for Mississippi State.
Additionally, he joins the staff of a head coach, Stoops, who also coached defensive backs at Kansas State before moving on to coordinate defenses for the Wildcats and later, Florida.
“That’s one of the things I love about this situation,” said Martinez, who coached the secondary at Georgia from 2001-04 before taking over as defensive coordinator from 2005-09.
“Guys want to compete. They know coach has coached that position. It’s nothing but positive.”
He’ll take over a secondary stocked with both young and experienced talent, and one that allowed just 179.7 yards per game in 2009, third fewest in the Big 12 and less than a yard more than the No. 1 pass defense in the Big 12, Nebraska. It also gave up just 11 passing touchdowns, the second fewest in the league.
“Our expectation is high,” Martinez said. “This is Oklahoma and we expect to be the best.”
Both safeties, senior Quinton Carter and junior Sam Proctor, return. Senior Jonathan Nelson, who started at safety late last season and had interceptions in the Sooners’ final three games, will press for playing time alongside sophomores Marcus Trice and Joseph Ibiloye. Nelson has also played cornerback, and sophomore Demontre Hurst showed potential as a freshman. Redshirt freshman Gabe Lynn, No. 81 on the 2009 ESPNU 150 and the No. 8 defensive back, could also get early playing time.
And though Martinez says he’s still embracing the feeling-out stage of his new position, as the spring moves on, there’s a good chance he’ll like what he sees.
“We’re not going to do anything different. This is about Oklahoma. I’m going to coach the way I know how to coach, but I’m going to coach within the system,” he said. “There’s differences in fundamentals, techniques, but really at the end of the day, this is Oklahoma and I’m going to coach the Oklahoma way.”
http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/11103/new-ou-coach-relishing-unique-position
NORMAN, Okla. -- Ronnell Lewis probably could have danced to celebrate his special teams dominance of Stanford in the Sun Bowl -- twice leveling kick returners and making everyone who watched wince. He could have done it again when he slammed Cardinal fullback Owen Marecic to the turf after an incomplete pass later in the game.
He didn’t. Didn’t do it after plowing full-speed into Kansas receiver Dezmon Briscoe’s chest on a return earlier in the season, either. That hit, Lewis’ favorite as a Sooner, forced Briscoe briefly to the sidelines while the Jayhawk offense took the field.
No one would have blamed him for pumping a fist or screaming at his opponent lying below him. But he backed off, and even a parade of helmet slaps and playful shoulder shoves from teammates could barely slow his retreat to the huddle or sideline, each time itching to do it again.
“I go out there and hit and that’s all the talking I do,” Lewis said. “I’m no trash talker.”
Lewis, a sophomore, could get a lot more chances to do his talking in 2010, with two linebacker spots vacated by Ryan Reynolds and Keenan Clayton. Lewis is working at both inside and outside linebacker this spring, and could permanently assume one of those spots this fall.
“He’ll be a big part of what we’re doing,” said defensive coordinator Brent Venables. “We’d be fools not to include him.”
Lewis’ persona, one Venables labels “mature” and “low maintenance,” stems from his roots in Dewar, Okla., the 919-person town where Lewis played eight-man football until his senior season, when the team upgraded to the 11-man game. Lewis treks 100 miles west virtually every weekend, back to the people he grew up around and a son he’s helping grow up.
“He doesn’t have a real big social network,” Venables said. “When he’s not doing school or football, that’s where he is.”
His family, friends and Dewar natives don’t recognize him as “The Hammer,” the nickname Lewis’ hits earned him and one he calls just “all right.” But when he is recognized in Norman or Oklahoma City, the country kid in him takes over, the one who wouldn’t dare be rude to a stranger, provided they weren’t trying to return a kickoff.
“All I can do is tip my hat and say, ‘Thanks,’” he said. “That was then. This is now. I’m looking forward to next season.”
For Lewis, it would be tough not to want 2010 to arrive quickly. It could be the one that establishes him as another great Oklahoma linebacker.
“He’s helped us by picking things up a lot better,” Venables said. “We talked about that today -- what it’s like sitting in the meeting room today versus last spring, and he’ll continue that development and making those leaps and bounds of improvement mentally. That will transition to physical play, to be more sure of himself and be more consistent.”
Getting a chance to showcase that improvement will mean a spring and fall spent proving he’s the one who should be sitting atop one of the depth chart spots at linebacker for a talented corps which also features the more experienced juniors Travis Lewis and Austin Box, as well as sophomores Jaydan Bird and Daniel Franklin.
“It’s one thing to go out there on special teams … and occasionally get out there when you’re ahead by three touchdowns,” Venables said. “It’s another thing to prepare and invest and play at a high level. It takes a lot -- it takes a huge commitment and the discipline to do it with consistency every day. It is a process. If anywhere along the line guys don’t invest in the process, you’ll get exposed.”
If that preparation goes as Venables hopes it does, and 2010 is a season of success for the sophomore linebacker, Lewis won’t be the one letting everyone know it.
http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/11100/reserved-lewis-shooting-for-starter
The LB's overall:
NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma probably won't be able to replace fifth-year senior Ryan Reynolds' experience or leadership at middle linebacker. Keenan Clayton's speed (4.57 40-yard dash), as a safety-turned-linebacker won't come, either.
Now, the young players stepping into starting roles will try to showcase their irreplaceable attributes.
Junior Travis Lewis is the only returning starter, but defensive coordinator Brent Venables can't even guarantee that spot isn't up for grabs. Lewis was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year as a freshman, but had 109 tackles in 2009, 35 fewer than his total in 2008.
"I don’t necessarily have anybody [as a starter]. Maybe Travis," Venables said. "You’ve got to earn it on the field."
Ronnell Lewis, who you might remember from earlier today, is the headliner among a crop of linebackers fighting for playing time this spring. Redshirt freshman Tom Wort, No. 85 on the 2009 ESPNU 150, is returning from a torn ACL suffered last fall and isn't quite at 100 percent yet. Junior Austin Box is the most likely to get in the mix immediately, and has started six games in his first two seasons. Sophomore Daniel Franklin and another converted safety, Joseph Ibiloye, will battle for reps this spring while still working some at safety. Sophomore Jaydan Bird, a 6-foot-1, 227-pounder, could also find playing time with an impressive spring.
But where any of them end up playing is as big of a mystery as who's playing.
"We got guys playing everywhere," Venables said. "Box playing all three. Franklin all three; Ronnell's playing two, plus pass rush. Ibiloye has played Will and Sam [both outside linebacker positions]. Trying to see who it’s easy for and trying to develop depth. Try to get guys ready to play."
For Ronnell Lewis, who most likely figures to play inside, that's just fine. Of course, he hopes to start, but where he is on the field and the depth chart isn't of prime concern.
"Special teams, defense, coming in on defense, it doesn’t matter where I am," he said.
http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/11113/ou-linebackers-ready-for-showcase-still-shifting
Our new DB coach, Willie Martinez:
NORMAN, Okla. -- Willie Martinez is the only new member of Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops’ staff this season.
“You come in here as a new coach, you really don’t know the entire history, all the reps the players had for three years, whether it’s good or bad, as you progress,” Martinez said.
But Martinez says his unique position, one not often afforded to brand-new position coaches, puts him at an advantage. He’ll get daily help uncovering that history from the man who coached Martinez’s defensive backs last year, Bobby Jack Wright.
Wright moved over to coach defensive ends in place of Chris Wilson, who left Norman for Starkville, Miss. to become the co-defensive coordinator for Mississippi State.
Additionally, he joins the staff of a head coach, Stoops, who also coached defensive backs at Kansas State before moving on to coordinate defenses for the Wildcats and later, Florida.
“That’s one of the things I love about this situation,” said Martinez, who coached the secondary at Georgia from 2001-04 before taking over as defensive coordinator from 2005-09.
“Guys want to compete. They know coach has coached that position. It’s nothing but positive.”
He’ll take over a secondary stocked with both young and experienced talent, and one that allowed just 179.7 yards per game in 2009, third fewest in the Big 12 and less than a yard more than the No. 1 pass defense in the Big 12, Nebraska. It also gave up just 11 passing touchdowns, the second fewest in the league.
“Our expectation is high,” Martinez said. “This is Oklahoma and we expect to be the best.”
Both safeties, senior Quinton Carter and junior Sam Proctor, return. Senior Jonathan Nelson, who started at safety late last season and had interceptions in the Sooners’ final three games, will press for playing time alongside sophomores Marcus Trice and Joseph Ibiloye. Nelson has also played cornerback, and sophomore Demontre Hurst showed potential as a freshman. Redshirt freshman Gabe Lynn, No. 81 on the 2009 ESPNU 150 and the No. 8 defensive back, could also get early playing time.
And though Martinez says he’s still embracing the feeling-out stage of his new position, as the spring moves on, there’s a good chance he’ll like what he sees.
“We’re not going to do anything different. This is about Oklahoma. I’m going to coach the way I know how to coach, but I’m going to coach within the system,” he said. “There’s differences in fundamentals, techniques, but really at the end of the day, this is Oklahoma and I’m going to coach the Oklahoma way.”
http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/11103/new-ou-coach-relishing-unique-position