Asked how important it is to Ohio State for Braxton Miller to stay healthy, Buckeyes tight end Jeff Heuerman answered the question with a question of his own.
“How important is it for Cleveland to keep LeBron (James) healthy?” Heuerman said with a laugh.
Only Miller’s health is far from a laughing matter in Columbus, as evidenced by Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer’s remarks at Monday’s Big Ten media day. Pointing out that the Buckeyes will replacing four experienced starters on the offensive line from a season ago, the third-year OSU head coach explained that getting his new hog mollies ready for 2014 has been this past offseason’s top priority.
“Concern number one—I mean, that’s it,” Meyer said. “There’s a bunch of concerns you always have. It’s A through F, A through Z, A through X, whatever it is. But the number one on the list is development of that offensive line for the reasons you just said, among many other. You want to win that game, but protecting our quarterback is paramount. So that’s—I don’t want to say that’s all our focus—but that’s where a lot of our focus is right now.”
And for good reason.
The inexperienced offensive line will be responsible for keeping the Buckeyes’ Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback in the starting lineup. And with backup Kenny Guiton and running back Carlos Hyde no longer around to fall back on, Miller’s value to the team is even higher than it was last year.
Even if the OSU offensive front five can come…
Continue Reading: Why Braxton Miller Is to Ohio State Football What LeBron James Is to the Cavs
