Ohio State’s defense has struggled this season, and recently, one of the most prevalent theories of why has been that the Buckeyes play their linebackers too close to the line of scrimmage. Coming off of a 49-20 loss at Purdue in which the Buckeyes gave up 539 yards to the Boilermakers, several former Ohio State linebackers have criticized that element of the defensive scheme, including James Laurinaitis. “It’s impossible to make plays as a linebacker and react when you’re up at the heel-step of the defensive line,” Laurinaitis said earlier this week on ‘The Audible’ podcast. “You don’t get to see the whole field, you don’t get to recognize the setup of what is the offense telling me … when you’re up there along the line of scrimmage, you don’t have time to react on anything, you’re just lining up there and you’re easy for the line to grab you.”…
Continue Reading: Examining Ohio State's Scrutinized Strategy of Playing Linebackers Up at the Line of Scrimmage
