Around the 'Shoe

I agree with everyone here on the choices. No debating any of the names mentioned!

Interestingly we haven't had any player on defense that opposing teams feared in over a decade. What we've had, however, are players who stepped up in big games on D. The ones who come to mind over these past five years are Heyward, Jenkins, Hines, Coleman, Gholston, Rolle, Laurinaitis, Grant and to lesser extents Gibson and Homan. Those guys were consistent and were leaders on the defense. It's too bad we didn't have more players on defense like them who almost never gave up a big play or were overall liabilities for the defense.
The problem is that they were surrounded by those who didn't embody these qualities (Sweat, Russell, Freeman, Worthington among others).

Defenders are supposed to be mean and nasty. Not nice guys! Under Tressel post 2005, we had more than our share of choir boys on the field. The image that is stuck in my mind is of Marcus Freeman giving a slight push on Mark Sanchez in the USC game. He got penalized for it and my thought was, "if you're going to get penalized, then damnit break his f'n knees!"

Post 2005 this defense lacked nastiness. And for those of us who recall the defenses of decades past, it was a grand disappointment--even in spite of the overall team success. Gone were the bone-jarring hits, flinging QBs around like rag dolls, talking smack to opposing players, forcing turnovers, turning those turnovers into TDs, ballhawking and just flat out playing with some genuine swagger.

My all time favorite Buckeye, Jack Tatum. Watch the 1969 Rose Bowl. USC always ran to the side Jack was not, even with the great O. J. Simpson!!

From personal eyewitness it was Jack Tatum...the rest of the people mentioned, were good players and hitters, but did not BRING FEAR with their precence and hits....the story is told of how Woody would punch his players..and was questioned about hitting Tatum...they said he hit the guy NEXT to Tatum..ha ha...Tatums coverage of receivers included them dropping balls when they "heard his footsteps"...I saw Tatum hit a opposition QB on a safety blitz and when he hit the guy full out, the ball went 20 feet into the air, and the guy lay writhing on the ground for 5 minutes before they could get him up....surprisingly the guy came back to play the 2nd half, but when questioned later, he never remembered the hit, or playing in the 2nd half. Tatum was just an animal on Defense,,and there has never been another player I have seen dressed in a Buckeye uniform to equal him!

Tatum's quote "My hits border on felonious assault " says it all.

More of an absolute sure tackeler than a "boom out go the lites" hitter.

Jack!

If you are talking about blowing up a ball carrier it is Tatum without question. My reference to Big Daddy was how he penetrated and destroyed blocking assignments.

3 year all american at Ohio State.

Nicknamed the assassin.

He put a hit on a wr in a game against new england that paralyzed the man from the waist down.

In his firs pro football game he knocked 2 TEs unconcious.

One of the most viscious hitters to ever play the game.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I recall Tatum hitting Frenchy Fuqua hard enough to cause the ball to fly back over twenty yards to Franco Harris, thus creating the "immaculate reception." Ironically, the rule at the time was the ball could not be legally caught after being touched by a teammate. Many say Tatum never touched the ball, therefore no catch..... Oh well, that's what legends are made of.
I'm 70 years old, so I might have "misremembered" some of the details (to use a Dubya word).

Anyway - Jack Tatum - Watched him and Stilwagon in person... You could hear the contact in the upper deck....

Big Daddy Dan Wilkerson!.....Fizzled at the next level but a complete Stud for TOSU..... but the most feared of all?.....Woody!

Good Point!.....drafted #1 overall an 13yrs is pretty damn good your right!....

If Tatum played today he would probably be fined more than James Harrison although I think he was a smart enough player that he could adapt and lead with the shoulder pads instead of the helmet and still lay people out because of his explosiveness.