Football
D'Andrea Working to Live Up to the Hype
By John Porentas
He was, among other things, the second coming of Andy
Katzenmoyer, a can't-miss prospect, an impact player. He was D'Animal.
The recruiting hype that followed Mike D'Andrea to
Ohio State last fall insured that he arrived in Columbus with expectations
that only a few people could fill, people like say Superman, or
maybe Spiderman.
Superman and Spiderman, unfortunately, are make-believe,
but big time college football isn't. It's grounded in reality, and
the reality was, Mike D'Andrea wasn't quite ready for big time college
football despite prodigious physical talent. Mike simply did not
yet have the football savvy and technique it takes to make the kind
of impact last season that some said he would.
"It's
been humbling," said D'Andrea following OSU's first scrimmage
last Saturday, "but I think that's what I needed."
D'Andrea admits that despite his efforts to the contrary,
the hype got to him, and may have affected his ability to progress.
"I try not to read the papers, to pay attention
to that stuff. I heard it all (Katzenmoyer comparisons) and I just
try not to pay attention to it, but you hear it so it goes through
your head and everything," D'Andrea said.
"I think last year I did put a little too much
pressure on myself. When you have people coming up to almost every
day saying certain things, you hear it," he said.
The hype that surrounded D'Andrea stemmed from his
physical abilities, abilities that certainly exist. He is big, he
is fast, he is extremely strong. He didn't disappoint anyone, including
himself, physically.
"I was pretty happy with how I stacked up physically.
I really didn't get it too much done mentally," D'Andrea said.
D'Andrea does not come off as a swellhead. To the
contrary, Mike D'Andrea gives the impression that he's personally
very level headed. But he's also young, and young people sometimes
have trouble dealing with unrealistic hype. To his credit, D'Andrea
has seems to have come to grips with it all and is working to become
the player he can be.
"I definitely feel a lot more comfortable out
on the field," said D'Andrea of his performance thus far this
spring.
"I studied my playbook and worked on my feet
a lot in the off season. I was talking to my roommate the other
day, telling him that the first year was kind of a shock. I wasn't
really ready or used to anything. Now, it almost feels like I'm
back in high school playing again because it's a lot easier for
me now," he said.
"The game is starting to slow down for me. I
think that comes from knowing your full assignment. I've still got
to work on it. I still have to work on my plays and footwork, but
it's coming a lot better I think," he added.
D'Andrea is working hard to improve himself this spring,
but admits to some frustration last fall stemming from the expectations
of him.
"I think I was in too much of a rush or hurry
to just get in there and try to continue what I did in high school,"
he said.
D'Andrea is pleased with his personal progress this
spring.
"I think it (spring) is going a lot better than
I had thought. I'm a lot more comfortable with my plays and I think
my footwork has gotten a lot better. But then again, in the scrimmage
the other day I had a couple of mistakes. I'm not anywhere near
perfect or close to where Matt was last year. I've still got a long
way to go. As of right now, I feel a lot better than in the fall,"
D'Andrea said.
"I think the reason everyone says its so much
faster when they first come in, they're just as fast as other people,
they're just not used to the mental side of it. If you have to think
before you run, then it's a lot different than if you're just reacting,"
said D'Andrea.
D'Andrea is a work in progress. The key is that he
is progressing, and he's working very hard at doing so.
"I'm trying to understand the whole, entire defense
now, now that I've got my position down a little bit I'm trying
to learn what someone beside me is doing so it happens a little
easier."
"Actually, this year right now in spring practice,
Coach Snyder the linebacker coach is having us do little tests every
day before practice and we have to fill in what everyone on defense
is doing. That's a lot better than before. In high school, you just
run to the ball basically. It's real different," he said.
"I'm trying to watch film and study every day,
so I'm trying to improve every day. For me to be 'there' all the
way, I need to now what every single person is doing on every play,
know the defense inside out so I can get myself to a point where
I don't have to think at all, I can just react."
D'Andrea has heard the rumors that he is being looked
at as perhaps a defensive end now, rumors that bring a bit of a
chuckle. He is a linebacker and intends to remain one.
"I think I'm real happy right now with playing
linebacker. I've heard defensive end talk. What Coach Snyder did
when we had our meeting with the winter, and he wants all the linebackers
to learn two positions. I think A. J. is doing both Sam and Will.
They had me do Mike and the Viper position which is in nickel, I'm
either at the linebacker or at the rush end."
That arrangement would be a good one for D'Andrea,
allowing him to stay on the field when a the linebacker comes off
the field in nickel situations.
For now, he wants to concentrate on improving, and
demonstrating that improvement to the coaching staff.
"In some ways spring ball is more important than
summer ball, because what you do in spring ball, they have three
or four months to review and see what's really going to happen next
season," he commented.
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