Prior to the 2013 season, Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby was rated among the best defensive players in college football. After deciding to come back for another season at Ohio State, pundits like Mel Kiper rated Roby as highly as the ninth-best player available in the upcoming 2014 NFL Draft. But since then, things have not been going as expected for the redshirt junior this year.
The downward spiral started this past July in Bloomington, Ind. On July 21, Roby was kicked out of a bar and then decided it would be a good idea to try to fight the bouncer when he was denied re-entry. Obviously, this was a pretty stupid idea. According to the police report, Roby was wrestled to the ground by the bar staff and then arrested by local police. The arrest led to Roby being temporarily dismissed from team activities, and ultimately, being suspended for the season-opener against Buffalo.
Since coming back to the team, Roby has consistently been assigned the task of covering opposing teams’ best receiving threat, as he should be based upon his incredible talent. However, his performances to this point have not been to the level we became used to seeing during his sophomore season. Let’s take a look at the numbers for this year, excluding games against an FCS school in Florida A&M, as well as San Diego State, a team who lost to an FCS opponent by 21 points.
We will start out in Roby’s second game back against California, where he had a solid showing with seven tackles, right? Wrong. As a corner, you typically do not have a bunch of tackles unless your man catches a bunch of passes. This was the case on that day, as Roby was matched up against Cal’s leading receiver Chris Harper, who went off for 115 yards on six grabs and a touchdown.
After seeing Cal, the next real collegiate offense Roby faced was against Wisconsin, but they are a power running team and rank 72nd in passing yards per game among FBS schools. So basically, Roby will surely bounce back against a team that struggles to pass the ball, right? Wrong again! Jared Abbrederis’ 10-catch, 207-yard performance against Roby was fifth-highest yardage mark in a single game in Wisconsin football history. All other Wisconsin players managed just 82 total yards receiving on the day.
Against Northwestern, Roby was matched up against a number of players throughout the game. One of whom was Rashad Lawrence, who totaled 149 yards on eight catches. The Buckeye defense allowed 343 yards through the air against the Wildcats.
Heading into this weekend’s game coming out of a bye week, which gives players and coaches a chance to re-focus themselves, a high level of play was expected, especially considering Ohio State’s opponent, the Iowa Hawkeyes, rank 85th in the FCS in passing yardage. Unfortunately for Roby, it was another disappointing day. He was ejected in the first quarter for targeting after an illegal hit on Iowa’s C.J. Fiedorowicz. While the new targeting penalty itself is questionable, rules are rules and Roby broke them. With Roby out of the game, Iowa’s offense looked unstoppable at times, giving Ohio State a serious scare.
Some of Roby’s troubles are pretty unforgivable, particularly when discussing battery charges. And on the field, you simply have to follow the rules, which essentially say you have to hit guys at the numbers or lower. The NCAA and NFL have made rule changes to encourage defensive players to strike lower, and since they seem to want a bunch of offensive players with blown-out knees, you have to adjust your playing style accordingly. Roby has been reckless this year and has put the Buckeyes in some difficult situations.
Roby’s issues on a play-to-play basis are even more puzzling. The cornerback has been playing too soft on receivers, who are then capitalizing on the cushion they are being given for some big-time gains through the air. Since this is typically due to the pre-snap alignment of the junior defender, one would assume that this fault is on the coaching staff. When watching games, it is impossible not to notice the overall lack of aggression the defense exhibits. They frequently line up with just six guys in the box against two tight-end fronts. Soft zone coverage has become a trend for Ohio State. These are things that indicate a coaching staff with very little faith in its secondary. However, it is worth mentioning that Roby is playing under the same set of coaches as he did in 2012 when he earned AP All-American honors. So what gives? Why the change?
Whatever the problem may be, whether it is the fault of Roby, the signal callers, or a combination of the two, it needs to be fixed. If the Buckeyes plan to meet their goal of an undefeated season, and ultimately a shot at a BCS Championship, Bradley Roby cannot continue to perform below his potential.
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