I've been out of town for the past week, so I was unfortunate enough to miss the opening of Spring practice, but fortunate enough to enjoy Spring Break under the Caribbean sun.  For a quick summary of Tressel's annual Spring presser, go here.  In doing my part in contributing towards a topic I'm probably unqualified to discuss, I've thrown together a list of the "big" storylines to keep an eye out for this Spring, which will be discussed throughout the next month or so.  The first topic is perhaps the most pertinent to Buckeyes: How will Todd Boeckman overcome last season's struggles, lead the preseason favorite to win the conference, and most importantly, hold on to his job?

The Boeckman Watch

The last time we saw Todd Boeckman play how a starting quarterback at a decent school should play, Ohio State enjoyed an exceptional 38-17 victory over conference foe Wisconsin.  The offense followed the basic formula that led them to a conference championship: Boeckman would not lose the game, while Chris Wells would win it.  From that point forward, Boeckman failed to put up his end of the bargain in two of the final three games, and in that lone positive outcome against Michigan, his only real job was to turn around and give the ball to Wells.  Overall, against Illinois, Michigan, and LSU, Boeckman threw three interceptions for every touchdown, was completing a significantly less number of his passes, and for all intents and purposes looked like the Todd Boeckman everybody expected to see in September, not January.

Heading into the Spring, Boeckman must work to block out the memory of last season's late debacle, as well as handle the pressure of being the starting quarterback on a likely top-3 team in the country.  He has already been guaranteed the starting slot barring any unforeseen injury, and will have to play at a very low level against all levels of competition in order to lose it.  However, the facts that LiC (LeBron in Cleats) is on his way and Antonio Henton hasn't picked up any discounted entertainment lately should still send beads of sweat down the senior's forehead.  According to Jim Tressel, he and his staff have vowed to try to bring the 2005 offense back (the most spread-like offense Ohio State has had in the Tressel era), and quite frankly, there are many aspects of that offense that LiC and Henton are much more capable of handling than Boeckman.  Tressel knows it, Boeckman knows it, the fans know it.  The only question that remains is if Boeckman can make enough plays with his arm to fend off his much more fleet-footed and dynamic counterparts.  The only guarantee that Todd Boeckman will be given this season is the opportunity to gain control.  He can't afford to play in Beanie's shadow, and will have to emerge on his own if he has any prayer of lasting.

Thus, with the opening of spring practice, I am introducing the unofficial "Boeckman Watch."  It's a simple gauge of where Tressel stands with his starting quarterback.  If Boeckman is in the green, everything is good: the Bucks are winning, Pryor is learning underneath him, the starting quarterback is playing like a 5th year senior.  If Boeckman is in the red, all hell is on the verge of breaking loose: Tressel's heart will want to keep the senior on as a starter, but his head (as well as millions of Buckeye faithful) will be screaming for his rear to take a seat on the bench.  Essentially, Green Boeckman means that there will be no worries this season, yellow Boeckman means not much will have changed from last season, and red Boeckman will mean 2004 all over again.

Right now, as you can see, Boeckman is happily sitting in the green.  Why, you ask?  Well, a new year means a clean slate, and when you're an incumbent 5th year senior in Jim Tressel's system, you're made in the shade.  There's no reason to state that Boeckman's job is at risk...yet.