Spring Practice Day 11 -- There's a Doctor in the House
April 20, 2011
Corvallis, Ore. -
By Anthony Casson
For OSUBeavers.com
Sometimes, the subtle details are the most powerful – like the vicious look Oregon State’s sophomore linebacker Michael Doctor gives his opponent when he lines up for a play.
Midway through the Beavers’ spring practice – already the 11th of the period – Doctor and his body-smashing brethren had a drill with the offensive linemen. In the one-on-one session, Doctor was pitted against junior tackle Michael Philipp. The 70-pound and 4-inch advantage Philipp had over Doctor’s 5-foot 11-inch, 223-pound stature was more than obvious. And yet Doctor prepared his attack as if he was the man in charge.
For a moment, there was a look – two heavily focused eyes flanked by light streams of sweat and centered within the deep shadows of their owner’s helmet. Doctor was getting to that imaginary ball, and no big blocker was going to stop him. He plays like that every day – rotten luck for the person suffering a hit from the Doctor (rather ironic).
“From day one, he has been one of our best athletes at that position, for sure, but maybe on our (entire) team,” head coach Mike Riley said. “He’s got a lot of athletic ability; he did not have the strength and the size that he has today – he’s probably 20 pounds heavier than he was a year ago. But he’s still got that quickness.
“The weight room and the food have been good for him.”
Doctor’s in a solid position to start on the outside for the Beavers this fall. With him and senior Cameron Collins solidifying their roles into the outer spots, OSU fans will undoubtedly notice a speedy and powerful hot spot behind the defensive line. Asked to describe the linebacker core, Doctor answered, “Fast, fast, fast.”
“People know us for being fast, and if they don’t, they need to know that we bring that speed and that intensity. That’s what we’re improving on,” Collins said. “When we recognize a play, we need to make a decision to cut it off.”
In one-on-one conversations, Collins is fun person to talk to. He’s intelligent, calm, and has a humble tone to his speech. But on the field he has proven to be a monster – in the air for an interception, or down low to halt a run. Last season was his first year as a linebacker (from safety).
“I’m so impressed with Cam Collins,” Riley said. Cam brings stability, and he’s such a smart guy. Now he almost seems like he’s been playing linebacker his whole life.”
Both weren’t starters last year, at least regularly, and the middle linebacker position is managed by two players – junior Tony Wilson and junior Rueben Robinson.
“They (the whole group) are playing fast and hard,” Riley said. “Now, there’s also a novice element to this. They’ve got a lot to learn. They have to get used to the calls, the system, so that they can use all that energy and that ability, and make it real in the games.”
Wilson took most of the first-team reps in the middle, today, as he has many times this spring, but Robinson looks as equally able. And that’s where the issue lies – choosing one of two very skilled athletes to take first-team repetitions. Riley plans to make a decision this year, but not in the spring.
“We didn’t define (the position) last year, and we’re still letting them play,” he said. “We really want to give them turns. But when we get into fall camp, we’re going to define this so that we get proper repetitions for the guys that are going to be playing in the game.”
Notes: Fans might have heard the team singing “Happy Birthday” at the end of practice. It was for OSU’s all-time interception leader, former Beaver safety and current graduate assistant Mitch Meeuwsen.
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