Ohio State QB Pryor Doesn't Listen To Critics

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- What's brewing today with the 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes ...

BUCKEYES BUZZ: He's coming off one of the best games of his young career, yet QB Terrelle Pryor continues to be a lightning rod for fans. Some believe he'll lead the Buckeyes to the Promised Land, others feel he's an overrated player who should be catching passes rather than throwing them.

Pryor said he is growing more comfortable in the position each week.

"I can throw it around pretty good. Also feel I can stand back there and throw it too," he said. "Whatever the play may be called or however the play is called I can throw it to the best of my ability."

He said he was aware of the criticism leveled his way after he had four turnovers in a loss at Purdue.

"I turned the ball over four times," he said. "I don't want to bring it up, it's a new week (but) we're still chasing our dream. Any time you turn the ball over four times and you come back to your home, of course people are going to be criticizing you, saying this and that, move him to receiver, stuff like that. I'm not going to listen."

Pryor sounded almost defiant.

"I'm just going to come to work and do whatever they tell me to do," he said. "I'm always going to be competitive and always get yards on our first-team defense and always be mad at myself when I throw a bad ball in practice. I'll always be the same. Hopefully I'll just get a lot better in my decision-making. Criticism comes with the territory; you have to let that stuff go by you. You have 10 men (on the field with you) and they have to know that you're up all the time. They see you're down and taking the criticism, they're thinking it's somewhat their fault. I can't let that happen. As a leader I can't let that happen."

QUOTE OF THE DAY: New Mexico State coach DeWayne Walker on what he expects from his players when they visit Ohio State on Saturday: "I don't want to use it as a cliche, but really just fight, and fight for 60 minutes and see where we end up. Don't look at the scoreboard, and don't worry about all the other stuff. Let's just take one play at a time and just fight them."

INJURY UPDATE: Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said before Thursday's practice that TB Brandon Saine is back (concussion) and will start and that he would love to see TB Dan Herron play a little.

He also said two OLs would be out - Mike Adams and Justin Boren. Andrew Moses will start in place of Boren at LG with Jim Cordle moving over to LT to replace Adams.

WHO KNEW? Tressel said Thursday that some think injuries are a result of overworking.

"There are some people that think that we don't give our bodies enough rest," he said.

Asked where he came down on that, he added, "My very unscientific inclination is that we may see NFL careers significantly shorter than we saw them in the past, in part because we've asked a lot of these youngsters to have trained more and lifted more at a young age. They're bigger, stronger, the impact on their connective tissue (is greater), how much can your frame handle?"

He said there are discussions on his staff that perhaps some players lift too much weight or lift too often.

"We have some guys who lift too much, just because psychologically they feel like they've got to get in that weight room on Thursday night," he said. "We had a discussion this morning: do you lock the weight room down on Thursday night? I mean, these guys don't need their fifth lift of the week. Then, (someone says) some guys will whack out mentally if you don't have their lifts."

He laughed and said he would hide behind privacy laws rather than say who those players are.