One last thing on the offense and the play calling then we will move on. I have been going back and forth on the Bucknuts board with a poster who believes that JT runs the entire offense. I contend that he is the final arbiter and signals in the plays but this is Bollmans offense and he is the one that we see JT chattering to on the head set when the Buckeyes are on offense. Every head coach has veto power. No coach is more detached than JoePa but I have seen him step in and change plays. We have all seen what is going on on the sidelines. Someone is in his ear. Maybe JT is not going to listen. Maybe he is going to veto every suggestion that comes down from the booth but I have to think that a different voice in his ear is a plus. Someone he trusts saying, "I think we should go with the waggle, coach", instead of saying, "I agree with you, Jim". That is what I am talking about. I think most would put big honkin' check marks in the plus box beside most of what JT does. If we can just get him to think outside the box with the offense. Just a different voice in his ear. Someone he will listen to some of the time. I think it could help. Think about this. 55 offensive plays in the game for the Buckeyes. What if someone could have gotten JT to change his mind on 10 of those plays. We are talking about 18% of the time. Less than 1 in 5. Step back and think about that. Do you think it would have made a difference? In an game decided by 3 points on a last second score it could be huge. What happens if all he does is get him to change a couple of key plays like running the quarterback sneak with a 6-6 240 lb quarterback. What if we convert one or two of those short yardage plays?

It may not work. Some argue it is pointless. We will continue to do the same things. I am not so sure that better advice will not change things. There is a precedent. Look at the defense. We sat back and Florida killed us. We kept seeing that keep them in front of you style through the USC game last year. After that we saw change. By the time the Texas game rolled around we were bordering on a Silver Bullets attack defense. Luke Fickell, co-DC and an original Silver Bullet, was being listened to more. JT does listen to his assistants. There is so much good about this coach. I want to try it before we start talking about the possibility of a new head coach. Lets try to grow with this one first.

Everyone is writing off Toledo. MAC team. Buckeyes are 25-1 against the MAC. No problem. If that is what you think you need to review the Toledo-Colorado game where they hung 54 on the Buffaloes. The Rockets scored 31 on a Big Ten team (Purdue) already. We don't have the home field advantage that we usually have against MAC schools and I am very worried that we could have a USC hangover. Come in flat. They are suspect defensively, giving up 52 to Northwestern and 38 to Colorado. I think this game could be very telling about the psyche of this team, especially on offense. What I would very much like to see is JT put the ball in Pryors hands and let him get some confidence back.

Playing up in Cleveland is a big recruiting plus as the Buckeyes get a lot of talent out of the area.

I just heard that Jim Cordle has an injury and will be out for about a month. Shugarts gets his shot.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

Comments (16)

...
written by TheMinnesotaBuckeye, September 17, 2009

Cordle out, Shugarts in? Wow. The right side will be interesting to watch.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by mjw1200, September 17, 2009

Whats goin on with morgan williams? thought he was going to be toledo's starter?

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Razorback, September 17, 2009

I think you meant Purdue instead of Northwestern.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by alfey45, September 17, 2009

I'd like to see some of Adams. We all know he has the physical gifts and he was taking many things for granted. He was scout team player of the week so he must be busting his butt. I'm sure a lot of people had heart to hearts with him and told him he was letting himself and the team down. There are players that respond after adversity(Troy Smith, Jermale Hines) and there are players that never get it(Eugene Clifford, Ray Small). We'll see which one Adams is in. I am optimistic but been burned too many times for it to be a sure thing.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Duane Long, September 17, 2009

written by Razorback, September 17, 2009
I think you meant Purdue instead of Northwestern.

I did. I fixed it. Thanks for the heads-up.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Duane Long, September 17, 2009

...
written by mjw1200, September 17, 2009
Whats goin on with morgan williams? thought he was going to be toledo's starter?

I have not heard anything about that. He was such a talent. I hope he gets his head together and makes the most of his talent.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Duane Long, September 17, 2009

..
written by alfey45, September 17, 2009
I'd like to see some of Adams. We all know he has the physical gifts and he was taking many things for granted. He was scout team player of the week so he must be busting his butt. I'm sure a lot of people had heart to hearts with him and told him he was letting himself and the team down. There are players that respond after adversity(Troy Smith, Jermale Hines) and there are players that never get it(Eugene Clifford, Ray Small). We'll see which one Adams is in. I am optimistic but been burned too many times for it to be a sure thing.

I doubt we see him at RT ever. He does not have the mindset or the game for the position.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by beenthere77, September 17, 2009

Duane, tell me which of the following premises you disagree with:

1)It mostly boils down to talent and match ups at the upper levels. Throw in some luck, like ref calls or missed blocked punts.

2)The success of schemes, O and D, are largely determined by the talent skills of the available personnel. The biggest factors being the strongest and weakest links.

3)History is full of successful teams with conservative offenses.

4)Past years' records are only meaningful if almost everything else stays the same.

5)Recruiting is a much more accurate barometer of success, than previous years' records.

6)The Buckeyes' recruiting has stepped up to a whole new level the last couple of years. And has the potential to be just as good the next couple years.

7)This year's team has some obvious weak links, as in a lack of a big talented RB and experience at QB and WR. These deficiencies should be pretty much fixed by next year.

What is the logic of only using the last six big games to determine future outcomes? There is nothing similar between the team that lost to USC and the team that lost to Fla, except for most of the coaching staff. And if that's the indicator we want to use for our sample, why use that particular time frame? This goes back to my main beef with you. You, of all people, should understand how it is mostly about teams' strengths and weaknesses. Yes, Ohio State has had a lot of talented individuals under JT. But when you compare across the board team talent with schools like USC, Texas, and Fla, the Bucks have been lacking until very recently. Now that we are close to being level in talent with these teams, let the judging start.

I disagree with your assumption that JT would rather play conservative, when he feels he has the horses to play aggressive. IMO, he saw in the USC game last year, the secondary, except for a certain safety, had the ability to stay with the receivers. So he then had the confidence to take it up another notch.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Boss, September 18, 2009

Rhetoric of a bar stool .......20/20 vision 5 days after the fact.

Duane you sit at home like the rest of us ?

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Boss, September 18, 2009

where do you get the insight that it was Luke Fickell's voice behind the defense's improvement ? leading the viewer to believe some other coach was holding them back........

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Duane Long, September 18, 2009

written by Boss, September 18, 2009
Rhetoric of a bar stool .......20/20 vision 5 days after the fact.

Duane you sit at home like the rest of us ?

Did you say rhetoric? I hear from you brown nosers all the time about the numbers from JT. You know what they show? Big fish in a small pond. Here are the ones that matter:

Since 2004 OSU is:
24-12 against teams with winning records.
8-11 against ranked teams...

Last two years plus USC this year:
OSU is 10-6 against winning teams
OSU is 3-6 against ranked teams

Now compare that to USC: Since 2004
28-5 against teams with winning records
19-4 against ranked teams....

In Tressel's career at OSU, the only teams that finished in the AP top 10 that we have beaten were:

Wash St '02 (10)
scUM '02 (9)
Miami '02 (2)
Iowa '03 (
ND '05 (9)
scUM '06 (

Top ten teams we have lost to in JT's career at OSU:

scUM '03 (6)
Iowa '04 (
Texas '05 (1)
PSU '05 (3)
UF '06 (1)
LSU '07 (1)
USC '08 (3)
PSU '08 (
UT '08 (4)
And if we assume USC will finish in the top ten we can add:
USC '09 (?)

Giving JT a record of 6 - 10 as Buckeye Head Coach.

In his first three seasons JT was 4 - 1 vs top ten teams.

Since then JT is 2 - 9

Since Troy Smith went to the NFL we are 0 - 5

Against top 7 teams we are 1 - 7

*results are based on where teams finished the season in the AP poll.
*illinois in '07 is excluded because they did not finish in top ten although they went to the rose bowl.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Duane Long, September 18, 2009

...
written by Boss, September 18, 2009
where do you get the insight that it was Luke Fickell's voice behind the defense's improvement ? leading the viewer to believe some other coach was holding them back........

I don't tell anyone where I get my info, let alone a knucklehead like you. You have posted here twice that I have noticed. You are going to believe what you are going to believe. Now put your nose back in its comfort spot.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Duane Long, September 18, 2009

...
written by beenthere77, September 17, 2009
Duane, tell me which of the following premises you disagree with:

1)It mostly boils down to talent and match ups at the upper levels. Throw in some luck, like ref calls or missed blocked punts.

2)The success of schemes, O and D, are largely determined by the talent skills of the available personnel. The biggest factors being the strongest and weakest links.

3)History is full of successful teams with conservative offenses.

4)Past years' records are only meaningful if almost everything else stays the same.

5)Recruiting is a much more accurate barometer of success, than previous years' records.

6)The Buckeyes' recruiting has stepped up to a whole new level the last couple of years. And has the potential to be just as good the next couple years.

7)This year's team has some obvious weak links, as in a lack of a big talented RB and experience at QB and WR. These deficiencies should be pretty much fixed by next year.

What is the logic of only using the last six big games to determine future outcomes? There is nothing similar between the team that lost to USC and the team that lost to Fla, except for most of the coaching staff. And if that's the indicator we want to use for our sample, why use that particular time frame? This goes back to my main beef with you. You, of all people, should understand how it is mostly about teams' strengths and weaknesses. Yes, Ohio State has had a lot of talented individuals under JT. But when you compare across the board team talent with schools like USC, Texas, and Fla, the Bucks have been lacking until very recently. Now that we are close to being level in talent with these teams, let the judging start.

I disagree with your assumption that JT would rather play conservative, when he feels he has the horses to play aggressive. IMO, he saw in the USC game last year, the secondary, except for a certain safety, had the ability to stay with the receivers. So he then had the confidence to take it up another notch.

First, I hope Boss looks at this post. This is how you go at someone when you disagree with him.

Now back to this discussion with an intelligent dissenter. I am going to throw your words back at you,"There is nothing similar between the team that lost to USC and the team that lost to Fla, except for most of the coaching staff." We are doing the same things over and over and again hoping for a different result. That is a definition of madness. You also mention the fact that when JT has the horses. He has the horses. He just won't let them play. We play not to lose. In the course of not making mistakes we miss on opportunities. The biggest difference between JT and the coaches winning national championships now is they accept that there will be mistakes. Quarterback throws an interception? Throw the ball more so he throws two touchdown passes. The game has changed. Big plays and playmakers is the way the game is played now. The points you make, all good points, worked in the past. They don't work anymore. Getting after it, being dynamic, making plays. That is the way the game is played now. The light seems to have come on with the defense. JT let that happen. Now he has to let it happen with the offense.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Chalky, September 18, 2009

Let 'em have it Duane! I am sick of watching Tress' idea of offense. It has been going on for years as players come and go. Wake up people, it is not the players!! Playing not to lose describes it perfectly. At this point how can you see it as a viable strategy? What it looks like now is a vote of non-confidence in your own coaching abilities.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Talking defense coach's
written by Boss, September 18, 2009

Calling the fat mans bluff. Nothing personal. Be a man and take a professional approach to your work and get out there for yourself and interview some folks in the program. Visit practice. Get someone to go on record.

Sad thing is there are fans who read your view points and believe every word.
You have some inside man -- lol. Get all your stuff delivered to your sofa.

Jim Heacock is an excellent coach who has been as instrumental in this teams
defense's success as Luke Fickel.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by beenthere77, September 18, 2009

Now back to this discussion with an intelligent dissenter. Really appreciate the compliment. Can't express the amount of knowledge and enjoyment I get out of reading your intake of the Buckeye world.

We are doing the same things over and over and again hoping for a different result. That is a definition of madness. Madness is winning almost every game where they can match up in talent, especially in the trenches? I personally prefer JT's style of winning those games and losing to superior teams over USC's style of losing to inferior competition and not even qualifying for the big games.

You also mention the fact that when JT has the horses. He has the horses. He just won't let them play. We play not to lose. In the course of not making mistakes we miss on opportunities.
I did't see any of this in the first half. Though I too, was extremely frustrated with the constant Boom into the line on first down, should JT have just ignored how Pryor was locking on one receiver, while ignoring the open ones, in the second half? Or how he was over or under throwing them when they were open?
The biggest difference between JT and the coaches winning national championships now is they accept that there will be mistakes. You really believe these teams winning NCs don't have better talent, especially in the trenches? Fla with their receivers against our secondary, their bookend DEs against our line, LSU's lines against ours. Playing USC without Wells last year. This year's USC game, we did match up. But they made the plays, none of them tricky, while we didn't
Quarterback throws an interception? Throw the ball more so he throws two touchdown passes. The game has changed. Big plays and play makers is the way the game is played now. The points you make, all good points, worked in the past. They don't work anymore.
Then how do you explain LSU winning the NC or teams like Pittsburgh or the Ravens in the NFL?

The light seems to have come on with the defense. JT let that happen. Now he has to let it happen with the offense.
Again, IMO, it comes back to talent. Not a case of the lights coming on but a case of having a solid secondary. And how do you explain the offense under Smith?

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Add Comment