What If Urban Was Not Our Head Coach?
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
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Since that turbulent season 2011, we have been spoiled as Ohio State fans. Point blank. Period. Once Urban Meyer showed up for the head coaching gig, we have experienced a ton of success both on and off the field, we have seen it in rivalry games (5-0 against TTUN), and in the recruiting game–and he is still working to improve in many other areas annually.
He took a Luke Fickell led a team who finished 2011 with a 6-7 record and 3-5 in the BIG 10 and flipped it around. A culture change occurred and he even kept Coach Fickell on his staff for a couple of years for continuity purposes–and it worked out. After Ohio State fired Coach Tressel and declared star QB Terrelle Pryor ineligible, it did not look good for the Buckeyes. During the search for their new head coach, there was a lot of uncertainty, but Coach Meyer was a just what the Buckeyes needed to become successful again.
For fans, I cannot agree or stand the fact that they question Coach Meyer’s motives–especially when they questioned him for leaving J.T. Barrett as the starter during 2016 and 2017, with the perceived “better QB” waiting in the wings (Cardale Jones, 2016 and Dwayne Haskins, 2017). You people need to just shut up and let the head coach do what he is paid to do or you’ll just be like the Volunteer fans who ran off Coach Schiano with the mob mentality that you all spew all over the social media waves.
Is an overall record of 73-8 and a conference record of 47-3 not good enough for you? How about a bowl record of 4-2 and a College Football Playoff Championship accompanied by 2 BIG 10 titles to boot? Still not satisfied because you are bent out of shape over a QB. Let me say that we should be excited about whatever he chooses to do, and that is also with who he deems ready to start at QB.
This year Haskins is going to take the reins and he better be ready this year, or he’ll face the same criticism as Barrett did with Tate Martell waiting in the wings. Most people forget that J.T.’s backup was Joe Burrow, and up until he got injured, I saw nothing with Haskins to be impressed with. Intangibles, learning and taking mental reps, and more importantly–leadership skills. None of those traits were present and yet, he could mentally throttle any team with a decent defense.
Since we are so spoiled as fans, let me take the time to say that Urban Meyer WILL retire at Ohio State and that I am proud that he is my head coach. Since we want to take social media pot shots as well, let me play devils advocate and let us say Coach Meyer did not get or want the job and we had to settle for someone else. Here is a short list of candidates that came up.
Bo Pelini, Nebraska
Bo Pelini finished 2011 with a 9-4 record and was 5-3 within the conference–so he probably was never a real threat for the Ohio State head coaching gig anyway. Pelini, a former Ohio State Free Safety was a prime candidate for the job. He was an aggressive defensive minded coach that leaned heavily on his Offensive Coordinators to put up points on the other side of the ball.
He started off really good, but he never got over the hump with his team before being fired after compiling a 67-27 record with the Cornhuskers.
What could he bring to Ohio State? I think he could transform them into a winner, but like Nebraska, that hump would prove to be too much for him to stay as the head coach at Ohio State. Expectations would run him out of town in the same manner, but since we are spoiled anyway 9-win seasons will earn him the angst and the axe at Ohio State.
Chris Petersen, Boise State
Chris Petersen was one of my favorites after compiling a wildly successful career at Boise State. Petersen went 92-12 overall and he dominated the Mountain West Conference finishing 56-7.
He is also famously known for the Statue of Liberty play that defeated the Oklahoma Sooners and he has also beaten a few Power 5 Conference teams in Arizona State, Utah, and Washington–so he would have been a proven winner and a take at Ohio State.
He fits schematically and he would have been fun to watch at Ohio State, where he has an endless supply and a great mix of facilities, education, and the recruiting tactics would be the only question mark. He has yet to sign a top-notch team at Washinton, but his games would be fun to watch because he isn’t afraid to run a trick play or two.
Jon Gruden, NFL Commentator
Jon Gruden was enjoying life as a Broadcaster with ESPN for NFL games. A lot of people were thinking or holding out hope for Chucky to become the next head coach of Ohio State–and it would have taken a lot to get him to go down a level after winning a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He coaches the defense and he was a pretty good play caller, but I am not quite sure with the offensive side of the ball. He normally leaned on the Running Backs and luckily at Ohio State they had a bruiser named Carlos Hyde and Boom Herron. They also had a pretty good defense with Bradley Roby and Ryan Shazier, which would have anyone excited over coaching this team.
Sadly, like Petersen, I don’t have a clue if he knew or was willing to do the recruiting necessary to be successful because that is the lifeblood of any program. He would win a fair share of game, but would it translate to winning recruiting battles and winning the big rivalry games? I don’t think so, but it is sure fun to speculate.
Greg Schiano, Rutgers
Greg Schiano was another rising candidate for the job after leading the Rutgers programs to newer heights. He was available and he was ready for the challenge of becoming a head coach at the next level, for the Tampa Bay Buccanneers. He was ill-equipped for it after laster a single season in the NFL.
If he chose to remain in the CFB ranks and if he has a shot at the Ohio State job, he would have had access to many resources to rebuild the Buckeyes into a threat once again. He is known for his work with Defensive Backs and since he’s been at Ohio State, he has been helping in the development of these young men.
Offensively would be the biggest question because he has always been dependent on his defenses while the offenses put up points to maintain the lead. The type of athletes that Ohio State attracts would easily put these questions to rest and with the right hire as the offensive shot caller, it could be a great match. Would he sustain the success? We won’t know, but it is fun to have him on our current staff.
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Bob
Stoops would be the best candidate to sign. He is originally from Ohio and he has a proven track record at Oklahoma and in the Big 12.
This would have been a difficult pull, but if it did happen, the BIG 10 would have burned down because he would keep his foot on the pedal until the clock hit zeroes. Sure, it would run a lot of the head coaches the wrong way, but it isn’t like Coach Meyer doesn’t do that occasionally too.
Coach Stoops would have inherited Braxton Miller and a lethal collection of weapons on offense. The defense was also good, with Shazier and Roby roaming around, so there is virtually no real concern for him. Another huge plus is that he can recruit his tail off. This would have been a near perfect hire if Coach Meyer wasn’t ready to lead another team on Saturdays.
So, in conclusion, we should always be thankful for what we have right now because good things don’t last forever. You can be a fan and have your opinion, but it gets tiresome when just because you perceive something to be something it is not, you throw fits and complain–you argue tooth and nail until your opinion is heard or mutually agreed on.
We have a great coach who knows what is best for his team and moving forward, just be a fan. I know that we all cannot be happy, but I am happy with double-digit wins each season and a good bowl game. I am happy that he can recruit his tail off and that he has the capability to recruit the best personnel or assistant coaches that make his life and his job easier. You cannot beat Top-10 or Top-5 ranked reasons and recruiting classes because there are other teams that would kill for that type of success. Coach Meyer took less than half the time after taking over and assembled an impressive recruiting haul with less than half the time.
It is rare that a coach that can do all these things while still focusing on the future of these kids with the real-life Wednesdays–you can’t beat it. The most important thing is the kids and if a coach can connect on more of a personal level and he can reach their untapped potential at the same time, he’s a keeper for sure.
We should be proud as a fanbase, but it’s not always gonna be perfect for everyone. I am proud of what Coach Meyer has done and I will continue to be that way and loyal no matter what. The fakes will be exposed and as much as I would like to kick them out, I will just let things play out and enjoy the success. We could always have it worse, but some people cannot see past the negatives. GO BUCKS!!!
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