mross34
Rock, Flag, and Eagle
Lately, a question has come to my mind. Rivalries and hatred for teams aside, what was the most quality OSU came away from the 2007 season with?
Was it Wisconsin missing their top two running backs?
Was it Penn State, quarterbacked by Anthony Morelli and having just dismissed their starting running back, Austin Scott?
Was it Michigan with a banged up Michael Hart and a Chad Henne that couldn't even play more than half the game?
The more I look back on it, the more grateful I am for the 11-2 record we compiled last year. A lot of things had to fall into place (luck with injuries not the least of them) for that to happen, and I'm not too sure in most other years if that was an 11-2 team. I think it was more like a 10-3 or 9-4 team in a strong year for the Big 10.
But people don't look back on last year's team as a 10-3 or 9-4 team. They see an outright Big Ten champ that played for the MNC. They see that same team returning 19 starters. With those two things combined, people want-- almost expect --to see 11-2 grow into 13-0. But if this were a 9-4 team coming back, people would be thrilled with 11-2 and a BCS bowl victory.
I know attitude has been much talked about recently as a cause for the "slow start". I'm sure it is a large factor. But is it possible the media, and we as fans, somewhat overrated this Buckeye team?
This isn't to say that the Bucks aren't a great team. But all we know about this team is the results they produce on the field, and this team hasn't beaten another great team since Troy Smith was quarterbacking the Bucks.
Maybe we should applaud the coaching staff for keeping such a steady hand through these past two seasons, and beating nearly everyone that they were supposed to beat, which is more than you can say for 95% of the other top schools out there. Instead we're so caught up in our own expectations that we blame play-calling for games we weren't favored to win in? I'm proud to have Jim Tressel as the coach of my alma mater. And if he wants to call plays, he's earned that right.
The best part of this whole situation? As has been stated on the board many times, half of the 5-star prospects on this team are true freshman. And the 2009 class isn't far off. The future is very bright for the Buckeyes. Maybe when September 12th, 2009, we'll be 7 point favorites. We'll see who's still complaining about the play-calling then.
Was it Wisconsin missing their top two running backs?
Was it Penn State, quarterbacked by Anthony Morelli and having just dismissed their starting running back, Austin Scott?
Was it Michigan with a banged up Michael Hart and a Chad Henne that couldn't even play more than half the game?
The more I look back on it, the more grateful I am for the 11-2 record we compiled last year. A lot of things had to fall into place (luck with injuries not the least of them) for that to happen, and I'm not too sure in most other years if that was an 11-2 team. I think it was more like a 10-3 or 9-4 team in a strong year for the Big 10.
But people don't look back on last year's team as a 10-3 or 9-4 team. They see an outright Big Ten champ that played for the MNC. They see that same team returning 19 starters. With those two things combined, people want-- almost expect --to see 11-2 grow into 13-0. But if this were a 9-4 team coming back, people would be thrilled with 11-2 and a BCS bowl victory.
I know attitude has been much talked about recently as a cause for the "slow start". I'm sure it is a large factor. But is it possible the media, and we as fans, somewhat overrated this Buckeye team?
This isn't to say that the Bucks aren't a great team. But all we know about this team is the results they produce on the field, and this team hasn't beaten another great team since Troy Smith was quarterbacking the Bucks.
Maybe we should applaud the coaching staff for keeping such a steady hand through these past two seasons, and beating nearly everyone that they were supposed to beat, which is more than you can say for 95% of the other top schools out there. Instead we're so caught up in our own expectations that we blame play-calling for games we weren't favored to win in? I'm proud to have Jim Tressel as the coach of my alma mater. And if he wants to call plays, he's earned that right.
The best part of this whole situation? As has been stated on the board many times, half of the 5-star prospects on this team are true freshman. And the 2009 class isn't far off. The future is very bright for the Buckeyes. Maybe when September 12th, 2009, we'll be 7 point favorites. We'll see who's still complaining about the play-calling then.
