2008 vs. 2002 Position by Position Comparison (QB)

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

Cincy's WR's dropping or catching has zero to do with comparing CK and TB as Jr's.

CK was better because in close/big games, he was called on to beat the other team with called pass plays and he consistently did it either by completeing the pass or a big run. It went far beyond the myth of the mediocre game manager that has grown up around CK.

TB on the other hand not only couldn't be even an effective game manager in the close/big ones, he went south and started hurting us with TO's.

The difference in their respective big game performances at the same point in their careers is night and day.

Disagree, agree, agree, agree (sans Penn State).

If a Cincy WR makes one of those plays we are not talking about National Champion CK. That makes a BIG difference in this comparison.

 

[Best Buckeye]

Disagree, agree, agree, agree.

If a Cincy WR makes one of those plays we are not talking about National Champion CK. That makes a BIG difference in this comparison.

If a frog had wings he wouldn't bump his ass when he tries to fly.

 

[Oh8ch]

I am one of the prepubescents who voted for Boeckman - but didn't have the time then to explain my vote.

If you are comparing the 2002 and 2008 teams then IMO you should be comparing the positions - not just the starters. I will take Boeckman, Bauserman and Pryor over Krenzel and McMullen (and two RSs who would not have played under almost any circumstances).

Beyond that - when you are talking QBs you also need to look not at who is the best QB in some abstract sense, but who is the best QB for that particular team. In that regard if I were looking only at CK vs TB I would probably take .... CK in both cases (given that I don't really know what the 2008 team looks like yet). Right now we are asked to compare what Krenzel did against what Boeckman will do - and for most of us that expectations is based not so much on what he did last year, but what he did in the last three games. That said - I honestly think a lot of folks will be willing to change their votes at the end of this season.


I have been taking on the myth of the 2002 team in another thread so I might as well do it here as well. I loved CK. His field management was as good as it gets. But folks go ape over the Holy Buckeye play. "It was brilliant - just brilliant" they say. Krenzel always found a way to win and this was just one more example.

Well, personally when you are playing mediocre teams like the 2002 Illinois and Purdue teams I prefer a quarterback who can find a way to win 31-7. Does it not bother anyone that the Holy Buckeye play - coming as it did at a critical point in the 4th quarter - was Krenzel's 12th completion of the game?

And Krenzel did not go 14-0. That was Will Smith. Well, no, not Smith - Clarett. Well, no, can't give him all the credit either - let's make it Doss. No, not Doss...

Maybe it was the TEAM that went 14-0. I give Krenzel neither all the blame for the close games that shouldn't have been or all the credit for the wins. 2002 was about as team oriented as it ever gets. He did his job and did it well. And his job was defined by JT based on what he thought CK could do. And anybody who thinks TresselBall in 2002 meant you didn't want to blow people off the field when you had the chance needs to help me understand just how his philosophy works.

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

If a frog had wings he wouldn't bump his ass when he tries to fly.

True. All I stated is that it WOULD have had a major effect.

Regardless, I think people get caught up in the NC hype and aren't looking very objectively at this. Everyone wants to give CK credit for pulling us out of the fire but nobody wants to talk about the gasoline he brought to the party.

I think by the end of this year TB has a VERY legit shot of being considered "better." As it stands now? No, but that isn't really fair.

 

[generaladm]

Good points, Oh8ch. The luster of the game winning drives is dulled a bit when you take into account that 21 points would have been enough to win all but two games that year. Had Krenzel been more effective in the passing game, the big plays that we remember him for might not have been necessary. It would be interesting to do a statistical analysis of Krenzel comparing 4th quarter performance to the rest of the game. CK was definitely not asked to do much with his arm. He rarely eclipsed 20 attempts in a game, although that may be an indicator of how careful he was with the ball. I think that if TB and CK were both juniors with one previous start in the '02 fall camp, TB would have gotten the nod.