Poor execution on offense (with some exceptions) over the last four years points to coaching.
Excellent execution on defense is also due to coaching. Bandito brings up a great point. When was the last time that one of the offensive coaches was being considered for ANY job at ANY other school?
Meanwhile we lose our Defensive Coordinator and one of two defensive coaches every other year.
Lack of execution does fall on the players during games, but why is this lack of execution there at all? Players play the way that they are coached to play. Jim Tressel has a HUGE fault and it is incredible loyalty to those who are close to him.
If the offense performs poorly this week then all the excuses are gone. There is no hangover this week and the players should be ready to eat nails after the beating they took at the hands of Iowa last season.
A bad performance by the offense this year and Daniels and Bollman need to resign to save their friend the pain of having to fire them.
While I'm not jumping onto the clean-out the offensive out-house bandwagon - I am forced to ask...
How far into the offensive staff would such wholesale re-tooling go? To be specific, does your thinking include that close Tressel family member the RB coach?
Further, if such changes are merited for the future good of the program -- WHEN should such changes occur, bearing in mind the present good for the program?
The first seems to me to be pretty obvious if you are of the mindset that the offensive assistants and coordinators need to change, and given the debatable improvements in our running game, then would not Dick's head also be on the chopping block? Talk about a really tough call for Jim Tressel.
The second is more delicate. Changing now would impose a radical strain on the staff, and likely be far more detrimental to the current season, let alone player development. Thus, it seems to me that even if O-coordinator or assistant changes are merited, it becomes somewhat of a moot point for this year.
One also must consider the reins of power -- how much influence does an Ohio State Offensive Coordinator truly have, it is after all often asserted that Jim is THE one calling the plays. Have we actually seen the fruits of a true offensive coordinator at Ohio State since (say) Walt Harris and his ilk were on campus?
In summary, the time for change, if change was needed, was in the off-season. The time for future change, if that change is merited, is after this season, not during the same. Lastly, the question of whether such change is at all merited is thoroughly confounded by the true degree of freedom enjoyed by our current staff of coordinators and assistants to design game-plans and call plays in drives.
