I'd rather a Buckeye just sit out than loaf like some of the guys in the '01 Outback or '04 Fiesta were accused of.
Best of luck in the league, Denzel.
Best of luck in the league, Denzel.
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billmac91
Head Coach
Absolutely this!
Until last year, first round picks would go into bowl season, and play completely substandard to their regular season performances. Why do you think that was? It was the same guys with first round projections, but guys without an "out".
I appreciate guys sitting out now. I'd 100% rather have a guy like Okuduah going 100% all out, than a Denzel Ward protecting his future by playing soft to protect his knees, shoulders, etc. If you're not going to be able to give me everything, just make way for someone else who will. I'd rather have the guy ready to put it all on the line.
Good luck to Denzel!!!! Can't wait to watch him in the league. Glad he was "unselfish" enough to put the Buckeyes in the best position to win. Him playing to avoid scrutiny for skipping game, but play at "half speed" would not have been the best thing for this team. Sitting out was the correct call, and we should respect and even thank him for it.
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Sidney Jones was arguably the #1 cornerback in his class and he was projected to be a top-15 pick in the 2017 NFL draft (I saw one projection at #11, another at #14). After the injury, Jones was selected in the second round at #43.
Malik Hooker, who had the good sense to suffer a major injury after he inked his NFL contract, was the #15 selection in the 2017 NFL draft. He signed for $12.7 million, with $7.3 million as a signing bonus.
Sidney Jones signed for $6.2 million with a $2.6 million signing bonus. The injury cost Jones at least $6.5 million in total contract dollars, maybe more.
Now do you understand why Ward sat out in the Cotton Bowl?
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BuckeyeBiz
All-American
Would have liked to have seen Ward play last night but I respect his decision. Proud Denzel is carrying on the ridiculous streak we've been on of putting DBs into the league and most certainly another first rounder. Do great things my man
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Urban Meyer, Kerry Coombs on Denzel Ward’s Decision to Sit
The rumors started on December 8. That was the day that junior cornerback Denzel Ward was one of eight Buckeyes expected to be made available to speak with the media.
Ward never made it.
His absence provided a hint of an answer to the questions that he was going to face.
With more and more NFL prospects skipping their respective bowl games — and Ward a projected first-round draft pick — everyone wanted to know if he was going to play in the bowl game. To hear his coaches tell it, even if he would have answered the question, it would have only been done with uncertainty. But an uncertain answer in that situation is one that is only going to bring more questions and create more distractions.
So, instead, the media session never happened, but the rumors persisted, and Urban Meyer and the rest of the Buckeyes were adamant that everyone would be available to play in the Cotton Bowl.
Ultimately, the decision was made by Ward to sit out, but it wasn’t a decision that he came to easily or quickly.
“Well, it began after the championship game,” Urban Meyer said. “And I was out on the road recruiting and I come back and a lot of people are pulling — you know, this is an interesting – I don’t necessarily agree with everything. But a lot of people pulling and telling stories, and everybody has opinions and all of that.
“And you’re talking about not a good young man but a great young man. And his mom is not a good mom, a fantastic mom. They were asking our opinion. And it went everywhere from a play to maybe third downs to maybe special teams to he was practicing. And the decision wasn’t made until, I don’t know, probably yesterday. It went all the way to ‘I’m going to play the whole time’ to ‘What do you think?’ So that’s it.”
Ward practiced the entire time, which still didn’t silence the speculation. Cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs prepared the entire time not to have Ward, which was the only way to be sure they’d be prepared for USC’s passing attack.
“I didn’t know officially until probably the last 24-48 hours,” Coombs said after the game. “We’ve had ongoing conversations. He practiced every day. We prepared for him not to play. I mean that would be foolish not to. So we practiced a lot of guys in those roles, which is why I think they played so well.
“I think because they had 15 bowl practices, which is equivalent to a spring, to get out there and get a lot of work done. We talked about individual improvement at the beginning of the bowl and I think that Kendall [Sheffield] and Damon [Arnette] and Jeff [Okudah] all demonstrated that, as well as Amir [Riep] and Marcus [Williamson] who didn’t get to play corner, but played on special teams and got better.”
Entire article: https://theozone.net/2017/12/urban-meyer-kerry-coombs-denzel-wards-decision-sit/
The rumors started on December 8. That was the day that junior cornerback Denzel Ward was one of eight Buckeyes expected to be made available to speak with the media.
Ward never made it.
His absence provided a hint of an answer to the questions that he was going to face.
With more and more NFL prospects skipping their respective bowl games — and Ward a projected first-round draft pick — everyone wanted to know if he was going to play in the bowl game. To hear his coaches tell it, even if he would have answered the question, it would have only been done with uncertainty. But an uncertain answer in that situation is one that is only going to bring more questions and create more distractions.
So, instead, the media session never happened, but the rumors persisted, and Urban Meyer and the rest of the Buckeyes were adamant that everyone would be available to play in the Cotton Bowl.
Ultimately, the decision was made by Ward to sit out, but it wasn’t a decision that he came to easily or quickly.
“Well, it began after the championship game,” Urban Meyer said. “And I was out on the road recruiting and I come back and a lot of people are pulling — you know, this is an interesting – I don’t necessarily agree with everything. But a lot of people pulling and telling stories, and everybody has opinions and all of that.
“And you’re talking about not a good young man but a great young man. And his mom is not a good mom, a fantastic mom. They were asking our opinion. And it went everywhere from a play to maybe third downs to maybe special teams to he was practicing. And the decision wasn’t made until, I don’t know, probably yesterday. It went all the way to ‘I’m going to play the whole time’ to ‘What do you think?’ So that’s it.”
Ward practiced the entire time, which still didn’t silence the speculation. Cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs prepared the entire time not to have Ward, which was the only way to be sure they’d be prepared for USC’s passing attack.
“I didn’t know officially until probably the last 24-48 hours,” Coombs said after the game. “We’ve had ongoing conversations. He practiced every day. We prepared for him not to play. I mean that would be foolish not to. So we practiced a lot of guys in those roles, which is why I think they played so well.
“I think because they had 15 bowl practices, which is equivalent to a spring, to get out there and get a lot of work done. We talked about individual improvement at the beginning of the bowl and I think that Kendall [Sheffield] and Damon [Arnette] and Jeff [Okudah] all demonstrated that, as well as Amir [Riep] and Marcus [Williamson] who didn’t get to play corner, but played on special teams and got better.”
Entire article: https://theozone.net/2017/12/urban-meyer-kerry-coombs-denzel-wards-decision-sit/
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MaxBuck
SoCal, Baby!
I'm not going to criticize Ward, but I'm also not going to excoriate those who do.
Look, Ward made a business decision for the big bucks. I'd honestly have probably made the same one. But when you make those kinds of money decisions, you put yourself into a group of people whose moves and motives are openly questioned by the public. It goes with the territory.
All that being said, I'm looking forward to seeing him prove that tOSU continues to be he greatest cornerback foundry there is. Wish him all the best.
Look, Ward made a business decision for the big bucks. I'd honestly have probably made the same one. But when you make those kinds of money decisions, you put yourself into a group of people whose moves and motives are openly questioned by the public. It goes with the territory.
All that being said, I'm looking forward to seeing him prove that tOSU continues to be he greatest cornerback foundry there is. Wish him all the best.
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OhioState001
Tressel Loyalist
So he could risk being injured during practice but not a game where he may be asked to make 3 tackles? ok
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Buckeye513
Stable Genius
I watch sports purely for entertainment. For that reason alone, I would like the best players to be on the field at all times. I also have absolutely zero ill will towards any player that decides to sit out, be it one game, six games, or an entire season. There are more important things in life than money, but college football games are not among them.
I don't have a problem with anyone that wanted him to play just because they wanted to watch him again or they think he should be out there for his teammates or whatever. The people calling him selfish, soft, and hoping that we don't recruit any more players like him can fuck right off.
I don't have a problem with anyone that wanted him to play just because they wanted to watch him again or they think he should be out there for his teammates or whatever. The people calling him selfish, soft, and hoping that we don't recruit any more players like him can fuck right off.
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sparcboxbuck
What happened to my ¤cash?
Man, up til when I watched Decker hyper extend Jaylon Smith’s knee after the play was clearly over I was was totally in the ‘you gotta play’ camp. After that? I’ll be damned if I ever think twice about a kid sitting out a bowl game that isn’t part of a championship / playoff.
I thank God that Smith is ok; when I watched that play I almost vomited... and he’s a frick’n domer. I don’t know that I wouldn’t vomit for a kid like Ward — especially given his situation with his dad passing.
But, yeah, looking forward to watching another tOSU DB ball out at the next level.
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When players make business decisions a couple times (out of thousands of players who do not), they largely get eviscerated.
When coaches almost always make business decisions to move up to the next level of coaching (at a better college let alone the NFL), they are largely supported.
I'd submit the amount of flak that Denzel ward gets is inversely proportional to the flak that Schiano would get if he ducked out early.
When coaches almost always make business decisions to move up to the next level of coaching (at a better college let alone the NFL), they are largely supported.
I'd submit the amount of flak that Denzel ward gets is inversely proportional to the flak that Schiano would get if he ducked out early.
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bigdog3300
The G.O.A.T.
After seeing Jaylon Smith's life change (no exaggeration either), I won't argue his decision.
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