HINYG8
You never come back from Copperhead Road
It was a strange off season, even for Buckeye fans who have grown accustomed to being in the media hot seat. If Urban Meyer's shoe came untied and the press saw it..they ran a story claiming Urban can't tie his shoes so he hates America. Hyde punched a girl into unconsciousness because she wouldn't dance with him and Roby went Rambo on an army of out manned bouncers in Bloomington while forcing his way back into a bar. It seems that even when the waters around the program are relatively calm..the press is going to create waves to keep us from being comfortable. It comes with the territory..success breeds contempt. Ask Notre Dame fans....well...old Notre Dame fans. Ask Yankee fans. Ask Alabama fans. Ask Manchester United fans. Ask yourself how you feel about those teams and the entire SEC. These days people love to hate a winner. Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes are clearly winners...so we have to suffer our detractors. I'm good with it. No one talks about mediocre teams. No one cares what the head coach at Purdue did this weekend. I'd rather hear their lamentations than enjoy the silence that accompanies mediocrity. Let's not get too comfortable Buckeyes....let's keep raising the frustration of our rivals...let's invite their questions and hollow accusations because the catalyst for their attacks is our success. I'm beyond good with hearing the cheap shots and the empty rationalizations. It means we matter...it fuels us to not get comfortable and rest on our achievements..it gives us something to prove.
Meanwhile..the same press that seems to have confused 'sports journalism' with the National Enquirer was busy proclaiming Ohio State as the clear favorite to displace the SEC at the top of the college football food chain. It would require Ohio State to win 25 games in a row to get a shot. A daunting challenge for any team. But OSU barley survived Purdue last year...made a miracle play at the goal line to stop Wisconsin. Can a team that couldn't put away Indiana really dream of winning 25 straight?
You bet your ass we can.
Every dynasty has their close calls.. and the difference is the teams that don't get complacent and comfortable with their success remain appreciative and aware of it's value. I saw those games...we looked beatable...we coulda, shoulda, woulda lost.....but we didn't. It had a familiar refrain..it looked and sounded a bit like 2002 when we just flat out refused to lose. This team has that same feel. It could come off the tracks in an instant..but all of that second guessing..all of those hollow accusations about our coach, our program, and this team.. the negativity is a power source that puts energy and intent in their preparations. They are not comfortable..they are being second guessed, doubted, and slandered. There is no comfort in the fishbowl.
But 25?
In a row?
Why not. It is a lot to ask...and would be an incredible run...but break the schedule down and it looks manageable.
If your dreams do not challenge you..they are not big enough. We are not built for comfort. We are built to strive...battle....and compete. There isn't a game we shouldn't win on the schedule. It sounds big....sometimes it seems too big. But let's push our expectations and our known boundaries. Urban does it to himself and the team. Every day. The only true security for a team with this level of detractors and expectations comes from winning..because the doubters are waiting for us to slip. They are right behind us..right on our heels clamoring for a chance to take a bite. But they are behind us for a reason...and winning will keep there. At Ohio State...comfort and marginal results are not in the equation. There are intense demands, expectations and pressures... and that is the stage for this team each and every day. Every rep. Every moment. On the field..off the field....the world is watching. Don't get comfortable...don't give them anything to chew on except the bitter taste of their misplaced hope that we will fail.
"Unhappiness does not arise from the way things are, but rather from a difference in the way things are and the way we believe they should be. Comfort is an illusion. A false security bred from familiar things and familiar ways. It narrows the mind, weakens the body, and robs the soul of spirit and determination.
Comfort is neither welcome nor tolerated here."
The pic is from Josh....you are da man..can't wait to see what you capture this season!
Meanwhile..the same press that seems to have confused 'sports journalism' with the National Enquirer was busy proclaiming Ohio State as the clear favorite to displace the SEC at the top of the college football food chain. It would require Ohio State to win 25 games in a row to get a shot. A daunting challenge for any team. But OSU barley survived Purdue last year...made a miracle play at the goal line to stop Wisconsin. Can a team that couldn't put away Indiana really dream of winning 25 straight?
You bet your ass we can.
Every dynasty has their close calls.. and the difference is the teams that don't get complacent and comfortable with their success remain appreciative and aware of it's value. I saw those games...we looked beatable...we coulda, shoulda, woulda lost.....but we didn't. It had a familiar refrain..it looked and sounded a bit like 2002 when we just flat out refused to lose. This team has that same feel. It could come off the tracks in an instant..but all of that second guessing..all of those hollow accusations about our coach, our program, and this team.. the negativity is a power source that puts energy and intent in their preparations. They are not comfortable..they are being second guessed, doubted, and slandered. There is no comfort in the fishbowl.
But 25?
In a row?
Why not. It is a lot to ask...and would be an incredible run...but break the schedule down and it looks manageable.
If your dreams do not challenge you..they are not big enough. We are not built for comfort. We are built to strive...battle....and compete. There isn't a game we shouldn't win on the schedule. It sounds big....sometimes it seems too big. But let's push our expectations and our known boundaries. Urban does it to himself and the team. Every day. The only true security for a team with this level of detractors and expectations comes from winning..because the doubters are waiting for us to slip. They are right behind us..right on our heels clamoring for a chance to take a bite. But they are behind us for a reason...and winning will keep there. At Ohio State...comfort and marginal results are not in the equation. There are intense demands, expectations and pressures... and that is the stage for this team each and every day. Every rep. Every moment. On the field..off the field....the world is watching. Don't get comfortable...don't give them anything to chew on except the bitter taste of their misplaced hope that we will fail.
"Unhappiness does not arise from the way things are, but rather from a difference in the way things are and the way we believe they should be. Comfort is an illusion. A false security bred from familiar things and familiar ways. It narrows the mind, weakens the body, and robs the soul of spirit and determination.
Comfort is neither welcome nor tolerated here."
The pic is from Josh....you are da man..can't wait to see what you capture this season!
