MililaniBuckeye;1480450; said:
Just read these comments on Keith by Duane Long on his
Duane Long Report page:
I've always had high hopes for Keith...hope he gets his priorities straight, quickly.
We were just talking about Long's writing in the LB '09
thread. After reading more of his stuff, I can say I don't much care for the direction he's choosing with his site. Putting aside some questionable (IMO) analysis of the team and the staff, I find the tone in which he speaks of OSU players off-putting. Much of this comes from his "source", who seems to always find a way to turn one player's success into another's failure (the number of times he uses "never see the field", or similar sentiments, concerning underclassmen borders on absurd.), but it is Long's decision to make those statements public. Some of the comments about players come across as a Great Santini like disappointment at their lack of success (by his standards), as if it somehow affects him personally. I'm particularly repulsed by his willingness to broadcast negative innuendos about players without giving specifics, then trying to dispell any controversy by comparing two Buckeye legends to two dropouts. Just doesn't cut it for me.
Perhaps I'm over-reacting, but Keith struck me as one of the more impressive "character" guys in his class. Lots of things are possible with 18-19 year old kids, but I have a hard time believing that he is on the brink of never playing a down, even before his 2nd fall camp. Maybe he is, I don't know. But to me, throwing a statement like that out there without some tangible support is just providing fodder for sensational internet rumors. I would expect our BP members who have "insider" info to show more responsibility with such accusations, because they generally do. I find such bravado by someone with the name recognition of Long to be irresponsible.
I'm not sure where Long expects Wells to be at this point in his career, but I thought it was reasonable to think he was a player who would not make a big impact immediately, as a DL. Coming in, I thought he needed a good deal of conditioning to make it as a DE. There are lots of factors that affect how much progress an athlete can make when trying to change their physique, some that are beyond their control. Long is ready to equate any shortcomings to lack of work ethic, and points to a few extreme examples to make his case. What were the pre-2nd year assessments of Troy Smith, Tyler Whaley, Antonio Smith, Nader Abdallah? Some players take time to develop. Keith has 3 more years to make a contribution to the program. I do not expect him to be a regular player this year, but I would be disappointed if he didn't warrant some quality spot action. If he's still a non-factor during his junior year, I'll accept the questioning of his (fill in the blank). But I can't stomach "never play here" this early without some major back up.
End rant. Mods, feel free to split this off, if need be. I just wanted to show some support for Keith.
BTW, Milli, I'm not saying you're supporting what Long's saying, just quoted your post.
