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Dispatch: Struggling offense has wrinkles up its sleeve

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I know it's the same old song and dance, but we have to give them credit for at least trying to make the offense work. I know everyone's as aggravated as me, but could you imagine how much more aggravated the team is? They were expecting a run at the NC and the offense has let them down. Now's a good time not to be negative, but to try and cheer them on to victory against MSU.
 
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I agree we had this problem for 5 years man, it is not like 1 or 2 bad games, why is so bad to say we need actual changes that will produce results.

BTW, awsome area you are at this time of year. You around Logan, Nelsonville area? Go Bucks!!
 
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it's exactly as I predicted (tho not exactly a very difficult prediction). If MSU's defense comes out and plays a pretty decent mixture of zone, and Troy picks it apart, and we see some less predictable playcalling (but more importantly better execution), many buckeyes will not give anyone an ounce of credit. It will just be the defense sucking. They fully validate horrendous defenses as being a major variable, but refuse to do so when a great defense comes to town. Therein lies a major discrepancy I see taking place.

As I've said all along, we need to improve. But after one lousy PSU game, everyone has forgotten the entire body of work this season. It hasn't been enough to make us happy, but it has not been bad until this week.
 
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Some very valid points JWINSLOW, I am not saying Ohio State needs to score 40pts a game vs a good defense, but is 10 points really in your opinion good defense or not? 20 pts vs SDSU ok (the D got 7). I am sorry but in my opinion no that is not good enough. I think we played great vs Iowa. Maybe what we are all trying to say is we need consistency out of our O more then a mass overhaul. Do we get that consistency with better play calling, or better execution, or what? I think a little of both.
 
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crazybuckfan40 said:
So if you where number 1 and number 4 one year in all of that land at what you do and you were struggling to make your product better but holding the others to worse you would be replaced.
Click to expand...

And we were #20 last year and #15 now when we were supposed to be a serious NC contender. Things do indeed need fixing...you can't rest on 2-3 year old laurels...
 
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Our offense is struggling and has continued to struggle for 3 years now, when does Coach Tressel make some wholesale changes?

Its frustrating to watch a offense with so much talent at the skill positions not execute and perform to their potential.

Ginn has been non existent this year and the offense still does not have an identity or any balance.

One key that could improve the offense is going back to the fundamentals, shrinking the playbook, find things we do well in the GAME, not practice. Also, think about being more unpredicatable on first and third downs.

Sounds easy right?
 
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No easy fix here. The heart & center of this team has been rocked! This game is HUGE on many levels and could have far - reaching karma....
A show - up win & solid O scheme could be the start. Inconsistancy & sloppy performance could snowball into a Detroit - bound Bucks Bowl. Wrinkles up the sleeves are ok; just avoid the warts on the ass!
Troy needs to display an ability to "read" zone coverage for starts.... This kid IS an intuitive gamer, he has a history thats well known now & D's have an ability to read him just as well....
Ted G. has the tools and no one doubts his heart. Hope he has simple, north-south goals in mind...
Coach T. is key as "his" O has much talent yet displayed. By now, I would have expected a spark. Hope the spark arrives tomorrow....
 
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I agree w/ all who say that this problem has been around awhile and needs fixed. But it sounds as though the coaches are now publicly ADMITTING there is a problem and are trying to address it. Lets give them a chance.

That being said, if some BIG changes aren't made this offseason (OC), then I think we have reason to jump up and down.
 
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I haven't heard anyone call for wholesale changes to the offense. I don't expect that, nor do I necessarily want it...unless you count hiring an OC a wholesale change, but I guess that is my wish for next year.

JT just needs to tweak things a little. This offense needs two things:

1. An identity
2. Consistency

These two things are the goals. Now, tweak what you have until you have accomplished those goals.
 
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FKAGobucks877 said:
I haven't heard anyone call for wholesale changes to the offense. I don't expect that, nor do I necessarily want it...unless you count hiring an OC a wholesale change, but I guess that is my wish for next year.

JT just needs to tweak things a little. This offense needs two things:

1. An identity
2. Consistency

These two things are the goals. Now, tweak what you have until you have accomplished those goals.
Click to expand...

In terms of identity - what should we see? Run first, pass second ...spread, I-formation?

That is the big unknown - without a good clear identity there is no way for the offense to achieve consistency.

I'll settle for spread if they run it as a spread. My preference would be to have the feature back -- featured -- out of that type of formation. Meaning give Pittman a good 25 touches pre game. He aggresively hits those narrow seams, and is one player who has exceeded fans pre-season expectations.
Against the Spartans this should be completely possible.
As for the passing game, again considering the opponent this should be a great opportunity to have Troy Smith learn about taking what the defense gives him. Sometimes it may be long (Ginn - post?) sometimes it may be a crossing route underneath, somethimes to Pittman and YAC out of the backfield.
I am not overly concerned if our staple is 5-10 yd initial catches, its the YAC that really counts.

ON one thing we all should agree completely with Jim Tressel, the D has to get turn-overs. We know how MSU will attack on offense. There should be plenty of opportunities to try and get the ball from freshman Ringer, or running QB Stanton. And, when Stanton passes a good pass rush may throw of the timing enough to have one of the DBs or an LB pick him off.
 
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You know, I'd be happy with a non-explosive offense. If this team really DID have Tressel's "mistake-free and opportunistic" approach, I'd be okay with that. Pull your big plays to Ginn and Holmes right after an opponent's turnover, be disciplined and don't commit stupid penalties and don't turn the ball over, and he could run the Iso 40 times a game and I'd be cool with it. I really don't mind a team that wins every week 27-10, even if the score should be higher.

What I *DO* mind is an offense that gives the game away to the other team when the defense has played it's guts out. Our offense LOST the Penn State game. It didn't just "fail to win"...it LOST. Our defense won their battle.

We really don't need some kind of "North Coast Offense"...it won't work in the lousy B10 weather come November anyway. Just give me a big, bruising tailback, an offensive line that gets low, makes it's push and creates holes, a fullback who knows how to lay a hit, and let's go burn some clock and chew up yards. On the days that the QB can't read "See Spot Run", that will get you through. I just don't think that you can get the ball to the WR playmakers if the other team doesn't respect your running game. And for the love of all that is good and decent in this world, can we run a solid playaction?

I really don't think Ohio State needs fancy football. I don't think we need spread options, fun 'n gun, or Texas Tech's playbook. What we do need is sound offense played well, and I don't think we've seen that much.

I have no problem with Tressel's stated goals of balance, execution, being mistake-free, etc. The problem is that it's been missing for two seasons. Instead what we have is a volatile offense that either explodes (scUM, Ok State, Iowa) or blows up in your face (PSU, SDSU).

That probably puts me in the minority. It seems every poster on here has used the phrase "half a hundred" within the past month, or mentioned Rice. I seriously don't care about 70 point blowouts against Nobody State. If you want that, there's plenty of unused Red Raider merchandise on Ebay for you. However, when we can't execute at all against top notch defenses like Texas and Penn State, specifically by turning the ball over and by not gaining yards on the ground, controlling the clock and keeping the D off the field, we have issues.

It's not about scoring, unfortunately. It goes deeper than that, and we're going to be in trouble every time we face an excellent defense. (Iowa's defense was not great, btw. Iowa has some good individual players on a decidedly sub-par overall unit.) Thank goodness that the rest of the slate doesn't contain any.
 
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