DT Luke Fickell (HC Wisconsin Badgers)

[Onebuckfan]

I'm warming up to LF as HC if I knew he had an offensive philosophy and had people in mind who would implement it and be loyal to him. If he wants the Prostyle and a power running game I offer Tim Spencer running backs coach for the Bears..he has been exposed to many offensive philosophies and I think he would love the opportunity to be a Coordinator..

 

[BrutusBobcat]

Has LF always been an even-keeled individual as he has shown himself this year? I don't know why, but I always envisioned him as a fired up, in your face, rah-rah guy. I don't know why I had that perception though?

If you check out his HS wrestling vids, even when winning a state title as a teenager he's cool and low key. Very Jim Brown in the sense that he doesn't celebrate doing something he expects to do.

 

[stowfan]

had saturday's outcome been less joyous, i'm afraid that many would perceive that "steady, no panic" look to be instead a "perplexed, helpless" look.

That is very true, and if the Queen "had" balls, she'd be the king

 

[Coqui]

I hate to be bipolar but I do think he is doing a good job. The team is improving when it could have given up a long time ago. Not that it makes up for the defensive collapse but if Miller doesn't get injured I think we beat Nebraska and we look a lot better right now

Miller's injury directly resulted in no break for the defense which got them tired, which caused the defensive collapse. I'm not saying Miller would have scored every drive, but we definitely would not have had only three and outs.

 

[BrutusBobcat]

While Luke probably knows the x's and o's as well as most coaches out there he is not as well groomed public relations wise as most other guys who probably will be considered for the job. I just do not think that he presents himself very well in a public school, i.e. press conferences and may be alumni gatherings. Ohio State football is much more about money than almost anything else.

I both agree and disagree. :) He's been in an unbelievably difficult situation media-wise, and has handled it carefully and conservatively. He's been more open than "Senator Tressel", yet also hasn't committed any major gaffes, unlike President "I hope he doesn't fire me!" Gee, who is both old enough and experienced enough to know better. He's also handled himself better than his boss, Gene Smith.

Even with no "grooming", he is lightyears better than that illiterate hick Rich Rod ever was, he's better than Flounder up at TSUN, he has yet to slap himself in the face, scream at a reporter ala St. Urban, yell out "I'm a man! I'm 38!", appear in a hot tub commercial, complain that his white players are slow, cry, trash talk an opponent, refer to his players by jersey number, tweet from the sideline, scream at his players until he's red in the face, eat grass or ramble on in a senile way that makes you wonder if he knows what century it is.

Frankly, I'll take slightly nervous but straightforward over the antics of supposedly "experienced" coaches who have unnecessarily embarrassed their universities repeatedly with their media behavior.

Having said that, he didn't have the smoothest delivery early on, and still has a ways to go. You can groom someone who at least has the right temperament, and Luke does. He'll get better.

 

[TresselstillownsTSUN]

From what I've heard, Fick is a real fired up guy in practice. I think Fickel knows he so under the microscope that he sorta holds a lot of it in.

IIRC, a player refenced a time when the defense was walking around the practice field and not hustling off. To which Luke said "What are you doing? This isn't a fucking country club, get your ass moving".

But who needs fired up when you have Mike Varbal on the staff. That guy goes hard no matter what time of day. At some of the games I've been to this year him yelling at the LBers before the game has been a highlight.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Even with no "grooming", he is lightyears better than that illiterate hick Rich Rod ever was, he's better than Flounder up at TSUN, he has yet to slap himself in the face, scream at a reporter ala St. Urban, yell out "I'm a man! I'm 38!", appear in a hot tub commercial, complain that his white players are slow, cry, trash talk an opponent, refer to his players by jersey number, tweet from the sideline, scream at his players until he's red in the face, eat grass or ramble on in a senile way that makes you wonder if he knows what century it is.

I think you've about covered it...

 

[UpNorthBuckeye]

I'm warming up to LF as HC if I knew he had an offensive philosophy and had people in mind who would implement it and be loyal to him. If he wants the Prostyle and a power running game I offer Tim Spencer running backs coach for the Bears..he has been exposed to many offensive philosophies and I think he would love the opportunity to be a Coordinator..

I am hoping that they have a formal search period after the season where they talk to some good non-Urban coaches, and as part of that, they should interview Fickell, with the notion that he have the opportunity to explain why he should be retained.

As part of that search process, he would be able to share everything he has learned in his first year, including the fact that it's time to move along from Bollman, or get a couple of assistant head offensive coaches and effectively change our direction there.

Because when I watch Fickell on the sidelines, I imagine he is seething inside at the extreme timidity and defeatism of the Bollman coaching protocol. You know, I can't argue with Bollman's won-lost record, but I believe if it gets any worse it will affect recruiting.

If I was recruiting a talented offensive player against Ohio State, I would just show him video of our games this year, especially Nebraska and Michigan State. You don't have to be Lavell Edwards or Mike Martz to convince a kid that he would have more fun going somewhere else.

I have never coached or recruited so no, I can't back any of this up, except to show the shoe prints on my TV screen.

back to topic - Give Fickell another couple years to show what he is about. And please no Urban Meyer.

 

[Bill Lucas]

Miller's injury directly resulted in no break for the defense which got them tired, which caused the defensive collapse. I'm not saying Miller would have scored every drive, but we definitely would not have had only three and outs.

We stopped running the ball against Nebraska after Miller got hurt. 49 carries for 250+ yards in that game. When Bauserman came in with a 14 point lead it was Hyde for 14, Hyde for 6, Bauserman underthrown bomb for an INT and then Bauserbombs all over the field the rest of the game.

I firmly believe that if we'd run the ball the clock would have been eaten up and we would have won that game. There was no need to get pass happy on the road and we did.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

While that probably is true that most of them have no idea what they are talking about football wise, the people who are probably going to make the ultimate decision have given The Ohio State University in other ways and not just in football or sports in general. This is a big-time university with a big-time athletic program and must be treated as such in there is much more to it than being the football coach.

While Luke probably knows the x's and o's as well as most coaches out there he is not as well groomed public relations wise as most other guys who probably will be considered for the job. I just do not think that he presents himself very well in a public school, i.e. press conferences and may be alumni gatherings. Ohio State football is much more about money than almost anything else.

And Glenn 'Dicky V of the BTN' Mason would have?

 

[stowfan]

While that probably is true that most of them have no idea what they are talking about football wise, the people who are probably going to make the ultimate decision have given The Ohio State University in other ways and not just in football or sports in general. This is a big-time university with a big-time athletic program and must be treated as such in there is much more to it than being the football coach.

While Luke probably knows the x's and o's as well as most coaches out there he is not as well groomed public relations wise as most other guys who probably will be considered for the job. I just do not think that he presents himself very well in a public school, i.e. press conferences and may be alumni gatherings. Ohio State football is much more about money than almost anything else.

TBH, I think if he wins out, he could speak Chinese and everyone would stand there smiling.

 

[chillinvillian]

I have been on the Luke bandwagon from the begining. I would take a few in the middle of the road type years to have a thru and thru Buckeye as a coach for 20.

 

[Saw31]

I both agree and disagree. :) He's been in an unbelievably difficult situation media-wise, and has handled it carefully and conservatively. He's been more open than "Senator Tressel", yet also hasn't committed any major gaffes, unlike President "I hope he doesn't fire me!" Gee, who is both old enough and experienced enough to know better. He's also handled himself better than his boss, Gene Smith.

Even with no "grooming", he is lightyears better than that illiterate hick Rich Rod ever was, he's better than Flounder up at TSUN, he has yet to slap himself in the face, scream at a reporter ala St. Urban, yell out "I'm a man! I'm 38!", appear in a hot tub commercial, complain that his white players are slow, cry, trash talk an opponent, refer to his players by jersey number, tweet from the sideline, scream at his players until he's red in the face, eat grass or ramble on in a senile way that makes you wonder if he knows what century it is.

Frankly, I'll take slightly nervous but straightforward over the antics of supposedly "experienced" coaches who have unnecessarily embarrassed their universities repeatedly with their media behavior.

Having said that, he didn't have the smoothest delivery early on, and still has a ways to go. You can groom someone who at least has the right temperament, and Luke does. He'll get better.

Great post.


I have no idea what LF's future will be, but making that decision after game 1 or game 6 isn't the right way to do it. Need to see the entire season. I say this assuming that this is indeed an audition year. It may be that the PTB already decided before the season even started, IDK. But I hope that's not the case, and that he's getting a fair shot at this.

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

Because Meyer's proven he doesn't stick around. Luke, if successful, would be at tOSU for thirty years. How do you turn THAT down?

Risk you take if he looks you in the face and says he wants to be the next coach at Ohio State.

I easily see where you, and other LF>UM supporters, are coming from but I am of the camp that you do not turn down one of the top 3 coaches in all of colleigiate football for LF because he will be around longer.

 

[Coqui]

We stopped running the ball against Nebraska after Miller got hurt. 49 carries for 250+ yards in that game. When Bauserman came in with a 14 point lead it was Hyde for 14, Hyde for 6, Bauserman underthrown bomb for an INT and then Bauserbombs all over the field the rest of the game.

I firmly believe that if we'd run the ball the clock would have been eaten up and we would have won that game. There was no need to get pass happy on the road and we did.

Except everyone knew Bauserman had accuracy issues. I have to watch the replay, but I'm sure they stacked the box to stop the run and force the pass anyways.