(Duplicate) Defensive Coordinator Luke Fickell (official thread)

[Onebuckfan]

Cooper didn't even know half of the players names.

That may have been a good thing....he wasn't trying to save the world

 

[bassbuckeye07]

Cooper didn't even know half of the players names.

Great strategy....gives you deniable plausability

Random student:"hey coach Butler By'note is driving a new car"

Cooper: Huh? I'm trying to find Buckeye stadium

 

[CHU]

Is the fact that they mistakenly put "Luck" Fickell on their CBS Sports poll a Freudian slip or something? Luke and Luck are one letter off, but not really close.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...yes-would-be-fickle-to-not-stick-with-fickell

Luke Fickell is my guy. He should be your guy, too, Bucknuts. Ohio State's post-Tressel, Hazmat expert -- you can also call him interim coach -- scored the program's first points of the season this week when he admitted to not taking Terrelle Pryor's calls.
After watching Fickell's presser on Monday, I'm all in. You want discipline? You start by shunning the entitled rogue who put the program in this bind.

 

[Nicknam4]

Is the fact that they mistakenly put "Luck" Fickell on their CBS Sports poll a Freudian slip or something? Luke and Luck are one letter off, but not really close.

Return of the Luckeyes?

 

[WolverineMike]

Buckeyes interim coach faces tough decisions

By RUSTY MILLER, AP College Football Writer 30 minutes ago

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)—With the dark clouds of an NCAA investigation and impending player suspensions hovering over the program, Ohio State interim coach Luke Fickell doesn’t know exactly what he’ll have to work with this fall.


All he knows is there are difficult times ahead.


“It’s a daily grind,” he said earlier this week in his first solo public appearance as the interim. “We’re not going to worry about the hypotheticals. We will attack those situations as they arise.”


Jim Tressel’s 10-year reign as coach ended when he was pressured to resign on May 30 due to a drip, drip, drip of alleged NCAA violations. Tressel knew some of his players broke NCAA rules and, contrary to his contract and NCAA bylaws, did not report them to his superiors.
Ohio State head coach Luke Fic…
AP - Jun 13, 4:18 pm EDT

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Five players were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for trading signed memorabilia for cash and discounted tattoos. One of those five, three-year starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor, gave up his senior season last week while in the vortex of the NCAA probe. He has since hung his hopes on being taken in a possible supplemental NFL draft later this summer.


Ohio State has an Aug. 12 date with the NCAA’s committee on infractions. The NCAA could void the 2010 season and accompanying sixth straight Big Ten championship, hand down a postseason ban for one or more years, suspend more players and even restrict recruiting. It could also let the current sanctions stand.
While those issues are resolved, Fickell, who holds the Ohio State record with 50 consecutive starts as a nose tackle from 1993-96 under coach John Cooper, will have decisions to make on the field and in the locker room.


Others are watching closely.


“He’s a great guy,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “We played at the same time in the league. I have the utmost respect for him as a player. He was tough, physical, just a great player, and that’s the way his linebackers and his players have always played for him. He’ll do a great job.”
Perhaps the primary personnel matter facing Fickell, who is working on a two-year contract but only guaranteed one season as interim, is the situation at quarterback.
With Pryor gone, the Buckeyes are left with four candidates for the job. Two have seen scant action, two others have never played in a college game. Fifth-year senior Joe Bauserman, who turns 26 midway through the year, is vying with redshirt sophomore Kenny Guiton, redshirt freshman Taylor Graham and prized recruit Braxton Miller to take Pryor’s place.


Each threw a touchdown pass in the spring game. Tressel seemed to be leaning toward the youngest, Miller.
But now, the race is wide open.


“We’ve got four great guys. They’re going to be competitive,” Fickell said. “(We’ll) put them out there to give them their opportunities and see who can raise their level of competition and compete and who we can count on.”
The elevation of Fickell (and Tressel’s departure) means there’s a hole on the coaching staff.
Fickell spent the past six years in charge of linebackers and as co-defensive coordinator. It appears that a defensive assistant will be hired, but roles and responsibilities may be shifted.


Fickell said he will work with both sides of the ball. But he’ll still let the offensive coaches call plays.


That wasn’t necessarily what fans wanted to hear. They have long been critical of what they deem an overly conservative attack under the direction of Tressel and nominal offensive coordinator Jim Bollman. “Tresselball” meant kicking field goals, playing field position and hoping the defense made stops to win.
“Coach Bollman has been our offensive coordinator here for 10 years now,” Fickell said. “I don’t see anything changing.”


Over the Tressel era, the Buckeyes followed their three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust roots and were mostly a rushing team. That’s another thing that won’t change, even though leading ground-gainer, Daniel “Boom” Herron, is one of the players suspended through the Oct. 1 Big Ten opener at home against Michigan State.
In his stead, Jordan Hall, Jaamal Berry, Rod Smith and Carlos Hyde will divide up the carries.
Since the quarterbacks are largely unproven as passers, look for the Buckeyes to run and then run some more.
“If we have three tailbacks, maybe three tailbacks will be out there,” Fickell said. “We all know we’re going to play to our strengths. We’ll find out what those strengths are come fall camp.”


One of the biggest tasks facing the revised staff will be handling the roller-coaster emotions of the 100 or so on the team. All will be trying to make an impression and climb the depth chart. Some may start for the first five games and then find themselves standing on the sidelines while a suspended player gobbles up all their playing time.
It’s not an easy juggling act, keeping everyone motivated and happy while remembering that some of the most decorated players had a hand in bringing shame to the program. There will undoubtedly be some ill will in the locker room.


Fickell elected not to discuss that touchy situation.


“There are some things that we probably would keep internally,” he said. “That’s one of those things that inside a family we ask guys to have respect for one another and help each other out. That’s something within our family we’ll handle.”
AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman in Chicago contributed to this report.
Rusty Miller can be reached at http://twitter.com/rustymillerap

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-fickellsbuckeyes

 

[WolverineMike]

I had no idea Bauserman was 26!

 

[SmoovP]

Curious about y'alls opinion...

Will it be held against Coach Fickell that he is part of the Tressel staff?

In other words, do you think the AD and PTB will want to clean house after the season is over? Do they want an entirely new staff and a clean break from the Tressel regime?

Has the decision already been pretty much made, or will Coach Fickell get a fair shot at winning the job on the field?

If so, how many wins will it take to win the job outright?


Granted, I'm not the world's biggest B10 fan, but in looking at your schedule it looks to me as if - all things considered - a 9 win season would be the bare acceptable minimum for him to get the job outright.


What y'all think?

 

[Nicknam4]

Curious about y'alls opinion...

Will it be held against Coach Fickell that he is part of the Tressel staff?

In other words, do you think the AD and PTB will want to clean house after the season is over? Do they want an entirely new staff and a clean break from the Tressel regime?

Has the decision already been pretty much made, or will Coach Fickell get a fair shot at winning the job on the field?

If so, how many wins will it take to win the job outright?


Granted, I'm not the world's biggest B10 fan, but in looking at your schedule it looks to me as if - all things considered - a 9 win season would be the bare acceptable minimum for him to get the job outright.


What y'all think?

I personally have no idea yet, a lot of that depends on what happens in august.

 

[jwinslow]

Will it be held against Coach Fickell that he is part of the Tressel staff?

I've wondered that for awhile.

Has the decision already been pretty much made, or will Coach Fickell get a fair shot at winning the job on the field?

The "not yet" decisions have already been relayed. If one of their candidates wanted the job, they would have been announced already.

As it stands, no one (including the NCAA) knows what OSU will be like after August 12th. If they get destroyed, then Fickell will get a fair shot because of mild interest. If they get 10 scholarships, 1-2 year bowl ban, vacated wins, the job suddenly becomes a lot more attractive to the Urban Meyer's of the world.

Barring a 12 win season and no strong suitors, I don't think he can play himself into the position.

The real shame is he can't even audition as a recruiter (where he is excellent and the perfect guy to rep family & values in the wake of this) without a contract to back him up.

Granted, I'm not the world's biggest B10 fan, but in looking at your schedule it looks to me as if - all things considered - a 9 win season would be the bare acceptable minimum for him to get the job outright.

Losing to MSU even without those 4 would still be pretty disappointing. OSU without the suspended 4 is still better than 10 big ten teams.

9 wins might be acceptable with the turmoil, but wouldn't be impressive. He needs a minimum of 10-11 to even get considered imo, and that's if the 12-13 win coaching candidates don't want the job first :(

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Barring a 12 win season and no strong suitors, I don't think he can play himself into the position.(

I cannot disagree more. Tressel went 11-2 in 2009, and that was with no distractions...no one was clamoring for his resignation. Now Fickell inherits a team facing major sanctions and with its offense gutted by the loss of its starting QB, RB, WR, and a lineman for the first five games, and now he has to go 12-1 to keep the job? I think that the job is his if he goes 11-2 or better, regardless of who says they're interested...yes, even Urban Meyer. 10-3 would likely be enough, provided to whom those 3 loses were (obviously not to Michigan) and how well they played as a whole throughout the season.

 

[jwinslow]

I cannot disagree more.

There's a big difference between what is reasonable and what is enough to secure one of, if not THE, top job in college football with nothing else on his resume as a HC.

The team is also going to be incredibly motivated this year because of the hatred, turmoil and attempts to take them down. While he will deserve credit for focusing them through that stretch, an interim coached game/season is a lot different than a typical year.

Tressel went 11-2 in 2009, and that that with no distractions...no one was clamoring for his resignation.

As a playcaller they were.

I cannot disagree more. Tressel went 11-2 in 2009, and that that with no distractions...no one was clamoring for his resignation. Now Fickell inherits a team facing major sanctions and with its offense gutted by the loss of its starting QB, RB, WR, and a lineman for the first five games, and now he has to go 12-1 to keep the job?

First of all, 1 of those 5 games is challenging.

I think that the job is his if he goes 11-2 or better, regardless of who says they're interested...yes, even Urban Meyer.

If they were that keen on him as a candidate, they would give him a 3 year contract instead of hemorrhaging recruits because no one knows if he'll still be there next February.

It took over a week to even have a press conference for him. I think he could do the job, but their behavior has been suggesting the opposite viewpoint.

10-3 would likely be enough, provided to whom those 3 loses were (obviously not to Michigan) and how well they played as a whole throughout the season.

10-3 means going 6-2 or 5-3 after the suspensions. I'm not sure the latter is enough.

 

[bassbuckeye07]

There's a big difference between what is reasonable and what is enough to secure one of, if not THE, top job in college football with nothing else on his resume as a HC.

The team is also going to be incredibly motivated this year because of the hatred, turmoil and attempts to take them down. While he will deserve credit for focusing them through that stretch, an interim coached game/season is a lot different than a typical year.
As a playcaller they were.
First of all, 1 of those 5 games is challenging.
If they were that keen on him as a candidate, they would give him a 3 year contract instead of hemorrhaging recruits because no one knows if he'll still be there next February.

It took over a week to even have a press conference for him. I think he could do the job, but their behavior has been suggesting the opposite viewpoint.
10-3 means going 6-2 or 5-3 after the suspensions. I'm not sure the latter is enough.

Don't get me wrong...I'm one hundred percent behind Fick but I have to agree here...I feel like the BoT has plans and everyone is in a holding pattern. I feel like depending on what happens going forward they may be looking at cleaning house head to toe and writing a big check...Bama is proof that there can be life after sanctions if you go balls to the wall on a coaching hire.

 

[stowfan]

IMHO, the best thing that could happen to the program is Fickell ends up with the job ASAP. When Meyer stepped drown from UF last year, at least 2 players bolted. Imagine what would have happen if Muschamp was facing the same NCAA allegations? For things to have remained this stable this long is amazing to me.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

If they were that keen on him as a candidate, they would give him a 3 year contract instead of hemorrhaging recruits because no one knows if he'll still be there next February.

Uh, he is, right now, an unproven commodity as a head coach, so their using the "let's see how you do first before we make you the permanent coach" approach is the right move. Going 11-2 or better under the circumstances will move him from unproven to proven. I don't think recruiting has been "hemorrhaged"...it has been slowed, no doubt, but not as bad as you imply.

It took over a week to even have a press conference for him.

So? They put him in the position almost immediately after Tressel's resignation...you don't throw an on-the-spot stopgap replacement to the media dogs without at least giving him a chance to prepare.

10-3 means going 6-2 or 5-3 after the suspensions. I'm not sure the latter is enough.

Miami, at Miami, will be tough. We didn't exactly destroy Miami in The Shoe...Pryor got away with several dangerous passes that should've been picks, Miami WRs couldn't catch a cold sitting in a barrel of ice water, and Jacory Harris looked like he was throwing whiffle balls. A loss at Miami would not be shocking. Say we lose a close one there, and thus go 6-2 the rest of the way...a close road loss and a close loss in a big--possibly a BCS--bowl game would suffice to give him a pass.

Keep in mind that the distractions of the last six months or so affects not only those directly involved, but rather the entire team. How well Fickell keeps the ship upright will determine whether or not he's still the head coach for the 2012 season.

 

[jwinslow]

Uh, he is, right now, an unproven commodity as a head coach, so they're using the "let's see how you do first before we make you the permanent coach" approach is right.

A three year Fickell contract costs less than one year for Tressel or Meyer. If he turned out to be a disaster it would be quite easy to go in another direction at his pay grade.

Going 11-2 or better under the circumstances to move him from unproven to proven.

For one incredibly motivated season. If he had left and done that at Penn State for one season, would that make him a done deal as a coaching candidate right now? Not really. It would make him very intriguing but with plenty of uncertainty given the tiny sample size.

I don't think recruiting has been "hemorrhaged"...it has been slowed, no doubt, but not as bad as you imply.

Strobel, Odenigbo, Pittman, Washington and multiple others were done to Ohio State. Fickell is doing an excellent job with what he has to work with, which is a lame duck position and looming sanctions.

So? They put him in the position almost immediately after Tressel's resignation...you don't throw an on-the-spot stopgap replacement to the media dogs without at least giving him a chance to prepare.

I misspoke earlier. It was two full weeks between the resignation and the presser. It doesn't take that long to prep.

Keep in mind that the distractions of the last six months or so affects not only those directly involved, but rather the entire team. How well Fickell keeps the ship upright will determine whether or not he's still the head coach for the 2012 season.

But so will the recruiting, and by the time he has the ship righted and they are out of the NCAA waters (read: perception), many of the recruiting rollercoasters will be nearing the end of the tracks, if not finished altogether.