Jim Bollman (Stay calm and run Dave)

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Bollman's boys

Thursday, April 24, 2008 3:01 AM

Eight linemen who played for Ohio State offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Jim Bollman have been drafted in the past six years, a number that will grow if Kirk Barton is picked this weekend.

Cont...

 

[brodybuck21]

that article is wrong about 1 thing. Tyson Walter is actually a Green Bay Packer.

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB3oPblymlc]YouTube - Ohio State Big Ten Football Tour OSU's Jim Bollman[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Anyone Defending the Coach?: There's one every season, a whipping boy for the fans and pundits. Right now, OSU offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Jim Bollman holds that distinction. We would like to officially nominate him for the-Ozone Donnie Nickey Memorial Convenient Whipping Boy for Armchair Coaches and Athletes Award. (also known as the-Ozone DNMCWBFACAA) Voting is now open, but don't look for many of his players to voting for him for that award. They see and hear the criticism, and some are taking exception.

Photo by Jim Davidson
Jim Bollman

"I hate how people have been putting down coach Bollman a lot," said sophomore offensive lineman JB Shugarts.

"The reason all of us came here was because of coach Bollman.

"If I didn?t know coach Bollman, I wouldn?t know who Ohio State was.

"I just want to win back respect for coach Bollman, because that?s one thing that drives me crazier than anything."

Shugarts said the bad-mouthing may actually be bringing a bit of an edge to Bollman's players.

"With all the criticism we?ve been getting, I think we definitely have a chip on our shoulders," said Shugarts.

"The nastiness is there, everyone?s trimmed up and everyone?s getting faster, everyone?s getting stronger."

Shugarts said the extra effort didn't end when summer conditioning ended.

"The O-line is doing extra conditioning every day to get ready for the season," Shugarts said.

"Coach Bollman is one of the best o-line coaches in the country," said center Michael Brewster.

"The guys on the field, we?re the ones that were making the mistakes last year and the year before that.

"He prepares us, now its time for us to really take charge and get it done."

Brewster freely admits that he was one of those guys making mistakes last year, mistakes that have led to the criticism of his coach. Most of those mistakes, he said, relate to being young.

"I felt like I made some good plays, but I also did make a lot of mistakes. I didn?t have a full understanding of the offense so I feel like sometimes I was too hesitant to do stuff, but I feel like I can improve 100 percent," Brewster said.

"The offense is really set in my mind now, it took about a year, but I feel a lot more confident and my technique is better. Last year I was just playing on God-given ability. No technique. I made a lot of mistakes, but I learned from all of them," he said.

What matters, and what is the hallmark of good coaching, is that he improved.

"From the Troy game, where I started my first game, to the Texas game, I feel like I made big improvements," he said.

"It was still nowhere close to where I need to be, but I think it was a good base to start with (this season)."

The-Ozone, Ohio State Football, Wrestling, Softball, Basketball, Hockey, Baseball and More

 

[Buckskin86]

Why is Jim Bollman public enemy No. 1?

In my five-plus years of dealing with OSU coach Jim Tressel, I personally have only heard him use the word "love" when talking about two people:

Troy Smith.....and Jim Bollman.

Yes, THAT Bollman, the much-maligned offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. The guy that takes more darts than anyone else associated with the program since Maurice Clarett.

Yet, when I asked Tressel for his opinion on Bollman, he dropped the "L" word.

I wrote a piece about Bollman that will appear in Sunday's Dispatch. I set out to take a closer look at why he takes so much heat. I feel it's one of the important roles a reporter can fill in these days of instant-reaction Internet discussion -- to go beyond the obvious and dig a bit deeper.

So how does one find out if Bollman is an idiot or a good coach unfairly maligned? Short of being in practice and meetings every day, you look at facts and figures, then talk to as many people as you can about the man.

So that's what I did. I found that Bollman is liked and respected by players past and present. I found that when you look at awards his linemen have received, and how many of them were deemed worthy of being drafted by the NFL, he stacks up as well as anyone in the past 30 years.

Yes, I know all about Orlando Pace. But that was one, incredibly special guy. It's not fair to compare every linemen since then to a player like that.

The offensive line looked bad in the two national-title games, certainly, but did OSU's defense or quarterbacks look much better?

Why is Jim Bollman public enemy No. 1? (Blogging the Buckeyes)

 

[Jagdaddy]

While it's nice if OL win individual awards and/or get drafted, my main interest is in seeing them open large holes for the running game and keep OSU QBs upright for long periods of time. When they do that more successfully, I'll be happier with Coach Bollman.

 

[Jaxbuck]

It really always comes down to how much blame you want to give Bollman for the overall lack of offensive performance during the JT era. Most people don't want to go after Tress so they focus on Bollman. Everything else is just a variation on this central theme.

 

[lvbuckeye]

i'm tired of asking for a good O to go along with our D and ST, so i won't. just win. i don't care how.

 

[Buckskin86]

Ohio State football: Critical year for Bollman's offense
Sunday, August 30, 2009
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Under a wide-brim straw hat, Jim Bollman's heavy brows are furrowed. His mustache is perched atop a frown.

"Don't wait, don't wait, just go!" he barks at a laggard offensive lineman, shaking his head.

It's another day at practice for Ohio State, just like any other day in Bollman's eight-plus years as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.

Despite undergoing heart bypass surgery in 2006, Bollman remains one of the most vocal and spirited assistant coaches. It's only after the players leave the field, in the meeting rooms, that Bollman's softer side comes out.

"He's got a couple levels," senior right tackle Jim Cordle said. "He'll get real intense and yell and get us going, but then he'll go ahead and praise you when things go well, too.

"You can tell when a coach genuinely cares about his players, and he does that better than a lot of coaches. He has a good way of showing how much he cares."

But watching Bollman in practice, you can't tell that he cares about the pressure that seems to be on him this season -- maybe more so than ever.

This year seems to be setting up as a watershed season for Bollman, who has become a fast and favorite target for fans unhappy with: (a) a conservative offense and/or (b) struggles on the line.

BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : Ohio State football: Critical year for Bollman's offense

 

[kippy1040]

This year i hope that the nastiness certainly comes into play for the offensive line. IN so many exerpts and quotes that i have read from the lineman, it seems they are tired of hearing the negatives directed at them. And i hope that they can all come together for the sake of Coach Bollman and prove there worth.

Like shurgart said - he wants to win back respect for Coach Bollman so therefore the O-line has a chip on thier shoulders and in
essence this will bring abit of an edge to the way they can execute and perform. And sometimes the "edge" can be a little to far overboard and a mistake will come into play.

I keep thinking how close the Buckeyes came to winning against Texas. They were 15 or 20 seconds away from a great victory. A good game plan was in order for the whole game but in the end , it was the defense who came up short this time. That game i think was a learning curve for the whole team. Lets hope they can feed off of that and have a great season for 2009.

 

[Wingate1217]

I just saw this over at Bucknuts....under Mr. Bucknut's bucket of bullets (perhaps one of the few things still free over there).....


We are receiving you?A former Buckeye wide receiver, still very close to the program, says this is Jim Bollman?s last year. Done deal. Just catching up with the rumors there?

 

[SCBuck13]

I just saw this over at Bucknuts....under Mr. Bucknut's bucket of bullets (perhaps one of the few things still free over there).....


We are receiving you?A former Buckeye wide receiver, still very close to the program, says this is Jim Bollman?s last year. Done deal. Just catching up with the rumors there?

Wow. Very interesting.

 

[kippy1040]

This year i hope that the nastiness certainly comes into play for the offensive line. IN so many exerpts and quotes that i have read from the lineman, it seems they are tired of hearing the negatives directed at them. And i hope that they can all come together for the sake of Coach Bollman and prove there worth.

Like shurgart said - he wants to win back respect for Coach Bollman so therefore the O-line has a chip on thier shoulders and in
essence this will bring abit of an edge to the way they can execute and perform. And sometimes the "edge" can be a little to far overboard and a mistake will come into play.

I keep thinking how close the Buckeyes came to winning against Texas. They were 15 or 20 seconds away from a great victory. A good game plan was in order for the whole game but in the end , it was the defense who came up short this time. That game i think was a learning curve for the whole team. Lets hope they can feed off of that and have a great season for 2009.

Ooops - Didn't see any of that " Nastiness" on 4th & 2. And the edge i talked about probably was because Navy just pushed our O line right over the "Edge". Was the play that was called from up above made by bollman ? Who knows. Even Tressel said it was a mistake. He remains pretty calm thru all of this. But thru all of this i keep thinking that they (the coaching staff )had to find out what the O-line was all about at this important part of the game. I guess they found out huh? So i guess its back to the drawing for Coach Bollman and Tressel.

 

[Jake]

Ooops - Didn't see any of that " Nastiness" on 4th & 2. And the edge i talked about probably was because Navy just pushed our O line right over the "Edge". Was the play that was called from up above made by bollman ? Who knows. Even Tressel said it was a mistake. He remains pretty calm thru all of this. But thru all of this i keep thinking that they (the coaching staff )had to find out what the O-line was all about at this important part of the game. I guess they found out huh? So i guess its back to the drawing for Coach Bollman and Tressel.

Not sure if that's a lack of nastiness or a play call that was too predictable. Either can make an o-line look bad. :ohwell:

This week will tell us a lot. :osu:

 

[GomerBucks]

Coach Bollman has forgotten more about offensive line play than most coaches will ever know. People want to point fingers at the man because they really don't know who to point them at when our guys seem to under perform. When it comes to knowledge, motivation, effort, and skill as a coach. Bolls is second to none.

Having been his assistant, I can tell you Bolls is relentless in his preparation and looks in every nook and cranny when putting his gameplan together. Also, the gameplan is a group effort with all of the offensive coaches. They meet after practices and don't leave until around 10pm ("nothing good happens after 10" - Jim Tressel) Bolls will go through everything, play by play and get opinions and feedback from the coaches respective to thier position coached. Coach Tressell is also in this process and effort these coaches make every night is more than most could handle. They don't even leave for lunch DURING the day, it is usually snagged by a GA or and intern.

When it comes to the players and people within the program, Jim Bollman can come accross as tough and in his own world sometimes, mostly because he is so focused on the task at hand, but when you do catch him when he comes up for air, he cares about people, he is driven by his faith, and he sets a GREAT example for our young Buckeyes to follow. He is a moral beacon even though he is the first to admit he has had his struggles when he was a young man.

I owe so much to coach Jim Bollman as a man. He taught me a lot in the years I was fortunate to work for him and I will never forget the things he taught me not only about football, but about life.

I would love to see Coach Bollman stay as long as he wants to. I also hope that he can take the time when he retires to enjoy his family and enjoy a happy, healthy long retirement when he does decide to walk away from the game.