Jim Tressel (National Champion, ex-President, Youngstown State University, CFB HOF)

[JXC]

I really wish we would have pulled it out and beat Iowa so I didn't have to read this crap. Oh well...maybe next year Tressel can coach the team to a Big Ten Championship and I won't have to read this crap anymore.

(P.S. To get booed off the field when you are ahead 10-3 at halftime is a disgrace...If all that makes you happy as a Buckeye fan is a blowout win, then 2002 must have been a pretty sad season for you, with 7 losses and all.)

 

[Woody1968]

I think it really boils down to a trust of the QB issue. 2006, late 2005, 2007, we didn't have these issues because JT trusted the quarterback. The other years were always a grindfest because Tressel didn't trust the QB.

Yes, and 2002 also was a grindfest season.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Yes, and that's pretty much what I said, but you left that part out of the quote.

You mean you disagreed with your own statement? What?

Jesus Kyle, use your common sense. I didn't say we should be fucking airing it out trying to score 50. And I don't think it's appropriate to start running out the clock when there are 8 minutes left and we're only up by one possession.

Just call me Kyle.

No, but you did say passing to run out the clock. Did you not? Maybe you disagreed with that right after and I didn't catch it. Anyway, it's a ridiculous thought. Slightly under half the passes of the BEST QB's toss end up as incompletions. What you wanted was more offense, more passing, etc...and that's fine to want that, but it would be absurd to do that, if, in fact, one's goal was to run out the clock.

 

[BuckNutty]

It has won 7 of 8 times against Michigan, and 92 times out of 113 games.

Tress is supposed to win them all and the team is supposed to look pretty doing it. I'm surprised you didn't know that.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Kyle, I'm with you. Hell, we won. I'm not complaining.

I'm just wondering when Terrelle will have shown enough to be trusted with more of the gameplan. From what I saw yesterday, the game is slowing down for him. That can turn this offense from "serviceable" to downright dangerous. I think the potential for a great offense in the future warrants JT taking that chance every now and then in situations such as these.

I know you're not. I know most of you aren't complaining. I'm just seriously asking these questions because I'm trying to understand the mentality. Not saying it's wrong...it's just not how I'm wired. I understand wanting to have the perfect offense. I just don't know how to make that happen or I'd be making millions. That's not a knock on anyone who questions as much as it is me trying to see where others are coming from.

 

[Woody1968]

Kyle, I'm with you. Hell, we won. I'm not complaining.

I'm just wondering when Terrelle will have shown enough to be trusted with more of the gameplan. From what I saw yesterday, the game is slowing down for him. That can turn this offense from "serviceable" to downright dangerous. I think the potential for a great offense in the future warrants JT taking that chance every now and then in situations such as these.

I don't think he's fully healthy and I don't think the plays down field were open like they were against Penn State. I think Tressel trusted him fine.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Tress is supposed to win them all and the team is supposed to look pretty doing it. I'm surprised you didn't know that.

Unless they win the NC...not just play for it, but win it...then no one really cared how they won...just that they won.

 

[scarletmike]

I love Tressel. I think he's been a great coach and has done some fantastic things at OSU. BUT...over the past few years the conservative play has taken over to a point where it is more detrimental than anything. The only thing that hasn't been overly conservative has been JH's defense, and our defense has payed dividends because of it.*

Trying to run the clock with 10 minutes left and we're ahead by two scores? Why!? You don't have to bomb it repeatedly, but get the ball into the air for some high percentage mid-range passes that open up the field for the receivers to get some major after catch yards. Some nice slants, a screen or two. Don't take for granted that the pass defense is good, make them prove that they are good against your receivers. Show that you believe in people other than the O-Line, D-Line, and running backs. I felt bad for Pryor and the offense on that 4th and inches in Iowa territory. When JT called the timeout I knew what was coming, but I hoped against hope that it was called to draw up a play. But when its 4th and inches, what is there to draw up? You pound it up the gut. Something Tressel knows and trusts.

Once again, I think Tressel has been great for the program, and I am fine with conservative play...when it isn't dragging you down. I feel like I've been watching a program getting dragged down into a shell of conservative playing that makes things easier on the opposing defense for the past two years. When you run as much as OSU did against Iowa, it is painfully obvious when a pass is coming 9 times out of 10 and the defense will be ready. In that kind of a situation the passing game has no chance of success, and the defense knows it. You can talk about it working or not working in practice all you want, but its different out on the field. You won't know if you can have any success with the pass unless you try to have any kind of meaningful success with the pass in the games, when it counts.

*That is simply my (slightly uneducated) analysis after watching two seasons end in major disappointment and a struggling B10 this year where the Buckeyes still seem to have some issues that result from their conservative play. If we have trouble with a troubled Big Ten, what can you expect against someone like Bama, Stanford, or TCU? I'm not putting down the team or the coaches, but I am asking a very realistic question. Feel free to disagree, but know that none of us is necessarily right or wrong.

 

[3074326]

You mean you disagreed with your own statement? What?

This is what I said. Were you 100% sure Barclay was going to make that 47 yard FG he missed? That's why I wasn't confident.

I agree, but practice is a different animal than a 'Shoe with 105,000 people in overtime. We didn't do much to help Barclay. That's a ton of pressure for a kid in his position, and I'm really glad he has ice in his veins. Props to him. I'm glad JT had faith in him, for sure.

No, but you did say passing to run out the clock. Did you not? Maybe you disagreed with that right after and I didn't catch it. Anyway, it's a ridiculous thought. Slightly under half the passes of the BEST QB's toss end up as incompletions. What you wanted was more offense, more passing, etc...and that's fine to want that, but it would be absurd to do that, if, in fact, one's goal was to run out the clock.

The whole point that I'm making here was that the offense was too predictable, and you keep taking my quotes and turning them into something completely different than for what I intended them to be. And with 8 minutes left we shouldn't be doing 90% runs to run out the clock with a one possession lead.

You know damn well what I'm trying to say and you're acting like a little kid about it. Either try to understand what I'm trying to say or stop responding to me.

EDIT:

I know you're not. I know most of you aren't complaining. I'm just seriously asking these questions because I'm trying to understand the mentality. Not saying it's wrong...it's just not how I'm wired. I understand wanting to have the perfect offense. I just don't know how to make that happen or I'd be making millions. That's not a knock on anyone who questions as much as it is me trying to see where others are coming from.

 

[Merih]

I know you're not. I know most of you aren't complaining. I'm just seriously asking these questions because I'm trying to understand the mentality. Not saying it's wrong...it's just not how I'm wired. I understand wanting to have the perfect offense. I just don't know how to make that happen or I'd be making millions. That's not a knock on anyone who questions as much as it is me trying to see where others are coming from.

We are not trying to get a perfect offense. It's just that sometimes I want the offense to play, well, offensive. More than the last drive with 2:30 left; that didn't frustrate me. That was a tie ball game situation, a mistake meant losing the game.

The drive that frustrated me was when we started with the ball at the Iowa 45 yard line following two penalties. Short field, and you're pretty much playing with house money. We have to punish teams for foolhardy mistakes. That was the perfect opportunity to ice the game. We still had a 7 point lead, short field to work with, their defense was on the field for basically 3 straight possesions (possesion with Boom score, Saine quick score following INT, and back on the field following KR TD), a score wins the game, and we weren't backed up in our own end.

Needless to say, those opportunities don't present themselves much over the course of the game. Now whether the blame lies on play calling or execution is left to people within the team, but regardless to not get any points given the above situation left somehting to be desired.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

I'll admit that I was frustrated as heck on the first couple of possessions and the last couple of possessions in regulation, but how can you complain about anything in between? If we had thrown to the TE or ran some reverses, those scoring drives that we had might have been 7 play drives instead of 14 play drives, big f-ing deal. We ran the ball effectively, Pryor looks much better running the ball, and when we finally wore them down, Boom and Saine had a couple of big runs back to back that would've put this game away had it not been for the meltdown on the kickoff. Big deal.

 

[NFBuck]

This is a discussion board, isn't it? If we all followed along without forming some opinions, things would get pretty boring around here.

 

[jlb1705]

We are doing alot of arguing over semantics here.

Is there ANYONE out there that didn't want to see Tressel give Terrelle and the offense a chance to win the game in regulation?

He did:

Pryor had two rushes. I don't remember off the top of my head if one or both of those were scrambles or designed runs. There was one handoff, and that was a short yardage situation to move the chains. Both pass attempts were completed, but netted zero yards.

They did run the clock between plays, but after the first down nothing was working - and it's not like they ran Dave three times. How much of that 2:42 did we want for there to be left when Iowa got the ball back?

 

[3074326]

I'll admit that I was frustrated as heck on the first couple of possessions and the last couple of possessions in regulation, but how can you complain about anything in between? If we had thrown to the TE or ran some reverses, those scoring drives that we had might have been 7 play drives instead of 14 play drives, big f-ing deal. We ran the ball effectively, Pryor looks much better running the ball, and when we finally wore them down, Boom and Saine had a couple of big runs back to back that would've put this game away had it not been for the meltdown on the kickoff. Big deal.

Who's complaining about the stuff in-between?

 

[Merih]

We are not trying to get a perfect offense. It's just that sometimes I want the offense to play, well, offensive. More than the last drive with 2:30 left; that didn't frustrate me. That was a tie ball game situation, a mistake meant losing the game.

The drive that frustrated me was when we started with the ball at the Iowa 45 yard line following two penalties. Short field, and you're pretty much playing with house money. We have to punish teams for foolhardy mistakes. That was the perfect opportunity to ice the game. We still had a 7 point lead, short field to work with, their defense was on the field for basically 3 straight possesions (possesion with Boom score, Saine quick score following INT, and back on the field following KR TD), a score wins the game, and we weren't backed up in our own end.

Needless to say, those opportunities don't present themselves much over the course of the game. Now whether the blame lies on play calling or execution is left to people within the team, but regardless to not get any points given the above situation left somehting to be desired.

Again, I urge people to read this post to see where I'm coming from. Jim Tressel is the ONLY coach in the country that I want coaching Ohio State. And if he calls plays for the rest of his time here I will be a happy man.

But, the only issue I had with yesterday's performance was on that drive.