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http://dispatch.com/football/football.php?story=dispatch/2005/11/03/20051103-D1-02.html
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To make grade with Tressel, players have little room for error
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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Jim Tressel makes it a habit not to get too excited when talking about anything. But when asked to explain how his players’ performances are graded each week, the Ohio State coach got so worked up that he practically snatched a pen and paper away from a reporter.
Tressel proceeded to scribble what looked like algebraic equations, pausing only briefly to explain his markings.
"The numerator is two times ‘got man’ minus ‘missed assignment,’ " he said, "and the denominator is two times ‘got man’ plus ‘missed man’ plus ‘missed assignment.’ That’s the ‘got man’ grade, OK?"
Sure, Coach.
Tressel continued: "And then technique grade is the other part. To get the total grade, you add the two numerators over the two denominators, and that’s your grade."
Just when the numbers and formulas started to make sense, however, Tressel offered more, explaining that this system was created by his late father, Lee, a legendary coach at Baldwin-Wallace.
"Here’s the real, I think, science in what he did," Jim Tressel said. "He subtracted your missed assignments from your numerator, so your numerator gets lower every time you miss an assignment, and he took two times your missed assignments on your denominator, so it’s a triple jeopardy.
"You have a triple jeopardy (for a) missed assignment in your total grade."
And then, finally, Tressel provided the only hint of recognition that this all seems a bit much to easily grasp.
"He was an old math teacher," Tressel said with a shrug.
Confusing or not, this was the method in which Lee Tressel graded his quarterback son at Baldwin-Wallace, and it’s the way Jim grades his players now.
After each game, assistant coaches break down game film with a grading sheet for each player. Play by play, coaches document whether the player achieved his assignment for that play, and also determine whether the player’s technique was sound.
The result is a number that falls somewhere on the scale of 0 to 100, just like any academic class. A quarterback must grade 85 or better to earn what Tressel calls "a winning performance."
And when it comes to grading, winning the game isn’t everything. It’s nothing.
"Craig (Krenzel) probably had two winning performances out of 14 the year we won them all," Tressel said of the 2002 national championship season. "It’s a hard position. We probably get two or three (winning grades) a year from a quarterback position."
As Tressel explained, the system is set up to harshly punish a player for a missed assignment, which roughly translates to a serious mistake. "Missed man", on the other hand, is a more minor infraction.
For example, a quarterback throwing an incomplete pass, and not seeing an open receiver, would be a "missed man." But if the quarterback’s pass to the wrong receiver had been intercepted, it would be marked as a "missed assignment."
Meanwhile, there are no bonus points for great plays. A long touchdown pass simply qualifies as a "got man."
That’s why quarterback Troy Smith didn’t reach a winning 85-percent grade against Michigan State (three TD passes, no interceptions), yet he earned a winning performance against Indiana (one TD, one interception). Coaches determined that he had fewer missed assignments against Indiana.
"They grade hard, as far as not finishing plays on runs, certain things like that," Smith said.
Tressel points out that it’s tougher for a quarterback to grade out well because he handles the ball on every offensive snap. A guard, in contrast, might not have as important an assignment if the play goes to the opposite side.
Still, technique is graded meticulously, for all positions.
"It’s a complex evaluation," tight ends coach John Peterson said. "For me, it’s whether or not he takes a 6-inch step to the right or takes a vertical step forward. That can mark off a player.
"He might have a successful block, but his technique wasn’t perfect or at his best. So the little things make a difference."
Players usually accept the results, albeit sometimes grudgingly. Some, such as receiver Anthony Gonzalez, claim to even enjoy the ordeal.
"For me, being graded is a very good thing because I’m the type of person who likes feedback," he said. "You never really know how the coaches feel you’re doing, and the grades help me out a lot in that respect."
That doesn’t mean he’s above lobbying for a change now and then, though it’s rarely successful.
"Roy (Hall) and I sometimes will complain about (a grade), just as a joke," Gonzalez said. "Nothing serious."
It’s certainly serious to Tressel.
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