Much of BOren-gate is tied up in the desperation of UM fans to distance themselves from everything Carr, including shutting down the "country club" that too many enjoyed (ie Gabe Watson). Thus when drill sergeant RR arrives, it's a glorious renaissance, regardless of the tactics used to bring about such wholesale change.
It's been reported that Boren was not fond of the running, which is being extrapolated by a LARGE majority of UM fans to mean he's a softie from the ole regime who is throwing a hissy fit (over 'values) now that RR is riding him to work hard.
1) Find me an OL who likes running. Barton & Boone have plenty of comments about hating running. One of OSU's '08 recruits from highly favored Glenville was forced to lose 70 pounds before he got an offer... and he achieved both.
2) It's no secret how brutal RR & staff are with their verbal abuse & boot camp approach to coaching. But since the last staff was too soft on kids, this is brushed off as 'welcome change', thus surely Boren is complaining over accountability & hard work... and not the painful to watch approach the new staff uses on their players.
3) Where was all the talk about Boren being soft before this year? He's been here two years, those not working to achieve their potential are discussed quite heavily on message boards, both UM and other b10 schools. Guys like Mitchell who quit and came back without punishment. Or players like Watson & others were able to get away with lax effort. This wasn't something that got discovered by the NFL, it was well known in big ten circles. So how did he go from a hard-nosed, very talented OL who both fanbases coveted to such an undesirable in so little time?
There were plenty of players who were not properly conditioned, and got away with too much under the old staff and S&C program. But Boren was hardly one of the softies... something readily and frequently acknowledged by UM fans. When RR & Barwis showed up he was excited about the direction of the program... and he was being touted as captain material. Yet over the next two months a falling out with the coaching staff somehow morphed him into a lazy, soft, sensitive shell of his former self, who was known for his tenacity.
Absurd.
If he's so soft and wants things handed to him on a platter like so many are trying to spin in wolverine land, then why is he going to OSU? They are an elite S&C program (in prowess and difficulty) and are going to be stacked with OL talent for years to come. Yet another thing that simply doesn't add up.
If you take issue with the existence of negative comments upon departure, that's one thing. But to try and repaint him as a completely different person and player just months after being an elite asset to the team is ridiculous.
And wasn't there a recruit this past year, that after visiting scUM, his mother was not impressed by DickWad, had reservations about DickWad?
Cameron Saddler.
There wasn't any kind of special legacy bond during the recruiting process when Justin was thisclose to being a Buckeye and there isn't now. As you said, if it weren't for a visit from Bo, he might already be.
Sorry, those sentences don't work together. If there was no legacy bond then how do you explain the visit? UM slowplayed Boren and is much further from home, two huge reasons OSU was able to come close to landing a kid raised to be a wolverine.
