QB Craig Krenzel (B1G Champion, National Champion)

[Buckskin86]

CK radio interview- 10/16

CK radio interview- 10/15

 

[Buckskin86]

Former OSU QB understands the Michigan mentality
Oct 26, 2012
Written by
Jon Spencer
CentralOhio.com

Former OSU quarterback Craig Krenzel was the keynote speaker at Wednesday's Richland Newhope Industries Employer Recognition Breakfast in Mansfield. Krenzel is given a big hug by Debbie Sims after he signed her hat. / Dave polcyn/News Journal

Lynn Hess, honored during Richland Newhope Industries' employee recognition breakfast Thursday in Mansfield, is a true blue Michigan fan.

Sadly, there seems to be one in every bunch.

Hess wore her loyalty on her shirt, but wisely kept it hidden under her coat. Not that she had to worry about offending guest speaker Craig Krenzel. A Michigan native, the quarterback of Ohio State's 2002 national championship team couldn't resist taking a jab at some of his buddies back home.

"I know a lot of Michigan fans, obviously, and I always tell them we all reach the age of reason at some point in our lives," Krenzel said. "I reached mine at 16 years old ... the Buckeyes are just better!"

Krenzel's first start for Ohio State was a 26-20 win at Michigan in 2001 in a pinch-hitting capacity for suspended roommate Steve Bellisari. A year later he directed the Buckeyes to another win over their archrival and then capped that perfect 14-0 season with an MVP performance in a double-overtime victory over Miami in the BCS championship game.

Michigan fans revel in how they stole Heisman Trophy winners Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson away from Ohio, but Buckeye fans can always throw Krenzel back in their faces.

"I used to joke that coach (John) Cooper gave me a duffel bag of cash (to leave the state of Michigan)," Krenzel said. "Just so you understand, that's a joke. In fact, for my first three years coach Cooper and then coach Tressel gave me the nicest, warmest spot on the bench."

cont...

http://www.marionstar.com/article/2...derstands-Michigan-mentality?odyssey=nav|head

 

[bassplayer7770]

Krenzel's Michigan roots never growing back in the Mansfield News Journal

Here are a couple great quotes:

"We're 8-0 and how many people are truly, truly happy with our football team right now? Anybody?"

He got a lukewarm response from his audience.

"Most of us are sitting there watching and going, wow, can we tackle? Can we cover a kickoff? Don't change (that mindset). Don't you change that," Krenzel said. "The minute we stop expecting greatness from our football program, we become Wisconsin."

Meyer often talks about "wow" moments, most of them on offense by Miller and not nearly enough of them on defense. Krenzel's wow moment came while attending the Friday Night Lights event for recruits in Ohio Stadium in July. With the NCAA's blessing, the coaching staff was allowed to put high school prospects through three hours of drills in the 'Shoe.

"Halfway through, coach Meyer rounds up 150 kids on the block O at midfield and goes into his sales pitch," Krenzel said. "He said if you have a chance to come and play for a great university in this great stadium for the greatest coaching staff in the country, and help carry on the tradition, if you're lucky enough to be a Buckeye, don't think for one second you're owed anything. If you think that, you might as well walk away because you will work hard and earn everything you get on this football field.

 

[OhioState001]

That's probably one of the best quotes I've seen in a long time

 

[Buckskin86]

Where Are They Now: Craig Krenzel- 10tv video

 

[Buckskin86]

Published: 11/11/2012
?THE DIRECTOR?
Ohio State QB Krenzel: 'It was meant to be'
BY DAVID BRIGGS
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel is carried across the field by teammates and fans after the Buckeyes beat Michigan, 14-9, in this Nov . 23, 2002 file photo, in Columbus. AP

CRAIG KRENZEL

Quar*ter*back

Be*fore he helped save Ohio State?s cham*pi*on*ship sea*son, Craig Kren*zel wanted to save the world.

At OSU, the quar*ter*back con*ducted can*cer re*search, bal*anced the ti*tle run with a grad*u*ate-level course load of Mo*lec*u*lar Ge*net*ics 608, Mo*lec*u*lar Ge*net*ics 701, and Mi*cro*bi*ol*ogy, and grad*u*ated with a 3.75 GPA.

If the fall of 2002 taught him any*thing, it is that plans are best not writ*ten in ink.

To*day, Kren*zel, 31, is a part*ner at the Arthur Kren*zel Lett In*sur*ance Group in Dub*lin, Ohio, where he lives with his wife, Beth, and three chil*dren.

When he was re*leased by the Cin*cin*nati Ben*gals in 2006 af*ter blow*ing out his el*bow, Kren*zel still had de*signs on be*com*ing a doc*tor be*fore paus*ing to re*con*sider. He had watched his older brother, Brian, an or*tho*pe*dic sur*geon, grind through med*i*cal school and, as a new father, de*cided the life was not for him.

?I had the for*tune or mis*for*tune of see*ing him go*ing through that,? said Kren*zel, who went 24-3 as a starter at OSU and was drafted by the Chi*cago Bears in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL draft. ?I wasn?t re*ally that ex*cited about go*ing to school for four years, and then a four-year res*i*dency, and a one-year fel*low*ship. ? There?s a lot of ways in this world to make a liv*ing.?

So he be*came a real es*tate in*ves*tor, then switched over to the in*sur*ance busi*ness just be*fore the mar*ket crashed.

?I didn?t see any*thing com*ing,? Kren*zel said of the re*ces*sion. ?It was just for*tu*itous that I didn?t en*joy what I was do*ing.?

It was the big*gest au*di*ble in a ca*reer of them.

Kren*zel was the mae*stro of the Buck*eyes? cham*pi*on*ship sea*son, though pi*geon*hol*ing him as the gritty man*ager of the tal*ent around him be*lies his place in school his*tory.

Un*can*nily com*posed when the spot*light glowed bright*est, his fourth-and-1 game-win*ning heave to Mi*chael Jen*kins at Pur*due was just one among an as*sem*bly line of clutch plays.

In 2002, like with his life to*day, ev*ery*thing just seemed to fall into place.

?When I look at it, there?s def*i*nitely that aura that it was meant to be,? Kren*zel said.

http://www.toledoblade.com/Ohio-State/2012/11/11/Ohio-State-QB-Krenzel-It-was-meant-to-be.html

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi3at1IVdao"]Craig Krenzel on the 2002 Season - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIPtgoytFA0"]Craig Krenzel on the Holy Buckeye Play - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o08Vb1og5gs"]Craig Krenzel on the Chamionship Game - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCfX0u_-G-8"]Craig Krenzel on the 4th and 14 Play. - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcFpx6ZblWs"]Craig Krenzel's Closing Statement - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

The Formula for an Undefeated Season
Posted by Craig Krenzel on 8/27/2013

Ohio State is on the short list of programs that always seem to be loaded with talent and coached by some of the greatest in the land. On the surface, it seems like undefeated seasons should not be so elusive when you have 95 percent of the equation wrapped up. Coming off a 14-0 national championship season, the 2003 Buckeyes were flying high. We were ranked #1 in many preseason publications, returning virtually every starter and eager to run the tables again. It was the obvious goal for a bunch of twenty-somethings that thought we were invincible, and I do not say this in a negative way either.

We had a great core of senior leaders that had lived the difference between 6-6 and 14-0; the difference between being home for Christmas and standing alone on top of the mountain. We knew what it took and had all the confidence in the world that it could be done again. Expectations were sky high and we were more than ready for the challenge, much like this year’s team. So as this Buckeye team gets ready to kick off the 2013 campaign in hot pursuit of back-to-back perfect seasons, I thought it would be fun to share a few major lessons I learned over a decade ago and see how this team can master the art of living up to high expectations.

Don’t make your own Bad Fortune – The formula for winning in college football is not rocket science: 90% talent + 5% coaching + 5% good fortune = Undefeated Season

Talent…Check! Coaching…Check! Good fortune is always the wild card. When you are lucky enough to wear the scarlet and gray or smart enough to cheer for them, it is an annual foregone conclusion that we have the first two nailed. It was about this time ten years ago that my teammates and I had to deal with the realization that we were not playing with Maurice Clarett for the entire season. On the field he was unstoppable and to this day I believe we would have repeated as national champions if #13 would have been in the backfield that year.

cont..

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/168

 

[Buckskin86]

Breaking Down the 2013 Buckeye Offense
Posted by Craig Krenzel on 8/29/2013

When Urban Meyer was named the new head coach of The Ohio State University, in November of 2011, a feeling of excitement and energy swept Buckeye Nation and I was immediately on-board. Not just because, in Urban, we landed a coach that has won everywhere he has coached. But he has proven time and time again, that he can attract the top players in the country and has two national titles under his belt. While all of these accolades are very important and certainly qualify anyone to lead one of the most storied football programs in college football history, they were not the source of my excitement, for the next chapter in OSU football.

When the whispers began that he had expressed interest to come back to Ohio to coach, I was all-in for one reason, touchdowns. Everyone knows that an Urban Meyer offense is built on fast tempo, precision, and scoring as many points as possible, which as a former QB, is music to my ears!

So, just days away from the start of the season, how does this Buckeye offense stack up? Only time will tell, but it appears that the sky just may be the limit in 2013. Experience is going to play a key factor in the success of this season’s offense, as they return 9 of 11 starters*. We all know what this team can do on the ground which won’t change with 4 out of 5 offensive linemen returning, a reliable group of talented running backs, and arguably the most electrifying player in college football. However, as we all know, balance is the key to championship-caliber football and this year’s passing attack must do better than the 105th ranking in the country, from last season. Look for offensive coordinator Tom Hermann, to get Braxton Miller going early in the season and throwing with confidence.

cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/195

 

[Buckskin86]

Command the Key to Kenny G
Posted by Craig Krenzel on 9/16/2013
I don’t know a single person that was shocked by Kenny Guiton’s Heisman trophy-like performance Saturday night against Cal. We saw him step in against Purdue last year and calmly lead a 4th quarter comeback. We saw him play virtually an entire game last week against SDSU and look like he was a full- time starter, so their was no reason to believe he wouldn’t be more than competent against the Golden Bears. I am surprised though with the proficiency and precision that Kenny G has played with the last two games.

cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/10417

 

[Buckskin86]

Offensive Speed Leads to Fast Starts
Posted by Craig Krenzel on 9/23/2013

For years now we all have had to hear all about just how fast those teams are in the SEC. There has been little question that they have had the most dominant conference in college football for a while. As Buckeye fans, we have witnessed how the speed of the top-tier SEC programs has simply been better. Not anymore! Upon arriving in Columbus, Urban Meyer made it a point to talk about the lack of athleticism at a number of positions (Receiver, O-Line to name a few). He spoke about the type of player that he looks to recruit and the tempo by which he likes to coach. Now, four games into his second season we have the luxury to watch the results that this philosophy can produce.

Saturday’s 76-0 trouncing of Florida A&M is by no means a proclamation that OSU is ready to dominate on the big stage, but it was a clear statement about what this program is going to be capable of under Urban Meyer. For a program that has played down to the level of their competition in recent years, this was as much a statement game as it was another notch in the win column. Urban loves to recruit fast, athletic players and push an offensive tempo that can hang play for play with anyone in the country. His teams are built around speed and there is no question that it is starting to show, especially in the first quarter. The Buckeyes have averaged an impressive 25.5 points in the opening quarter through the first four games.

cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/20463

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

Craig Krenzel did an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on the r/CFB board on Reddit last night. Very cool of him to do so, and a lot of questions were asked/answered.

Here is a link to the discussion thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/1n7jr5/i_am_craig_krenzel_former_ohio_st_quarterback_and/

 

[Buckskin86]

Deep Threat Key to Beating the Badgers
Posted by Craig Krenzel on 10/1/2013

The story line coming into the Buckeyes’ game against Wisconsin was all about the return of Braxton Miller. Would he be rusty? Would the knee hold up? Will Kenny Guiton play? Would the offense have the same rhythm? The first series could not have answered those questions any better and removed any doubt that Braxton Miller is the Buckeyes’ leader under center.

A steady dose of power and speed allowed OSU to jump out early and maintain a lead for the entire game. It was evident early that Tom Herman wanted to get Braxton feeling confident by putting the ball in his hands and Miller delivered without skipping a beat. The Buckeyes were able to use the one-two punch of Carlos Hyde and Miller to bring a speed and power balance to the Buckeye rushing attack. With Hyde and Miller nearly splitting the carries it was apparent that Braxton’s knee was not a concern.

cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/30506

 

[Buckskin86]

Balance of Power & Speed, Key for Buckeye Offense Against NU
Posted by Craig Krenzel on 10/8/2013

I have been saying all season that there is not a team in the Big Ten that should hold this Buckeye offense to less than 45 points. I base this thought largely on the amount of offensive talent that this team has relative to the defenses in the Big Ten. I also believe this is a coaching staff that knows how to call a game and go for the kill shot when they have a chance.

This all being said, the last two weeks I have been dead wrong as I believe we are seeing an offense that is searching for its rhythm and identity. It sounds funny to say this after 6 weeks with a talented bunch that largely played together last season but the return of Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde has changed this offense from the spread-out, distribute-the-ball type offense that we saw when Kenny Guiton was playing. Full disclaimer that I acknowledge OSU played absolutely nobody in those first four games while Wisconsin and Northwestern are a formidable opponent. This aside, since the first quarter of the Wisconsin game, the Buckeye offense has looked like a unit living on the fence of high-flying and smash-mouth not quite sure how to blend the two yet.

cont...

http://www.huddlepass.com/huddle/osu-football/feature/50491

 

[Buckskin86]

Former Buckeye Craig Krenzel: ‘I encourage you – whatever your plan is’
October 17, 2013
Grant Miller
[email protected]

Former OSU quarterback Craig Krenzel speaks to students in the Archie Griffin Ballroom at the Ohio Union Oct. 17. Credit: Katie Riccardella / Ohio Union

Former Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel had a message for students at his alma mater about taking steps toward success.

“I encourage you – whatever your plan is – to not take for granted that anything in life is just going to happen,” Krenzel said.

In a speaking event at the Ohio Union Thursday evening, the former NFL player and Buckeye standout took time to remind students to achieve their goals in life, they to have a plan, be prepared, and produce when called upon.

“You’re shaping the opportunities of what you’re to going be the rest of your lives,” Krenzel said. “Life only gets better – so it’s important to be prepared.”

Krenzel spoke about his successes as a Buckeye, most notably when he became the starter for the 2002 season, the same year his team won the BCS National Championship.

“We didn’t have the flashiest system, but we were physical and talented,” Krenzel said of the 2002 squad.

cont...

http://thelantern.com/2013/10/craig-krenzel-encourage-whatever-plan/