Jim Tressel
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Coach Tressel Gives An Update
Earlier today Coach Tressel met with members of the media to answer questions before heading off to the Big Ten meetings in Chicago.
The session started with Steve Snapp (SID) handing out the fall camp schedule and a really impressive media guide that is thicker than Phil Steele's pre-season magazine. The guide contains everything you ever wanted to know about Buckeye football. The cover is graced by AJ Hawk, Nate Salley, Rob Simms and Nick Mangold. The back has Mike D'Andrea, Anthony Schlegal, Marcus Green, Tyler Everett and Bobby Carpenters photos on it.
Coach Tressel arrived looking more relaxed after his vacation period wearing a scarlet OSU golf shirt and tan shorts. He then started to answer questions from the media and I will simply attempt to relate the session in the hopes of making it as close to being there as possible. It was a room of about 25 people that was somewhat similar to a small college classroom setting.
Coach first answered a question about the senior leadership by saying, "We like to feature our guys we think of as the leaders of our program." He went on to say that the "coaches have had a chance to catch their breath" and that the players have had this week off from conditioning.
Tressel then said he had talked with Earle Bruce earlier in the day and that Coach Bruce said, "that the time I was most anxious and the most anxiety he had was the week before the preseason." He continued by saying, "Right now the plan is in place. We've dotted our I's and crossed our T's.....Let's hit the ground running."
He was then asked about the Troy Smith situation and what type of contact the two have had. Coach Tressel replied, " I've had a lot of meetings with Troy." He added, “That trip was back on June 2 or thereabouts. We have had time to review the situation and study it. To me, there were two issues. One was the legality, whether it be NCAA, Big Ten or institutionally. Two was the way we are trying to build and the way we want to do things."
In discussing the demands on players he said, "Our guys have alot of demands. People who want to spend time with them and they want to spend time with people too."
As to what he meant in earlier reports about "consequences" for Troy, he replied, “We are going to go with the preseason plan of what we’re going to do and then based on how you do, we will go further.” He then indicated that how Troy responds will determine if any future games are impacted. As it stands now, that is not the case.
Tressel was then asked about Antonio Pittman's progress and he said, "As the spring was going along we thought he was developing into the back we think he can be."
Ineveitably, he was asked another question about Troy Smith. This one concerning how his off-field decision making may impact his on-field decisions. Coach answered, "To be a Champion Quarterback here you have to make good decisions....The way he went about it, not dotting the I's and crossing the T's. That's the part that bothered me."
Coach Tressel was then asked what the team thinks of their chances for the 2005 campaign. He replied that during the summer he and the coaches are not allowed to check progress or attendance at summer workouts and that the only information he get's is in passing the players in the halls. With that in mind he said, "They seem to think they have had an excellent summer. We'll find out when we have our conditioning test (laughter)."
Someone then asked if any of the players are in any type of academic troubles. He responded, "We didn't even have four guys that had to have a class this summer. Most of the guys are just piling on hours.....Our kids are pretty concientious about their degrees."
When asked where we will see
Ted Ginn line up this season he answered,
“What he’ll do most of is play receiver and return kicks....What he’ll do a little of is play corner, quarterback and tailback.” He was then asked if the staff is preparing for teams trying to keep the ball away from him on kicks and Tressel said, "I wouldn't kick to him." He went on to say that "he's (Ginn) a fast football player, I have not been around a guy who plays football faster than him.” He then drew laughter when he asked if Steve Snapp has seen a faster player since he has been around "for something like forty years"
The subject then turned to about how a coach hands out discipline with Bobby Bowden running kids as punishment and whether or not a players ability factors into the punishment. Coach Tressel very candidly answered, "I've heard coaches say, discipline is in relationship to his backups abilities. I don't want to prescribe to that." He added that 6 a.m. running is part of the discipline routine at Ohio State, but "some guys repeat errors so much that keeping them running doesn't do any good."
In addressing a players off-field behavior and how it could effect his standing with the team, Tressel said, "If there's a pattern of poor decisions across the board....you'd like to think you'd be smart enough as a coach to not let them affect the group.....If it effects the group, they would have less of an opportunity."
Coach then addressed the Aaron Pettrey situation by saying, "He will be in for the fall, but won't be on scholarship. And in the winter he should, then, be on scholarship."
He was then asked about his thoughts on the 12th game to be added beginning next season. Coach Tressel responded that, "Our goal is to get that 12th game as a home game. Our gameplan has been to first go to our Ohio In-State teams, like Cincinnati and the MAC schools." A few seconds later he added, "I think Youngstown State will eventually get in the mix (for the 12th game)."
Near the very end he confirmed that Brandon Maupin is no longer a part of the program as he was not even enrolled for the summer.
Coach Tressel then concluded the 40 minute event after answering a great deal of questions that have been on the minds of Buckeye fans everywhere.
