• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.

Tuesday Question on CFN.com

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Zemek's analysis is nonsense...

Early June talk about overrated teams is nonsense anyway.

Predicting OSU may fall short of the Rose Bowl is hardly worth spamming his Hotmail account, and is hardly an unjustified assumption.

His reasoning, however, is terrible.

Quoting Zemek:

"The very history of Ohio State football in the past 15 years under John Cooper and Coach Tressel offers a very clear mosaic, a very well-defined motif, in which talent did not easily or readily translate into championships. The 2002 titleists were not more talented than some of John Cooper's very best and most loaded teams. But the '02 Bucks won with discipline, character, resiliency, belief, and classic gridiron values that coaches try to instill into all their teams. I need to see these values re-emerge at Ohio State after some rocky seasons..."


That 2002 OSU team will end up having 20 of 22 starters drafted by the NFL, not to mention a kicker and punter drafted in the 2nd and 3rd round respectively. It wasn't "classic gridiron values" that allowed OSU to beat Miami, but rather having the rare assemblage of talent to match up with an equally unique NFL-laden Miami squad. The NFL quality of that OSU defense at each position was rare. Miami, despite their great skill talent, had a drop-off of talent along the OL, which couldn't handle the NFL calibre of the OSU DL.

It would be simple to point out to Zemek the comparision of the 1997-1998 Sugar Bowl against Florida State with the 2002-2003 Fiesta Bowl against Miami and then debunk this nonsense about talent.

He then goes on:

"I need to see these values re-emerge at Ohio State after some rocky seasons..."

"Rocky Seasons?"...

OSU won the NC in 2002 and a loss at Michigan prevented their second straight appearance in the BCS Title Game in 2003-2004.

After having 14 players drafted in the 2004 draft, they struggled early in the Big 10 in 2004, but then rebounded late with impressive wins against Michigan and Ok. State.

Of course, not to mention that Ted Ginn looks to be the 2nd coming of Gale Sayers, without even mentioning that Ginn is also probably the best NFL DB prospect in college.

But Zemek is saying that hyping OSU because of,say, a Ginn or Holmes, given Zemek's feeling that Smith is unproven at QB, is premature. He points out Krenzel, who he considered to be mediocre in talent but a smart, efficient player, on a team that he considered not to be as talented in the past, got it done. Whereas the great Cooper teams failed.

That's his point. It's a bogus argument...


 
Upvote 0
All solid good points! I have been skeptical all along of the hype. But it is about perception. Why can't we win with offense, like Miami and USC? Why is Michigan rated so high? Why the national fascination with Ferentz and Iowa? I believe Troy Smith can make us much more explosive, that term scares me. Pun intended. Smith is gonna have to be the big difference maker, not Ginni. Smith will have to play within the offense and not force plays and make killer mistakes. We can live with the occasional gaff, but he's gotta be consistently solid! We have to use all are play makers on offense, not just Ginn! With the offense finally carring it's own weight, we could be just about unbeatable!
 
Upvote 0
Beats the hell out of the last 2 season's scrutiny! However, MK left the door open for an OUTSTANDING "see, I told ya so!" to his peers at the end of the season! Just a hedging technique. The wealth of talent is distributed on both O and D this year; a rare treat for a Buck lately! Inso much as the 2002 team D was Sickly Talented; they have the opportunity to become even more appreciated in contrast to a balanced Buckeye contender. As to Troy being unproven, his suspension for the Okie St. slam-dance didn't help and may allow a little: "Justin tightened his spiral" comments to float. From my perch,
a little motivation/competition cannot hurt!! Either way, MARK MY WORDS! Gonna be a hell of a ride this year!
 
Upvote 0
I can definitely see both sides of the coin. I know the talent is there to run the table and win another Championship, but realistically, we do have a lot of questions to answer.

- We haven't had a dominant/consistent (or even decent) running attack since 2002; and only have 3 true RB's on scholarship; and one of them just got arrested.
- The Zwick/Smith debate still has not been definitively answered (at least not in the media's eyes).
- We have glaring holes at Kicker, Long Snapper and CB.
- Our DLine had a really hard time putting pressure on the QB last year.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we'll be a .500 team this year, just that I can understand why some people in the media are picking teams ahead of us; even if they have as many or more holes to fill by the time the season starts. Just my $0.02....
 
Upvote 0
It is interesting that while a lot of national media folks will be saying that this is a strong year for the Big-10, 3 out of these 4 choices are from the Big-10. But in each case the writer makes a legitimate point.

Iowa - let's not forget that they have finished #8 in the AP poll for three years in a row. While Tate is a great player and they succeeded with almost no running game last year, their D-line losses are heavy this year. On a positive note for tOSU, this should reduce the number of tackles that Hodge and Greenway make, allowing AJ to be the clear front-runner for the Butkus and hopefully allowing Carp to also garner more accolades.

TSUN - the fact that Edwards is gone, and Henne can't just toss the deep ball up for grabs is a valid point that's been posted on BP a few times. Hart should post similar numbers to last year, but Henne's production is in doubt. And they lose two All-Americans from their secondary, which already had some real problems.

tOSU - Smith is still an unproven QB in my mind. While his final performance of the year was legendary, it did follow a 3-turnover game at Purdue. If he can consistently move the team without turning the ball over, we should be in for a special season. Our other significant question is the amount of pressure we can get from our pash rush. I think our running game will be all right, due to the O-line improvement and the threat of our speedy receivers.

Overall, however, the preseason consensus poll will have all 3 of these Big-10 teams ranked somewhere in the 4-5-6 area. They won't all finish in the top-6, which would only happen if each team finishes 10-1, with the only losses to each other. There will probably be a 1-loss, a 2-loss, and a 3-loss team. Whoever ends up as the 3-loss team (before a bowl game) will have been overranked in the preseason.

But Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Georgia, and Florida won't all end up in the top-10 either, so couldn't one of those guys have gone for an SEC team? :tongue2:
 
Upvote 0
BB73 said:
It is interesting that while a lot of national media folks will be saying that this is a strong year for the Big-10, 3 out of these 4 choices are from the Big-10.
Click to expand...

Don't forget about Purdue. Their schedule is pretty kind:

09/10/2005 Akron (Band Day/Family Day)
09/17/2005 at Arizona
09/24/2005 at Minnesota
10/01/2005 Notre Dame
10/08/2005 Iowa (Varsity P Club Weekend)
10/15/2005 Northwestern (Homecoming)
10/22/2005 at Wisconsin
10/29/2005 at Penn State
11/05/2005 Michigan State
11/12/2005 Illinois (Captain's Table Food Drive)
11/19/2005 at Indiana

Seeing them go 9-2 or even 10-1 isn't out of the question, IMO.
 
Upvote 0
- We haven't had a dominant/consistent (or even decent) running attack since 2002; and only have 3 true RB's on scholarship; and one of them just got arrested.
Click to expand...

Bingo. (throw Run blocking in as something that needs to continue to improve.) but there has been a hole since "him" left.


- The Zwick/Smith debate still has not been definitively answered (at least not in the media's eyes).
Click to expand...

Bingo. And really, just more than Zwick/Smith... you can chalk this up as "Consistent" QB play IMO... to me, its more the Smith vs Himself type of an argument.... but still... one game does not a MNC make... but we have seen that he (or Zwick) can step to the plate... that's why its more "Consistency" vs "Hole to fill" Anyway, the good news is we've got a couple guys with a decent amount of trigger time... What happens to Texas if Vince Young dings himslef up in camp? (I'm sure there is a good answer, but I doubt that answer has much experience.

- We have glaring holes at Kicker, Long Snapper and CB.
Click to expand...

I think these are lesser issues than being able to run the ball or the possible QB issues. Its not like they aren't of consequence... but if they were the only problems... I wouldn't be sweating things... the CB will take care of itself... (I only say that, because it always does.)

Our DLine had a really hard time putting pressure on the QB last year.
Click to expand...

Big Bingo... I think that this is sort of tied for 2 (with the QB 'questions') as a major issue... yes the LB's are good but, they need help up front... anyway, like the QB's they stepped it up late in the season... I think we need to see that intensity continuw, plus at least one guy rise up as a force to be reckoned with... and its not even the Pass Rush I'm SO concerned about... if... IMO... a guy like Pitcock can turn into a player that needs to be doubled on every play.... everyone else is going to get a LOT better... but it could be any one of them...

But... weigh all that against the idea that we have legit stars at 6 of the back 7... Legit stars at WR... and at least potential stars at most every other spot... and a lot more experience than last year everywhere except maybe Tailback... and you've got a heck of a good football team in the offing. OF course when it comes to the Rose Bowl... you still have to have a lot of things go right. (Remember... in '02 we had a CB playing OLB, a one legged boundary corner, a true freshmen tailback, a dorky unexciting QB, a dinged up MLB, a Kicker that missed about 37 fg's the year before and a walk on punter beating out the schollie kid.... again... or whatever... so the key is... and always is in College football, that the question marks turn to pluses.)
 
Upvote 0
It has been mentioned before in other threads how the '04 team reminds us of the '01 team and how '05 should mirror '02 (but with more blowouts due to better offense)

I have been thinking that for me, I am reminded more of the '94 team (Eddie's junior year) who struggled early, got blown out (by PSU) and then didn't lose anohter game after that and by the end of the season, were playing as well as any team in the country. This led to a NC-caliber team in '95 which of course was spoiled by the usual Cooper-era effort against scUM.

I see this team having the same offensive firepower of the '95 team with a better defense. At the end of last season, we were again playing as well as anyone - ask Les Miles. With early wins at home over Texas and Iowa, I see a huge build up of confidence and momentum on this team that will carry through to a tough win in AA. (the one difference from the '95 team).

Is it Sept yet?
 
Upvote 0
The Buck's team leadership and character will determine our success this year. Unlike the Iowa game last year, I think the Bucks will react aggressively to adversity on the field. Although some are tired of labeling the 2002 team, character stands out, abundant talent and a large dollop of lady luck at times. My postscript to '02 has been the team members from that year and since that have been placed on NFL teams.

September 10th will be the early "character" game...for both teams. I'm inclined to think our Bucks prevail and set the stage for a championship season.
 
Upvote 0
Smith and Santonio will provide leadership on "O". But who will be the leaders on "D"? AJ seems the quiet type, the Boar Hunter might be the guy! Carp seems quiet also. Maybe Salley, now that he's a senior, will step up! Whitner is a leadership type guy, and talkative. Anyone else?
 
Upvote 0
Taosman said:
...who will be the leaders on "D"? ...Carp seems quiet also.
Click to expand...

I guess you were in the john when Carpenter made a laying-out tackle of Hart behind the line of scrimmage and when he rolled up onto his feet in front of the Michigan bench he let out a loud "Whooooooo!" right in their faces. As third-year starters, Hawk and Carpenter will be the main leaders on defense.
 
Upvote 0
I agree with the article. There is a lot of talent, but a lot of questions - Questions on a team that lost four games last year. I agree that OSU has a good team on their hands, and it's ok to say so. I think the national championship talk is premature though, until they beat Texas.

How is Ginn a top DB prospect? Well, it doesn't matter if the kid plays a down of DB in college or not - if pro scouts think he's a top DB prospect, then he is one.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top