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- Thread starter BB73
- Start date
Fickell is a defensive guy. He will not make major changes this year, nor would he be wise to do so.
One minor change should be the use of tight ends. Tressel hated passes over the middle and preached turnover abstinence constantly.
Between his departure, the great talent at the TE position, the unusually weak depth at WR and two young qbs, look for this position to see a big uptick this year. They have four reliable weapons at TE, which is four more than they currently have at WR for September.
OSU doesn't need to be fancy on offense. They need to be diverse, and they made great strides in that area over the last few years.
The QBs will be more of a limiting factor than the offensive staff.
One minor change should be the use of tight ends. Tressel hated passes over the middle and preached turnover abstinence constantly.
Between his departure, the great talent at the TE position, the unusually weak depth at WR and two young qbs, look for this position to see a big uptick this year. They have four reliable weapons at TE, which is four more than they currently have at WR for September.
OSU doesn't need to be fancy on offense. They need to be diverse, and they made great strides in that area over the last few years.
The QBs will be more of a limiting factor than the offensive staff.
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cdiddy70
Hall of Fame
Wins,
I think both DB coaches will be back.
Taver is by all accounts a stud.
Haynes is solid and a fellow Desales grad.
I think the 3 you assistants you mentioned will not be here next year and "Sis" is on the bubble.
While I think we will be a power run bases offense, which I always endorse-especially this year, I posit we should use the pre-conference games to build confidence in the QB and the WR's (passing game in general).
If I were an opposing DC, I would be put 9 in-the-box any day all day.
Pryor covered up many sins. He was an unaccounted for weapon, that could make crap up when stuff went fubar.
As a side note.
Next years OL coach will have to be Houdini.
We lose Brewster, Adams, and Shug.
We should be able to cobble together a decent first team but after that - holy smokes.
I wish we had more positive reports on CUB (Carter, Underwood, Brown).
Hopefully recruiting of OL ends on a high note.
Although they relying on true frosh OL should never be counted on.
In Summary.
I'm not placing a number of wins Fickell needs to get (obviously 6 or more losses is a deal breaker).
What i am looking for is a hard noses, competive, disciplined, well organized team.
He was dealt a tough deck of cards.
Saying he needs 10 wins isn't fair.
He doesn't have his staff, perhaps the best player in CFB, or 4 other All-B10 players for 5 games.
I think you could make a case for Luke even with 4 and perhaps 5 losses.
But I keep thinking a decision will be made before the final record is known.
I think both DB coaches will be back.
Taver is by all accounts a stud.
Haynes is solid and a fellow Desales grad.
I think the 3 you assistants you mentioned will not be here next year and "Sis" is on the bubble.
While I think we will be a power run bases offense, which I always endorse-especially this year, I posit we should use the pre-conference games to build confidence in the QB and the WR's (passing game in general).
If I were an opposing DC, I would be put 9 in-the-box any day all day.
Pryor covered up many sins. He was an unaccounted for weapon, that could make crap up when stuff went fubar.
As a side note.
Next years OL coach will have to be Houdini.
We lose Brewster, Adams, and Shug.
We should be able to cobble together a decent first team but after that - holy smokes.
I wish we had more positive reports on CUB (Carter, Underwood, Brown).
Hopefully recruiting of OL ends on a high note.
Although they relying on true frosh OL should never be counted on.
In Summary.
I'm not placing a number of wins Fickell needs to get (obviously 6 or more losses is a deal breaker).
What i am looking for is a hard noses, competive, disciplined, well organized team.
He was dealt a tough deck of cards.
Saying he needs 10 wins isn't fair.
He doesn't have his staff, perhaps the best player in CFB, or 4 other All-B10 players for 5 games.
I think you could make a case for Luke even with 4 and perhaps 5 losses.
But I keep thinking a decision will be made before the final record is known.
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BigJim
Hall of Fame
cdiddy70;1973957; said:
jwinslow;1973979; said:
If OSU has a great year going on 12/1/2011, say they're heading to a BCS game and Luke already got a 5 year contract extension, would he really do anything about the assistant coaches for next year prior to the bowl game being over? I just can't see that happening, although maybe there's a precedent I'm not aware of..
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I assume a lot of what Diddy is saying re: retention is based on the assumption that Luke keeps the job. If he does not you could see even some of the young assistants shown the door...Vrabel, Johnson, Hayes and especially Sis included.
I'm not sure if there is a magic wins number but anything double digits will make it difficult in the public eye to replace him. People have said 11 makes him a lock. I don't think there is any specific number that makes him a lock. I think it will be the caliber of the product he puts on the field and the development of the student athletes under his tutelage and the guidance of the other coaches. If OSU drops a few close ones but the team shows promise, academics are in order, the young players are developing under their position coaches, etc. I think that makes a stronger case for Luke's retention than a 12 win season where chaos reigns.
As far as a plan that Fickell needs to have in place to show a clear direction for the program, that will probably be something that would be discussed once the job is officially opened up to other candidates and Luke applies for the job the same as anyone else.
It's been said a million times before but I think it would have been easier to hire Luke as the full-time coach right out the gate and simply fired him if it wasn't working out after two years...rather than slap the interim tag on him, handcuff him and the whole staff with that label, and expect him to compete at the highest level while auditioning for his own job.
Just my thoughts...
I'm not sure if there is a magic wins number but anything double digits will make it difficult in the public eye to replace him. People have said 11 makes him a lock. I don't think there is any specific number that makes him a lock. I think it will be the caliber of the product he puts on the field and the development of the student athletes under his tutelage and the guidance of the other coaches. If OSU drops a few close ones but the team shows promise, academics are in order, the young players are developing under their position coaches, etc. I think that makes a stronger case for Luke's retention than a 12 win season where chaos reigns.
As far as a plan that Fickell needs to have in place to show a clear direction for the program, that will probably be something that would be discussed once the job is officially opened up to other candidates and Luke applies for the job the same as anyone else.
It's been said a million times before but I think it would have been easier to hire Luke as the full-time coach right out the gate and simply fired him if it wasn't working out after two years...rather than slap the interim tag on him, handcuff him and the whole staff with that label, and expect him to compete at the highest level while auditioning for his own job.
Just my thoughts...
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TresselstillownsTSUN
Hall of Fame
wadc45;1974425; said:
Great post. I think this comes down to if the BOT think Fickell looks like the guy. Hell Larry Coker looked good in his first few season. But I always thought he just didn't seem like the guy. Luke I feel different about. Luke is an excellent coach, and I know his EVERYTHING is in this job.
I think he is the guy right now, he just feels like it IMO. Take the handcuffs off OSU, so we can see what he can really do.
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If Fickell is retained, they likely make assistant coaching changes after signing day. I don't like it, but it is how CFB is done.
The DB coaches are terrific, my comment was geared towards his future DC once he has the job, the job security to attract candidates, and the money to seal the deal.
There is no magic number. Even though he is his own man with many differences, he is an extension of the JT era, which is a big reason their introduction and support of Luke was so tepid.
Michigan throws a huge wrench into things. With the gift of OSU's turmoil, they have major momentum. The 13 class looks to be more OSU friendly, but a loss in Ann Arbor could be devastating. A 11-3 season with a loss to UM makes things very questionable, especially because....
...the most successful cfb coach unemployed and interested, with great history and success working with the kind of talent OSU has. He always coveted but never had backs like Rod or Brionte.
But even if he knew what he wanted as well as OSU - and neither do - his health and family concerns drag out the process.
The DB coaches are terrific, my comment was geared towards his future DC once he has the job, the job security to attract candidates, and the money to seal the deal.
There is no magic number. Even though he is his own man with many differences, he is an extension of the JT era, which is a big reason their introduction and support of Luke was so tepid.
Michigan throws a huge wrench into things. With the gift of OSU's turmoil, they have major momentum. The 13 class looks to be more OSU friendly, but a loss in Ann Arbor could be devastating. A 11-3 season with a loss to UM makes things very questionable, especially because....
...the most successful cfb coach unemployed and interested, with great history and success working with the kind of talent OSU has. He always coveted but never had backs like Rod or Brionte.
But even if he knew what he wanted as well as OSU - and neither do - his health and family concerns drag out the process.
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RugbyBuck
Our church has no bells.
I think he's our guy for a while and, absent some kind of catastrophic failure and demonstrable poor judgment, it would be monumentally stupid to can him after this season. You just don't do that to one of your own. Seven or eight solid wins and a couple of "good" losses keeps him at the helm.
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cdiddy70
Hall of Fame
Rugby,
If Urban is tanned, rested, and ready and states he wants the job - and Luke flounders you sure as hell make that change.
This isn't your sons 7th grade soccer league.
A case can be made that if Urban wants the job then what Luke does (short of a national title is irrelevant).
My thoughts are as follows.
My Choice is Urban, then Luke if he displays core competencies, then perhaps Pellini.
It gets dicey with Urban.
Million Dollar Gene thru 3rd party sources should have already vetted Urbans interest.
If Urban is a no go, or even tepid it enhances Luke's chances.
Bottom Line - It would be criminal not to seriously consider Urban if he expresses interest.
I would hope Mean Gene has a short list with multiple scenarios already worked out.
The first filter should be "does Urban want the job".
If yes great, if no then "If Luke shows the chops", If yes great if no "Can Pellini build on his success without choking out the schools Prexy".
Where it gets dicey is trusting Urban and his feckless nature.
What if he says "I might be interested".
How long do we wait.
How do we know it isn't just a contract ploy.
That is what Million Dollar, market Value gener gets paid to do.
Maybe his 300k oper wife can assist in that endevor.
If Urban is tanned, rested, and ready and states he wants the job - and Luke flounders you sure as hell make that change.
This isn't your sons 7th grade soccer league.
A case can be made that if Urban wants the job then what Luke does (short of a national title is irrelevant).
My thoughts are as follows.
My Choice is Urban, then Luke if he displays core competencies, then perhaps Pellini.
It gets dicey with Urban.
Million Dollar Gene thru 3rd party sources should have already vetted Urbans interest.
If Urban is a no go, or even tepid it enhances Luke's chances.
Bottom Line - It would be criminal not to seriously consider Urban if he expresses interest.
I would hope Mean Gene has a short list with multiple scenarios already worked out.
The first filter should be "does Urban want the job".
If yes great, if no then "If Luke shows the chops", If yes great if no "Can Pellini build on his success without choking out the schools Prexy".
Where it gets dicey is trusting Urban and his feckless nature.
What if he says "I might be interested".
How long do we wait.
How do we know it isn't just a contract ploy.
That is what Million Dollar, market Value gener gets paid to do.
Maybe his 300k oper wife can assist in that endevor.
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RugbyBuck
Our church has no bells.
It would be monumentally stupid because we need stability, actual and perceived, at the moment and making a wild play for the "used to be hot, but now starting the downhill slide chick who got divorced two years earlier and continues to troll the bars on the weekends" at 10:30 on a Saturday just makes us an insecure douche. We don't need Florida's trash. We are not MissState.
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matcar
Mostly banned
RugbyBuck;1974483; said:
Urban isn't Florida's trash. Florida is his trash as he's the one who left. Now, that doesn't mean that Urb really wants to take the tOSU hot seat, but your characterization is flawed.
That said, I hope that Fick goes out and wins this job for himself.
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