Mailbag question: Did you guys read the article about Ohio State’s Jim Tressel

Mailbag question: Did you guys read the article about Ohio State’s Jim Tressel

Did you guys read this article where Smart Football’s Chris Brown calls out Jim Tressel’s offensive play calling? A link is Deconstructing, The grisly demise of Tressel or Tressel Ball . Do you have any thoughts on it? Do you think offensive coaching is a big advantage for us over OSU if we start matching their talent with recruiting?

Thanks,
Adam

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Thanks for the question.

Coach Tressel is an enigma at times. Against Michigan in 2006 he spent the majority of the game in the empty formation throwing the football.

He has recruited some outstanding skilled position players and even a few very mobile offensive linemen, who would almost certainly thrive in a more open offense. Ohio State does not have the offensive weapons teams like USC or Florida has and would be at a disadvantage if engaged in a shoot out.

At times Coach Tressel reverts to his Youngstown State days and relies on physically muscling opponents. We are still not sure why Coach Tressel did not try and get Pryor on the perimeter in the red zone last week. Pryor is a rare talent, one that could beat a team in a big game with a big play, ala Vince Young.

Coach Tressel will always first and foremost rely on his defense, it is simply his nature and coaching pedigree. Coach Tressel will always believe that any series which ends with a kick, punt, or kick off is a successful series.

In our opinion, Ohio State, under Coach Tressel, will always be a BCS contending team, the question that remains for others and us is will Ohio State get to The National Championship game again?

One well-known item regarding the Ohio State fans, their expectations have risen so high that any loss in any situation is a failure. This is the type of program that Coach Tressel has built at Ohio State. Before he came to Columbus, the mindset was beat Michigan and go to the Rose Bowl game. Now with the BCS format and with Ohio State making to the National Championship game so many times under Coach Tressel, the fans have become, shall we say, greedy and demand more and more all the time. Some praise this mindset as setting the bar high, while some wonder if fans possess a realism concerning defining success.

At a place like Ohio State, the fans will always demand more than what any team or coach can achieve. Hell, even Woody could not take it anymore and when things started to slip away and pressure intensified from a less than supportive athletic director, so did he (Woody, slip). We remember when fans started questioning Woody and wondering if it was time for him to move on. Well, then came the Clemson game and no one had to debate Woody’s status anymore. Now, if you are a typical Columbus resident, Woody is a hero still held in high regard.

This very same phenomenon now occurs in Ann Arbor where it is hard to find anyone who complains about Bo. Turn back the clock and clearly there were people who contended that Bo was slipping and maybe even should hang it up.

Remember this, people complained about Coach Carr and still do. But Coach Carr upheld the Michigan name early on by winning the National championship in 1997. A very small fraternity of college coaches can claim this accomplishment.

Like we have said for quite a long time in regards to Michigan, if a team wins, much of the baggage or associated grumbling will go away. If a team loses, even a team like Ohio State against a team of the quality of USC, people will come out and complain about the head coach, assistant coaches, players, game officials, newspapers, university president, fans, etc. Right, wrong, or in-between, this is the nature of the beast in the sport we all like to follow called college football.

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Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine