Tressel Bounces Back
Are we seeing a more lean, mean JT emerge?(image via Tressel’s World)
What a difference a few weeks makes.
The groundswell of attacks from an upset fan base had never been higher in Tressel’s tenure in Columbus following the disappointing loss to USC but a guy who seemed hell bent on never changing his ways might have finally gotten the message that you can change here and there without jeopardizing your overall core principals.
The results of adjusting things from scheme to utilization of coach and player personnel to philosophy to handling criticism seems to have lit a fire under a program in need of a sense of urgency and the results of have been impressive even as we keep in perspective the quality of opponents like Toledo and Illinois.
Even more astounding than the results from various changes, from my perspective, is the fact Tressel considered doing such things based on his track record of sticking with the static approach at all costs despite constant media reminders that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.
This isn’t to say he’s never made subtle changes here and there because he has, this is more about what seems to be an evolving intention of challenging his status quo in an effort to light said fire. So, what are these changes we speak of? Here’s a sampling of things that could fall under the change umbrella:
Near the top of the list has to be the apparent increased role taken on by Assistant Head Coach and WR coach Darrell Hazell. The fact Tressel even admitted Hazell called some plays against Toledo seems to indicate he’s open to some different viewpoints and creates further thoughts that Bollman is being phased out. Obviously, this is a win-win though Tressel went out of his way to note Hazell has called some plays before. Even so, you have to wonder if this current set up is more of an audition for Hazell to be Tressel’s co-offensive mind in prep for Bollman’s departure. Maybe wishful thinking. Maybe not. My gut says Tressel’s planning for the future and it’s clear TP is comfy with Hazell.
Whether it’s influenced by Hazell or not, another key change to the offensive philosophy is the recent use of the shotgun to disguise running plays. The look has forced LB’s to give more respect to Pryor as a runner and pulling the tight end on occasion hides the fact this team is void of a legit lead blocking fullback. The schematic change has also featured countless zone/read plays going for big gainers even though its understood Pryor really hasn’t had a choice to keep the ball or not thus far. This singular play, along with improved blocking up front, has afforded Boom and Zoom the luxury of hitting the line of scrimmage without having to make the first guy miss right at the point of attack. Additionally, it provides for new wrinkles in weeks to come such as TP actually having a choice to handoff or takeoff, or use play action to freeze LB’s and safeties in coverage. Now, we just have to hope it wasn’t a one hit wonder unleashed to exploit particular holes in the Illini defense as TE coach John Peterson implied yesterday.
Another change in Tressel’s offensive attack is the recent trend of staying aggressive for four quarters despite the score. He was still ordering up pass plays with the Toledo contest well in hand and to see him actually passing (incomplete) on 3rd down before calling another pass play on 4th down in which TP hooked up with Dane for a 3 yard score with 1:18 left in the 30-0 pasting of Illinois made me tingle. One could argue taking a knee there is just as salty but it’s been the Tressel way. In fact, he’s been downright sad before when scoring a late TD (Boom on Northwestern ring a bell) in lopsided contests and I would argue this type of approach has rubbed off on his teams in the past creating a group that was too nice for their own good.
Looking at player personnel, he and Heacock pulled the plug more quickly than I imagined possible on senior toastmaster Anderson Russell in favor of Hines and they also rightfully swapped Torrence for senior Andre Amos at corner. Now, there’s some precedent here with the Boeckman benching but that was a slightly different animal because the line was so inept that installing a mobile QB was really the only option. Bottom line, Tressel and staff did what they had to do in order to get the best 11 on the field. As it should be – though I’m not sure that’s how its always been (cough Thaddeus cough).
Finally, you could make the argument Tressel has become a little less senatorial in the past few weeks. First, he showed a pulse in the face of fan scrutiny by popping off about ‘miserable fans’. Though he later apologized, I thought it was great he voiced some displeasure forgoing the typical robotic response. I honestly believe his players take their cue from him and seeing he was bothered by the criticism – and shockingly let it be known – certainly hasn’t hurt what appears to be increased intensity on the field.
Second, and maybe it was more Gene Smith’s doing, but I thought the joint statement taking issue with Coleman’s suspension is something we may not have seen from Tressel in years past. It’s like he’s adopted the “us against the world” mantra ever since the USC heat and the players are buying in. This overall attitude seems to have lent itself to playing to win instead of the perceived notion of playing not to lose.
So, what do you think? Are any of these recent happenings the result of Tressel altering his course after the USC loss?
i’m cautiously optimistic that Tressel has turned over a new leaf, but as of now i think the sample size of games is just way to small to determine either way. the real test will be when we go into happy valley and we take the lead at some point in the game.
if Tressel goes back into turtle mode and sits on that lead like it’s a golden egg like we’ve seen a thousand times, nothing has changed. if he keeps going after the lions in that environment with that much on the line, i’ll be convinced.
Agreed. We can’t really tell whether he’s changed until we see how he coaches another huge, season-defining game.
More importantly, how much bitching will people do on here if they have a lead and don’t play it conservatively and they F the game up and Penn State wins.
I’d rather F-up and lose the game by being too aggressive than being too passive and have the game “taken” from us.
+1
I just think the problem wasn’t conservative/aggressive the last couopld of years, it’s been talent on the lines. Troy’s senior year, other than Florida, the offense was pretty open and they took more chances. As this team comes into it’s own it’s going to be more ggressive. W
“What does Ohio State do when they get in trouble? THEY RUN THE FOOTBALL” – Mark May
I don’t know whether he’s changed or not, but that photo is totally ’shopped!
GET OUT?!?!?!
I just thought he had been taking some N.O. Xplode and Syntha six…..
Yeah, it was photo shopped, he’s not that tan, and I think he’s a little more ripped.
oh, so this was taken before his pre-contest cutting cycle?
I would have rather seen more WWF wrestler Tress, than Chippendale Tress. Or UFC Tress, everyone knows they are the only one swho can actually fight.
P90X. Or Crossfit.
Both put hair on your chest.
But I’ll take P90X.
Crossfit is insane
Today’s workout:
25 Walking lunge steps
20 Pull-ups
50 Box jumps, 20 inch box
20 Double-unders
25 Ring dips
20 Knees to elbows
30 Kettlebell swings, 2 pood
30 Sit-ups
20 Hang squat cleans, 35 pound dumbells
25 Back extensions
30 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
3 Rope climb ascents
P90X is ridiculous too, but crossfit will turn you into a meast in five weeks tops
i think this is a “flavor of the week” thing. we all know that tressel will be head ball coach until he decides to step down, whining fans be damned. that being said, does it make sense that the usc loss this year would be the watershed moment for all these supposed “changes”? sure, there’s only so much criticism a person can turn a senatorial ear to before some sort of kneejerk reaction occurs. but tressel will always prefer to kick to end a possession. it’s what the pros do, playing the percentages… it’s why he benches players for not getting to class on time & it’s why he is the guy we want representing our university, because he tries to do what he thinks is right.
now, is tressel starting to delegate the offensive playcalling duties a tad more? that may be true. but i doubt this is tressel changing who he is as a football coach.
IMO. IT’S ABOUT FRIGGIN’ TIME!!!!
Now, Coach T, about that offensive coordinator position…
The Bucks have some tough games ahead. IU will play tough for a half, glad we have Wisconsin at home, and the game at Penn State – who knows will it be the team from two years ago that went in to crappy valley and went crazy or the team with Eddie George and fall apart. Stay healthy Buckeyes – “D” Fence.
To the OSU Football Team:
A quote from Jared Sullinger in talking about something his father said:
“I tell my boys if you get your foot on someone’s throat, make sure you touch the floor,” he says. “The moment you lighten up, you lose.”
This is from the “Matta Recuiting Fluff” link
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/kevin_armstrong/09/24/ohio.state/#ixzz0SgduytNe
…the Buckeyes have been going thru the motions since 2006— it seems the fire MAY be back…. lets see what happens when they are truly tested. I am optimistic at the changes (especially Hazell) and I am looking forward to the departure of Bollman…. that has been a drag on this program. I am however surprised about the lack of progress from Pryor… he seems to be making the same mistakes over and over—sooner or later he will have to be trusted to make a play to win a game and at this point I am not confident in that. He has superior athletic skills to almost anyone in the conference, but is he superior in the mental aspects of the game?? He cant just blow by the competition anymore, he has to out-prepare and out-think them in games. He has a few more games until the competition steps up a notch (Penn St.) (Iowa).
You don’t think he’s improved at all? I mean, I know there’s still mistakes, but each game he’s made passes that he wouldn’t have come close to last year. To me, I see a huge difference in him this year. I know he still makes poor decisions, but if you think about it, last year he had no decision. It was look for someone open real quick, then tuck it and run. He wasn’t capable of making the same kinds of passes he is this year. The decision making will come and he’s got a couple games to fine tune before the big games.
I just think we are all eager to see him tossing it around like Touchdown Troy once did.
Exactly, I’m the same way, but Touchdown Troy wasn’t the Heisman Trophy winner we all remember until his last year. Pryor has a chance to do something even Troy never did. Beat Michigan 4 years in a row!
You make a decent argument here, but I have to side with PB Buckeye. Yeah he’s growing as a passer and making SOME better decisions, but he is still making some costly mistakes that we get away with thanks to the stellar Defense. The problem is, teams are starting to hone in on Pryor’s abilities and they are making the proper adjustments. He had 59 yds on 11 carries against a very weak Illinois D. It looks like he can’t just run around defenses like he used to.
Count on every team to take a similar look dropping 1-2 LB/DBs to spy Pryor and continue to take that away. He has to get better on the passing attack or we’re going to have to rely on the D more than we want to.
Obviously he has to get better, but I think it’s absurd that people just expect he should be a top QB at this point in his career. It’s like because he’s not the best right now, he never will be, and that just makes no sense to me and really isn’t a fair assessment either. He’ll get better.
You’re dead on Brian. He’s developing at a normal pac and not the superhuman pace everyone expected, thats the problem. He’s the best soph QB we’ve EVER seen in C’bus, so what is the comparison?
I get fired up when I read that stuff. Yeah I want to see Heisman Pryor too, but it takes time.
It would be nice if Tress would let go of some control to move towards better and more agressive play calling, I just don’t see it until he trust T.P. like he trusted Troy Smith his Senior year.
I agree with the idea that Tressel needed to make targeted changes but not a complete overhaul of his core principals. Several points:
1. Ohio State’s OL and DL got manhandled against Fla 06, LSU 07, U$C 08. Better schemes and playcalling would not have made much difference in those games. Tress responded by aggressively going after guys like Adams, Shugarts, et al, while the DL has made great strides.
2. You argue that “playing not to lose” cost Ohio State against PSU 08 and U$C 09. But everything comes down to risk v. reward translating into wins or losses – and it’s easy to play Monday morning QB. The only reason to be more aggressive is you think it will improve your chances of winning games. In the future, if Tressel takes a few chances in big games that blow up in his face, the fans will scream about that (case in point: Navy 09).
3. These days, “too conservative” has become a synonym for offensive ineffectiveness. Throughout Tressel’s tenure, Ohio State has used a lot of different formations, run a balanced offense (roughly 55 percent pass, 45 percent run), including 4 and 5 wides, etc. When they carve up defenses running a bunch of “vanilla” plays, no one says anything about playcalling, but when they struggle, the playcalling is automatically labelled as “conservative” no matter what Tress called. Irony: if Tressel’s offense emphasized more passes to RBs, TEs, reverses, etc., and then the offense had a bad game, these types of calls would be used as examples of being “too conservative.”
4. Mac Brown.
all valid points…. except taking chances in big games vs Navy. Tress let off the accelerator vs Navy when he had the chance to go up by 3 scores and it almost came back to bit him in the ass.
4. Mac Brown
That son of a bitch…
True that but Mac Brown won’t sit on a lead ie UTEP
I’m sorry but I think its preposterous to say Tress is this new offensive guru or that he’s changed somehow because of two games. Come on guys it isn’t like we beat Alabama and Texas.
Let’s see how the rest of this year goes before we start re-annointing Coach Tressel as the savior. I hope he has seen the light and that Hazell is more of an influence in the playcalling and that we will be playing to TP’s strengths, but I think it is a little premature to jump to that conclusion after all of two games against Toledo and Illinois.
Am I missing something? Who’s calling him a guru?
You wanna crown his ass, then effin crown his ass. I keeeed.
HE IS WHO WE THOUGHT HE IS!
WINNAR!!!!
Zoom is getting the start at Indiana?
have we run ANY split back sets this year? I don’t think we have, and that’s a damned shame.
e-mailing Tress as we speak….
Looks like it. Herron is still banged up a bit. More Hall, too.
Herron-ankle. Zoom and Hall no. 1 & 2 TB’s
No mention of Tressel dancing in the locker room?
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/video/hd_video.html
I’ve never heard of him ever doing that.
doug worthington is lookin like greg oden in that other video, haha
Seriously, like brothers
lol
makes me think of that espn commercial from a couple of years ago. “you want serious? i can give you serious”
Wait, who should Thaddeus have been playing over two years ago?
I wanna say Heyward started at DE all 13 games and at the time it seemed Gibson was being held back a little. Wasn’t quite the rotation we see today. Gholston was obviously at the other DE and started all 13 games. Didn’t it seem like Gibson was underutilized as a pass rushing specialist that season? I could be on crazy pills.
I think Heyward is a more well rounded DE. Watch the USC game over (probably the best O-line that we will play all year……Heyward was our best D-lineman that day.
Boom getting banged up and moving Zoom to #1 is a blessing in disguise.
Perhaps, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Heyward had a let down in performance last year when there were such high hopes for him coming after his frosh year.
Agreed. But he spent a lot of time at DT (which I thought would workout) last year. In hindsight that was a bad decision. He bleongs on the edge kicking Tackles asses.
Yeah but Heyward is a strong side DE. Huge difference. Gibson will NEVER play strong side DE. Maybe on 3rd and long they’ll use two weakside DE’s, but I’m pretty sure Gibson was in on those situations.
I don’t think we’ll know until we know, and so forth.
That picture of Tress is killing me…..and so forth
I think Herron gets a bum rap. The young man can lay the lumber…so forth and all the rest.