Eleven Warriors

So, after watching the Pryor press video, I actually feel a little sorry for the guy. He seems genuinely remorseful and, if I'm being honest, scared. He looks like a 21 year old who just had responsibility fast-forwarded a year and realizes how much he'll miss his old life. As a Michigan fan, I take pleasure in a little OSU schadenfreude, but even I have my limits. If he is indeed sincere, then God bless the young man and I wish him reconciliation with his former teammates and OSU. in the end, I hope he gets an I-O to his O-H.
 

Kyle Dodson grew up an Ohio State fan from Cleveland and thought his dream was to grow up and play for the Buckeyes one day. That was until he visited Wisconsin.

"Growing up I always rooted for the Buckeyes because where I'm from everybody roots for them and hates Michigan", Dodson said. "But then as I started to get recruited, my grandma told me to really take a look at other schools besides Ohio State to make sure I was making the right decision and the best fit for me".

That right decision apparently was to take his talents to Madison, Wisconsin where he committed to Bret Bielema and the Wisconsin Badgers earlier this evening. The commitment came just 24 hours after receiving the coveted OSU offer that was on hold as the Buckeye staff awaited a qualifying ACT score. Dodson said getting the OSU offer last night "made things much harder" but he chose the Badgers because "it just felt right and I think they had the best tools to help me fulfill my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL".

The timing was certainly weird for a decision to commit to UW, as things appeared to be swinging to the Scarlet and Gray with Luke Fickell finally giving Dodson an official offer. The Bucks had been waiting to extend a scholarship to the 6-6/310 offensive lineman per a deal Jim Tressel made with the Cleveland Heights standout that stated that he would get an offer once he had a qualifying ACT score.

Many Buckeye fans think "slow playing" Dodson like that had an effect on his decision, but Kyle begged to differ, stating " At first I was kind of offended and confused as to why they weren't offering, but as things went on, I started to understand why Coach Tressel was doing things this way. I knew Coach Tressel wouldn't go back on the deal and that I had a scholarship as long as I qualified. That didn't have an effect on my decision."

As for the reason he felt today was the right day to commit to Wisconsin, Dodson said that he "didn't have time to drags things out because a lot of kids were committing earlier and he didn't want to lose his spot". He said he was pretty sure his decision was final, stating that "when you're committed, you're committed" , but also did go on to say that "it ain't over till it's over".

Dodson did want to keep things as classy as possible and spoke to OSU coach Taver Johnson this evening and also has plans to call Jim Bollman and the rest of the staff tomorrow. He said Johnson had a lot of class and told him that he would always be there for him regardless of his decision to attend Wisconsin.

On the other side of things, Dodson also spoke to his new coach Bret Bielema and played a little trick on him. When Kyle got on the phone with the coach he made it seem like he was committing elsewhere before pulling a 180 and pledging to the Badgers. The news of the commitment invoked a lot of screaming and yelling up north in Madison.

Finally, when asked if the situation had any effect on his decision at all, Dodson said it had some impact, but wasn't a deciding factor. He said he "loved Coach Tressel and thinks he is a great man", but likes Luke Fickell and the new staff a lot, although was uncertain of their future after this year. The instability and uncertainty may have played a minor role, but at the end of the day it seems he was just more comfortable heading up to Wisconsin.

Losing a player of Dodson's magnitude hurts a lot, especially since he is in state, but I must say he was very classy about the whole thing. It may look bad on the surface to get the "offer you have been waiting for" and commit to a rival less than a day later, but it appears after talking to Dodson that he is just making the decision he feels is best for him.

He did have one thing he wanted me to relay to Buckeye fans though:

"I hope you understand I made the decision that was best for me and that one day you can welcome me back with open arms, as it is my dream to play for the Browns. I'm not LeBron!"

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Jim Tressel's Last Punt

January 4, 2011.  Ohio State leads the Sugar Bowl 31-26 with just over 1 minute left.  4th down and short.  Coach Tressel calls a punt to make Arkansas drive the length of the field to win.  It's blocked and Ohio State is as good as dead.

The punt has made Jim Tressel famous.  The punt you say????  Yes, the punt is said to be Coach Tressel's favorite play.  If executed properly it is a thing of beauty.  It soars through the air like a comet and pins the opponent deep in their own territory.  It can change a game and it forces an opponent to beat your defense in order to score.  Something that Jim Tressel teams don't allow to happen much.

But the final punt in Coach Tressel's Ohio State coaching career was not a thing of beauty.  It was a debacle that almost cost his team a sure win.  A monkey-off-the-back-shut-the-f**k-up-sure-fire win was almost lost because of a blocked punt?  Not the way it's supposed to happen when you call your favorite play.  Ah, but Coach Tressel was not finished with his punt executing days just yet.

Fast forward a few months and we all know what has happened since that joyous night for Buckeye faithful.  Coach Tressel's name was drug through the mud.  Coach Tressel's job was called for by famous alums.  Coach Tressel was rightly suspended and fined for lying to the NCAA and his superiors.  Coach Tressel continued to do his work.

There was blood in the water and the sharks were determined.  SI decided to get in on the act and try to find some skeletons.  They found a bunch of hot air instead.  The hometown newspaper ran a failed investigative report, and then re-ran a failed investigative report from 2004.  The distractions were not going to end.

Yet Coach Tressel bided his time as he always has.  He delivered a fantastic recruiting class.  He coached his team through spring practice.  He named an Interim Coach, and then he decided to do what all great coaches do.  With the blood in the water and the sharks swarming at a feverish pitch he finally called his favorite play.  He punted.  The hang time on this particular punt is going to be pretty long, but if executed properly it can be a thing of beauty.

Walking the Tightrope

There is a fine line between success and failure.

More than a coach.  I have said it, and I believe it about Jim Tressel.  The man who has built a mountain of support from former players, colleagues, and friends is watching his empire collapse around him.  An empire that he built on hard work, tireless persistence, and faith in people is now in shambles.  For what?

There is a fine line between mentor and enabler.

When you believe in the goodness of people you expect that they will choose the right path.  When you present people with example after example of how to live life the right way you expect that the examples will be taken to heart.  At some point, with some people, it becomes obvious that what you are preaching is not sinking in.  You can lead a horse to water, but......then what?

In my mind, in the future, there will never be another coach at Ohio State like Jim Tressel.  In many regards.  There will never be such a successful coach.  There will never be such an admired coach.  There will never be such a beloved coach.  There will never be such a questioned coach.  There will never be such a troubled coach.

Coach Tressel walked a tightrope his entire career.  The tightrope that comes from old school methodology, a desire to control all aspects of his program, faith in the goodness of people, and the deepest desire to win football games.  Coach Tressel finally fell off the tightrope.  He decided to go it alone and he lost his footing.  Not even the safety net built on decades of hard work could save him this time.

Few people reading this blog remember the era of McCarthyism.  Heck, I was a mere child when that nonsense was going on.  But, I do remember the stories of innocent people being railroaded by over zealous patriots in pursuit of an ideal society.  In the original context McCarthyism referred to making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence.  It is now used more generally to describe reckless, unsubstantiated accusations.  These accusations generally stem from some initial act of wrong doing by one party.  The tendency is for the general public, and sometimes politicians and/or the media to jump on the lynch wagon and accuse anyone remotely connected with the original wrong doing of being complicit in schemes that don't even exist. 

Fast forward to 2011.  You would think that our esteemed media members would have learned a lesson from the 1950's.  One of the basic standards in our legal system is that an individual is innocent until proven guilty through due process.  Due process means a hearing of some sort in front of a governing body or judge and jury.  Many individuals in the public eye are no longer afforded that luxury thanks to an over eager media system.  Often, they are accused, tried and convicted in the public eye with evidence that is at best circumstantial, introduced by over zealous reporters. 

Yes, I am speaking of the situation with Jim Tressel and The Ohio State University.  It seems that every hack with a pen is thinking of new ways to bring down everyone associated with Tressel.  Guilt by association – yes, that's the ticket.  Jim Tressel committed an NCAA violation.  That one violation cost him his job because of public opinion.  And, now everything he has done in the past is under scrutiny, and he is being accused by the media and many bloggers of some grandiose scheme during the course of his career as a coach. 

Think about that for a minute.  Jim Tressel is accused by many of being a sleazy, scheming cheat who would stop at nothing to field a winning team.  Really?  Just the mere suggestion brings to mind the seasoned mafia dons who are so calculated in everything.  Law enforcement can't touch them because they take care of every little detail so as not to be caught. 

This is where it gets interesting – I am going to try to apply common sense to the sequence of events. (I must add that I do not have a clue what went on in Jim's mind, but it is easy to take a look at this and suppose what I would have done if I were a mastermind cheat.)

So here we have Jim Tressel who gains knowledge that several of his players may have been involved in selling/pawning/trading memorabilia.  So he immediately implements a cover up!  OK, mafia don, put yourself in Jim's shoes.  Lets see, this information you just received is sent to you because of a FEDERAL INVESTIGATION – which means the facts will surface – there is little doubt of that.  What do you do?  If, indeed, Jim Tressel were the mastermind schemer that the esteemed Dohrmann professes there is no way there would be any paper or email trail of these notifications.  Yet, at the end of the process, there it is.  Does this really look like the work of a seasoned cover up artist?  Oops, maybe to much common sense here. 

Take a look at the accusation of Jim Tressel doing anything possible to field his best players and win.  Really??  How many times during his OSU tenure were players disciplined for “violations of team rules” and missed playing time.  Mo C was bounced from the team for his non compliance in academic issues.  Duran Carter (yes, the son of a Buckeye Legend) was not eligible to play in the Rose Bowl and eventually dismissed from the team.  Ray Small was in and out the the dog house so many times they had to install a revolving door just for him.  Beanie Wells was held out of his first USC game because he did not practice that week due to injury (this despite trainers and docs giving the go ahead for participation).  The list goes on.  Yet, we are led to believe by the esteemed media that Jim Tressel would do anything just to have his best players on the field. 

The accusations just do not make sense. 

So, where do I get to the McCarthyism comparison?  Well, here goes.  Jim was indeed guilty of violating an NCAA rule – once.  Despite being investigated for all of the old garbage brought up by Dohrmann, there was never any instance or evidence that he was complicit in any other incident.  But all the national media was calling for his head.  And, this influenced Les Wexner to pressure tOSU, and Jim was told to resign.  Did anyone in the media pan the SI piece?  Some said it was just a rehash of old stuff, but no one stepped up to the plate and called it what it was.  Even our local paper – The Dispatch  - had Ken Gordon calling it a good piece of journalism.  This is how McCarthyism started.  No one close to Senator McCarthy stepped up and called bullshit on his actions.  They all just sat back and said “Wow, I hope he doesn't accuse me of anything.”  As a result, the public began to believe his crap, and many an innocent citizen paid the price.  Well, now there seems to be a similar witch hunt going on.  It even started before the Dohrmann story.  Jill Riepenhoff and Mike Wagner of The Dispatch published an expose of players and car dealers that was filled with innuendo and accusations but only told half the story.  They even admitted to rushing to publish the piece because they could not wait for the BMV to provide accurate information.  The original story accused Thad Gibson of paying $0 for a car.  A retraction was printed less than a half week later and buried in the middle of the paper.  Yet, Ken Gordon, when confronted by 11W blogger Pam, said that he would not call out any of his colleagues for shoddy journalism, it just wasn't going to happen.  There have been many other reports, both written and broadcast that just do not tell the whole story.   And, we even have Johnny on 11W defending many of these hack jobs as good journalism.  Yes, McCarthyism at it's finest.  Don't criticize a colleague, they could come after you next. 

For what it is worth, I am not a journalist (obviously).  But, I did learn in Journalism 101 that a good investigative story digs into depth and tells both sides of the story (this piece is not an investigative story – it is my own opinion).  Both the Dohrmann piece and the Riepenhoff piece would not have received passing marks in my class.  I just don't understand how any responsible journalist could defend these pieces as “good” journalism.  And, the net result was a swaying of public opinion enough to bring about the resignation of one of the best coaches college football has ever experienced.  And, now there are many calling for the heads of Gene Smith and Gordon Gee and demanding that the tOSU dismiss any players associated this whole fiasco.  When will this McCarthyism witch hunt end? 

First posted at Inside The Shoe by Bob

Where to start? Where to start? What a week for the Buckeyes this has been. A few weeks ago, I wrote right here on Inside The Shoe that it was time for Jim Tressel to go. I was hoping he would do it before any other bad news came out, actually I was really hoping no more bad news would come out. Well he did it, he “resigned” (notice the quotes around resign, everyone knows exactly what happened in that meeting, he was asked to “resign”). Right after Tressel “resigned”, SI came out with an article detailing every bad thing that Tressel has done, known of, or as the head coach should have known. Some people have said that the article was weak, that it didn't present anything relevant or new.

Well I disagree, it showed a pattern of questionable – to - bad - decisions made by Tressel dating back to his days as an OSU assistant in the 1980s, through his successful career at YSU, up to this recent death blow. Ladies and gentleman, a pattern has been displayed. Jim Tressel did a great job over the last ten years cultivating the image of Senator Tressel. He wrote books, talked about his faith and religion, did a great job appearing shocked and dismayed at the players press conference before the Sugar Bowl. Now we have learned that he knew about the tattoos and probably even Pryor’s cars the entire time.
Honestly, I have no proof that he knew about the Pryor, however if he is half as smart as he should be, there is no way he couldn't have known about the cars. Jim Tressel was a great coach, and honestly through everything I have said, I do believe he is a good man, who got caught up in coaching at the greatest University in the world, and got caught up in the win at all costs atmosphere. He needed the big players to do this, and once he got these players he apparently turned a blind eye to their transactions. You can look at Troy Smith and Maurice Clarrett all you want, but I believe everything that needs to be said can be found with Terrelle Pryor. I too, like most Buckeye fans was hoping that when Pryor finally picked a school, he would sign with The Ohio State University. It happened right there in Janette, Pa Pryor made the announcement, that he would be signing with……The University of Ohio State.

Right when he said that, when he got our name wrong, I got an uneasy feeling, but what did I know? Then he got to Columbus, and started winning games for us. He almost lead us to a victory over Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, then the following two years, he actually does lead us to two BCS wins, and continues the streak against Michigan. Yeah, during that time, he did some bone head things, made quotes about how good he could be in another system, or his support of Michael Vick (let’s not get into that one). But hey these were only verbal miscues, nothing more than a kid making what most people thought errors, but I chalked it up to kids being kids. Then finally came the tattoos.

He along with a group of teammates traded team goods for tattoos. They were caught, they are being punished, but they apologized. I for one, bought into that apology. I looked at one of Pryor’s tattoos, and it was a big scarlet block O. I thought you know what he does love this school, and he apologized, so once again he is just a kid who messed up. Well, now that all of the car information has come out, and if it is true I am done with him!! He has possibly driven 8 new cars in his 3 years at OSU. He even had the gall to drive a sports car with dealer plates to the team meeting this week. That makes me think he does not care anymore. However, I am now reading reports that this car was legally purchased and is being paid for by his mother.

Even with this report in the recent Dispatch, and on ESPN, I am sufficiently jaded by Mr. Pryor. I have heard the rumors that he is looking for an agent, and may try the supplemental draft, well, if all of this is true, that you have been driving illegal cars, looking for agents and so on, than go, take your talents to the NFL. My goodness, I hope I am wrong, and all of the cars were legal, but I just don’t believe that to be true. Unfortunately, the shine of having you at OSU, apparently was to bright for Jim Tressel. He treated Pryor with kid gloves, he let him get away with anything and everything, and guess what this cost him his job, now Terrelle it needs to cost you your job. In the end, years from now Jim Tressel may be remembered for “owning” Michigan, winning multiple Big Ten Titles, BCS Games, a National Title, and doing great things like visiting our troops in Iraq, but right now his legacy is undeniably connected to Terrelle Pryor and that my friends is not a good thing.

Kirk Herbstreit was essentially run out of Ohio with his family for being honest and objective in his discussion of the OSU program and it's faults.  One of his main points was that Coach Tressel should stop recruiting players like Terrell Pryor for which he was labeled a traitor.  In light of the recent scandal it has become obvious he was right and I doubt you would currently find any Buckeye fan who would disagree with his stance on Pryor.  I read a lot of degrading and what I felt were inaccurate and hateful comments about Herbie on the blogs many of which were on this website.  Sometimes it's painful to hear the truth, especially when you don't want to believe it but it's obvious he was right all along.  He completely nailed the problem at OSU much earlier than any other journalist did for which he deserves credit.  I am interested to hear how many people now feel like they perhaps owe Herbie an apology.  Is there anyone who still thinks he is a traitor and not an objective journalist?

I have thought about this myself for several years.  I believe Indiana has or is also implementing a similar plan.

http://oncampus.osu.edu/2011/05/ohio-stadium-goes-zero-waste/

Apparently to make a post I need at least 100 words but I really have nothing more to say, read the article for yourself and sort your waste.

Apparently to make a post I need at least 100 words but I really have nothing more to say, read the article for yourself and sort your waste.

Apparently to make a post I need at least 100 words but I really have nothing more to say, read the article for yourself and sort your waste.

First posted at Inside The Shoe

Bill Carey may just have a man crush, but does Buckeye Nation need to? My guess would be yes, simply because I think Miller is the guy to get us through the first 5 games of the season. Here's what he had to say about #5:

"If things break right for the Buckeyes, Miller will start the first five games of 2011 and then not see the field again until 2012. But the freshman's play could have a big impact on the national championship chase.
Miller, who was 7-for-12 with one touchdown during Ohio State's spring game, made big strides in the four-way battle to start while Terrelle Pryor serves a five-game suspension for his role in the trophies-for-tattoos scandal that has engulfed the OSU program. If the dual-threat quarterback from Huber Heights, Ohio, gets the nod to take snaps while Pryor is out, he and the Buckeyes will face two major obstacles: Miami in the third game of the season and defending co-conference champion Michigan State in the Big Ten opener.
The Buckeyes are dreaming big this year, but the season could come down to how Miller plays early. If Pryor returns to a team carrying two losses, he won't be competing for a national title."

While it's important that we realize Joe Bauserman may be the front runner for the starting job, we can always go back to the fact that if Miller shows significant improvement between now and the first game, then Braxton Miller may be the man to lead the charge into the 2011-2012 season. With a stable full of talented running backs, we need strong leadership, and I think Miller can step up to the challenge.

Let's look at the quarterback stats for the 2011 spring game:

Joe Bauserman: 4/11 for 42 yards and 1 TD

Kenny Guiton: 5/11 for 43 yards and 1 TD

Braxton Miller: 7/12 for 73 yards and 1 TD

Taylor Graham: 5/9 for 91 yards and 1 TD

So, let's take a deeper look. All of the quarterbacks above had 1 TD in the game, while Graham stands out with the most yards with 91. He also has the least attempted throws. You may remember the Graham to T.Y. Williams 68-yard touchdown throw in stride streaking down the right sideline. Corey Brown caught a 15-yard pass from Miller, a prized incoming freshman. And Bauserman, a senior-to-be with the most experience, found Ryan Ross on a 16-yard score on the final play of the scrimmage. Meanwhile, Guiton's score came on a bullet to Verlon Reed, a quarterback/safety converted to Wide Receiver.

Braxton Miller and Taylor Graham, the youngest QB's really took charge of the offense. It's also interesting to point out that Bauserman and Graham got sacked a combined total of 7 times with 5 going on Graham.

While Bauserman wasn't impressive and was taken out quickly, I still think he's got the nod over the QB's simply because of the seniority. We'll find out soon enough

Just two days after delivering the incredibly scandalous (and incredibly incorrect) scoop behind the departure of Shelly Poe as OSU's football SID, SPORTSbyBROOKS is back with "previously unseen images" of the letter from the Department of Justice that started our winter of discontent.

For the first time ever -- EVER I say -- you can take a gander at the letter from the United States Attorney that spelled out the details of the player merchandise found in the possession of tattoo parlor owner Edward Rife, himself embroiled in a criminal investigation.

What's that you say?

The Cleveland Plain Dealer released that document way back on April 28th?

Whelp, carry on then.

The Dispatch published a report today claiming the Jackets lost $25mil in the 2010-11 season, their 10th in the NHL. I remember telling Jason when the franchise was born that I'd be shocked if they made it 10 years in this town. While they aren't gone yet, I'm struggling to see how they make it in Columbus 5-10 more years. That said, I'm not a big hockey/CBJ fan by any stretch (though I'd hate to see them go) so I'm curious what the rest of you think. Will the CBJ survive in Columbus? If not, how many more years before they relocate/contract?

I guess the good news is the team doesn't appear to be on the verge of cutting payroll and we all know cities will support a winner.