Eleven Warriors

This is a breakdown of each offensive play that was on TV.  I think you will see that execution was the problem today.  Not play calling.

So the first 2 series basically weren't on TV except for the 3rd and 9 play on the 2nd possesion.

3rd and 9, Miller runs directly up the middle into 2 blitzing LB's on an option play that was set up to go outside.  Blocked well for the outside run, not executed.

3rd SERIES down 7-0.  1st down, zone read, Miller should have kept the ball as the middle of the field was wide open instead he mistakenly gives to Hall who picks up 4 on pure effort.  Stoneburner TOTAL whiff or the misread play might actually go for big yards.  His man makes the tackle and he doesn't come within 3 yards of making a block.

2nd down, Option that Miller doesn't sell at all, blocked PERFECTLY.  Even with the terribly early pitch that doesn't force the unblocked DE to declare AT ALL Hyde picks up a 1st down.  Holding by Chris Fields.  Now 2nd and long......screwed.

2nd and 12.  Shugarts blocks the wrong player and leaves the backside DE open.  If Shugarts makes his block Hall gains at least 5 yards as it was set up nicely.

3rd and 13.  Option look drop back...Shugarts whiffs again......Miller trips over his own feet in the face of pressure and darn near throws a pick on a terrible decision.

4th SERIES, backed up to own 14 yard line

1st down, I formation lead run to Hyde.  Marcus Hall sucks at guard and Boren has to try block Jerel Worthy (fail).  No gain.

2nd and long, I formation Hyde makes the safety miss on a perfectly blocked play and gains 8 yards.  Now 3rd and manageable.

3rd and 3, shotgun with 4 wides, great read by Miller as Fields is uncovered off the line.  Easy pitch and catch for a first down.

1st down, I formation lead for Hyde.  Stoneburner again whiffs completely and the backside DE makes the play.  Gains 5.

2nd and 5, shotgun with Hyde and Boren flanking.........effing Shugarts false start.

2nd and 10 same formation, low snap, Miller craps his pants and falls on the ball.

3rd and 14, Miller under center, screen for Hyde....well set up except Hyde runs into a DLineman and falls down.  Miller has to scramble and gains nothing.

5th SERIES

False start Linsley.......now 1st and 15

I formation stretch , Brewster doesn't make his block, short gain by Hall.

2nd and 13, I formation, play action, tons of time, ball blocked by DLineman.

3rd and 13, shotgun single set back, trips to top of formation, fake to Hall blocked perfectly, strike to Fields and 1st down.

1st and 10, I formation, play action, great pocket, Boren picks up blitzing LB, Miller craps his pants and basically falls down.  SACK COMPLETELY ON HIM, Boren called for bogus chop block and it's now 1st and 25.

1st and 25, play action, again Miller has a pocket that he doesn't use, tucks and looks like his shoes are tied together.  SACK COMPLETELY ON HIM.  Illegal hands to face bails him out.

1st and 10, I formation, motion with Fragel, play action, Miller throws deep to D. Smith and makes a decent throw, 50-50 ball that is picked off.

6th SERIES

Pinned inside own 20,

1st and 10, Wildcat with Hall, gains 5.

2nd and 5, I formation, safety makes good open field tackle on well blocked lead play, gains 4.

3rd and 1, I formation, David Durham in at fullback, Hall picks up 1st down.

1st and 10, I formation Mewhort completely whiffs on Worthy and obviously Miller is not adjusting his snap counts because MSU knows exactly when the ball is going to be snapped.  Loss of 5

2nd and 15, Miller bobbles a perfect shotgun snap, freaks out and doesn't let play develop, throws quickly to Reed for gain of 5.  No reason to throw so quickly.

3rd and 10, I formation, blitz, Mewhort blocks air, SACK.

7th SERIES

1st and 10, I formation, lead/stretch play for Hall, safety is crashing in hard on run support, Hall gets what he can and gains 5.

2nd and 5, I formation, great blocking even though Worthy clearly knows what the snap count is.  Hall gains 10 for a first down.

1st and 10. I formation, lead play, excellent blocking, Hall gains 7.

2nd and 3, I formation, Shugarts for some reason lets his man get inside him by taking a false step to the outside, DE comes across and blows up play.  Otherwise very well blocked. No gain

3rd and 3, shotgun 4 wides, draw play, terrible read by Miller, no one is even covering Stoney and the LB covering the slot blitzes.  Should have been changed to a quick pass and would have been an easy pitch and catch 1st down.

8th SERIES, down 10-0

1st and 10, I formation, Sprint out DAVE, set up nicely to get Miller outside.......FALSE START Mewhort.

1st and 15,  I formation, Hall completely misses the hole and runs directly into a tackle, play was set up nicely if he simply follows Boren through the hole.

2nd and 17, shotgun 4 wides, Miller freaks again with no pressure in his face, doesn't let play develop AT ALL and immediately looks to his outlet Hyde out of the backfield.........personal foul defenseless receiver moves the ball.

1st and 10, offset I formation, DAVE, well blocked, Hall is running with his eyes closed or something and runs directly into Shugarts and the man he has walled off.  Set up very well for at least 5-7 yards if he follows the blocks properly.

2nd and 9, I formation, motion with D Smith, play action, nice pocket, Miller doesn't step and tucks it, sacks himself.

3rd and 16, shotgun sprint out, Miller doesn't let play develop again, Brewster doesn't get a great block, there are open receviers, but Miller isn't looking at anyone, he bounces around and gains 3.

9th SERIES, Bauserman

1st and 10, bad pass to open Boren in the flat, pick penalty called

1st and 18 on the 8 yards line, I formation, run blitz Hall loses a yard.

2nd and 19, I formation, bootleg, Stoney stops his route and only gains 4 yards.

3rd and 15, Shotgun, 7 rushers, Bauserman almost escapes but is sacked.

10th SERIES

1st and 10, Shotgun sprint out, corner blitz, Bauserman doesn't see it, and gets sacked.

2nd and 15, I formation, play action, Bauserman thows it 10 yards too far for Smith.

3rd and 15, shotgun 3 wides, break down of line, SACK.

11th SERIES

1st and 10 backed up to own 7, play action, open Fields, Bauserman overthrows him.

2nd and 10, I formation, Stoney whiffs completely, Hall does well to gain 5 yards.

3rd and 5, shotgun 3 wides, D back leaps over Hall and Bauserman is deer in headlights........SACK.

12th SERIES

1st and 10, shotgun Bauserman finally looks warmed up, strike to Reed.

1st and 10, shotgun 3 wides ,wide open Reed, ball in dirt.

2nd and 10, shotgun, corner blitz, Bauserman checks down to Hyde, gains 3.

3rd and 7, shotgun Hyde whiffs on block, Bauserman hits Reed for 1st down.

1st and 10, shotgun, trips, Bauserman double and triple hitches and throws one near no one.

2nd and 10, shotgun, Bauserman misses wide open Fields in the seam, could have been caught, but really not a good throw.

3rd and 10, shotgun, blitz, well picked up, throw in the dirt to T.Y. Williams who was wide open.

4th and 10 shotgun, Stoney whiffs on a block forcing Bauserman to move, he still has a wide open Hall in the flat, throws it over his head.

13th SERIES............Buckeyes score.

Seriously folks I don't know what to tell you if you think the play calling is the problem with this team.  Poor execution is the problem.  A true freshman QB who is scared and doesn't have ANY patience is the problem. An old QB who can't hit the broad side of a barn is the problem.  A tight end who absolutely refuses to block anyone is the problem.  Please tape the games and watch them again if you really want to bag on the coaches.  This loss is ALL ON THE PLAYERS.  They didn't execute the plays that were called.

Sure I would like to see a bubble screen to Corey Brown, but he is hurt.  I think the Wildcat is a great addition to the offense.  More of that would be in order.  The play calling is fine.  The players are not.  You simply have to execute on 1st down, especially with a young QB, and this team failed to do that time and time again.  Not because of the play call, but because of false starts or holds or missed blocks or missed holes.

So after reading that permanent captains would have undoubtedly prevented the Jammmmaaaaaal (I can never remember if it's 2 m's or 2 a's or both) Berry "situation" from occurring I have come to the conclusion that Luke Fickell is a complete failure as a head coach.

A lot of people have obviously decided that no matter what the "Interim" Head Coach does it is wrong.  Rotating captains = wrong, not wearing a sweater vest = wrong, playing a 5th year senior instead of a true freshman = wrong, losing a game = wrong, scoring points at the end of a half = wrong, etc. etc. etc.

Sure he has made some blunders along the way.  He sweats too much.  He wears lame t-shirts.  He apparently lost his killer instinct somewhere between the high school wrestling mat and the OSU sideline. 4 games into a head coaching career and.................EPIC FAIL.

I for one am not buying all the negativity.  I see a bright future ahead.  Fickell has had a chance to make 1 coaching staff hire and it was a home run.  Fickell is the head coach and he has my full support.

Sure we can and will analyze, and re-analyze, and over-analyze this season of many uncertainties.  All I can ask is that people give the man a chance.  A chance to grow and improve and succeed and earn the head coaching gig or a chance to fail.  So far the jury is still out in my book.  I wish that were the case for all of us.

Akron native.

Kent State grad.

MAC Champion coach.

Has brought in some serious NFL talent to play at Missouri.

Downside is that he is almost 60, but I never see his name mentioned by the REPLACE FICKELL YESTERDAY folks.

Just think he is an option that would be very solid and capable, and he is a former Offensive Coordinator.

I know that he is not a "sexy" name like Meyer or Gruden, but I am not into "sexy" names.  If Fickell doesn't work out I think Ohio State would be very smart to hire someone with a long track record of success as a head coach.  Pinkel is definitely a proven successful head coach, and in the right situation perhaps a great head coach.

Thoughts?

So OU's President essentially "turned on the red light" regarding the future conference affiliation of the Sooners this past week.  Should the B1G get into the fray with Oklahoma? 

I say yes, and for that matter I think Kansas and Missouri should be strongly considered as well.

For what it's worth this is what I would like to see out of the inevitable march to 16 teams.

Add Pitt, a natural rival for Penn State that shores up the Pennsylvania market.

Add Kansas and Missouri.  These two are a package deal in my opinion that would solidify the addition of Nebraska by being long time Big 8 rivals.  A great rivalry that adds the St Louis and Kansas City markets to the conference fold.

Add Oklahoma.  Why let the Pac or the SEC take this huge fish without putting out some feelers to guage interest?

So in case you haven't heard ESPN has turned up the witch-hunt-o-meter to 11.  Yes, THE FOUR LETTER is suing Ohio State.  Stop the Presses!!! Here is a tidbit from their complaint filed in the Ohio State Supreme Court on July 11th...."In short, when times are good, Ohio State lets the world know.  When times are bad, however, not so much."  All I can say is SERIOUSLY that's legalese?

Word is that ESPN has had reporters in Columbus for months now turning over every stone, buckeye leaf, tattoo needle, former player, and former roommate of a former player's girlfriend in order to get more scoop on any shenanigans at Ohio State.  They ran with a story from a self described "ex-friend" of Terrelle Pryor's claiming that Pryor had sold his John Hancock for several thousands of dollars.  The number they used was seemingly pulled out of thin air by using some sort of abacus that only ESPN's math department knows exists.  That story gained as much traction as FDR on a bender trying to do ballet on a slip-n-slide covered in Astroglide.

So what does ESPN do? Well they invested all this time in finding scoop and keep coming up empty.  Of course they decided to go George Dorhmann on us.  By that I mean they are grasping at straws and appear to be extremely desperate. I mean that worked out well for Dohrmann  The guy who spent months in Columbus investigating Ohio State came up with a story about a raffle at a football camp in 1985 and then decided to smear the names of 9 student athletes based on the ramblings of an anonymous ex-con.  Solid......NOT.

ESPN thinks that they are entitled to the email communications between Jim Tressel and Ted Sarniak.  Ohio State has refused to release them because of FERPA rules that protect the behavior and or academic standing of student athletes.  The focus of these emails was in fact a student athlete.  Tressel was discussing Terrelle Pryor's involvement in the tat-for-memorabilia scandal with a man who has been described as Pryor's mentor.

Certainly the NCAA has seen these emails, and certainly they saw them prior to issuing a notice of allegations that focused on Jim Tressel alone.  The notice of allegations didn't focus on Doug Archie (the head of OSU's compliance dept), or E. Gordon Gee or Gene Smith, or anyone else in the Ohio State administration.  It focused on Tressel being the lone ranger who covered up the rules violations by his players.

This situation reminds me of a 5-year-old who is told that he can't have a new Transformer toy but doesn't like being told no.  So he throws a tantrum until he gets his way because he thinks it will work.  ESPN is the tantrum throwing 5-year-old here in case you missed that.  All they can hope to gain is more information to smear Jim Tressel's name and image.  The man has been fired and embarrassed enough hasn't he?  He isn't protecting state secrets from the CIA.  The university is citing an often used protective measure that is designed to protect students.  Perhaps the university is over-using FERPA.  However, I really fail to see why ESPN would care so deeply in this case.  What's done is done and Jim Tressel is unemployed.  Grow the heck up and move on ESPN.

Best case scenario.  Ohio State wins the lawsuit, decides to release the emails anyhow and they are primarily focused on Tressel and Sarniak sharing recipes for shish kabobs or icanhascheezburger pics.

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.