Welcome back Under the Fedora. I was going to don a different hat this week, but I couldn’t decide between a Stetson and a captain’s hat.
Back in the Saddle
Everyone seems to be breathing a bit easier after the Buckeyes busted the Broncos of Western Michigan last Saturday, as there seemed to be a little less crazy in the Forum this week. At least I didn’t see any #FireAnyone threads (not that I looked too hard). None of this is to say that Ohio State has actually hit its stride on offense or on defense yet. The offense continues to produce only in fits and starts, and while it was nice to see some big plays in the running game (did I see a counter trey?), the quarterback play remains inconsistent. Keep in mind that it wasn’t until after the Penn State game last year that the offense seemed to finally find its way, and the elimination of the “OR” in the depth chart at the starting QB is a very good sign that the position is at least on its way to being settled once and for all. Let’s hope, anyway. Whatever horse you were backing in the Buckeye arms race, the only way we see a change at this point is if Cardale really stumbles down the stretch, or if there is an injury. And we all know that Ohio State quarterbacks never get injured. Maybe there is something to that zone read conspiracy theory after all…
The defense also remains a work in progress. I’ll admit that my proclamation that the Silver Bullets were back may have been a bit premature. There’s little that gets me worked up faster than seeing another team run the ball against my team’s defense, which may be why my blood pressure is much higher on Sunday afternoons in the fall (more on that below). So needless to say, I wasn’t exactly pleased to see Western Michigan gashing the Buckeye defense with zone read. Intellectually, I know that they were gearing up to stop WMU’s passing game, but that didn’t make me feel any better when I was watching it. I do think that we are close to seeing Bullet Time (this Saturday would be nice), but the defense has yet to put together a complete game against a team they can’t just physically dominate.
Life Is But A Dream
I think Western Michigan Head Coach P.J. Fleck is a rising star in the coaching ranks. He certainly is, shall we say, enthusiastic. But I’ve been in locker rooms for my share of pregame and halftime speeches, and I can’t help but feel like he might be overreaching a bit for motivation. For those of you who didn’t catch the telecast Saturday, the broadcast included a portion of his pre- and mid-game pep talks for the TV audience. The whole “Horseshoe—Bronco’s foot" thing seemed just a little goofy to me. And the halftime speech that they had Ohio State on the ropes was quite a stretch. To be sure, the Broncos missed some opportunities in the first half, but Ohio State was in about as much trouble as Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle. I guess you do what you have to do to convince your team that they have a chance to win against the defending Undisputed Champs, but gimmicks like that will only get you so far down the stream. But I’ll be watching Coach Fleck—don’t be surprised to see him manning the helm at a P5 school in the next couple of years.
Michigan’s Back, Baby!
Seriously, just ask the the Harbots. Some would say that that the Wolverines were back the instant they sold their souls to hired the Great Khaki-clad One. Apparent social ineptitude aside, we should not be surprised that That Team Up North is showing a pulse (and a running game) early into Beelzebaugh’s first year. That is the pattern he has shown wherever he’s been. Cult followings are easier to establish than they are to maintain, just ask Jim Jones’ followers (no, wait—you can’t) or 49ers fans. Whatever you think of his um, unusual, media relations, you can’t deny that Lord Jim clearly must have some sort of weird charisma behind closed doors. Still, Michigan’s early season performance has been impressive--as long as you don’t look too closely. Utah looks like a real team (Oregon’s perpetual overrating notwithstanding), but a loss is still a loss. And beating up on the Oregon States, UNLV’s, and BYU’s of the world does not a juggernaut make. If it helps to add a little perspective, consider that, for all the trumpeting, Michigan is 1-1 against the state of Utah.
You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone
Everyone loves a clown, except maybe when that Clown is Bert. And even still we love to laugh at the coach with the foot-shaped mouth. Sadly, I think that Bert is not long for the FBS football world, and it will be a dark, dark day when we don’t have Kid Karma to kick around anymore. Enjoy him while you can, folks, the day is coming when the college football landscape will be much more bleak….unless someone in the B1G is foolish enough to offer him a job without talking to Barry Alvarez first. Come to think of it, I think there is a reasonable chance that Purdue, or even Iowa would hire Bert. We can only hope.
Thank you, CBS
I’m not sure who to blame thank for the Browns game not being televised in the Columbus market on Sunday. But whether it was CBS or WBNS, they mercifully spared me from having to watch the latest output from the Factory of Sadness. But if you thought that would spare you from my weekly unasked-for Browns take, well, you thought wrong. The Brownies’ performance on Sunday had a quality of awfulness that transcended the visual media. The Browns can’t run the ball, they can’t stop the run, and to no one’s surprise whatsoever, they cannot seem to put a quarterback on the field that can overcome even the slightest degree of adversity. Meanwhile, the drumbeat for Johnny gets louder, and I can say that I am officially on the Johnny Football bandwagon. That is not to say that I think he will be a great, or even credible NFL QB. But for crying out loud, can we just find out so we can at least prepare another nameplate for the Browns’ Quarterback of the Future? I just hope there are no more McCowns floating around out there.
TL;DR: Bucks ride hard; Rowing with enthusiasm; Conquerors of the West (sort of); We’ll never forget you, Bert; Browns suck (again).
Previous installments (because I'm too lazy to list them out separately)
