Eleven Warriors

Heard he made up the crap about fans bothering him at his house late at night...believe it per Dave Biddle on twitter awhile back?  Random I know, but I never saw it brought up again after that.

Poor herbie didnt deserve any flak he got, i'm still suprised buckeye nation hasnt tried to console the wrong they did to him 

I was, but congrats anyway Pam!

@Cincy - I don't think he's hated on for being unbiased. I do think there have been instances though where he almost seems to go out of his way to show he doesn't favor OSU. When he dropped OSU to 9th it was fairly absurd. His reasoning had nothing at all to do with OSU playing ineligible guys, because at that time, it had not yet come out that they had been in eligible the whole season. When asked about it he said he was tired when he filled out the ballot & then said something like "aside from beating Arkansas, what did they really do to move them up". It was a pretty dumb move on his part - sorry. Aside from that one, I've got no real problem with him but thought that was a really strange thing to do...

Yes, I was recruited for the mod class of 2012 and signed a LOI.

Agree with Pam on the poll drop incident. That was utterly ridiculous and with all due respect to Cincy in this thread, no you really couldn't make that argument. Even Herbstreit himself didn't make that argument. When asked why he did that, his excuse in so many words was because he was tired -- he knew it was ridiculous, but he hated Pryor and Tressel and wanted to be a dick and he succeeded -- he just didn't have the nutsack to give the real reason because he knew it was baseless. For many folks who defended him up to that point, that polling incident was the last to break the camel's back with regard to defending Herbstreit.

As others have stated as well in this thread, there have been numerous incidents and things said where he was clearly targeting Ohio State and made negative statements that he would have never even come close to uttering about another school on national tv.

Overall though, what has always pushed me to despise the guy is that he is a shill. He gets up on local Columbus radio and states all kinds of positive things about Ohio State, then gets up on a national broadcast on ESPiN and states the opposite. I can't respect someone like that and I cringe every time I see him on TV. I hope all the lucrative TV deals and big paychecks are worth it. I for one would not be able to sleep at night if I were in his shoes doing the things he has done and saying some of the things he has said. Terrible.

Razor - What do you expect? His radio show in Cbus is largely geared towards OSU...and he can actually show a little bit of his bias here. On the national stage, he has to say things that we as fans don't want to hear from a fellow OSU guy. I've heard others be WAY more critical than Herbie towards OSU, yet we feel the need to bash the guy, and really anyone else who doesn't think we are #1 all the time. If Herbie wasn't an OSU guy, we wouldn't think twice about some of his comments. But some ppl feel the need to take it personally anytime he says anything even remotely negative(which is a lot of instances are correct). And what about all the good things he says?? Are we just going to ignore these comments? It's funny that some OSU fans feel this way. Outside of our bubble in Ohio, most ppl actually think he is an OSU homer.

Cincy - I expect him to be consistent -- I don't think that's asking too much. Do you see people hate on Spielman or Robert Smith? No.They are consistent. Spielman has the balls to say what he thinks to anyone who asks. He doesn't deliver one message to one audience and then change it for the next.

Mike Golich went positively ape shit when Rick Reilly wrote a hit piece on ND. His reaction was clearly visceral and while over the top, he was defending his alma mater against some pretty rough stuff from Reilly.  Reilly was being honest and IMO was right about most of what he said about ND. But, I also understood Golich's reaction. Herbie has sat there countless times when his ESPN brethren have spewed their vitriol (Howard "I think Mark May said it best about the culture of corruption at OSU") and said nothing and worse, added some of his own. Calling TP selfish during the Iowa game and saying nothing when TP put the game on his back and set up the winning TD that put us in the SB. I respect Golich for his passion for his former school when it was under attack from one of his colleagues.

cincyous: I realize it is your knee jerk reaction to be the contrarian, but I have opinions based on what I see and hear just like you. Please don't tell me to calm down. Thanks

@PAM - I used to listen to Mike and Mike in the morning all the time, but I can't stand each of their blatant homerism.  Golic for ND, and especially Greenberg's unabiding love for all things Jets.

I'll admit that sometimes Herbstreit tries too hard to be unbiased towards OSU, but the guy puts his time in and knows what he's talking about.  There probably isn't a finer pure analyst in all of college football.  Also, keep in mind that I can remember many a time when Gameday came to Columbus that Herbstreit would call his children up on stage and pick the Buckeyes, to much adulation from the hometeam crowd.  I honestly think that the guy is a Buckeye, through and through; I just wonder if maybe he tries a little hard to be contrarian against his alma mater so he won't be seen as a charicature, like Greeney and Golic.

Personally, I'll take the former over the latter any day.

Agree again Pam. Also just for the record, outside of the message boards I don't know any Buckeye fans at work, or in any of my social circles that like Herbstreit -- most are even more venomous in their description of their feelings on him than I am. Even one of my buddies at work who is a huge Michigan fan (please don't assault me for having a Michigan friend, hah) openly talks about Herbstreit and the media's obvious hate of Ohio State. When Toussaint's DUI at Michigan news first popped up and he and I talked about it, the first thing out of mouth was "I'm so glad we're not Ohio State or this would be all over sports center with a scrolling ticker".

Edit: Just to add, hope you all have a good Buckeye Footall Kickoff Eve. I'm on my way to the airport with the wife to make sure we get back to Columbus before kickoff. :) Go Bucks!

If you guys think Herbie left Upper Arlington because of the "lunatic fringe" of the OSU fanbase (where probably none of the lunatic fringe reside), then you're all just a little gullible. If it was a factor, it was a very small factor. But trust me, there were other reasons why he moved. I think he just used the fact that he was already moving as an apportunity to try to shame some of the fringe Buckeye fans into possibly maturing a little bit (and let's be honest, there is a very vocal lunatic fringe of this fanbase that needs to grow up).

Herbie's always been alright in my book. Yes, I do think there are times he goes out of his way to criticize OSU to please his audience/employers, but when I saw him jumping up and down at teh 2003 Fiesta Bowl, that was genuine joy only a true Buckeye would know. In fact, it was probably because of that image that ESPiN made him tone it down a little. He's not Holtz, May, or Golich. He, Fowler, and Musberger are supposed to be the objective guys.

2) He was right...other than RB's, it was very hard to consistently get elite skill position talent. And the talent they did get usually was not properly developed(TP anyone??). Again, anyone other than Herbie and this is likely a non-issue.

He most certainly wasn't right.  Jim Tressel produced TONS of offensive talent including the program's only Heisman winning QB.  Herbie was speaking from his behind on that one unless he feels Ted Ginn, Santonio Holmes, Nick Mangold, Troy Smith, Anthony Gonzalez, Brian Robiskie, Brian Hartline...etc all should have gone to other schools.

Squirrel - So what do you call it when he has, on multiple occasions, brought his children on the Gameday set wearing OSU gear head to toe? The reason he stays at arms length on most broadcasts is simple....its called being a professional.

^^^How are Robiskie, Gonzo, Hartline, and Smith doing in the NFL? The point I was making(and also Herbie) was that elite SKILL position players....ie QB's and WR's were reluctant to come here. Of the players you mentioned, only Ginn and Holmes were highly rated prospects...the rest became good players through hard work, but that wasnt the point. The point was that elite talent went elsewhere during the Tressel years. Why would a WR or QB want to come somewhere that called such conservative plays?

What does how they're doing in the NFL have to do with anything?  The comment Herbie made was that if his kid were an elite offensive HS prospect, he wouldn't let them go to OSU.  The fact that Tressel took the players I listed and turned them into high NFL draft picks shows how off base that statement was.  The point wasn't Herbie sayintg the elite talent DID go elsewhere, the point was him saying elite talent SHOULD go elsewhere.  It was a completely idiotic thing to say and he deserves all the flak he gets over it.

Can't you guys ever be objective? I'm glad Herbie called out Tressel in '04 for his offensive ineptitude, and it ultimately helped the Buckeyes. The 2002 OSU offense was one of the worst ever to win a national title. The 2003 offense was WAYYY worse (332 ypg) and then in 2004 it was downright awful (320 ypg... for comparison, the Walrusball averaged 318 ypg last year). But after Herbie called out Tress, what happened? The Vest got more creative. More shotgun. Start Troy Smith for good. Run some option. End arounds with Holmes and Ginn.

With essentially the same personell, Ohio State went from a Walrus-esque 320.8 yards per game in 2004 to a blistering 422.3 yards per game in 2005. And do you think it's any coincidence that two years after his comments - when it was evident The Vest changed his philosophy - that he brought his sons onto the set of Gameday clad in Scarlet and Gray before the PSU game? That was Herbie saying "Tress, I'm impressed with the changes you made in the offense the last seaosna nd a half. I'd love for my sons to play for you."

The point is, Herbie was right. OSU's offense was downright awful back then, and I woudl have said the same thing. If your son's an elite wideout or QB with a potential NFL career on the line, why would you send him to play in that unimaginative offense? He was sayign what everyone else had already said to these kids on the recruiting trail, and Herbie was relaying the message to Tress by essentially saying "This is what Saban-Carroll-Carr-Spurrier-Zook are all telling recruits."

It has to do with recruiting, and it makes sense. Heck, a lot of us questioned and still do, Tressel's conservative system(I'm not knocking Tress but his offense was boring) and elite skill recruits most certainly saw this. This is why we routinely missed out on 4 and 5 star prospects for other schools, while we took chances and developed 3 star talent. Why would a 5 star guy out of FL want to come to snowy Cbus and watch us run the ball 70% of the time? The point he made(if the context is even correct) was valid.

On that note, can anyone provide a link to this statement? I've seen different variations on what ppl think he actually said.

"Looks good in a uniform", "makes plays in space" "possesses elite speed"...make a drinking game out these phrases every time Herbie says them. You'll be blind drunk every Saturday - if you're not already!

Cincy, why wouldn't a 5 star out of Florida want to come to OSU? Maybe he never has seen snow before and wants to see it and be around it. Maybe he hates Florida and never wanted to live there his whole life so far. Maybe he is a die hard buckeye fan and just wants to play there more than anything else.

I lived in Florida and I currently live in Kentucky. I will take living in Kentucky over Florida any day. Florida is nice to visit, horrible to live year round. You see the ugly side and you don't take advantage of the good stuff enough of the time.

Lack of top talent coming to OSU could and should be more on the direct recruiters, Bollman and Heacock! They screwed up the most! Tressel tried to get top talent across the nation! Then he has to hear Herbie say crap like that! It may be true but it doesn't help the cause!

@SQUIRREL - I wasn't referring to you, per se, on homerism with announcers; I personally believe, though, that an analyst should be as objective and neutral as possible, at least in terms of a national broadcast.  Local broadcasters should be homers, but not so much when you're delivering a product for the national stage.  I think that Herbie sets an example when he doesn't take Desmond's bait, that's why he's doing color commentary on all the major games and Desmond's relegated to pregame and postgame analysis.

Hence why I mentioned Mike and Mike.  They are a national show anchored by two blatant homers, therefore I massively devalue their opinions on anything Notre Dame or New York Jets, and refuse to listen to their show because they disproportionately talk about said subjects.  I don't want these guys on Gameday, either.  Desmond's a definite homer, but he keeps a decent handle on it (though not as well as Corso, Fowler, or Herby) and provides solid analysis.  Conversely, there is a clear reason why Lou Holtz and Mark May have been largely relegated to "B Team" duty: they cannot disassociate themselves with their schools, and people hate them for it.

but you do agree that Desmond plays his homer card with some limit. And that is the point, just do it to a certain level. Mike and Mike are way over the top! I also agree about Holtz and May because they make it personal. Herbie can jab right back at Desmond and keep it humorous! He doesn't have to be angry about it. There is a certain level that you don't want to approach when being a homer. But there are a lot of successful analysts out there that we don't mind watching and are free to express their favorite teams.

Fine, he doesn't have to be a homer but it looks so fake when you can see him trying not to. We all know he wants to say something and defend his school. I just think he should let it out and just do it!

Herbie let too much go by without defending Ohio State over the past year and did probably more harm than good to our national image, especially because he is an Ohio State alum. I'm not asking him to schill for OSU. I'm asking him to treat us with the same courtesy and respect on national television as he would any other team. And I'm asking him not to join in the ESPN party when they pile on Ohio State.

It's not too much to ask.

EDIT: What Desmond Howard said about Ohio State... for Herbie to let that go? Shameful. Just shameful. #FakeBuckeye

Very good point Hodge. Well said.

Desmond is a self serving douche with a marginal IQ. Nuff said.

It would be hilarious if Herbie stormed the set and started beating the shit out of Desmond.  That jackass could use a nice punch in the mouth.  But obviously, he can't do that.

Herbstreit tries to be a professional, and does a pretty good job.  Sometimes, I do feel like he tries too hard to avoid looking like an OSU homer.  He's also had his share of favorable comments about OSU (picking us against Miami in '02 when pretty much nobody else did).  I don't love or hate the guy - I think he does solid work, and would much rather see him on my TV than Desmond, Mark May, or Lou Holtz - and most other color analysts on ESPN.
 

Can anyone confirm either way whether or not the house harassment was true or not?  He used it as a reason to leave town, but have heard rumors (or facts? I don't know) that he just made it up.  Pretty lame if he made it up to make the fanbase look bad as a cop out.

Remember the '06 Michigan game?  He and Musburger were calling Tressel the best play-caller in college football in that first half.