Some of you might have noticed I wasn't on site all weekend! I went up for the game from Louisville to columbus! Only a 4 hour ride but I spent most of the weekend up there with friends! It was a glorious time for someone who rarely gets to get up there!
Watching the game in person, I noticed everything you guys reported on here. I noticed all the faults despite being the better talent on the field! At one point they are an unstoppable force! Then at another an immovable object not able to gain a simple yard!
Point being of this post is that From an "in person" experience, everything that I saw was pure potential and defintely an unfinished product! The mistakes are going to happen! It does when you have a team still trying to figure out the amount of players that are supposed to be on the field. We are going to see a quarter of pure domination like no team can and a quarter of a jumbled mess!
We know where this team is going, myself included we need to keep in mind that even with all this talent it does take some time to learn Urban's system!
I am very glad that after being gone this whole weekend I didn't see too much of "end of days" talk on here! I think we are a great fanbase that knows what we have going forward and it looks like it can be a beautiful thing!
I agree but there are some fans that are ready to throw Urban under the bus with JT unless he wins every game.
O H I O is the Buckeye State
Xtreme, those people are what I like to call morons lol. I don't know why or how people really thought this team which is loaded with Freshman and sophomores was going to come in and dominate. Especially, when you think they are learning a whole new system on offense. The schedule is pretty pedestrian, but they will lose games. Maybe only a couple, but they're going to lose, and there are certainly going to be growing pains. Saturday wasn't a pretty game, but it was a good win to get. I think by the end of the year this team will look much different and be a very nice looking team, but it's far from that point right now.
That's not being negative either, it's just having realistic expectations for this bunch. I like them, I like what they are capable of, but they are a long way from it right now.
We have become a very hasty fanbase. Everyone needs to relax, and if we go 8-4 this year, it's not the end of the world.
Just beat Blue.
First of all I was not disappointed in Saturdays game at all. Anyone that would think this was a disappointment from a fans perspective is a pure moron just like you said. As a coach I am sure it is a totally different story and Im sure there will be lots of motivational tools being used. Just remember this UCF team could probably handle ULM and is capable of handing an L to many top 25 teams.
My prediction going into the season was 10-2 and it hasn't changed. However, if I were to change it I would actually be more optimistic. Our team is, in fact what I thought it was, but our schedule is even easier than I had assumed. Right now, we are dealing with youth, inexperience, and a couple of key injuries. If Hall, Hyde, Bennet, and Williams are all healthy for B10 season, I would just ask anyone predicting 8-4 who the 4 teams that will beat us are.
This is such an exciting time to be a buckeye fan. At the same time it's also a very confusing time imo. I feel like the majority of fans are wrestling between their realistic expectations and desired expectations. Sometimes confusing one for the other. I know i am.
Sometimes I feel 12-0 is a real possibility, and just drool at all the talent on this team. I get overwhelmed with optimism thinking about Urban's track record and national championship pedigree. I see guys like simon, big hank, braxton, devin smith, j. hall and think "how could we ever lose?" I hear about our coaches and their intensity and focus. I see fick and vrabs and get goose bumps seeing two former hero players now leading future hero players. I saw last year's recruiting class shoot up the ranks to a top five finish. There is electricity in the air my friends.
and then...
Ok. Take a breath. Think this through. 12-0 is crazy talk. I mean how many teams actually go 12-0 ever? Not very many. (Not very many even with a perfect roster with loads of experience.) I know we have the players, I know we have the coaching staff, facilities, resources, recruits, fans, everything! Whoa, easy now....We also have some injuries. Key injuries. To key players. We also have an offense trying to learn a completely new system with all new coaches sans one. What we don't have is a ton of experience where a ton of experience is needed. Are we on the right track? No other answer than a definitive Yes. These things take time. As much as I want it RIGHT NOW, right now might not possible.
Games will be won this year. Hopefully allot of games. However some games may be lost. I wont like it but I can handle it. So thats me as a fan in a nut shell for this year. Yelling and screaming on saturdays for 12-0. Measured and carefully optimistic during the week.
Finally, as far as this team is concerned I say this: Good things come to those who wait; and great things come to those who work hard while they wait.
Wait through the good to get to the great.
I know there's a game saturday, and my ass will be there.
The bad news is that there are issues to work out.... offensively and defensively.
The good news is this team has a tons of potential & for all the things that weren't perfect - they are probably ahead of the curve.
So yeah - I agree completely with this post. There's a lot more to be happy about than not. I really hope that people wouldn't be ready to call for firings because of a loss...That would be just plain stupid.
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
I'm not sure I have seen anyone say the sky is falling.Too many times people take critisism of current issues as such. We have positions thought to be our strength not show like one and issues that are beig pointed out to be worked on. I don't see a "jumping off the cliff" mentality here unless I missed something.
If OSU gets past MSU, there are very few teams in our conference that can hang with us. Next year we will be a dominating force, our young DL's are much better than our seniors.
GO BUCKS!!! URBAN RENEWAL!
Well that is why I said I am glad there was no "jumping off the cliff talk". I think the majority of us are very down to earth.
There is some jumping off the cliff talk on another site- they are the Bret Bielemas of fans. They talk about firing Fickell and Vrabel, having freshmen start on D-Line ahead of Hankins and Goebel, Simon needs to step it up... crazy talk, I tell ya. So nice to come here and see cooler heads prevailing. Does the team have problems? Yeah, and...? They will figure it out. That's why they pay Urban the big bucks.