I just wanted to give congratulations to Terrelle Pryor for his first NFL start. I'm very happy for him. He has the look of a winner in his eyes. He has perservered through a tough year - dealing with the death of his father this past Summer, and the frustration of not getting any significant playing time until recently.
I know many people are still upset with Terrelle over the whole "Tat-gate" thing, but let's be honest - it's not like it was 100% his fault, and the whole thing was overblown by the media. When compared to some other happenings in the world of NCAA scandals, this was much ado about some minor infractions, if you ask me. Really overblown. (btw - without the whole "Tat-gate", it's highly unlikely Urban Meyer would be here now.)
I watched the entire game and thought Terrelle looked very solid. He threw for 150 yards & 2 TDs, and ran for another TD. Terrelle looked very poised out there today. He was just a shade under 50% passing, but I saw at least 4-5 balls that were dropped. It wasn't the easiest first start for an NFL QB to make, either: away game against a bitter divisional rival opponent, in rainy weather, versus a pretty solid Defense, and against a team playing emotional for their coach's likely last game with the team. Pryor looked like a leader out there, and his teammates noticed that leadership.
I hope he gets a shot next year. It's evident that the Raiders coaches would be smart to roll him out on play action bootlegs - this is where Pryor seems most effective to me. I noticed this at OSU, too. I thought it was not ideal to keep his athletic ability bottled up in a pocket. Let him roll out - he's just such a threat on the outside with that speed.
Frankly, he should have been starting at least a month ago. Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart look too slow and lack any fire out on the field. At least Pryor looks like he really wants to win. Pryor has some things you just can't teach, either: freakish athletic ability & the ability to improvise when a play breaks down. He almost reminds me a little of Big Ben, with this ability to turn a broken play into a big play. He needs to work on his mechanics, still...but all in all - it was a very solid first start, even though his team lost.
For those of you that still want Pryor to fail, you don't have to root for him. But, what good does rooting against him do? Like it or not, he will always be a Buckeye. He will always be tied to The Ohio State University. You can't change that. So, you may as well root for him to succeed. Pryor failing doesn't do anybody any good. You shouldn't celebrate a person's demise. Keep in mind he was still a young adult when he made the mistakes he made. I think that when a former Buckeye does well - it looks positive for the OSU Football legacy, so, again - no sense in rooting against him. The guy truly wants to win. I wish him success...I think we all should wish a former Buckeye success.
Good luck, TP...go Bucks!
Go tp! Go bucks n I guess go raiders?
O'Deez330
stark county football
I gotta say - TP surprised me today. I watched some of that game and he did well overall. He definitely should have received more playing time earlier in the season. I kinda feel bad he's stuck with the Raiders, but maybe he's the guy to turn that thing around. You're right - he definitely has the look of a guy who wants to win badly. He showed some leadership skills. Better than those USC guys who just seem to be there collecting a paycheck, showing no emotion. Go TP!
I find it unfathomable that any Ohio State fan would congratulate and be happy for Terrelle Pryor after what he did to the program.
Like I said, it wasn't like he single-handedly ruined the program. I was upset with him at the time. But, there comes a time when we need to move on & stop being so negative.
What good does it do root against him? I don't get it. Him doing bad probably makes OSU look bad in a way, but him doing well can't hurt. You can still be upset with what happened here, but I don't see the point of rooting against him forever.
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
There is a difference between not rooting against him and rooting for him.
You're not a Buckeye fan. Why do you care?
This might sound bad, so I want to preface it by saying that I love Jim Tressel and think that he really elevated the program after Cooper. But people act like Pryor really ruined the program. Did he? One year after he "ruined it" we now have upgraded to probably the second best coach in football (hate Saban and his inability to speak without flapping his hands around like a moron, but unbiased it's hard to say he isn't on top - even Coach Coombs seems to imply he is on top in that awesome recruiting speech), had an undefeated season and are killing it on the recruiting trail. Doesn't sound like a ruined program...
I think that OSU last season was stuck in this purgatory - a BCS contender but not quite the level to be a BCS champion, kind of like Oklahoma. The SEC was only getting stronger and something needed to be done to get over the hump. We wouldn't have made that change with Tressel because he was the man and other than Saban, Urban or a big name like Gruden, why the hell would you?
In summary, TP didn't ruin the program. He elevated it. He 1) beat the SEC in a bowl game (field results matter, I don't care if it was forfeited after NCAA gave permission for him to play), 2) clarified that OSU was the elite program in the midwest by committing as the top prospect in HS and 3) INDIRECTLY LED US TO URBAN MEYER!
Jim Tressel did more to harm the program than Pryor. Had Tress reported his players' actions to the NCAA, those players would've received suspensions, the team maybe forced to vacate a few wins, and that would've been that. Did Pryor make a supremely boneheaded decision to sell shit for tattoos? Yes. But if we as Buckeye fans are willing to forgive Tressel - even celebrate his accomplishments on the program's biggest stage - why shouldn't we forgive Terrelle Pryor his mistakes and wish him well?
They would've vacated nothing. Similar cases of players selling memorabilia and what not have taken place and the only thing that happened was a suspension of the player.
Couldn't agree more, yet, in the undefeated season marked irrelevant by the bowl ban he was primarily responsible for, JT receives a standing ovation and is carried out of the Shoe on his players shoulders. JT won OSU a national title, but he also may have cost them one. I don't understand how so many people are so quick to forget and forgive a man that turned OSU into a national pariah, subject to a year of ridicule and turmoil at the highest level. The man beat M*chigan. He also blatantly cheated, got caught, and gave OSU a gigantic black eye. All forgiving Tressel means is that the "win at all costs" mentality has become acceptable, and that's a pandora's box best left closed.
"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways." - Buddha
It's refreshing to hear this from others, as much respect as I have for the man.
I've said this before and I will say it again. TP is a kid who traded something he owned for another thing he wanted. The only place that's illegal is the NCAA. NCAA amatuerism is a BS front so that they can keep themselves a nonprofit organization (making them tax exempt) despite the fact that they have over $500 million in net assets. The NCAA refuses to grant players the money they deserve. The Ohio State athletic program brought in about 115 million by itself, and the players who sacrificed their minds and bodies to make it happen got what? A free education they can barely take advantage of?
The system is broken, yes, but breaking the rules is breaking the rules and there are consequences for your actions. That education they get for free costs the rest of us up to 50k a year, it's not a non-factor here. If the players don't value the education they are receiving, don't care about their futures (especially the ones not going pro) then that's their problem. These kids are given the opportunity to prepare themselves for the rest of their lives, lives without football, for free. That has value, and regardless of how dumb and backwards the NCAA may be, rules are rules are rules and thinking you are above the system will only get you in trouble.
"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways." - Buddha
First off, it is very hard to take advantage of that education during both football season and spring practice, leaving only 4 months where they are not completely occupied playing football. And secondly, Imagine this scenario. You work a 9 to 5 doing landscaping work. You come home exhausted and broken every day and all you are compensated in is free landscaping. How long would you keep that job?
As my parents would say, being a student is a full time job. I have nothing but respect for the student athletes that do what I do, plus go through the rigors of playing college football. However, they CHOOSE to play football, their "job". When they do so they agree to follow the stipulations that come with that job. And rather than free landscaping they receive a college education, which will provide them opportunities to provide for themselves in other ways than, well, landscaping. Student athletes pay a price in college in that they are poor, tired, and overworked. But so are most college students, and most college students don't get a free ride.
"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways." - Buddha
If you had 3,000 yards rushing your senior season in high school, what are the odds that you are going to go into college thinking of yourself as a student first and an athlete second?
That's a mentality problem not a NCAA problem. Blame the system for treating high school seniors like rock stars rather than 18 year olds. None of us are innocent, we all pay way too much attention to recruiting websites, twitter, etc. which are resources which only help to inflate the egos of underage, amateur, student athletes.
"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways." - Buddha
...but I didn't come to play LANDSCAPING!
“The teams that don’t respect their coaches and don’t trust their coaches are the teams that go .500"
~Zach Boren
Thanks Buck-I.8! I don't always agree with most buckeyes on most things, but it perplexes me how anyone could be so short sighted on the whole ordeal.
"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways." - Buddha
It's time to let it go. Healing first requires moving on. If you can't forgive, at least work on forgetting. I've got to say, going undefeated helps with the latter.
You said it man!
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
TenYearWar, give it up.
LOL Pam
So many new name trolls trying to infiltrate the sanctuary. They most likely are those previously banished, only sporting a new moniker. Thank goodness for the ability to downvote those folks into submission. Good intuition Pam.
Pryor got a one game suspension(would have been 6), Tressel got the Bowl Ban. Stop hanging it on the players heads.
Like others have said TP didnt single handedly ruin the program! He played a part in the whole thing but he didnt act alone! If Tress would have reported the incident when he got the email the players would have been suspended and we would have went on about our business. Get off your high horse and move on. He was a kid who made a stupid mistake along with 5-6 other people. People forget that Boom, Posey, Mike Adams, & S Thomas also participated in the whole debacle. Stop blaming Pryor for the whole overblown tat-gate mess...
Well said - Well written.
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye no matter what
Unless your name is Kevin Kurgis.
D. Anthony
Or Maurice Clarett. Or Kirk Herbstreit.
Wow quite the collection of downvotes. I have never seen anyone with -89 stickers before.
shortbus20
He is down to -112 now. Go away TENYEARWAR!!!
:) This is what the banhammer was invented for.
Exactly, Andy! Once a Buckeye - always a Buckeye!
I wish TP the best !!!
I'm indifferent about him. Loved him prior to the NCAA violations, felt bitter after, now I don't really feel strongly one way or the other.
It bugs me a little that if TP succeeds at the NFL level, every game he plays the announcers are going to dig up the same story to fill dead air "truly talented player, committed ncaa infractions while at OSU, resurrecting his career, etc"--and everytime they do, OSU is going to be reattached to the poor decisions a small number of people made. At the same time, I wish everyone success in life. For me TP is neither a hero nor a villain.
there can only be one villain --- Evan "The Villain" Turner!
:)
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
I live near Oakland and watched the entire game (probably the first Oakland game I've watched all the way through since they were in the super bowl). The TV announcers never commented once on the infractions. All they kept saying was that his last start was in the 2010 Sugar Bowl. The NFL doesn't care about what happened in college. They barely mention the off field problems current players have. It's all about good PR for the NFL. Not sure what ESPN had to say about him during the highlight shows though.
Hope that continues to be the case! Everytime I've heard him mentioned on ESPN in the last year it's had the "NCAA violations" comments attached to it. Good to hear the NFL has moved on. I still hear similar things when Reggie Bush's name comes up, but that's largely died down as well. It's not a terrible thing if it's brought up ("those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" kind of thing), but as a fan who grew up with an OSU that had the reputation of blue-collar, hard-working, ethical winners (outside of a good punch by Woody), I just get tired of always hearing NCAA violations and OSU in the same sentence these days. Ah well, it is what it is.
No not really, you dont hear them talk about the stuff Reggie Bush did at USC when he does something good on the field. In time it will pass...
Great observation.
You can say what you want about TP but he always played hard and competitive and was always very proud to be a Buckeye.
Tough to stay mad at a guy who traded swag for this. That makes for a tough cover up. I think the idea is that he wanted to be marked a Buckeye for life.
The irony of this tattoo is just mind boggling.
Agreed..
Wish him well moving forward.
He wanted to be a Buckeye for life and was a kid who made some mistakes...and honestly when you're getting free stuff thrown in your face as a kid, how many people wouldn't make the same mistake. I'm not saying its okay or right or justified...I'm just saying its not that he like went all Clarett and tried to bring down the program out of spite. I'm sure the program getting in trouble was the last thing he wanted and he never thought that the ramifications of some of his decisions would turn out to be what they turned out to be. Let us also be clear that he was along with other individuals in the "Tat-5" but people choose to tear him down the most for the reason that he was the most high profile player of the group. He was a bit of a prima donna and, honestly, I'm glad he and the mess are gone and moved on...but he never did anything to intentionally hurt the school/program. He always was as proud as anyone to be a Buckeye.
In my humble opinion...even though he violated NCAA rules, I don' think selling/trading his own property is a major violation (but I guess the NCAA does). Yes he screwed up but at the same time he played his ass off for tOSU and the good outweighs the bad in my book. Yes he did let us down and he probably won't be the last Buckeye to follow in those footsteps.
As many have said before, the coverup was worse than the crime. Had Tressel not been caught lying about it, this would have resulted in the players missing a few games. The NCAA didn't think this was a big deal. Having a head coach lie to their faces on the other hand . . . .
"Because the rules won't let you go for three." - Woody Hayes
THE Ohio State University
TP got a one game suspension due to his actions (would have been 6). Tress killed the university.
Hyperbole much?
Never...
The University looks pretty alive to me!
Class of 2010.
People are taking what I said a little to literal. I support Tress and wouldn't trade the ten years we had with him. Just because one guy is freaking out on ya'll doesn't mean everyone is... Tress took full responcability for his actions that caused a one year bowl ban and vacating of a years worth of wins. I respect the man for it and still think he is an upright person and coach. TP earned his suspension, that is all, not the impact on this year.
I watched all of the game as well. I thought he played really well too. The weather was a mess and it was a meaningless game, but he showed good poise and played well.
If i could figure out these helmet stickers, i would give you one.
You now have 51 helmet stickers. It should be easy now for you to figure it out. LOL
shortbus20
No Buckeye fan liked tat-gate or any events related to it. However, none of us could have possibly seen at the time that Coach Meyer would return to OSU or that he'd bring this staff together and develop the momentum in the program we are seeing now.
I love Coach Tressel and especially hated how this worked out for him. Nonetheless, it did happen and its behind us now, all parties involved have paid the price, and the NCAA took it too far by imposing this year's bowl ban on this group of kids who had nothing to do with tat-gate IMO.
However, we all knew the circumstances going into the year about our Buckeyes not being eligible for a bowl game and IMO have no reason to complain now. I've forgiven all involved and am eagerly looking forward. Go Bucks!
-insert fake outrage over Pryor-
Glad to see him do well.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
started him in fantasy over peyton manning just for fun. turned out they were only 1 point difference after it was all said and done
Heres a question....Hindsight being 20/20 would you go through tatt-gate again knowing that JT would be replaced by UfM? Don't get me wrong as I will always be a fan of JT but I do like how UfM runs the team in comparison.
Incredibly good & tough question...which I'll answer by only saying this: If you'd asked me in 2011, I would have said, hell no - I wish this BS never happened, this is the worst thing ever...but you asked me today & today I'll say that I really, really, loved the season OSU just had! I really love the things Urban Meyer is doing with this team & the things he does & says in general. It is refreshing. I think the current staff & HC are the only ones I could ever see myself wishing to ever replace JT.
I said this in another thread but it applies here too. Shit happened...I love the old guy - I love the new guy.
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
Hard to say.
Yes<-------- Though it's not just about getting Urban Meyer. It prevented me from buying into this conference loyalty bs. Before this happened I was getting ready to join in on it. After seeing BigTen fan bases praying for Ohio State to get the death penalty, along with JT getting fired, I said f em all.
No<--------Seeing Jim Tressel, and tOSU's name get dragged through the mud was brutal to watch It was almost 24/7 for a long time. He[JT] was treated as if he covered up the murder at Baylor, or what went on a Penn State. You had people like Stephen A Smith(who I use to like a lot before this) ripping a guy he didn't know, from a sport he never talked about. Even With everything that went on at Penn State, I didn't see the same venom that was directed at Ohio State.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
Hell no. I'm glad we have Meyer and the program is heading in a great direction. Like my Left Nut mentioned above, I think it's possible that with JT still here, we might be stuck in the role of perpetual BCS contender and not a champion. But those we're some dark dark days and I'd never want to willingly re-live them no matter how bright the light at the end of the tunnel was. And I think it's a little premature to compare JT and Meyer's legacies at OSU at this point. JT had a ten year track record of dominance. Meyer only has one. I fully expect Meyer to match JT's success (though I don't think he'll last ten years), but I'd take the known commodity over the unknown in this case.
I'm happy to see the kid do well. Everybody in their outrage seems to forget that he was one of an entire cadre of 18 and 19-year olds living away from home for the first time. Our nation's sports media establishment treats them like pro athletes, complete with Sportscenter coverage and post-game interviews, makes millions off of their bodily sacrifice, then publicly crucifies them for getting a couple hundred dollars on the side from rabid, pushy fans.
I was initially frustrated as well by Pryor's actions (along with Mike Adams, Boom Herron, Devier Posey and Solomon Thomas for Tatgate, and don't forget Jordan Hall, Travis Howard, Non-Philly Corey Brown, Marcus Hall for DiGeronimo-gate) but my rage was really fanned for Boom and Posey for double-dipping even after the events of Tatgate by receiving further goods during summer job-gate. Some could argue that the initial Cicero-reported event may not have led directly to a bowl ban, but the subsequent actions of Posey and Boom were what elevated the NCAA's wrath to that level.
Watching the Sugar Bowl end speech as well as Terrelle's Gruden interview quelled a lot of my anger as it suggested to me that he was just an immature kid who was truly remorseful for his shortsightedness and still held Buckeye Nation close to his heart. As only one (but most visible) of 10 separate active members of the OSU team who led to bowl ban, I can't blame him too much. He's been through a lot this past year, taught a lot about humility, and I hope his story will be one of redemption.
tl;dr: Pryor wasn't the only one, the NCAA is a petty gang of idiot-crooks, and Buckeye Nation needs to move on.
"There is a force that makes us all brothers, no one goes his way alone." --Woody Hayes
Good for TP, that is all.
vacuuming sucks
Tip jar. I'm glad Buckeye Nation have started to move past TP and his poor decisions. I was as disappointed as anyone with his antics, but never felt he was some sort of demonic plague sent to bring TOSU to its knees. Instead, I've always squarely placed the blame at JT's feet. Mainly because of JT always preaching about doing the right thing. When the opportunity presented itself for him to do the right thing, he failed to do it and consequently, his actions led to the beating the program took. You can't talk the talk and not walk the walk. Good for TP. Wish him the best.
Was glad to see TP play so well in his 1st start. Better than I expected so late in the season and in bad weather.
Good for him...now TP and Rosenhaus can go after the B1G money;-) Hehe haha! Happy New Years Everyone!!!!
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
This post is rightfully voted up.
Taquitos.
Thou should not speal ill of any Buckeye (including Kirk, Maurice and TP)