Urban Meyer made his first statement about the future of OSU's tolerance on players who break the rules. In a somewhat surprising decision Sunday, DB Dominic Clarke (who, as I mentioned in my previous blog, was charged with a DUI last week) was dismissed from the team for violation of team rules. Another player (DerJuan Gambrell) was also released for violation of team rules.
Meyer stated that they would not use players to send messages or make examples to other players on the team, but whether it was intended or not, I think that Meyer and the newly formed OSU coaching staff has done just that.
It is extremely important for this staff to get control of their players right out of the gate, so I am not disappointed in the decision to dismiss Clarke and Gambrell for their violations. A program under scrutiny needs strong leadership and sound decisions by its leadership, and Meyer has shown a firm hand in dismissing the players for their actions.
Now the question (that I hope we won't have to answer anytime soon) is whether the same rules would apply to hotshot players on the team (e.g., Braxton Miller), or if it was limited to players that the average fan wouldn't recognize. I would say time will tell, but let's hope the question goes unanswered for at least 3 years.
Also, two additional scholarship players are transferring. Taylor Graham was a slightly hyped QB recruit to begin this season. Then again, so was Joe Bauserman. So we are losing 4 scholarship players, which accounts for 3 of the lost scholarships we received from sanctions plus 1 that is open for any player who might be on the fence...
And coincidentally, it would seem that the coaches Meyer snatched away from Notre Dame might be bringing a bit of a signing bonus with them in the form of a top-rated offensive lineman. If you have read my blog in the past, you know how frustrated I am with our offensive line, so this pick-up would make Nutty happy! And in the revolving door of OSU coaching right now, cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson will be leaving OSU to head to Arkansas. Johnson will be assistant head coach at Arkansas, and Nutty will miss him. Say what you will about our defense and DBs being a bit slow, we have had some pretty impressive corners the last several seasons.
Can Meyer woo another top-rated coach this late in the process?
And don't think I am going to let what the basketball team did versus Indiana go undiscussed for long! That blog comes up tomorrow.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
To Tweet or Not to Tweet?
That has been the question on the minds of many Buckeye fans since Urban Meyer met with the team January 3rd and was rumored to have instituted a Twitter ban on the football players. Immediately following the meeting, a couple of the players tweeted that they were asked to discontinue their Twitter accounts, and the media went crazy with news that Meyer had imposed a Twitter ban.
A couple hours later, a few of the other players tweeted that they had never been asked not to use Twitter and laughed at the frenzy that had ensued based on the news from the meeting.
So why did some players hear one thing and other players another? What is the real scoop on Twitter?
Urban Meyer responded yesterday that he never asked that the players delete their Twitter accounts and never suggested a complete Twitter ban. Rather, he told the players that their social media accounts would be monitored by the coaching staff and asked that they not discuss the team. If they violate this request, then their social media rights will be revoked.
Personally, I was okay with a complete Twitter ban. It isn't that I don't like Twitter or social media. (I am using a form of it to write my blog, after all, and I do enjoy checking in on my friends through Facebook.) But as a student-athlete at a school like Ohio State, where distractions abound, maybe it isn't such a bad idea to avoid a form of media that is likely to be used against you more often than it might be used in your favor. Words of student-athletes, celebrities, professional athletes, politicians, etc. have been used against them from their tweets for years now. Everything you say and do during your time as a representative of the university reflects for or against the university. And all of your actions and words are under a microscope -- most especially now, given the events of the past year.
So a Twitter ban was okay with me, and it certainly isn't unprecedented. Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz instituted a ban as well, as have coached on other teams throughout the nation. But I heard an outcry that Meyer was a horrible coach for doing such a thing -- imposing a ban on the rights of young men. I sat back and tried to understand why a ban would be a bad thing...but I still can't come up with anything. Sure, "tweeting" is a form of speech, and we all have that right to freedom to speak our minds. But as I mentioned above, when you accept that position as a student-athlete, representing your university, you also accept the responsibility to make sound decisions and choices that will not reflect poorly on your school. As much fun as it might be to connect with others on Facebook, My Space, or Twitter, it also opens you to a whole new level of scrutiny from the professional media, who often as waiting to pounce on you for any wrongdoing. I also read opinions that Meyer should let the young men learn how to be responsible for themselves in what they post.
Really? I think Tressel probably felt the "young men" he coached were responsible enough to know right from wrong -- that is, to know that they shouldn't sell their Big Ten championship rings for tattoos and possibly other illicit items.
Now is exactly the time to impose seemingly unfair rules with the athletes at The Ohio State University. Sorry that those who came before you screwed it up for the people to follow, but this is a new coaching staff with new expectations, and the NCAA not only expects but is requiring the Buckeyes as an institution to keep their collective noses clean for THREE years.
So I would say that a social media ban is the least that can be expected. And if a recruit chose not to attend OSU because of a ban, then chances are that OSU would be better off without taking the chance on him/her.
However, given that no ban has been instituted, let's examine the true situation.
A couple hours later, a few of the other players tweeted that they had never been asked not to use Twitter and laughed at the frenzy that had ensued based on the news from the meeting.
So why did some players hear one thing and other players another? What is the real scoop on Twitter?
Urban Meyer responded yesterday that he never asked that the players delete their Twitter accounts and never suggested a complete Twitter ban. Rather, he told the players that their social media accounts would be monitored by the coaching staff and asked that they not discuss the team. If they violate this request, then their social media rights will be revoked.
Personally, I was okay with a complete Twitter ban. It isn't that I don't like Twitter or social media. (I am using a form of it to write my blog, after all, and I do enjoy checking in on my friends through Facebook.) But as a student-athlete at a school like Ohio State, where distractions abound, maybe it isn't such a bad idea to avoid a form of media that is likely to be used against you more often than it might be used in your favor. Words of student-athletes, celebrities, professional athletes, politicians, etc. have been used against them from their tweets for years now. Everything you say and do during your time as a representative of the university reflects for or against the university. And all of your actions and words are under a microscope -- most especially now, given the events of the past year.
So a Twitter ban was okay with me, and it certainly isn't unprecedented. Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz instituted a ban as well, as have coached on other teams throughout the nation. But I heard an outcry that Meyer was a horrible coach for doing such a thing -- imposing a ban on the rights of young men. I sat back and tried to understand why a ban would be a bad thing...but I still can't come up with anything. Sure, "tweeting" is a form of speech, and we all have that right to freedom to speak our minds. But as I mentioned above, when you accept that position as a student-athlete, representing your university, you also accept the responsibility to make sound decisions and choices that will not reflect poorly on your school. As much fun as it might be to connect with others on Facebook, My Space, or Twitter, it also opens you to a whole new level of scrutiny from the professional media, who often as waiting to pounce on you for any wrongdoing. I also read opinions that Meyer should let the young men learn how to be responsible for themselves in what they post.
Really? I think Tressel probably felt the "young men" he coached were responsible enough to know right from wrong -- that is, to know that they shouldn't sell their Big Ten championship rings for tattoos and possibly other illicit items.
Now is exactly the time to impose seemingly unfair rules with the athletes at The Ohio State University. Sorry that those who came before you screwed it up for the people to follow, but this is a new coaching staff with new expectations, and the NCAA not only expects but is requiring the Buckeyes as an institution to keep their collective noses clean for THREE years.
So I would say that a social media ban is the least that can be expected. And if a recruit chose not to attend OSU because of a ban, then chances are that OSU would be better off without taking the chance on him/her.
However, given that no ban has been instituted, let's examine the true situation.
- The players will be permitted to tweet their little hearts out, but their social media accounts will be monitored. It leads me to wonder whose job it is to monitor the tweets of the football team. (How much does that job pay? Seriously, I could do that...)
- The players were also asked not to discuss the team in their social media posts. This is also a very reasonable request. Tweet whatever you like about your classes, your girlfriend, how many people you killed in Battlefield 3, but please don't discuss anything about the team, because it will be picked up by ESPN or the local news and twisted around in every possible way to make the team look bad.
- The players were asked to be responsible for their social media use. I think this should be true of everyone -- be a responsible human and adult. And as I mentioned above, it is a nice theory that you have to teach these young adults how to be responsible for themselves, but I would keep them on a VERY tight leash.
And on a sidenote, it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff deals with Dominic Clarke, who was picked up on a DUI charge after a traffic stop this week. This is the first serious offense for Urban Meyer. Clarke, a DB, has been in trouble once this season for disorderly conduct. Apparently he was caught firing a BB gun (or possibly a paintball gun) on campus, in an attempt to see how far it would shoot.
And that, my friends, is the perfect example of what I am talking about. It made the local news that Dominic Clarke, primarily a BACK-UP player on the football team, was picked up for shooting a BB gun on campus. He wasn't reported to have been firing at anyone in particular. But once you step a toe out of line, everything you have ever done will be used to make you look like a chronic offender and make the university look like it has lost control of its players.
Clarke was picked up on a DUI charge. That is the more serious issue, because after all the issues OSU has had of late, why would you be out drinking and driving during conditioning season? And is Clarke even of age to drink? (Reports I have found have listed his age as 20 years.)
Maybe he can send me a tweet to confirm...
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Rebound
After a frustrating loss to Indiana, the basketball Buckeyes have bounced (okay, sorry but there will be puns...) back against Nebraska and Iowa. They didn't have much trouble against Nebraska at home in the teams' first Big Ten meeting. However, I was a little nervous Saturday as I watched the Bucks get started versus Iowa on the road. The game started much like the game against Indiana: The Buckeyes saw foul trouble early, and a couple of the starters were benched in the first half because of this. I started to feel the tension rise in the hubster again, and I braced myself for a long game. But here's the thing about losing games early on -- it gives the team an opportunity to regroup and learn from mistakes so that they can adjust faster in later games. Though the Buckeyes got into early (and frustrating) foul trouble, they revamped and finished the first half with a comfortable lead. In the second half, then, it was business as usual, as OSU shot itself to victory 76-47. The other thing I like about these early games is the experience it has given the guys on our bench. Sure, we lost against Indiana because our starters got in foul trouble. But better to face adversity and foul issues early so that those young guys aren't thrown to the wolves in March when it really counts. Because the only thing that really matters is winning in the Big Dance. We started the Tournament #1 overall last season, and that didn't really work out too well. So these blowout victories aren't as boring as they may seem, even though they are less than luxurious to write about! :) Next up...I think I will finally get back to the idea of teaching Tressel fans to embrace Urban Meyer and the new era. Right now, I am watching a yawner of a National Championship Game featuring two defensive SEC teams.
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Gator Bowl
Well, first let me say that watching that game just re-inforced my position on Gene Smith's arrogance and the mistake of not self-imposing a bowl ban this year. It wasn't because OSU lost the game. That, of course, is always disappointing.
No, it was because that game did nothing for OSU but sum up a disappointing and frustrating season. The only things you can take away from this season are:
1. Joe Bauserman is NOT a quarterback -- not first string, not second string...
2. Braxton Miller has a LOT of potential.
and
3. It is exciting to look ahead to the tenure of Urban Meyer at Ohio State, most especially as we continue to hear of the coaches he has stolen away from other schools, the most recent of which were two offensive assistant coaches at Notre Dame.
And who would have thought, as we lost to the Florida Gators in the National Championship Game 5 years ago that we would meet them again, in the Gator Bowl, with Urban Meyer now set to take over as head coach for the Buckeyes?
This bowl game wasn't like that of 5 years ago. No, it didn't mean much to either university in the grand scheme of things. It is the last bowl game for OSU for 2 years. It capped a 6-6 season for two teams that were pretty mediocre in their respective conferences this season.
If you wanted to watch a game with down-to-the-wire excitement, you should have watched the Outback Bowl. If you wanted a game that had a lot of offense and scoring, you could have caught the Rose Bowl. Wanted to see the likely #1 NFL Draft pick for 2012? Watch Andrew Luck in the Fiesta Bowl.
But if you are like me, a die-hard fan, you watched Ohio State lose to Florida 24-17 in the Gator Bowl. It was basically a home game for Florida, though there was the normal speckling of scarlet throughout the stadium. It was full of penalties, turnovers, and special teams blunders. And oh how I loathe listening to Mike Patrick. On one play, he claimed that Tyler Moeller forced a turnover by an OSU player. Tyler Moeller must be tired, having played defense for BOTH teams.
The offense began with a bang, then fizzled as it had in games all season. Once Florida's defense figured out how to get around the linemen and get to Miller, they sacked him more often than not. On one play, the commentators even remarked that the lineman must have known the snap count. OSU would drive down the field, only to stall outside of field goal range. And, as if to sum up his career at OSU, when OSU needed him most, DeVier Posey fumbled the ball after Miller had finally freed up enough to make a beautiful pass to him and get the Buckeyes the closest to the red zone they had been in the half. (This came after two questionable drops by Posey that could have been TDs.)
Jon Simon was held more often than not. It wasn't called. That is a tune I sing every game, to no avail. But I can't say that was the difference in the game, because the bulk of Florida's scoring came on special teams plays. The first was a runback from a kickoff and the second was a punt-block returned for a touchdown. The defense gave up a mere 10 points, but with the stagnant offense, it was enough.
But I fear I am being too negative. So what positives can we take away?
No, it was because that game did nothing for OSU but sum up a disappointing and frustrating season. The only things you can take away from this season are:
1. Joe Bauserman is NOT a quarterback -- not first string, not second string...
2. Braxton Miller has a LOT of potential.
and
3. It is exciting to look ahead to the tenure of Urban Meyer at Ohio State, most especially as we continue to hear of the coaches he has stolen away from other schools, the most recent of which were two offensive assistant coaches at Notre Dame.
And who would have thought, as we lost to the Florida Gators in the National Championship Game 5 years ago that we would meet them again, in the Gator Bowl, with Urban Meyer now set to take over as head coach for the Buckeyes?
This bowl game wasn't like that of 5 years ago. No, it didn't mean much to either university in the grand scheme of things. It is the last bowl game for OSU for 2 years. It capped a 6-6 season for two teams that were pretty mediocre in their respective conferences this season.
If you wanted to watch a game with down-to-the-wire excitement, you should have watched the Outback Bowl. If you wanted a game that had a lot of offense and scoring, you could have caught the Rose Bowl. Wanted to see the likely #1 NFL Draft pick for 2012? Watch Andrew Luck in the Fiesta Bowl.
But if you are like me, a die-hard fan, you watched Ohio State lose to Florida 24-17 in the Gator Bowl. It was basically a home game for Florida, though there was the normal speckling of scarlet throughout the stadium. It was full of penalties, turnovers, and special teams blunders. And oh how I loathe listening to Mike Patrick. On one play, he claimed that Tyler Moeller forced a turnover by an OSU player. Tyler Moeller must be tired, having played defense for BOTH teams.
The offense began with a bang, then fizzled as it had in games all season. Once Florida's defense figured out how to get around the linemen and get to Miller, they sacked him more often than not. On one play, the commentators even remarked that the lineman must have known the snap count. OSU would drive down the field, only to stall outside of field goal range. And, as if to sum up his career at OSU, when OSU needed him most, DeVier Posey fumbled the ball after Miller had finally freed up enough to make a beautiful pass to him and get the Buckeyes the closest to the red zone they had been in the half. (This came after two questionable drops by Posey that could have been TDs.)
Jon Simon was held more often than not. It wasn't called. That is a tune I sing every game, to no avail. But I can't say that was the difference in the game, because the bulk of Florida's scoring came on special teams plays. The first was a runback from a kickoff and the second was a punt-block returned for a touchdown. The defense gave up a mere 10 points, but with the stagnant offense, it was enough.
But I fear I am being too negative. So what positives can we take away?
- Jordan Hall looks pretty good as a runningback. He had some up-the-middle runs in the game that were fairly impressive.
- I am pretty sure we won the award for being less injury-prone than the Gators. Seriously, if one more Gator got hurt in that game, I was going to start wondering if they were going for a record.
- Speaking of records, J.B. Shugarts ended his OSU career on not one, but TWO false start penalties. That has to be the most false starts by a player in NCAA FBS football.
- I continue to see promise in Braxton Miller. Though he often seems to hold onto the ball way too long, with a halfway decent offensive line (which we are promised year after year), Miller could really develop into a Heisman candidate. Under Urban Meyer, his decision-making will only get better. And here's hoping Meyer is landing some top wide receiver recruits, because it just baffles me that there were 4-5 Gators in the backfield so often and yet NO receivers were open.
And look at it this way, at least Miller didn't get hurt, so we didn't have to watch Joe Bauserman play. That's always a plus.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from The Nutty Buckeye!
I don't know how you started your new year, but I spent mine prepping food for a small gathering of friends and listening to my husband yell at the TV, using more than a few choice words.
Why was he yelling? Well, the Buckeyes were playing Indiana in basketball, and let's just say that it didn't go well. It was one of the sloppier games I have seen/heard this season. It's really a good thing I am more subdued about basketball, too, because that could have really stressed me out. Just listening to the hubby stressed me out.
The officials in the game called FORTY-TWO fouls. Of those 42 fouls, 22 were on OSU. So they seem to have been split pretty evenly, but watching the game, it sure didn't feel that way. There was a rare period of a couple minutes in the second half where there weren't many whistles, but even the commentators remarked that there wasn't a smooth flow in the game at all. The officials (one, in particular) were very whistle-happy, and the Buckeye starters got in foul trouble early, forcing the back-ups to come in. They did okay, keeping the game very close for the last 10 minutes of the first half, but in the second half, the foul trouble really affected the Buckeyes' defensive play, and they had to allow some easy lay-ups to the Hoosiers that normally wouldn't be there.
On top of the foul issues and the AWFUL officiating (because who wants to watch a game like that?), Aaron Craft turned the ball over six times. Craft is usually the one that fouls a LOT, and miraculously he doesn't get called. But strangely, he wasn't getting called for as many fouls as the rest of the Buckeyes. Unfortunately, he wasn't on his best game, and 2 of his 6 turnovers came in the last minutes of the game, when the Buckeyes needed points to go ahead.
And while Thad Matta played political about the poor officiating, and commented that the team needs to learn to play through it (read: the poor officiating), and the newspapers cited inexperience of the Buckeyes for some of the mistakes on the road, I can't help but be irritated that the game was so affected by ticky-tack calls.
I have never been a huge basketball fan in general, but as I have grown to like the game while watching with my husband, I can comment that I would rather watch a game be played by the athletes than affected by the officials. Granted, adjusting to the calls of officials and umpires in a sport is part of the game. In baseball, you have to learn the ump's strike zone and learn which pitches are going to be called strikes instead of balls. In football, you get a feeling for how far the officials will let you push the interference and holding before they throw a flag. And in basketball, every official has a foul range. I just have to say that last night's officials' foul ranges were pretty bad. Even if the Buckeyes had managed to pull out a victory, I couldn't say that it was a game that I enjoyed watching/listening to my husband watch.
Hopefully the Big Ten will look into it and advise those officials to keep their whistles in check a little more in the future.
But it is a brand new year! Tomorrow, the football Buckeyes play in the Gator Bowl, their last bowl for a season given the sanctions imposed by the NCAA. I wish I could guarantee a victory, but I just don't have a feeling one way or the other.
The 6-6 football team was brilliant at times, and not-so-stellar at others. I think they are fully capable of pulling off a victory. The Florida Gators are down this season, and hopefully new-OSU-head-coach Urban Meyer has lended some insight to Coach Fickell in bowl prep. Talent hasn't been the problem for the Buckeyes. Distractions and execution have. And we aren't without distraction this post-season. Some of the juniors are likely bitter about the post-season ban next season. A ban that came at the hands of some of the current seniors. Tension in the locker room won't be conducive to a victory.
But a win would help end this mediocre season on a positive note, and it would be nice to have that going into the long off-season.
GO BUCKS!!
I don't know how you started your new year, but I spent mine prepping food for a small gathering of friends and listening to my husband yell at the TV, using more than a few choice words.
Why was he yelling? Well, the Buckeyes were playing Indiana in basketball, and let's just say that it didn't go well. It was one of the sloppier games I have seen/heard this season. It's really a good thing I am more subdued about basketball, too, because that could have really stressed me out. Just listening to the hubby stressed me out.
The officials in the game called FORTY-TWO fouls. Of those 42 fouls, 22 were on OSU. So they seem to have been split pretty evenly, but watching the game, it sure didn't feel that way. There was a rare period of a couple minutes in the second half where there weren't many whistles, but even the commentators remarked that there wasn't a smooth flow in the game at all. The officials (one, in particular) were very whistle-happy, and the Buckeye starters got in foul trouble early, forcing the back-ups to come in. They did okay, keeping the game very close for the last 10 minutes of the first half, but in the second half, the foul trouble really affected the Buckeyes' defensive play, and they had to allow some easy lay-ups to the Hoosiers that normally wouldn't be there.
On top of the foul issues and the AWFUL officiating (because who wants to watch a game like that?), Aaron Craft turned the ball over six times. Craft is usually the one that fouls a LOT, and miraculously he doesn't get called. But strangely, he wasn't getting called for as many fouls as the rest of the Buckeyes. Unfortunately, he wasn't on his best game, and 2 of his 6 turnovers came in the last minutes of the game, when the Buckeyes needed points to go ahead.
And while Thad Matta played political about the poor officiating, and commented that the team needs to learn to play through it (read: the poor officiating), and the newspapers cited inexperience of the Buckeyes for some of the mistakes on the road, I can't help but be irritated that the game was so affected by ticky-tack calls.
I have never been a huge basketball fan in general, but as I have grown to like the game while watching with my husband, I can comment that I would rather watch a game be played by the athletes than affected by the officials. Granted, adjusting to the calls of officials and umpires in a sport is part of the game. In baseball, you have to learn the ump's strike zone and learn which pitches are going to be called strikes instead of balls. In football, you get a feeling for how far the officials will let you push the interference and holding before they throw a flag. And in basketball, every official has a foul range. I just have to say that last night's officials' foul ranges were pretty bad. Even if the Buckeyes had managed to pull out a victory, I couldn't say that it was a game that I enjoyed watching/listening to my husband watch.
Hopefully the Big Ten will look into it and advise those officials to keep their whistles in check a little more in the future.
But it is a brand new year! Tomorrow, the football Buckeyes play in the Gator Bowl, their last bowl for a season given the sanctions imposed by the NCAA. I wish I could guarantee a victory, but I just don't have a feeling one way or the other.
The 6-6 football team was brilliant at times, and not-so-stellar at others. I think they are fully capable of pulling off a victory. The Florida Gators are down this season, and hopefully new-OSU-head-coach Urban Meyer has lended some insight to Coach Fickell in bowl prep. Talent hasn't been the problem for the Buckeyes. Distractions and execution have. And we aren't without distraction this post-season. Some of the juniors are likely bitter about the post-season ban next season. A ban that came at the hands of some of the current seniors. Tension in the locker room won't be conducive to a victory.
But a win would help end this mediocre season on a positive note, and it would be nice to have that going into the long off-season.
GO BUCKS!!
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