AUG. 24, 2006
KEEP IT CLOSE TO THE VEST
By Scott Clifton
Memo to Ohio State coach Jim Tressel: keep things close to the beloved sweater vest.
Tressel, a.k.a. The Vest, thought holding an open night practice including an hour-long autograph session would accomplish two things: help get his players used to playing under the lights, and it would be a good public relations move as the excitement surrounding his No. 1-ranked team has reached a fever pitch in Columbus.
Not a bad idea considering two of the biggest games this season are 8 p.m. kickoffs (at Texas, Sept. 9 and at Iowa, Sept. 30). Plus, Tressel's track record under the lights leaves somethig to be desired. His OSU teams have gone 1-5 in night games including both losses a year ago.
After attending the open practice, what I don't understand is the PR part of the decision. When 30,000 people show up and half of them are there for the autograph session, do you honestly expect everyone to go home happy? With 15 minutes left in the signing session, the line for Ted Ginn Jr.'s signature was at least 500 deep. That's a PR nightmare. All those single, 30-something overweight men...I mean kids....would have to go home emptyhanded.
But the real reason I think Tressel should have stuck to his guns about keeping practices closed to the media and fans is the pressure. The Vest doesn't do very well when his team has a bullseye on its back early in the season. We only have to go back to last season for a reminder. A spring that had The Vest talking about how the team has a chance to compete for a national championship and then a top 5 preseason ranking. The result: a 3-2 start.
The atmosphere inside the Horseshoe last Monday night was fun at times, but mostly because restless fans who forgot to take their ADHD medicine couldn't watch any more one-on-one drills and had to break into the O-H....I-O chant. But for those of us who actually went to practice to get a better feel for why the team is the consensus No. 1 team in the nation, the practice left something to be desired.
Do we really need to see Mo Wells run a counter play on a simulated third and long situation? We can see that Sept. 2 when OSU is only up a field goal with three minutes to go against Northern Illinois and The Vest has decided he'd rather put the game on punter A.J. Trappasso's foot than in Troy Smith's hands. And why would you call for a receiver to run an out route to the wide side of the field with Justin Zwick in the game? Knowing full well that the route was outside of Zwick's five-yard comfort zone. The resulting pick six (that's an interception returned for a TD for the lingo-challenged) made one fan stand and clap because the defense looked good and at the same time shout, "Zwick is so bad!"
Are these the kinds of plays that can get a fan-base excited about being No. 1? Sure Smith was out there throwing the ball around a little bit. And Ginn was streaking around like the freak that he is, but nothing I saw from our offense screamed "We're No. 1!" And let's face it, the 600 yards offense The Vest dropped on Notre Dame last year is the reason the Buckeyes are picked to win it all this season. Does anyone outside of Columbus realize that that Hell will freeze over before The Vest allows that kind of performance to happen prior to October? And both the Texas and Iowa games are in September?
It's no mystery that I've always been skeptical of The Vest's philosophy of punt and play defense. But so far he's had the defensive studs — and punters — to pull it off. I can't complain about a 50-13 record including a national championship. But this year, his defense is young and I'm not sold on Trapasso, so this seemingly would be the first time The Vest should have to rely on his offense at the beginning of the year. Instead, The Vest tells The Columbus Dispatch that "this old-fahsioned coach" would rather play it safe offensively so that his young defense isn't put in a bad position with a turnover. Come on Vest! You won a national championship! You're 4-1 against TSUN! You don't have to worry anymore! And to think I was so close to getting excited about you as a coach!
I will admit that the defense looked better than I thought it would. The depth up front and the speed at linebacker should help the young secondary gain some confidence. This defense is relatively inexperienced, at least compared to last year's squad. But there are a lot of players that have played in a lot of games. They may not have started, but playing in nickel, dime and special teams situations has at least given them a taste of big time college football. Question is was the taste enough to have them ready to overcome the offense not being able to turn past page one of the playbook until game six?
Hey Vest, how about this? Instead of worrying about the fans and giving them a shot to see their beloved Buckeyes prior to the season, why not keep everything inside the sweater vest? Speak even more like a politician and just let us all believe things will be different this year. At least that way, we won't be disappointed until the second offensive series of the first game.
Scott can be reached via email at scottclifton@meanbrutus.com
