AUG. 30, 2006
JIM TRESSEL: POINT-COUNTERPOINT
Cal Remkey and Scott Clifton take turns answering five questions about an OSU-related topic:
1. Will the Ohio State offense live up to the hype, considering Jim Tressel’s offensive philosophy?
>> CAL REMKEY: It’s nice to have talent, but it’s even better to have experienced talent. This will be Jim Tressel’s most experienced offense at nearly every position, in his tenure at Ohio State. Roughly every starter has at least two years of solid playing experience. Troy Smith, Anthony Gonzalez, Ted Ginn, Roy Hall and Antonio Pittman have all been contributors since the 2004 season. Not to mention that the offensive line returns Doug Datish, T.J. Downing, and Kirk Barton who were also in the mix two years ago.
This offense will still be “Tresselized” to a degree. The only way the Buckeyes will turn to page two of the playbook, in the first month of the season, is if they get down early in the either the Texas or Iowa games. I look for Troy Smith to be used quite differently this year as the depth at tailback has greatly improved with the addition of the number one recruit in the country, Chris Wells. I think we will see Smith in more of a traditional quarterback role, with less called draws. He will still have the freedom to tuck it when the pass isn’t there, but I think Tressel will try to keep him as healthy as possible.
So will the offense live up to the hype? I think that it depends on your expectations. If you envision the offense to, every game, mimic the output in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame, you will probably be disappointed. If you are comparing the offense to Tressel’s OSU teams of the past, you should be pleasantly surprised.
>> SCOTT CLIFTON: I don't think the question is IF the 2006 offense will live up to the hype....it's WHEN. Tressel is painfully conservative in the first half of the season even when he has the likes of Smith, Ginn and Santonio Holmes. Unfortunately, there isn't a proven defense to rely on and the toughest games of the season are before October.
Yes, Tressel must be licking his chops with the running game that might emerge from this year's team. Pittman and Chris Wells could be quite a one-two punch, but ultimately I thinking having too much potential for a running game will be this offense's downfall. Just the possibility of a smash-mouth type of offense will cause The Vest to become too one-dimensional in his play calling. In his warped, old-fashioned brain he will think just the threat of the pass will be enough to keep opposing defenses honest, and in turn help him protect his young defenses from untimely turnovers deep in their own territory. The way I see it, the defense isn't going to get any better unless it's tested a couple of times. And if you fall behind, so what? Just open up the throttle like you did against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
I just hope Tressel realizes that he can't afford to lose early games and have a chance at the national championship. There are too many good teams each year and the chances of working your way back to the top 2 after an early-season loss are becoming more remote each season. And with the non-conference opponents OSU has lined-up in the next 10 years, The Vest better figure it out now rather than later.
2. Why is Tressel so beloved by Ohio State fans, when at times, it appears that he does not maximize his player’s talents?
>> REMKEY: Besides stating the obvious (4-1 against TSUN, and winning OSU’s first national championship in 34 years), the real reason Jim Tressel carries the presence of a rock star — in Ohio — is because he is the perfect coach for this university. Here is a guy who, first and foremost, loves the Ohio State University and the state of Ohio. I can’t tell you how huge that it is to a large majority of the people in this state, especially after 13 years under John “Buckeye Stadium” Cooper.
But he is revered because his coaching style eliminates the negatives of each of the last three coaches. He treats the media with respect (Woody did not). He has put an absolute fence around the state of Ohio in terms of recruiting (Earle did not). And he has absolutely owned TSUN while still being able to remember all of the player’s names (Hi Coop).
And as far as not maximizing the talent that he has, well… with his first true recruiting class at OSU, Tressel won a national championship, two Big Ten co-championships, four bowl games (3 BCS), and produced 5 first round draft picks in the 2006 NFL Draft. It’s hard to say he didn’t get a whole lot out of that class.
This is his dream job. Buckeye fans, unlike those in South Bend and Iowa City, do not have to spend the months of February and March sweating out whether Tressel will leave to coach the San Francisco 49ers. He is happy in Columbus and he will be here for years to come.
>> CLIFTON: I can't argue with much of that except to say that the talent Tressel had could have produced multiple national championships. It's hard to say The Vest has gotten the most out of his talent when during the same time USC was busy winning an Associated Press title, a BCS title and played in a third BCS-title game in three straight seasons. What was OSU doing one of those years? Going 3-3 to start the season, including a loss at Northwestern and a 33-7 loss at Iowa. Dominant teams that maximize their talent don't lose to teams like Northwestern — ever. And they sure as hell don't throw in the towel and lose by 26 on the road. Coop may have looked like he was a deer in headlights and referred to players by their numbers, but he didn't lose to Northwestern.
3. Did 2002 national championship raise the expectations of the program to unachievable levels?
>> REMKEY: No. Ohio State is one of maybe 10 programs in the nation that has a true chance to win a national championship in football every couple of years. The Buckeyes are in that top tier of schools, and they always will be. They have the facilities, the support, and a great recruiting base. Most importantly, they finally have a coach who can tie it all together. The standards are, and should be this high. How do you expect to win a national championship if you don’t believe that you can?
Again, this question is really relative to any particular fan’s expectations. If you are expecting a national championship every single year, then you will probably be disappointed. But if that were the standard, you would have a tough time finding a team to root for. Name one school that has won a genuine, undisputed, back-to-back national championship in the past ten years. It is just not a frequent occurrence.
>> CLIFTON: I think the expectation levels of the OSU program was out of control BEFORE the national championship...the BCS title in 2002 just made it worse. I don't know how fans around here got so arrogant. Maybe I didn't see it because I lived outside the state for the better part of 15 years, but there was nothing to make me think OSU was anything more than a decent football team. The proverbial Kool-aid consumed by most OSU fans makes them think they're better than everybody else — period. Winning a national title, lucky or not, only added fuel to the homer-built fire.
And the problem is the Columbus media and its local-is-better type of coverage. If some national perspective was thrown in every so often maybe the locals would discover there are a lot of schools outside Ohio with great facilities, just as much support and a mafia-run....I mean, similar recruiting bases. There is a big world outside the 270 belt, and as shocking as this may seem, most of that world doesn't think OSU is that good — no matter how many national championships The Vest wins by punting and playing defense.
I agree that expecting to win a national championship every year is ridiculous, but the sobering reality is that's just what OSU fans expect!
4. Will Tressel win another national championship?
>> REMKEY: Yes. I think that the foundation that Tressel has established in his first five years is going to carry on into the next 10-15 years. The odds are absolutely in The Vest’s favor and considering that realistically, there are only a handful of schools that can compete year in and year out for a national championship, I like OSU’s chances as well as anyone. They get good talent. They develop that talent. And they consistently win football games. The law of averages tells me that eventually, JT will secure at least one more national championship before he leaves. I mean, 60% of the time, he ends up in a BCS game at the end of the season. And it looks like there is a good chance of it happening again this year. Tressel is not leaving for another job and at least at this point, he could set the date for his departure.
>> CLIFTON: Tressel has proven that he will be conservative at the beginning of the year — period. And no matter how much talent you recruit, or how much you develop that talent when the non-conference slate includes the likes of USC, Miami (FL), Virginia Tech, Cal and Oklahoma there are going to be a lot of disappointing Septembers in the near future. And disappointing Septembers don't usually add up to national championships.
I'm going to play devils advocate here and say no, The Vest won't be able to get enough lucky breaks in a season to win another national title — unless the university presidents lose their minds and OK a playoff system. Tressel is the perfect playoff coach. He gets his team ready to play at the end of the season. 4-1 agasint TSUN and 4-1 in bowl games. Pretty damn good. It's just that in the current BCS format your week 1 opponent is just as important as week 12. They're all elimination games. Until there is a playoff in Division I college football, I think The Vest used up all his magic in 2002.
5. Will Tressel leave Ohio State on his own terms?
>> REMKEY: At this point in his career, I don’t know how you could say no. The guy’s record speaks for itself and
he has survived a scandal in which national commentators were openly calling for his job. If that didn’t get him, nothing will. Winning cures all and I see no signs of the winning stopping anytime soon. He recruits, he develops, and he wins.
He has developed the perfect formula to keep his job: Keep people happy for long periods of time. How does
he do that? He beats TSUN, and he wins the bowl game. That makes for a very happy off-season. Pepper in a national championship and regularly win the Big Ten, and you have yourself the perfect recipe for job security in Columbus, Ohio. If he wins another national championship, his next job will be in the governor’s office. Quick, name another active coach with multiple undisputed national championships. I can only think of Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno. Oh, there may be a year here, or a year there, when he goes 7-5 or 8-4, but that happens everywhere, and as long as the next year shows marked improvement with a win over TSUN, The Vest will absolutely leave on his own terms.
>> CLIFTON: Beating TSUN and winning the bowl game is a perfect way to end a season, but it doesn't do anything for me if we lose twice in September. I want the helmet game and the bowl game to mean something other than false expectations going into the following season.
As much as I hate to say it, The Vest will leave on his own terms. By winning a national championship in his second season, he sealed his fate. Although, that title was partially with Cooper's players. So maybe if there are more 7-5 and 8-4 seasons than 10-2 or 11-2 campaigns he'll eventually...what am I talking about? It's Ohio. Where change is not only bad, it's wrong. The Vest and his conservative ways are here for as long as he wants.
Cal can be reached via email at calremkey@meanbrutus.com
Scott can be reached via email at scottclifton@meanbrutus.com
